Doctor Who (series 1) | |
---|---|
Starring | |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
No. of stories | 10 |
No. of episodes | 13 |
Release | |
Original network | BBC One |
Original release | 26 March – 18 June 2005 |
Series chronology | |
Next → Series 2 | |
List of Doctor Who episodes (2005–present) |
The first series of the 2005 revival of the Britishscience fiction programme Doctor Who began on 26 March 2005 with the episode 'Rose'. This marked the end of the programme's 16-year absence from episodic television following its cancellation in 1989, and was the first new televised Doctor Who story since the broadcast of the television movie starring Paul McGann in 1996. The finale episode, 'The Parting of the Ways', was broadcast on 18 June 2005. The show was revived by longtime Doctor Who fan Russell T Davies, who had been lobbying the BBC since the late 1990s to bring the show back. The first series comprised 13 episodes, eight of which Davies wrote. Davies, Julie Gardner and Mal Young served as executive producers, Phil Collinson as producer.
The show depicts the adventures of a mysterious and eccentric Time Lord known as the Doctor, who travels through time and space in his time machine, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s British police box. With his companions, he explores time and space, faces a variety of foes and saves civilizations, helping people and righting wrongs.
The first series features Christopher Eccleston as the ninth incarnation of the Doctor, his only series in the role, accompanied by Billie Piper, as his first and main companion Rose Tyler, whom he plucks from obscurity on planet Earth, and to whom he grows increasingly attached. He also travels briefly with unruly boy-genius Adam Mitchell, played by Bruno Langley, and with 51st-century con man and former 'Time Agent' Captain Jack Harkness, portrayed by John Barrowman. Episodes in the series form a loose story arc, based upon the recurring phrase 'Bad Wolf', the significance of which goes unexplained until the two-part series finale. Alongside the 'Bad Wolf' arc, the revived era re-introduces the Doctor as the sole survivor of an event known as the Time War, which the Doctor claims wiped out all of the Time Lords and the Daleks.
The series premiere was watched by 10.81 million viewers, and four days after the premiere episode was broadcast, Doctor Who was renewed for a Christmas special as well as a second series. The series was well received by both critics and fans, winning for the first time in Doctor Who's history a prestigious BAFTA Award. Most surprising was the approval from Michael Grade, who had previously forced an 18-month hiatus on the show in 1985, and had postponed Doctor Who out of personal dislike on several occasions. The show's popularity ultimately led to a resurgence in family-oriented Saturday night drama.
True Blood Season 2 Episode 1
- 2Cast
- 3Production
- 4Release
- 5Reception
- 7References
Episodes[edit]
Unlike the classic era of the series that ended in 1989, the plan with the new series was to have each episode as a standalone story, with no serials.[1] Of the thirteen episodes in the series, seven of them followed this format; the remaining six were grouped together into three two-part stories.[2] Also, for the first time since The Gunfighters in the third season, each episode was given an individual title, which was the case with the standalone and two-part stories.[3]
Story | Episode | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | UK viewers (millions) [4] | AI[4] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
157 | 1 | 'Rose' | Keith Boak | Russell T Davies | 26 March 2005 | 1.1 | 10.81 | 76 |
In the basement of the shop where Rose Tyler works, plastic mannequins begin to attack her. The Ninth Doctor rescues her and they flee the building, which he blows up. The next day, Rose and her boyfriend, Mickey Smith visit a man named Clive who runs a conspiracy theory website, concerning a man fitting the Doctor's description, who has appeared throughout history. While Rose is talking to Clive, Mickey is kidnapped and replaced by a plastic duplicate. Rose meets the Doctor again, where he reveals Mickey to be an Auton, and he and Rose locate the Nestene Consciousness which controls the Autons at the London Eye. At this point, Auton mannequins come alive and start killing other people. Rose saves the Doctor and those that the Autons had been killing, and she decides to travel with the Doctor through time and space in his time machine the TARDIS. | ||||||||
158 | 2 | 'The End of the World' | Euros Lyn | Russell T Davies | 2 April 2005 | 1.2 | 7.97 | 76 |
The Doctor takes Rose to the year five billion, where they land on a space station orbiting the Earth named Platform One. Among the elite alien guests assembled to watch the Earth be destroyed by the expanding Sun is Lady Cassandra, who takes pride in being the last pure human, though she has received many operations that have altered her image. It is discovered that Cassandra, to receive money for her many operations, plans to let the guests die and then profit from the stock increases of their competitors. She releases discreet robotic spiders all over Platform One, and they start interfering with the systems. She departs via teleportation and the spiders bring down the shields, causing harmful direct solar radiation to penetrate the station. The Doctor manages to reactivate the system and save Rose, after which he brings Cassandra back and she ruptures from the intense solar heat. | ||||||||
159 | 3 | 'The Unquiet Dead' | Euros Lyn | Mark Gatiss | 9 April 2005 | 1.3 | 8.86 | 80 |
The Doctor and Rose travel back to Cardiff in 1869, where a funeral parlour, run by Gabriel Sneed with his clairvoyant servant girl Gwyneth, contains corpses which have been animated by a mysterious blue vapour. Sneed and Gwyneth kidnap Rose, and the Doctor teams up with Charles Dickens to track her down. In the funeral parlour, the group is reunited and the Doctor determines that the blue vapour is the result of a being trying to cross a rift in the spacetime the parlour is built on. They are revealed to be the Gelth, who animate bodies until they can build their own, and are using Gwyneth as a bridge. As the Gelth respond negatively to gas, Gwyneth volunteers to ignite the gas which will kill all the Gelth, and the Doctor, Rose, and Dickens escape before the parlour is engulfed in flames. | ||||||||
160a | 4 | 'Aliens of London' | Keith Boak | Russell T Davies | 16 April 2005 | 1.4 | 7.63 | 82 |
The Doctor takes Rose back to her home, but they arrive a year after she left. Her mother Jackie is furious with the Doctor, and Mickey has been suspected of murdering Rose. Rose and the Doctor witness a spaceship crash into Big Ben and fall into the River Thames. The Doctor suspects this is a trick and discovers that the ship was launched from Earth, and that the pilot is a pig, modified by alien technology. The Prime Minister cannot be located, and is replaced by Joseph Green, while Margaret Blaine and Oliver Charles, other high-ranking members of the government, are also called. The group is revealed to be Slitheen, an alien family who have compressed themselves into human 'suits'. | ||||||||
160b | 5 | 'World War Three' | Keith Boak | Russell T Davies | 23 April 2005 | 1.5 | 7.98 | 81 |
The Doctor learns that the Slitheen are not invading Earth, but rather raiding it for commercial gain. The Slitheen claim there is a threat to national security and request that the United Nations release the nuclear activation code, so they can strike down a dangerous ship hovering over London. The Doctor speculates they will fire at other countries and start World War III, which the Slitheen respond in the affirmative, explaining that they will sell the irradiated remains of Earth as cheap spaceship fuel. The Doctor helps Mickey to fire a non-nuclear missile at 10 Downing Street to destroy the Slitheen gathered there. The Doctor, Rose, and MPHarriet Jones manage to hide in a reinforced room and survive. Meanwhile, the Doctor has earned Jackie's trust and she allows Rose to continue travelling with him. | ||||||||
161 | 6 | 'Dalek' | Joe Ahearne | Robert Shearman | 30 April 2005 | 1.6 | 8.63 | 84 |
The TARDIS is drawn off course by a signal and Rose and the Doctor end up near Salt Lake City, Utah in 2012, in an underground bunker owned by Henry van Statten, a rich collector of alien artefacts. The Doctor encounters his one living exhibit, which the Doctor is horrified to discover is a Dalek that survived the Time War; the Dalek is the last survivor of a race of genetically manipulatedmutants bound on purging the universe of all non-Dalek life, and the Doctor's greatest enemy. One of van Statten's employees, Adam Mitchell, leads Rose to the Dalek, but she takes pity on it and touches it, allowing it to absorb her DNA and become active. The Dalek kills many soldiers before catching up with Rose, Adam and the Doctor. Rose becomes trapped with the Dalek, but it spares her life as it has gained sympathy from Rose's DNA and destroys itself. As the Doctor and Rose leave, Adam boards the TARDIS to avoid the closure of van Statten's Vault. | ||||||||
162 | 7 | 'The Long Game' | Brian Grant | Russell T Davies | 7 May 2005 | 1.7 | 8.01 | 81 |
The Doctor, Rose, and Adam travel to the year 200,000 and land on the space station Satellite 5, which controls journalism. Ever since the satellite began broadcasting, something has held the human race's attitude and technology back. The Editor invites the Doctor and Rose to the elite Floor 500, where he holds them captive, explaining that he and a creature known as the Jagrafess have made, through Satellite 5, the 'Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire' a place where the news has installed fear in the human race, keeping them in a closed society. Meanwhile, Adam has installed a port in his head and is transmitting all the knowledge on Satellite 5 to his parents' answering machine at home. The journalist Cathica redirects the heat to Floor 500, allowing Rose and the Doctor to escape, while the Editor and the Jagrafess are destroyed by the heat. The Doctor is furious at Adam and returns him to his house, destroying the answering machine and banishing Adam from the TARDIS. | ||||||||
163 | 8 | 'Father's Day' | Joe Ahearne | Paul Cornell | 14 May 2005 | 1.8 | 8.06 | 83 |
Rose asks the Doctor to take her back to the day her father Pete Tyler died in a hit and run accident, but when she saves him, she creates a paradox. Flying creatures known as Reapers appear and attempt to treat the wound in time and space by consuming everyone in it. The guests at the wedding of Jackie and Pete's friends hide in a church while the Doctor tries to summon the TARDIS inside. Jackie accuses Pete of having another daughter, and to prove that Rose is the same as the baby Rose, he puts the baby in the older Rose's arms, causing a bigger paradox, and the Doctor is taken by the Reapers. Pete realises he must die for everything to be repaired, and throws himself in front of the car, which has been appearing and reappearing around the corner of the church, causing the Doctor to return. | ||||||||
164a | 9 | 'The Empty Child' | James Hawes | Steven Moffat | 21 May 2005 | 1.9 | 7.11 | 84 |
Chasing a metal cylinder marked as 'dangerous' through the Time Vortex, the Doctor and Rose land in London in 1941, during the Blitz. Rose follows a young boy in a gas mask, who repeatedly asks if she is his mother; she climbs a rope which is attached to a barrage balloon that rises into the air. Meanwhile, the Doctor talks with a young woman named Nancy who seems to know about the boy, whom she knows is connected to a bomb-like object which had fallen. Rose is rescued by a Captain Jack Harkness, previously a time agent, now a con man, who interests Rose in buying a valuable warship. Nancy directs the Doctor to a hospital where Dr Constantine shows him patients with injuries and gas masks identical to the child's, who Nancy claims is her brother, Jamie. Rose and Jack arrive to save the Doctor as Constantine begins to transform like his patients had. | ||||||||
164b | 10 | 'The Doctor Dances' | James Hawes | Steven Moffat | 28 May 2005 | 1.10 | 6.86 | 85 |
Jack explains that he sent the metal object through the time vortex to attract 'Time Agents' to this time period, where he would have them pay for the object, but before they could receive it, a German bomb would fall on it. Jack claims that it is a perfectly safe and 'empty' old medical transport, but the Doctor is suspicious. At the site where the transport is held, the Doctor realises that it once contained nanogenes that are able to heal wounds, and deduces that the nanogenes attempted to heal Jamie, but thought that all humans should have similar injuries and gas masks. Nancy claims it is all her fault as she is actually Jamie's mother, which she admits in front of the child. As they hug, the nanogenes identify Nancy's DNA as being his mother's and reverse Jamie's transformation so that they resemble each other; the rest is done to all the others who had been converted. Jack captures the bomb that would have fallen on the site and the Doctor and Rose rescue him before it explodes, inviting him on the TARDIS. | ||||||||
165 | 11 | 'Boom Town' | Joe Ahearne | Russell T Davies | 4 June 2005 | 1.11 | 7.68 | 82 |
The Doctor, Rose, and Jack visit Cardiff to refuel the TARDIS at the rift, and Mickey meets them there. They discover that the Slitheen impersonating Margaret Blaine is now the mayor of Cardiff, and they capture her, suspicious of what she has done. The Doctor sees that she has created a nuclear power plant designed to open the rift and destroy Earth, and a device she would use to flee. Margaret objects to being taken back to her home planet, as she is considered a criminal there. After several failed attempts in killing the Doctor, Margaret requests to be taken to another planet. Jack sees the opportunity to use Margaret's extrapolator to speed up recharging the TARDIS, but this proves to be a trap as it was meant to send the nearest alien power source to the rift. As an earthquake strikes Cardiff, Margaret looks into the heart of the TARDIS, which gives her a second chance at life, restoring her back into an egg. | ||||||||
166a | 12 | 'Bad Wolf' | Joe Ahearne | Russell T Davies | 11 June 2005 | 1.12 | 6.81 | 86 |
The Doctor, Rose, and Jack wake up from amnesia into various reality television and game shows; the Doctor is in a Big Brother-like house, Rose is a contestant on The Weakest Link, where those eliminated are thought to be disintegrated by the Anne Droid, and Jack is on a What Not to Wear-like show where two female robots offer to give contestants a new image. The Doctor and Jack escape from their shows and find they are on Satellite 5, one hundred years after the Doctor's last visit, where it is run by the Badwolf Corporation and known as the Game Station. The Doctor, Jack, and Big Brother contestant Lynda find Rose as she is disintegrated on The Weakest Link, and they travel to Floor 500, where Jack figures out the contestants are not disintegrated, but rather transmitted to a point in space. They learn that Rose has arrived on a ship containing Daleks, and the Doctor vows to rescue her and destroy the Daleks, which prompt the fleet of almost half a million Daleks to begin invading Earth. | ||||||||
166b | 13 | 'The Parting of the Ways' | Joe Ahearne | Russell T Davies | 18 June 2005 | 1.13 | 6.91 | 89 |
The Doctor and Jack take the TARDIS to Rose and return her to the Game Station after confronting the Dalek Emperor. The Doctor prepares to destroy the Daleks using a Delta Wave, and tricks Rose into entering the TARDIS; outside the TARDIS, he uses his sonic screwdriver to send her back home to safety. The Daleks invade the Game Station, killing Lynda and Jack among many others. Regaining her composure at home, Rose notices the words 'Bad Wolf' around the area, and realises it is a message. Mickey pries open the heart of the TARDIS and Rose establishes contact. Empowered by the Time Vortex, Rose returns to the Doctor, where she uses the vortex's power to destroy all the Daleks, resurrect Jack, and scatter the words 'Bad Wolf' throughout time and space to lead herself here. To prevent the power from killing Rose, the Doctor absorbs it by kissing her; she wakes up in the TARDIS just as the time energy is destroying the Doctor's cells, causing him to regenerate into the Tenth Doctor, who instantly offers to take Rose to the planet Barcelona. |
Cast[edit]
Main cast[edit]
The production team was tasked with finding a suitable actor for the role of the Doctor. Most notably, they approached film stars Hugh Grant and Rowan Atkinson for the role.[5] By the time Mal Young had suggested actor Christopher Eccleston to Davies, Eccleston was one of only three left in the running for the role: the other two candidates are rumoured in the industry to have been Alan Davies and Bill Nighy.[6] His involvement in the programme was announced on 20 March 2004 following months of speculation.[7] In the April 2004 issue of Doctor Who Magazine, Davies announced that Eccleston's Doctor would indeed be the Ninth Doctor, relegating Richard E. Grant's Shalka Doctor to non-official status. Russell T Davies revealed that Eccleston asked for the role in an e-mail.[8]
After the announcement that the show would be returning, Davies revealed that the new companion would 'probably' be called Rose Tyler in an edition of Doctor Who Magazine published in November 2003.[9] This name was confirmed in March 2004, and it was announced at the same time that former pop starBillie Piper was being considered for the role.[10] Piper was announced as portraying Rose Tyler on 24 May,[11][12] a character which fulfilled the role of permanent companion during the series, and was welcomed by fans of the show.[13] Actress Georgia Moffett, daughter of Fifth Doctor actor Peter Davison and who would later appear as the title role in the fourth series episode 'The Doctor's Daughter', also auditioned for the role.[14] The original conception of Tyler was slightly different. Paul Abbott was scheduled to write an episode for the series which would have revealed that Rose's entire life had been manipulated by the Doctor in order to mould her into an ideal companion. Davies eventually wrote 'Boom Town' to replace it when Abbott, after months of development, realised he was too busy to work on the script.[15]
