Start Doctor Who with Series 1 of the 2005 revival, not the 1963 original: it was made for new viewers and needs no background. Watch the revival in order through Flux (2021), then the three 60th-anniversary specials (2023), Season 1 (2024) and Season 2 (2025). Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures fit alongside the Tenth Doctor's series; the classic series (1963 to 1989) and the 1996 TV movie are best sampled afterwards.
- Titles
- 21
- Films
- 1
- Series
- 20
- Watch time
- 501 hours
- Box office
- $42 million
- Avg IMDb
- 7.9
Doctor Who shows in release order
Here is every Doctor Who title in the order it came out, 1963 to 2025: 1 film and 20 series. Optional entries are marked; you can skip them on a first watch.
| # | Title | Year | Type | Runtime | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doctor Who (1963) | 1963 | Series | 292h 15m | 8.4 |
| 2 | Doctor Who: The Movie | 1996 | Film | 1h 26m | 6.3 |
| 3 | Doctor Who: Series 1 | 2005 | Series | 9h 44m | 8.5 |
| 4 | Doctor Who: Series 2 | 2006 | Series | 10h 22m | 8.5 |
| 5 | Torchwood optional | 2006 | Series | 35h 26m | 7.7 |
| 6 | Doctor Who: Series 3 | 2007 | Series | 10h 26m | 8.5 |
| 7 | The Sarah Jane Adventures optional | 2007 | Series | 26h | 7.5 |
| 8 | Doctor Who: Series 4 | 2008 | Series | 10h 42m | 8.5 |
| 9 | Doctor Who: Series 5 | 2010 | Series | 10h 11m | 8.5 |
| 10 | Doctor Who: Series 6 | 2011 | Series | 10h 4m | 8.5 |
| 11 | Doctor Who: Series 7 | 2012 | Series | 9h 45m | 8.5 |
| 12 | Doctor Who: Series 8 | 2014 | Series | 9h 52m | 8.5 |
| 13 | Doctor Who: Series 9 | 2015 | Series | 9h 36m | 8.5 |
| 14 | Class optional | 2016 | Series | 6h 3m | 6.8 |
| 15 | Doctor Who: Series 10 | 2017 | Series | 9h 24m | 8.5 |
| 16 | Doctor Who: Series 11 | 2018 | Series | 8h 30m | 8.5 |
| 17 | Doctor Who: Series 12 | 2020 | Series | 8h 55m | 8.5 |
| 18 | Doctor Who: Flux | 2021 | Series | 5h 29m | 8.5 |
| 19 | Doctor Who: Season 1 (2024) | 2024 | Series | 6h 14m | 6.1 |
| 20 | Doctor Who: Season 2 (2025) | 2025 | Series | 6h 25m | 7.2 |
| 21 | The War Between the Land and the Sea optional | 2025 | Series | 3h 57m | 6.2 |
Release or chronological: which order is best?
For Doctor Who, release order and story order are the same thing: every series picks up after the one before it. There is no prequel to slot in early and no flashback to reshuffle, so the list above is the only order you need.
Where to start
Start with Doctor Who (1963) and go in release order, skipping the 4 optional titles on the first pass.
The essentials are 17 titles and about 429 hours, 14% less than the full run.
The three highest rated: Doctor Who: Series 1 (8.5), Doctor Who: Series 2 (8.5), and Doctor Who: Series 3 (8.5).
Every Doctor Who title, explained
One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.
No. 01 · 1963 · Series · 292h 15m
Doctor Who (1963)
The adventures of The Doctor, a time-traveling humanoid alien known as a Time Lord. He explores the universe in his TARDIS, a sentient time-traveling spaceship. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Along with a succession of companions, The Doctor faces a variety of foes while working to save civilizations, help ordinary people, and right many wrongs.
Why it matters: 26 seasons and seven Doctors, 1963 to 1989; many early episodes are lost, so pick serials rather than watching it all.
- Starring
- Tom Baker, William Hartnell, and Patrick Troughton
- Creator
- Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber, and Donald Wilson
- Scores
- IMDb 8.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 68%
- Episodes
- 694 across 26 seasons
No. 02 · 1996 · Film · 1h 26m
Doctor Who: The Movie
The Seventh Doctor becomes the Eighth. And on the streets of San Francisco – alongside new ally Grace Holloway - he battles the Master.
