Doctor Who watch order

Every season, film, and special from 1963 to today, grouped by Doctor.

83 entries·~758 hrs total runtime·1963–2025

First & Second Doctor

1

Doctor Who Season 1

TV Series42 episodes · 1963–1964

Introduces the First Doctor, the TARDIS and the Daleks.
2

Doctor Who Season 2

TV Series39 episodes · 1964–1965
3

Doctor Who Season 3

TV Series45 episodes · 1965–1966
4

Doctor Who Season 4

TV Series43 episodes · 1966–1967

Contains the first regeneration, First to Second Doctor.
5

Doctor Who Season 5

TV Series40 episodes · 1967–1968
6

Doctor Who Season 6

TV Series44 episodes · 1968–1969

Concludes the Second Doctor's era.

Third Doctor

7

Doctor Who Season 7

TV Series25 episodes · 1970

Introduces the Third Doctor and colour broadcasts.
8

Doctor Who Season 8

TV Series25 episodes · 1971

Introduces the Master.
9

Doctor Who Season 9

TV Series26 episodes · 1972
10

Doctor Who Season 10

TV Series26 episodes · 1972–1973

Opens with the first multi-Doctor story, The Three Doctors.
11

Doctor Who Season 11

TV Series26 episodes · 1973–1974

The Third Doctor's final season.

Fourth Doctor

12

Doctor Who Season 12

TV Series20 episodes · 1974–1975
13

Doctor Who Season 13

TV Series26 episodes · 1975–1976
14

Doctor Who Season 14

TV Series26 episodes · 1976–1977
15

Doctor Who Season 15

TV Series26 episodes · 1977–1978
16

Doctor Who Season 16: The Key to Time

TV Series26 episodes · 1978–1979

One connected quest for the six segments of the Key to Time.
17

Doctor Who Season 17

TV Series20 episodes · 1979–1980
18

Doctor Who Season 18

TV Series28 episodes · 1980–1981

The Fourth Doctor's final season.

Fifth Doctor

19

K-9 and Company

Special50 min · 1981

An unsuccessful spin-off pilot featuring Sarah Jane Smith and K9.
20

Doctor Who Season 19

TV Series26 episodes · 1982
21

Doctor Who Season 20

TV Series22 episodes · 1983
22

The Five Doctors

Special90 min · 1983

The 20th-anniversary special.
23

Doctor Who Season 21

TV Series24 episodes · 1984

Contains the Fifth to Sixth Doctor regeneration.

Sixth Doctor

24

Doctor Who Season 22

TV Series13 episodes · 1985
25

Doctor Who Season 23: The Trial of a Time Lord

TV Series14 episodes · 1986

The whole season forms one connected trial storyline.

Seventh Doctor

26

Doctor Who Season 24

TV Series14 episodes · 1987
27

Doctor Who Season 25

TV Series14 episodes · 1988–1989
28

Doctor Who Season 26

TV Series14 episodes · 1989

The final season before the original run's extended hiatus.

Charity Specials & TV Movie

29

Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time

Special2 parts · 1993

An EastEnders charity crossover; not treated as part of the show's continuity.
30

Doctor Who

Movie89 min · 1996

A TV film continuing the classic series and introducing the Eighth Doctor.
31

The Curse of Fatal Death

Special23 min · 1999

A Comic Relief parody, not part of the main storyline.

Ninth & Tenth Doctor

32

Doctor Who Series 1

TV Series13 episodes · 2005

Revives the programme with the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler.
33

The Christmas Invasion

Special60 min · 2005

The Tenth Doctor's first full story.
34

Doctor Who Series 2

TV Series13 episodes · 2006
35

Torchwood Series 1

TV Series13 episodes · 2006–2007

Follows Captain Jack Harkness and the Torchwood team.
36

The Runaway Bride

Special60 min · 2006

Introduces Donna Noble.
37

The Sarah Jane Adventures Series 1

TV Series10 episodes · 2007
38

Doctor Who Series 3

TV Series13 episodes · 2007
39

Voyage of the Damned

Special72 min · 2007
40

Torchwood Series 2

TV Series13 episodes · 2008
41

Doctor Who Series 4

TV Series13 episodes · 2008

Finale crosses over with Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.
42

The Sarah Jane Adventures Series 2

TV Series12 episodes · 2008
43

The Next Doctor

Special60 min · 2008
44

Planet of the Dead

Special60 min · 2009
45

Torchwood: Children of Earth

TV Series5 episodes · 2009
46

The Sarah Jane Adventures Series 3

TV Series12 episodes · 2009
47

The Waters of Mars

Special62 min · 2009
48

The End of Time

Special2 episodes · 2009–2010

The Tenth Doctor's final story and the Eleventh Doctor's first appearance.