Wikinews has related news: New Doctor Who quits series, BBC searches for replacement actor |
The first series was Christopher Eccleston's only series in the role of the Doctor. Eccleston's contract was for a single year because at the time it was uncertain whether the show would continue beyond a single revival series.[16] Eccleston's intent to leave was revealed on 30 March 2005, shortly after the broadcast of the first episode. The BBC released a statement, attributed to Eccleston, saying that he had decided to leave because he feared becoming typecast. On 4 April, the BBC revealed that Eccleston's 'statement' was falsely attributed and released without his consent. The BBC admitted that they had broken an agreement made in January not to disclose publicly that he only intended to do one season.[17] In a 2010 interview, Eccleston revealed that he left the show because he 'didn't enjoy the environment and the culture that [they], the cast and crew, had to work in', but that he was proud of having played the role.[18][19]
Recurring and guest cast[edit]
The character of Adam Mitchell was first conceived, along with Henry van Statten, during Davies' pitch to the BBC, in a story heavily based on Robert Shearman's audio play Jubilee called 'Return of the Daleks'. The production team had always intended for Adam to join the TARDIS after Rose developed a liking for him. To play this role, Bruno Langley was chosen, previously known for his role on Coronation Street as Todd Grimshaw. It was never intended for Adam to be a long-term companion, Davies wanted to show that not everyone is suitable to join the TARDIS crew and dubbed him 'The Companion That Couldn't', he 'always wanted to do a show with someone who was a rubbish companion'.[20]
John Barrowman appears as Captain Jack Harkness, a character introduced in 'The Empty Child', where he joined the TARDIS crew for the final five episodes of the series. In naming the character, Davies drew inspiration from the Marvel Comics character Agatha Harkness.[21] Jack's appearances were conceived with the intention of forming a character arc in which Jack is transformed from a coward to a hero,[22] and Barrowman consciously minded this in his portrayal of the character.[23] Following on that arc, the character's debut episode would leave his morality as ambiguous, publicity materials asking, 'is he a force for good or ill?'[24] Barrowman himself was a key factor in the conception of Captain Jack. Barrowman says that at the time of his initial casting, Davies and co-executive producer, Julie Gardner had explained to him that they 'basically wrote the character around [John]'.[25] On meeting him, Barrowman tried out the character using his native Scottish accent, his normal American accent, and an English accent; Davies decided it 'made it bigger if it was an American accent'.[26] Barrowman recounts Davies as having been searching for an actor with a 'matinée idol [quality]', telling him that 'the only one in the whole of Britain who could do it was you'.[25]
David Tennant had been offered the role of the Doctor when he was watching a pre-transmission copy of Casanova with Davies and Gardner. Tennant initially believed the offer was a joke, but after he realised they were serious, he accepted the role and first appeared in the series finale 'The Parting of the Ways'.[27] Tennant was announced as Eccleston's replacement on 16 April 2005.[28] Other recurring characters for the series included Camille Coduri as Rose's mother Jackie Tyler,[29] and Noel Clarke as Rose's boyfriend Mickey Smith.[29] Other actors and television presenters who appeared in the series included Mark Benton,[29]Zoë Wanamaker,[30]Simon Callow,[31]Eve Myles,[31]Penelope Wilton,[32]Annette Badland,[32]Matt Baker,[32]Andrew Marr,[32]Corey Johnson,[33]Simon Pegg,[34]Anna Maxwell-Martin,[34]Tamsin Greig,[34]Shaun Dingwall,[35]Florence Hoath,[36]Richard Wilson,[36]Jo Joyner,[37]Davina McCall,[37]Paterson Joseph,[37]Anne Robinson,[37]Trinny Woodall,[37] and Susannah Constantine.[37]
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
During the late-90s, Davies, a lifelong Doctor Who fan, lobbied the BBC to revive the show from its hiatus and reached the discussion stages in late 1998 and early 2002.[38] His proposals would update the show to be better suited for a 21st-century audience, including the transition from videotape to film, doubling the length of each episode from twenty-five minutes to fifty, keeping the Doctor primarily on Earth in the style of the Third DoctorUNIT episodes, and removing 'excess baggage' such as Gallifrey and the Time Lords.[38] His pitch competed against three others: Dan Freedman's fantasy retelling, Matthew Graham's Gothic-styled pitch, and Mark Gatiss, Clayton Hickman and Gareth Roberts' reboot, which would make the Doctor the audience surrogate character, instead of his companions.[39]
In August 2003, the BBC had resolved the issues regarding production rights that had surfaced as a result of the jointly produced Universal Studios–BBC–Fox1996 Doctor Who film, leading the Controller of BBC One Lorraine Heggessey and Controller of Drama Commissioning Jane Tranter to approach Gardner and Davies to create a revival of the series to air in a primetime slot on Saturday nights, as part of the BBC's plan to devolve production to its regional bases. By mid-September, they accepted the deal to produce the series alongside Casanova.[40]
“ | We were told that bringing it back would be impossible, that we would never capture this generation of children. But we did it. | ” |
— Russell T Davies, 2006 BAFTAs[41] |
Following Scream of the Shalka, an animated episode which was shown on the Doctor Who website, the 'real' return of Doctor Who was announced on 26 September 2003 in a press release from the BBC.[42]
Davies voluntarily wrote a pitch for the series, the first time he had done so; he previously chose to jump straight to writing pilot episodes because he felt that a pitch would 'feel like [he's] killing the work'.[43] The fifteen-page pitch outlined a Doctor who was 'your best friend; someone you want to be with all the time'; the eighteen-year-old Rose Tyler as a 'perfect match' for the new Doctor; avoidance of the forty-year back story 'except for the good bits'; the retention of the TARDIS, sonic screwdriver, and Daleks; removal of the Time Lords; and also a greater focus on humanity.[43] His pitch was submitted for the first production meeting in December 2003, with a series of thirteen episodes obtained by pressure from BBC Worldwide and a workable budget from Julie Gardner.[43]
By early 2004, the show had settled into a regular production cycle. Davies, Gardner, and BBC Controller of Drama Mal Young took posts as executive producers, although Young vacated the role at the end of the series. Phil Collinson, an old colleague from Granada, took the role of producer.[44]Keith Boak, Euros Lyn, Joe Ahearne, Brian Grant and James Hawes directed the series. Davies' official role as head writer and executive producer, or 'showrunner', consisted of laying a skeletal plot for the entire series, holding 'tone meetings' to correctly identify the tone of an episode, often being described in one word—for example, the 'tone word' for Moffat's 'The Empty Child' was 'romantic'—and overseeing all aspects of production.[44] During early production the word 'Torchwood', an anagram of 'Doctor Who', was used as a title ruse for the series while filming its first few episodes and on the daily rushes to ensure they were not intercepted.[45] The word 'Torchwood' was later seeded in Doctor Who and became the name of the spin-off series Torchwood.[45]
Davies was interested in making an episode that would serve as a crossover with Star Trek: Enterprise, and involve the TARDIS landing on-board the NX-01. The idea was officially discussed, but the plans were abandoned following the cancellation of Enterprise in February 2005.[46]
Writing[edit]
The first series of Doctor Who featured eight scripts by Davies, the remainder being allocated to experienced drama writers and previous writers for the show's ancillary releases:[47]Steven Moffat penned a two-episode story, while Mark Gatiss, Robert Shearman, and Paul Cornell each wrote one script.[47] Davies also approached his friend Paul Abbott and Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling to write for the series, but both declined due to existing commitments.[47] Shortly after securing writers for the show, Davies stated that he had no intention to approach writers for the old series; the only writer he would have wished to work with was Robert Holmes, who died in May 1986, halfway through writing his contribution to The Trial of a Time Lord.[47]
Elwen Rowlands and Helen Raynor served as script editors for the series. They were hired simultaneous, marking the first time Doctor Who had female script editors. Rowlands left after the first series for Life on Mars.[48] Compared to the original series the role of the script editors was significantly diminished, with the head writer taking most of those responsibilities. Unlike the original series they do not have the power to commission scripts. Instead, they act as liaisons between the production staff and the screenwriter, before passing their joint work to the head writer for a 'final polish'. Raynor said that the job is not a creative one, 'you are a part of it, but you aren't driving it.'[48]
Under producer Davies, the new series had a faster pace than those of the classic series. Rather than four to six-part serials of 25-minute episodes, most of the Ninth Doctor's stories consisted of individual 45-minute episodes, with only three stories out of ten being two-parters. The thirteen episodes were, however, loosely connected in a series-long story arc which brought their disparate threads together in the series finale. Davies took cues from American fantasy television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Smallville, most notably Buffy's concepts of series-long story arcs and the 'Big Bad'.[49] Also, like the original series, stories often flowed directly into one another or were linked together in some way. Notably, in common only with the seventh and twenty-sixth seasons of the original series, every story of the season takes place on or near Earth.[50][51] This fact is directly addressed in the original novel The Monsters Inside, in which Rose and the Doctor joke about the fact that all their adventures to date have taken place on Earth or on neighbouring space stations.[52][53]
The stories of the series varied quite significantly in tone, with the production team showcasing the various genres inhabited by Doctor Who over the years. Examples include the 'pseudo-historical' story 'The Unquiet Dead'; the far-future whodunnit of 'The End of the World'; Earthbound alien invasion stories in 'Rose' and 'Aliens of London'/'World War Three'; 'base under siege' in 'Dalek'; and horror in 'The Empty Child'. Even the spin-off media were represented, with 'Dalek' taking elements from writer Rob Shearman's own audio play Jubilee and the emotional content of Paul Cornell's 'Father's Day' drawing on the tone of Cornell's novels in the Virgin New Adventures line. Davies had asked both Shearman and Cornell to write their scripts with those respective styles in mind.[54] The episode 'Boom Town' included a reference to the novel The Monsters Inside, becoming the first episode to acknowledge (albeit in a subtle way) spin-off fiction.[52]
Filming[edit]
Principal photography for the series began on 18 July 2004 on location in Cardiff for 'Rose'.[55] The series was filmed across South East Wales, mostly in or around Cardiff.[56] Each episode took about two weeks to film.[57] The start of filming created stress among the production team because of unseen circumstances: several scenes from the first block had to be re-shot because the original footage was unusable; the Slitheen prosthetics for 'Aliens of London', 'World War Three', and 'Boom Town' were noticeably different from their computer-generated counterparts; and, most notably, the BBC came to a gridlock with the Terry Nation estate to secure the Daleks for the sixth episode of the series, to be written by Rob Shearman.[58] After the first production block, which Davies described as 'hitting a brick wall', the show's production was markedly eased as the crew familiarised themselves.[58] Filming concluded on 23 March 2005.[59]David Tennant, who was cast as Eccleston's replacement,[28] recorded his appearance at the end of 'The Parting of the Ways' on 21 April 2005[59] with a skeleton crew.[60]
Block | Title | Directed by | Written by | Code |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 'Rose' 'Aliens of London' 'World War Three' | Keith Boak | Russell T Davies | 1.1 1.4 1.5 |
2 | 'The End of the World' 'The Unquiet Dead' | Euros Lyn | Russell T Davies Mark Gatiss | 1.2 1.3 |
3 | 'Dalek' 'Father's Day' | Joe Ahearne | Robert Shearman Paul Cornell | 1.6 1.8 |
4 | 'The Long Game' | Brian Grant | Russell T Davies | 1.7 |
5 | 'The Empty Child' 'The Doctor Dances' | James Hawes | Steven Moffat | 1.9 1.10 |
6 | 'Boom Town' 'Bad Wolf' 'The Parting of the Ways' | Joe Ahearne | Russell T Davies | 1.11 1.12 1.13 |
Release[edit]
Promotion[edit]
The new logo was revealed on the BBC website on 18 October 2004.[62] The first official trailer was released as part of BBC One's Winter Highlights presentation on 2 December 2004 and subsequently posted on the Internet by the BBC.[63] A media blitz including billboards and posters across the UK started early March 2005. Television trailers started showing up on 5 March and radio advertisements started two weeks before the series premier and ran till the second episode aired. The official Doctor Who website was launched with exclusive content such as games and new Ninth Doctor information.[64]
Leak[edit]
A rough cut of the premiere was leaked onto the Internet three weeks before the scheduled series premiere.[8][65] This attracted much media attention and discussion amongst fans, and caused interest in the show to skyrocket.[66] The BBC released a statement that the source of the leak appears to be connected to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which responded by stating that they 'are looking into it. That's all I can say at this point because we don't know exactly what happened. It certainly wasn't done intentionally.'[65] Asa Bailey, founder of the Viral Advertising Association, said that the BBC hired them for viral marketing strategies, and that he told them 'they should release things before their time', to create a 'cool factor'. Both the BBC and CBC denied any involvement, but Bailey believes that to be disingenuous, saying that it is 'the best viral advert they could have done'.[66] The leak was ultimately traced to a third party company in Canada which had a legitimate preview copy. The employee responsible was fired by the company.[67]
Broadcast[edit]
'Rose' finally saw transmission on schedule on 26 March 2005 at 7 pm on BBC One, the first regular episode of Doctor Who since Part Three of Survival on 6 December 1989. To complement the series, BBC Wales also produced Doctor Who Confidential, a 13-part documentary series with each episode broadcast on BBC Three immediately after the end of the weekly instalment on BBC One. Both the series and documentary aired for 13 consecutive weeks, with the finale episode, 'The Parting of the Ways', airing on 18 June 2005 along with its documentary counterpart. Davies had requested that the two first episodes were broadcast back-to-back, but the request was given to the BBC just two weeks before transmission, at which point everything was already set.[68] In some regions, the first few minutes of the original BBC broadcast of 'Rose' on 26 March were marred by the accidental mixing of a few seconds of sound from Graham Norton hosting Strictly Dance Fever.[69]
In the United States, the Sci Fi Channel originally passed on the new series as it found it lacking and believed it did not fit in its schedule,[64] but the network later changed its mind. After it was announced that the first series would start in March 2006, Sci Fi Channel Executive Vice PresidentThomas Vitale called Doctor Who 'a true sci-fi classic', with creative storytelling and colorful history, and was excited to add it to its line up. The network also took an option on the second series. Candace Carlisle from BBC Worldwide found The Sci Fi Channel the perfect home for Doctor Who.[70]Doctor Who finally debuted in the U.S. on the Sci Fi Channel on 17 March 2006 with the first two episodes airing back-to-back, one year after the Canadian and UK showings.[68][71] The series concluded its initial U.S. broadcast on 9 June 2006.[72]
DVD and Blu-ray releases[edit]
The series was first released in volumes; the first volume, containing the first three episodes, was released in Region 2 on 16 May 2005.[73] The second, with 'Aliens of London', 'World War Three', and 'Dalek', followed on 13 June 2005.[74] 'The Long Game', 'Father's Day', 'The Empty Child', and 'The Doctor Dances' were released in the third volume on 1 August 2005[75] and the final three episodes were released in the fourth volume on 5 September 2005.[76]
The entire series was then released in a boxset on 21 November 2005 in Region 2. Aside from the 13 episodes it included commentaries on every episode, a video diary from Davies during the first week of filming, as well as other featurettes.[77] The boxset was released in Region 1 on 4 July 2006.[78][79]
Series | Episode name | Number and duration of episodes | R2/B release date | R4/B release date | R1/A release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Doctor Who: Volume 1 'Rose' 'The End of the World' 'The Unquiet Dead' | 3 × 45 min. | 16 May 2005[80] | 17 June 2005[81] | 7 November 2006[82] |
Doctor Who: Volume 2 'Aliens of London' / 'World War Three' 'Dalek' | 3 × 45 min. | 13 June 2005[83] | 3 August 2005[84] | 7 November 2006[85] | |
Doctor Who: Volume 3 'The Long Game' 'Father's Day' 'The Empty Child' / 'The Doctor Dances' | 4 × 45 min. | 1 August 2005[86] | 31 August 2005[87] | 7 November 2006[88] | |
Doctor Who: Volume 4 'Boom Town' 'Bad Wolf' / 'The Parting of the Ways' | 3 × 45 min. | 5 September 2005[89] | 6 October 2005[90] | 7 November 2006[91] | |
Doctor Who: The Complete First Series | 13 × 45 min. | 21 November 2005 (D)[92] 4 November 2013 (Blu-ray box set)[93] 31 August 2015 (B)[94] | 8 December 2005 (D)[95] 4 December 2013 (B)[96] | 14 February 2006 (Can.)[97] 4 July 2006 (US)[97] 5 November 2013 (Blu-ray box set)[98] 21 June 2016 (B)[99] |
In print[edit]
Episode name | Novelisation title | Author | First published |
---|---|---|---|
'Rose' | Rose | Russell T. Davies | 2 April 2018[100] |
Reception[edit]
Ratings[edit]
'Rose' received average overnight ratings of 9.9 million viewers, peaking at 10.5 million, respectively 43.2% and 44.3% of all viewers at that time. The final figure for the episode, including video recordings watched within a week of transmission, was 10.81 million, making it the third highest for BBC One that week and seventh across all channels. The opening episode was the highest rated episode of the first series.[69][101] The penultimate episode, 'Bad Wolf', received the lowest viewers of the series with just 6.81 million viewers.[102] The series also garners the highest audience Appreciation Index of any non-soap drama on television.[103] Besides the second episode, 'The End of the World', which garnered a 79% rating, the lowest of the series, all episodes received an AI above 80%. The series finale 'The Parting of the Ways' was the highest rated episode with an AI of 89%.[104] The success of the launch saw the BBC's Head of Drama Jane Tranter confirming on 30 March that the series would return both for a Christmas Special in December 2005 and a full second series in 2006.[105]
The initial Sci Fi Channel broadcasts of the series attained an average Nielsen Rating of 1.3, representing 1.5 million viewers in total.[72] Although these ratings were less than those reached by Sci Fi's original series Battlestar Galactica, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, they reflect a 44% increase in ratings and a 56% increase in viewership over the same timeslot in the second quarter of 2005, as well as increases of 56% and 57% in two key demographics.[72][106]
Critical reception and response[edit]
Wikinews has related news: Doctor Who returns as UK Saturday night timeslot lord |
Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes offers a 80% approval from 10 critics, and an average rating of 8.58/10.[109]
In April 2004, Michael Grade returned to the BBC, this time as the Chairman of the Board of Governors, although this position does not involve any commissioning or editorial responsibilities.[110] Although he had previously disliked the show and imposed an eighteen-month hiatus on it during the Sixth Doctor era, he eventually wrote an e-mail to the Director-General of the BBCMark Thompson in June 2005, after the successful new first series, voicing approval for its popularity. He also declared, '[I] never dreamed I would ever write this. I must be going soft!'[111] The revival also impressed former DoctorSylvester McCoy, who praised Eccleston and Piper as well as their characters, and the pacing of the first episode. His only criticism was about the new TARDIS interior, though he did comment that he was 'also a bit dismayed that more wasn't made of the show's incidental music, which seemed fairly anonymous in the background'.[112]
Robin Oliver of The Sydney Morning Herald praised Davies for taking 'an adult approach to one of television's most famous characters' that children would appreciate, and that he reinvented it in a way that would be 'competitive in a high-tech market'. Oliver also wrote that older viewers would find Eccleston 'easily the best time lord since Tom Baker'.[113] Reviewing the first episode, The Stage's Harry Venning hailed it as a 'fabulous, imaginative, funny and sometimes frightening reinvention' and particularly praised Rose for being an improvement upon previous female companions who were 'fit only to scream or be captured'. However, he found Eccleston to be 'the show’s biggest disappointment' as he looked 'uncomfortable playing fantasy'.[114]Digital Spy's Dek Hogan found the final episode anticlimactic, but overall said that the series was 'excellent Saturday night telly of the kind that many of us thought the BBC had forgotten how to make'. He praised Eccleston's performance and named 'The Empty Child' and 'The Doctor Dances' as the best episodes.[115] Arnold T Blumburg of Now Playing gave the series a grade of A-, praising its variety. However, he was critical of Davies' 'annoying tendency to play to the lowest common denominator with toilet humor', but felt that from 'Dalek' on the series was more dramatic and sophisticated.[116]
DVD Talk's John Sinnott rated the first series four and a half out of five stars, writing that it 'keeps a lot of the charm and excitement of the original (as well as the premise), while making the series easily accessible for new viewers'. Sinnott praised the faster pace and the design changes that made it feel 'fresh', as well as Eccleston's Doctor. However, he felt that Piper only did a 'credible' job as Eccleston eclipsed her, and said that the writing was 'uneven' with many of the episodes 'just slightly flawed'.[78] Looking back on the series in 2011, Stephen Kelly of The Guardian wrote, 'Eccleston's Doctor may have had many faults – looking like an EastEnders extra and bellowing 'FANTASTIC!' at every opportunity being two of them – but he was merely a reflection of a show that, at the time, still didn't know what it wanted to be. The first series of the revived Doctor Who – which featured farting aliens – was a world away from the intelligent, populist science-fiction we know it as now. But then, it is thanks to Eccleston that it got this far at all – a big, respectable name who laid the foundations for Tennant to swag away with the show.'[117]
However, not everyone was pleased with the new production. Some fans criticised the new logo and perceived changes to the TARDIS model. According to various news sources, members of the production team even received hate mail and death threats.[107][108] 'The Unquiet Dead' was criticised by parents, who felt that the episode was 'too scary' for their young children; the BBC dismissed the complaints, saying that it had never been intended for the youngest of children.[118]
![Episode Episode](https://eztv.io/ezimg/thumbs/doctor-who-2005-82-s2e3-school-reunion.jpg)
Awards and nominations[edit]
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | BBC 2005 TV Moments | Golden Moment | 'The Doctor Dances' | Won | [119] |
BBC.co.uk | Best of Drama | Doctor Who | Won | [120] | |
Best Actor | Christopher Eccleston | Won | [121] | ||
Best Actress | Billie Piper | Won | [122] | ||
Most Desirable Star | Billie Piper | Won | [123] | ||
Best Drama Website | Doctor Who website | Won | [124] | ||
1st Favourite Moment | 'Dalek' | Won | [125] | ||
Best Villain | Daleks | Won | [126] | ||
National Television Awards | Most Popular Drama | Doctor Who | Won | [127] | |
National Television Awards | Christopher Eccleston | Won | [127] | ||
Most Popular Actress | Billie Piper | Won | [127] | ||
TV Choice | Best Actor | Christopher Eccleston | Won | [128] | |
TV Quick | Best Actor | Christopher Eccleston | Won | [128] | |
2006 | British Academy Television Awards | Best Drama Series | Doctor Who | Won | [129] |
Pioneer Award | Doctor Who | Won | [129] | ||
BAFTA Craft Awards | Writer | Russell T Davies | Nominated | [130] | |
Director | Joe Ahearne | Nominated | [130] | ||
Breakthrough Talent | Edward Thomas | Nominated | [130] | ||
BAFTA Cymru | Best Drama Series | Doctor Who | Won | [131] | |
Drama Director | James Hawes | Won | [131] | ||
Costume, Make-up and Photography Direction | Doctor Who | Won | [131] | ||
Broadcast Magazine | Award for Best Drama | Doctor Who | Won | [132] | |
Broadcasting Press Guild | Best Drama | Doctor Who | Nominated | [133] | |
Best Actor | Christopher Eccleston | Nominated | [133] | ||
Best Actress | Billie Piper | Nominated | [133] | ||
Best Writer | Russell T Davies | Nominated | [133] | ||
Dennis Potter | Outstanding Writing for Television | Russell T Davies | Won | [129] | |
Hugo Awards | Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form | 'Dalek' | Nominated | [134] | |
'Father's Day' | Nominated | [134] | |||
'The Empty Child' / 'The Doctor Dances' | Won | [135] | |||
Royal Television Society | Best Drama Series | Doctor Who | Nominated | [136] | |
Siân Phillips | Outstanding Contribution to Network Television | Russell T Davies | Won | [137] | |
South Bank Show | Breakthrough Award For Rising British Talent | Billie Piper | Won | [138] |
Soundtrack[edit]
Selected pieces of score from this series, alongside material from the second series and 'The Runaway Bride', as composed by Murray Gold, were released on 4 December 2006 by Silva Screen Records.[139]
Murray Gold's arrangement of the main theme featured samples from the 1963 original with further elements added: an orchestral sound of low horns, strings and percussion and part of the Dalek ray-gun and TARDIS materialisation sound effects. Included on the album are two versions of the theme: the 44-second opening version, as arranged by Gold, and a longer arrangement that includes the middle eight, after Gold omitted the 'middle eight' from both the opening and closing credits. Gold has said that his interpretation was driven by the title visual sequence he was given to work around. Often erroneously cited as being the same as the end credits version, this second version is in fact a new arrangement and recording.[140][141]
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Bibliography[edit]
- Aldridge, Mark; Murray, Andy (30 November 2008). T is for Television: The Small Screen Adventures of Russell T Davies. Reynolds & Hearn Ltd. ISBN978-1-905287-84-0.
- Russell, Gary (2006). Doctor Who: The Inside Story. London: BBC Books. ISBN978-0-563-48649-7.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Doctor Who (series 1) |
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- Season 1
- Doctor Who 2005 - 1x01 - Rose (ws_pdtv_xvid-fov).avi [350.06 MB]
- Doctor Who 2005 - 1x02 - The End Of The World (ws_pdtv_xvid-fov.[BT]).avi [350.57 MB]
- Doctor Who 2005 - 1x03 - The Unquiet Dead (ws_pdtv_xvid-fov.[BT]).avi [351.67 MB]
- Doctor Who 2005 - 1x04 - Aliens Of London (part 1) (ws_pdtv_xvid-fov.[BT]).avi [350.31 MB]
- Doctor Who 2005 - 1x05 - World War Three (part 2) (ws_pdtv_xvid-fov.[BT]).avi [350.17 MB]
- Doctor Who 2005 - 1x06 - Dalek (ws_pdtv_xvid-fov.[BT]).avi [350.98 MB]
- Doctor Who 2005 - 1x07 - The Long Game (ws_pdtv_xvid-fov.[BT]).avi [350.15 MB]
- Doctor Who 2005 - 1x08 - Father's Day (pdtv.[TOKO]).avi [350.01 MB]
- Doctor Who 2005 - 1x09 - The Empty Child (part 1) (ws.pdtv.xvid-gothic.[VTV]).avi [348.52 MB]
- Doctor Who 2005 - 1x10 - The Doctor Dances (part 2) (ws_pdtv_xvid-fov.[VTV]).avi [350.89 MB]
- Doctor Who 2005 - 1x11 - Boom Town (ws_pdtv_xvid.[MM]).avi [349.96 MB]
- Doctor Who 2005 - 1x12 - Bad Wolf (Part 1) (ws_pdtv_xvid.[MM]).avi [349.96 MB]
- Doctor Who 2005 - 1x13 - The Parting Of The Ways (Part 2) (WS_PDTV_XviD-FoV).avi [350.06 MB]
- Season 2
- Doctor Who Series 2 Children in Need (2005).avi [59.65 MB]
- Doctor Who 2006 2x01 New Earth XviD [MM].avi [349.89 MB]
- Doctor Who 2006 2x02 Tooth and Claw XviD [MM] FIXED.avi [349.71 MB]
- Doctor Who 2006 2x03 School Reunion XviD [MM].avi [349.60 MB]
- Doctor Who 2006 2x04 The Girl In The Fireplace (ws.pdtv.xvid-gothic.[VTV]).avi [350.14 MB]
- Doctor Who 2006 2x05 Rise of the Cybermen XviD [MM].avi [349.53 MB]
- Doctor Who 2006 2x06 The Age Of Steel (REPACK.WS.PDTV.XviD-GOTHiC).avi [350.31 MB]
- Doctor Who 2006 2x07 The Idiot's Lantern FIXED [MM].avi [349.39 MB]
- Doctor Who 2006 2x08 The Impossible Planet XviD [MM].avi [349.42 MB]
- Doctor Who 2006 2x09 The Satan Pit XviD [MM].avi [349.56 MB]
- Doctor Who 2006 2x10 Love & Monsters XviD [MM].avi [349.71 MB]
- Doctor Who 2006 2x11 Fear Her XviD [MM].avi [349.29 MB]
- Doctor Who 2006 2x12 Army of Ghosts XviD [MM].avi [349.52 MB]
- Doctor Who 2006 2x13 Doomsday XviD [MM].avi [349.62 MB]
- Season 3
- Christmas Special - The Runaway Bride.avi [499.44 MB]
- Doctor Who Christmas Special 2008 The Next Doctor [MM].avi [599.46 MB]
- Dr.Who 03x01 Smith And Jones.avi [347.75 MB]
- Dr.Who 03x02 The Shakespeare Code.avi [349.32 MB]
- Dr.Who 03x03 Gridlock.avi [349.56 MB]
- Dr.Who 03x04 Darleks in Manhatten.avi [349.23 MB]
- Dr.Who 03x05 Evolution of the Daleks.avi [349.50 MB]
- Dr.Who 03x06 The Lazarus Experiment.avi [350.57 MB]
- Dr.Who 03x07 42.avi [350.20 MB]
- Dr.Who 03x08 Human Nature.avi [350.30 MB]
- Dr.Who 03x09 The Family of Blood.avi [350.00 MB]
- Dr.Who 03x10 Blink.avi [349.67 MB]
- Dr.Who 03x11 Utopia.avi [349.52 MB]
- Dr.Who 03x12 The Sound of Drums.avi [349.65 MB]
- Dr.Who 03x13 Last of the Time Lords.avi [349.19 MB]
- Season 4
- Doctor Who - Time Crash.AVI [378.61 MB]
- Doctor Who - Voyage Of The Damned - Christmas Special 2007 - xvid.avi [584.31 MB]
- Doctor Who S04E01 Partners in Crime [MM].avi [349.43 MB]
- Doctor Who S04E02 The Fires of Pompeii [MM].avi [349.59 MB]
- Doctor Who S04E03 Planet of the Ood [MM].avi [349.45 MB]
- Doctor Who S04E04 The Sontaran Stratagem [MM].avi [349.44 MB]
- Doctor Who S04E05 The Poison Sky [MM].avi [349.80 MB]
- Doctor Who S04E06 The Doctors Daughter [MM].avi [349.69 MB]
- Doctor Who S04E07 The Unicorn and the Wasp [MM].avi [349.52 MB]
- Doctor Who S04E08 Silence in the Library [MM].avi [349.55 MB]
- Doctor Who S04E09 Forest of the Dead [MM].avi [349.60 MB]
- Doctor Who S04E10 Midnight [MM].avi [349.98 MB]
- Doctor.Who.2005.S04.Special.Planet.Of.The.Dead.720p.HDTV.x264-BiA.mkv [1.46 GB]
- Doctor.Who.2005.The.Waters.Of.Mars.2009.Special.HDTV.XviD-FoV.avi [701.66 MB]
- Doctor.Who.S04E11.WS.PDTV.XviD-ANGELiC.avi [347.91 MB]
- Doctor.Who.S04E12.WS.PDTV.XviD-ANGELiC.avi [349.10 MB]
- Doctor.Who.S04E13.ws.pdtv.xvid-river.avi [697.75 MB]
- Doctor_Who_2005.The_End_Of_Time_Part_One_2009_Special.HDTV_XviD-FoV.[VTV].avi [550.70 MB]
- Doctor_Who_2005.The_End_Of_Time_Part_Two_2010_Special.HDTV_XviD-FoV.[VTV].avi [700.78 MB]
- Season 5
- Doctor.Who.2005.S05E01.The.Eleventh.Hour.HDTV.XviD-FoV.[VTV].avi [700.84 MB]
- Doctor.Who.2005.S05E02.The.Beast.Below.HDTV.XviD-FoV.[VTV].avi [350.36 MB]
- Doctor.Who.2005.S05E03.Victory.To.The.Daleks.HDTV_XviD-FoV.[VTV].avi [350.40 MB]
- Doctor.Who.2005.S05E04.Time.Of.The.Angels.HDTV.XviD-FoV.avi [350.43 MB]
- Doctor.Who.2005.S05E05.Flesh.and.Stone.HDTV.XviD-BiA.avi [347.65 MB]
- Doctor.Who.2005.S05E06.The.Vampires.Of.Venice.HDTV.XviD-FoV.avi [350.47 MB]
- Doctor.Who.2005.S05E07.Amy's.Choice.HDTV.XviD-BiA.avi [347.56 MB]
- Doctor.Who.2005.S05E08.The.Hungry.Earth.HDTV.XviD-FoV.avi [350.24 MB]
- Doctor.Who.2005.S05E09.Cold.Blood.HDTV.XviD-FoV.avi [350.44 MB]
- Doctor.Who.2005.S05E10.Vincent.And.The.Doctor.HDTV.XviD-FoV.avi [350.12 MB]
- Doctor.Who.2005.S05E11.The.Lodger.HDTV.XviD-BiA.avi [348.75 MB]
- Doctor.Who.2005.S05E12.The.Pandorica.Opens.HDTV.XviD-BiA.avi [347.82 MB]
- Doctor.Who.2005.S05E13.The.Big.Bang.HDTV.XviD-FoV.avi [550.57 MB]
- Season 6
- Doctor Who 2010 Christmas Special.avi [550.27 MB]
- Doctor Who Confidential 2010.avi [550.10 MB]
- Doctor Who S6E1-The Impossible Austronaught.avi [373.17 MB]
- Doctor Who S6E2.Day Of The Moon.HDTV_XviD-FoV.avi [539.34 MB]
- Doctor Who S6E3.The Curse Of The Black Spot.avi [401.95 MB]
- Doctor Who S6E4 Doctor Who,The Doctor's Wife.avi [516.29 MB]
- Doctor Who S6E5 The rebel flesh (1).flv [175.48 MB]
- Doctor Who S6E6 The Almost people (2).avi [539.86 MB]
- Doctor Who Season 6 Episode 7 A Good Man Goes To War.flv [132.83 MB]
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The show has been a large influence in the media since its inception in 1963. Along with the regular series, special Christmas episodes were broadcast every year between 2005, the year of the programme's revival, and 2017's 'Twice Upon a Time'. The special episodes were moved to New Year's Day in 2019.[1]
- 1Episodes
Episodes[edit]
Classic era[edit]
During the first run of the programme (1963 to 1989), special episodes were not a frequent occurrence. During the third season, the twelve-part serial The Daleks' Master Plan was broadcast weekly over the 1965-66 Christmas period, with its seventh and eighth episodes scheduled for Christmas and New Year's Day respectively. The former, entitled 'The Feast of Steven', was scripted as a comic interlude in the style of a pantomime, in the middle of an otherwise epic adventure.[2] In its final scene, as the Doctor and his companions celebrate Christmas with a toast, the Doctor (William Hartnell) turns to the camera and breaks the fourth wall by saying 'Incidentally, a happy Christmas to all of you at home.'[2] The following episode, 'Volcano', returns to the main narrative of The Daleks' Masterplan, although its ending briefly features a contemporary New Year's Eve.[2] No subsequent episodes of the series' original run were broadcast on Christmas Day; the first episodes of Day of the Daleks (1972) and The Face of Evil (1977) were first shown on New Year's Day, but make no reference to the holiday season.
