Perhaps you’ve noticed new Doctor Who episodes have appeared on Disney+: three specials for the show’s 60th anniversary and one to launch the newest actor to portray the titular role. However, the show has been running consistently since its relaunch in 2005, and that makes for a daunting list of material to catch up on. No fear! The very nature of a show like Doctor Who, which plays fast and loose with time, practically asks to be watched out of order. You can join at any point if you keep two things in mind:
- The Doctor is the titular character and the only name they ever receive. The actors change periodically because The Doctor is a Time Lord, an alien from the faraway planet Gallifrey. Time Lords undergo a process called regeneration when they die or receive fatal injuries, transforming on a cellular and biological level into a completely new body. This new self retains the memories and experiences of the previous version but is also an entirely new person. Some seasons deal with regeneration and its implications more heavily than others.
- The Doctor, as a Time Lord, travels in his ship through time and space. This means episodes can take place at any point in Earth’s history and at any location within the universe. The chronology of Doctor Who episodes follows the Doctor through his timeline, but not our linear time. Hence the “wibbly wobbly timey wimey” aspect of the show.
If you keep these aspects in mind, it really doesn’t matter where you jump into the series. What is past always comes back around again, and what is yet to come has often already happened. I also encourage you to remember Doctor Who, more than other sci-fi franchises of its various eras, makes use of its relatively low budget by leaning heavily into the camp factor.
Campy (adjective): in the style of camp: absurdly exaggerated, artificial, or affected in a usually humorous way.
-Merriam-Webster Dictionary
When the world-building of a sci-fi world is relegated largely to the campy displays of Who, the narrative and character development stand out as that much more poignant. This, I feel, is the strength of Doctor Who. The absurdity of the effects juxtaposed with intense examinations of found family, love, empathy, humanity and ethics enhances the emotional connection I feel for the characters. It’s well worth watching for fans of all genres, and I’m here to give you the context and summaries of each “era” of Who to help you decide where to jump in.
That said, let’s dive in!
A Note on Classic Who
The era known as “Classic Who” encompasses the show’s original 26-season run and follows the adventures of the first eight incarnations of the Doctor. Sadly, these seasons are not available to stream outside of BBC-owned services. However, most of the early shows are available on DVD and can be found in our collection.
Classic Who is great for anyone who is already familiar with the franchise in general, who is drawn to early science fiction media like Star Trek: The Original Series or who wants to watch as many episodes of the series as possible.
The Ninth Doctor: Christopher Eccleston (2005)
Season Number(s): 1
Recommended Episode(s): S1E9 “The Empty Child,”; S1E10 “The Doctor Dances” and S1E12 “Bad Wolf”
Appearing for only one season before leaving the show for personal reasons and creative differences with show writers and producers, Eccleston portrays a version of the Doctor who is healing from serious trauma. His bond with the young human Rose, played by Billie Piper, regrounds him with empathy. The season is definitely dated in terms of effects and CGI, but the story being told remains one of my favorites to this day.
The Ninth Doctor may be your Doctor if you are drawn to stories of trauma recovery, found family narratives and high-stakes science fiction mixed with ethical quandaries presented as campy and over-the-top scenarios.
The Ninth Doctor also appears in the novelizations The Stealers of Dreams and Only Human. I couldn’t choose just a single episode with the 9th Doctor, but I think the three I recommend above show the heart of Eccleston’s Doctor and introduce David Tennant’s 10th Doctor.
The Tenth Doctor: David Tennant (2005–2010)
Season Number(s): 2–4
Recommended Episode(s): S2E4 “The Girl in the Fireplace,” S3E1 “Smith and Jones,” S4E8 “Silence in the Library” and S4E13 “Journey’s End”
A fan-favorite version of the Doctor, Tennant portrayed a looser version of the character, easygoing until backed into a corner. During his three seasons, Ten has three primary companions. Rose stays on from Eccleston’s season until a truly heartbreaking separation. We then get Dr. Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) for one season, followed by Donna Noble, portrayed by Tennant’s long-term comedy partner Catherine Tate.
Ten has recovered significantly from the trauma that was haunting his predecessor, but he becomes increasingly afraid of his own eventual “death” and regeneration. The Tenth Doctor is often the image most people have when they’re talking about “The Doctor,” which is made even more poignant by Tennant’s well-known love for the franchise.
Ten might be your Doctor if you’re drawn to traditional sci-fi narratives, camp mixed with sentiment and an upbeat protagonist with a hidden dark side. The episodes I suggest include a stand-alone and sweet storyline about an almost-romance, the introduction of a companion who is as brilliant as she is brave, the introduction of my personal favorite character, River Song and the conclusion of Tennant’s run, which brings back all his companions and summarizes his run beautifully.
The Eleventh Doctor: Matt Smith (2010–2013)
Season Number(s): 5–7
Recommended Episode(s): S5E10 “Vincent and the Doctor,” S6E7 “A Good Man Goes to War” and S7E8 “The Rings of Akhaten”
Eleven is yet again changed from the version shown on-screen by Tennant. Silly, charismatic, charming and carefree, Eleven’s dynamic with his companions remained central to the narrative. Joined first by couple Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) and later by Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), Eleven is also the version of the Doctor with a “romance” subplot.
Introduced in a single episode in the Tennant era, River Song (Alex Kingston) plays a pivotal role in Eleven’s run and is likely my favorite character from the whole series. Eleven and Amy are a dynamic duo, intimately close friends who would both do anything for each other and consistently goad each other into increasingly fraught situations.
