Can I skip Matt Smith's series and go straight to Peter Capaldi?

so I was wondering if his series leads directly into Peter's and whether I would be massively confused if I just went from David to Peter or if it wouldn't be such a big deal?

Yes, it does. Without Smith's series, you'd be completely lost when, to put it lightly, certain episode/s happen & unfolds for the rest of Capaldi's era.

You absolutely cannot skip the Matt Smith period.

You can do whatever you want. You don't need our permission.

You could possibly start Season 7B just to start with Clara and go from there. It’s not ideal, but it’s a pretty short amount that will at least prepare you for Capaldi’s run

You should definitely watch Eccleston's run. It's only one season anyway and it's a GOOD one. It sets the tone for the whole DW revival. You can also familiarize yourself with Rose (and her family),, who was also Tennant/10's companion.

And if you want to skip Matt Smith's era, you can but watch his last season with Clara, since she is also Capaldi/12's companion later on.

Whilst I wouldn't personally recommend skipping Smith (or Eccleston) you could probably still figure things out on the most part, so as long as you don't mind not understanding certain references, or are happy to look things up then give it a shot.

I would say there's one Matt Smith episode you probably will want to watch which is the 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor.

The reason for this is because it's a multi Doctor story starring both Smith and Tennant (I've marked this as a spoiler just in case you do decide to watch Smith's run).

I'd rather watch everything. One of the best moments in Capaldi era, makes way more sense watching Matt Smith era first.

I was in your shoes back in December and found the answer to both your questions is the same: you can't really skip the Smith or Eccleston series entirely. The reason is that both Tennant and Capaldi have the second half of an arc begun by the previous actor, sharing the same companion/co-lead when they begin, so you'd essentially miss the first half of the stories.

Personally, I ended up loving Eccleston's era so I saw the whole thing, but I didn't like Smith's. At that point, I used the new viewer's guide on the Tardis wiki that lists the "must watch" episodes of each series. I watched only those episodes (plus a few more with interesting premises or guest actors I liked) until I finally found another pairing I enjoyed again. There are obviously gaps in my knowledge but nothing that detracted from following along. Especially in the later episodes, the show makes so many references to the classic series that I became used to going with the flow when I didn't understand something anyway.

In sum, you can't skip all of it IMO, but you can skip a lot safely with an episode guide. Have fun!

I’m going to go against the grain and say that as long as you’re ok with understanding that the show is calling back to things you missed (and you don’t mind googling things, checking out the tardis wiki or reading episode summaries to fill yourself in), then yes you can indeed skip.

Will every Capaldi or Tennant episode be as rewarding without having watched Eccleston (Nine) or Smith (Eleven)? No. But they’re still be plenty for you to enjoy and get swept up into the emotions of. Lots of episodes really don’t call back to things at all and you can still enjoy the character dynamics without knowing their complete history. Plus, you may surprise yourself by wanting to go back and fully check out what you missed.

If anything, I’d say Eccleston would be a priority over Smith — primarily because the former is so short. Just one series of 13 episodes! And it’s fantastic. So it’s very easy and enjoyable to get through quickly.

Matt Smith is an amazing doctor imo. You'd really be missing out if you skip him

Don't rush the experience, if you do enjoy Doctor Who and do it your way, your just going to end up going back and watching it all and when you do you'll wonder why you skipped past any episodes.

I skip past some on a rewatch, but even stories that fall outside an overarching plot serve to flesh out the Doctor, their companions, and their relationships.

I didn't like Matt Smith at first but ended up loving it. I do not recommend skipping it.

For me, Eccleston and Smith are great bridges towards Tennant and Capaldi; the continuity just wouldn’t go well without having watched the latter’s predecessors.

Each Doctor is a soft reboot that can be an entry point. Either way there is 60 years of continuity that exists but isn’t a prerequisite.

I would suggest watching Smith’s last two specials (Day of the Doctor with Tennant and Time of the Doctor Christmas episode) you can get accustomed to the companion and what’s going on. But if you want to just jump in to Deep Breath it still works.

You'll miss some of the most heart-wrenching but also joyful episodes of all the doctors. IMO Matt Smith perfectly embodies being an old soul in a new body. He has such a stark contrast between moments of the purest childlike wonder and the quiet fury of a very, very old man who has been hurt too much. His episodes, to me, have the most heart, and there's a strong emphasis on kindness and believing in humanity. I may be biased but he has the funniest moments hands down across all NuWho doctors, and Matt Smith just radiates so much personality with his incarnation.

