Never watched Doctor Who?

Back during the wait between series 9 and 10 of Doctor Who I put together a list of episodes that would be worth a watch for new viewers curious of whether to watch the show. I set some rules - it had to be a single episode per series, the story mustn't be part of an important story arc and the episodes must broadly cover the tonal range of Doctor Who, but they didn't necessarily need to be the best episode from the series. I inevitably failed the second point so I think that it's time to take another look at the list, improve it and update for the last four series in the run up to Russel T Davies' second tenure as showrunner.

Series 1

To kick this off I think that the eighth episode of series one, Father's Day, would be a good episode to try. It hits some emotional character beats that aren't too reliant on previous episodes and giving the idea for the down to earth family side of Doctor Who. It also introduces audiences to the perils of time travel, in this case the dangers of changing established historical events - a common theme throughout the series.

Series 2

For a second story that establishes the concepts and consequences of time travel, The Girl in the Fireplace explores the impact that the Doctor can have on people's lives and the tragic consequences of arriving late.

Series 3

Most lists will usually recommend the episode Blink, and though it is a brilliant episode and could be a good introductory episode, I am going to go with Human Nature/Family of Blood instead. It's a very human story looking at the consequences of the Doctor's adventures on the people around him while also highlighting the importance of their companion.

Series 4

An introduction to the horror side of Doctor Who comes from the episode Midnight. The episode sees the Doctor without his companion fighting against an unknown alien threat and human nature itself while trapped within the confines of a tour bus.

Series 5

Another staple of Doctor Who is the historical episode where the TARDIS crew travel back in time to meet a famous historical figure. Series 5 features one of the best of these stories with Vincent and the Doctor where we see an adventure with Vincent van Gogh and an invisible alien that only he can see. The episode is fun, inspiring and, ultimately, tragic.

Series 6

The Doctor's Wife: weird and wacky, high-stakes and exciting, this is peak Doctor Who. A running theme of the show is that the Doctor's time machine, the TARDIS, is alive - this episode asks the question: what if he could talk to it (or her)?

Series 7

As the Holiday season rolls around, Doctor Who turns merry with a special on either Christmas Day or New Year's Day and so one of these episodes should really be on the list. Slap bang in the middle of series 7 is The Snowmen - in Victorian London, snow is becoming sentient and it's hungry but will the Doctor climb down from his cloud to save the day? It balances brilliantly between the festive feeling and a high stakes story.

Series 8

A heist with a twist - Time Heist throws the Doctor and his companion into a high stakes story involving an interstellar bank, mind-reading alien guards and mysterious strangers, all while not being able to remember how and why they are there. And look out for that twist.

Series 9

My original list had the episode Heaven Sent here, and it is a highly recommended episode however it broke the rule of not being a part of an important story arc. Instead the two-part story of Under the Lake/Before the Flood makes the list. This is a great story that explores the classic time travel concept of the bootstrap paradox.

Series 10

This series has a very satisfyingly self contained story so I think the perfect episode to sample from it is the premiere episode: The Pilot. It's a fantastic introduction to the new companion and sets up the tone for the series brilliantly.

Series 11

Rosa follows the story of the civil rights activist Rosa Parks during the pivotal events that she is famous for and the bitter reality of ensuring that established events remain as they were.

Series 12

One of the strengths of Chris Chibnall as showrunner (series 11-13) has been the historical episodes and so another recommended story is just such an episode in Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror. Aliens meet another historical figure and excitement ensues - what's not to like?

Series 13

The main body of Series 13 was occupied by the Flux story arc, none of the episodes can be viewed in isolation without the context of the rest of the series. However, series 13 is currently wrapping up with three specials, the last of which is due to air a few days after I am writing this. The New Year's Special, despite my previous criticism (https://vocal.media/geeks/doctor-who-tension-stakes-and-bad-aim), was a very fun episode and a very late entry on the list to introduce the Doctor's greatest enemies; the Daleks, and so the last episode on this list is Eve of the Daleks.

Next year Doctor Who will see the start of a new and exciting era, hopefully if you haven't seen it before some of these episodes will spark an interest in the show.