List of Doctor Who episodes (1963–1989)

Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. As of 22 June 2024,^[update] 883 episodes of Doctor Who have aired. This includes one television movie and multiple specials, and encompasses 311 stories over 40 seasons, starting in 1963. Additionally, four charity specials and two animated serials have also 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.^[1]

Doctor Who ceased production in 1989 after 695 episodes. A one-off TV movie was produced in the US in 1996, before the series resumed in 2005. The original series (1963–1989), 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.

For the first two seasons of Doctor Who and most of the third (1963–1966), 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 serials 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.^[2] 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,^[3] and whether the unfinished serial Shada should be included.^[4] The numbering scheme in this list follows the official website's episode guide.^[2] 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 (1979–1980).

The following table dictates the season or series in question for the programme as a whole.

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.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code [9]	UK viewers (millions) [10][11][12]	AI [10][11][12]
1	1	An Unearthly Child	"An Unearthly Child"	Waris Hussein	Anthony Coburn and C. E. Webber (uncredited)	23 November 1963 (1963-11-23)	A	4.4	63
			"The Cave of Skulls"		Anthony Coburn	30 November 1963 (1963-11-30)		5.9	59
			"The Forest of Fear"		Anthony Coburn	7 December 1963 (1963-12-07)		6.9	56
			"The Firemaker"		Anthony Coburn	14 December 1963 (1963-12-14)		6.4	55
2	2	The Daleks	"The Dead Planet"	Christopher Barry	Terry Nation	21 December 1963 (1963-12-21)	B	6.9	59
			"The Survivors"	Christopher Barry		28 December 1963 (1963-12-28)		6.4	58
			"The Escape"	Richard Martin		4 January 1964 (1964-01-04)		8.9	63
			"The Ambush"	Christopher Barry		11 January 1964 (1964-01-11)		9.9	63
			"The Expedition"	Christopher Barry		18 January 1964 (1964-01-18)		9.9	63
			"The Ordeal"	Richard Martin		25 January 1964 (1964-01-25)		10.4	63
			"The Rescue"	Richard Martin		1 February 1964 (1964-02-01)		10.4	65
3	3	The Edge of Destruction	"The Edge of Destruction"	Richard Martin	David Whitaker	8 February 1964 (1964-02-08)	C	10.4	61
			"The Brink of Disaster"	Frank Cox		15 February 1964 (1964-02-15)		9.9	60
4	4	Marco Polo	"The Roof of the World"†	Waris Hussein	John Lucarotti	22 February 1964 (1964-02-22)	D	9.4	63
			"The Singing Sands"†	Waris Hussein		29 February 1964 (1964-02-29)		9.4	62
			"Five Hundred Eyes"†	Waris Hussein		7 March 1964 (1964-03-07)		9.4	62
			"The Wall of Lies"†	John Crockett		14 March 1964 (1964-03-14)		9.9	60
			"Rider from Shang-Tu"†	Waris Hussein		21 March 1964 (1964-03-21)		9.4	59
			"Mighty Kublai Khan"†	Waris Hussein		28 March 1964 (1964-03-28)		8.4	59
			"Assassin at Peking"†	Waris Hussein		4 April 1964 (1964-04-04)		10.4	59
5	5	The Keys of Marinus	"The Sea of Death"	John Gorrie	Terry Nation	11 April 1964 (1964-04-11)	E	9.9	62
			"The Velvet Web"			18 April 1964 (1964-04-18)		9.4	60
			"The Screaming Jungle"			25 April 1964 (1964-04-25)		9.9	61
			"The Snows of Terror"			2 May 1964 (1964-05-02)		10.4	60
			"Sentence of Death"			9 May 1964 (1964-05-09)		7.9	61
			"The Keys of Marinus"			16 May 1964 (1964-05-16)		6.9	63
6	6	The Aztecs	"The Temple of Evil"	John Crockett	John Lucarotti	23 May 1964 (1964-05-23)	F	7.4	62
			"The Warriors of Death"			30 May 1964 (1964-05-30)		7.4	62
			"The Bride of Sacrifice"			6 June 1964 (1964-06-06)		7.9	57
			"The Day of Darkness"			13 June 1964 (1964-06-13)		7.4	58
7	7	The Sensorites	"Strangers in Space"	Mervyn Pinfield	Peter R. Newman	20 June 1964 (1964-06-20)	G	7.9	59
			"The Unwilling Warriors"	Mervyn Pinfield		27 June 1964 (1964-06-27)		6.9	59
			"Hidden Danger"	Mervyn Pinfield		11 July 1964 (1964-07-11)		7.4	56
			"A Race Against Death"	Mervyn Pinfield		18 July 1964 (1964-07-18)		5.5	60
			"Kidnap"	Frank Cox		25 July 1964 (1964-07-25)		6.9	57
			"A Desperate Venture"	Frank Cox		1 August 1964 (1964-08-01)		6.9	57
8	8	The Reign of Terror	"A Land of Fear"	Henric Hirsch	Dennis Spooner	8 August 1964 (1964-08-08)	H	6.9	58
			"Guests of Madame Guillotine"			15 August 1964 (1964-08-15)		6.9	54
			"A Change of Identity"			22 August 1964 (1964-08-22)		6.9	55
			"The Tyrant of France"†			29 August 1964 (1964-08-29)		6.4	53
			"A Bargain of Necessity"†			5 September 1964 (1964-09-05)		6.9	53
			"Prisoners of Conciergerie"			12 September 1964 (1964-09-12)		6.4	55

^† Episode is missing

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.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code [9]	UK viewers (millions) [12][13][14]	AI [12][13][14]
9	1	Planet of Giants	"Planet of Giants"	Mervyn Pinfield	Louis Marks	31 October 1964 (1964-10-31)	J	8.4	57
			"Dangerous Journey"	Mervyn Pinfield		7 November 1964 (1964-11-07)		8.4	58
			"Crisis"	Douglas Camfield		14 November 1964 (1964-11-14)		8.9	59
10	2	The Dalek Invasion of Earth	"World's End"	Richard Martin	Terry Nation	21 November 1964 (1964-11-21)	K	11.4	63
			"The Daleks"			28 November 1964 (1964-11-28)		12.4	59
			"Day of Reckoning"			5 December 1964 (1964-12-05)		11.9	59
			"The End of Tomorrow"			12 December 1964 (1964-12-12)		11.9	59
			"The Waking Ally"			19 December 1964 (1964-12-19)		11.4	58
			"Flashpoint"			26 December 1964 (1964-12-26)		12.4	63
11	3	The Rescue	"The Powerful Enemy"	Christopher Barry	David Whitaker	2 January 1965 (1965-01-02)	L	12.0	57
			"Desperate Measures"			9 January 1965 (1965-01-09)		13.0	59
12	4	The Romans	"The Slave Traders"	Christopher Barry	Dennis Spooner	16 January 1965 (1965-01-16)	M	13.0	53
			"All Roads Lead to Rome"			23 January 1965 (1965-01-23)		11.5	51
			"Conspiracy"			30 January 1965 (1965-01-30)		10.0	50
			"Inferno"			6 February 1965 (1965-02-06)		12.0	50
13	5	The Web Planet	"The Web Planet"	Richard Martin	Bill Strutton	13 February 1965 (1965-02-13)	N	13.5	56
			"The Zarbi"			20 February 1965 (1965-02-20)		12.5	53
			"Escape to Danger"			27 February 1965 (1965-02-27)		12.5	53
			"Crater of Needles"			6 March 1965 (1965-03-06)		13.0	49
			"Invasion"			13 March 1965 (1965-03-13)		12.0	48
			"The Centre"			20 March 1965 (1965-03-20)		11.5	42
14	6	The Crusade	"The Lion"	Douglas Camfield	David Whitaker	27 March 1965 (1965-03-27)	P	10.5	51
			"The Knight of Jaffa"†			3 April 1965 (1965-04-03)		8.5	50
			"The Wheel of Fortune"			10 April 1965 (1965-04-10)		9.0	49
			"The Warlords"†			17 April 1965 (1965-04-17)		9.5	48
15	7	The Space Museum	"The Space Museum"	Mervyn Pinfield	Glyn Jones	24 April 1965 (1965-04-24)	Q	10.5	61
			"The Dimensions of Time"			1 May 1965 (1965-05-01)		9.2	53
			"The Search"			8 May 1965 (1965-05-08)		8.5	56
			"The Final Phase"			15 May 1965 (1965-05-15)		8.5	49
16	8	The Chase	"The Executioners"	Richard Martin	Terry Nation	22 May 1965 (1965-05-22)	R	10.0	57
			"The Death of Time"			29 May 1965 (1965-05-29)		9.5	56
			"Flight Through Eternity"			5 June 1965 (1965-06-05)		9.0	55
			"Journey into Terror"			12 June 1965 (1965-06-12)		9.5	54
			"The Death of Doctor Who"			19 June 1965 (1965-06-19)		9.0	56
			"The Planet of Decision"			26 June 1965 (1965-06-26)		9.5	57
17	9	The Time Meddler	"The Watcher"	Douglas Camfield	Dennis Spooner	3 July 1965 (1965-07-03)	S	8.9	57
			"The Meddling Monk"			10 July 1965 (1965-07-10)		8.8	49
			"A Battle of Wits"			17 July 1965 (1965-07-17)		7.7	53
			"Checkmate"			24 July 1965 (1965-07-24)		8.3	54

