Doctor Who | |
---|---|
Season 12 | |
![]() Cover art of the Blu-ray release for the complete season | |
Starring | |
No. of stories | 5 |
No. of episodes | 20 |
Release | |
Original network | BBC1 |
Original release | 28 December 1974 – 10 May 1975 |
Season chronology | |
The twelfth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 28 December 1974 with Tom Baker's first serial Robot , and ended with Revenge of the Cybermen on 10 May 1975.
This is the first season to feature Tom Baker as the fourth incarnation of the Doctor, an alien Time Lord who travels through time and space in his TARDIS, which appears to be a British police box on the outside. He is accompanied by companions Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), continuing from season eleven, and Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter), who joins in this season. With Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks having both departed along with Jon Pertwee, new producer Philip Hinchcliffe and new script editor Robert Holmes worked on this series. Letts's last story as producer was Robot , with Hinchcliffe producing the rest of the season. Holmes had previously written for the programme.
During production of season eleven, it was known that Jon Pertwee would be leaving his role as the Third Doctor and that a new Fourth Doctor would need to be cast for the part. [1] Tom Baker was an out-of-work actor, working in construction at the time. [2] [3] Baker had been a television and film actor, having major parts in several films including The Vault of Horror (1973) and as the main antagonist in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad the same year. He had written to Bill Slater, the Head of Serials at the BBC, asking for work. [3] Slater suggested Baker to Doctor Who producer Barry Letts who had been looking to fill the part. [2] [3] Letts had been the producer of the series since the early Pertwee serials in 1970. He had seen Baker's work in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and hired him for the part. [4] Baker would continue in his role as the Doctor for seven seasons, longer than any other actor to play the part. [5]
Elisabeth Sladen returned to play the role of companion Sarah Jane Smith throughout the season. Ian Marter joined the cast as Harry Sullivan. The character was created before Baker was cast; there had been discussion of casting an older actor as the Doctor, and so Harry was created as a younger character to handle the action scenes.[ citation needed ]
Nicholas Courtney and John Levene reprised their roles as the Brigadier and Warrant Officer Benton respectively in the first serial, Robot . [6] Courtney had begun his role in the Second Doctor story The Web of Fear (1968), where the character was a colonel. Levene had begun in Second Doctor story The Invasion (1968), replacing another actor. Both were members of the military organization United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT). They, along with Sladen, would be the transition cast to carry through from the Third Doctor to the Fourth Doctor, though Robot is the only UNIT story for the twelfth season.
After Robot, all the 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.
The season was initially formatted as the previous Pertwee season had been with three six-part stories and two four-part stories. To this end, the initial structure was to open with the four-part Robot and the four-part Space Station by Christopher Langley followed by three six-parters – Genesis of Terror (later retitled Genesis of the Daleks), Loch Ness, and another six-part story to be determined. Script editor Robert Holmes discussed with Philip Hinchcliffe the possibility of replacing the as-yet undecided six-parter with a four-part story and a two-parter, both with the same production team. The season structure later became two four-part stories (Robot and a replacement for Space Station, The Ark in Space), the new two-parter The Destructors (later retitled The Sontaran Experiment), the six-part Genesis of Terror, and a four-part version of Loch Ness (later retitled Terror of the Zygons and held over for season 13). [7] This decision made The Sontaran Experiment the first two-part story since Season 2's The Rescue . It was also the first to be shot entirely on location since Jon Pertwee's opening story Spearhead from Space in Season 7, and the first to be shot entirely on videotape instead of 16mm film, as was usual for location shooting. [8] As a means of saving money, The Ark in Space and Revenge of the Cybermen were shot on the same sets.
