Doctor Who

require to begin watchingDoctor Whobut do n’t sleep with where to start ? We ’ve put together a complete see guide to help you empathise the canonic story , check out the best episodes , and watch over the chronological order of all the series ' spinoffs .

Doctor Whois the longest - running science - fiction TV series in the humankind , launch by the BBC back in 1963 . It was revive byRussell T. Daviesin 2005 , and has become a full - on orbicular phenomenon with four twisting - off show ( Torchwood , The Sarah Jane Adventures , K9 , andClass ) useable online and in stores . This naturally means it can be quite daunting for unexampled viewers , and that ’s not even taking the classic serial publication into consideration .

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Doctor Who Season 14 Poster

It ’s middling much impossible to have the " complete"Doctor Whoexperience , just because there have been too many railroad tie - ins in divers mediums . Still , here ’s our handy guide to avail viewers figure out which episodes are a good barometer for whether or not someone will bask the series , where to feel the show online ( in addition to retail shelves ) , as well as a complete listing of where the tie-up - indium and special primed . It focuses strictly on the forward-looking series , since the copious amount of capacity in the classical era could be a little too much at this stage .   We recommend that interested viewer follow our guide and then , if they ’re up for it , go all the way back to the outset of the franchise with Season 1 , Episode 1 : " An Unearthly Child " from 1963 .

Where To Start withDoctor Who?

If a spectator is considering attempt outDoctor Who , it ’s probably not wise to start with the first episode of Russell T. Davies ' relaunch , " Rose " - which , while excellent , is generally considered not a choice example of the show at its best . As a upshot , we ’ve selected fourDoctor Whoepisodes that offer a good sample distribution of what likely viewers can anticipate from the series - without foul up too many of the larger story arc and twist .   This is n’t to say that these three episodes are thebestbut each one will , for the most part , offer a solid standalone story experience and should help prospectiveDoctor Whoviewers get a sense of the show , without the indigence for a extended canon rundown or , more significantly , overarching series mollycoddler .

Additionally , here are some founding father pick that former showrunner Steven Moffat and Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith gave :

Steven Moffat

Doctor Who Guide Matt Smith Peter Capaldi Jodie Whittaker and David Tennant in Doctor Who

Matt Smith

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Doctor WhoViewing Tips & Notes

Doctor Whois a complicated show full of enough " wibbly wobbly timey wimey " stuff to make even a   veteran Whovian ’s head tailspin . For that reason , we ’ve also put together a tilt of tip for watching the series that should help newcomers make sense of sure informational bits that might be confusing at first . We ’ve also collect note of hand that , first and first , stress the importance of Christmas episodes and other special - as well as address a number of oft asked logistic questions .

The Basics:

The Logistics:

bear on : Every TARDIS In Doctor Who Canon ( Besides The Doctor ’s )

Our FavoriteDoctor WhoEpisodes

We ’ve already divvy up a few episode that can   whet your appetence for moreDoctor Whobut which of the Time Lord ’s adventure are the overall best ? We ’d never be so bluff as to put together a " good " instalment tilt - since there are plenty of high - timbre episode in the series that appeal to viewers for dissimilar reasons . However , we ’ve listed ourpersonalfavorites below for the sake of discussion .

Honorable Mentions : " The Girl Who Waited , " " Time Crash , " " Stolen Earth , " " The End of Time , " and " The Day of the Doctor . "

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The Ninth Doctor with his arms crossed in front of the Tardis in Doctor Who

The CompleteDoctor WhoEpisode List

Bolded sequence titles are used to highlight special , not simply good , installment in each season .   We have furnish YouTube links to prequel minisodes and other media - where useable . However , please note that broken connection will be take out and , depend on availableness , may not be replace . That said , many prequel episode and minisodes can still be found online - via a quick Google search .

time of year 1 ( 2005 )

Rose

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship Doctor Who Amy Queen Nefertiti

The End of the man

The Unquiet Dead

Aliens of London ( Part 1 )

The Tenth Doctor stepping out of the Tardis in Doctor Who

World War Three ( Part 2 )

Dalek

The Long Game

Doctor Who Guide Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper in Doctor Who

Father ’s Day

The Empty Child ( Part 1 )

The Doctor Dances ( Part 2 )

Doctor Who Guide David Tennant in Doctor Who

Boom Town

Bad Wolf ( Part 1 )

The Parting of the Ways ( Part 2 )

Doctor Who Guide Freema Agyeman in Doctor Who

Born Again [ Children in Need Short ] [ YouTube Link ]

The Christmas Invasion [ 2005 Christmas Special ]

time of year 2 ( 2006 )

Doctor Who Guide Catherine Tate in Doctor Who

( Tardisode prequel short pants were made for each episode in season 2 )