Revived era[edit]
Special | Story | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | UK viewers (millions) [3] | AI [3] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tenth Doctor | ||||||||||||
1 | 167 | 'The Christmas Invasion' | James Hawes | Russell T Davies | 25 December 2005 | 2X | 9.84 | 84 | ||||
Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) and the newly-regenerated Tenth Doctor return to Rose's house, where Rose, her mother Jackie (Camille Coduri) and her former boyfriend Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) carry him inside to rest. When out shopping, Rose and Mickey are attacked by Santa robots; the Doctor theorises that energy from his regeneration has lured them here. Prime MinisterHarriet Jones (Penelope Wilton) is threatened by the leader of the Sycorax to give them half of the Earth's population as slaves; Harriet tries to negotiate and is transmatted on their ship. Rose, Mickey, and Jackie drag the Doctor onto the TARDIS, but the TARDIS is detected by the Sycorax and they transport it to their ship, with Rose, Mickey, and the Doctor inside. After the Doctor has fully recovered, he challenges the Sycorax leader to a sword fight for the future of the Earth, which he eventually wins. However, the Sycorax ship is destroyed against the Doctor's wishes by Harriet Jones, who had called Torchwood on the matter. | ||||||||||||
2 | 178 | 'The Runaway Bride' | Euros Lyn | Russell T Davies | 25 December 2006 | 3X | 9.35 | 84 | ||||
Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), a woman about to walk down the aisle on her wedding day, suddenly materialises in the TARDIS, much to the shock of both her and the Doctor, who has just said his final goodbyes to Rose Tyler. While trying to get her back to her wedding, the Time Lord discovers that Noble has unwittingly been placed into the center of an alien plot to release an alien spider's offspring trapped in the centre of the Earth, which would thereby destroy the planet. The two must face the Empress of Racnoss (Sarah Parish), the alien spider and the last of her kind, together to stop it. | ||||||||||||
3 | 188 | 'Voyage of the Damned' | James Strong | Russell T Davies | 25 December 2007 | 4X | 13.31 | 86 | ||||
The Doctor finds his TARDIS colliding with an interstellar replica of the famous ocean liner Titanic orbiting present-day Earth, during a Christmas party. With the help of a waitress named Astrid (Kylie Minogue) and several passengers, the Doctor must take on an enemy called the Heavenly Host as the lives of the Titanic crew and those on Earth are in danger. The angels have been tasked with killing everyone aboard and crashing the space liner into the Earth. The reason why is not obvious though the ship's owner, Max Capricorn, has his reasons. Can the Doctor stop the Christmas inferno? | ||||||||||||
4 | 199 | 'The Next Doctor' | Andy Goddard | Russell T Davies | 25 December 2008 | 4.14 | 13.10 | 86 | ||||
This special sees the return of the Cybermen (of the design of the parallel universe's Cybus Industries Cybermen), following their previous appearance in the two-part finale of series two in 2006, 'Army of Ghosts'/'Doomsday'. Having fallen back in time to Victorian London, the Cybermen create a huge 'Cyber-King' with child labour and the help of Miss Hartigan (Dervla Kirwan). Meanwhile Jackson Lake (David Morrissey) has accidentally absorbed the Doctor's memories and thinks himself to be the Doctor. | ||||||||||||
5a | 202a | The End of Time, Part One | Euros Lyn | Russell T Davies | 25 December 2009 | 4.17 | 12.04 | 87 | ||||
On the Ood-Sphere in 4226, the Ood warn the Doctor that the Master has returned, heralding 'the end of time'. On Earth, a cult of women resurrect the Master, but Lucy Saxon sabotages the ceremony, causing the Master to be brought back with incredible strength but constant hunger. Arriving back on Earth on Christmas Eve, the Doctor encounters Wilfred Mott. The Doctor finds the Master at wastelands outside London, and learns that the Master has been suffering from hearing the sound of drums. The Master is taken by armed troops and placed in custody of Joshua Naismith. Naismith has recovered a broken alien 'Immortality Gate' and wants the Master to fix its programming. The Doctor regroups with Wilfred; a woman in white warns Wilfred to arm himself before departing. At Naismith's mansion, the Doctor and Wilfred meet two Vinvocci disguised as humans, who assert the Gate is a harmless medical device from their homeworld. The Master activates the Gate, which he has reprogrammed to replace all of humankind's DNA with his own; only Wilfred and Donna are unchanged, and Donna remembers the Doctor. Elsewhere, the Lord President of the Time Lords asserts their plan can continue, and that the Time Lords will return. | ||||||||||||
5b | 202b | The End of Time, Part Two | Euros Lyn | Russell T Davies | 1 January 2010 | 4.18 | 12.27 | 89 | ||||
The Doctor and Wilfred become fugitives from the Masters, and take refuge on the Vinvocci spacecraft. The Lord President implants the sound of drums in the Master's head as a child, and launches a whitepoint star to Earth, to be used to create a link that allows the Time Lords to bring Gallifrey to Earth. The Lord President and an ensemble of Time Lords appear in Naismith's mansion. The Doctor and the Vinvocci bring the ship to land, the Doctor jumps from it. The Doctor debates between shooting the Master or the Lord President. The Doctor spots the same woman in white Wilfred had seen, who silently communicates to him. The Doctor fires the gun at the whitepoint star, shattering it. As Gallifrey is pulled back, the Lord President, Rassilon, attempts to kill the Doctor, but the Master intervenes, and humanity is restored as Gallifrey returns. The Doctor finds Wilfred is now trapped in one of the Gate's control rooms that is about to be flooded by radiation. The Doctor sacrifices himself, and absorbs the radiation, but knows that his body will soon regenerate. After returning Wilfred, the Doctor visits past companions and acquaintances. Inside his TARDIS, the Doctor sets the TARDIS in flight before regenerating into the new Doctor. | ||||||||||||
Eleventh Doctor | ||||||||||||
6 | 213 | 'A Christmas Carol' | Toby Haynes | Steven Moffat | 25 December 2010 | 2.X | 12.11 | 83 | ||||
A space liner containing 4,000 people and Amy and Rory on their honeymoon becomes caught in an electrified cloud. The Doctor, summoned by Amy, lands on the planet beneath and discovers that the atmosphere is controlled by the miserly Kazran Sardick (Michael Gambon) who refuses to let the ship safely land. The Doctor travels back to Kazran's youth and attempts to alter his past to make him kinder, spending time adventuring with young Kazran and a young woman named Abigail (Katherine Jenkins), who was released from a cryogenic chamber as her singing abilities calm the sharks which occupy the atmosphere. However, Abigail was suffering from an incurable disease, and Kazran grows up bitter that she cannot be let out again or she will die; but, the Doctor shows Kazran's younger self what he would become and he decides to release the ship. Unfortunately, Kazran's personality has changed too much for the atmosphere controls to recognize him, and the Doctor must convince Kazran to release Abigail so she can sing and calm the atmosphere, and the two enjoy their last time together. | ||||||||||||
7 | 225 | 'The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe' | Farren Blackburn | Steven Moffat | 25 December 2011 | X11 | 10.77 | 84 | ||||
The Doctor crash-lands on Earth in 1938. He is helped back to the TARDIS by Madge Arwell (Claire Skinner). Three years later, Madge's husband Reg (Alexander Armstrong) has disappeared while piloting an Avro Lancaster bomber in the Second World War, but she keeps it a secret from her two children, Lily (Holly Earl) and Cyril (Maurice Cole). They evacuate London to stay at a house in Dorset, where the Doctor masquerades as the caretaker. Cyril is lured through a present, which is a portal to a winter planet. Looking for Cyril, the Doctor and Lily and later Madge enter the box; Madge encounters miners, who plan to harvest the trees. Lily and the Doctor follow Cyril's tracks to a tower where wooden humanoids attempt to put a crown on Cyril, which will allow the souls of the trees to escape. When Madge arrives, she is deemed strong enough to pilot the top of the tower to safety. When they land, Reg is alive as he had followed the light from the tower and landed safely. The Doctor turns down Christmas dinner with the family and visits Amy and Rory, two years after he last saw them. | ||||||||||||
8 | 231 | 'The Snowmen' | Saul Metzstein | Steven Moffat | 25 December 2012 | – | 9.87 | 87 | ||||
Depressed after the loss of Amy and Rory, the Doctor hides himself in Victorian London. The 'Great Intelligence', a form of 'memory snow' which can mirror the thoughts of anything around it, hatches a plot to create an army of ice people. While Strax drives the Doctor around, they run into Clara, a barmaid. The Doctor refuses to investigate the snowmen and returns to the TARDIS, in a cloud above London, accessible via a staircase. Clara soon returns to her job as a governess and learns of the danger to all of humanity. She turns to the Doctor for help and he takes action. With Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax, the Doctor and Clara defeat the Great Intelligence and its human servant. In the process, the Doctor regains his enthusiasm, deciding to take Clara on as his companion. However, Clara is thrown off the edge of a cloud and falls to her death. The Doctor discovers Clara's full name – Clara Oswin Oswald – and realises that Clara is the same person as Oswin Oswald. Concluding that she is likely still alive in some other time and leaves in the TARDIS to find her. | ||||||||||||
9 | 241 | 'The Time of the Doctor' | Jamie Payne | Steven Moffat | 25 December 2013 | – | 11.14 | 83 | ||||
A message echoing through all of time and space emanates from the farming town of Christmas on the planet Trenzalore, where a prophecy states the Doctor will spend the last of his years. With the help of the Papal Mainframe, the Doctor and Clara travel to the village and discover that the message is being sent from Gallifrey by the Time Lords. Sending Clara home, he proceeds to spend hundreds of years fighting and defending Trenzalore against hordes of aliens determined to prevent the Time Lords from returning. Clara returns to find the Daleks are the last remaining aliens, and that the Doctor has fought for so long, with no more regenerations, that he is on the cusp of dying of old age. As the Doctor faces his last stand, Clara convinces the Time Lords to give the Doctor a new regeneration cycle. The Doctor begins to regenerate, destroying the Daleks and ending the war. Clara returns to the TARDIS to find a rejuvenated Doctor about to finish his regeneration. After vowing to remember the incarnation he was and hallucinating a final goodbye to Amy Pond, he finally regenerates into the Twelfth Doctor, as the TARDIS suddenly begins crashing. | ||||||||||||
Twelfth Doctor | ||||||||||||
10 | 253 | 'Last Christmas' | Paul Wilmshurst | Steven Moffat | 25 December 2014 | – | 8.28 | 82 | ||||
Clara is awakened and discovers Santa Claus on her rooftop. As she tries to deny his existence, the Doctor arrives and takes her away in the TARDIS. At the North Pole, a group of scientists work on trying to save their fellow base personnel who have been taken over by crab-like creatures. The Doctor and Clara arrive at the base and come under attack from the crabs, only to be rescued by Santa. The Doctor realizes the creatures are Dream Crabs, alien crabs that induce a dream state while devouring a person's brain. The Doctor realizes everyone is in a dream, with Santa being part of it. They escape when they dream that Santa is flying them home. One by one they wake up and their crabs die, until only Clara is left. The Doctor awakens and removes the crab from Clara, only to discover that it has been 62 years for her since they last met. Santa appears and the Doctor realizes he is still dreaming. Back in reality, the Doctor finds Clara at her normal age. He asks Clara if she wants to rejoin him aboard the TARDIS; she accepts. | ||||||||||||
11 | 263 | 'The Husbands of River Song' | Douglas Mackinnon | Steven Moffat | 25 December 2015 | – | 7.69 | 82 | ||||
The Doctor is on the planet Mendorax Dellora in 5343, where due to a case of mistaken identity he is recruited by his former companion and wife River Song to assist her in removing a diamond from the head of King Hydroflax after his maligned attempt to steal it. Surprised that River cannot identify his newest face, the Doctor struggles to break the news to her while learning how she acts on her own – and how many other lovers she has had. The Doctor and River bring the head of Hydroflax to the starship Harmony and Redemption to sell it, and a series of events cause River to discover the Doctor's identity. The starship is caught in a meteor strike and crashes into the planet Darillium, where the Doctor and River are fated to have their final date together before River dies meeting a younger Doctor. Having deliberately held it off for as long as possible, the Doctor finally decides to give in and arranges for a restaurant to be constructed on the planet. The Doctor and River then have their final date together, which lasts for 24 years – the span of a night on Darillium. | ||||||||||||
12 | 264 | 'The Return of Doctor Mysterio' | Ed Bazalgette | Steven Moffat | 25 December 2016 | – | 7.83 | 82 | ||||
The Doctor, with Nardole, investigates the New York branch of 'Harmony Shoal', a multinational research company. Also investigating is journalist Lucy Fletcher, and they discover that Harmony Shoal is transplanting alien brains into humans. One of the alien workers finds the three, but they are rescued by the superhero called the Ghost, an alter ego for Grant Gordon, whom the Doctor met several years beforehand when Grant was a child and accidentally turned him into a superhero. Grant is also a nanny working for Lucy. However Lucy is unaware of Grant's true identity. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Nardole find the aliens' ship, but soon discover that the ship has been turned into a bomb that will crash into New York as part of a complex plan to implant the alien brains into world leaders, thereby giving them control of the Earth. However, the Doctor aims the ship towards New York earlier than planned and the collision is stopped by Grant, revealing his identity to Lucy. After he and Lucy announce their love for each other, Grant throws the ship into the sun. UNIT then shuts down Harmony Shoal, but an alien brain implants itself into a UNIT soldier. | ||||||||||||
13 | 276 | 'Twice Upon a Time' | Rachel Talalay | Steven Moffat | 25 December 2017 | – | 7.92 | 81 | ||||
Wandering back to his TARDIS at the South Pole, the First Doctor refuses to regenerate. He encounters the Twelfth Doctor outside his own TARDIS in a similar state of mind. The pair are approached by a displaced, confused and injured First World War British captain. All three are abducted by a spaceship, where inside they meet Bill Potts. They are offered freedom by the ship's glass-like holographic pilot in exchange for allowing the return of the captain. They escape and take the First Doctor's TARDIS to Villengard. Alone, the Twelfth Doctor meets with the rogue Dalek Rusty. Given access to the Dalek Hivemind, the Doctor learns that the pilot and its ship, known as Testimony is designed to extract people when they died, and archive their memories; Bill is one such avatar. The Doctors agree to return the captain to his timeline. The First Doctor informs the Twelfth that he is prepared to regenerate, and returns to his TARDIS. After being alone with Bill's avatar, the Doctor returns to the TARDIS and regenerates after relaying advice to his next incarnation. After the Thirteenth Doctor examines her reflection, the TARDIS suffers 'multiple operations failures'. Tumbling out of the ship, the console room explodes and the TARDIS dematerialises, as the Doctor plummets towards the Earth. | ||||||||||||
Thirteenth Doctor[1] | ||||||||||||
14 | 287 | 'Resolution' | Wayne Yip | Chris Chibnall | 1 January 2019 | – | 7.13 | 80 | ||||
On New Year's Day 2019 in Sheffield, archaeologists Lin and Mitch unintentionally revive a deadly intelligence that has been separated and dormant on Earth since the 9th century. The Doctor is alerted to its presence, and lands the TARDIS at Lin and Mitch's dig. The Doctor takes a sample of the creature's slime, while the squid-like creature attaches itself to Lin's back. At Graham and Ryan's home, the latter's father Aaron returns. Ryan agrees to talk to him, while the Doctor discovers that the creature she faces is a Dalek. Controlling Lin, the Dalek steals a ray gun belonging to its race from an archive base and constructs a makeshift Dalek casing out of scrap metal. The Doctor and her friends find Lin, freed from the Dalek's control, and the Doctor confronts the rebuilt creature. The Dalek flies off and attempts to summon a battle fleet, but the Doctor follows and defeats it with the help of Aaron's microwave oven. The exposed mutant creature possesses Aaron in an attempt to force the Doctor to take it to Skaro, but she releases it into a supernova instead. |
