I just saw my first episode of Dr. Who last night on BBC America...oh what I have been missing out on, for all these years! Anyone have a suggestion on where I should start?
Well, it depends. Doctor Who has been on since 1963, and is considered the longest-running sci-fi series of all time, even taking into account the hiatus in the nineties. Many have come to Who within the confines of the "new" series -- that is, following the ninth (Christopher Eccleston) and tenth (David Tennant) Doctors from 2005 onwards, and you may just want to start there. The new series is, in some ways, more edible than the original, and with a far higher budget. As someone who grew up with Who, however, I'd recommend looking at some of the past epsiodes, as well. Certainly knowing some of the series's history will help you understand the pull of characters resurrected by the writers. A good database to check is Outpost Gallifrey.
I second Nessa's sound advice. I'm commenting only to stress how awesome some of the older material can be :)
It's not a bad idea to absorb the new series in sequence and then come back around to the older Doctors. My personal favorites are Baker (4) and Davis (5). It's important to note that the older material was often done in serials, so the plots in these can take a while to congeal. But once you've gotten a modern sense of the Doctor it will make for better entertainment.
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It's not a bad idea to absorb the new series in sequence and then come back around to the older Doctors. My personal favorites are Baker (4) and Davis (5). It's important to note that the older material was often done in serials, so the plots in these can take a while to congeal. But once you've gotten a modern sense of the Doctor it will make for better entertainment.
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