Hi Folks,

I'm hoping for some fun recommendations from some fellow Who fans!

My 14 year old niece has just started to get into Dr Who, she's been watching on/ off since series 6 but is now really into the programme. I'm a big fan of the show so have invited her over for a Who-athon.

My question is, which 5 episodes from Nu-Who (series 1-5 since she has seen 6 & 7) would you choose to showcase the show? Christmas eps and specials can be included.

My personal picks would be -
The Empty Child
The Doctor Dances
Silence in The Library
Forest of The Dead
The Eleventh Hour

(sorry for excluding the classic series, I only have Nu-Who on DVD and I'm not sure she'd be into the classics. Youth of today, eh?!)

Thanks folks!

Dalek
Gridlock
Blink
Midnight
Amy's Choice

Rose
The Parting of the Ways
The End of Time
The Eleventh Hour
The Snowman

I'll go for 5 stories, rather than 5 episodes:

Army of Ghosts / Doomsday
The End of Time
Blink
Turn Left / The Stolen Earth / Journey's End
The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit

If your Whoathons are going to be a regular thing why not start from Rose and watch in order.

Actually... Bank Holiday weekend and all that...might have a series 1 Ecclestone Whoathon myself.

If we are picking one from each series up to 5:

Dalek
The Age of Steel/Rise of the Cybermen (since they're both one story)
Blink
Midnight
Vincent and The Doctor

Like another poster a few posts above, stories as opposed to episodes.....

Dalek
Blink
The Girl in the Fireplace
The Empty Child
Vincent and The Doctor

I'd say no experience could beat watchig the whole lot if you have the chance... it allows for the optimum character investment. However if you truly are limited for time, and she already understands the basics of regenerations and such, then I'd opt for...

Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways
Blink
The Stolen Earth/Journeys End
Vincent and the Doctor
A Christmas Carol
The Doctor's Wife
Asylum of the Daleks


I couldn't narrow it down any further

I agree what abomination said. If you can watch the lot. if you can't then I would say:
Dalek,
The girl in the fireplace,
army of ghosts/doomsday
the waters of mars
the time of angels/flesh and stone

I put a mix of scary and emotional storys. most girls I know love the girl in the fireplace and doomsday.
As you say your niece is 14 so expect tears from her at the end of these 2 especially.

I think definitely Blink and the Eleventh Hour, they both just sum up the whole concept of Doctor Who so well. I think, on a purely personal level, Asylum of the Daleks, as IMHO it's the best episode that has been produced, even if it's not necessarily the best introduction. The other two slots go to The Parting of the Ways as a great introduction to the concept of regeneration and then finally, The Waters of Mars, to give it a bit of scope and also because it's a cracking exploration into the Doctor's dark side, as well as the whole time war thing.

1. Blink - not my personal favourite, but everybody likes it. It's also stand alone, so you don't need to watch whole season to understand it.
2. Human Nature / Family of Blood - Best episode ever, IMO. Also, stand-alone.
3. Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead - One more popular and great episode.
4. Eleventh Hour - Introduction to the Eleventh Doctor.
5. Amy's Choice - Very original and interesting stand-alone episode.

I'm probably in agreement with most people:
Dalek
Blink
Midnight
Eleventh Hour
The Doctor's Wife

I'd put Utopia on the list - easily one of the best new Who episodes - just a pity that the 2 episodes after that were a bit of a let down.

Utopia is brilliant though - stand out new Who episode for me.
In some ways it's also very classic Who which might be why I like it.

others:

Dalek
Waters of Mars
Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead
Turn Left

Dalek, Blink, The Eeleventh Hour to have one with all three of the Doctors, even though 10 scarcely appears in Blink. The next in line Empty Child/Doctor Danced for 9, Human Nature/Family of Blood and/or Midnight for 10 and Vincent and the Doctor and/or Beast Below for 11

Some have mentioned The Doctor's Wife, but a much as I love it, I wouldn't recommend it. Personally I have seen it after having seen only a handful of Who episodes and back then I wasn't a big fan. I don't think I totally understood it (and all the implications) until I watched an another time around after having seen much more episodes.

