It hardly seems possible that there is someone who has not seen an episode of Doctor Who, even if you are an American like I am. I stayed up late many nights watching it on PBS. But I'll write this for those who haven't seen it.
As many have said before, the Doctor is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, traveling through space and time, righting wrongs and getting in odd situations. He is always accompanied by a companion or two that he picks up along the way. That's all you need to know to start with.
Now probably you want to know where to start. I will without reserve suggest that you start with the Tom Baker episodes. He played the fourth Doctor and to my mind, with apologies to all the other Doctors' fans, he was the very best. "The Talons of Weng-Chiang," and "Pyramids of Mars," are two great places to start. The first gives you the Doctor with one of my favorite of his companions, Leela, and puts them up against a sinister Chinese magician, a robot with a pig's brain, and The Giant Rat of Sumatra in late 19th century England. The second puts the Doctor up against an evil archaeologist who unleashes a threat from another time and another planet on Earth. Both are fast paced, adventurous and fun. After that, if you aren't hooked, I can't help you, and you'll have to go back to watching Star Wars Part XXXIV or something.
In a former review, I complained that Doctor Who was not being made any more; that has been resolved, as has my other complaint about the episodes not being on DVD in the United States. This means that now there is little to no excuse not to watch Doctor Who, unless, of course, you are a curmudgeon of some sort.
As many have said before, the Doctor is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, traveling through space and time, righting wrongs and getting in odd situations. He is always accompanied by a companion or two that he picks up along the way. That's all you need to know to start with.
Now probably you want to know where to start. I will without reserve suggest that you start with the Tom Baker episodes. He played the fourth Doctor and to my mind, with apologies to all the other Doctors' fans, he was the very best. "The Talons of Weng-Chiang," and "Pyramids of Mars," are two great places to start. The first gives you the Doctor with one of my favorite of his companions, Leela, and puts them up against a sinister Chinese magician, a robot with a pig's brain, and The Giant Rat of Sumatra in late 19th century England. The second puts the Doctor up against an evil archaeologist who unleashes a threat from another time and another planet on Earth. Both are fast paced, adventurous and fun. After that, if you aren't hooked, I can't help you, and you'll have to go back to watching Star Wars Part XXXIV or something.
In a former review, I complained that Doctor Who was not being made any more; that has been resolved, as has my other complaint about the episodes not being on DVD in the United States. This means that now there is little to no excuse not to watch Doctor Who, unless, of course, you are a curmudgeon of some sort.