Doctor Who | |
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Season 21 | |
![]() Cover art of the Region 2 DVD release for first serial of the season | |
Starring | |
No. of stories | 7 |
No. of episodes | 24 |
Release | |
Original network | BBC1 |
Original release | 5 January – 30 March 1984 |
Season chronology | |
The twenty-first season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 5 January 1984 with the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) serial Warriors of the Deep , and ended on 30 March 1984 with Colin Baker's first serial The Twin Dilemma . For the third time (the first being during Season 4 and second being Season 18), the entire TARDIS crew changed over the course of a single season. John Nathan-Turner produced the series, with Eric Saward script editing.
Peter Davison makes his final regular appearance as the Doctor in The Caves of Androzani . Colin Baker makes his first full appearance as the Doctor in the final serial The Twin Dilemma .
Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka) and Mark Strickson (Vislor Turlough) continue their roles as the Fifth Doctor's companions for their final season, Janet Fielding leaves in Resurrection of the Daleks and Mark Strickson departs in Planet of Fire . New companion Peri Brown played by Nicola Bryant makes her first appearance in Planet of Fire .
The shape-shifting Android Companion Kamelion, played by Gerald Flood, makes his second and final appearance in Planet of Fire, though the character itself – along with other Fifth Doctor companions who left by this story (Tegan, Nyssa, Adric, and Turlough) – all make illusionary cameos as the Doctor regenerates at the climax of The Caves of Androzani .
Anthony Ainley returns in Planet of Fire as the Master, which was intended to be his final appearance. Ainley, like other departed fifth Doctor companions make illusionary cameos as the Doctor regenerates.
Davros makes his first appearance since Destiny of the Daleks (1979) this time played by Terry Molloy.
Episodes were broadcast twice weekly on Thursday and Friday evenings, with Resurrection of the Daleks broadcast on two consecutive Wednesday nights.
Resurrection of the Daleks was planned as a standard four-parter. [1] However, the BBC's coverage of the 1984 Winter Olympics meant that Doctor Who's normal timeslot was unavailable. Rather than delay broadcasting the story, the decision was taken to produce it as a pair of double length episodes and broadcast it in the unfamiliar Wednesday timeslot.
The Caves of Androzani was the first time since Season 4's The Tenth Planet that the introduction of a new Doctor had taken place before the final serial of the season.
No. story | No. in season | Serial title | Episode titles | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | UK viewers (millions) [2] | AI [2] | ||||||||||||||||||
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130 | 1 | Warriors of the Deep | "Part One" | Pennant Roberts | Johnny Byrne | 5 January 1984 | 6L | 7.6 | 65 | ||||||||||||||||||
"Part Two" | 6 January 1984 | 7.5 | 64 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Three" | 12 January 1984 | 7.3 | 62 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Four" | 13 January 1984 | 6.6 | 65 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The TARDIS materialises in a seabase in the year 2084. Earth in the late 21st century is divided between two power blocs waging a bitter cold war, forever threatening to escalate into violent conflict. Mysterious accidents have been occurring on the seabase, including the deaths of key personnel. Investigating, the Doctor, Tegan and Turlough discover that not only have double agents infiltrated the seabase, but the Doctor's old foes, the Silurians and Sea Devils, are plotting to use the seabase to set off a war which will decimate humanity. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
131 | 2 | The Awakening | "Part One" | Michael Owen Morris | Eric Pringle | 19 January 1984 | 6M | 7.9 | 65 | ||||||||||||||||||
"Part Two" | 20 January 1984 | 6.6 | 63 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Doctor takes Tegan to the village of Little Hodcombe to visit her grandfather. The villagers, led by Sir George Hutchinson, are reenacting events from the English Civil War, including skirmishes which took place near the town. But the recreations have revived the Malus, an alien entity buried beneath a ruined church which feeds on the passions inflamed by war and death. Time is becoming distorted while Hutchinson – who has fallen under the Malus' influence – works to set the creature free, putting Tegan's life at risk in the process. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
132 | 3 | Frontios | "Part One" | Ron Jones | Christopher H. Bidmead | 26 January 1984 | 6N | 8.0 | 66 | ||||||||||||||||||
