June 14

[Scooter]

Good list. Of course, everyone's suggestion list is going to be different.

I usually recommend that strangers to "Doctor Who" start with "The Ribos Operation," because it's funny, dramatic, and very well acted.

After that I would look at "An Unearthly Child," "Caves of Androzani," and maybe "The Aztecs" if you're in the mood for a "historical." "Robots of Death" is good. "Curse of Fenric," yes. I don't think "Power of the Daleks" is available on DVD (I think there are missing episodes still), but "The Mind Robber" is just coming out, and that's a very good Second Doctor story.

Doctor Who: The Movie (1996) is not available in the U.S., which is a shame only because it's a bridge between the Classic Series and the New Series. Valium is so right about "The Daleks" [the First Doctor Story, not to be confused with the Ninth Doctor story "Dalek"], and the same is true for the equally boring 1964 Peter Cushing film adaptation.

Anyway it's important to remember that Classic Doctor Who is usually 4 to 6 25-minute episodes, 90 to 135 minutes. They take the time to develop things without rushing, even if the story is directed at a good brisk pace. Sit down with the patience of starting a movie, not a TV show.

The New Series is coming out on DVD in a few months, but is also easily downloadable if you have something like BitTorrent, not that I recommend filesharing the intellectual property of the BBC of course.

But do go and look at one of the DVDs I mentioned, and tell me what you think.