Question for Doctor Who fans?

Can any fans out there tell me about the movies/tv series? I'm curious to try it out after seeing it mentioned so often (mostly from ThinkGeek.com and after getting into Sherlock BBC), but because its such a long series I don't know where to begin. Do you have to start from the very first movie in order to understand the most recent seasons/movies? Or have there been remakes of the older movies and its not just a long continuation of movies that you have to watch in order? So, where should I begin? Thanks in advance =)