User:Mollsmolyneux/Sandbox/doctor who serials

This is a list of Doctor Who television serials. Each serial up to 1989's Survival was a multi-episode story; the characters in brackets after the serial titles indicates the code used by the production team to designate the serial (where applicable) and are followed by the number of episodes in the serial. Unless otherwise noted, episodes were 25 minutes long.

A number of serials from the 1960s are either totally missing or have episodes missing, while some of the early 1970s episodes are only held in black and white. See List of incomplete Doctor Who serials for an exact listing.

The three-digit story numbers are not official designations but are merely to serve as a guide to where the story stands in the overall context of the programme. There is some dispute among fans about, for example, whether to count Season 23's The Trial of a Time Lord as one or four serials and whether the uncompleted Shada should be included. The numbering scheme used here reflects that used in popular reference books like The Discontinuity Guide and on the Region 1 DVD releases, which count Trial as four serials and includes Shada.

Starting with the 2005 revival, the production team abandoned the traditional serial format for a largely self-contained episodic format (with the occasional two-part story and loose story arc elements), similar to the style of American dramas such as Star Trek or Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

(In the first two seasons and most of the third season, each episode of a serial had an individual title; no serial had an overall onscreen title until The Savages. The earlier stories did have overall titles though they were not used onscreen, and much confusion has existed over the years, with many sources using different titles due to early fandom and reference works being unable to initially access the production files.)

See: Doctor Who story title controversy

Season 1 (1963-64)

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(During the early seasons of the programme, most serials were linked together, usually one leading directly into the next, although there are some breaks such as between the second season finale The Time Meddler and the third season premiere, Galaxy 4.)

Serial Number Serial Name and
Individual Episode Titles
Production Code Number of Episodes Writer(s)
001 100,000 BC A 4 Anthony Coburn,
C. E. Webber
An Unearthly Child
The Cave of Skulls
The Forest of Fear
The Firemaker
002 The Daleks B 7 Terry Nation
The Dead Planet
The Survivors
The Escape
The Ambush
The Expedition
The Ordeal
The Rescue
003 Inside the Spaceship C 2 David Whitaker
The Edge of Destruction
The Brink of Disaster
004 Marco Polo D 7 John Lucarotti
The Roof of the World
The Singing Sands
Five Hundred Eyes
The Wall of Lies
Rider from Shang-Tu
Mighty Kublai Khan
Assassin at Peking
005 The Keys of Marinus E 6 Terry Nation
The Sea of Death
The Velvet Web
The Screaming Jungle
The Snows of Terror
Sentence of Death
The Keys of Marinus
006 The Aztecs F 4 John Lucarotti
The Temple of Evil
The Warriors of Death
The Bride of Sacrifice
The Day of Darkness
007 The Sensorites G 6 Peter R. Newman
Strangers in Space
The Unwilling Warriors
Hidden Danger
A Race Against Death
Kidnap
A Desperate Venture
008 The Reign of Terror H 6 Dennis Spooner
A Land of Fear
Guests of Madame Guillotine
A Change of Identity
The Tyrant of France
A Bargain of Necessity
Prisoners of Conciergerie

Season 2 (1964-65)

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Serial Number Serial Name and
Individual Episode Titles
Production Code Number of Episodes Writer(s)
009 Planet of Giants J 3 Louis Marks
Planet of Giants
Dangerous Journey
Crisis
The Urge to Live1
010 The Dalek Invasion of Earth K 6 Terry Nation
World's End
The Daleks
Day of Reckoning
The End of Tomorrow
The Waking Ally
Flashpoint
011 The Rescue L 2 David Whitaker
The Powerful Enemy
Desperate Measures
012 The Romans M 4 Dennis Spooner
The Slave Traders
All Roads Lead to Rome
Conspiracy
Inferno
013 The Web Planet N 6 Bill Strutton
The Web Planet
The Zarbi
Escape to Danger
Crater of Needles
Invasion
The Centre
014 The Crusade P 4 David Whitaker
The Lion
The Knight of Jaffa
The Wheel of Fortune
The Warlords
015 The Space Museum Q 4 Glyn Jones
The Space Museum
The Dimensions of Time
The Search
The Final Phase
016 The Chase R 6 Terry Nation
The Executioners
The Death of Time
Flight Through Eternity
Journey into Terror
The Death of Doctor Who
The Planet of Decision
017 The Time Meddler S 4 Dennis Spooner
The Watcher
The Meddling Monk
A Battle of Wits
Checkmate

Season 3 (1965-66)