^† Episode is missing

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.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
18	1	Galaxy 4	"Four Hundred Dawns"†	Derek Martinus	William Emms	11 September 1965 (1965-09-11)	T	9.0	56
			"Trap of Steel"†			18 September 1965 (1965-09-18)		9.5	55
			"Air Lock"			25 September 1965 (1965-09-25)		11.3	54
			"The Exploding Planet"†			2 October 1965 (1965-10-02)		9.9	53
19	2	"Mission to the Unknown"†	N/A	Derek Martinus	Terry Nation	9 October 1965 (1965-10-09)	T/A	8.3	54
20	3	The Myth Makers	"Temple of Secrets"†	Michael Leeston-Smith	Donald Cotton	16 October 1965 (1965-10-16)	U	8.3	48
			"Small Prophet, Quick Return"†			23 October 1965 (1965-10-23)		8.1	51
			"Death of a Spy"†			30 October 1965 (1965-10-30)		8.7	49
			"Horse of Destruction"†			6 November 1965 (1965-11-06)		8.3	52
21	4	The Daleks' Master Plan	"The Nightmare Begins"†	Douglas Camfield	Terry Nation	13 November 1965 (1965-11-13)	V	9.1	54
			"Day of Armageddon"		Terry Nation	20 November 1965 (1965-11-20)		9.8	52
			"Devil's Planet"†		Terry Nation	27 November 1965 (1965-11-27)		10.3	52
			"The Traitors"†		Terry Nation	4 December 1965 (1965-12-04)		9.5	51
			"Counter Plot"		Terry Nation	11 December 1965 (1965-12-11)		9.9	53
			"Coronas of the Sun"†		Dennis Spooner	18 December 1965 (1965-12-18)		9.1	56
			"The Feast of Steven"†		Terry Nation	25 December 1965 (1965-12-25)		7.9	39
			"Volcano"†		Dennis Spooner	1 January 1966 (1966-01-01)		9.6	49
			"Golden Death"†		Dennis Spooner	8 January 1966 (1966-01-08)		9.2	52
			"Escape Switch"		Dennis Spooner	15 January 1966 (1966-01-15)		9.5	50
			"The Abandoned Planet"†		Dennis Spooner	22 January 1966 (1966-01-22)		9.8	49
			"Destruction of Time"†		Dennis Spooner	29 January 1966 (1966-01-29)		8.6	57
22	5	The Massacre	"War of God"†	Paddy Russell	John Lucarotti	5 February 1966 (1966-02-05)	W	8.0	52
			"The Sea Beggar"†		John Lucarotti	12 February 1966 (1966-02-12)		6.0	52
			"Priest of Death"†		John Lucarotti	19 February 1966 (1966-02-19)		5.9	49
			"Bell of Doom"†		John Lucarotti and Donald Tosh	26 February 1966 (1966-02-26)		5.8	53
23	6	The Ark	"The Steel Sky"	Michael Imison	Paul Erickson and Lesley Scott	5 March 1966 (1966-03-05)	X	5.5	55
			"The Plague"			12 March 1966 (1966-03-12)		6.9	56
			"The Return"			19 March 1966 (1966-03-19)		6.2	51
			"The Bomb"			26 March 1966 (1966-03-26)		7.3	50
24	7	The Celestial Toymaker	"The Celestial Toyroom"†	Bill Sellars	Brian Hayles and Donald Tosh (uncredited)	2 April 1966 (1966-04-02)	Y	8.0	48
			"The Hall of Dolls"†			9 April 1966 (1966-04-09)		8.0	49
			"The Dancing Floor"†			16 April 1966 (1966-04-16)		9.4	44
			"The Final Test"			23 April 1966 (1966-04-23)		7.8	43
25	8	The Gunfighters	"A Holiday for the Doctor"	Rex Tucker	Donald Cotton	30 April 1966 (1966-04-30)	Z	6.5	45
			"Don't Shoot the Pianist"			7 May 1966 (1966-05-07)		6.6	39
			"Johnny Ringo"			14 May 1966 (1966-05-14)		6.2	36
			"The O.K. Corral"			21 May 1966 (1966-05-21)		5.7	30
26	9	The Savages	"Episode 1"†	Christopher Barry	Ian Stuart Black	28 May 1966 (1966-05-28)	AA	4.8	48
			"Episode 2"†			4 June 1966 (1966-06-04)		5.6	49
			"Episode 3"†			11 June 1966 (1966-06-11)		5.0	48
			"Episode 4"†			18 June 1966 (1966-06-18)		4.5	48
27	10	The War Machines	"Episode 1"	Michael Ferguson	Ian Stuart Black	25 June 1966 (1966-06-25)	BB	5.4	49
			"Episode 2"			2 July 1966 (1966-07-02)		4.7	45
			"Episode 3"			9 July 1966 (1966-07-09)		5.3	44
			"Episode 4"			16 July 1966 (1966-07-16)		5.5	39

^† : Episode is missing

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.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
28	1	The Smugglers	"Episode 1"†	Julia Smith	Brian Hayles	10 September 1966 (1966-09-10)	CC	4.3	47
			"Episode 2"†			17 September 1966 (1966-09-17)		4.9	45
			"Episode 3"†			24 September 1966 (1966-09-24)		4.2	43
			"Episode 4"†			1 October 1966 (1966-10-01)		4.5	43
29	2	The Tenth Planet	"Episode 1"	Derek Martinus	Kit Pedler	8 October 1966 (1966-10-08)	DD	5.5	50
			"Episode 2"		Kit Pedler	15 October 1966 (1966-10-15)		6.4	48
			"Episode 3"		Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis	22 October 1966 (1966-10-22)		7.6	48
			"Episode 4"†		Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis	29 October 1966 (1966-10-29)		7.5	47

^† : Episode is missing

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 William Hartnell's tenure; instead, any historical tales also included a science fiction element. Patrick 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.