Of course, everyone has their preferences and opinions, but 11 is what drew me into the series. His seasons will always have a special place in my heart, and 11 to me, as River Song might say, is "my doctor". I will make the biggest case to give him a chance.

Skipping Matt Smith is a wild thing to say

You really can’t. I don’t recommend skipping either Eccleston or Smith, but Capaldi’s era HEAVILY builds upon Smith’s. Also, Tennant’s first series builds upon Eccleston’s, with Eccleston’s era doing a much better job introducing the concepts.

"can I skip 11?"

Oh it's ok some people just don't like the tone of his series and are more interested in future series, it's not the best idea but if it fits their taste they should go for it ෆ⁠╹⁠ ⁠.̮⁠ ⁠╹⁠ෆ

"can I skip 9?"

Get the fu©k out.

Definitely worth it to start with Eccleston and go all the way through to Ncuti. When I first started, I rushed through the series because I couldn't wait to watch Silence in the Library. Big mistake, huge! Savour this show if you enjoy it. New episodes come out rarely and in moderation. Matt has some brilliant episodes and story arcs that are very worth the investment.

Ehhh, maybe see if there are season recaps on YouTube..?

Watch literally the last three episodes of Smith's run and that'll be, more or less, enough context for Capaldi

Yes, Watch Eccleston. It’s only one series, and a lot of the characters and plotlines end up carrying over into Tennant’s era.

As for Matt Smith, I’d say that the only episode you need to watch in order to understand the Capaldi era is ‘The Day of the Doctor.’ It’ll give you a brief introduction to Clara, as well as establishing some of the plotlines that crop up in the Capaldi era. Plus, David Tennant makes a guest appearance.

The only way to understand it all is to go back to William Hartnell in 1963 and start from the beginning (including tracking down the episodes that are missing)

You are definitely going to miss some nuances if you skip to Capaldi. But if you don’t like Smith then it’s better to watch stuff you enjoy than spend weeks slogging through stuff you hate.

Give it a try, and if you don't really vibe with it. Then season 10 works pretty well as a stand alone thing.

The rest of Capaldi is pretty tied in with Matt Smiths run. Even season 10 is but it also works as a stand alone

I usually just say do whatever you want, even though it's best to experience all of it, but skipping Eccleston would be such a tragedy. You'll fall in love with 9, guaranteed. His run is the shortest of the current era, just watch it.

Don't skip any

Can you skip 1/4 of the show and follow what's going on? No, not really.

Christopher Eccleston and Matt Smith are excellent Doctors. It would be ludicrous to skip both of them.

Virtually all of River Song is in the Matt Smith era, and it's why Karen Gillan got cast in Guardians of the Galaxy.

You can skip some parts of it. There’s a lot of Matt Smith I’ve never watched and you’ll be fine as long as you hit the important ones.

U can skip em, but not if u wanna understand the lore. There's a lot going on in the Eccelston and Matt Smith Era. Capaldi is my absolute fav Doctor and becomes so much more delightful after watching em all imo

It’s a time travel show, you can do what you want. However, I strongly recommend you watch the Matt Smith run. It’s really great.

You should watch Series 7B to lead up into Series 8, but then at that point you should watch the rest of the era to realize what the Ponds mean to him and why he became a hermit between 7A and 7B, or it might be nagging in the back of your head. I've already given you too much.

Eccleston introduces quite a lot to NuWho, especially for RTD's era, and so skipping that would also be silly. Nine lasted one season, and it was fantastic, at least watch him.

Up to you really. There are some good eps of Matt smiths era. Just heads up, Peter’s Doctor stars off a bit more colder and bit of a dick but lightens up.

Personally I liked the more colder Doctor but it’s down to preference

I’d say start Matt’s era, see if ya like it.

However, with river song, it is quite important

Why do you not want to watch Matt Smith?

It seems like you don't want to answer any of the comments, but I'll try asking again.

Why do you want to skip the Matt Smith era?

What has made you "not interested" in watching it?

Why don't you have patience for this era but you do for later?

Without providing more details on why you're not interested and which parts you do and do not care about, it's not easy to answer your question in the most thorough fashion.

I think every single episode and series is worth watching at least one time. On rewatches, I definitely skip an episode here or there. Sometimes because I don't like the episode much and sometimes just because I'm not in the mood for that particular episode. Some of my favorite episodes are with Matt Smith, and I wouldn't want you to miss out just because you don't want to give it a chance.

Basically, I think it's better to not miss out on something you potentially might enjoy rather than deciding "I'm not going to enjoy this" and pre-judging multiple entire series before you've watched them.