"Part Two" | 27 January 1984 | 5.8 | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Three" | 2 February 1984 | 7.8 | 65 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Four" | 3 February 1984 | 5.6 | 65 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The TARDIS arrives on the planet Frontios in the far future, where the last vestiges of humanity crashlanded years earlier. The struggling colony is beset by disasters, including deadly meteorite showers and the disappearance of several prominent colonists who have been sucked down beneath the ground. The Doctor, Tegan and Turlough discover that the culprits are the Gravis and his Tractators, giant insects with incredible powers over gravity. The Gravis intends to transform Frontios into an enormous spaceship, and spread the terror of the Tractators across the galaxy. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
133 | 4 | Resurrection of the Daleks | "Part One" | Matthew Robinson | Eric Saward | 8 February 1984 | 6P | 7.3 | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||
"Part Two" | 15 February 1984 | 8.0 | 65 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Doctor, Tegan and Turlough are nearly torn apart in a Dalek time corridor which connects a warehouse on modern-day Earth with a spacecraft in the future. The Daleks have lost the war with the Movellans due to a virus which affects only their kind. Now, with the help of the mercenary Lytton, they intend to free the imprisoned Davros and force him to create an antidote. Once successful, the Daleks will at last be in a position to destroy the Movellans and rampage across the cosmos. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
134 | 5 | Planet of Fire | "Part One" | Fiona Cumming | Peter Grimwade | 23 February 1984 | 6Q | 7.4 | — | ||||||||||||||||||
"Part Two" | 24 February 1984 | 6.1 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Three" | 1 March 1984 | 7.4 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Four" | 2 March 1984 | 7.0 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Turlough rescues a drowning botany student named Peri Brown and brings her to the TARDIS to recuperate. Before Peri can bid her farewells, Kamelion – once again under the Master's control – takes the TARDIS to the planet Sarn. There his mission is to find the Master, who has been diminished to just inches in height following a mishap with his tissue compression eliminator, and restore him using the healing properties of Sarn's miraculous numismaton flames. But Sarn hides a mysterious connection to Turlough's past – a connection which may prove to be the catalyst in the Master's scheme. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
135 | 6 | The Caves of Androzani | "Part One" | Graeme Harper | Robert Holmes | 8 March 1984 | 6R | 6.9 | 65 | ||||||||||||||||||
"Part Two" | 9 March 1984 | 6.6 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Three" | 15 March 1984 | 7.8 | 65 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Four" | 16 March 1984 | 7.8 | 68 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
After landing on the planet Androzani Minor, the Doctor and Peri develop lethal spectrox toxaemia poisoning. As the two search for a cure before it is too late, they become enmeshed in a decades-old feud between the disfigured roboticist Sharaz Jek and businessman Morgus. Jek falls in love with Peri, but the situation only degenerates when the girl rebuffs his affections. Between threats from Magma beasts and gun runners, it quickly becomes apparent that the Doctor will never find a cure in time to save both himself and his companion. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
136 | 7 | The Twin Dilemma | "Part One" | Peter Moffatt | Anthony Steven | 22 March 1984 | 6S | 7.6 | 61 | ||||||||||||||||||
"Part Two" | 23 March 1984 | 7.4 | 66 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Three" | 29 March 1984 | 7.0 | 59 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Part Four" | 30 March 1984 | 6.3 | 67 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Doctor experiences serious regenerative instability, causing him to attack Peri and then decide to live as a hermit on the barren asteroid Titan 3. There he stumbles upon a plot by his old friend, the Time Lord Azmael, who has kidnapped twin mathematical geniuses named Romulus and Remus. Azmael's adopted planet, Jaconda, has been taken over by the sluglike Mestor and his Gastropods, forcing the Time Lord to do Mestor's bidding. But even Azmael is unaware of Mestor's true plan – to destroy Jaconda's sun, and thereby scatter Gastropod eggs throughout the universe. |
During this season, the title card was slightly modified for the final serial The Twin Dilemma , and continued during Colin Baker's reign as the Sixth Doctor until the end of the season 23 14 episode epic The Trial of a Time Lord . [3]
The entire season was broadcast from 5 January to 30 March 1984. Transmission moved to Thursdays and Fridays, except for Resurrection of the Daleks which was aired in two double-length episodes on Wednesdays.
