Can I watch the new specials without having seen the last two seasons?

[Mage]

I was a big NuWho fan for years, but under Capaldi's years the writing already went sideways for me personally. Which is a shame, because I loved his Doctor. I enjoyed Whitaker's Doctor, but gave up after her first season. Not because of her, but the writing.... It was just not for me.

Now, with Tennant back for specials, I feel tempted to watch them. But can I watch them without the background knowledge of the last two seasons with Jodi?

 

[Captaindemotion]

Pretty much. There were some references to the Flux storyline and other parts of Jodie’s tenure, but essentially the specials seem designed to win back fans who left over the last decade or so. It’s definitely not like eg trying to watch The Two Jakes without having seen Chinatown.

 

[Relayer1]

I bailed two episodes into "The Flux".

Yes you can.

 

[Mage]

Fantastic! Thanks for the replies!!

 

[EnderAKH]

My watching patterns are almost exactly the same as yours, and I had no problem keeping up.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Just remember that the Flux that you might hear refered to, is a cosmic event that basically destroyed half the universe because an old lady was looking for the Doctor and then she died.

Beyond that, nope. Have fun!

 

[Evil Robert]

I would personally recommend watch the new stuff and pretend the last two seasons don't exist.
Such a colossal waste of very talented actors.

There is a couple of quick references to certain plot points, but nothing that will ruin your enjoyment either. Heck you may not even notice it due to the series often having fast-paced dialogue in parts.

 

[Awesome Possum]

It basically just mines some of the storylines for the 13th Doctor as past trauma that the 14th Doctor is dealing with. It essentially serves the same purpose as the Time War did for the 9th and 10th Doctors.

 

[Qonundrum]

I was a big NuWho fan for years, but under Capaldi's years the writing already went sideways for me personally. Which is a shame, because I loved his Doctor. I enjoyed Whitaker's Doctor, but gave up after her first season. Not because of her, but the writing.... It was just not for me.

Now, with Tennant back for specials, I feel tempted to watch them. But can I watch them without the background knowledge of the last two seasons with Jodi?

THIS RESPONSE IS SPOILER-FREE:
(and if this were 1998, I'd be using the blink attribute tag to really emphasize that, LOL. For more on this useless functionality, try it out here: JavaScript String blink() Method (w3schools.com) )

You don't really need to see them as the specials do hold their own where they need to, but...
IMHO, I'd watch series 12. Especially "Spyfall", "Fugitive of the Judoon", "Ascension of the Cybermen" and "The Timeless Children: if you want the gist of what 14 is dealing with. The first two I'd watch because they're bloody fantastic entries for Modern Who.

Yep, Chibnall's era was a mixed bag for me as well due to inconsistent and poor scripting, but you did miss out on a few solid if not great stories.

Capaldi's final season (series 10) is - for me, anyway - a big step up from 9. I loved a lot of 8, but especially during 9 fans started to leave. They missed out on a lot of good stuff in 10.

Yeah, both Capaldi and Whitaker got a raw deal, but there are diamonds in the rough.

 

[Mage]

THIS RESPONSE IS SPOILER-FREE:
(and if this were 1998, I'd be using the blink attribute tag to really emphasize that, LOL. For more on this useless functionality, try it out here: JavaScript String blink() Method (w3schools.com) )

You don't really need to see them as the specials do hold their own where they need to, but...
IMHO, I'd watch series 12. Especially "Spyfall", "Fugitive of the Judoon", "Ascension of the Cybermen" and "The Timeless Children: if you want the gist of what 14 is dealing with. The first two I'd watch because they're bloody fantastic entries for Modern Who.

Yep, Chibnall's era was a mixed bag for me as well due to inconsistent and poor scripting, but you did miss out on a few solid if not great stories.

Capaldi's final season (series 10) is - for me, anyway - a big step up from 9. I loved a lot of 8, but especially during 9 fans started to leave. They missed out on a lot of good stuff in 10.

Yeah, both Capaldi and Whitaker got a raw deal, but there are diamonds in the rough.

Well, the problem is, I could only watch the Whittaker years in a less than legal way. And I don't do that. As far as I know, no streaming service in the Netherlands has Dr Who, except the two new specials on Disney+.

 

[Orac]

No. You're not allowed to. Also you must be fully vaccinated to watch the specials.

 

[bdub76]

I’d watch the Runaway Bride and the season with Donna on Max to get the chemistry and reactions. But it’s not necessary.

 

[Mage]

I’d watch the Runaway Bride and the season with Donna on Max to get the chemistry and reactions. But it’s not necessary.

Oh, Ive seen all of those. As I said, I only stopped watching after the first season with Whittaker.

 

[arch101]

I did and really enjoyed the specials.

 

[Mudd]

Yes. You can watch and understand them even if you've largely skipped the last three Doctors.

 

[diankra]

No problem. There are references to Flux, but as bad things in the Doctor's past.
"So that's all right then!"

 

[F. King Daniel]

I was a big NuWho fan for years, but under Capaldi's years the writing already went sideways for me personally. Which is a shame, because I loved his Doctor. I enjoyed Whitaker's Doctor, but gave up after her first season. Not because of her, but the writing.... It was just not for me.

Now, with Tennant back for specials, I feel tempted to watch them. But can I watch them without the background knowledge of the last two seasons with Jodi?

I did, yes you can. Vague references to more apocalyptic stuff having happened but nothing necessary.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

^ No more vague than in the Flux itself