I think if you are going to choose 5 episodes, you should chose one from each series. You should also chose stories which don't rely too much on knowledge of the show's past and which showcase as big a variety as possible.
I would chose:
Dalek - A brilliant story which showcases the Daleks
The Girl in the Fireplace - An emotional tale which has plenty of timey-wimeyness.
Blink - A brilliant plot, very scary, clever and also shows that you can have a good story in which the Doctor doesn't take centre stage.
The Fires of Pompeii- Not the best story by any means of Series 4, but it's still pretty good and it lets a first time viewer see what a standard Doctor Who adventure is like.
The Eleventh Hour- Probably the best new Doctor introduction story ever. This would get newcomers get used to the idea that the main character changes every now and then.

The outstanding episode is "Turn Left" for the acting and showing the effects of not having the Doctor around. Maybe preceeded by the episodes referred to in it (sink the titanic, spiders from Mars etc)

The Empty Child
The Parting Of The Ways
Blink
The Pandorica Opens
Doomsday

Rose
Dalek
The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit
Blink

Or other possibilites:
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways
Turn Left
The Waters of Mars
Maybe Utopia, but it might not be the best to start of with since it's a part of a bigger story (same with Turn Left)

You guys rock!

So I think I can get a general sense that everyone agrees with Blink, Dalek and The Eleventh Doctor.


Turn Left is one of my top favourite episodes, but I suppose I'd left it out because it's Doctor Lite, but I still get chills when I watch it.


She's only staying over for one night and I've got strict instructions regarding her bed time otherwise I would totally start from Series 1, episode one Maybe I'll just have to invite her back over again next week!


Yes that's true, Turm Left would be better followed by the other 2 episodes.

And so I'm now torn between Bad Wolf/ Parting of The Ways or Army of Ghosts/ Doomsday (agree totally with Dr2Pat, about the emotion in those episodes, I wonder if someone who hadn't seen all of series 1 and 2 would feel it properly though)

And honourable mentions to The Girl in The Fireplace, Waters of Mars, Utopia, The Impossible Planet, Vincent and The Doctor, to name only a few!

Thanks for all your suggestions........ so many great episodes, so little time!

Turn Left is great but veers from what-the-hell-is-that weirdness that is probably quite off-putting if you don't know the episodes it's referring to, to downright heartbreaking awfulness. Probably not the most welcoming introduction.

If you're stuck between Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways, and Army of Ghosts / Doomsday I'd personally go for the former. It'd give the Ninth Doctor a bit more presence in your marathon and I feel that it offers a more satisfying conclusion by far. It'd likely be the more emotional story as well, as Doomsday relies a lot on the characters that have been established over time whilst The Parting of the Ways is more about the events in and of itself

Enjoy your rewatch

I ditto this. Also, asides from ending on a happier note I think that 9's regeneration is a great introduction to the fact that the nature of the show changes and gets across that the change is not a bad thing.

Gridlock
Human Nature/Family Of Blood
Utopia
Dalek
Blink

Eleventh Hour - If 11 is her first Doctor then let her see where his story began

Amy's Choice - Another classic involving MS and the idea that The Doctor does have a dark side.

Midnight - Then I'd watch this which is a great Doctor Who episode!

Empty Child/Doctor Dances - Just when she thinks that Doctor Who is absolutley fantastic after these three stories, scare the living daylights out of her In an entertaining way of course!

No but seriously ^ these feature the three Revival Doctors whilst also providing great entertainment and rewatches! It also shows there's more to the show than Daleks and Cybermen

Rose
Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways
Human Nature/Family of Blood
Blink
Utopia/Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords
Midnight
The 11th Hour
Amy's Choice
Vincent and the Doctor
the Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang