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Nearly the entire Doctor Who catalog is making its way onto streaming. The BBC announced that the iconic sci-fi series and its spin-offs will become available on iPlayer on November 1 to celebrate the show’s 60th anniversary specials. Around 800 episodes will go to iPlayer, including classic and new Doctor Who. With so many episodes to go through, it can be daunting to decide where to start. Fortunately, this Doctor Who watch guide will help lead you in the right direction and show you the best episodes to view for the anniversary specials.
The Five Essential Doctor Who Episodes To Watch for the 60th Anniversary
Doctor Who first aired in 1963 and ran until 1989. The show was then brought back in 2005. To differentiate the two eras of Doctor Who, fans refer to the original airing of the show as the Classic Who, while the post-2005 series is New Who.
While there are many Doctor Who episodes to watch, this guide will cover the bare essentials and the best episodes to understand the upcoming 60th-anniversary specials. The show features a complicated lore with convoluted storylines, but we will do our best to provide the ideal episodes. The list below will cover episodes from both the classic and modern eras.
Essential Episodes of Doctor Who
- The Celestial Toymaker: The only Classic and black-and-white story you should watch to understand the 60th anniversary. The lead villain of Celestial Toymaker returns as a primary antagonist for the specials.
- Rose: The first episode of modern Doctor Who, this episode re-establishes the core concepts of the series. It reintroduces the Doctor, an alien time traveler who treks the cosmos with a blue police box as his mode of transportation.
- Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways: The final episode of the first series of Modern Doctor Who. The finale showcases the Doctor facing his greatest enemies, the Daleks, and reintroduces the concept of regeneration. The two-parter introduces the Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant, who is reprising his role as the Doctor for the specials.
- Runaway Bride: The 2006 Christmas special that introduces the character Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate. The actress is reprising her role for the 60th anniversary specials.
- Partners in Crime: The first episode of Series 4 of the Modern Era, featuring the return of Donna Noble and the first part of her travels with the Tenth Doctor.
Ideally, you should watch all of Series Four of the modern Doctor Who. The anniversary specials continues a plotline from the Series Four finale. However, the finale would be difficult to understand without the context of the previous three series, making it an un-ideal episode to watch for newcomers.
The Ten Best Episodes to Watch for Doctor Who
There are plenty of options to decide if you want to expose yourself to the series’ best episodes before the 60th anniversary. The Classic and Modern Who features many amazing sci-fi episodes and is worth watching for any fans of the genre.
The Best Classic Who Serials
- The Tomb of the Cybermen
- Genesis of the Daleks
- City of Death
- The Caves of Androzani
- Remembrance of the Daleks
The Best Modern Who Episodes
- Blink
- Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
- The Eleventh Hour
- A Christmas Carol
- Heaven’s Sent
Where To Stream Doctor Who
On November 1, most of Classic and New Doctor Who will be available to stream on iPlayer, a British streaming app. In the States, all of New Who is currently available on MAX. Several classic episodes will not arrive on iPlayer, including the series’ first serial, An Unearthly Child. The reason is likely because of rights issues and threats of lawsuits from the son of the serial’s original writer.
Three new Doctor Who specials will air in November to celebrate the 60th anniversary. The specials will launch on Disney+ worldwide, marking the first time Disney has teamed up with the sci-fi series.
For more on Doctor Who, stay active on The Nerd Stash as we continue covering the series on its way to its 60th anniversary. Series 14 of Modern Who will air in 2024 with Babrie‘s Ncuti Gatwa in the lead role.