Home media release[edit]
The Christmas specials between 'The Christmas Invasion' and 'Last Christmas', inclusive, were released as a DVD and Blu-ray boxset titled Doctor Who – The 10 Christmas Specials on 19 October 2015.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ abDee, Christel (14 November 2018). 'Doctor Who festive special to air on New Year's Day'. Doctor Who TV. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ^ abcCornell, Paul; Day, Martin; Topping, Keith; Howe, David J.; Walker, Stephen James. 'Doctor Who: The Classic Series — The Daleks' Master Plan'. BBC Doctor Who website. BBC. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
- ^ ab'Ratings Guide'. Doctor Who News.
- ^'Doctor Who News: Doctor Who - The Ten Christmas Specials'. Doctor Who News. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
Doctor Who (season 1) | |
---|---|
Cover art of the Region 2 DVD release for first serial of the season | |
Starring | |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
No. of stories | 8 |
No. of episodes | 42 (9 missing) |
Release | |
Original network | BBC TV / BBC1[a] |
Original release | 23 November 1963 – 12 September 1964 |
Season chronology | |
List of Doctor Who episodes (1963–1989) |
The first season of Britishscience fiction television programme Doctor Who was originally broadcast on BBC TV[a] between 1963 and 1964. The series began on 23 November 1963 with An Unearthly Child and ended with The Reign of Terror on 12 September 1964. The show was created by BBC Television head of drama Sydney Newman to fill the Saturday evening timeslot and appeal to both the younger and older audiences of the neighbouring programmes. Formatting of the programme was handled by Newman, head of serials Donald Wilson, writer C. E. Webber, and producer Rex Tucker. Production was overseen by the BBC's first female producer Verity Lambert and story editor David Whitaker, both of whom handled the scripts and stories.
The season introduces William Hartnell as the first incarnation of the Doctor, an alien who travels through time and space in his TARDIS, which appears to be a British police box on the outside. Carole Ann Ford is also introduced as the Doctor's granddaughter Susan Foreman, who acts as his companion alongside her schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, portrayed by William Russell and Jacqueline Hill, respectively. Throughout the season, the Doctor and his companions travel throughout history and into the future. Historical stories were intended to educate viewers about significant events in history, such as the Aztec civilisation and the French Revolution; futuristic episodes took a more subtle approach to educating viewers, such as the theme of pacifism with the Daleks.
The first eight serials were written by six writers: Whitaker, Anthony Coburn, Terry Nation, John Lucarotti, Peter R. Newman, and Dennis Spooner. The show was developed with three particular story types envisioned: past history, future technology, and alternative present; Coburn, Lucarotti, and Spooner wrote historical episodes, Nation and Newman penned futuristic stories, and Whitaker wrote a 'filler' serial set entirely in the TARDIS. The serials were mostly directed by junior directors, such as Waris Hussein, John Gorrie, John Crockett, Henric Hirsch, Richard Martin, Christopher Barry, and Frank Cox; the exception is experienced director Mervyn Pinfield, who directed the first four episodes of The Sensorites. Filming started in September 1963 and lasted for approximately nine months, with weekly recording taking place mostly at Lime Grove Studios or the BBC Television Centre.
The first episode, overshadowed by the assassination of John F. Kennedy the previous day, was watched by 4.4 million viewers; the episode was repeated the following week, and the programme gained popularity with audiences, particularly with the introduction of the Daleks in the second serial, which peaked at 10.4 million viewers. The season received generally positive reviews, with praise particularly directed at the scripts and performances. However, many retrospective reviewers noted that Susan lacked character development and was generally portrayed as a damsel in distress, a criticism often echoed by Ford. Several episodes were erased by the BBC between 1967 and 1972, and only 33 of a total of 42 episodes survive; all seven episodes of Marco Polo and two episodes of The Reign of Terror remain missing. The existing serials received several VHS and DVD releases as well as tie-in novels.
- 2Production
- 3Release
- 4Reception
Serials[edit]
Story | Serial | Serial title | Episode titles | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | UK viewers (millions) [2] | AI[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | An Unearthly Child | 'An Unearthly Child' | Waris Hussein | Anthony Coburn | 23 November 1963 | A | 4.4 | 63 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Cave of Skulls' | Waris Hussein | Anthony Coburn | 30 November 1963 | A | 5.9 | 59 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Forest of Fear' | Waris Hussein | Anthony Coburn | 7 December 1963 | A | 6.9 | 56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Firemaker' | Waris Hussein | Anthony Coburn | 14 December 1963 | A | 6.4 | 55 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright are concerned about one of their pupils, Susan Foreman. When they visit her address to investigate, they encounter a police box and hear Susan's voice inside. An old man arrives, but refuses to let the teachers inside the police box; when they enter, they discover it is much bigger on the inside. Susan explains that the object is a time and space machine called the TARDIS and the old man is her grandfather, the Doctor. Refusing to let Ian and Barbara leave, the Doctor sets the TARDIS in flight and ends up in the Stone Age. After exiting the TARDIS, tribe man Kal witnesses the Doctor light a match and takes back to the tribe; Ian, Barbara, and Susan intervene, but the group is imprisoned in a large cave. Kal says they will be sacrificed if they do not make fire. While Ian tries to start a fire, Kal enters the cave and attacks the leader Za, but is killed. Ian gives a burning torch to Za, who shows it to the tribe and is declared leader. The group flee to the TARDIS and escape through time and space to a silent and unknown forest. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | 2 | The Daleks | 'The Dead Planet' | Richard Martin | Terry Nation | 21 December 1963 | B | 6.9 | 59 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Survivors' | Richard Martin | Terry Nation | 28 December 1963 | B | 6.4 | 58 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Escape' | Christopher Barry | Terry Nation | 4 January 1964 | B | 8.9 | 63 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Ambush' | Richard Martin | Terry Nation | 11 January 1964 | B | 9.9 | 63 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Expedition' | Richard Martin | Terry Nation | 18 January 1964 | B | 9.9 | 63 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Ordeal' | Christopher Barry | Terry Nation | 25 January 1964 | B | 10.4 | 63 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Rescue' | Christopher Barry | Terry Nation | 1 February 1964 | B | 10.4 | 65 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The TARDIS lands in a petrified jungle, where they find an advanced city and decide to explore it. Barbara becomes separated from her colleagues, threatened by an unseen creature. Before long, the entire crew is captured by the Daleks, and learn they are in the middle of a war between the Daleks and the pacifistic Thals. Susan attempts to broker peace between the two groups, and while it appears to work, the Daleks eventually betray the Thals, opening fire on them at what was supposed to be a peaceful exchange of food. The Thals conclude that Daleks need radiation to survive and decide to bombard the atmosphere with more radiation. In order to save them from the Daleks, the TARDIS crew convinces the Thals of the importance of aggression and warfare, and manages to lead the Thals in a successful attack against the Daleks. At the end, it is believed the Dalek race has been destroyed when their power supply is knocked out. The TARDIS crew leave Skaro, but an explosion in the TARDIS knocks them out. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | 3 | The Edge of Destruction | 'The Edge of Destruction' | Richard Martin | David Whitaker | 8 February 1964 | C | 10.4 | 61 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Brink of Disaster' | Frank Cox | David Whitaker | 15 February 1964 | C | 9.9 | 60 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Doctor, while attempting to correct the TARDIS's faulty navigation circuits, causes a small explosion. The Doctor, Barbara, Ian, and Susan are all temporarily rendered unconscious. After they awake, Ian and Susan appear to have slight cases of amnesia and everyone begins to act strangely. Gradually it becomes clear that the strange events are an attempt by the TARDIS itself to warn the crew that something is wrong. Barbara's clue gathering forces the Doctor to trace the problem to a broken spring in the Fast Return Switch. The malfunction is causing the TARDIS to head back to the beginning of time; the strange events were just attempts by the TARDIS to warn the passengers before the ship is destroyed. Fixing the switch brings all back to normal. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4 | 4 | Marco Polo | 'The Roof of the World'† | Waris Hussein | John Lucarotti | 22 February 1964 | D | 9.4 | 63 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Singing Sands'† | Waris Hussein | John Lucarotti | 29 February 1964 | D | 9.4 | 62 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Five Hundred Eyes'† | Waris Hussein | John Lucarotti | 7 March 1964 | D | 9.4 | 62 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Wall of Lies'† | John Crockett | John Lucarotti | 14 March 1964 | D | 9.9 | 60 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Rider from Shang-Tu'† | Waris Hussein | John Lucarotti | 21 March 1964 | D | 9.4 | 59 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Mighty Kublai Khan'† | Waris Hussein | John Lucarotti | 28 March 1964 | D | 8.4 | 59 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Assassin at Peking'† | Waris Hussein | John Lucarotti | 4 April 1964 | D | 10.4 | 59 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The TARDIS crew lands in the Pamir Mountains of the Himalayas in 1289, their ship badly damaged, and are picked up by Marco Polo's caravan on its way along the fabled Silk Road to see the Emperor Kublai Khan. The TARDIS crew attempt to thwart the machinations of Tegana, who attempts to sabotage the caravan along its travels through the Pamir Plateau and across the treacherous Gobi Desert, and ultimately to assassinate Kublai Khan in Peking, at the height of his imperial power. The Doctor and his companions also attempt to regain the TARDIS, which Marco Polo has taken to give to Kublai Khan in effort to regain the Emperor's good graces. Susan gets the TARDIS key from Ping-Cho but is captured by Tegana before they can depart. They are finally able to thwart Tegana, who kills himself, and, in doing so, regain the Emperor's respect for Marco Polo, who allows them to depart. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | 5 | The Keys of Marinus | 'The Sea of Death' | John Gorrie | Terry Nation | 11 April 1964 | E | 9.9 | 62 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Velvet Web' | John Gorrie | Terry Nation | 18 April 1964 | E | 9.4 | 60 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Screaming Jungle' | John Gorrie | Terry Nation | 25 April 1964 | E | 9.9 | 61 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Snows of Terror' | John Gorrie | Terry Nation | 2 May 1964 | E | 10.4 | 60 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Sentence of Death' | John Gorrie | Terry Nation | 9 May 1964 | E | 7.9 | 61 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Keys of Marinus' | John Gorrie | Terry Nation | 16 May 1964 | E | 6.9 | 63 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After arriving on an island of glass surrounded by a sea of acid, the TARDIS crew are forced to find and retrieve the five keys of Marinus. Each key is scattered across the island and must not come into the wrong hands of the Yartek and Voord Warriors. After collecting the keys from a variety of cities and settings, the travellers return to the island, where the inhabitants have been held prisoner by Yartek and the four keys are seized. The Doctor frees the prisoners and unmasks the Voord. Ian gives Yartek a false key found in the screaming jungle; when Yartek places the key in the Conscience, the machine explodes and he is killed along with the occupying Voord. The Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara flee the tower with Altos and Sabetha before the growing blaze overtakes the ancient structure. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | 6 | The Aztecs | 'The Temple of Evil' | John Crockett | John Lucarotti | 23 May 1964 | F | 7.4 | 62 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Warriors of Death' | John Crockett | John Lucarotti | 30 May 1964 | F | 7.4 | 62 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Bride of Sacrifice' | John Crockett | John Lucarotti | 6 June 1964 | F | 7.9 | 57 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Day of Darkness' | John Crockett | John Lucarotti | 13 June 1964 | F | 7.4 | 58 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The TARDIS crew arrive in Mexico in the 15th century. With the TARDIS trapped in a tomb, Barbara is mistaken for a female reincarnation of the ancient high priest Yetaxa, and assumes her guise and identity. From her new position of power, Barbara sees her chance to bring an end to human sacrifice. Ian has been compelled into the military and fights the strongest warrior, Ixta, to prove his ability to command the Aztec forces. Cameca helps the Doctor and Ian find a way to re-enter the tomb by a secret entrance. Ian braves a treacherous tunnel in which he is almost drowned to re-enter the tomb by a secret door and soon tells his friends that they can flee. Despite her efforts, Barbara realises that she cannot change an entire culture. Autloc helps Barbara reunite with her friends. In a pitched battle to gain access to the tomb door, Ian kills Ixta in a fight to the death to protect the TARDIS crew, who leave knowing that despite their intervention, history will take its pre-destined course. As they depart, Tlotoxl is very much in control and sacrifices the Perfect Victim to end the naturally-occurring eclipse. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | 7 | The Sensorites | 'Strangers in Space' | Mervyn Pinfield | Peter R. Newman | 20 June 1964 | G | 7.9 | 59 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Unwilling Warriors' | Mervyn Pinfield | Peter R. Newman | 27 June 1964 | G | 6.9 | 59 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Hidden Danger' | Mervyn Pinfield | Peter R. Newman | 11 July 1964 | G | 7.4 | 56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'A Race Against Death' | Mervyn Pinfield | Peter R. Newman | 18 July 1964 | G | 5.5 | 60 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Kidnap' | Frank Cox | Peter R. Newman | 25 July 1964 | G | 6.9 | 57 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'A Desperate Venture' | Frank Cox | Peter R. Newman | 1 August 1964 | G | 6.9 | 57 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The TARDIS travellers land on a spaceship and find a crew on an exploration mission from Earth orbiting Sense-Sphere. Its inhabitants, the Sensorites, refuse to let them leave the orbit. The Sensorites ask the crew to board Sense-Sphere and reveal that a previous Earth expedition caused them great misery. On their journey to Sense-Sphere, the party learns that the previous visitors from Earth exploited Sense-Sphere for its wealth. Some of the Sensorite Council believe the humans can help with the disease currently killing many Sensorites. The Doctor discovers and removes deadly nightshade from the aqueduct, the cause of the poisoning. Ian and the Doctor discover that monsters in the aqueduct were actually the survivors of the previous Earth mission, and they had been poisoning the Sensorites. Their deranged Commander leads them to the surface, where they are arrested by the Sensorites. The Doctor and his party return to the city, pleading clemency for the poisoners. The leader of the Sensorites agrees and sends them back. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | 8 | The Reign of Terror | 'A Land of Fear' | Henric Hirsch | Dennis Spooner | 8 August 1964 | H | 6.9 | 58 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Guests of Madame Guillotine' | Henric Hirsch | Dennis Spooner | 15 August 1964 | H | 6.9 | 54 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'A Change of Identity' | Henric Hirsch | Dennis Spooner | 22 August 1964 | H | 6.9 | 55 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Tyrant of France'† | Henric Hirsch | Dennis Spooner | 29 August 1964 | H | 6.4 | 53 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'A Bargain of Necessity'† | Henric Hirsch | Dennis Spooner | 5 September 1964 | H | 6.9 | 53 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Prisoners of Conciergerie' | Henric Hirsch | Dennis Spooner | 12 September 1964 | H | 6.4 | 55 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The TARDIS crew arrive outside Paris in 18th-century France. Ian, Barbara, and Susan are captured and taken to Paris to be guillotined. Ian's cellmate tells him that there is an English spy highly placed in the French Government, who is now being recalled to England. Barbara and Susan are rescued and taken to a safe house, where they are told that they will be smuggled out of France through an escape chain. Ian escapes his cell and finds Barbara and Susan. The Doctor reaches Paris and imitates a Regional Officer of the Provinces, and stays in the prison overnight. Barbara and Susan are later captured and taken to the prison, where they find the Doctor. The Doctor leads the Conciergerie to the English spy, where Ian relays a message revealing where a conspiracy against Maximilien Robespierre will take place. The spy arranges Susan's release from prison. The coup against Robespierre has begun. The spy heads for Calais and England. Meanwhile, the Doctor and his companions return to the TARDIS. |
^†Episode is missing
Production[edit]
Conception[edit]
In December 1962, BBC Television's Controller of Programmes Donald Baverstock informed Head of Drama Sydney Newman of a gap in the schedule on Saturday evenings between the sports showcase Grandstand and the pop music programme Juke Box Jury. Baverstock figured that the programme should appeal to three audiences: children who had previously been accustomed to the timeslot, the teenage audience of Juke Box Jury, and the adult sports fan audience of Grandstand.[3] Newman decided that a science fiction programme should fill the gap.[4] Head of Serials Donald Wilson and writer C. E. Webber contributed heavily to the formatting of the programme, and co-wrote the programme's first format document with Newman;[5] the latter conceived the idea of a time machine larger on the inside than the outside, as well as the central character of the mysterious 'Doctor', and the show's name Doctor Who.[6][b] Production was initiated several months later and handed to producer Verity Lambert and story editor David Whitaker to oversee, after a brief period when the show had been handled by a 'caretaker' producer, Rex Tucker.[6]
Casting and characters[edit]
William Hartnell portrayed the first incarnation of the Doctor (referred to as 'Dr. Who') in this season. The role was originally offered to Hugh David, Leslie French, Cyril Cusack, Alan Webb and Geoffrey Bayldon; David, Cusack and Webb turned down the role as they were reluctant to work on a series,[8][9] while Bayldon wished to avoid another 'old man' role.[9] Lambert and director Waris Hussein invited William Hartnell to play the role; Hartnell accepted the role after several discussions, viewing it as an opportunity to take his career in a new direction.[10] Hartnell had always wished to play an older character in his work, but failed to do so, becoming typecast as a 'tough' actor due to his roles in Carry On Sergeant (1958) and The Army Game (1957–61).[11] Although portrayed as grumpy and antagonistic in early episodes, the Doctor warms to his companions as the show progresses.[12]
The Doctor's granddaughter Susan Foreman was portrayed by Carole Ann Ford, a 23-year-old who typically played younger roles. Lambert was originally in talks with actress Jacqueline Lenya for the role,[13] and several actresses auditioned for the part, including Christa Bergmann, Anne Castaldini, Maureen Crombie, Heather Fleming, Camilla Hasse, Waveney Lee, Anna Palk and Anneke Wills.[14] Ford felt that the character of Susan deteriorated throughout the series; although the show's initial pitch depicted Susan as a strange alien creature, she often played the damsel in distress role, panicking at minor events.[15] Susan's school teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright were played by William Russell and Jacqueline Hill, respectively. Russell was the only actor considered by Lambert for the role of Chesterton.[16] While Sally Home, Phyllida Law and Penelope Lee were considered for Barbara,[14] Lambert chose Hill, her friend, for the role.[17]
Writing[edit]
Three particular story types were envisioned for the show: history of the past, technology in the future, and alternatives of the present.[15] Historical stories were intended to educate viewers about significant events in history, such as the Aztec civilisation and the French Revolution; futuristic episodes took a more subtle approach to educating viewers, such as the theme of pacifism in The Daleks.[18]
The programme was originally intended to open with a serial entitled The Giants, written by Webber,[19] but was scrapped by June 1963 as the technical requirements of the storyline—which involved the leading characters being drastically reduced in size—were beyond the technical capabilities, and the story itself lacked the necessary impact for an opener. Due to the lack of scripts ready for production, the untitled second serial from Coburn was moved to first in the running order.[20] The order change necessitated rewriting the opening episode of Coburn's script to include some introductory elements of Webber's script for the first episode of The Giants; as a result, Webber received a co-writer's credit for 'An Unearthly Child' on internal BBC documentation.[21] Coburn also made several significant original contributions to the opening episode, most notably that the Doctor's time machine should resemble a police box, an idea he conceived after seeing a real police box while walking near his office.[21]
The second serial of Doctor Who was always planned to be futuristic due to the historical nature of the first. Comedy writer Terry Nation had written a 26-page outline for a story entitled The Survivors at his home, influenced by the threat of racial extermination by the Nazis and the concerns of advanced warfare, as well as taking influences from H. G. Wells' novel The Time Machine (1895).[22] Newman and Wilson were unhappy with the serial, having wanted to avoid featuring 'bug-eyed monsters'; however, with no other scripts prepared, they were forced to accept the serial for production.[23] Due to other sudden commitments, Nation quickly wrote the scripts for the serial at the rate of one per day.[24] Nation also wrote the show's fifth serial, The Keys of Marinus, to replace Dr Who and the Hidden Planet by Malcolm Hulke, which was deemed problematic and required rewrites. Nation and Whitaker decided to base the serial around a series of 'mini-adventures', each with a different setting and cast; Nation was intrigued by the idea of the TARDIS crew searching for parts of a puzzle.[25] Nation was also set to write the show's eighth serial, Doctor Who and the Red Fort, a seven-part story set during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, but other commitments prevented him from doing so.[26]
Newman suggested writer John Lucarotti to the production team during the show's early development. Lucarotti, who had recently worked on the 18-part radio serial The Three Journeys of Marco Polo (1955), penned a seven-part serial about the Italian merchant and explorer Marco Polo titled Dr Who and a Journey to Cathay.[27] Later known as Marco Polo, the serial was moved from its placement in the running order to accommodate The Edge of Destruction.[28] Lucarotti was approached to write The Aztecs while Marco Polo was in production. Having lived in Mexico, Lucarotti was fascinated by the Aztec civilisation[29] and their obsession with human sacrifice.[30] The show's eighth serial, The Reign of Terror, is also a historical story, though writer Dennis Spooner was initially interested in writing a science fiction story. Whitaker gave Spooner four possible historical subjects, and he ultimately selected the French Revolution.[31]
The show's third serial, The Edge of Destruction, was written as a 'filler' in case the show was not renewed beyond 13 episodes. Since the serial had no budget and minimal resources, Whitaker took the opportunity to develop an idea conceived during the show's formative weeks: a character-driven story exploring the facets of the TARDIS.[32] He wrote the script in two days, drawing upon influences of ghost stories and haunted houses.[33]Peter R. Newman wrote the show's sixth serial, The Sensorites, inspired by 1950s films set during World War II that explore the notion of soldiers who continued to fight after the war.[34]
Filming[edit]
An Unearthly Child was provisionally scheduled to begin recording on 5 July,[35] but was delayed to 19 July.[36] Production was later deferred for a further two weeks while scripts were prepared.[37] The show's pilot recording was finally scheduled for 27 September and regular episodes made from 18 October.[38] Tucker was originally selected as the serial's director, but the task was assigned to Hussein following Tucker's departure from production.[21] Some of the pre-filmed inserts for the serial, shot at Ealing Studios in September and October 1963,[39] were directed by Hussein's production assistant Douglas Camfield.[40] The first version of the opening episode was recorded at Lime Grove Studios on the evening of 27 September 1963, following a week of rehearsals. However, the recording was bedevilled with technical errors, including the doors leading into the TARDIS control room failing to close properly. After viewing the episode, Newman ordered that it be mounted again. During the weeks between the two tapings, changes were made to costuming, effects, performances, and scripts.[41][c] The second attempt at the opening episode was recorded on 18 October, with the following three episodes being recorded weekly on 25 October, 1 November and 8 November.[21]
Tucker was initially appointed to direct The Daleks, but was later replaced by Christopher Barry.[43] A week of shooting for The Daleks took place from 28 October, consisting mostly of inserts of the city and models.[44] Weekly recording began on 15 November;[45] it was later discovered that the first recording was affected by induction—an effect in which the voices from the production assistants' headphones was clearly audible. The episode was re-recorded on 6 December, pushing the weekly recordings of episodes 4–7 back by one week.[46] The final episode was recorded on 10 January 1964.[44] The re-recording forced Paddy Russell to forego directing The Edge of Destruction due to other commitments; junior director Richard Martin was later handed the role,[47] and the first episode was recorded on 17 January.[48]Frank Cox directed the second episode on 24 January, as Martin was unavailable.[49] Filming for Marco Polo was preceded by a week of insert shooting of locations and props for the montage sequences.[50] The serial was recorded weekly from 31 January to 13 March, directed by Hussein;[50]John Crockett directed the fourth episode in Hussein's absence.[51]
Weekly recording for The Keys of Marinus, directed by John Gorrie, took place from 20 March to 24 April;[52] Hartnell was absent for the third and fourth episodes, as he was on holiday.[53]The Aztecs, directed by Crockett, was filmed from 1 to 22 May;[54] Ford appeared in pre-filmed inserts for the second and third episodes, shot on 13 April, due to her holiday.[55][56] Experienced director Mervyn Pinfield was chosen to direct the first four episodes of The Sensorites, while Frank Cox directed the final two episodes.[57] Recording took place from 29 March to 3 July;[58] Hill was absent for the fourth and fifth episodes due to her holiday.[59]The Reign of Terror featured the show's first outdoor filming in Denham, Buckinghamshire, led by cameraman Peter Hamilton on 15 June 1964.[60] Hungarian director Henric Hirsch directed the serial, which was recorded from 10 July to 19 August;[61] in preparation for his holiday, William Russell recorded inserts for the second and third episodes from 16–17 June.[62] Hirsch collapsed during the filming of the third episode. Lambert placed production assistant Tim Combe in charge until a replacement director could be found; documentation indicates that Gorrie oversaw production of the third episode,[63] though Gorrie has no memory of the event.[64] Hirsch returned to direct the final three episodes, splitting some of the workload with Combe.[61]
Release[edit]
Promotion[edit]
Doctor Who was announced by Control of BBC TelevisionStuart Hood on 12 September 1963, described by Television Mail as 'a serial of stories to entertain the whole family'. Trade newspaper Kinematograph Weekly devoted its TV column to the show on 24 October; journalist Tony Gruner described the show as 'a somewhat mysterious type of programme consisting in part of fantasy and realism'.[65] A trailer for the show was broadcast on the BBC on 16 November. The first serial was given a half-page preview in Radio Times on 21 November, outlining the show's main characters and upcoming settings.[66] On the same day, the main cast and production team attended the show's launch at Room 222 of the BBC's Broadcasting House. Hartnell hosted a radio trailer for the show on the BBC Light Programme.[67] The BBC Home Service programme Today hosted a one-minute piece about the show's 'space music' on 22 November, and a second trailer for the show was screened on BBC in the evening.[68]
Hartnell taped a radio interview for Northern View on 17 December to promote the show's second serial. To increase the profile of the Daleks, the BBC sent two Dalek models—operated by Kevin Manser and Robert Jewell—to interact with the public at the Shepherd's Bush Market on 23 December. Hartnell recorded an appearance for Junior Points of View on 8 January, broadcast the following day, at Television Centre Presentation Studio A. In character as the Doctor, Hartnell spoke about the Daleks, based on dialogue written by Nation.[69] A promotional image of Marco Polo was featured on the cover of Radio Times on 20 February 1964, with a half-page introduction to the serial inside.[70] The Voord creatures from The Keys of Marinus were featured in several stories the Daily Express and Daily Mail in April 1964,[71] while the titular creatures from The Sensorites were featured in similar press pieces in June.[72] Lucarotti provided a syndicated interview with the press regarding The Aztecs, published in various papers such as the North-Western Evening Mail on 9 May.[73] On 20 June, Ford opened the East Ham Town Show at the Central Park in East Ham, with 20,000 people in attendance.[72]Radio Times ran a half-page interview with Hartnell on 16 July to promote the fourth episode of The Sensorites.[74]
Broadcast[edit]
The first episode of An Unearthly Child was transmitted on BBC TV at 5:16 p.m. on Saturday 23 November 1963; the following three episodes were transmitted at 5:15 p.m. over the next three weeks.[42] The serial has been repeated twice on the BBC: on BBC Two in November 1981 as part of the repeat season The Five Faces of Doctor Who,[42] and on BBC Four as part of the show's 50th anniversary on 21 November 2013.[75]The Daleks was broadcast across seven weeks from 21 December 1963 to 1 February 1964,[76] and has been repeated twice on the BBC: the final episode was broadcast on BBC Two late in the evening on 13 November 1999 as part of 'Doctor Who Night'; and the serial was shown in three blocks from 5–9 April 2008 on BBC Four, as part of a celebration of the life and work of Lambert following her death in November 2007.[77]The Edge of Destruction was transmitted across two weeks, from 8 to 15 February 1964,[78] and Marco Polo was broadcast over seven weeks from 22 February to 4 April.[79] From the sixth episode of Marco Polo, the show's broadcast time was pushed a further fifteen minutes, from 5:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., overlapping with competitor programme ITV News.[80]Marco Polo was erased by the BBC on 17 August 1967; the entire serial is missing as a result.[79] It is one of three stories of which no footage whatsoever is known to have survived, though tele-snaps (images of the show during transmission, photographed from a television) of Episodes 1–3 and 5–7 exist,[81] and were subsequently released with the original audio soundtrack, which was recorded 'off air' during the original transmission.[82]
The Keys of Marinus was transmitted across six weeks from 11 April to 16 May;[83] the third episode became the first Doctor Who episode to be transmitted on BBC1, following its renaming from BBC TV due to the launch of BBC2,[1] and the show's broadcast time returned to its original slot of 5:15 p.m. from the fifth episode.[1]The Aztecs was broadcast weekly from 23 May to 13 June.[84] The first two episodes of The Sensorites were broadcast on 20 and 27 June;[85] the second episode aired 25 minutes late due to an overrun of the previous programme Summer Grandstand.[86] While the third episode was provisionally scheduled to run two hours late on 4 July due to extended coverage of the Wimbledon tennis championships and Ashes Test match,[87] it was replaced by Juke Box Jury and postponed to the following week,[86] The final three episodes were broadcast weekly from 18 July to 1 August; Episodes 3–5 were erased by the BBC on 17 August 1967, while the remaining three were erased on 31 January 1969. BBC Enterprises retained negatives of the original 16 mm film with soundtracks made in 1967; these were returned to the BBC Archives in 1978.[85]The Reign of Terror was transmitted weekly from 8 August to 12 September;[88] the second and third episodes were shifted to the later time of 5:30 p.m., the fourth episode was broadcast at 5:15 p.m. (due to coverage of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo),[89] and the final two episodes again shifted to 5:30 p.m.[88] The original prints of The Reign of Terror were wiped by BBC Enterprises in 1972. The sixth episode was returned to the BBC by a private collector in May 1982, and the first three episodes were located in Cyprus in late 1984; the fourth and fifth episodes remain missing, existing only as off-air recordings from 1964. The existing episodes were screened as part of the National Film Theatre's Bastille Day schedule on 14 July 1999, with links between the episodes by Ford.[88]
Home media[edit]
Serial name | Number and duration of episodes | VHS | DVD | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date | R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date | ||
An Unearthly Child | 4 × 25 min. | February 1990[90] September 2000 (remastered)[90] | July 1990[90] October 2000 (remastered)[90] | January 1991[90] | N/A | ||
The Daleks | 7 × 25 min. | June 1989[91] February 2001 (remastered)[91] | December 1989[91] April 2001 (remastered)[91] | October 1993[91] | |||
The Edge of Destruction Includes An Unearthly Child: 'Pilot Episode' | 2 × 25 min. + 1 × 30 min. | May 2000[92] | May 2000[92] | February 2001[92] | |||
The Beginning: An Unearthly Child The Daleks The Edge of Destruction Includes condensed reconstruction of Marco Polo | 13 × 25 min. + 1 × 30 min. | N/A | 30 January 2006[93] | 2 March 2006[94] | 28 March 2006[95] | ||
The Keys of Marinus | 6 × 25 min. | March 1999[96] | July 1999[97] | May 1999[97] | 21 September 2009[96] | 7 January 2010[96] | 5 January 2010[98] |
The Aztecs | 4 × 25 min. | November 1992[99] | February 1993[100] | May 1994[100] | 21 October 2002[99] | 2 December 2002[99] | 4 March 2003[101] |
The Aztecs — Special Edition Includes Galaxy 4: 'Airlock' | 5 x 25 min. | N/A | 11 March 2013[99] | 20 March 2013[102] | 12 March 2013[103] | ||
The Sensorites | 6 × 25 min. | 4 November 2002[104] (part of The First Doctor Box Set) | December 2002[104] (part of The First Doctor Box Set) | October 2003[105] | 23 January 2012[104] | 2 February 2012[104] | 14 February 2012[106] |
The Reign of Terror(animation of episodes 4–5) | 4 × 25 min. | November 2003[107] | December 2003[107] | October 2003[107] | 28 January 2013[108] | 6 February 2013[109] | 12 February 2013[108] |
Books[edit]
Serial name | Novelisation title | Author | First published |
---|---|---|---|
An Unearthly Child | Doctor Who and An Unearthly Child | Terrance Dicks | 15 October 1981[93] |
The Daleks | Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks | David Whitaker | 12 November 1964[110] |
The Edge of Destruction | The Edge of Destruction | Nigel Robinson | 20 October 1988[111] |
Marco Polo | Marco Polo | John Lucarotti | December 1984[112] |
The Keys of Marinus | Doctor Who and the Keys of Marinus | Philip Hinchcliffe | 21 August 1980[113] |
The Aztecs | The Aztecs | John Lucarotti | 21 June 1984[99] |
The Sensorites | The Sensorites | Nigel Robinson | February 1987[114] |
The Reign of Terror | The Reign of Terror | Ian Marter | March 1987[107] |
Reception[edit]
Ratings[edit]
The assassination of John F. Kennedy the day preceding the launch of Doctor Who overshadowed the first episode;[115] as a result, it was repeated a week later, on 30 November, preceding the second episode.[115] The first episode was watched by 4.4 million viewers (9.1% of the viewing audience), and it received a score of 63 on the Appreciation Index;[115] the repeat of the first episode reached a larger audience of six million viewers.[42] Across its four episodes, An Unearthly Child was watched by an average of 6 million (12.3% of potential viewers).[115] Mark Bould suggests that a disappointing audience reaction and high production costs prompted the BBC's chief of programmes to cancel the series until the Daleks, introduced in the second serial, were immediately popular with viewers.[116] The first two episodes of The Daleks received 6.9 and 6.4 million viewers, respectively. By the third episode, news about the Daleks had spread, and the episode was watched by 8.9 million viewers.[76] An additional million viewers watched for the following two weeks, and the final two episodes reached 10.4 million;[76] by the end of the serial, the show's overall audience had increased by 50%.[117] The following two serials retained these high viewing figures, with The Edge of Destruction receiving 10.4 and 9.9 million viewers,[78] and Marco Polo maintaining an average of 9.47 million viewers.[79]
The fourth episode of The Keys of Marinus received 10.4 million viewers, but saw a drop of 2.5 million viewers the following week, and an additional drop of one million for the sixth episode.[83] The drop in viewers for the sixth episode was attributed to the absence of Juke Box Jury, the programme that followed Doctor Who.[1]The Aztecs maintained these figures, with an average of 7.5 million viewers across the four episodes;[84] the third episode became the first episode of the show to place in the top 20 of the BBC's audience measurement charts.[118][d] The fourth and fifth episodes of The Sensorites dropped to 5.5 and 6.9 million viewers, respectively,[85] but were nonetheless the highest-rated BBC show in the BBC North region for their respective weeks.[86]The Reign of Terror received smaller audiences than previous serials due to the warmer weekends, with an average of around 6.7 million viewers, but still maintained a position within the top 40 shows for the week.[89]
Critical response[edit]
Doctor Who's first season received generally positive responses. For An Unearthly Child, Variety felt that the script 'suffered from a glibness of characterisations which didn't carry the burden of belief', but praised the 'effective camerawork', noting that the show 'will impress if it decides to establish a firm base in realism'. Mary Crozier of The Guardian was unimpressed by the first serial, stating that it 'has fallen off badly soon after getting underway'. Conversely, Marjorie Norris of Television Today commented that if the show 'keeps up the high standard of the first two episodes it will capture a much wider audience'.[120] The following serial, The Daleks, was widely praised, described by the Daily Mirror's Richard Sear as 'splendid children's stuff'. The serial's villains, the Daleks, became a cultural phenomenon, and have been closely associated with the show since.[117]The Edge of Destruction was criticised at a BBC Programme Review Board Meeting in February 1964 by controller of television programmes Stuart Hood, who felt that the serial's sequences in which Susan uses scissors as a weapon 'digressed from the code of violence in programmes'; Lambert apologised for the scenes.[78]
Marco Polo was positively received; Philip Purser of The Sunday Telegraph noted that Mark Eden impersonated Marco Polo 'with sartorial dash', but felt that the main characters were poorly written, describing Barbara as 'a persistent drip'.[121]The Keys of Marinus was criticised by Bob Leeson of the Daily Worker, who felt that the fifth episode of the serial was the show's low point, noting that the introduction of a trial scene represented a rushed script.[1] The following serial, The Aztecs, received high praise and is retrospectively seen as one of the show's greatest stories. Television Today's Bill Edmunds praised the serial's villains, but felt that Barbara should have 'a chance to look beautiful instead of worried',[118] and Leeson of the Daily Worker felt that the serial had 'charm', applauding the 'painstaking attempts for historical accuracy' and noting a 'much tighter plot' than previous serials.[122]The Reign of Terror was criticised for its historical inaccuracies, described by Daily Worker's Stewart Lane as a 'half-baked royalist adventure'.[123]
Retrospective reviews of the season are positive. Kimberley Piece of Geek Girl Authority felt that, while the season started slowly, it 'managed to find its footing' and 'developed quickly into a popular ratings favorite'.[124]Simbasible found that most serials are memorable, though many feature repetitive and 'silly' storytelling.[125] Richard Gray of The Reel Bits praised the imagination and perseverance of the show's producers.[126] Reviewing the first serial in 2008, Radio Times reviewer Patrick Mulkern praised the casting of Hartnell, the 'moody' direction and the 'thrilling' race back to the TARDIS.[127] For The Daleks, Mulkern praised the strength of Nation's scripts, particularly the first three cliffhangers, but felt that 'the urgency and claustrophobia dissipate towards the end', describing the final battle as 'a disappointingly limp affair'.[128] Reviewing The Edge of Destruction, Mulkern described David Whitaker as 'a master of dialogue, characterisation and atmosphere', but felt he struggled with plot logic, as evidenced by the fast return switch explanation.[129]
Mark Braxton of Radio Times praised Marco Polo, stating that 'the historical landscape was rarely mapped with such poetry and elegance', though noted inconsistencies in the foreign characters' accents.[130] Mulkern wrote that 'standards slip appreciably' in The Keys of Marinus,[131] and Arnold T. Blumberg of IGN described the serial as 'a clichéd premise .. handled poorly and with no spark at all apart from Hartnell's late-hour rally'.[132] Christopher Bahn of The A.V. Club described The Aztecs as 'a classical tragedy infused with just enough hope toward the end to keep it from being unbearably bleak',[133] and Ian Berriman of SFX described the serial as 'Jacqueline Hill's finest hour'.[134]DVD Talk's John Sinnott considered The Sensorites 'well constructed' with impressive set design and an expanded role for Susan, but felt that there was 'nothing special' about the serial.[106] Mulkern wrote positively of the humour and Hartnell's increased role in The Reign of Terror, but felt that Susan was 'at her weakest'.[135]
References[edit]
Notes
- ^ abBBC TV was renamed BBC1 midway through the season, on 20 April 1964, following the launch of BBC2.[1]
- ^Hugh David, an actor initially considered for the role of the Doctor and later a director on the programme, later claimed that Rex Tucker coined the title Doctor Who. Tucker claimed that it was Newman who had done so.[7]
- ^The original episode, retroactively referred to as the 'pilot episode', was not broadcast on television until 26 August 1991.[42]
- ^The measurement for the same period by TAM (Television Audience Measurement) did not include the episode in the top 20, though the disparity between the two measurement systems was frequently debated at the time.[118]
Footnotes
- ^ abcdeAinsworth 2016, p. 119.
- ^ ab'Ratings Guide'. Doctor Who News. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
- ^Howe, Stammers & Walker 1994, p. 3.
- ^Howe, Stammers & Walker 1994, p. 166.
- ^Howe, Stammers & Walker 1994, p. 182.
- ^ abMolesworth, Richard (2006). Doctor Who: Origins. 2 Entertain.
- ^Howe, Stammers & Walker 1994, p. 173.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 38–40.
- ^ abAinsworth 2015, p. 53–54.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 55.
- ^Plomley, Roy; Hartnell, William (23 August 1965). Desert Island Discs (Radio broadcast). BBC Home Service. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 10.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 58.
- ^ abAinsworth 2015, p. 48.
- ^ abAinsworth 2015, p. 11.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 57.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 59.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 12–13.
- ^Howe, Stammers & Walker 1994, pp. 181–2.
- ^Howe, Stammers & Walker 1994, p. 186.
- ^ abcdHowe, Stammers & Walker 1994
- ^Ainsworth 2015, pp. 117–118.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 123.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 120.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 96.
- ^Wright 2016, p. 57.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 48.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 49.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 134.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 135.
- ^Wright 2016, pp. 54–55.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 13.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 14.
- ^Wright 2016, p. 18.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 27.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 38.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 44–47.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 49.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 67.
- ^Howe, Stammers & Walker 1994, p. 220
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 77–79.
- ^ abcdAinsworth 2015, p. 95.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 122.
- ^ abAinsworth 2015, p. 151.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 139.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 141.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 14—15.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 20.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, pp. 22—23.
- ^ abAinsworth 2016, p. 71.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 65.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 115.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 108.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 146.
- ^Howe, David J.; Walker, Stephen James (1998). 'The Aztecs: Things to watch out for..'. Doctor Who: The Television Companion. London: BBC Worldwide. p. 25. ISBN0-563-40588-0.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 141.
- ^Wright 2016, p. 20.
- ^Wright 2016, p. 32.
- ^Wright 2016, p. 29.
- ^Wright 2016, p. 64.
- ^ abWright 2016, p. 76.
- ^Wright 2016, p. 65.
- ^Wright 2016, p. 71.
- ^Wright 2016, p. 72.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 86.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 87.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 88.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 89.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 153.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 73.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, pp. 117–118.
- ^ abWright 2016, p. 34.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 147.
- ^Wright 2016, p. 35.
- ^'Doctor Who Guide: broadcasting for An Unearthly Child'. The Doctor Who Guide. News in Time and Space. 2018. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
- ^ abcAinsworth 2015, p. 159.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, pp. 158–159.
- ^ abcAinsworth 2016, p. 27.
- ^ abcAinsworth 2016, p. 78.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 76.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 38.
- ^Chapman, Cliff (11 February 2014). 'Doctor Who: the 10 stories you can't actually watch'. Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on 24 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ abAinsworth 2016, p. 120.
- ^ abAinsworth 2016, p. 150.
- ^ abcWright 2016, p. 37.
- ^ abcWright 2016, p. 36.
- ^Howe, Stammers & Walker 1994, p. 75.
- ^ abcWright 2016, p. 79.
- ^ abWright 2016, p. 78.
- ^ abcdeAinsworth 2015, p. 98.
- ^ abcdeAinsworth 2015, p. 163.
- ^ abcAinsworth 2016, p. 30.
- ^ abAinsworth 2015, p. 96.
- ^'Doctor Who – The Beginning Box Set'. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ^Sinnott, John (1 April 2006). 'Doctor Who: The Beginning'. DVD Talk. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
- ^ abcAinsworth 2016, p. 122.
- ^ ab'The Keys of Marinus'. Timelash. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
- ^Wallis, J. Doyle (25 February 2010). 'Doctor Who: The Keys of Marinus'. DVD Talk. Archived from the original on 1 March 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- ^ abcdeAinsworth 2016, p. 151.
- ^ ab'The Aztecs'. Timelash. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018.
