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. 1966 saw the first radio broadcast of the show.
There have been many Doctor Who radio broadcasts over the years. In addition to a small number of in-house BBC productions, a larger number of radio plays produced by Big Finish began to be broadcast on BBC Radio 7 from 2005, featuring the Eighth Doctor (again played by Paul McGann) with mainstay companions Charley Pollard and later Lucie Miller. Initially, these were broadcasts of Big Finish productions that had already been released on CD. However, the series that began with Blood of the Daleks and concluded with Human Resources was specially commissioned by the BBC from Big Finish for broadcast prior to the CD release. Many more of these were released on CD than were broadcast on the radio; only those plays broadcast by the BBC are listed here. See the list of Doctor Who audio releases as a starting point for other audio plays and audio books, notably the List of Doctor Who audio plays by Big Finish which includes more plays than were broadcast.
| Title | Episodes | Directed by | Written by | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Movietime: "Daleks – Invasion Earth – 2150 A.D." | 1 episode | Tony Luke | Gordon Gow (adaptation) | 18 November 1966 [1] [2] [3] | |
A narrated broadcast of the soundtrack of the second Dalek film on the BBC Light Programme | |||||
| "Exploration Earth: The Time Machine" | 1 episode, 20 minutes | Mike Howarth and David Lyttle | Bernard Venables | 4 October 1976 | |
An educational Radio 4 drama featuring the Fourth Doctor | |||||
| Slipback | 6 episodes, 10 minutes each | Paul Spencer | Eric Saward | 25 July – 8 August 1985 | |
A Radio 4 serial featuring the Sixth Doctor | |||||
| The Paradise of Death | 5 episodes, 30 minutes each | Phil Clarke | Barry Letts | 27 August – 24 September 1993 | |
A Radio 5 serial featuring the Third Doctor | |||||
| Doctor Who and the Ghosts of N-Space | 6 episodes, 30 minutes each | Phil Clarke | Barry Letts | 20 January – 24 February 1996 | |
A Radio 2 drama featuring the Third Doctor | |||||
The following are all Eighth Doctor dramas produced by Big Finish and broadcast on BBC Radio 7.
| Title | Episodes | Directed by | Written by | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storm Warning | 4 episodes, 25 minutes each | Gary Russell | Alan Barnes | 6–27 August 2005 |
| Sword of Orion | 4 episodes, 25 minutes each | Nicholas Briggs | Nicholas Briggs | 3–24 September 2005 |
| The Stones of Venice | 4 episodes, 25 minutes each | Gary Russell | Paul Magrs | 1–22 October 2005 |
| Invaders from Mars | 4 episodes, 25 minutes each | Mark Gatiss | Mark Gatiss | 29 October – 19 November 2005 |
| Shada | 1 episode, 150 minutes | Nicholas Pegg | Douglas Adams & Gary Russell | 10 December 2005 |
| The Chimes of Midnight | 4 episodes, 25 minutes each | Barnaby Edwards | Robert Shearman | 17 December 2005 – 7 January 2006 |
| Blood of the Daleks | 2 episodes, 50 minutes each | Nicholas Briggs | Steve Lyons | 31 December 2006 – 7 January 2007 |
| Horror of Glam Rock | 1 episode, 50 minutes | Barnaby Edwards | Paul Magrs | 14 January 2007 |
| Immortal Beloved | 1 episode, 50 minutes | Jason Haigh-Ellery | Jonathan Clements | 21 January 2007 |
| Phobos | 1 episode, 50 minutes | Barnaby Edwards | Eddie Robson | 28 January 2007 |
| No More Lies | 1 episode, 50 minutes | Barnaby Edwards | Paul Sutton | 4 February 2007 |
| Human Resources | 2 episodes, 50 minutes each | Nicholas Briggs | Eddie Robson | 11–18 February 2007 |
| Dead London | 1 episode, 50 minutes | Barnaby Edwards | Pat Mills | 19 October 2008 |
| Max Warp | 1 episode, 50 minutes | Barnaby Edwards | Jonathan Morris | 26 October 2008 |
| Brave New Town | 1 episode, 50 minutes | Barnaby Edwards | Jonathan Clements | 2 November 2008 |
| The Skull of Sobek | 1 episode, 50 minutes | Barnaby Edwards | Marc Platt | 9 November 2008 |
| Grand Theft Cosmos | 1 episode, 50 minutes | Barnaby Edwards | Eddie Robson | 19 November 2008 |
| The Zygon Who Fell to Earth | 1 episode, 50 minutes | Barnaby Edwards | Paul Magrs | 23 November 2008 |
| Sisters of the Flame | 1 episode, 55 minutes | Nicholas Briggs | Nicholas Briggs | 31 October 2009 [4] |
| Vengeance of Morbius | 1 episode, 55 minutes | Nicholas Briggs | Nicholas Briggs | 18 December 2009 |
| Orbis | 2 episodes, 30 minutes each | Nicholas Briggs | Alan Barnes & Nicholas Briggs | 16–23 May 2010 |
| The Beast of Orlok | 2 episodes, 30 minutes each | Barnaby Edwards | Barnaby Edwards | 30 May – 6 June 2010 |
| Scapegoat | 2 episodes, 30 minutes each | Nicholas Briggs | Pat Mills | 13–20 June 2010 |
| The Cannibalists | 2 episodes, 30 minutes each | Jason Haigh-Ellery | Jonathan Morris | 27 June – 4 July 2010 |
| Death in Blackpool | 1 60-minute episode | Barnaby Edwards | Alan Barnes | 7 January 2013 |
| Situation Vacant | 1 60-minute episode | Nicholas Briggs | Eddie Robson | 8 January 2013 |
| Nevermore | 1 60-minute episode | Nicholas Briggs | Alan Barnes | 9 January 2013 |
| The Books of Kells | 1 60-minute episode | Barnaby Edwards | Barnaby Edwards | 10 January 2013 |
| Deimos | 1 60-minute episode | Barnaby Edwards | Jonathan Morris | 11 January 2013 |
| The Resurrection of Mars | 1 60-minute episode | Barnaby Edwards | Jonathan Morris | 14 January 2013 |
| Relative Dimensions | 1 60-minute episode | Barnaby Edwards | Marc Platt | 15 January 2013 |
| Prisoner of the Sun | 1 60-minute episode | Jason Haigh-Ellery | Eddie Robson | 16 January 2013 |
| Lucie Miller | 1 60-minute episode | Nicholas Briggs | Nicholas Briggs | 17 January 2013 |
| To the Death | 1 60-minute episode | Nicholas Briggs | Nicholas Briggs | 18 January 2013 |
In 2011, BBC Radio 4 Extra aired a series of three Fifth Doctor dramas produced by Big Finish. They continued with five more from September 2015.
| Title | Episodes | Directed by | Written by | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cobwebs | 4 episodes, 30 minutes each | Barnaby Edwards | Jonathan Morris | 16–20 May 2011 [5] |
| The Whispering Forest | 4 episodes, 30 minutes each | Barnaby Edwards | Stephen Cole | 20–25 May 2011 [5] |
| The Cradle of the Snake | 4 episodes, 30 minutes each | Barnaby Edwards | Marc Platt | 26 May – 1 June 2011 |
| Heroes of Sontar | 2 episodes, 60 minutes each | Ken Bentley | Alan Barnes | 26 September – 3 October 2015 [6] [7] |
| The Demons of Red Lodge | 1 episode, 30 minutes | Ken Bentley | Jason Arnopp | 10 October 2015 |
| The Entropy Composition | 1 episode, 30 minutes | Ken Bently | Rick Briggs | 17 October 2015 |
| Doing Time | 1 episode, 30 minutes | Ken Bently | William Gallagher | 24 October 2015 |
| Special Features | 1 episode, 30 minutes | Ken Bently | John Dorney | 7 November 2015 |
December 2011 saw the broadcast of the Fourth Doctor audio Hornets' Nest on BBC Radio 4 Extra. In May 2015, the first series of Fourth Doctor adventures from Big Finish Productions was broadcast featuring Tom Baker and Louise Jameson. The sequels to Hornets' Nest, Demon Quest and Serpent Crest followed in December 2016 and February 2017 respectively.
| Title | Episodes | Directed by | Written by | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Stuff of Nightmares | 2 episodes, 30 minutes each | Kate Thomas | Paul Magrs | 12–13 December 2011 [8] [9] |
| The Dead Shoes | 2 episodes, 30 minutes each | Kate Thomas | Paul Magrs | 14–15 December 2011 [10] [11] |
| The Circus of Doom | 2 episodes, 30 minutes each | Kate Thomas | Paul Magrs | 16 & 19 December 2011 [12] [13] |
| A Sting in the Tale | 2 episodes, 30 minutes each | Kate Thomas | Paul Magrs | 20–21 December 2011 [14] [15] |
| Hive of Horror | 2 episodes, 30 minutes each | Kate Thomas | Paul Magrs | 22–23 December 2011 [16] [17] |
In 2012, BBC Radio 4 Extra began a series of Seventh Doctor dramas produced by Big Finish.