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Serial Number Serial Name and
Individual Episode Titles
Production Code Number of Episodes Writer(s)
018 Galaxy 4 T 4 William Emms
Four Hundred Dawns
Trap of Steel
Airlock
The Exploding Planet
019 Mission to the Unknown DC or T or T/A
or Ta see here
1 Terry Nation
Mission to the Unknown
020 The Myth Makers U 4 Donald Cotton
Temple of Secrets
Small Prophet, Quick Return
Death of a Spy
021 The Daleks' Master Plan V 12 Terry Nation
Dennis Spooner
The Nightmare Begins
Day of Armageddon
Devil's Planet
The Brink of Disaster
The Traitors
Counter Plot
Coronas of the Sun
The Feast of Steven
Volcano
Golden Death
Escape Switch
The Abandoned Planet
Destruction of Time
022 The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve W 4 John Lucarotti
Donald Tosh
War of God
The Sea Beggar
Priest of Death
Bell of Doom
023 The Ark X 4 Paul Erickson
Lesley Scott
The Steel Sky
The Plague
The Return
The Bomb
024 The Celestial Toymaker Y 4 Brian Hayles
Donald Tosh
The Celestial Toyroom
The Hall of Dolls
The Dancing Floor
The Final Test
025 The Gunfighters Z 4 Donald Cotton
A Holiday for the Doctor
Don't Shoot the Pianist
Johnny Ringo
The OK Corral

(From this point onwards the stories had overall onscreen titles and no individual episode titles, instead at the start of each episode it would say Episode 1 i.e. "The Savages" by Ian Stuart Black, Episode 1.)

Serial Number Serial Name Production Code Number of Episodes Writer(s)
026 The Savages AA 4 Ian Stuart Black
027 The War Machines BB 4 Ian Stuart Black
Kit Pedler

Season 4 (1966-67)

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Serial Number Serial Name Production Code Number of Episodes Writer(s)
028 The Smugglers CC 4 Brian Hayles
029 The Tenth Planet DD 4 Kit Pedler
Gerry Davis

Season 4 (1966-67) - continued

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Serial Number Serial Name Production Code Number of Episodes Writer(s)
030 The Power of the Daleks EE 6 David Whitaker
Dennis Spooner
031 The Highlanders FF 4 Elwyn Jones
Gerry Davis
032 The Underwater Menace GG 4 Geoffrey Orme
033 The Moonbase HH 4 Kit Pedler
034 The Macra Terror JJ 4 Ian Stuart Black
035 The Faceless Ones KK 6 David Ellis
Malcolm Hulke
036 The Evil of the Daleks LL 7 David Whitaker

Season 5 (1967-68)

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Serial Number Serial Name Production Code Number of Episodes Writer(s)
037 The Tomb of the Cybermen MM 4 Kit Pedler
Gerry Davis
038 The Abominable Snowmen NN 6 Mervyn Haisman
Henry Lincoln
039 The Ice Warriors OO 6 Brian Hayles
040 The Enemy of the World PP 6 David Whitaker
041 The Web of Fear QQ 6 Mervyn Haisman
Henry Lincoln
042 Fury from the Deep RR 6 Victor Pemberton
043 The Wheel in Space SS 6 David Whitaker
Kit Pedler

Season 6 (1968-69)

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Serial Number Serial Name Production Code Number of Episodes Writer(s)
044 The Dominators TT 5 Norman Ashby
a.k.a. Mervyn Haisman
Henry Lincoln
045 The Mind Robber UU 5 Peter Ling
Derrick Sherwin
046 The Invasion VV 8 Derrick Sherwin
Kit Pedler
047 The Krotons WW 4 Robert Holmes
048 The Seeds of Death XX 6 Brian Hayles
Terrance Dicks
049 The Space Pirates YY 6 Robert Holmes
050 The War Games ZZ 10 Malcolm Hulke
Terrance Dicks

Starting from Season 7, the programme was broadcast in colour.

Season 7 (1970)

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Serial Number Serial Name Production Code Number of Episodes Writer(s)
051 Spearhead from Space AAA 5 Robert Holmes
052 Doctor Who and the Silurians BBB 7 Malcolm Hulke
053 The Ambassadors of Death CCC 7 David Whitaker
Trevor Ray
Malcolm Hulke
054 Inferno DDD 7 Don Houghton

Footnotes

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^Note 1 : This episode was merged with Episode 3 Crisis at the last minute by the producer Verity Lambert and is only what episode 4 would have been called.

