It really depends on what you want. You can absolutely start at the first episode and just make your way through that way, if you want. Check out the TV club threads for the early episodes too! Just know that with the black and white episodes, and so many missing stories, it’s not something for everyone (I do encourage everyone to try, but don’t force yourself if you don’t like it). If you’d rather start with something in colour and to get used to the pace, you could start with the third doctor.
My real recommendation is to just start with a doctor or companion you’re curious about and go from there. Feel free to move around if you don’t like something or just feel like something else. There is no wrong way to watch classic who!
Ideally you would start at An Unearthly Child and work your way through from the beginning.
The problem there is that the story isn’t available on BBC iPlayer due to rights issues - but it is freely available on DVD.
There are unfortunately a number of missing stories during the Hartnell and Troughton eras which would require you to either seek out the telesnap reconstructions or official animations (where they have been released).
If you don’t think black and white is for you, you could start with the Third Doctor or even the Fourth Doctor if that image of the scarf has stuck with you. The good thing is that most eras are more or less self-contained (as is each story) so you can always settle into the classic era with those Doctors and then go back to the black and white when you are used to the pace and structure of the classic series - which is quite different in some ways to the modern show.
I tend to feel like Spearhead in Space is a good starting point, as you are past the missing episodes, and the show just did a soft reboot, so it’s reintroducing things with a new main cast, even if one or two have been in one or two episodes before.
Not saying not to watch the first and second doctors, though, just there are a bunch of episodes where you’ll be either watching an animation to the audio of the episode, or, more likely, a slideshow, so it depends what you’re tolerance is for that. Might be easier to watch after you’re invested in classic.
Of course, you could always bounce around and watch a serial from each Doctor to get an idea where you want to start…
While I generally like to watch things in order myself and always advocate for people to do the same, I can totally understand and even push for newcomers to start with the Third Doctor, especially if one isn’t familiar and/or comfortable with the style and pacing of 60s British sci-fi television. But one should definitely go back to that era sooner or later because both Hartnell and Troughton deserve more love. Especially now that it’s becoming much more comfortable to watch the missing serials with how they seem to be animating them all now.
Thank you so much for the tips! Right now I’m on a 3rd rewatch of New Who, I’m currently in the David Tennant era, trying to finish it again until the new season with Ncuti is released.
I watched the trailer for it a few days ago and somehow it brings the best nuances from older seasons. I really can’t wait!
Haha, I think I’m more of a completionist, so I’ll try to watch from the very first available episode. I think I’ll start with An Unearthly Child, as it was mentioned previously. Thank you!
Oh, so for the missing episodes, I can just watch some fan-made animations? That’s really cool, I think I’ll take this approach to “fill in the blanks”.
Welcome! It’s awesome to have you here! I think there are a actually a few people from Romania on here, but I can’t remember who unfortunately. I’m also mainly a new series person, and David Tennant is my favorite doctor as well! (although like you, I also love all of them). I have been trying forever to get into classic who, but every time I go to start I get very overwhelmed.