| Title | Episodes | Directed by | Written by | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Thousand Tiny Wings | 3 episodes, 30 minutes each | Lisa Bowerman | Andy Lane | 21–23 May 2012 |
| Survival of the Fittest | 4 episodes, 30 minutes each | John Ainsworth | Jonathan Clements | 24–29 May 2012 [18] [19] [20] [21] |
| The Architects of History | 4 episodes, 30 minutes each | John Ainsworth | Steve Lyons | 30 May – 4 June 2012 [22] [23] |
In 2016, BBC Radio 4 Extra began a series of Sixth Doctor dramas produced by Big Finish.
| Title | Episodes | Directed by | Written by | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Crimes of Thomas Brewster | 2 episodes, 55 minutes each | Nicholas Briggs | Jonathan Morris | 28 May – 4 June 2016 [24] |
| Industrial Evolution | 2 episodes, 55 minutes each | Nicholas Briggs | Eddie Robson | 11 – 18 June 2016 [25] |
| The Curse of Davros | 2 episodes, 55 minutes each | Nicholas Briggs | Jonathan Morris | 25 June – 2 July 2016 [26] |
BBC Radio 4 Extra has aired some of BBC Audio's audiobook readings of Classic Series novelisations, all read by Tom Baker.
| Title | Episodes | Directed by | Written by | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Who and the Giant Robot | 8 episodes, 30 min each | Tom Baker | Terrance Dicks | 5–14 April 2010 [27] |
| Doctor Who and The Brain of Morbius | 8 episodes, 30 min each | Tom Baker | Terrance Dicks | 15–26 April 2010 [27] |
| Doctor Who and the Creature from the Pit | 7 episodes, 30 min each | Tom Baker | David Fisher | 27 April – 5 May 2010 [27] |
| Doctor Who and the Pyramids of Mars | 6 episodes, 30 min each | Tom Baker | Terrance Dicks | 26 December 2011 – 2 January 2012 [27] |
In 2013, BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast 8 audio adventures and talking books from both Big Finish and Audio Go under the title of "Doctor Who at 50".
| Title | Episodes | Directed by | Written by | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Who and the Daleks | 10 episodes, 30 mins each | William Russell | David Whitaker | 16 November 2013 [28] |
| Protect and Survive | 4 episodes, 30 mins each | Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred & Philip Olivier | Jonathan Morris | 17 November 2013 [28] |
| 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men | 4 episodes, 30 mins each | Peter Davison & Sarah Sutton | Eddie Robson | 18 November 2013 [28] |
| A Thousand Tiny Wings | 3 episodes, 30 mins each | Sylvester McCoy & Tracey Childs | Andy Lane | 19 November 2013 [28] |
| Farewell, Great Macedon | 3 episodes, 2 x 30 mins & 1 x 165 mins | William Russell & Carol Ann Ford | Moris Farhi; adapted by Nigel Robinson | 20 November 2013 [28] |
| Human Resources | 2 episodes, 60 mins each | Paul McGann & Sheridan Smith | Eddie Robson | 21 November 2013 [28] |
| Doctor Who and the Dalek Invasion of Earth | 2 episodes, 1 x 60 mins & 1 x 195 mins | William Russell | Terrance Dicks | 22 November 2013 [28] |
| Lucie Miller / To the Death | 2 episodes, 60 mins each | Paul McGann & Sheridan Smith | Nicholas Briggs | 24 November 2013 |
Death Comes to Time was released on CD by the BBC, and later re-released as an MP3 CD featuring the original illustrations. Real Time and Shada were released on CD by Big Finish. The webcast for Shada was released on DVD on 7 January 2013 as part of 'The Legacy Collection' and is only viewable on a PC or MAC. Scream of the Shalka was released in novel form in the Past Doctor Adventures series. While it has been classified for DVD release by the BBFC, [29] a planned release was postponed due to the programme's return to television. It was later released on 16 September 2013. [30]
| Title | Episodes | Directed by | Written by | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death Comes to Time | 13 parts, 140 minutes in total | Dan Freedman | Colin Meek | 13 July 2001 (pilot) 14 February – 3 May 2002 (regular) | |
| Real Time | 6 parts, 12 minutes each | Gary Russell | Gary Russell | 2 August – 6 September 2002 | |
An illustrated audio webcast for BBCi featuring the Sixth Doctor. | |||||
| Shada | 6 parts, 25 minutes each | Nicholas Pegg | Douglas Adams | 2 May – 6 June 2003 | |
An illustrated audio webcast for BBCi featuring the Eighth Doctor in a remake of the unfinished Fourth Doctor serial. | |||||
| Scream of the Shalka | 6 parts, 15 minutes each | Wilson Milam | Paul Cornell | 13 November – 18 December 2003 | |
Animated webcast for BBCi featuring an alternative version of the Ninth Doctor known as the Shalka Doctor, played by Richard E. Grant. | |||||
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterrestrial being called the Doctor, part of a humanoid species called Time Lords. The Doctor travels in the universe and in time using a time travelling spaceship called the TARDIS, which externally appears as a British police box. While travelling, the Doctor works to save lives and liberate oppressed peoples by combating foes. The Doctor often travels with companions.
