Number 12 and Doctor Who for Beginners

Peter Capaldi is the 12th Doctor!

As all Doctor Who fans know, the 12th regeneration of the Doctor was announced yesterday!  Peter Capaldi - an actor I'm largely unfamiliar with, but very excited to get to know and probably become a huge fan of!  And while I know people will be disappointed no matter who was cast, I think the decision to go with an older actor - a change from the younger actors to have played the Doctor in the New Series - is a great one, especially since the Doctor, I believe, is heading towards more darkness and internal turmoil and I think an older actor will bring much gravitas and believability to the role.

Although from this first BBC/Doctor Who approved picture of the actor, he has such a twinkle in his eye that I think there will still be a good amount of playful eccentricity in his portrayal which is one of my favorite things about the Doctor!

It's so weird, that when I first heard that they were going to announce the 12th Doctor a couple days ago, I almost didn't want to know or think about it, but now that the day is here, I'm almost eager to say goodbye to Matt Smith and see what this new Doctor is all about.  I LOVE Matt as the Doctor (he's my favorite so far) and I love what he brought to the role, but there is something so exciting in seeing this show reboot, and getting something completely different but the same.

If you have never watched the show and you are kinda curious about it but also apprehensive about getting into a show with such a complex history, don't be!  I felt the same when I first started watching, but if you just start you can pick it up easily and the show can be so addicting!  And, because I'm in Doctor Who withdrawals and the news has made me very impatient, I passed some time making a Doctor Who infographic with some basic introductory info.  Check it out below!  If you haven't seen the show, here's hoping you'll give it a try! :)

(Had to change the image to a Google+ hosted photo. Sigh, goodbye high resolution!)

Sometimes I get asked where to start and I think it's best to either

• Watch "Blink" New Series Season 3, Episode 10 (the first episode with The Weeping Angels and generally regarded as one of the best episodes of Doctor Who ever!) so you can get an idea of the potential of the show in terms of a clever story, time travel complications, and fright factor.  But it's not a very comprehensive look at the character of the Doctor since he's not in it very much.
• Or start with the New series - either with the very first of the new Doctors - the 9th/Christopher Eccleston, or the first episode of 10 or 11 because it's still a good starting point to get into the show.  And then if you love it, you should totally go back and watch some of the Classic series!