Season | Story no. | Serial name | Number and duration of episodes | UK release date | Australia release date | USA/Canada release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
21 | 130 | Warriors of the Deep | 4 x 25 mins | September 1995 | July 1996 | May 1997 |
131 132 | The Awakening Frontios | 6 x 25 mins | September 1997 2 x VHS | March 1998 | March 1998 2 x VHS | |
133 | Resurrection of the Daleks | 4 x 25 mins | November 1993 | February 1994 | May 1994 | |
134 | Planet of Fire | 4 x 25 mins | September 1998 | January 1999 | November 1998 | |
135 | The Caves of Androzani | 4 x 25 mins | February 1992 | May 1992 | October 1992 | |
136 | The Twin Dilemma | 4 x 25 min. | May 1992 | May 1993 | October 1993 |
All releases are for DVD
Season | Story no. | Serial name | Number and duration of episodes | R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
21 | 130 | Warriors of the Deep [a] | 4 × 25 min. | 14 January 2008 [4] | 5 March 2008 [5] | 3 June 2008 [6] |
131 | The Awakening [b] | 2 × 25 min. | 20 June 2011 [7] | 4 August 2011 [8] | 12 July 2011 [9] | |
132 | Frontios | 4 × 25 min. | 30 May 2011 [10] | 7 July 2011 [11] | 14 June 2011 [12] | |
133 | Resurrection of the Daleks [c] | 4 × 25 min. [d] | 18 November 2002 [13] | 30 January 2003 [14] | 1 July 2003 [15] | |
Resurrection of the Daleks (Special Edition) [e] | 4 × 25 min. [f] 2 × 46 min. [g] | 28 March 2011 [16] | 5 May 2011 [17] | 12 June 2012 [18] | ||
134 | Planet of Fire [h] | 4 × 25 min. [i] 1 × 66 min. [j] | 14 June 2010 [19] | 5 August 2010 [20] | 7 September 2010 [21] | |
135 | The Caves of Androzani [k] | 4 × 25 min. | 18 June 2001 [22] | 7 January 2002 [23] | 2 April 2002 [24] | |
The Caves of Androzani (Special Edition) [l] | 4 × 25 min. | 4 October 2010 [25] | 2 December 2010 [26] | 14 February 2012 [27] | ||
136 | The Twin Dilemma | 4 × 25 min. | 7 September 2009 [28] | 3 December 2009 [29] | 5 January 2010 [30] |
Season | Story no. | Library no. [a] | Novelisation title | Author | Hardcover release date [b] | Paperback release date [c] | Audiobook release date [d] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
21 | 130 | 87 | Warriors of the Deep | Terrance Dicks | 24 May 1984 | 16 August 1984 | 5 June 1995 (abridged) 4 May 2023 [31] (unabridged) |
131 | 95 | The Awakening | Eric Pringle | 14 February 1985 | 13 June 1985 | 8 July 2010 | |
132 | 91 | Frontios | Christopher H. Bidmead | 20 September 1984 | 10 December 1984 | 2 March 2010 [e] 16 April 2015 | |
133 | — | Resurrection of the Daleks | Eric Saward | 18 July 2019 | 11 March 2021 | 1 August 2019 | |
134 | 93 | Planet of Fire | Peter Grimwade | 18 October 1984 | 17 January 1985 | 5 June 2025 [32] | |
135 | 92 | The Caves of Androzani | Terrance Dicks | 15 November 1984 | 14 February 1985 | 1 November 2018 | |
136 | 103 | The Twin Dilemma | Eric Saward | 10 October 1985 | 13 March 1986 | 5 January 2012 |
The Caves of Androzani is the sixth serial of the 21st season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 8 to 16 March 1984.