New Earth

Tooth and Claw

Doctor Who Guide Matt Smith and Karen Gillan in Doctor Who

School Reunion

The Girl in the Fireplace

hike of the Cybermen ( Part 1 )

Doctor Who Guide Jenna Louise Coleman in Doctor Who

The Age of Steel ( Part 2 )

The Idiot ’s Lantern

The Impossible Planet ( Part1 )

Doctor Who Guide John Hurt in Doctor Who

The Satan Pit ( Part 2 )

Love & Monsters

Fear Her

Doctor Who Guide Peter Capaldi in Doctor Who

Army of Ghosts ( Part 1 )

Doomsday ( Part 2 )

TorchwoodSpin - off Begins ( 2 Seasons ; 2 Miniseries )

Doctor Who Guide Pearl Mackie in Doctor Who

The Runaway Bride [ 2006 Christmas Special ]

Season 3 ( 2007 )

The Sarah Jane AdventuresSpin - off Begins [ Children ’s Show ] ( 5 Seasons )

Doctor Who Guide Jodie Whittaker in Doctor Who

Smith and Jones

The Shakespeare Code

Gridlock

Doctor Who

Daleks in Manhattan ( Part 1 )

development of the Daleks ( Part 2 )

The Lazarus Experiment

Torchwood

42

Human Nature ( Part 1 )

The Family of profligate ( Part 2 )

Blink[Read the original forgetful storyHERE ]

Torchwood Season 1 Finale :   ( No Doctor but the installment leads into Utopia ) .

Utopia ( Part 1 )

The Sound of Drums ( Part 2 )

Last of the Time Lords ( Part 3 )

The   Infinite   Quest [ Animated installment ]

Time Crash[Children in Need Short ] [ YouTube Link ]

ocean trip of the Damned [ 2007 Christmas Special ]

time of year 4 ( 2008 )

Partners in Crime

The attack of Pompeii

major planet of the Ood

The Sontaran Stratagem ( Part 1 )

The Poison Sky ( Part 2 )

The Doctor ’s Daughter

The Unicorn and the Wasp

Silence in the Library ( Part 1 )

wood of the Dead ( Part 2 )

Midnight

Turn Left

The Stolen Earth ( Part 1)[Torchwood Appearance ]

Journey ’s End ( Part 2)[Torchwood Appearance ]

Season 4 special ( 2008 - 10 )

( time of year 4 specials are typically feel solely   by title on on-line cyclosis service , not inevitably as part of   season 4 itself )

The Next Doctor [ 2008 Christmas Special ]

Planet of the Dead [ Easter Special ]

Dreamland [ Animated instalment ]

K-9Spin - off Begins [ Children ’s Show ] ( 1 Season )

The Water of Mars [ Autumn   Special ]

The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith ( Part 1 and 2 ) [ The Doctor onThe Sarah Jane Adventures ]

Torchwood : Children of Earth ( No Doctor but the episode ’s aftermath is referenced in " The final stage of prison term : Part 2 " )

The End of Time ( Part 1 )   [ 2009 Christmas Special ]

The End of Time ( Part 2 )   [ New Year ’s Special ]

time of year 5 ( 2010 )

The Eleventh Hour

Meanwhile in the TARDIS Minisode 1 [ Available on Season 5 DVD ]

The Beast Below

Victory of the Daleks

The Time of Angels ( Part 1 )

Flesh and Stone ( Part 2 )

Meanwhile in the TARDIS Minisode 2 [ Available on Season 5 DVD ]

The Vampires of Venice

Amy ’s pick

The Hungry Earth ( Part 1 )

Cold Blood ( Part 2 )

Vincent and the Doctor of the Church

The Lodger

The Pandorica Opens ( Part 1 )

The Big Bang ( Part 2 )

Death of the Doctor ( Part 1 & 2)[The Doctor on The Sarah Jane Adventures ] [ YouTube Link;Part 2 ]

A Christmas Carol [ 2010 Christmas Special ]

blank space / Time [ Children in Need Short ] [ YouTube Link;Part 2 ]

Season 6 ( 2011 )

The Impossible Astronaut ( Part 1)[Prequel MinisodeYouTube Link ]

twenty-four hours of the Moon ( Part 2 )

The Curse of the Black Spot   [ Prequel MinisodeYouTube Link ]

The Doctor ’s Wife

The Rebel Flesh ( Part 1 )

The Almost People ( Part 2 )

A Good Man Goes to War ( Part 1 )

Let ’s vote out Hitler ( Part 2)[Prequel ShortYouTube Link ]

Night holy terror

The Girl Who Waited

The God Complex

Closing clip

The Wedding of River Song[Prequel ShortYouTube Link ]

last is the Only Answer [ medico Who Confidential Short ] [ YouTube Link ]

The Doctor , the Widow and the Wardrobe [ 2011 Christmas Special][Prequel ShortYouTube Link ]

Good as Gold [ Blue Peter Short ] [ YouTube Link ]

nighttime and the Doctor [ DVD Minisodes ] : Due to wobbly wonky timey wimey stuff and nonsense these minisodes can not be placed precisely in the episodic timeline but are well watched at the end of season 6 .