This season introduced companions Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines) and Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling), in The Highlanders and The Evil of the Daleks, respectively. Ben and Polly departed in The Faceless Ones.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
30	3	The Power of the Daleks	"Episode One"†	Christopher Barry	David Whitaker and Dennis Spooner (uncredited)	5 November 1966 (1966-11-05)	EE	7.9	43
			"Episode Two"†			12 November 1966 (1966-11-12)		7.8	45
			"Episode Three"†			19 November 1966 (1966-11-19)		7.5	44
			"Episode Four"†			26 November 1966 (1966-11-26)		7.8	47
			"Episode Five"†			3 December 1966 (1966-12-03)		8.0	48
			"Episode Six"†			10 December 1966 (1966-12-10)		7.8	47
31	4	The Highlanders	"Episode 1"†	Hugh David	Elwyn Jones and Gerry Davis	17 December 1966 (1966-12-17)	FF	6.7	47
			"Episode 2"†			24 December 1966 (1966-12-24)		6.8	46
			"Episode 3"†			31 December 1966 (1966-12-31)		7.4	47
			"Episode 4"†			7 January 1967 (1967-01-07)		7.3	47
32	5	The Underwater Menace	"Episode 1"†	Julia Smith	Geoffrey Orme	14 January 1967 (1967-01-14)	GG	8.3	48
			"Episode 2"			21 January 1967 (1967-01-21)		7.5	46
			"Episode 3"			28 January 1967 (1967-01-28)		7.1	45
			"Episode 4"†			4 February 1967 (1967-02-04)		7.0	47
33	6	The Moonbase	"Episode 1"†	Morris Barry	Kit Pedler	11 February 1967 (1967-02-11)	HH	8.1	50
			"Episode 2"			18 February 1967 (1967-02-18)		8.9	49
			"Episode 3"†			25 February 1967 (1967-02-25)		8.2	53
			"Episode 4"			4 March 1967 (1967-03-04)		8.1	58
34	7	The Macra Terror	"Episode 1"†	John Davies	Ian Stuart Black	11 March 1967 (1967-03-11)	JJ	8.0	50
			"Episode 2"†			18 March 1967 (1967-03-18)		7.9	48
			"Episode 3"†			25 March 1967 (1967-03-25)		8.5	52
			"Episode 4"†			1 April 1967 (1967-04-01)		8.4	49
35	8	The Faceless Ones	"Episode 1"	Gerry Mill	David Ellis and Malcolm Hulke	8 April 1967 (1967-04-08)	KK	8.0	51
			"Episode 2"†			15 April 1967 (1967-04-15)		6.4	50
			"Episode 3"			22 April 1967 (1967-04-22)		7.9	53
			"Episode 4"†			29 April 1967 (1967-04-29)		6.9	55
			"Episode 5"†			6 May 1967 (1967-05-06)		7.1	55
			"Episode 6"†			13 May 1967 (1967-05-13)		8.0	52
36	9	The Evil of the Daleks	"Episode 1"†	Derek Martinus	David Whitaker	20 May 1967 (1967-05-20)	LL	8.1	51
			"Episode 2"			27 May 1967 (1967-05-27)		7.5	51
			"Episode 3"†			3 June 1967 (1967-06-03)		6.1	52
			"Episode 4"†			10 June 1967 (1967-06-10)		5.3	51
			"Episode 5"†			17 June 1967 (1967-06-17)		5.1	53
			"Episode 6"†			24 June 1967 (1967-06-24)		6.8	49
			"Episode 7"†			1 July 1967 (1967-07-01)		6.1	56

^† : Episode is missing

This season saw the departure of Watling as Victoria, and the debut appearance of Wendy Padbury as Zoe, and Nicholas Courtney as Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
37	1	The Tomb of the Cybermen	"Episode 1"	Morris Barry	Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis	2 September 1967 (1967-09-02)	MM	6.0	53
			"Episode 2"			9 September 1967 (1967-09-09)		6.4	52
			"Episode 3"			16 September 1967 (1967-09-16)		7.2	49
			"Episode 4"			23 September 1967 (1967-09-23)		7.4	50
38	2	The Abominable Snowmen	"Episode One"†	Gerald Blake	Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln	30 September 1967 (1967-09-30)	NN	6.3	50
			"Episode Two"			7 October 1967 (1967-10-07)		6.0	52
			"Episode Three"†			14 October 1967 (1967-10-14)		7.1	51
			"Episode Four"†			21 October 1967 (1967-10-21)		7.1	50
			"Episode Five"†			28 October 1967 (1967-10-28)		7.2	51
			"Episode Six"†			4 November 1967 (1967-11-04)		7.4	52
39	3	The Ice Warriors	"One"	Derek Martinus	Brian Hayles	11 November 1967 (1967-11-11)	OO	6.7	52
			"Two"†			18 November 1967 (1967-11-18)		7.1	52
			"Three"†			25 November 1967 (1967-11-25)		7.4	51
			"Four"			2 December 1967 (1967-12-02)		7.3	51
			"Five"			9 December 1967 (1967-12-09)		8.0	50
			"Six"			16 December 1967 (1967-12-16)		7.5	51
40	4	The Enemy of the World	"Episode 1"	Barry Letts	David Whitaker	23 December 1967 (1967-12-23)	PP	6.8	50
			"Episode 2"			30 December 1967 (1967-12-30)		7.6	49
			"Episode 3"			6 January 1968 (1968-01-06)		7.1	48
			"Episode 4"			13 January 1968 (1968-01-13)		7.8	49
			"Episode 5"			20 January 1968 (1968-01-20)		6.9	49
			"Episode 6"			27 January 1968 (1968-01-27)		8.3	52
41	5	The Web of Fear	"Episode 1"	Douglas Camfield	Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln	3 February 1968 (1968-02-03)	QQ	7.2	54
			"Episode 2"			10 February 1968 (1968-02-10)		6.8	53
			"Episode 3"†			17 February 1968 (1968-02-17)		7.0	51
			"Episode 4"			24 February 1968 (1968-02-24)		8.4	53
			"Episode 5"			2 March 1968 (1968-03-02)		8.0	55
			"Episode 6"			9 March 1968 (1968-03-09)		8.3	55
42	6	Fury from the Deep	"Episode 1"†	Hugh David	Victor Pemberton	16 March 1968 (1968-03-16)	RR	8.2	55
			"Episode 2"†			23 March 1968 (1968-03-23)		7.9	55
			"Episode 3"†			30 March 1968 (1968-03-30)		7.7	56
			"Episode 4"†			6 April 1968 (1968-04-06)		6.6	56
			"Episode 5"†			13 April 1968 (1968-04-13)		5.9	56
			"Episode 6"†			20 April 1968 (1968-04-20)		6.9	57
43	7	The Wheel in Space	"Episode 1"†	Tristan DeVere Cole	David Whitaker and Kit Pedler (story)	27 April 1968 (1968-04-27)	SS	7.2	57
			"Episode 2"†			4 May 1968 (1968-05-04)		6.9	60
			"Episode 3"			11 May 1968 (1968-05-11)		7.5	55
			"Episode 4"†			18 May 1968 (1968-05-18)		8.6	56
			"Episode 5"†			25 May 1968 (1968-05-25)		6.8	57
			"Episode 6"			1 June 1968 (1968-06-01)		6.5	62

