Doctor Who has existed in some form for over 60 years, and that has produced a lot of content. There are over 900 episodes of just the main series, with plenty of spin-offs and mini-series adventures popping up along the way. That makes it incredibly difficult to track them all down.
Adding to that, 97 episodes of the show have gone missing, thanks to the BBC deleting footage for financial and spacial reasons. While the show was just getting started, this might have been deemed an effective way to manage limited space and resources, but it's heartbreaking to fans who want to see everything the franchise has to offer.
Going even further, there are a few episodes where the footage still exists, but the BBC has decided not to make it available. For example, the first serial, "An Unearthly Child," is not on most streaming services with the rest of Season 1, and the Series 2 episode "Fear Her" was recently taken down from the BBC iPlayer because of a behind-the-scenes controversy.
Even with all of the missing episodes and gaps, there is more than enough Doctor Who content out there to keep you busy for a long time. The Classic Era alone is over 200 hours of content, even without the missing episodes. Nearly as much has come out since its revival in 2005. And that doesn't even include the various spinoffs.
If you want to see everything that's out there, you'll need to get creative and be willing to watch online or purchase physical media from long-time collectors. But the average person in the US can see most of Doctor Who by following the guidelines below.
Classic Who (1963-1989)
Classic Who is the fandom term for the original period of Doctor Who, from 1963 through 1989. This includes the First through Seventh Doctors and is where almost all of the show's lore originates. Many younger fans have never watched any of the Classic Era because it was inaccessible for a long time. But it's now much easier to get ahold of and worth the time to get a deeper appreciation for the show.
For US-based fans, there are two main options for watching the Classic Era. The first is BritBox, a BBC streaming service that offers Americans access to the top British television. The other option is Tubi, a free streaming service that currently has all 26 seasons of Doctor Who's original run, sorted by which actor played the Doctor at the time. However, Tubi does require viewers to watch ads, which can be frustrating during binge-watching sessions.
There are a few things to keep in mind when watching these episodes. First, the serial "An Unearthly Child" is not currently available on most platforms, including Tubi, but it is still on BritBox (for now). For those using Tubi, the most reliable way to find and watch the first serial is through the Internet Archive.
In addition, the missing episodes are not necessarily noted on the streaming service. So when watching Season 1, fans might feel they're missing something between "The Edge of Destruction" and "The Keys of Marinus." That's because you are! The seven-episode "Marco Polo" serial is missing, and it's helpful to know that. If you feel lost, check a full breakdown of the episodes, because there's a good chance there is a gap that just isn't noted by the streaming service.
For those who want a taste of Classic Who, but who aren't concerned with watching in order, The Roku Channel is also an option. One of their live channels is the "Classic Doctor Who" channel, which has an episode from the early years playing at all times, with occasional commercial breaks built in.
1996 TV movie
Practically since the moment it went off-air, people were fighting to bring Doctor Who back. The most prominent attempt came in the 1990s, when there was a plan to potentially bring the show to the United States. As a way to test the waters on that idea, the 1996 TV movie was greenlit as a possible back-door pilot. However, the series never came to be, relegating Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor to exclusively exist off-screen for most of his storyline.
At this time, there is no official way for Americans to watch the TV movie. This is ironic, since the film was originally meant for US viewers, but it has been the case for years. Those who want to watch have a couple of options, depending on how concerned they are about legality. It is possible to buy a copy of the 1996 movie, although you should be careful to make sure the DVD or Blu-ray can play in North American devices. Digital copies are also usually available on the Internet Archive, YouTube, and other media streaming sites, although their legality is dubious.
New Who / Revival Era (2005-2022)
When the show was fully revived in 2005, a new generation of fans found Doctor Who. Russell T. Davies designed the revival with new fans in mind, providing enough information that fans didn't have to see the first 26 seasons to understand it. That being said, the Doctor was explicitly called the Ninth Doctor, and several monsters, characters, and organizations from the Classic Era showed up.
The revival was colloquially known as "New Who" by many in the fanbase, and officially ran from 2005 through 2022. In addition to 13 seasons of new content, there were many special episodes (including holiday specials), minisodes, and other outside content.