Vislor Turlough is a fictional character played by Mark Strickson in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was a companion of the Fifth Doctor, being a regular in the programme from 1983 to 1984. Turlough appeared in 10 stories.
The sixteenth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, known collectively as The Key to Time, began on 2 September 1978 with The Ribos Operation, and ended with The Armageddon Factor. The arc was originally conceived by producer Graham Williams, who had proposed it as part of his application for the producer's job in 1976. The name refers to the powerful artefact, the segments of which are what the Fourth Doctor and his companions, Romana and K9, search for during the season. Anthony Read continued in his role as script editor, from the previous season. Douglas Adams also became script editor alongside Read.
Planet of Fire is the fifth serial of the 21st season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 23 February to 2 March 1984.
The twenty-fifth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 5 October 1988. It comprised four separate serials, beginning with Remembrance of the Daleks and ending with The Greatest Show in the Galaxy. To mark the 25th anniversary season, producer John Nathan-Turner brought back the Daleks and the Cybermen. The American New Jersey Network also made a special behind-the-scenes documentary called The Making of Doctor Who, which followed the production of the 25th anniversary story Silver Nemesis. Andrew Cartmel script edited the series.
The twenty-fourth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 7 September 1987 with Sylvester McCoy's first story Time and the Rani, and ended with Dragonfire. John Nathan-Turner produced the series, with Andrew Cartmel script editing.
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 nineteenth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 4 January 1982 with Castrovalva, and ended with Time-Flight. John Nathan-Turner produced the series, with two script editors: Anthony Root and Eric Saward.
The eighteenth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who consisted of seven four-episode serials broadcast from 30 August 1980 with the serial The Leisure Hive, to 21 March 1981 with the serial Logopolis. The season is Tom Baker's final as the Fourth Doctor before his regeneration into the Fifth Doctor, as well as Lalla Ward's as companion Romana II and John Leeson's as the voice of K9. For the second time, the entire main cast changed over the course of a single season. The season also sees the debut of Matthew Waterhouse as Adric, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, and Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka, the three of whom would remain regular companions into the Fifth Doctor's era, as well as the return of the Master, portrayed both by Geoffrey Beevers and Anthony Ainley.
The seventeenth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 1 September 1979 with the story Destiny of the Daleks, and ended with The Horns of Nimon. This was Graham Williams' final series producing Doctor Who. The script editor was Douglas Adams.
The fifteenth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 3 September 1977 with the serial Horror of Fang Rock, and ended with The Invasion of Time. The fourth series for the Fourth Doctor, new producer Graham Williams became producer for this series, while Robert Holmes left script editing for Anthony Read midway through.
The fourteenth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 4 September 1976 with The Masque of Mandragora, and ended with The Talons of Weng-Chiang. The third Fourth Doctor series, it was the final series of Philip Hinchcliffe's production, whilst Robert Holmes stayed till The Sun Makers in the next series.
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 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.
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 sixth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 10 August 1968 with the first story of season 6 The Dominators and ended Patrick Troughton's reign as the Doctor with its final story The War Games. Only 37 out of 44 episodes are held in the BBC archives; 7 remain missing. As a result, 2 serials are incomplete: only episode 2 of the 6-part story The Space Pirates still exists, while The Invasion has had its two missing episodes reconstructed using animation.
The fifth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 2 September 1967 with the first story of season 5 The Tomb of the Cybermen and ended on 1 June 1968 with The Wheel in Space. Only 22 out of 40 episodes are held in the BBC archives; 18 remain missing. As a result, only 2 serials exist entirely. However, The Abominable Snowmen, The Ice Warriors, The Web of Fear, and Fury from the Deep have had their missing episodes reconstructed using animation.