Jay G.

The budget improved as time goes on. However, in my view, producer Russell T Davis had a tendency to descend into camp, and I prefer the later Stephen Moffat helmed seasons. "Blink" is good in that it doesn't rely on special effects that much, so doesn't look low budget.

Supermallet

There are many Doctor Who fans who have never gotten into the pre-2005 material, which is a shame. Yes, the budgets are much lower, but the stories are often fantastic. Especially the Third through Fifth Doctors.

However, I think that starting with the 2005 series is the way to go. People complain about that series feeling low budget, and the budget on it is probably 10x what any previous season had (the TV movie notwithstanding).

Timber

I loved the Eccleston episodes but the Tennant ones seemed to drag for me. For me it was when his companion changed (don't want to say to much to spoil for the OP) and I don't think the ever found the right one for him after that.

For me the Matt Smith episodes work because of his companion.

For me it's much more about the companion and less about the Doctor.

areacode212

The very first episode of the classic series ("An Unearthly Child") is worth seeing if you can, just to see how it all started. It's still extremely watchable on its own and William Hartnell has a great presence in it. The remaining caveman episodes in that serial are really boring, but that first one is awesome.

Navinabob

I'm the exact opposite. Tennant & Smith rank much higher then Eccleston
(who I found a bit too dull and brooding). I prefer the higher energy Doctors. Plus, then when slip into badass mode it has a much better impact.

So far I've liked all the companions save for the redhead with Tennant. I can't recall her name, but she started in a wedding episode. Her Dad I loved though, so she wasn't all bad.

Josh-da-man

I grew up with Doctor Who. My first experience was watching the Tom Baker run on PBS when I was in elementary school. I had a really great PBS station that played Doctor Who, Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, Blake's 7, The Outer Limits, and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on a regular basis. At the time, the station was run by hardcore sci-fi fans.

At some point, I'd like to go back and rewatch all of the old Doctor Who episodes (at least the ones that still exist) and see how they hold up.

Gods, when I was in the fourth grade, Doctor Who was just about the most awesome thing I'd seen aside from the Star Wars trilogy. It was about this frizzy-haired guy, who just might be a bit of a lunatic, traveling through space and time in a little wooden blue box that was "bigger on the inside" with a jungle girl and mechanical dog, who fought robots and monsters.

Orbi-Wan Techno

Absolutely start with 2005, and more forward. Prepare to get addicted..

arminius

God, I liked her. She sort of reminds me of Kaylee of Firefly.

CaptainMarvel

Okay, as an update: I started with the 2005 series as recommended. I liked the premise of the show and most of the supporting cast, but I really did not like Eccleston. At all. He actually seemed somewhat insufferable to me. The cheap effects were a little offputting as well, but I was expecting that.

I've started the first Tennant season, and I'm up through the werewolf episode. It's immeasurably better so far. Looking forward to the rest...

Supermallet

That's so weird, I think Tennant's first season was easily the weakest of all the new seasons up to this point. If you think that's good, wait till you get to seasons three and four!

Timber

His first season absolutely dragged for me. So many low budget, unintersting monster episodes.

areacode212

The Girl in the Fireplace is one of my all-time favorites, and the Cybermen two-parter was great, but I found the Tenth Doctor + Rose together to be completely insufferable, especially in those first few episodes. I really couldn't stand her by the end of the season.

DaveNinja

Eccelsen was the bad ass doctor! his season did have some stinkers (not just talking about the farting aliens)

Supermallet

I agree that Rose and Ten never had the chemistry Rose and Nine did. Now, Martha Jones, on the other hand...

Timber

Forgot how much I loved The Girl in th Fireplace.

Autotelik

Girl In The Fireplace, Blink, Impossible Planet are my favorites.

Jeffy

Ahh man, this makes me want to watch the whole series over again! I'm soo excited for Series 7 to be back next month, I've been hyped up since I saw the Doctor Who panel at Comic Con.

Tom Banjo

Any updates on your DW journey?

CaptainMarvel

I'm afraid not. I took a hiatus to watch all of Breaking Bad again.

Gizmo

I'm jumping in with Season 5. Once I finish it through and go "live" (7.5) I'll go back to Season 1.

Only seen bits and pieces of various episodes through the years.

ddrknghtrtns

Time off over the hollidays is the best time to catch up with the original series. Recomendations listed below.

William Hartnell:
An Unearthly Child
The Dead Planet/and The Expedition (Introduction of the Daleks)
Dalek Invasion of Earth
The Tenth Planet (Introduction of the Cybermen)

Patrick Troughton (Many of his classic episodes have been loss due to lack of foresight):
Tomb of The Cybermen (Presumed loss, but recovered in a church)
The Invasion (First episode with Unit. Two of the episodes are missing, but on DVD they bridged the episodes together with animation.)
The War Games (Starts out slow, but ends with a bang!)

Jon Petwee:
All episodes from the first season
Spearhead from Space
Doctor Who and The Silurians
Ambasadors of Death
Inferno (Cool Alternate universe story)

Tom Baker:
Ark In Space
Genesis of The Daleks
Seeds of Doom
Pyramid of Mars
Talons of Weing Chiang
Horror of Fang Rock

Peter Davison:
The Black Orchid
The Caves of Androzani

Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy's episodes are only suggested for die-hard Who fans.

I actually like the series better when he was just a TimeLord and not an omniscient TimeGod.
I guess it is just more a result of him being alive forever and having faced every kind of threat imaginable.
(Groundhog Day Theory!)

Ky-Fi

I watched a lot of original Whos as a kid, mostly Baker episodes, and then I also caught some of the PBS runs of the 80s series in the early 90s. I was late coming to the new series--didn't start watching until 2011. I really like both Tennant and Smith, but I never really warmed up to Eccleston. He's a fine actor, but he just didn't capture the character for me the way most of the other actors who played him have. And I must say, I never saw the appeal of Rose, either. I'll take Martha Jones over Rose any day of the week.

But yeah, I think you're missing a good deal of the Who universe if you don't explore the original series. I was not that familiar with the Doctors prior to Baker, but backtracking to those recently, I've really enjoyed a lot of those earlier stories.

Strafe

I highly recommend watching Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead from Season 4 first. You're introduced to a recurring character and you'll want to be introduced here first. Seriously, you'll kick yourself if you watch it after you've seen 5-7.

Superman07

Not sure I agree. Would keep a new viewer surprised for S5 and beyond.

rfduncan

Wouldn't that character be "re-introduced" in the next appearance? The Doctor will have a new companion by then to whom someone will have to explain the character's back story (possible spoiler0