British scifi show Doctor Who is having its 60th anniversary special in EXACTLY ONE MONTH HOLY SHIT, featuring the return of 2010s Tumblr heartthrob David Tennant as The Doctor. With a sixty-year history, 39 combined seasons, at least twenty actors in the protagonist's role, and enough books and audio dramas to fill a library, it's a bit intimidating to figure out where to start! Especially if you want to get caught up in time for the new stuff in a few weeks. With that in mind, I'm going to write up several watch guides and you can determine your own fate. First, though, time to answer a common question:

Why should I get into Doctor Who in the first place?

Because it's the most show in existence. Because it has higher highs and lower lows than almost anything else I can think of. Because its canon is so wide-spanning and surreal that you can spend five hours on a wiki dive only to discover that the Doctor's species is infertile because of a witch's curse, and that as a result every time lord is created from a genetic loom that encodes the political laws of time into their DNA. Because there are twenty-six seasons of the worst-looking rubber suits you could think of. Because in 2005 the BBC put their biggest media property in the hands of an openly gay man, and he used that power to put queerness at the heart of the entire thing -- and in a little under a month, that same guy is being put back in charge to continue the show.

Is it a good show? On the whole, that's a question of personal taste.¹ But it's big and fascinating and heartbreaking and funny and every now and then it lines up perfectly. We may be about to see one of those moments. So, without further ado: the watchlists.²

The Bare Basics (AKA just catch me up for the new stuff ASAP)

For this one, you need to watch...

• Absolutely nothing!

The show's designed to have a new onboarding point every few years, and this is almost definitely going to be one of those times. Will it be a bit confusing? Sure, but they'll explain all the major bits. Have fun!

The Slightly Less Bare Basics (AKA I wanna know what these specific characters have been up to)

So the big two characters for this one are the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble. Their storyline is primarily contained to the fourth season, with a couple exceptions. You can get away with just:

• The Runaway Bride (Christmas special, where 10 and Donna meet)
• S4E1 - Partners in Crime (where they meet again and start adventuring together)
• S4E11/12/13 - Turn Left/The Stolen Earth/Journey's End (End of Donna's storyline)
• The Waters of Mars (10's storyline, also just an extremely strong story)
• The End of Time, Part 1/2 (End of 10's storyline, Donna's epilogue)

Note that while this is watchable, you're missing out on some really good stuff! It skips a TON of Season 4, which is one of the best seasons of the show. If you're okay adding a few more technically-non-essential episodes, I hugely recommend:

• S4E2 - The Fires of Pompeii (great episode for their emotional dynamic)
• S4E8/9 - Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (people talk about this one a lot and they're correct to do so)
• S4E10 - Midnight (people talk about this one even more and they're even more correct to do so)

The Actually Quite Extensive Basics (AKA every single plot thread leading into this storyline, for completionists)

If you want to know absolutely everything about everyone involved, you're going to want to watch:

• s3e7 - The Celestial Toymaker (destroyed in a fire fifty years ago, only the last part still exists. also as others have pointed out, it's INCREDIBLY racist at points. i'd probably recommend skipping this one even if it were watchable tbh)
• Doctor Who and the Star Beast (1980 comic)
• Scherzo (2003 audio story. There's no evidence it'll be relevant but there's a huge blank spot in the marketing for the second special and I Have A Hunch)
• S3E0 - The Runaway Bride (Christmas special, where 10 and Donna meet)
• S4E1 - Partners in Crime (where they meet again and start adventuring together)
• S4E11 - Turn Left
• S4E12 - The Stolen Earth
• S4E13 - Journey's End (End of Donna's storyline)
• The Waters of Mars (Climax of 10's storyline)
• The End of Time, Part 1/2 (End of 10's storyline)
• S7E4 - The Power of Three (introduction of Kate Stewart)
• All of Doctor Who: Flux (six-episode miniseries, UNIT storyline, plus it's a ton of fun)
• The Power of the Doctor (the immediately preceding episode)

I Don't Care About Continuity, Just Give Me A Sample Platter

My type of person. Here's a few episodes from each era of the show, with the only qualification that I personally think they're good. These all vary widely in tone, but I like em all a lot! (Also this list leans towards nuwho, because unfortunately that's what I know better.) My recommendation for engaging with this list in particular is to pick an episode or two whose name sounds interesting, then check it out! If you like it, consider watching the stories surrounding it. I'm leaving out a TON of good stuff in favor of the more accessible stories, but if you dig around a little around any of these stories,³ you'll hit gold.

• s15E4 - The Sun Makers (did you know a lot of classic Who was written by card-carrying communists? this episode will convince you!)
• s16E2 - The Pirate Planet (great classic serial written by Douglas Adams)
• s25E1 - Remembrance of the Daleks (one of the best classic serials period. plus you get to see Ace, who rules)
• S1E8 - Father's Day
• S2E8/9 - The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit
• S4E10 - Midnight
• The Waters of Mars
• S5E10 - Vincent and the Doctor
• S8E5 - Time Heist
• S9E3/4 - Under the Lake/Before the Flood
• S10E5 - Oxygen
• S11E6 - Demons of the Punjab
• Eve of the Daleks

This is all a ton of recommendations, please just give me one episode to watch to give me the vibe of the show

Ahh, a true connoisseur. For you, we have the best of the best.

• S1E1 - Rose

That's right! The first episode of the revival. It's a great episode to give you the vibe of the whole rest of the show: fun, kinda goofy, full of awful CGI, but even more full of heart. If you enjoy Rose, you'll enjoy Doctor Who. If you don't, I still recommend giving the 60th specials a shot -- the show's changed a lot in the past eighteen years -- but know that it springs from that same well.

That's all for this post! I'm happy to answer any and all Who-related questions. I've been obsessed with this show ever since I was a child, and by god that obsession is revving back up.

1. I have bad taste, so I think Doctor Who rules. I'm hoping you have bad taste too.

2. Administrative note: seasons marked with a capital S are the modern post-2005 show, while seasons marked with a lowercase s are the classic 1963-1989 show. If an episode doesn't have a season marker, it's either a special or not part of the regular TV show.

3. Okay, maybe not around Time Heist. Season 8 is kind of a crapshoot IMO.