Neil Gaiman was asked whether people need to know about the show’s previous history before watching the new series of Doctor Who. This was his reply:
No, look, there’s a blue box. It’s bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. It can go anywhere in time and space and sometimes even where it’s meant to go. And when it turns up, there’s a bloke in it called The Doctor and there will be stuff wrong and he will do his best to sort it out and he will probably succeed ’cause he’s awesome. Now sit down, shut up, and watch ‘Blink’.
Watch the video of the panel where he says it.