Why it matters: Paul McGann's only TV story as the Eighth Doctor; the bridge between the classic and modern shows.
- Starring
- Paul McGann, Eric Roberts, and Daphne Ashbrook
- Director
- Geoffrey Sax
- Box office
- $42 million on a $5 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.3
No. 03 · 2005 · Series · 9h 44m
Doctor Who: Series 1
The first series features Christopher Eccleston as the ninth incarnation of the Doctor, his only series in the role, accompanied by Billie Piper, as his first and main companion Rose Tyler, whom he plucks from obscurity on planet Earth, and to whom he grows increasingly attached. He also travels briefly with unruly boy-genius Adam Mitchell, played by Bruno Langley, and with 51st-century con man and former "Time Agent" Captain Jack Harkness, portrayed by John Barrowman. Episodes in the series form a loose story arc, based upon the recurring phrase "Bad Wolf".
Why it matters: The 2005 revival and the best place to start: Christopher Eccleston's Doctor meets Rose Tyler.
- Starring
- Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Karen Gillan
- Scores
- IMDb 8.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 85%
No. 04 · 2006 · Series · 10h 22m
Doctor Who: Series 2
This is the first series to feature David Tennant as the tenth Doctor. He continues to travel with his companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), with whom he has grown increasingly attached. They also briefly travel with Rose's boyfriend Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke), and Camille Coduri reprises her role as Rose's mother Jackie. The series is connected by a loose story arc consisting of the recurring word "Torchwood". This is also the first series to be preceded by a Christmas special, which was commissioned to see how well the show could do at Christmas. The success of "The Christmas Invasion" led to the Christmas special becoming an annual tradition.
Why it matters: David Tennant takes over; Rose's last series, ending at Canary Wharf.
- Starring
- Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Karen Gillan
- Scores
- IMDb 8.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 100%
No. 05 · 2006 · Series · 35h 26m · optional
Torchwood
The exploits of a team of people whose job is to investigate the unusual, the strange and the extraterrestrial.
Why it matters: Captain Jack Harkness runs a Cardiff alien-hunting team; adult spin-off, Children of Earth is the peak.
- Starring
- John Barrowman, Eve Myles, and Kai Owen
- Creator
- Russell T Davies
- Scores
- IMDb 7.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 98%
- Episodes
- 41 across 4 seasons
No. 06 · 2007 · Series · 10h 26m
Doctor Who: Series 3
The series stars David Tennant as the Doctor. In the Christmas special he is joined by Catherine Tate as Donna Noble. The series also introduces Freema Agyeman as the Doctor's new companion Martha Jones. John Barrowman also reprises his role as Captain Jack Harkness in the final three episodes which serve as the finale. The series is connected by a loose story arc consisting of the recurring phrase "Vote Saxon".
Why it matters: Martha Jones joins; includes Blink and the return of the Master.
- Starring
- Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Karen Gillan
- Scores
- IMDb 8.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 100%
No. 07 · 2007 · Series · 26h · optional
The Sarah Jane Adventures
Sarah Jane Smith is a truly remarkable woman who inhabits a world of mystery, danger and wonder; a world where aliens are commonplace and the Earth is under constant threat. A world that Maria Jackson, a seemingly ordinary girl, can only dream of – until she moves in next door. Nothing will ever be ordinary again.
Why it matters: Classic companion Sarah Jane Smith investigates aliens with a team of teenagers; made for kids.
- Starring
- Elisabeth Sladen, Daniel Anthony, and Alexander Armstrong
- Creator
- Russell T Davies
- Scores
- IMDb 7.5
- Episodes
- 52 across 5 seasons
No. 08 · 2008 · Series · 10h 42m
Doctor Who: Series 4
Adventures in time and space with the Tenth Doctor and his companion Donna Noble.
Why it matters: Donna Noble's series, ending with the Daleks stealing the Earth.
- Starring
- Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Karen Gillan
- Scores
- IMDb 8.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 100%
No. 09 · 2010 · Series · 10h 11m
Doctor Who: Series 5
This is the first series to feature Matt Smith as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor. Karen Gillan is introduced as the Doctor's new companion, Amy Pond. Alex Kingston returns as River Song, a mysterious woman from the Doctor's future who summons him twice. The main story arc concerns a pattern of cracks in the universe that are sometimes unnoticed by the characters. It is discovered that the cracks can erase things from existence.