^† : Episode is missing

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.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
44	1	The Dominators	"Episode 1"	Morris Barry	"Norman Ashby" (Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln)	10 August 1968 (1968-08-10)	TT	6.1	52
			"Episode 2"			17 August 1968 (1968-08-17)		5.9	55
			[Episode 3][note 1]			24 August 1968 (1968-08-24)		5.4	55
			"Episode 4"			31 August 1968 (1968-08-31)		7.5	51
			"Episode 5"			7 September 1968 (1968-09-07)		5.9	53
45	2	The Mind Robber	"Episode 1"	David Maloney	Derrick Sherwin (uncredited)	14 September 1968 (1968-09-14)	UU	6.6	51
			"Episode 2"		Peter Ling	21 September 1968 (1968-09-21)		6.5	49
			"Episode 3"		Peter Ling	28 September 1968 (1968-09-28)		7.2	53
			"Episode 4"		Peter Ling	5 October 1968 (1968-10-05)		7.3	56
			"Episode 5"		Peter Ling	12 October 1968 (1968-10-12)		6.7	49
46	3	The Invasion	"Episode One"†	Douglas Camfield	Derrick Sherwin and Kit Pedler (story)	2 November 1968 (1968-11-02)	VV	7.3	55
			"Episode Two"			9 November 1968 (1968-11-09)		7.1	53
			"Episode Three"			16 November 1968 (1968-11-16)		7.1	54
			"Episode Four"†			23 November 1968 (1968-11-23)		6.4	51
			"Episode Five"			30 November 1968 (1968-11-30)		6.7	52
			"Episode Six"			7 December 1968 (1968-12-07)		6.5	56
			"Episode Seven"			14 December 1968 (1968-12-14)		7.2	55
			"Episode Eight"			21 December 1968 (1968-12-21)		7.0	53
47	4	The Krotons	"Episode One"	David Maloney	Robert Holmes	28 December 1968 (1968-12-28)	WW	9.0	59
			"Episode Two"			4 January 1969 (1969-01-04)		8.4	57
			"Episode Three"			11 January 1969 (1969-01-11)		7.5	56
			"Episode Four"			18 January 1969 (1969-01-18)		7.1	55
48	5	The Seeds of Death	"Episode One"	Michael Ferguson	Brian Hayles	25 January 1969 (1969-01-25)	XX	6.6	57
			"Episode Two"		Brian Hayles	1 February 1969 (1969-02-01)		6.8	59
			"Episode Three"		Brian Hayles and Terrance Dicks (uncredited)	8 February 1969 (1969-02-08)		7.5	55
			"Episode Four"		Brian Hayles and Terrance Dicks (uncredited)	15 February 1969 (1969-02-15)		7.1	55
			"Episode Five"		Brian Hayles and Terrance Dicks (uncredited)	22 February 1969 (1969-02-22)		7.6	57
			"Episode Six"		Brian Hayles and Terrance Dicks (uncredited)	1 March 1969 (1969-03-01)		7.7	59
49	6	The Space Pirates	"Episode One"†	Michael Hart	Robert Holmes	8 March 1969 (1969-03-08)	YY	5.8	57
			"Episode Two"			15 March 1969 (1969-03-15)		6.8	52
			"Episode Three"†			22 March 1969 (1969-03-22)		6.4	55
			"Episode Four"†			29 March 1969 (1969-03-29)		5.8	53
			"Episode Five"†			5 April 1969 (1969-04-05)		5.5	56
			"Episode Six"†			12 April 1969 (1969-04-12)		5.3	52
50	7	The War Games	"Episode One"	David Maloney	Terrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke	19 April 1969 (1969-04-19)	ZZ	5.5	55
			"Episode Two"			26 April 1969 (1969-04-26)		6.3	54
			"Episode Three"			3 May 1969 (1969-05-03)		5.1	53
			"Episode Four"			10 May 1969 (1969-05-10)		5.7	50
			"Episode Five"			17 May 1969 (1969-05-17)		5.1	53
			"Episode Six"			24 May 1969 (1969-05-24)		4.2	53
			"Episode Seven"			31 May 1969 (1969-05-31)		4.9	53
			"Episode Eight"			7 June 1969 (1969-06-07)		3.5	53
			"Episode Nine"			14 June 1969 (1969-06-14)		4.1	57
			"Episode Ten"			21 June 1969 (1969-06-21)		5.0	58

^† : Episode is missing

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 (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce). 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.

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.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
51	1	Spearhead from Space	"Episode 1"	Derek Martinus	Robert Holmes	3 January 1970 (1970-01-03)	AAA	8.4	54
			"Episode 2"			10 January 1970 (1970-01-10)		8.1	—
			"Episode 3"			17 January 1970 (1970-01-17)		8.3	—
			"Episode 4"			24 January 1970 (1970-01-24)		8.1	57
52	2	Doctor Who and the Silurians	"Episode 1"	Timothy Combe	Malcolm Hulke	31 January 1970 (1970-01-31)	BBB	8.8	58
			"Episode 2"			7 February 1970 (1970-02-07)		7.3	58
			"Episode 3"			14 February 1970 (1970-02-14)		7.5	57
			"Episode 4"			21 February 1970 (1970-02-21)		8.2	60
			"Episode 5"			28 February 1970 (1970-02-28)		7.5	58
			"Episode 6"			7 March 1970 (1970-03-07)		7.2	57
			"Episode 7"			14 March 1970 (1970-03-14)		7.5	58
53	3	The Ambassadors of Death	"Episode 1"	Michael Ferguson	David Whitaker and Trevor Ray (uncredited)	21 March 1970 (1970-03-21)	CCC	7.1	60
			"Episode 2"		David Whitaker and Malcolm Hulke (uncredited)	28 March 1970 (1970-03-28)		7.6	61
			"Episode 3"		David Whitaker and Malcolm Hulke (uncredited)	4 April 1970 (1970-04-04)		8.0	59
			"Episode 4"		Malcolm Hulke (credited to David Whitaker)	11 April 1970 (1970-04-11)		9.3	58
			"Episode 5"		Malcolm Hulke (credited to David Whitaker)	18 April 1970 (1970-04-18)		7.1	—
			"Episode 6"		Malcolm Hulke (credited to David Whitaker)	25 April 1970 (1970-04-25)		6.9	61
			"Episode 7"		Malcolm Hulke (credited to David Whitaker)	2 May 1970 (1970-05-02)		6.4	62
54	4	Inferno	"Episode 1"	Douglas Camfield	Don Houghton	9 May 1970 (1970-05-09)	DDD	5.7	61
			"Episode 2"	Douglas Camfield		16 May 1970 (1970-05-16)		5.9	61
			"Episode 3"	Douglas Camfield and Barry Letts (uncredited)		23 May 1970 (1970-05-23)		4.8	60
			"Episode 4"	Douglas Camfield and Barry Letts (uncredited)		30 May 1970 (1970-05-30)		6.0	60
			"Episode 5"	Douglas Camfield and Barry Letts (uncredited)		6 June 1970 (1970-06-06)		5.4	—
			"Episode 6"	Douglas Camfield and Barry Letts (uncredited)		13 June 1970 (1970-06-13)		6.7	58
			"Episode 7"	Douglas Camfield and Barry Letts (uncredited)		20 June 1970 (1970-06-20)		5.5	60

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.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
55	1	Terror of the Autons	"Episode One"	Barry Letts	Robert Holmes	2 January 1971 (1971-01-02)	EEE	7.3	—
			"Episode Two"			9 January 1971 (1971-01-09)		8.0	—
			"Episode Three"			16 January 1971 (1971-01-16)		8.1	—
			"Episode Four"			23 January 1971 (1971-01-23)		8.4	—
56	2	The Mind of Evil	"Episode One"	Timothy Combe	Don Houghton	30 January 1971 (1971-01-30)	FFF	6.1	—
			"Episode Two"			6 February 1971 (1971-02-06)		8.8	—
			"Episode Three"			13 February 1971 (1971-02-13)		7.5	—
			"Episode Four"			20 February 1971 (1971-02-20)		7.4	—
			"Episode Five"			27 February 1971 (1971-02-27)		7.6	—
			"Episode Six"			6 March 1971 (1971-03-06)		7.3	—
57	3	The Claws of Axos	"Episode One"	Michael Ferguson	Bob Baker and Dave Martin	13 March 1971 (1971-03-13)	GGG	7.3	—
			"Episode Two"			20 March 1971 (1971-03-20)		8.0	—
			"Episode Three"			27 March 1971 (1971-03-27)		6.4	—
			"Episode Four"			3 April 1971 (1971-04-03)		7.8	—
58	4	Colony in Space	"Episode One"	Michael E. Briant	Malcolm Hulke	10 April 1971 (1971-04-10)	HHH	7.6	—
			"Episode Two"			17 April 1971 (1971-04-17)		8.5	—
			"Episode Three"			24 April 1971 (1971-04-24)		9.5	—
			"Episode Four"			1 May 1971 (1971-05-01)		8.1	—
			"Episode Five"			8 May 1971 (1971-05-08)		8.8	—
			"Episode Six"			15 May 1971 (1971-05-15)		8.7	—
59	5	The Dæmons	"Episode One"	Christopher Barry	Guy Leopold (Robert Sloman and Barry Letts)	22 May 1971 (1971-05-22)	JJJ	9.2	—
			"Episode Two"			29 May 1971 (1971-05-29)		8.0	—
			"Episode Three"			5 June 1971 (1971-06-05)		8.1	—
			"Episode Four"			12 June 1971 (1971-06-12)		8.1	—
			"Episode Five"			19 June 1971 (1971-06-19)		8.3	—