Eleven might be your Doctor if you prefer your protagonist to have big “golden retriever energy.” Episodes suggested include a stand-alone storyline involving the artist Vincent Van Gogh, a plot-heavy episode that introduces some future plot points and an episode following an alien child and her heavy responsibility.
The Twelfth Doctor: Peter Capaldi (2014–2017)
Season Number(s): 8–10
Recommended Episode(s): S8E1 “Deep Breath,” S9E12 “Hell Bent” and S10E11 “World Enough and Time”
Eleven’s final episode is poignant and sad, and his regeneration into Capaldi is intentional. Paired still with Clara, a young woman with whom the Doctor might have developed romantic feelings, Twelve must contend with the closing of a chapter in his life and loses much of the empathy previously present in his character.
My favorite episodes of the show come from Capaldi’s run, “Heaven Sent” and “Hell Bent,” which are the final two episodes of season 9. These are not stand-alone episodes, so a passing knowledge of Capaldi’s Doctor is needed to experience the full, intended impact of the story.
Twelve’s later companion, Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie), gets a great story arc as well. And while her eventual separation from the Doctor is heartbreaking, there is a lot of love in her character. As the show’s first canonically confirmed and stated gay character, Bill’s story is handled beautifully, in large part, because her sexuality is not presented as a narrative plot point. She just is.
Twelve might be your Doctor if Shakespearean monologues about ethics are your jam. My episode suggestions include an intense start to Capaldi’s run, an episode to remind viewers what it means to be a Time Lord and the start of a really clever sci-fi two-part story that equally devastates and blows me away. It was incredibly difficult to narrow down Twelve’s best episodes as so many of his episodes rank among my favorites, especially most of season 9.
The Thirteenth Doctor: Jodie Whittaker (2018–2022)
Season Number(s): 11–13
Recommended Episode(s): S11E6 “Demons of the Punjab,” S12E3 “Orphan 55” and S13E5 “Survivors of the Flux”
As the first woman cast to portray the Doctor, Jodie Whittaker received a lot of negative backlash. Her seasons received further backlash from long-term fans, who felt the storytelling of her first season was basic and lacking. However, I feel the reasons for this return to the basics are clear in the narrative.
Capaldi’s final season and eventual regeneration move from tragedy to a joyful future, as he reminds his successor to “never be cruel, never be cowardly.” Thirteen takes that advice to heart. She is running from her past, and so she keeps details of herself and her history from her new companions Yaz (Mandip Gill), Ryan (Tosin Cole) and Graham (Bradley Walsh).
Viewers are likewise kept in the dark, and the slow reveal of the Doctor’s trauma over her first season serves as a gentle and poignant recentering of the narrative, returning to the roots of what it means to be a Time Lord, an alien from a different planet entirely.
The COVID-19 crisis also profoundly affected her final season, as writing, filming and production were canceled, delayed and reconstructed. Her regeneration, which was expected to launch Ncuti Gatwa into the role, instead brought back David Tennant for a series of three holiday specials that aired in December 2023.
Suggested episodes focus on unique storytelling. The first episode visits recent history to witness the Partition of India and Pakistan, an episode with a cool sci-fi premise on an uninhabitable planet used as a resort location and a high-stakes episode that changes the future of Doctor Who.
The Fourteenth Doctor: David Tennant, again (2023)
Season Number(s): Not a season. These are three interconnected holiday specials for the franchise’s 60th anniversary.
Episodes: “The Star Beast,” “Wild Blue Yonder” and “The Giggle”
The end of Jodie Whittaker’s run as the Doctor saw an unusual regeneration. For the first time ever, the Doctor regenerated into the same form he had previously. Portrayed again by David Tennant, Fourteen gets a series of three specials to figure out why he has regenerated in this way. It is important to note that although their bodies are the same (though aged a few years since it’s been a decade since Tennant’s first run), Fourteen is a distinct version of the Doctor and not the same being that Ten was.
Transported back to London and immediately into the presence of a former companion, the specials hold a lot of heart and soul. I have some concerns with lead writer Russel T. Davies, especially when it comes to the portrayal of trans characters, however. The specials are the first to air on Disney+ as well, making them accessible to an entirely new audience. They can be a great starting place for new viewers, but keep in mind a lot of the fallout for Fourteen involves the trauma of Ten’s regeneration, and if you missed that, you won’t get quite the emotional punch.
If you don’t have Disney+ and want to watch this year’s holiday specials, you can borrow one of our Rokus that comes preloaded with Disney+, as well as tons of other popular streaming services!
The Fifteenth Doctor: Ncuti Gatwa (2023–)
Season Number(s): 14–?
Recommended Episode(s): So far, just one holiday special called “The Church on Ruby Road.”
Ncuti (shoo-tee) Gatwa joins Doctor Who at the end of Fourteen’s third special. It’s a great introduction episode to the world of Doctor Who, and I have high hopes for Gatwa’s portrayal of the 15th Doctor. He’s charming and effervescent, and his companion, Ruby Sunday, is every bit as bold and clever as the Doctor himself.
Holiday specials are often stand-alone entries into the universe, though details about the characters often come up in later episodes. For example, this episode centers around the mystery of Ruby Sunday, a baby left orphaned at the Church on Ruby Road. While many of the questions raised by the episode have answers contained within its runtime, it’s clear a larger mystery is being set up and will likely occupy the upcoming season.
When the episode first aired on Christmas Day 2023, there had been no announcement regarding the airing of Gatwa’s first formal season as the Doctor. Thankfully, Disney announced that season 14 would begin streaming on the Disney+ app in May of 2024. So, not that long to wait at all, and it gives us plenty of time to meet the Doctor, in whichever form we choose.