View source for New to Who: A Beginners Guide to Doctor Who

{{article
| publication = Roosevelt Torch
| file =
| px =
| height =
| width =
| date = 2012-11-05
| author =
| pages =
| language = English
| type =
| description =
| categories =
| moreTitles =
| morePublications =
| moreDates =
| text =
Daleks. Sonic screwdrivers. TARDIS. Companions. Time travel. If you're still reading, you're asking yourself, "Just what are these things?" Well, they all come from the nearly 50-year-old television series, Doctor Who.

Doctor Who's popularity in the states has soared in the past few years and, in 2010, was named the most successful science fiction television series in the world.

Getting into a new show can be a daunting task, especially one that has 50 years worth of history; but actually it is easier than you might expect.

First, an overview of what the show is about.

The Doctor is an alien from the dead planet Gallifrey, who has traveled through time and space for over 1,000 years. He also has the burden of being the last of the Time Lords, an ancient race who guarded the universe from those who would upset their order. Time Lords have this neat little trick to cheat death; when they are about to die, their body regenerates with a new personality but retains all their memories. The current Doctor is on his 11th regeneration; he also likes bow-ties.

To go on his adventures, the Doctor uses the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space). On the outside it looks like a police box from the 1960s, and, on the inside, well, let's just say it's bigger. Another tool of the Doctor is his sonic screwdriver, used to open doors, do scans, or whatever else the writers feel like. It works on everything except wood.

It can get lonely in the TARDIS, so that's why the Doctor usually travels with a companion or two. Usually a lass from the U.K. or, at one time, a robotic dog from the year 5000, the companions are always by the Doctors side fighting evil and exploring new corners of the universe.

The perfect starting point for new Whovians is from the 2005 series with Christopher Eccleston as the 9th Doctor. You follow Rose Tyler, the Doctor's new companion, and learn about the world of Doctor Who with her.

See, getting into Doctor Who isn't as hard as you might have thought. Go to Netflix and strap in because you are in for an adventure through all of time and space. 

Caption: Still from "Return of the Daleks." 

}}