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
60	1	Day of the Daleks	"Episode One"	Paul Bernard	Louis Marks	1 January 1972 (1972-01-01)	KKK	9.8	—
			"Episode Two"			8 January 1972 (1972-01-08)		10.4	—
			"Episode Three"			15 January 1972 (1972-01-15)		9.1	—
			"Episode Four"			22 January 1972 (1972-01-22)		9.1	—
61	2	The Curse of Peladon	"Episode One"	Lennie Mayne	Brian Hayles	29 January 1972 (1972-01-29)	MMM	10.3	—
			"Episode Two"			5 February 1972 (1972-02-05)		11.0	—
			"Episode Three"			12 February 1972 (1972-02-12)		7.8	—
			"Episode Four"			19 February 1972 (1972-02-19)		8.4	—
62	3	The Sea Devils	"Episode One"	Michael E. Briant	Malcolm Hulke	26 February 1972 (1972-02-26)	LLL	6.4	—
			"Episode Two"			4 March 1972 (1972-03-04)		9.7	—
			"Episode Three"			11 March 1972 (1972-03-11)		8.3	—
			"Episode Four"			18 March 1972 (1972-03-18)		7.8	—
			"Episode Five"			25 March 1972 (1972-03-25)		8.3	—
			"Episode Six"			1 April 1972 (1972-04-01)		8.5	—
63	4	The Mutants	"Episode One"	Christopher Barry	Bob Baker and Dave Martin	8 April 1972 (1972-04-08)	NNN	9.1	—
			"Episode Two"			15 April 1972 (1972-04-15)		7.8	—
			"Episode Three"			22 April 1972 (1972-04-22)		7.9	—
			"Episode Four"			29 April 1972 (1972-04-29)		7.5	—
			"Episode Five"			6 May 1972 (1972-05-06)		7.9	—
			"Episode Six"			13 May 1972 (1972-05-13)		6.5	—
64	5	The Time Monster	"Episode One"	Paul Bernard	Robert Sloman and Barry Letts (uncredited)	20 May 1972 (1972-05-20)	OOO	7.6	—
			"Episode Two"			27 May 1972 (1972-05-27)		7.4	—
			"Episode Three"			3 June 1972 (1972-06-03)		8.1	—
			"Episode Four"			10 June 1972 (1972-06-10)		7.6	—
			"Episode Five"			17 June 1972 (1972-06-17)		6.0	—
			"Episode Six"			24 June 1972 (1972-06-24)		7.6	—

This season marked the final appearance of companion Jo Grant and the end of the Doctor's exile on Earth.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
65	1	The Three Doctors	"Episode One"	Lennie Mayne	Bob Baker and Dave Martin	30 December 1972 (1972-12-30)	RRR	9.6	—
			"Episode Two"			6 January 1973 (1973-01-06)		10.8	—
			"Episode Three"			13 January 1973 (1973-01-13)		8.8	—
			"Episode Four"			20 January 1973 (1973-01-20)		11.9	—
66	2	Carnival of Monsters	"Episode One"	Barry Letts	Robert Holmes	27 January 1973 (1973-01-27)	PPP	9.5	—
			"Episode Two"			3 February 1973 (1973-02-03)		9.0	—
			"Episode Three"			10 February 1973 (1973-02-10)		9.0	—
			"Episode Four"			17 February 1973 (1973-02-17)		9.2	—
67	3	Frontier in Space	"Episode One"	Paul Bernard	Malcolm Hulke	24 February 1973 (1973-02-24)	QQQ	9.1	—
			"Episode Two"			3 March 1973 (1973-03-03)		7.8	—
			"Episode Three"			10 March 1973 (1973-03-10)		7.5	—
			"Episode Four"			17 March 1973 (1973-03-17)		7.1	—
			"Episode Five"			24 March 1973 (1973-03-24)		7.7	—
			"Episode Six"			31 March 1973 (1973-03-31)		8.9	—
68	4	Planet of the Daleks	"Episode One"	David Maloney	Terry Nation	7 April 1973 (1973-04-07)	SSS	11.0	—
			"Episode Two"			14 April 1973 (1973-04-14)		10.7	—
			"Episode Three"			21 April 1973 (1973-04-21)		10.1	—
			"Episode Four"			28 April 1973 (1973-04-28)		8.3	—
			"Episode Five"			5 May 1973 (1973-05-05)		9.7	—
			"Episode Six"			12 May 1973 (1973-05-12)		8.5	—
69	5	The Green Death	"Episode One"	Michael E. Briant	Robert Sloman and Barry Letts (uncredited)	19 May 1973 (1973-05-19)	TTT	9.2	—
			"Episode Two"			26 May 1973 (1973-05-26)		7.2	—
			"Episode Three"			2 June 1973 (1973-06-02)		7.8	—
			"Episode Four"			9 June 1973 (1973-06-09)		6.8	—
			"Episode Five"			16 June 1973 (1973-06-16)		8.3	—
			"Episode Six"			23 June 1973 (1973-06-23)		7.0	—

This season introduces the companion Sarah Jane Smith portrayed by Elisabeth Sladen.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
70	1	The Time Warrior	"Part One"	Alan Bromly	Robert Holmes	15 December 1973 (1973-12-15)	UUU	8.7	59
			"Part Two"			22 December 1973 (1973-12-22)		7.0	—
			"Part Three"			29 December 1973 (1973-12-29)		6.6	—
			"Part Four"			5 January 1974 (1974-01-05)		10.6	60
71	2	Invasion of the Dinosaurs	"Part One"	Paddy Russell	Malcolm Hulke	12 January 1974 (1974-01-12)	WWW	11.0	62
			"Part Two"			19 January 1974 (1974-01-19)		10.1	—
			"Part Three"			26 January 1974 (1974-01-26)		11.0	63
			"Part Four"			2 February 1974 (1974-02-02)		9.0	—
			"Part Five"			9 February 1974 (1974-02-09)		9.0	—
			"Part Six"			16 February 1974 (1974-02-16)		7.5	62
72	3	Death to the Daleks	"Part One"	Michael E. Briant	Terry Nation	23 February 1974 (1974-02-23)	XXX	8.1	61
			"Part Two"			2 March 1974 (1974-03-02)		9.5	—
			"Part Three"			9 March 1974 (1974-03-09)		10.5	61
			"Part Four"			16 March 1974 (1974-03-16)		9.5	62
73	4	The Monster of Peladon	"Part One"	Lennie Mayne	Brian Hayles	23 March 1974 (1974-03-23)	YYY	9.2	—
			"Part Two"			30 March 1974 (1974-03-30)		6.8	—
			"Part Three"			6 April 1974 (1974-04-06)		7.4	64
			"Part Four"			13 April 1974 (1974-04-13)		7.2	—
			"Part Five"			20 April 1974 (1974-04-20)		7.5	—
			"Part Six"			27 April 1974 (1974-04-27)		8.1	—
74	5	Planet of the Spiders	"Part One"	Barry Letts	Robert Sloman and Barry Letts (uncredited)	4 May 1974 (1974-05-04)	ZZZ	10.1	58
			"Part Two"			11 May 1974 (1974-05-11)		8.9	60
			"Part Three"			18 May 1974 (1974-05-18)		8.8	57
			"Part Four"			25 May 1974 (1974-05-25)		8.2	—
			"Part Five"			1 June 1974 (1974-06-01)		9.2	—
			"Part Six"			8 June 1974 (1974-06-08)		8.9	56

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,^[17] having held the role for seven seasons.