The show itself is currently available to fans on Max. It is broken into the traditional 13 seasons, with Christmas specials generally added to the end of the previous season and the 2009 specials added to the end of Series 4. It's also fairly common to find New Who-Era Doctor Who playing on BBC America, especially around the holidays.
The supplemental content from this period is harder to track down, but YouTube is generally the best source. Most of the minisodes and additional clips can be found on the official Doctor Who channel, but scenes that were originally exclusive to DVD collections are typically pretty easy to find as well. The behind-the-scenes companion show, Totally Doctor Who, also has its own YouTube channel.
Whoniverse era (2023-Present)
When Russell T. Davies came back to Doctor Who for a second term as showrunner, he decided to include a soft reboot for the franchise. In addition to hoping for new audiences, this had to do with major production changes for the series, the largest of which involved bringing Doctor Who under the Disney umbrella.
Officially speaking, this is a third series using the title Doctor Who, although there's very little on-screen that justifies breaking from the New Who period. There is a new Doctor, but the transition wasn't much different from any other regeneration, and the 60th Anniversary specials outright reference many of the events from 2005 through 2022.
The newest episodes are available on Disney+, under the "Doctor Who Collection." This includes all three of the 60th Anniversary Specials (listed as individual entries), the 2023 Christmas special (called Doctor Who Special 4), and the overarching series page. The Doctor Who series page currently includes the 2023 Christmas special and the newest season, listed as Season 1.
All new episodes of Doctor Who are expected to enter this collection, but it is currently unclear whether the upcoming Christmas special, "Joy to the World," will be a separate entry, a part of the series page, or both.
Spin-offs
The official number of Doctor Who spin-offs is up for debate, and the accessibility of the more obscure ones is limited. But for the sake of thoroughness, here are the spin-offs that we can find, and where to watch them.
K-9 and Company (1981)
K-9 and Company is the only official spin-off to come from Doctor Who prior to its 2005 revival, planned as a continuation of Sarah Jane Smith’s story, where she was given a new version of K9 as a gift from the Doctor. The pilot was released in 1981, and while a proper series did not come to fruition, it has been accepted as canon in later Doctor Who media.
The available episode, titled “A Girls’ Best Friend,” is currently available on BritBox.
Torchwood (2006-2011)
Russell T. Davies wanted to expand the universe of Doctor Who very early on, creating Torchwood as an adult version of the show starring fan-favorite character Jack Harkness. The first season ran concurrently with Series 3 of Doctor Who, and the second ended before the finale of Doctor Who Series 4. There were then two other seasons, with the “Children of Earth” arc highly praised and the attempted American spin-off “Miracle Day” disappointing fans who hoped it would have the same feel as its predecessor.
All four seasons are currently available on Max.
The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007-2011)
The Sarah Jane Adventures was greenlit after the Doctor Who episode “School Reunion” indicated that there were still many fans for the Classic companion. The show was intended for a younger audience, with Doctor Who being made for teenagers and families, Torchwood for adults, and The Sarah Jane Adventures for children. The series followed Sarah Jane, her adopted son, and his friends as they tried to manage alien presences on Earth.
The Sarah Jane Adventures was by far the most successful spin-off, lasting five seasons. It may have run longer, but lead actress Elisabeth Sladen passed away in April 2011. All five seasons are currently streaming on Max.
K9 (2009-2010)
Created after the positive response to the Series 2 episode “School Reunion,” K9 was an Australian spin-off of Doctor Who that followed the robotic dog. Starring a version of K9 Mark I (who debuted in the Fourth Doctor’s era), the series included creatures from the overall Doctor Who canon, despite not being connected to any of the concurrently-airing New Who arcs.
The series includes 26 episodes, each of which is approximately 30 minutes in length. Because it is not owned by the BBC, K9 is actually the most accessible spin-off, streaming on free services including Tubi, Freevee, and The Roku Channel.
Class (2016)
After Russell T. Davies stepped back from Doctor Who, there wasn’t another spin-off until 2016. Class was much less connected to the base show than its predecessors, introducing an entirely new cast who were recruited by the Twelfth Doctor to protect Coal Hill Academy from aliens. Although it was generally well-received, Class got poor viewership, preventing it from earning a second season.
