After more than six decades and forty seasons, the vast history of Doctor Who can be potentially daunting for new viewers.
Thankfully, every so often, a new beginning will be created that newcomers can jump on board with. Whether it’s a new showrunner, a new companion, or even a new Doctor, the series has provided several highly accessible starting points for new fans.
This needed to be true of this year’s season. With the exception of the UK – in which it was broadcast on BBC One and streamed on BBC iPlayer – this year’s season of Doctor Who streamed on Disney+ worldwide. Which potentially meant a brand new audience for the show.
Significantly, the season was labeled as “Season One”, and it's not the first time that this has happened. Aside from when Doctor Who began in 1963, we also had “Series One” in 2005. Of course, there was a very clear reason why this season was listed as a fresh start – the first season of Doctor Who in sixteen years, it was released with the simple idea that the audience wouldn’t be just hardcore fans and that the majority of viewers would likely be watching for the first time.
As a result, many core concepts of the show – the TARDIS, the Daleks, even the Doctor himself – were presented to the audience in a completely fresh way. The history of the show was acknowledged, but making everything clear to the audience was the primary focus.