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.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
75	1	Robot	"Part One"	Christopher Barry	Terrance Dicks	28 December 1974 (1974-12-28)	4A	10.8	53
			"Part Two"			4 January 1975 (1975-01-04)		10.7	53
			"Part Three"			11 January 1975 (1975-01-11)		10.1	—
			"Part Four"			18 January 1975 (1975-01-18)		9.0	51
76	2	The Ark in Space	"Part One"	Rodney Bennett	Robert Holmes	25 January 1975 (1975-01-25)	4C	9.4	—
			"Part Two"			1 February 1975 (1975-02-01)		13.6	—
			"Part Three"			8 February 1975 (1975-02-08)		11.2	—
			"Part Four"			15 February 1975 (1975-02-15)		10.2	—
77	3	The Sontaran Experiment	"Part One"	Rodney Bennett	Bob Baker and Dave Martin	22 February 1975 (1975-02-22)	4B	11.0	—
			"Part Two"			1 March 1975 (1975-03-01)		10.5	55
78	4	Genesis of the Daleks	"Part One"	David Maloney	Terry Nation	8 March 1975 (1975-03-08)	4E	10.7	—
			"Part Two"			15 March 1975 (1975-03-15)		10.5	57
			"Part Three"			22 March 1975 (1975-03-22)		8.5	—
			"Part Four"			29 March 1975 (1975-03-29)		8.8	58
			"Part Five"			5 April 1975 (1975-04-05)		9.8	57
			"Part Six"			12 April 1975 (1975-04-12)		9.1	56
79	5	Revenge of the Cybermen	"Part One"	Michael E. Briant	Gerry Davis	19 April 1975 (1975-04-19)	4D	9.5	57
			"Part Two"			26 April 1975 (1975-04-26)		8.3	—
			"Part Three"			3 May 1975 (1975-05-03)		8.9	—
			"Part Four"			10 May 1975 (1975-05-10)		9.4	58

During this season, Ian Marter (Harry Sullivan) 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 (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart) who did not return until Season 20 in Mawdryn Undead.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
80	1	Terror of the Zygons	"Part One"	Douglas Camfield	Robert Banks Stewart	30 August 1975 (1975-08-30)	4F	8.4	59
			"Part Two"			6 September 1975 (1975-09-06)		6.1	—
			"Part Three"			13 September 1975 (1975-09-13)		8.2	54
			"Part Four"			20 September 1975 (1975-09-20)		7.2	—
81	2	Planet of Evil	"Part One"	David Maloney	Louis Marks	27 September 1975 (1975-09-27)	4H	10.4	56
			"Part Two"			4 October 1975 (1975-10-04)		9.9	56
			"Part Three"			11 October 1975 (1975-10-11)		9.1	57
			"Part Four"			18 October 1975 (1975-10-18)		10.1	54
82	3	Pyramids of Mars	"Part One"	Paddy Russell	"Stephen Harris" (Lewis Greifer and Robert Holmes)	25 October 1975 (1975-10-25)	4G	10.5	—
			"Part Two"			1 November 1975 (1975-11-01)		11.3	—
			"Part Three"			8 November 1975 (1975-11-08)		9.4	—
			"Part Four"			15 November 1975 (1975-11-15)		11.7	60
83	4	The Android Invasion	"Part One"	Barry Letts	Terry Nation	22 November 1975 (1975-11-22)	4J	11.9	58
			"Part Two"			29 November 1975 (1975-11-29)		11.3	—
			"Part Three"			6 December 1975 (1975-12-06)		12.1	—
			"Part Four"			13 December 1975 (1975-12-13)		11.4	—
84	5	The Brain of Morbius	"Part One"	Christopher Barry	"Robin Bland" (Terrance Dicks and Robert Holmes)	3 January 1976 (1976-01-03)	4K	9.5	—
			"Part Two"			10 January 1976 (1976-01-10)		9.3	—
			"Part Three"			17 January 1976 (1976-01-17)		10.1	57
			"Part Four"			24 January 1976 (1976-01-24)		10.2	—
85	6	The Seeds of Doom	"Part One"	Douglas Camfield	Robert Banks Stewart	31 January 1976 (1976-01-31)	4L	11.4	59
			"Part Two"			7 February 1976 (1976-02-07)		11.4	—
			"Part Three"			14 February 1976 (1976-02-14)		10.3	—
			"Part Four"			21 February 1976 (1976-02-21)		11.1	—
			"Part Five"			28 February 1976 (1976-02-28)		9.9	—
			"Part Six"			6 March 1976 (1976-03-06)		11.5	—

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) left the series this season in The Hand of Fear and was replaced by Louise Jameson (Leela) in The Face of Evil . The season also saw the first story in which the Doctor did not have a companion, The Deadly Assassin.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
86	1	The Masque of Mandragora	"Part One"	Rodney Bennett	Louis Marks	4 September 1976 (1976-09-04)	4M	8.3	58
			"Part Two"			11 September 1976 (1976-09-11)		9.8	56
			"Part Three"			18 September 1976 (1976-09-18)		9.2	—
			"Part Four"			25 September 1976 (1976-09-25)		10.6	56
87	2	The Hand of Fear	"Part One"	Lennie Mayne	Bob Baker and Dave Martin	2 October 1976 (1976-10-02)	4N	10.5	—
			"Part Two"			9 October 1976 (1976-10-09)		10.2	—
			"Part Three"			16 October 1976 (1976-10-16)		11.1	62
			"Part Four"			23 October 1976 (1976-10-23)		12.0	—
88	3	The Deadly Assassin	"Part One"	David Maloney	Robert Holmes	30 October 1976 (1976-10-30)	4P	11.8	—
			"Part Two"			6 November 1976 (1976-11-06)		12.1	59
			"Part Three"			13 November 1976 (1976-11-13)		13.0	—
			"Part Four"			20 November 1976 (1976-11-20)		11.8	61
89	4	The Face of Evil	"Part One"	Pennant Roberts	Chris Boucher	1 January 1977 (1977-01-01)	4Q	10.7	61
			"Part Two"			8 January 1977 (1977-01-08)		11.1	—
			"Part Three"			15 January 1977 (1977-01-15)		11.3	59
			"Part Four"			22 January 1977 (1977-01-22)		11.7	60
90	5	The Robots of Death	"Part One"	Michael E. Briant	Chris Boucher	29 January 1977 (1977-01-29)	4R	12.8	62
			"Part Two"			5 February 1977 (1977-02-05)		12.4	—
			"Part Three"			12 February 1977 (1977-02-12)		13.1	—
			"Part Four"			19 February 1977 (1977-02-19)		12.6	57
91	6	The Talons of Weng-Chiang	"Part One"	David Maloney	Robert Holmes	26 February 1977 (1977-02-26)	4S	11.3	—
			"Part Two"			5 March 1977 (1977-03-05)		9.8	—
			"Part Three"			12 March 1977 (1977-03-12)		10.2	—
			"Part Four"			19 March 1977 (1977-03-19)		11.4	60
			"Part Five"			26 March 1977 (1977-03-26)		10.1	—
			"Part Six"			2 April 1977 (1977-04-02)		9.3	58

This season saw the final appearance of Leela and the first appearance of K9 as voiced by John Leeson.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
92	1	Horror of Fang Rock	"Part One"	Paddy Russell	Terrance Dicks	3 September 1977 (1977-09-03)	4V	6.8	58
			"Part Two"			10 September 1977 (1977-09-10)		7.1	—
			"Part Three"			17 September 1977 (1977-09-17)		9.8	60
			"Part Four"			24 September 1977 (1977-09-24)		9.9	57
93	2	The Invisible Enemy	"Part One"	Derrick Goodwin	Bob Baker and Dave Martin	1 October 1977 (1977-10-01)	4T	8.6	—
			"Part Two"			8 October 1977 (1977-10-08)		7.3	—
			"Part Three"			15 October 1977 (1977-10-15)		7.5	—
			"Part Four"			22 October 1977 (1977-10-22)		8.3	60
94	3	Image of the Fendahl	"Part One"	George Spenton-Foster	Chris Boucher	29 October 1977 (1977-10-29)	4X	6.7	—
			"Part Two"			5 November 1977 (1977-11-05)		7.5	75
			"Part Three"			12 November 1977 (1977-11-12)		7.9	—
			"Part Four"			19 November 1977 (1977-11-19)		9.1	61
95	4	The Sun Makers	"Part One"	Pennant Roberts	Robert Holmes	26 November 1977 (1977-11-26)	4W	8.5	—
			"Part Two"			3 December 1977 (1977-12-03)		9.5	62
			"Part Three"			10 December 1977 (1977-12-10)		8.9	68
			"Part Four"			17 December 1977 (1977-12-17)		8.4	59
96	5	Underworld	"Part One"	Norman Stewart	Bob Baker and Dave Martin	7 January 1978 (1978-01-07)	4Y	8.9	65
			"Part Two"			14 January 1978 (1978-01-14)		9.1	—
			"Part Three"			21 January 1978 (1978-01-21)		8.9	—
			"Part Four"			28 January 1978 (1978-01-28)		11.7	—
97	6	The Invasion of Time	"Part One"	Gerald Blake	"David Agnew" (Graham Williams and Anthony Read)	4 February 1978 (1978-02-04)	4Z	11.2	56
			"Part Two"			11 February 1978 (1978-02-11)		11.4	—
			"Part Three"			18 February 1978 (1978-02-18)		9.5	—
			"Part Four"			25 February 1978 (1978-02-25)		10.9	—
			"Part Five"			4 March 1978 (1978-03-04)		10.3	—
			"Part Six"			11 March 1978 (1978-03-11)		9.8	—