No. story | No. in season | Serial title | Episode titles | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | UK viewers (millions) [9] | AI [9] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
75 | 1 | Robot | "Part One" | Christopher Barry | Terrance Dicks | 28 December 1974 | 4A | 10.8 | 53 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Two" | 4 January 1975 | 10.7 | 53 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Three" | 11 January 1975 | 10.1 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Four" | 18 January 1975 | 9.0 | 51 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A giant robot steals the plans for a disintegrator gun and the launch codes for nuclear weapons. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
76 | 2 | The Ark in Space | "Part One" | Rodney Bennett | Robert Holmes | 25 January 1975 | 4C | 9.4 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Two" | 1 February 1975 | 13.6 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Three" | 8 February 1975 | 11.2 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Four" | 15 February 1975 | 10.2 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thousands of years in the future, an insectoid alien race known as the Wirrn intend to absorb the humans on board Space Station Nerva. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
77 | 3 | The Sontaran Experiment | "Part One" | Rodney Bennett | Bob Baker and Dave Martin | 22 February 1975 | 4B | 11.0 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Two" | 1 March 1975 | 10.5 | 55 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
78 | 4 | Genesis of the Daleks | "Part One" | David Maloney | Terry Nation | 8 March 1975 | 4E | 10.7 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Two" | 15 March 1975 | 10.5 | 57 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Three" | 22 March 1975 | 8.5 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Four" | 29 March 1975 | 8.8 | 58 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Five" | 5 April 1975 | 9.8 | 57 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Six" | 12 April 1975 | 9.1 | 56 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane, and Harry are sent on a mission to Skaro just as the Daleks are being created to try to change their history to prevent them from becoming the dominant race. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
79 | 5 | Revenge of the Cybermen | "Part One" | Michael E. Briant | Gerry Davis | 19 April 1975 | 4D | 9.5 | 57 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Two" | 26 April 1975 | 8.3 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Three" | 3 May 1975 | 8.9 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Four" | 10 May 1975 | 9.4 | 58 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Doctor, Harry and Sarah Jane find themselves on Space Station Nerva but millennia earlier when it was just a beacon for incoming and outgoing space ships, where a lethal infection is spreading through the crew. |
Barry Letts served as producer for Robot , after which he was succeeded by Philip Hinchcliffe. Robert Holmes took over from Terrance Dicks as script editor. [10]
Robot was written by Dicks, who cited King Kong as an influence for the serial. [11] Dicks incorporated several familiar elements from the Third Doctor's first story Spearhead from Space (1970), which helped the audience transition between actors. [12] [13] The Ark in Space was written by Robert Holmes from a story by John Lucarotti that was considered unusable. [14] [15] Letts and Dicks were eager to have Terry Nation return to write the Daleks, but initially found his script too similar to past Dalek adventures. They suggested that he write a Dalek origin story instead, which became Genesis of the Daleks. [16] However, under Hinchcliffe, the serial gained a darker tone. [16]
The sets of The Ark in Space were reused for Revenge of the Cybermen. [17] Genesis of the Daleks was the last serial of the season to be filmed, after Revenge of the Cybermen . [18] This took place in January and February 1975. [19]
The entire season was broadcast from 28 December 1974 to 10 May 1975.
The title sequence for Part One of The Ark in Space was tinted sepia as an experiment, but was not repeated for subsequent episodes. [20]
Season | Story no. | Serial name | Number and duration of episodes | UK release date | Australia release date | USA/Canada release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | 75 | Robot | 4 × 25 min. | February 1992 [21] [22] | July 1992 [22] | May 1994 [22] |
76 | The Ark in Space | 1 × 100 min. 4 x 25min. | June 1989 [23] [24] (Edited) April 1994 [24] [25] (Unedited) | January 1989 [24] | April 1991 [24] | |
77 78 | The Sontaran Experiment Genesis of the Daleks | 8 × 25 min. | October 1991 [26] [27] (2 x VHS released only in UK as part of a boxset "The Sontaran Experiment / The Genesis of the Daleks") | July 1992 [27] (2 x VHS released only in AU as part of a boxset "The Sontaran Experiment / The Genesis of the Daleks") | February 1994 [27] (2 x VHS released only in US as part of a boxset "The Sontaran Experiment / The Genesis of the Daleks") | |
79 | Revenge of the Cybermen | 1 × 100 min. 4 x 25 min. | October 1983 [28] [29] (Edited) May 1984 [29] (Edited 2nd) April 1999 [29] (Unedited) | January 1987 [29] (Edited) December 1999 [29] (Unedited) | December 1986 [29] |
Season | Story no. | Serial name | Number and duration of episodes | UK release date | Australia release date | USA/Canada release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | 79 | Revenge of the Cybermen | 1 × 100 min. | October 1983 (edited) [29] | — | — |
Season | Story no. | Serial name | Number and duration of episodes | UK release date | Australia release date | USA/Canada release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | 79 | Revenge of the Cybermen | 1 × 100 min. | October 1983 (edited) [29] | — | — |
Season | Story no. | Serial name | Number and duration of episodes | UK release date | Australia release date | USA/Canada release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | 76 | The Ark in Space | 4 × 25 min. | October 1996 [30] [31] | — | — |
79 | Revenge of the Cybermen (edited) | 1 x 92 min. | December 1983 [32] [33] | — | — |
All releases are for DVD unless otherwise indicated:
Season | Story no. | Serial name | Number and duration of episodes | R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | 75 | Robot | 4 × 25 min. | 4 June 2007 [34] | 4 July 2007 [35] | 14 August 2007 [36] |
76 | The Ark in Space | 4 × 25 min. | 8 April 2002 [37] | 3 June 2002 [38] | 6 August 2002 [39] | |
The Ark in Space (Special Edition) | 4 × 25 min. | 25 February 2013 [40] | 27 February 2013 [41] | 12 March 2013 [42] | ||
77 | The Sontaran Experiment [lower-alpha 1] | 2 × 25 min. | 9 October 2006 [43] | 7 August 2008 [44] | 6 March 2007 [45] | |
78 | Genesis of the Daleks [lower-alpha 2] | 6 × 25 min. | 10 April 2006 [46] | 4 May 2006 [47] | 6 June 2006 [48] | |
79 | Revenge of the Cybermen [lower-alpha 3] | 4 × 25 min. | 9 August 2010 [49] | 7 October 2010 [50] | 2 November 2010 [51] | |
75–79 | Complete Season 12 [lower-alpha 4] | 20 × 25 min. 1 × 150 min. | 2 July 2018(B) [52] | 1 August 2018(B) [53] | 19 June 2018(B) [54] |
Season | Story no. | Library no. [lower-alpha 1] | Novelisation title | Author | Hardcover release date [lower-alpha 2] | Paperback release date [lower-alpha 3] | Audiobook release date [lower-alpha 4] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | 075 | 28 | Doctor Who and the Giant Robot | Terrance Dicks | 17 April 1986 | 13 March 1975 | 5 November 2007 |
— | Junior Doctor Who and the Giant Robot | December 1979 [55] | Early 1980 [55] | — | |||
076 | 4 | Doctor Who and the Ark in Space | Ian Marter | 21 April 1977 | 10 May 1977 | 16 July 2015 | |
077 | 56 | Doctor Who and the Sontaran Experiment | 7 December 1978 | 7 July 2016 | |||
078 | 27 | Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks | Terrance Dicks | 22 July 1976 | 10 July 2012 [lower-alpha 5] 5 October 2017 | ||
079 | 51 | Doctor Who and the Revenge of the Cybermen | 20 May 1976 | 3 February 2022 [56] |
Thomas Stewart Baker is an English actor and writer. He played the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1974 to 1981.
Genesis of the Daleks is the fourth serial of the twelfth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by Terry Nation and directed by David Maloney, and originally broadcast in six weekly parts from 8 March to 12 April 1975 on BBC1.
Sarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running BBC Television science fiction series Doctor Who and two of its spin-offs. Sarah Jane is a dogged investigative journalist who first encounters alien time traveller the Doctor while trying to break a story on a top secret research facility, and subsequently becomes his travelling companion on a series of adventures spanning the breadth of space and time. After travelling with The Doctor in four seasons of the show they suddenly part ways, and after this she continues to investigate strange goings-on back on Earth. Over time, Sarah Jane establishes herself as a committed defender of Earth from alien invasions and other threats, occasionally reuniting with The Doctor in the course of her own adventures, all the while continuing to work as a freelance investigative journalist.
The Sontaran Experiment is the third serial of the 12th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was originally broadcast on BBC1 on 22 February and 1 March 1975.
John Turner, known professionally as John Nathan-Turner, was an English television producer. He was the ninth producer of the long-running BBC science fiction series Doctor Who and the final producer of the series' first run on television. He finished the role having become the longest-serving Doctor Who producer and cast Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy as the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors, respectively.
The Ark in Space is the second serial of the 12th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 25 January to 15 February 1975.
Robot is the first serial of the 12th season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 28 December 1974 to 18 January 1975. It was the first full serial to feature Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, as well as Ian Marter as new companion Harry Sullivan. The serial brought a full end to the Pertwee era, as it was the final story with the production team of Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks. It was also the final regular appearance of UNIT, who had become regulars starting with the first Jon Pertwee serial Spearhead From Space.
Philip Michael Hinchcliffe is a retired English television producer, screenwriter and script editor. After graduating from Cambridge University, he began his career as a writer and script editor at Associated Television before joining the BBC to produce Doctor Who in one of its most popular eras from 1974 to 1977. In 2010, Hinchcliffe was chosen by Den of Geek as the best ever producer of the series.
Revenge of the Cybermen is the fifth and final serial of the 12th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 19 April to 10 May 1975. It was the first to feature the Cybermen since The Invasion (1968) and the last until Earthshock (1982).
Barry Leopold Letts was an English actor, television director, writer and producer, best known for being the producer of Doctor Who from 1969 to 1974.
The Fourth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Tom Baker.
The twenty-second season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 5 January 1985 and ended on 30 March 1985. It opened with the serial Attack of the Cybermen and ended with the serial Revelation of the Daleks. The season returned to the traditional Saturday transmission for the first time since Season 18, but for the first and only time in the series' first run it featured 45-minute episodes in its entirety. During transmission, BBC1 controller Michael Grade announced an 18-month hiatus for the series, partly citing the violence depicted in the stories of the season. John Nathan-Turner produced the series with Eric Saward as script editor.
The twentieth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 3 January 1983 with the story Arc of Infinity, and ended 16 March 1983 with The King's Demons. A 20th Anniversary special, The Five Doctors, followed in November 1983. John Nathan-Turner produced this series, with Eric Saward script editing.
The thirteenth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 30 August 1975 with the story Terror of the Zygons, and ended with The Seeds of Doom. This is the second series to feature the Fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker, with Philip Hinchcliffe producing and Robert Holmes script editing. In September 2009, it was ranked as readers' favourite season in Doctor Who Magazine issue 413.
The eleventh season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 15 December 1973 with the serial The Time Warrior, and ended with Jon Pertwee's final serial Planet of the Spiders. The season's writing was recognized by the Writer's Guild of Great Britain for Best Children's Drama Script. This is the Third Doctor's fifth and final series, and also the last consecutively to be produced by Barry Letts and script edited by Terrance Dicks. Both Letts and Dicks would work for the programme again, however - Letts in Season 18 and Dicks on future stories, e.g. Horror of Fang Rock.
The tenth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 30 December 1972 with the tenth anniversary special The Three Doctors, and ended with Katy Manning's final serial The Green Death. This is the Third Doctor's fourth series, as well as fourth for producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks.
The ninth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 1 January 1972 with Day of the Daleks, and ended with The Time Monster. This is the third series of the Third Doctor, played by Jon Pertwee, as well as the third to be produced by Barry Letts and script edited by Terrance Dicks.
The seventh season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 3 January 1970 with Jon Pertwee's first story Spearhead from Space and ended with Inferno. The first season to be made in colour, it marked the beginning of Barry Letts's five seasons as series producer, but it has been described as "essentially devised" by his predecessor, Derrick Sherwin, who produced the opening story. The season sees the beginning of the Doctor's exile to Earth by the Time Lords and his attachment to UNIT as its scientific advisor.
Eventually a suggestion by the wife of BBC drama head Bill Slater was followed up and the production team found the wild-eyed and naturally eccentric Tom Baker mixing cement on a building site.
Letts found casting a new Doctor more difficult, however, until a tip-off from his boss Bill Slater. An unemployed actor, then working on a building site, called Tom Baker had written to Slater asking for work. In, arguably, one of the best decisions ever made on Doctor Who, Letts cast Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor.
Having seen unknown hod-carrier Baker in The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad, Letts took the goggle-eyed aspiring actor away from the building site and into the Tardis in 1974.