Class is not currently available on any streaming services in the United States. However, it can be purchased on Apple TV and Amazon.
Tales of the TARDIS (2023-?)
When Russell T. Davies returned to Doctor Who, he announced that he intended to expand the universe into a media behemoth similar to the MCU, which he called the Whoniverse. The first entry in this expanded universe was Tales of the TARDIS, which reunited former Doctors and companions to watch old episodes of Doctor Who.
There are currently seven episodes, with the last of these connecting to the Season 1 finale of Whoniverse-Era Doctor Who. Despite being part of the Disney era of Doctor Who, the existing episodes of Tales of the TARDIS are still not available on any streaming services for American viewers.
There are more spin-offs planned for Doctor Who, with the upcoming UNIT series The War Between the Land and the Sea expected in 2025.
Extras
Even when you've seen everything there is to see within the world of Doctor Who, there are always more directions you could turn. There are non-canon works connected to the IP, parodies, anniversary specials, and documentaries that have popped up throughout the show's history. Here are some of the best, which are easily accessible for fans.
Peter Cushing Dr. Who movies (1965-1966)
Shortly after the series began in 1963, Amicus Productions had the crazy idea to make a series of movies out of the Doctor Who franchise, removing the actors, tweaking the characters, and generally playing fast and loose with the concept. The bought the rights to "The Daleks" arc, and created Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.
Both films are currently available on YouTube for free, with ads.
Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Death (1999)
There are a ton of Doctor Who comedy specials made for Red Nose Day, but most are relatively short and easily forgotten. But the most famous one is 20 minutes long, beloved by the fandom, and even written by Steven Moffat. The Curse of Fatal Death follows the Doctor (Rowan Atkinson) as he faces off against the Master and the Daleks. It might have been intended as a parody, but the episode includes the first female Doctor, Richard E. Grant as the Doctor, and several plotlines that would turn up in Moffat's time as showrunner.
All that being said, it's a must-watch for long-time fans. While not on any streaming services, it is officially available on YouTube under the title "Rowan Atkinson is Doctor Who | Comic Relief."
Scream of the Shalka (2003)
Released as part of Doctor Who's 40th anniversary, Scream of the Shalka is an animated Doctor Who adventure theoretically set after the TV movie. While it was largely ignored by the revival, Shalka included Richard E. Grant as the Doctor (later acknowledged on-screen in the 2024 episode "Rogue"), Derek Jacobi as the Master (who continued the role in Series 3's "Utopia"), and several other future Doctor Who stars, including David Tennant.
Although it was originally released on the BBC's website, the only official way to watch Scream of the Shalka now is through purchasing the DVD. It is currently available on Amazon.
An Adventure in Space and Time (2013)
There was a lot of content released for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, and the dramatized origin of the show was one of the best received. The film explores the show's early years, with a special emphasis on the production of "An Unearthly Child" and William Hatnell's time as the Doctor, ending when he passes the reins to Patrick Troughton. It also gives Hartnell a vision of the show's future, seeing the Eleventh Doctor in the original version and the Fifteenth in the 2023 rebroadcast, to prove the important legacy he was leaving.
An Adventure in Space and Time is available for streaming on BritBox.
The Doctors Revisited (2013)
Another 50th anniversary release was The Doctors Revisited series, a set of eleven documentaries looking back on the creation of each iteration of the Doctor up to that point (and a bonus episode that covers the show as a whole). The main documentaries focused on what made each version special, including who their most prominent companions and enemies were, and gave newer fans a taste of each Doctor's adventuring style.
The first seven episodes are currently available on BritBox.
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot (2013)
The 50th anniversary special, Day of the Doctor, was the first time multiple Doctors came face-to-face since the revival. While that featured Matt Smith, David Tennant, and John Hurt, The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot played with the idea that some of the classic actors were fighting to appear. Along the way, at least six of the lead actors show up, along with several companions, Classic and revival era, and prominent writers and producers.
Like the previously-mentioned 50th anniversary features, The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot is available on BritBox.
Stay tuned for any updates on the available Doctor Who content and where to watch it.