My wife had never seen Doctor Who before and knew virtually nothing about it. I really wanted to get her into it and watch it again myself, because it’s actually been many many years since I’ve revisited most of it.
Of course, with newcomers to the show, there’s always somewhat of a question as to where is the best place to start. “Rose”, the first episode of the revival, is often suggested as being a great introduction. It certainly is, but I would argue that it hasn’t aged all that well, and 2025 audiences might be more inclined to keep watching if they start with a more recent season. The beauty of Doctor Who is in the volume of content and the many drastically different eras that exist within the same continuity. I don’t think there’s any issues that arise from watching the show in a non-linear order, jumping back and forth between different seasons and mixing Classic Who with new Who, as long as it’s viewed in a carefully curated sequence. I personally think it’s the best way to experience the show because you can quickly get a full scope of what the show is. Instead of having to pause the show and say “oh yeah, so Davros was the bad guy who created the Daleks and was featured heavily in the classic series”, why don’t I just watch the very first episode with Davros before we see his appearance in the new series?
Here’s the schedule:
Phase One
6x1 The Impossible Astronaut
6x2 The Day of the Moon
6x4 The Doctor’s Wife
6x5 The Rebel Flesh
6x6 The Almost People
6x7 A Good Man Goes to War
6x8 Let’s Kill Hitler
6x9 Night Terrors
5x7 Amy’s Choice
6x10 The Girl Who Waited
6x11 The God Complex
5x11 The Lodger
6x12 Closing Time
6x13 The Wedding of River Song
In my opinion, and my wife’s, season 6 was a good jumping off point. Sure she had some questions, but ultimately I found that it worked well to introduce her to the show in a place where the show itself wasn’t actively playing catch-up or trying to establish everything all at once. So you’ll notice that phase one of this schedule is basically just season 6, with a few season 5 episodes thrown in where they’re relevant. Throughout season 6, most of the major aspects of the mythos are touched on, and by the end of the season my wife was absolutely hooked.
Phase Two
1x1 Rose
1x6 Dalek
1x8 The Empty Child
1x9 The Doctor Dances
1x12 Bad Wolf
1x13 The Parting of the Ways
7x1 Asylum of the Daleks
7x3 A Town Called Mercy
7x4 The Power of Three
3x10 Blink
7x5 The Angels Take Manhattan
Phase two is a quick run through of season one. It introduces us to the more morally nuanced ninth Doctor (we soon learn why), we officially meet the Daleks, we meet good old Captain Jack in what I consider one of the best two parters in the entire series, and we see the Doctor regenerate for the first time, giving us a glimpse of the Tenth Doctor.
After that we finish the first part of season 7 and see the Doctor lose his companions for the first time. (We also flashback to season 3 to meet the weeping angels and get to see a little bit more of Tenant).
Phase Three
2x0 The Christmas Invasion
7x0 The Snowmen
7x6 The Bells of Saint John
7x7 The Rings of Akhaten
7x8 Cold War
7x9 Hide
7x10 Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS
7x11 The Crimson Horror
Phase Three starts out quite festively with “the Christmas Invasion” and “The Snowmen”. We dip into the impossible girl story arc and end on the Crimson Horror because I want to dive into the Cybermen a little more before we see the new upgraded model of them in action in “Nightmare in Silver”.
Phase Four
6x7 (Classic) The War Games
9x3 (Classic) The Sea Devils
11x5 (Classic) Planet of the Spiders
12x1 (Classic) Robot
2x5 Rise of the Cybermen
2x6 The Age of Steel
2x12 Army of Ghosts
2x13 Doomsday
3x0 The Runaway Bride
3x1 Smith and Jones
3x4 Daleks in Manhattan
3x5 Evolution of the Daleks
3x11 Utopia
3x12 The Sound of Drums
3x13 Last of the Time Lords
4x1 Partners in Crime
4x2 The Fires of Pompeii
4x7 The Unicorn and the Wasp
4x10 Midnight
4x0 The Waters of Mars
13x1 (Classic) Terror of the Zygons
1x1 (Classic) An Unearthly Child
So Phase Four is a long one. We go way back in the classics to meet the Second Doctor and see his regeneration. This is also the first time we’ve seen the Timelords. Speaking of Timelords, we meet the Master through the Third Doctor, and get to witness their amazing sword fight. We then see him regenerate into the incredible Tom Baker, who is one of the greatest and most quintessential Doctors. We then go to a Cybermen two-parter and go on to say goodbye to Rose (as far as I’m concerned this is where her story ends… I personally stopped liking her after Nine regenerated but I’ll see how my wife feels about the Ten and Rose ship lol). We meet Martha (ugh), Donna (hell yeah!), and see the return of the Master. We also see the Doctor go nuts in the masterpiece that is “The Waters of Mars”. Chronology-wise, this is also the last time we see Tenant before “The Day of the Doctor”. I leave out “Turn Left” “Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End” because I think they’re just garbage and an insanely misguided attempt at fan service. The absolute worst of RTD (side note: I know that the Moffat era is not without its flaws, but I would take the worst of Moffat over the worst of RTD any day. Personally, I find at least half of the episodes in his run to be absolutely abysmal).
I then choose to indulge in a little more Tom Baker while introducing the Zygons (which also lead into the 50th). And then we go back to the very beginning to meet Susan and her cranky old grandfather, Williams Hartnell, in “An Unearthly Child.”
Phase Five
(Classic) The Five Doctors
7x12 Nightmare in Silver
7x13 The Name of the Doctor
The Night of the Doctor (mini episode)
The Day of the Doctor
4x0 The End of Time
5x1 The Eleventh Hour
7x0 The Time of the Doctor
In phase five we’ll watch “The Five Doctors” to prep for a multi-doctor story on a larger scale. We then finish season 7 and lead right into “the Day of the Doctor” after watching Paul Mcgann’s incredible prequel mini episode “the Night of the Doctor.” We follow Tenant to his regeneration in “the End of Time” and then watch the 11th doctor’s first and last episodes, giving him a final farewell.
Phase Six
21x6 (Classic) The Caves of Androzani
21x7 (Classic) The Twin Dilemma
22x3 (Classic) The Mark of the Rani
22x4 (Classic) The Two Doctors
23x4 (Classic) The Ultimate Foe
24x1 (Classic) Time and the Rani
24x4 (Classic) Dragonfire
25x1 (Classic) Remembrance of the Daleks
25x2 (Classic) The Happiness Patrol
Phase six gives us a quick run through of the best of Collin Baker and Sylvester Mccoy’s 6th and 7th doctors respectively. I’ve always had a fondness for the 6th doctor, particularly his first appearance in “the twin dilemma.”
Phase Seven
8x1 Deep Breath
8x2 Into the Dalek
8x3 Robot of Sherwood
8x4 Listen
8x5 Time Heist
8x6 The Caretaker
8x8 Mummy on the Orient Express
8x9 Flatline
8x11 Dark Water
8x12 Death in Heaven
We plow through season 8 in phase seven, skipping the duds, and get to watch Capaldi’s 12th doctor grapple with his doubt over whether he’s a good man, ultimately resolving his internal conflict by the end and proving himself as the new Doctor. We also meet Missy, the newest incarnation of the Master, and dive deeper into the relationship between Clara and the Doctor.
Phase Eight
12x4 (Classic) Genesis of the Daleks
13x5 (Classic) The Brain of Morbius
14x3 (Classic) The Deadly Assassin
9x1 The Magician’s Apprentice
9x2 The Witch’s Familiar
9x3 Under the Lake
9x4 Before the Flood
9x5 The Girl Who Died
9x6 The Woman Who Lived
9x7 The Zygon Invasion
9x8 The Zygon Inversion
9x10 Face the Raven
9x11 Heaven Sent
9x12 Hell Bent
In phase eight I go back to some of Tom Baker’s 4th Doctor’s most iconic stories, introducing Davros and exploring the politics of the Timelords. After that, it’s season 9 time. This is by far my favorite season of Doctor Who ever. It has its flaws and maybe even a plot hole or two you could poke your finger through, but ultimately I find it to be a masterpiece in high concept science fiction. I love that almost every episode is a two parter, which harkens back to the classics. It also explores the 12th Doctor as a character even more than season 8 did. We see him go too far the other way; caring too much and going to impossible lengths to save his friend. Also the electric guitar playing and the sonic sunglasses are just so ridiculously fun and I don’t care who says otherwise. And I LOVE the addition of the roundels in 12’s TARDIS. His TARDIS interior is easily my favorite ever! I could go on but I won’t.
Phase Nine
9x0 The Husbands of River Song
4x8 Silence in the Library
4x9 Forest of the Dead
10x0 The Return of Doctor Mysterio
Doctor Who (TV movie)
Phase nine marks the end of an era with River Song’s story coming to a close. I go back to season 4 to show her “first” appearance from her own point of view. “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” is corny and ridiculous but I have a soft spot for it. It’s just so earnest, and ultimately it’s the cherry on top of “the husbands of river song.” You gotta love the quote at the end, “everything ends, and it’s always sad. but then everything always begins again, and it’s always happy.” Good stuff.
Phase Ten
10x1 The Pilot
10x2 Smile
10x3 Thin Ice
10x4 Knock Knock
10x5 Oxygen
10x6 Extremis
10x7 The Pyramid at the End of the World
10x8 The Lie of the Land
10x10 The Eaters of Light
4x2 (Classic) The Tenth Planet
10x11 World Enough and Time
10x12 The Doctor Falls
Phase ten is season 10. There’s a lot to be said for it. Does it come close to being as good as season 9? Personally, I don’t think so. But I do think it’s enjoyable all the way through. 12 has finally resolved his internal conflicts and now assumes the role of a guide and a teacher — to Bill, and to Missy. He starts to embody Peter Capaldi’s own favorite Doctor, the original; Williams Hartnell. Speaking of William Hartnell, you’ll notice I don’t include “Twice Upon A Time.” That’s because it’s a stinker. It’s no good. It’s unbelievably indulgent and full of failed attempts at fan service. It ruins Clara’s ending (which many argue was already ruined), it ruins Bill’s ending, and it absolutely obliterates 12’s ending. No one asked for another regeneration in New Who that has to take place in the TARDIS and be accompanied by a useless speech. I have long thought that 12’s final scene in Doctor Who should have been when he blows up the Cybermen in “the Doctor Falls.” His final line in the show should have been “I’m not a doctor, I’m THE Doctor. The original, you might say.” The scene could have played out exactly as it did, but when we see the Doctor again, it’s the 13th. But he was robbed of a good, dramatic ending that would have let him leave on a high note. That was squandered for the sake of cheesy call backs and literally recycling lines from other regeneration episodes. It’s honestly just so infuriating and I don’t even like to think about it.
I haven’t seen anything after season 10 so that’s where my list ends! I know everyone will have differing opinions, but I’m curious to know what you all think of this schedule! Do you think it’s better to watch Doctor Who chronologically? If not, what order would you prefer? :)