Why it matters: Matt Smith and showrunner Steven Moffat begin; Amy Pond and the cracks in time.
- Starring
- Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Karen Gillan
- Scores
- IMDb 8.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 100%
No. 10 · 2011 · Series · 10h 4m
Doctor Who: Series 6
The Doctor returns, alongside newly weds Amy and Rory, to face monsters and mysteries and adventures all across time and space. Together they find themselves in sixties America, battling the invasion the world forgot, then aboard a pirate ship on the high seas of 1696, to solve the mystery of the Siren. In a bubble universe at the edge of reality, the Doctor meets an old friend with a new face.
Why it matters: The Silence, River Song's identity and the Doctor's apparent death at Lake Silencio.
- Starring
- Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Karen Gillan
- Scores
- IMDb 8.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 100%
No. 11 · 2012 · Series · 9h 45m
Doctor Who: Series 7
The main story arc of the series focused on the significance of the character of Clara, whom the Doctor had encountered twice before as Oswin in "Asylum of the Daleks" and as a governess in "The Snowmen". It also features the recurring appearance of the Doctor's enemy, The Great Intelligence.
Why it matters: The Ponds' farewell, Clara Oswald's arrival, and the road to The Day of the Doctor.
- Starring
- Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Karen Gillan
- Scores
- IMDb 8.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 100%
No. 12 · 2014 · Series · 9h 52m
Doctor Who: Series 8
The series is the first to star Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman as his companion, Clara Oswald. Also playing a major recurring role in the series is Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink, Clara's boyfriend. The main story arc revolves around a mysterious woman called Missy (portrayed by Michelle Gomez), who is often seen welcoming people who have died throughout the series to the "Promised Land", a place that serves as an apparent afterlife to deceased characters.
Why it matters: Peter Capaldi's darker Doctor; Missy is revealed.
- Starring
- Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Karen Gillan
- Scores
- IMDb 8.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 88%
No. 13 · 2015 · Series · 9h 36m
Doctor Who: Series 9
Now that the Doctor and Clara have established a dynamic as a partnership of equals, they’re relishing the fun and thrills that all of space and time has to offer. Tangling with ghosts, Vikings and the ultimate evil of the Daleks, they embark on their biggest adventures yet. Missy is back to plague the Doctor once more, the Zygons inspire fear as they shape-shift into human clones, and a new arrival moves in cosmic ways.
Why it matters: Clara's last series; Heaven Sent is one of the show's best episodes.
- Starring
- Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Karen Gillan
- Scores
- IMDb 8.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 89%
No. 14 · 2016 · Series · 6h 3m · optional
Class
Coal Hill School has been a feature of Doctor Who since the first episode, but now we get to see the day-to-day adventures of the students coping with intrusions from space and time.
Why it matters: A one-season spin-off set at Coal Hill Academy; optional.
- Starring
- Greg Austin, Katherine Kelly, and Sophie Hopkins
- Creator
- Patrick Ness
- Scores
- IMDb 6.8 · Rotten Tomatoes 84%
- Episodes
- 8
No. 15 · 2017 · Series · 9h 24m
Doctor Who: Series 10
The series introduces Pearl Mackie as Bill Potts, and also features Matt Lucas as Nardole. Michelle Gomez and John Simm return as their respective incarnations of the Master. The main story arc for the first half of the series revolves around the Doctor and Nardole occupying themselves at a university while they guard an underground vault containing Missy. Missy later travels with the team in the TARDIS, and eventually partners with her previous incarnation as they battle a Cyberman onslaught.
Why it matters: Bill Potts joins; ends with two Masters and the Cybermen's origin.
- Starring
- Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Karen Gillan
- Scores
- IMDb 8.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 88%
No. 16 · 2018 · Series · 8h 30m
Doctor Who: Series 11
Series 11 follows the Thirteenth Doctor as she initially searches for her lost TARDIS, inadvertently bringing Graham, Ryan, and Yasmin with her on her travels. All three later contemplate returning to their normal lives but decide to continue travelling with the Doctor.
Why it matters: Jodie Whittaker's first series with the "fam": Graham, Ryan and Yaz.
- Starring
- Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Karen Gillan
- Scores
- IMDb 8.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 90%
No. 17 · 2020 · Series · 8h 55m
Doctor Who: Series 12
The series follows the Thirteenth Doctor and her companions as they meet a new incarnation of the Master, and his destruction of Gallifrey, the return of Jack Harkness, the appearance of an unknown incarnation of the Doctor, the Cybermen, and the secret of the "Timeless Child". Jodie Whittaker returns for her second series as the Thirteenth Doctor. It also stars Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill as the Doctor's travelling companions, playing Graham O'Brien, Ryan Sinclair and Yasmin Khan, respectively.
Why it matters: The Timeless Child reveal rewrites the Doctor's origin.
- Starring
- Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Karen Gillan
- Scores
- IMDb 8.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 78%
No. 18 · 2021 · Series · 5h 29m
Doctor Who: Flux
From Liverpool to the depths of space, via the Crimean war and a planet named Atropos which shouldn’t even exist, fighting old foes and new creatures from beyond our dimension, the Doctor and company face a race against (and through!) time to uncover a universe-spanning mystery: what is the Flux?
Why it matters: One six-part story across the universe, then three specials to the Thirteenth Doctor's regeneration.
- Starring
- Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Karen Gillan
- Scores
- IMDb 8.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 82%
No. 19 · 2024 · Series · 6h 14m
Doctor Who: Season 1 (2024)
The Doctor and Ruby Sunday travel through time and space on adventures to unknown lands, to the Regency era in England, to outer space worlds and the sixties.
Why it matters: Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday; watch the three 60th-anniversary specials (2023) first.
- Starring
- Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, and Anita Dobson
- Scores
- IMDb 6.1 · Rotten Tomatoes 93%
No. 20 · 2025 · Series · 6h 25m
Doctor Who: Season 2 (2025)
The Doctor meets Belinda Chandra and begins an epic quest to get her back to Earth. But a mysterious force is stopping their return and the time-traveling TARDIS team must face great dangers, ferocious enemies and wilder terrors than ever before.
Why it matters: Belinda Chandra joins; ends with the Fifteenth Doctor's regeneration.
- Starring
- Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, and Anita Dobson
- Scores
- IMDb 7.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 92%
No. 21 · 2025 · Series · 3h 57m · optional
The War Between the Land and the Sea
When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. With the entire population at risk, UNIT step into action as the land and sea wage war.
Why it matters: A five-part spin-off: UNIT's Kate Lethbridge-Stewart against the Sea Devils.
- Starring
- Russell Tovey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Jemma Redgrave
- Creator
- Russell T Davies
- Scores
- IMDb 6.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 86%
- Episodes
- 5
The best and worst rated Doctor Who shows
Across 21 rated titles, Doctor Who averages 7.9 on IMDb. The top of the list is Doctor Who: Series 1 at 8.5, then Doctor Who: Series 2 (8.5) and Doctor Who: Series 3 (8.5). At the bottom: Doctor Who: Season 1 (2024) (6.1) and The War Between the Land and the Sea (6.2). Money and quality don't line up perfectly: the highest grosser, Doctor Who: The Movie, is only the 19th best rated.
- Doctor Who: Series 18.5 · RT 85%
- Doctor Who: Series 28.5 · RT 100%
- Doctor Who: Series 38.5 · RT 100%
- Doctor Who: Series 48.5 · RT 100%
- Doctor Who: Series 58.5 · RT 100%
- Doctor Who: Series 68.5 · RT 100%
- Doctor Who: Series 78.5 · RT 100%
- Doctor Who: Series 88.5 · RT 88%
- Doctor Who: Series 98.5 · RT 89%
- Doctor Who: Series 108.5 · RT 88%
Who appears in the most Doctor Who shows
Nicholas Briggs leads with 15 appearances as Daleks and Robots, ahead of Paul Kasey (15) and Matt Smith (13). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.