Eleventh Doctor

49

Doctor Who Series 5

TV Series13 episodes · 2010
50

The Sarah Jane Adventures Series 4

TV Series12 episodes · 2010
51

A Christmas Carol

Special60 min · 2010
52

Doctor Who Series 6

TV Series13 episodes · 2011
53

Torchwood: Miracle Day

TV Series10 episodes · 2011
54

The Sarah Jane Adventures Series 5

TV Series6 episodes · 2011

The final, shortened series following lead actor Elisabeth Sladen's death.
55

The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe

Special60 min · 2011
56

Doctor Who Series 7

TV Series13 episodes · 2012–2013
57

The Snowmen

Special60 min · 2012

Introduces the modern-day Clara Oswald.
58

The Day of the Doctor

Special77 min · 2013

The 50th-anniversary special.
59

The Time of the Doctor

Special60 min · 2013

The Eleventh Doctor's final story.

Twelfth Doctor

60

Doctor Who Series 8

TV Series12 episodes · 2014
61

Last Christmas

Special60 min · 2014
62

Doctor Who Series 9

TV Series12 episodes · 2015
63

The Husbands of River Song

Special56 min · 2015
64

Class

TV Series8 episodes · 2016

Set at Coal Hill Academy.
65

The Return of Doctor Mysterio

Special60 min · 2016
66

Doctor Who Series 10

TV Series12 episodes · 2017

The Twelfth Doctor's final regular series.
67

Twice Upon a Time

Special60 min · 2017

The Twelfth Doctor's final story.

Thirteenth Doctor

68

Doctor Who Series 11

TV Series10 episodes · 2018
69

Resolution

Special60 min · 2019
70

Doctor Who Series 12

TV Series10 episodes · 2020

Introduces the Timeless Child storyline.
71

Revolution of the Daleks

Special71 min · 2021
72

Doctor Who Series 13: Flux

TV Series6 episodes · 2021

The whole season forms one continuous story.
73

Eve of the Daleks

Special58 min · 2022
74

Legend of the Sea Devils

Special48 min · 2022
75

The Power of the Doctor

Special87 min · 2022

The Thirteenth Doctor's final story.

60th Anniversary & Fifteenth Doctor

76

The Star Beast

Special57 min · 2023

Reunites the Fourteenth Doctor with Donna Noble.
77

Wild Blue Yonder

Special55 min · 2023
78

The Giggle

Special61 min · 2023

The Fifteenth Doctor's first appearance, via bi-generation.
79

The Church on Ruby Road

Special55 min · 2023

Introduces Ruby Sunday.
80

Doctor Who Series 14

TV Series8 episodes · 2024
81

Joy to the World

Special55 min · 2024
82

Doctor Who Series 15

TV Series8 episodes · 2025

The final season co-produced with Disney+.

Beyond Disney+

83

The War Between the Land and the Sea

TV Series5 episodes · 2025

A UNIT-focused spin-off featuring the return of the Sea Devils.

How many Doctor Who episodes are there?

The main programme had broadcast more than 890 episodes by the end of Series 15 in 2025, across classic seasons, revived series, and specials. The wider spin-off catalogue adds Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Class, K-9 and Company, and The War Between the Land and the Sea.

Do I need to watch classic Doctor Who before the 2005 series?

No. The 2005 revival was designed as a new entry point and reintroduces the TARDIS, regeneration, and the show's recurring ideas for a new audience.

What order should a first-timer watch Doctor Who in?

Start with Series 1 (2005) and follow release order through each series and its specials. The classic series (1963–1989) can be explored separately afterward.

Is Doctor Who finished or still ongoing?

Ongoing, though its production arrangement was in transition as of this writing — Disney+ ended its co-production partnership with the BBC after Series 15 (2025) and the spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea, and the BBC has said it will continue the show independently. Check for the latest before assuming a specific next release.

Check streaming availability on JustWatch.

Last updated 13 September 2026