Shada is a story from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by the series' script editor Douglas Adams, it was intended as the final serial of the 1979–80 season but was never originally completed, owing to strike action at the BBC during studio recording. Entering production as a six-part story in 1979, plans were later revised for the story to be broadcast as a four-part story in 1980. Ultimately however, the story was never completed in either format.
Thomas Stewart Baker is an English actor and writer. He is best known for having played the fourth incarnation and longest serving Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1974 to 1981.
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on science fiction properties. These include Doctor Who, the characters Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog from 2000 AD, Blake's 7, Dark Shadows, Dracula, Terrahawks, Sapphire & Steel, Sherlock Holmes, Stargate, The Avengers, The Prisoner, Timeslip, and Torchwood.
William Nicholas Stone Courtney was an Egyptian-born British actor. He was best known for his long-running role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who.
Elisabeth Clara Heath-Sladen was an English actress. She became best known as Sarah Jane Smith in the British television series Doctor Who, appearing as a regular cast member from 1973 to 1976, alongside both Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, and reprising the role many times in subsequent decades, both on Doctor Who and its spin-offs, K-9 and Company (1981) and The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–2011).
Doctor Who Confidential is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly television episode on BBC One. The first and second series episodes ran 30 minutes each; third series instalments ran 45 minutes. BBC Three also broadcast a cut-down edition of the programme, lasting 15 minutes, shown after the repeats on Sundays and Fridays and after the weekday evening repeats of earlier seasons. Confidential received its own version of the Doctor Who theme tune, at least three different versions of the theme appeared in the series.
India Fisher is a British actress, narrator and presenter. Her father is the ex-MP Mark Fisher. She is also the stepsister of musician Crispin Hunt and of actress Francesca Hunt, who appears with her in the play Other Lives.
Nicholas Briggs is an English actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer. He is associated with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Daleks and the Cybermen in the 21st century series.
Several portions of the long-running British science-fiction television programme Doctor Who are no longer held by the BBC. Between 1967 and 1978, the BBC routinely deleted archive programmes for various practical reasons—lack of space, scarcity of materials, and a lack of rebroadcast rights. As a result, 97 of 253 episodes from the programme's first six years are currently missing, primarily from seasons 3, 4 and 5, leaving 26 serials incomplete. Many more were considered lost until recovered from various sources, mostly overseas broadcasters.
A number of officially licensed audio productions based upon the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who have been produced over the years.
The Paradise of Death is a 5-part BBC radio drama, based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and starring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor.
The Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television programme that was produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies, and starring Elisabeth Sladen. The programme is a spin-off of the long-running BBC science fiction programme Doctor Who and is aimed at a younger audience than Doctor Who. It focuses on the adventures of Sarah Jane Smith, an investigative journalist who, as a young woman, had numerous adventures across time and space with the Doctor. Following Sladen's death in 2011, the BBC confirmed that the show would not return for a sixth series.
Hornets' Nest is an audio play in five episodes based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is written by Paul Magrs, and stars Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Richard Franklin as Captain Mike Yates. It was released on five CDs by BBC Audiobooks between September and December 2009, as well as on a special, individually signed, 10 black and yellow coloured LP box set edition in May 2022. They feature multiple actors, but all five episodes contain some degree of narration by different characters.
Demon Quest is an audio play in five episodes based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is written by Paul Magrs, and stars Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Richard Franklin as Captain Mike Yates. It was released on five CDs by BBC Audiobooks between September and December 2010 and is a sequel to 2009's Hornets' Nest. They feature multiple actors, but all five episodes contain some degree of narration by different characters. It was first broadcast in 10 half-hour episodes on BBC Radio 4 Extra from 19 to 30 December 2016.
Protect and Survive is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was released on CD and download in July 2012, and was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra on 17 November 2013 as part of the Doctor Who 50th-anniversary celebrations.
There have been three producers of Blake's 7 audio dramas: BBC Radio, B7 Productions and Big Finish Productions.
The Eighth Doctor Adventures is a Big Finish Productions audio play series based on the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It sees the return of Paul McGann reprising his role as the Eighth Doctor from the 1996 television movie.
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