# Help me get into Doctor Who **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 1, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-doctor-who/527268 "2010-02-01T17:42:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-doctor-who/527268/21 "2010-02-03T06:43:37Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Is \*\*An Unearthly Child \*\*available on Netflix? That’s the very first, original episode and it sets up the basic premise. After that, I like the multi-doctor episodes, especially \*\*The Three Doctors \*\*and **The Five Doctors**. You get more Doctor for your time, and a visit to Gallifrey. Can I suggest that you avoid multi-Doctor stories for the time being, especially The Five Doctors. This is a reunion show, with a lot of characters that haven’t appeared in years. It’s a joy to watch if you already know the characters. If you don’t know who they are, it will be confusing and probably quite painful. I’d recommend that you not watch it until you’ve seen a few stories from each of the previous eras. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-doctor-who/527268/22 "2010-02-03T15:05:07Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > He also co-wrote “City of Death” …the meat of which got re-worked into his first DIRK GENTLY book. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-doctor-who/527268/23 "2010-02-03T17:41:31Z")
> [@kelly5078](#): > > Good to know. Thanks. Although I assume that the new series will start here in the US in the summer, per usual… According to [BBCAmerica](http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/123/index.jsp), it starts “this spring.” ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-doctor-who/527268/24 "2010-02-03T17:58:16Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > According to [BBCAmerica](http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/123/index.jsp), it starts “this spring.” Thanks. I was expecting it to be on SyFy. I might have missed half the season if you hadn’t pointed this out. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus\_alba](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quercus_alba/32/4061_2.png) [@Quercus\_alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus_alba)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-doctor-who/527268/25 "2010-02-04T04:09:35Z")
> [@Bakhesh](#): > > As mentioned by others, its very much a family show, and parts of it are definitely for kids. Its also fairly uneven, as its written by quite a few different writers. At its worst, it is terrible, with plots that make no sense and badly developed characters. However, at its best, it is enormously enjoyable. > > Don’t analyze it too much, just let yourself be dragged along by the plot (most episodes have a huge amount of energy about them, so its not that difficult to do). For my money, the first series (of new Who) starts with a few mediocre episodes, but stick with it, because the series really kicks in around episode 6. > > If you’ve got kids, watch it with them, and they will love you for it. The wife & I used to watch it on our local PBS 20+ years ago when first married. When the New Who came out, our teens discovered it, and before long it was the only hour of the week that all 6 of us would occupy the same room. Has something for everyone…all the way down to the preschooler. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus\_alba](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quercus_alba/32/4061_2.png) [@Quercus\_alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus_alba)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-doctor-who/527268/26 "2010-02-04T04:14:33Z")
> [@kelly5078](#): > > If you find your interest flagging, though, you might skip to “The Empty Child,” with Eccleston, and " **Blink," with Tennant** , which are about as good as they get. Both are written by Moffat, BTW, and so should be a taste of things to come this season. “Blink” (which is as good as _anything_ on television gets!) deserves special mention for starring the radiant, now-Academy-Award- nominated, Carey Mulligan. Tennant is barely a cameo in this episode. ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-doctor-who/527268/27 "2010-02-04T08:03:38Z")
> [@kelly5078](#): > > Thanks. I was expecting it to be on SyFy. I might have missed half the season if you hadn’t pointed this out. BBC America has been doing a fantastic job over the past half-year or so of airing Doctor Who specials (as well as Torchwood: Children of Earth) within a week of their original UK broadcasts. Current speculation for UK broadcast of season 1/5/31 (all valid designations of Moffat’s season) is that mid-April is the latest release date possible, as 3 novels featuring Matt Smith’s incarnation of the Doctor will be available on April 22. Some have been saying Easter (April 4) but that could be wishful thinking. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-doctor-who/527268/28 "2010-02-04T19:41:14Z")
> [@Bakhesh](#): > > As mentioned by others, its very much a family show, and parts of it are definitely for kids. Its also fairly uneven, as its written by quite a few different writers. At its worst, it is terrible, with plots that make no sense and badly developed characters. However, at its best, it is enormously enjoyable. > > Don’t analyze it too much, just let yourself be dragged along by the plot (most episodes have a huge amount of energy about them, so its not that difficult to do). For my money, the first series (of new Who) starts with a few mediocre episodes, but stick with it, because the series really kicks in around episode 6. > > If you’ve got kids, watch it with them, and they will love you for it. My wife and daughter did not know who Doctor Who was before I heard the the new Doctor Who was coming out. I could not believe I had been so derelict in my fatherly duties…so I spent the week before the show aired saying exterminate! EXTERMINATE! at every opportunity until they thought I was nuts. They fell in love with the show, especially my daughter. They also said my impersonization of EXTERMINATE! was eerily accurate 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-into-doctor-who/527268.md?page=1)