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.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
98	1	The Ribos Operation	"Part One"	George Spenton-Foster	Robert Holmes	2 September 1978 (1978-09-02)	5A	8.3	59
			"Part Two"			9 September 1978 (1978-09-09)		8.1	—
			"Part Three"			16 September 1978 (1978-09-16)		7.9	—
			"Part Four"			23 September 1978 (1978-09-23)		8.2	67
99	2	The Pirate Planet	"Part One"	Pennant Roberts	Douglas Adams	30 September 1978 (1978-09-30)	5B	9.1	61
			"Part Two"			7 October 1978 (1978-10-07)		7.4	—
			"Part Three"			14 October 1978 (1978-10-14)		8.2	64
			"Part Four"			21 October 1978 (1978-10-21)		8.4	64
100	3	The Stones of Blood	"Part One"	Darrol Blake	David Fisher	28 October 1978 (1978-10-28)	5C	8.6	—
			"Part Two"			4 November 1978 (1978-11-04)		6.6	—
			"Part Three"			11 November 1978 (1978-11-11)		9.3	—
			"Part Four"			18 November 1978 (1978-11-18)		7.6	67
101	4	The Androids of Tara	"Part One"	Michael Hayes	David Fisher	25 November 1978 (1978-11-25)	5D	9.5	—
			"Part Two"			2 December 1978 (1978-12-02)		10.1	65
			"Part Three"			9 December 1978 (1978-12-09)		8.9	—
			"Part Four"			16 December 1978 (1978-12-16)		9.0	66
102	5	The Power of Kroll	"Part One"	Norman Stewart	Robert Holmes	23 December 1978 (1978-12-23)	5E	6.5	—
			"Part Two"			30 December 1978 (1978-12-30)		12.4	—
			"Part Three"			6 January 1979 (1979-01-06)		8.9	—
			"Part Four"			13 January 1979 (1979-01-13)		9.9	63
103	6	The Armageddon Factor	"Part One"	Michael Hayes	Bob Baker and Dave Martin	20 January 1979 (1979-01-20)	5F	7.5	65
			"Part Two"			27 January 1979 (1979-01-27)		8.8	—
			"Part Three"			3 February 1979 (1979-02-03)		7.8	—
			"Part Four"			10 February 1979 (1979-02-10)		8.6	—
			"Part Five"			17 February 1979 (1979-02-17)		8.6	—
			"Part Six"			24 February 1979 (1979-02-24)		9.6	66

During this season, the role of Romana was taken over by Lalla Ward.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15][18]	AI [15][18]
104	1	Destiny of the Daleks	"Episode One"	Ken Grieve	Terry Nation	1 September 1979 (1979-09-01)	5J	13.0	67
			"Episode Two"			8 September 1979 (1979-09-08)		12.7	—
			"Episode Three"			15 September 1979 (1979-09-15)		13.8	63
			"Episode Four"			22 September 1979 (1979-09-22)		14.4	64
105	2	City of Death	"Part One"	Michael Hayes	"David Agnew" (Douglas Adams, Graham Williams, and David Fisher)	29 September 1979 (1979-09-29)	5H	12.4	—
			"Part Two"			6 October 1979 (1979-10-06)		14.1	64
			"Part Three"			13 October 1979 (1979-10-13)		15.4	—
			"Part Four"			20 October 1979 (1979-10-20)		16.1	64
106	3	The Creature from the Pit	"Part One"	Christopher Barry	David Fisher	27 October 1979 (1979-10-27)	5G	9.3	—
			"Part Two"			3 November 1979 (1979-11-03)		10.8	67
			"Part Three"			10 November 1979 (1979-11-10)		10.2	—
			"Part Four"			17 November 1979 (1979-11-17)		9.6	—
107	4	Nightmare of Eden	"Part One"	Alan Bromly	Bob Baker	24 November 1979 (1979-11-24)	5K	8.7	—
			"Part Two"			1 December 1979 (1979-12-01)		9.6	—
			"Part Three"			8 December 1979 (1979-12-08)		9.6	—
			"Part Four"			15 December 1979 (1979-12-15)		9.4	65
108	5	The Horns of Nimon	"Part One"	Kenny McBain	Anthony Read	22 December 1979 (1979-12-22)	5L	6.0	—
			"Part Two"			29 December 1979 (1979-12-29)		8.8	—
			"Part Three"			5 January 1980 (1980-01-05)		9.8	—
			"Part Four"			12 January 1980 (1980-01-12)		10.4	67
—	—	Shada	N/A	Pennant Roberts	Douglas Adams	19 July 2018 (2018-07-19)[note 2]	5M	—	—

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.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
109	1	The Leisure Hive	"Part One"	Lovett Bickford	David Fisher	30 August 1980 (1980-08-30)	5N	5.9	—
			"Part Two"			6 September 1980 (1980-09-06)		5.0	—
			"Part Three"			13 September 1980 (1980-09-13)		5.0	—
			"Part Four"			20 September 1980 (1980-09-20)		4.5	65
110	2	Meglos	"Part One"	Terence Dudley	John Flanagan & Andrew McCulloch	27 September 1980 (1980-09-27)	5Q	5.0	61
			"Part Two"			4 October 1980 (1980-10-04)		4.2	64
			"Part Three"			11 October 1980 (1980-10-11)		4.7	—
			"Part Four"			18 October 1980 (1980-10-18)		4.7	63
111	3	Full Circle	"Part One"	Peter Grimwade	Andrew Smith	25 October 1980 (1980-10-25)	5R	5.9	—
			"Part Two"			1 November 1980 (1980-11-01)		3.7	—
			"Part Three"			8 November 1980 (1980-11-08)		5.9	—
			"Part Four"			15 November 1980 (1980-11-15)		5.4	65
112	4	State of Decay	"Part One"	Peter Moffatt	Terrance Dicks	22 November 1980 (1980-11-22)	5P	5.8	—
			"Part Two"			29 November 1980 (1980-11-29)		5.3	—
			"Part Three"			6 December 1980 (1980-12-06)		4.4	—
			"Part Four"			13 December 1980 (1980-12-13)		5.4	69
113	5	Warriors' Gate	"Part One"	Paul Joyce & Graeme Harper (uncredited)	Stephen Gallagher	3 January 1981 (1981-01-03)	5S	7.1	59
			"Part Two"			10 January 1981 (1981-01-10)		6.7	—
			"Part Three"			17 January 1981 (1981-01-17)		8.3	—
			"Part Four"			24 January 1981 (1981-01-24)		7.8	59
114	6	The Keeper of Traken	"Part One"	John Black	Johnny Byrne	31 January 1981 (1981-01-31)	5T	7.6	—
			"Part Two"			7 February 1981 (1981-02-07)		6.1	—
			"Part Three"			14 February 1981 (1981-02-14)		5.2	—
			"Part Four"			21 February 1981 (1981-02-21)		6.1	63
115	7	Logopolis	"Part One"	Peter Grimwade	Christopher H. Bidmead	28 February 1981 (1981-02-28)	5V	7.7	—
			"Part Two"			7 March 1981 (1981-03-07)		7.7	61
			"Part Three"			14 March 1981 (1981-03-14)		5.8	—
			"Part Four"			21 March 1981 (1981-03-21)		6.1	65

The Fifth Doctor was portrayed by Peter Davison.

