I have been a fan of this series since almost the beginning of Series 2; my first proper episode was School Reunion, however I had seen the last 20 minutes of Dalek back in 2005, but I didn't remember to tune back in the next week! Ever since then, I've pretty much caught every episode on its broadcast, except for the odd one where I've been away or indisposed. In 2007, I decided to take a look at the Classic Series - my first story was Genesis of the Daleks, and I've loved it ever since. Slowly, I've collected and watched almost every Classic episode available, following the "junking" back in the 60s, and I've come to love Doctor Who as part of my life, like a dog or a cat, something I can be with from time to time and have a smile on my face. In 2008, I even started scouring for Big Finish Audios, novels and comics, and I'm still collecting them to this day.
By now, of course, we've had thirty-four series with the "New Who" batch included, twelve Doctors (thirteen with Hurt), 812 episodes, 252 stories and 50 years of history. In many ways, with the extreme amount of miscellany as part of the franchise, you could compare Doctor Who very nearly to the Star Wars franchise, and has its own culture and everything.
What really gives this television show ten stars though is the continuity. This may be hard to explain, because not many people usually comment on it. What I mean by continuity is that every single episode of Doctor Who is linked in some way or another by threads of storyline that cross the 50 years it has been in existence! Whether it's a returning nemesis, an item of clothing or a passing reference, there's always something to look out for and shout "Ooh, another easter egg for the Whovians!"
A simple example for you was back in the 5th series, following Amy and Rory's wedding, the Eleventh Doctor has just received a phone call in the TARDIS from someone claiming there is an Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express. Whilst there are a few slight changes to the context, which could also have been a ploy, three series later, the Twelfth Doctor finally replies by visiting the Orient Express and discovers that it was a computerized identity known as Gus who had brought him there in the first place. It's simple, yet in my mind, it allows me a pause of nostalgia as I think back to how I watched the 5th series.
The greatest example I've ever seen was again quite recent. In Moffat's polarising episode, Listen, Clara tells the young Doctor what she heard from his twelfth incarnation. One part of the speech springs to mind, however, "Fear makes companions of us all". Not many will have perhaps realised, but this was in reference to what the First Doctor once said to Barbara Wright in the Cave of Skulls, in the third ever episode of the television show. In a very sublime way, the series is never far away from reminding us about the past.
As a recommendation, I would give this show an open-mind, especially the "New Series", starting 2005. Some episodes are superb, but others drop to the very bottom of the mediocre barrel. What I love about it though is its timeless story, consistently great acting and the fact that the next series could bring absolutely anything to the table - there's just no way of predicting what is to come!
Top 10 Doctor Who Stories: 1. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (10th Doctor - 2008) 2. Human Nature/The Family of Blood (10th Doctor - 2007) 3. A Good Man Goes to War (11th Doctor - 2011) 4. Genesis of the Daleks (4th Doctor - 1975) 5. The Talons of Weng-Chiang (4th Doctor - 1977) 6. Blink (10th Doctor - 2007) 7. The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit (10th Doctor - 2006) 8. Dark Water/Death in Heaven (12th Doctor - 2014) 9. The Day of the Doctor (10th/11th Doctor - 2013) 10. Doctor Who and the Silurians (3rd Doctor - 1970)
P.S. IMDb should join both this page and the Classic Series; it's the same bloody show!
By now, of course, we've had thirty-four series with the "New Who" batch included, twelve Doctors (thirteen with Hurt), 812 episodes, 252 stories and 50 years of history. In many ways, with the extreme amount of miscellany as part of the franchise, you could compare Doctor Who very nearly to the Star Wars franchise, and has its own culture and everything.
What really gives this television show ten stars though is the continuity. This may be hard to explain, because not many people usually comment on it. What I mean by continuity is that every single episode of Doctor Who is linked in some way or another by threads of storyline that cross the 50 years it has been in existence! Whether it's a returning nemesis, an item of clothing or a passing reference, there's always something to look out for and shout "Ooh, another easter egg for the Whovians!"
A simple example for you was back in the 5th series, following Amy and Rory's wedding, the Eleventh Doctor has just received a phone call in the TARDIS from someone claiming there is an Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express. Whilst there are a few slight changes to the context, which could also have been a ploy, three series later, the Twelfth Doctor finally replies by visiting the Orient Express and discovers that it was a computerized identity known as Gus who had brought him there in the first place. It's simple, yet in my mind, it allows me a pause of nostalgia as I think back to how I watched the 5th series.
The greatest example I've ever seen was again quite recent. In Moffat's polarising episode, Listen, Clara tells the young Doctor what she heard from his twelfth incarnation. One part of the speech springs to mind, however, "Fear makes companions of us all". Not many will have perhaps realised, but this was in reference to what the First Doctor once said to Barbara Wright in the Cave of Skulls, in the third ever episode of the television show. In a very sublime way, the series is never far away from reminding us about the past.
As a recommendation, I would give this show an open-mind, especially the "New Series", starting 2005. Some episodes are superb, but others drop to the very bottom of the mediocre barrel. What I love about it though is its timeless story, consistently great acting and the fact that the next series could bring absolutely anything to the table - there's just no way of predicting what is to come!
Top 10 Doctor Who Stories: 1. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (10th Doctor - 2008) 2. Human Nature/The Family of Blood (10th Doctor - 2007) 3. A Good Man Goes to War (11th Doctor - 2011) 4. Genesis of the Daleks (4th Doctor - 1975) 5. The Talons of Weng-Chiang (4th Doctor - 1977) 6. Blink (10th Doctor - 2007) 7. The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit (10th Doctor - 2006) 8. Dark Water/Death in Heaven (12th Doctor - 2014) 9. The Day of the Doctor (10th/11th Doctor - 2013) 10. Doctor Who and the Silurians (3rd Doctor - 1970)
P.S. IMDb should join both this page and the Classic Series; it's the same bloody show!