Bad Night   [ YouTube Link ]

Good Night   [ YouTube Link ]

First Night   [ YouTube Link ]

Last Night   [ YouTube Link ]

Up All Night   [ Daily Motion Link ]

time of year 7 ( 2012 )

Pond Life   [ Mini - Webisodes ] [ YouTube Link;Part 2,3,4,5 ]

refuge of the Daleks [ Prequel Short Amazon   Link ]

Dinosaurs on a starship

A Town Called Mercy

The Power of Three

The Inforarium Minisode [ Available on Season 7 DVD ]

The Angels Take Manhattan

P.S.[Season 7 Mid - Season Finale erase Scene ] [ YouTube Link ]

time of year 7.5 ( 2013 )

The Snowmen[2012 Christmas Special ] [ Prequel ShortsThe Great DetectiveandVastra Investigates ]

The Bells of Saint John [ Prequel ShortYouTube Link ]

The Rings of Akhaten

Clara and the TARDIS   Minisode [ Available on Season 7 DVD ]

Rain Gods   Minisode [ useable on Season 7 DVD ]

Cold War

veil

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS

The Crimson Horror

Nightmare in silver medal

The Name of the Doctor[Prequel Minisodes : He Said , She SaidandClarence and the Whispermen ]

The Night of the Doctor [ 50th Anniversary Prequel Minisode ] [ YouTube Link ]

The Last twenty-four hour period [ 50th day of remembrance Prequel Minisode ] [ YouTube Link ]

The Day of the Doctor [ 50th Anniversary Special ]

The Time of the Doctor [ 2013 Christmas Special ]

Season 8 ( 2014 )

Deep Breath

Into The Dalek

Robot Of Sherwood

take heed

Time Heist

The Caretaker

down The Moon

Mummy On The Orient Express

Flatline

In The Forest Of The Night

Dark Water

expiry In Heaven

Last Christmas [ 2014 Christmas Special ]

Season 9 ( 2015 )

Season 9 Prologue   Minisode : [ YouTube Link ]

The Magician ’s Apprentice Prequel : The Doctor ’s Meditation [ Daily Motion   Link ]

The Magician ’s Apprentice   ( Part 1 )

The Witch ’s intimate ( Part 2 )

Under the Lake   ( Part 1 )

Before the Flood ( Part 2 )

The Girl Who snuff it ( Part 1 )

The Woman Who Lived ( Part 2 )

The Zygon Invasion ( Part 1 )

The Zygon Inversion ( Part 2 )

Sleep No More

Face the Raven

Heaven Sent ( Part 1 )

Hell Bent ( Part 2 )

The Husbands of River Song   [ 2015 Christmas Special ]

ClassSpin - off Begins ( 1 time of year )

Looking for Pudsey [ Children in Need Minisode Cameo ] [ YouTube ]

The Return of Doctor Mysterio [ 2016 Christmas Special ]

Season 10 ( 2017 )

The Pilot

Smile

Thin Ice

Knock Knock

atomic number 8

Extremis

The Pyramid at the last of the World

The Lie of the landed estate

The Empress of Mars

The Eaters of Light

World Enough and sentence

The Doctor Falls

Twice Upon a Time   [ 2017 Christmas Special ]

Season 11 ( 2018 )

The Woman Who Fell To Earth

The Ghost Monument

Rosa

arachnoid in the U.K.

The Tsurunga Conundrum

ogre of the Punjab

Kerblam !

The Witchfinders

It Takes You aside

The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos

resolving [ 2019 Holiday Special ]

Season   12 ( 2020 )

Spyfall , Part   1

Spyfall , Part 2

Orphan 55

Nikola Tesla ’s Night of Terror

Fugitive of the Judoon

Praxeus

Can You Hear Me ?

The Haunting of Villa Diodati

Ascension of the Cybermen

The Timeless Children

Revolution of the Daleks [ 2021   New Year ’s   Special ]

Season   13 ( 2021 )

The Halloween Apocalypse

War of the Sontarans

Once , Upon clock time

Greenwich Village of the Angels

Survivors of the Flux

The Vanquishers

Eve of the Daleks [ 2022   New Year ’s   Special ]

Legend of the Sea Devils [ 2022   Easter   Special ]

TBD [ BBC Centenary Special ]

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