List of Doctor Who episodes (1963–1989)
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Doctor Who ceased production in 1989 after 695 episodes. A one-off TV movie was produced in the United States in 1996, before the series resumed in 2005. The original series, generally consists of multi-episode serials; in the early seasons, and occasionally through its run, serials tend to link together, one story leading directly into the next. The 2005 revival trades the earlier serial format for a run of self-contained episodes, interspersed with occasional multi-part stories and structured into loose story arcs.
This includes one television movie and multiple specials, and encompasses stories over 41 seasons, starting in 1963. Additionally, several charity specials and animated serials have been aired. The programme's high episode count has resulted in Doctor Who holding the world record for the highest number of episodes of a science-fiction programme.
For the first two seasons of Doctor Who and most of the third, each episode carries its own title; the show displays no titles for overarching serials until The Savages, at which point the episodic titles cease. The titles below, for these early serials, are those in most common circulation, used for commercial releases and in resources such as the Doctor Who Reference Guide and the BBC's classic episode guide. With the show's revival in 2005, the programme returned to individual episode titles.
Due to the BBC's 1970s junking policy, 97 episodes of Doctor Who from the 1960s are no longer known to exist. As a result, 26 of the 50 serials from the 1960s are currently incomplete, with one or more episodes represented only by audio, which in many cases is in addition to clips or still frames. For commercial release, some episodes have been reconstructed using off-air audio recordings, paired to surviving visuals or newly commissioned animation.
The story numbers below are meant as a guide to placement in the overall context of the programme. There is some dispute, for instance, about whether to count Season 23's The Trial of a Time Lord as one or as four serials, and whether the unfinished serial Shada should be included. The numbering scheme in this list follows the official website's episode guide. Other sources, such as the Region 1 classic Doctor Who DVD releases, use different numbering schemes, which diverge after the 108th story, The Horns of Nimon.Series overview
Episodes
First Doctor
The first incarnation of the Doctor was portrayed by William Hartnell. During Hartnell's tenure, the episodes were a mixture of stories set on Earth of the future with extraterrestrial influence, on alien planets, and in historical events without extraterrestrial influence, such as Marco Polo, one of the lost serials. In his last story, The Tenth Planet, the Doctor gradually grew weaker to the point of collapsing at the end of the fourth episode, leading to his regeneration.Season 1 (1963–1964)
This season saw the departure of Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman in The Dalek Invasion of Earth, replaced by Maureen O'Brien as Vicki in The Rescue. William Russell and Jacqueline Hill also departed their roles as Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, respectively, in The Chase, replaced by Peter Purves as Steven Taylor.Season 3 (1965–1966)
O'Brien departed the role of Vicki in The Myth Makers, replaced by Adrienne Hill as Katarina, and then later by Jackie Lane as Dodo Chaplet. The Savages marked the final appearance of Steven, and The War Machines introduced companions Ben and Polly. The practice of giving each individual episode a different title was abandoned after The Gunfighters, near the end of the season.Season 4 (1966–1967)
The Smugglers and The Tenth Planet were the last serials to star the First Doctor, his regeneration to the Second occurring in the latter. It is also notable as the season with the most missing episodes, with not one serial existing in its entirety.The Second Doctor was portrayed by Patrick Troughton, whose serials were more action-oriented than those of his predecessor. Additionally, after The Highlanders, stories moved away from the purely historical ones that featured during Hartnell's tenure; instead, any historical tales also included a science fiction element. Troughton retained the role until the last episode of The War Games when members of the Doctor's race, the Time Lords, put him on trial for breaking the laws of time. The Doctor was forced to regenerate and thereafter exiled on Earth.Season 4 (1966–1967) continued
This season introduced companions Jamie McCrimmon and Victoria Waterfield, in The Highlanders and The Evil of the Daleks, respectively. Ben and Polly departed in The Faceless Ones.Season 5 (1967–1968)
This season saw the departure of Watling as Victoria, and the debut appearances of Wendy Padbury and Nicholas Courtney as Zoe and Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, respectively.Season 6 (1968–1969)
Hines and Padbury both departed in The War Games, alongside Troughton. It was the show's last season to be filmed in black and white.The Third Doctor was portrayed by Jon Pertwee. Sentenced to exile on Earth and forcibly regenerated at the end of The War Games, the Doctor spent his time working for UNIT. After The Three Doctors, the Time Lords repealed his exile; nevertheless, the Doctor still worked closely with UNIT from time to time. The Third Doctor regenerated into his fourth incarnation as a result of radiation poisoning in the last moments of Planet of the Spiders.Season 7 (1970)
From this season onwards the programme was produced in colour. To accommodate the new production methods the number of episodes in a season was cut: season 6 has 44 episodes; season 7 has 25 episodes. The seasons continued to have between 20 and 28 episodes until season 22. This season featured companion Liz Shaw played by Caroline John.Season 8 (1971)
This season forms a loose arc with the introduction of the Master, the villain in each of the season's storylines, and introduces the companion Jo Grant portrayed by Katy Manning.Season 9 (1972)
Season 10 (1972–1973)
This season marked the final appearance of companion Jo Grant and the end of the Doctor's exile on Earth.Season 11 (1973–1974)
This season introduces the companion Sarah Jane Smith portrayed by Elisabeth Sladen.The Fourth Doctor was portrayed by Tom Baker. He is, to date, the actor who has played the Doctor on television for the longest period of time, having held the role for seven seasons.Season 12 (1974–1975)
All serials in this season continue directly one after the other, tracing one single problematic voyage of the TARDIS crew. Despite the continuity, each serial is considered its own standalone story. This season also introduced the character of Harry Sullivan portrayed by Ian Marter as a companion; this character was intended to undertake action scenes, during the period prior to Tom Baker being cast, when it was unclear how old the actor playing the new Doctor would be.Season 13 (1975–1976)
During this season, Ian Marter left after Terror of the Zygons, but returned for a guest appearance in The Android Invasion. Terror of the Zygons also saw the last semi-regular appearance of Nicholas Courtney who did not return until Season 20 in Mawdryn Undead.Season 14 (1976–1977)
Elisabeth Sladen left the series this season in The Hand of Fear and was replaced by Louise Jameson in The Face of Evil. The season also saw the first story in which the Doctor did not have a companion, The Deadly Assassin.Season 15 (1977–1978)
This season saw the final appearance of Leela and the first appearance of K9 as voiced by John Leeson.Season 16 (1978–1979)
Season 16 consists of one long story arc encompassing six separate, linked stories. This season is referred to by the umbrella title The Key to Time and has been released on DVD under this title. This season introduced Mary Tamm as Romana I.Season 17 (1979–1980)
During this season, the role of Romana was taken over by Lalla Ward.Season 18 (1980–1981)
In a return to the format of early seasons, virtually all serials from Seasons 18 through 20 are linked together, often running directly into each other. Season 18 forms a loose story arc dealing with the theme of entropy. Full Circle, State of Decay, and Warriors' Gate trace the Doctor's adventures in E-Space; they were released in both VHS and DVD boxsets with the umbrella title The E-Space Trilogy. This season saw the departure of Romana and the introduction of companions Adric and Nyssa, and soon-to-be companion, Tegan Jovanka.