| Actor | Role | Titles | First and latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Briggs | Daleks / Robots | 15 | Doctor Who: Series 1 (2005) to Doctor Who: Season 2 (2025) (2025) |
| Paul Kasey | Forest of Cheem Tree / Weevil | 15 | Doctor Who: Series 1 (2005) to Doctor Who: Flux (2021) |
| Matt Smith | The Doctor | 13 | Doctor Who: Series 1 (2005) to Doctor Who: Flux (2021) |
| David Tennant | The Doctor | 13 | Doctor Who: Series 1 (2005) to Doctor Who: Flux (2021) |
| Karen Gillan | Amy Pond | 13 | Doctor Who: Series 1 (2005) to Doctor Who: Flux (2021) |
| Jenna Coleman | Clara Oswald | 13 | Doctor Who: Series 1 (2005) to Doctor Who: Flux (2021) |
| Peter Capaldi | Caecilius | 13 | Doctor Who: Series 1 (2005) to Doctor Who: Flux (2021) |
| Billie Piper | Rose Tyler | 13 | Doctor Who: Series 1 (2005) to Doctor Who: Flux (2021) |
| Jodie Whittaker | The Doctor | 13 | Doctor Who: Series 1 (2005) to Doctor Who: Flux (2021) |
| Mandip Gill | Yasmin 'Yaz' Khan | 13 | Doctor Who: Series 1 (2005) to Doctor Who: Flux (2021) |
| Arthur Darvill | Rory Williams | 13 | Doctor Who: Series 1 (2005) to Doctor Who: Flux (2021) |
| Bradley Walsh | Graham O'Brien | 13 | Doctor Who: Series 1 (2005) to Doctor Who: Flux (2021) |
Doctor Who directors and creators
6 filmmakers have directed or created Doctor Who; Russell T Davies has the most, with 3.
- Russell T DaviesTorchwood (2006), The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007), and The War Between the Land and the Sea (2025)
- Sydney NewmanDoctor Who (1963) (1963)
- C. E. WebberDoctor Who (1963) (1963)
- Donald WilsonDoctor Who (1963) (1963)
- Geoffrey SaxDoctor Who: The Movie (1996)
- Patrick NessClass (2016)
How long it takes to watch every Doctor Who show
All 21 titles add up to 501 hours: 1 hours of film and 499 hours of series, counting every episode. That is about 251 two-hour evenings, or 51 days of ten-hour binges. The essentials cut it to 429 hours. The longest film is Doctor Who: The Movie at 1h 26m.
Start the first series and see if it hooks you.
Everything takes about 17 months; the essentials about 14 months.
Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.
Which Doctor Who shows can you skip?
4 titles can go without losing the main story. They are side stories, spin-offs or entries the later films ignore. Dropping them saves 71 hours.
- Torchwood2006 · Series · 35h 26m · optionalCaptain Jack Harkness runs a Cardiff alien-hunting team; adult spin-off, Children of Earth is the peak.
- The Sarah Jane Adventures2007 · Series · 26h · optionalClassic companion Sarah Jane Smith investigates aliens with a team of teenagers; made for kids.
- Class2016 · Series · 6h 3m · optionalA one-season spin-off set at Coal Hill Academy; optional.
- The War Between the Land and the Sea2025 · Series · 3h 57m · optionalA five-part spin-off: UNIT's Kate Lethbridge-Stewart against the Sea Devils.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Doctor Who shows in?
Start Doctor Who with Series 1 of the 2005 revival, not the 1963 original: it was made for new viewers and needs no background. Watch the revival in order through Flux (2021), then the three 60th-anniversary specials (2023), Season 1 (2024) and Season 2 (2025). Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures fit alongside the Tenth Doctor's series; the classic series (1963 to 1989) and the 1996 TV movie are best sampled afterwards.
How many Doctor Who movies and shows are there?
There are 21 titles in the Doctor Who franchise: 1 film and 20 series, released from 1963 to 2025.
How long does it take to watch all the Doctor Who shows?
About 501 hours for all 21 titles, counting every episode. The essentials only (17 titles) take about 429 hours.
What is the first Doctor Who title in chronological order?
Doctor Who (1963), set in The First to Seventh Doctors. In release order the first is Doctor Who (1963) (1963).
Which Doctor Who titles can I skip?
Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Class, and The War Between the Land and the Sea. They are spin-offs, side stories or non-canon entries; the main story holds without them.
What is the best Doctor Who title?
By IMDb score, Doctor Who: Series 1 (2005) at 8.5, followed by Doctor Who: Series 2 at 8.5.
What is the highest-grossing Doctor Who movie?
Doctor Who: The Movie (1996), with $42 million worldwide. Doctor Who films have made $42 million in total.
Who has appeared in the most Doctor Who shows?
Nicholas Briggs, in 15 of them as Daleks.
What is the longest Doctor Who movie?
Doctor Who: The Movie, at 1h 26m.
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