- ^'Doctor Who – Story #006: The Aztecs DVD Information'. TVShowsOnDVD.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 14 November 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
- ^'Doctor Who The Aztecs Special Edition'. BBC. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
- ^'Doctor Who: The Aztecs Special Edition'. BBC. Archived from the original on 30 July 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
- ^ abcdWright 2016, p. 39.
- ^'The Sensorites'. Timelash. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018.
- ^ abSinnott, John (20 February 2012). 'Doctor Who: The Sensorites'. DVD Talk. Archived from the original on 2 June 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ abcdWright 2016, p. 80.
- ^ abWright 2016, p. 81.
- ^'Doctor Who The Reign of Terror DVD'. BBC. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 160.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 29.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 79.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 121.
- ^Wright 2016, p. 38.
- ^ abcdChapman 2006, p. 25.
- ^Bould 2008, p. 215.
- ^ abAinsworth 2015, p. 156.
- ^ abcAinsworth 2016, p. 148.
- ^Patrick, Seb (November 2013). 'Best of 'Doctor Who' 50th Anniversary Poll: 11 Greatest Monsters & Villains'. BBC America. BBC Worldwide. Archived from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
- ^Ainsworth 2015, p. 91.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, p. 77.
- ^Ainsworth 2016, pp. 148–149.
- ^Wright 2016, p. 123.
- ^Pierce, Kimberly (19 May 2017). 'Classic Doctor Who in Review: Season One'. Geek Girl Authority. Archived from the original on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^'Doctor Who Season 1 Review'. Simbasible. 22 August 2017. Archived from the original on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^Gray, Richard (13 September 2013). ''Doctor Who' 50th Anniversary Marathon Recap: Season 1 (1963 – 1964)'. The Reel Bits. Archived from the original on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^Mulkern, Patrick (30 September 2008). 'An Unearthly Child'. Radio Times. Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
- ^Mulkern, Patrick (1 October 2008). 'The Daleks'. Radio Times. Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
- ^Mulkern, Patrick (2 October 2008). 'The Edge of Destruction'. Radio Times. Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on 23 February 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
- ^Braxton, Mark (3 October 2008). 'Marco Polo'. Radio Times. Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
- ^Mulkern, Patrick (4 October 2008). 'The Keys of Marinus'. Radio Times. Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on 1 March 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- ^Blumberg, Arnold T. (19 January 2010). 'Doctor Who – The Keys of Marinus DVD Review'. IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- ^Bahn, Christopher (25 September 2011). 'Doctor Who (Classic): 'The Aztecs''. The A.V. Club. Onion, Inc. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
- ^Berriman, Ian (8 March 2013). 'Doctor Who: The Aztecs – Special Edition REVIEW'. SFX. Future plc. Archived from the original on 11 March 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
- ^Mulkern, Patrick (6 November 2008). 'The Reign of Terror'. Radio Times. Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on 8 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
Bibliography[edit]
- Ainsworth, John, ed. (2015). '100,000 BC and The Mutants (aka The Daleks)'. Doctor Who: The Complete History. Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks. 1 (4).
- Ainsworth, John, ed. (2016). 'Inside the Spaceship, Marco Polo, The Keys of Marinus and The Aztecs'. Doctor Who: The Complete History. Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks. 2 (32).
- Bould, Mark (2008). 'Science Fiction Television in the United Kingdom'. In J.P. Telotte (ed.). The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN0-8131-2492-1.
- Chapman, James (2006). Inside the Tardis: The Worlds of Doctor Who. I.B.Tauris. ISBN1-84511-162-1.
- Howe, David J.; Stammers, Mark; Walker, Stephen James (1994). Doctor Who The Handbook – The First Doctor. London: Doctor Who Books. ISBN0-426-20430-1.
- Wright, Mark, ed. (2016). 'The Sensorites, The Reign of Terror and Planet of Giants'. Doctor Who: The Complete History. Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks. 3 (21).
Doctor Who (season 2) | |
---|---|
Cover art of the Region 2 DVD release for first serial of the season | |
Starring | |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
No. of stories | 9 |
No. of episodes | 39 (2 missing) |
Release | |
Original network | BBC One |
Original release | 31 October 1964 – 24 July 1965 |
Season chronology | |
Next → Season 3 | |
List of Doctor Who episodes (1963–1989) |
The second season of Britishscience fiction television series Doctor Who began on 31 October 1964 with the story Planet of Giants and ended on 24 July 1965 with The Time Meddler. Only 37 of 39 episodes exist in the BBC archives; 2 remain missing. As a result, 1 serial is incomplete.
- 1Casting
Casting[edit]
Main cast[edit]
Doctor Who 2005 Season 1
- William Hartnell as the First Doctor
- Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman
- Jacqueline Hill as Barbara Wright
- William Russell as Ian Chesterton
- Maureen O'Brien as Vicki
- Peter Purves as Steven Taylor
William Hartnell continued his role as the First Doctor accompanied by his original companions: his granddaughter Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford), and schoolteachers Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill).
Susan departed at the end of the second story The Dalek Invasion of Earth, and was soon replaced by Vicki (Maureen O'Brien) in The Rescue.
The penultimate story The Chase saw the departure of Ian and Barbara, and the arrival of Steven (Peter Purves) as a regular member of the TARDIS crew. At the end of the season, aside from the Doctor, the main cast had changed and would do so the following season when it finished.
Guest stars[edit]
Peter Butterworth makes his first of two appearances as the Meddling Monk in the serial The Time Meddler. Hauppauge wintv usb driver 40205 homes.
Serials[edit]
Dennis Spooner replaced David Whitaker as script editor after The Dalek Invasion of Earth, and edited the remainder of the season apart from The Time Meddler, which was edited by Donald Tosh. Verity Lambert continued in her role as producer for the entire season while Mervyn Pinfield served as associate producer until the end of The Romans.[1] This season was originally intended to have 40 episodes with Planet of Giants originally shot and edited as 4 x 25 minute episodes. After viewing the episodes, Head of series and serials Donald Wilson found them to be lacking in action and ordered that the final two episodes be edited into 1 episode. The episode left over was later used to produce the single-episode teaser 'Mission to the Unknown' in Season 3.
The Time Meddler is the first example in the series of what became known as 'pseudo-historical' stories – these are serials that are set in the past, but have a story that involves significant science-fiction elements (beyond the presence of the TARDIS and its crew).[2]
Season 2 is the most complete season of Doctor Who during its black-and-white era, as only two episodes, both from The Crusade, are missing from the BBC archive.
Story | Serial | Serial title | Episode titles | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | UK viewers (millions) [3] | AI[3] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9 | 1 | Planet of Giants | 'Planet of Giants' | Mervyn Pinfield | Louis Marks | 31 October 1964 | J | 8.4 | 57 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Dangerous Journey' | Mervyn Pinfield | Louis Marks | 7 November 1964 | J | 8.4 | 58 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Crisis' | Douglas Camfield | Louis Marks | 14 November 1964 | J | 8.9 | 59 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arriving on Earth, the First Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan have been shrunk to the size of an inch. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | 2 | The Dalek Invasion of Earth | 'World's End' | Richard Martin | Terry Nation | 21 November 1964 | K | 11.4 | 63 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Daleks' | Richard Martin | Terry Nation | 28 November 1964 | K | 12.4 | 59 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Day of Reckoning' | Richard Martin | Terry Nation | 5 December 1964 | K | 11.9 | 59 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The End of Tomorrow' | Richard Martin | Terry Nation | 12 December 1964 | K | 11.9 | 59 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Waking Ally' | Richard Martin | Terry Nation | 19 December 1964 | K | 11.4 | 58 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Flashpoint' | Richard Martin | Terry Nation | 26 December 1964 | K | 12.4 | 63 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Daleks have invaded Earth following a plague and meteorite strike. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | 3 | The Rescue | 'The Powerful Enemy' | Christopher Barry | David Whitaker | 2 January 1965 | L | 12.0 | 57 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Desperate Measures' | Christopher Barry | David Whitaker | 9 January 1965 | L | 13.0 | 59 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On the planet Dido, Vicki, a marooned survivor awaiting a rescue ship, lives in fear of Koquillion, a bipedal inhabitant which is stalking the area. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | 4 | The Romans | 'The Slave Traders' | Christopher Barry | Dennis Spooner | 16 January 1965 | M | 13.0 | 53 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'All Roads Lead to Rome' | Christopher Barry | Dennis Spooner | 23 January 1965 | M | 11.5 | 51 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Conspiracy' | Christopher Barry | Dennis Spooner | 30 January 1965 | M | 10.0 | 50 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Inferno' | Christopher Barry | Dennis Spooner | 6 February 1965 | M | 12.0 | 50 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
While enjoying a holiday at a Roman villa in the year 64AD, the Doctor and Vicki decide to visit the city of Rome while Ian and Barbara are kidnapped and sold into slavery. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | 5 | The Web Planet | 'The Web Planet' | Richard Martin | Bill Strutton | 13 February 1965 | N | 13.5 | 56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Zarbi' | Richard Martin | Bill Strutton | 20 February 1965 | N | 12.5 | 53 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Escape to Danger' | Richard Martin | Bill Strutton | 27 February 1965 | N | 12.5 | 53 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Crater of Needles' | Richard Martin | Bill Strutton | 6 March 1965 | N | 13.0 | 49 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Invasion' | Richard Martin | Bill Strutton | 13 March 1965 | N | 12.0 | 48 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Centre' | Richard Martin | Bill Strutton | 20 March 1965 | N | 11.5 | 42 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On the planet Vortis, the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki ally with the Menoptra to battle the Zarbi. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | 6 | The Crusade | 'The Lion' | Douglas Camfield | David Whitaker | 27 March 1965 | P | 10.5 | 51 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Knight of Jaffa'† | Douglas Camfield | David Whitaker | 3 April 1965 | P | 8.5 | 50 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Wheel of Fortune' | Douglas Camfield | David Whitaker | 10 April 1965 | P | 9.0 | 49 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Warlords'† | Douglas Camfield | David Whitaker | 17 April 1965 | P | 9.5 | 48 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The TARDIS materialises in 12th century Palestine, during the time of the Third Crusade. When the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki emerge, they find themselves in the middle of a Saracen ambush. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | 7 | The Space Museum | 'The Space Museum' | Mervyn Pinfield | Glyn Jones | 24 April 1965 | Q | 10.5 | 61 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Dimensions of Time' | Mervyn Pinfield | Glyn Jones | 1 May 1965 | Q | 9.2 | 53 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Search' | Mervyn Pinfield | Glyn Jones | 8 May 1965 | Q | 8.5 | 56 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Final Phase' | Mervyn Pinfield | Glyn Jones | 15 May 1965 | Q | 8.5 | 49 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In a space museum on the planet Xeros, the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki find themselves encased and on display. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | 8 | The Chase | 'The Executioners' | Richard Martin | Terry Nation | 22 May 1965 | R | 10.0 | 57 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Death of Time' | Richard Martin | Terry Nation | 29 May 1965 | R | 9.5 | 56 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Flight Through Eternity' | Richard Martin | Terry Nation | 5 June 1965 | R | 9.0 | 55 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Journey into Terror' | Richard Martin | Terry Nation | 12 June 1965 | R | 9.5 | 54 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Death of Doctor Who' | Richard Martin | Terry Nation | 19 June 1965 | R | 9.0 | 56 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Planet of Decision' | Richard Martin and Douglas Camfield (uncredited) | Terry Nation | 26 June 1965 | R | 9.5 | 57 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Using a time machine, the Daleks pursue the TARDIS through time and space in order to exterminate its crew. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | 9 | The Time Meddler | 'The Watcher' | Douglas Camfield | Dennis Spooner | 3 July 1965 | S | 8.9 | 57 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'The Meddling Monk' | Douglas Camfield | Dennis Spooner | 10 July 1965 | S | 8.8 | 49 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'A Battle of Wits' | Douglas Camfield | Dennis Spooner | 17 July 1965 | S | 7.7 | 53 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
'Checkmate' | Douglas Camfield | Dennis Spooner | 24 July 1965 | S | 8.3 | 54 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In 1066 Northumbria, a 'Monk' who is actually one the Doctor's people attempts to meddle with history. |
^†Episode is missingDictionary:January=1:February=2:March=3:April=4:May=5:June=6:July=7:August=8:September=9:October=10:November=11:December=12
Production[edit]
The first two serials were produced in the programme's first production block, but were held back until the beginning of the second season.[4]Verity Lambert began lobbying for a second season in August 1964, and was initially only guaranteed 13 episodes. Nine were already planned as Planet of Giants and The Dalek Invasion of Earth, and with only four episodes after that Lambert felt it was too short a time to retain the regular actors and it would be then pointless to write Susan out at the end of The Dalek Invasion of Earth. In best interest of the actors and their agents, a deal was struck of an additional 13 episodes, and the commitment of 26 episodes in the second production block was accepted the day The Dalek Invasion of Earth finished filming.[4]
Missing episodes[edit]
- The Crusade – Episodes 2 & 4 (of 4 total)
DVD releases[edit]
Serial name | Number and duration of episodes | R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Planet of Giants | 3 × 25 min | 20 August 2012[5][6] | 5 September 2012[7] | 11 September 2012[8] |
The Dalek Invasion of Earth | 6 × 25 min. | 9 June 2003 | 13 August 2003 | 7 October 2003 |
The Rescue/The Romans: The Rescue(2 episodes) The Romans(4 episodes) | 6 × 25 min. | 23 February 2009 | 2 April 2009 | 7 July 2009 |
The Web Planet | 6 × 25 min. | 3 October 2005 | 3 November 2005 | 5 September 2006 |
The Space Museum/The Chase: The Space Museum(4 episodes) The Chase(6 episodes) | 10 × 25 min. | 1 March 2010 | 6 May 2010 | 6 July 2010 |
The Time Meddler | 4 × 25 min. | 4 February 2008 | 2 April 2008 | 5 August 2008 |
Lost in Time
All existing episodes from otherwise missing First Doctor serials from this season have been released on the Lost in Time collection. Lost in Time was released in two formats in Region 1, with individual releases for volumes one and two (which cover First Doctor and Second Doctor episodes respectively), as well as an edition combining both volumes. In Regions 2 and 4, Lost in Time is available only as the combined single volume.
Includes episodes from | Number and duration of episodes | R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Crusade(episodes 1 & 3 of 4; soundtracks of 2 & 4) | 6 × 25 min. + 2 × 25 min. audio | 1 November 2004 | 2 December 2004 (Original release) 1 July 2010 (Re-release) | 2 November 2004 |
In print[edit]
Dr Who Season 2
Serial name | Novelisation title | Author | First published |
---|---|---|---|
Planet of Giants | Planet of Giants | Terrance Dicks | 18 January 1990 |
The Dalek Invasion of Earth | Doctor Who and the Dalek Invasion of Earth | Terrance Dicks | 24 March 1977 |
The Rescue | The Rescue | Ian Marter | 20 August 1987 |
The Romans | The Romans | Donald Cotton | 16 April 1987 |
The Web Planet | Doctor Who and the Zarbi | Bill Strutton | 16 September 1965 |
The Crusade | Doctor Who and the Crusaders | David Whitaker | 25 February 1966 |
The Space Museum | The Space Museum | Glyn Jones | 15 January 1987 |
The Chase | The Chase | John Peel | 20 July 1989 |
The Time Meddler | The Time Meddler | Nigel Robinson | 15 October 1988 |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – Season 2'. BBC. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
- ^'The Time Meddler'. BBC. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ ab'Ratings Guide'. Doctor Who News. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
- ^ abRichard Molesworth (compiler) (23 February 2009). The Rescue with Information Text (DVD). The Rescue DVD: BBC Worldwide.
- ^'The Doctor Who News Page: DVD Schedule Update'. Doctorwhonews.net. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- ^'Twitter / Classic Doctor Who: Finishing touches to PLANE'. Twitter.
- ^'Doctor Who: Planet of Giants'. Ezydvd.com.au. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
- ^'Doctor Who: Planet of Giants (2012)'. Amazon.com. Retrieved 18 July 2012.