Ok, so I want to get into Doctor Who, but I have no idea where to start. There is so much to watch at this point; do I even bother with the original series, or can I start with the new one?
Get Netflix and I believe you can watch all the episodes instantly on your 360 or PS3 and I believe on your Wii either now or soon. It is one of my top 4 or 5 shows on right now and @girdz: yep we get BBC America and I am pretty sure I have watched every episode since the reboot. I didn't start as soon as the show came on but pretty soon thereafter.
To truly appreciate the new series you should at least watch some of the older stuff, since it makes a ton of references to the past stories, and really helps you to get into the Doctor's brooding thoughts when he starts mentioning them. As an American I'm biased to Tom Baker, the 4th Doctor, he's who we first experienced the character as and many consider him "The" Doctor above all others.
Your biggest hurdle is your ability to make due with the low budget style of the show. Until the new series in 2005, the show was on par with cable access quality production. That was part of its charm back then, and for most of that time it wasn't that much worse than any other TV show, but if you think the new show looks a little low tech with the effects, then watching Tom Baker get attacked by a dude covered in green plastic wrap is going to blow your mind.
I suggest you check some clips on youtube and read the extensive wikipedia entry on Doctor Who, then watch the David Tennant seasons, he was about as close to Tom Baker at being the Doctor.
" just start with the 2005 reboot with Christopher Eccleston, there's some stuff from beforehand but it's usually pretty well explained or obvious "
I agree with this, if you like the reboot id then work my way back going from newest to oldest, youll find it really hard to watch the old stuff until the very end. Id also recommend Torchwood if your into Dr Who, its a very interesting spin off with a great supporting cast and of course characters from both series cross over quite a bit.
Start with Eccleston, series 1 of the remake. The old stuff is really campy (in a good way) and not necessary to the enjoyment of the new series (I didn't even know what a dalek was before watching.) A lot of people are huge Tennant fans, but for me, Eccleston was my favorite doctor. I just think he brought more complexity to role than Tennant. Don't get me wrong, I love Tennant, but Eccleston was better.
Start from the beginning of the new series. It only has minimal callbacks to the older stuff. But then from that point, there is arching. So yeah, from the beginning of eccleston til now. I would also watch Torchwood alongside it. Torchwood serieses go no1 between doctor who series 2 and 3, Torchwood series no2 between doctor who series 3 and 4. Then torchwood children of earth between the end of four and the the final special "The End of Time." It's confusing, but I RECCOMEND IT ALL!
I'd say go straight to the new series. There's no real direct links (apart from the enemies and some alien races) so you wouldn't be lost. The gap between the old and new series was quite lengthy so they purposely made it accessible to newcomers.
On a side note, I'm loving Matt Smith as the new Doctor. He pulls off the zany/hyperactive style very well.
I could never get into any of the older Doctor Who episodes but right from the first episode of the Christopher Eccleston series I've loved the Doctor Who reboot. I'd advise you start watching from the beginning of the Christopher Eccleston series (the first series of the reboot) or the beginning of the first David Tenant series (the second series of the reboot) because Tenant's performance as the Doctor was brilliant. You could start watching right from where the current series is now without any real confusion but in my opinion if you don't see Tenant's episodes right from the start then you should at least watch some of them because they are a must-see.
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