(Jon Pertwee)

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Starting from Season 7, the programme was broadcast in colour.

Season 7 (1970)

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Season 8 (1971)

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Season 9 (1972)

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Season 10 (1972–73)

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Season 11 (1973–74)

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Season 12 (1974–75)

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All serials in this season continued directly one after the other, although most of the stories are considered standalones.

Season 13 (1975–76)

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Season 14 (1976–77)

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Season 15 (1977–78)

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Season 16 (1978–79)

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Season 16 consisted of one long story arc encompassing six separate, linked stories. This season is referred to by the umbrella title The Key to Time and has been released to DVD under this title.

Season 17 (1979–80)

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Season 18 (1980–81)

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In a return to the format of early seasons, virtually all serials from the start of Season 18 through to the end of Season 20 would be linked together, often with the final scene of one story leading straight into the next story.

Season 19 (1982)

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Season 20 (1983)

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Season 21 (1984)

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Beginning with this season, serials were no longer directly linked for the first time since Season 18, with the sole exception being the end of Frontios and the start of Resurrection of the Daleks. Resurrection was originally filmed as 4 25-minute episodes but was re-edited into two 46-minute episodes to accommodate coverage of the 1984 Winter Olympics though the 25-minute versions were also circulated to broadcasters overseas.

Season 21 (1984) — continued

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Season 22 (1985)

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All episodes were 45 minutes in length.

Season 23 (1986)

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Although broadcast as an epic 14-part serial under the title of The Trial of a Time Lord, Season 23 was structured as four serials, recorded in 3 production blocks. The four serials, with their generally used titles, are listed below.

  • 144 - The Mysterious Planet (7A) (4 episodes; Robert Holmes)
  • 145 - Mindwarp (7B) (4 episodes; Philip Martin)
  • 146 - Terror of the Vervoids (7C) (4 episodes; Pip and Jane Baker) Also known as The Ultimate Foe or The Vervoids.
  • 147 - The Ultimate Foe (7C) (2 episodes; Robert Holmes and Pip and Jane Baker) Also known as Time Incorporated.

Season 24 (1987)

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Season 25 (1988–89)

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Season 26 (1989)

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Doctor Who (1996)

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No title was ever used for this project other than "Doctor Who", which is highly confusing in a listing of this nature. However, Enemy Within was suggested as an alternative title by producer Philip Segal and has been used by many fans lacking any other title by which to refer to the television movie; other titles have also been used informally by fan groups.

In 2005, the BBC relaunched Doctor Who after a 16-year absence from episodic television. The production team chose to restart the series numbering from scratch, but some fans of the programme prefer to label the 2005 series as Season 27, the 2006 series as Season 28, and so on. Also, for the first time since the 1965–66 season, each episode has an individual title, although some stories are two-parters.

Series 1 (2005)

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Initially promoted as standalone episodes, all 13 episodes of the 2005 series also constitute a loose story arc, dealing with the consequences of the Time War and the mysterious Bad Wolf. Starting from this season, the programme was shot in 16:9 widescreen.

All episodes 45 minutes

Children in Need special (2005)

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An untitled 7-minute mini-episode, set between The Parting of the Ways and The Christmas Invasion was broadcast 18 November 2005 as part of the "Children in Need" appeal.

Christmas special (2005)

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This production is not considered part of Series 2 (2006), though that production's first block is shared with this. An interactive episode, Attack of the Graske, was aired on digital television immediately after the special.

Series 2 (2006)

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Each episode has an accompanying TARDISODE. All episodes expected to be 45 minutes. The information below is subject to change.

Russell T. Davies has indicated that the order of episodes may change. A trailer for this series can be viewed here.

Christmas special (2006) and Series 3 (2007)

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A second Christmas special and a third series have been commissioned. The only confirmed casting details are that the Doctor will be played by David Tennant, that Billie Piper will not return as Rose Tyler [1], and John Barrowman will return as Jack Harkness. One story in Series 3 will be written by Steven Moffat. Another story, written by Stephen Fry, was originally commissioned for Series 2, but has been moved to this series due to logistical issues. Fry's episode was rumoured to be set on Earth during the 1930s and to have "lots of special effects". Fry told Scotland Today that his story "deals with a well-known British legend." Tom MacRae will write one episode, and Paul Cornell will pen a two-part story [2].

It will also apparently feature a moving four-word secret from the dying Face of Boe to a wandering traveller.

Others

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There have been a few one-off special episodes or serials produced by the BBC for Doctor Who that are not generally considered to be part of the series' continuity.

See also

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