The show moved from its traditional once-weekly Saturday broadcast to being broadcast twice-weekly primarily on Monday and Tuesday,^[20] although there were regional variations to the schedule. Castrovalva, together with the previous two serials, The Keeper of Traken and Logopolis, form a trilogy involving the return of the Master. They were released on DVD under the banner title New Beginnings. The season marked the final appearance of Adric.^[20]

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
116	1	Castrovalva	"Part One"	Fiona Cumming	Christopher H. Bidmead	4 January 1982 (1982-01-04)	5Z	9.1	–
			"Part Two"			5 January 1982 (1982-01-05)		8.6	–
			"Part Three"			11 January 1982 (1982-01-11)		10.2	–
			"Part Four"			12 January 1982 (1982-01-12)		10.4	–
117	2	Four to Doomsday	"Part One"	John Black	Terence Dudley	18 January 1982 (1982-01-18)	5W	8.4	–
			"Part Two"			19 January 1982 (1982-01-19)		8.8	–
			"Part Three"			25 January 1982 (1982-01-25)		8.9	–
			"Part Four"			26 January 1982 (1982-01-26)		9.4	–
118	3	Kinda	"Part One"	Peter Grimwade	Christopher Bailey	1 February 1982 (1982-02-01)	5Y	8.4	–
			"Part Two"			2 February 1982 (1982-02-02)		9.4	–
			"Part Three"			8 February 1982 (1982-02-08)		8.5	–
			"Part Four"			9 February 1982 (1982-02-09)		8.9	–
119	4	The Visitation	"Part One"	Peter Moffatt	Eric Saward	15 February 1982 (1982-02-15)	5X	9.1	–
			"Part Two"			16 February 1982 (1982-02-16)		9.3	–
			"Part Three"			22 February 1982 (1982-02-22)		9.9	–
			"Part Four"			23 February 1982 (1982-02-23)		10.1	–
120	5	Black Orchid	"Part One"	Ron Jones	Terence Dudley	1 March 1982 (1982-03-01)	6A	9.9	–
			"Part Two"			2 March 1982 (1982-03-02)		10.1	–
121	6	Earthshock	"Part One"	Peter Grimwade	Eric Saward	8 March 1982 (1982-03-08)	6B	9.1	–
			"Part Two"			9 March 1982 (1982-03-09)		8.8	–
			"Part Three"			15 March 1982 (1982-03-15)		9.8	–
			"Part Four"			16 March 1982 (1982-03-16)		9.6	–
122	7	Time-Flight	"Part One"	Ron Jones	Peter Grimwade	22 March 1982 (1982-03-22)	6C	10.0	–
			"Part Two"			23 March 1982 (1982-03-23)		8.5	–
			"Part Three"			29 March 1982 (1982-03-29)		8.9	–
			"Part Four"			30 March 1982 (1982-03-30)		8.1	–

To commemorate the twentieth season, the stories in this season involve the return of previous villains: Omega, the Mara, the Black Guardian and the Master. Mawdryn Undead, Terminus and Enlightenment involve the Black Guardian's plot to force the Doctor's new companion Vislor Turlough to kill the Doctor; they were released individually on VHS and as a set on DVD as parts of The Black Guardian Trilogy. This season was broadcast twice weekly on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings on BBC1. This was the last season to feature Nyssa as a companion.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
123	1	Arc of Infinity	"Part One"	Ron Jones	Johnny Byrne	3 January 1983 (1983-01-03)	6E	7.2	69
			"Part Two"			5 January 1983 (1983-01-05)		7.3	70
			"Part Three"			11 January 1983 (1983-01-11)		6.9	67
			"Part Four"			12 January 1983 (1983-01-12)		7.2	66
124	2	Snakedance	"Part One"	Fiona Cumming	Christopher Bailey	18 January 1983 (1983-01-18)	6D	6.7	65
			"Part Two"			19 January 1983 (1983-01-19)		7.7	66
			"Part Three"			25 January 1983 (1983-01-25)		6.6	67
			"Part Four"			26 January 1983 (1983-01-26)		7.4	67
125	3	Mawdryn Undead	"Part One"	Peter Moffatt	Peter Grimwade	1 February 1983 (1983-02-01)	6F	6.5	67
			"Part Two"			2 February 1983 (1983-02-02)		7.5	70
			"Part Three"			8 February 1983 (1983-02-08)		7.4	67
			"Part Four"			9 February 1983 (1983-02-09)		7.7	68
126	4	Terminus	"Part One"	Mary Ridge	Stephen Gallagher	15 February 1983 (1983-02-15)	6G	6.8	65
			"Part Two"			16 February 1983 (1983-02-16)		7.5	67
			"Part Three"			22 February 1983 (1983-02-22)		6.5	64
			"Part Four"			23 February 1983 (1983-02-23)		7.4	67
127	5	Enlightenment	"Part One"	Fiona Cumming	Barbara Clegg	1 March 1983 (1983-03-01)	6H	6.6	67
			"Part Two"			2 March 1983 (1983-03-02)		7.2	65
			"Part Three"			8 March 1983 (1983-03-08)		6.2	68
			"Part Four"			9 March 1983 (1983-03-09)		7.3	70
128	6	The King's Demons	"Part One"	Tony Virgo	Terence Dudley	15 March 1983 (1983-03-15)	6J	5.8	65
			"Part Two"			16 March 1983 (1983-03-16)		7.2	63
Special
129	–	"The Five Doctors"	N/A	Peter Moffatt	Terrance Dicks	25 November 1983 (1983-11-25)[a]	6K	7.7	75

Episodes were broadcast twice weekly on Thursday and Friday evenings, with Resurrection of the Daleks broadcast on two consecutive Wednesday nights in 45-minute, rather than 25-minute, parts. The Caves of Androzani saw the regeneration of the Fifth Doctor, and the season finale The Twin Dilemma was the first story of the Sixth Doctor. The season marked the departure of Tegan Jovanka and Vislor Turlough, as well as the introduction of Nicola Bryant as Peri Brown.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
130	1	Warriors of the Deep	"Part One"	Pennant Roberts	Johnny Byrne	5 January 1984 (1984-01-05)	6L	7.6	65
			"Part Two"			6 January 1984 (1984-01-06)		7.5	64
			"Part Three"			12 January 1984 (1984-01-12)		7.3	62
			"Part Four"			13 January 1984 (1984-01-13)		6.6	65
131	2	The Awakening	"Part One"	Michael Owen Morris	Eric Pringle	19 January 1984 (1984-01-19)	6M	7.9	65
			"Part Two"			20 January 1984 (1984-01-20)		6.6	63
132	3	Frontios	"Part One"	Ron Jones	Christopher H. Bidmead	26 January 1984 (1984-01-26)	6N	8.0	66
			"Part Two"			27 January 1984 (1984-01-27)		5.8	69
			"Part Three"			2 February 1984 (1984-02-02)		7.8	65
			"Part Four"			3 February 1984 (1984-02-03)		5.6	65
133	4	Resurrection of the Daleks	"Part One"	Matthew Robinson	Eric Saward	8 February 1984 (1984-02-08)	6P	7.3	69
			"Part Two"			15 February 1984 (1984-02-15)		8.0	65
134	5	Planet of Fire	"Part One"	Fiona Cumming	Peter Grimwade	23 February 1984 (1984-02-23)	6Q	7.4	—
			"Part Two"			24 February 1984 (1984-02-24)		6.1	—
			"Part Three"			1 March 1984 (1984-03-01)		7.4	—
			"Part Four"			2 March 1984 (1984-03-02)		7.0	—
135	6	The Caves of Androzani	"Part One"	Graeme Harper	Robert Holmes	8 March 1984 (1984-03-08)	6R	6.9	65
			"Part Two"			9 March 1984 (1984-03-09)		6.6	—
			"Part Three"			15 March 1984 (1984-03-15)		7.8	65
			"Part Four"			16 March 1984 (1984-03-16)		7.8	68

The Sixth Doctor was portrayed by Colin Baker.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
136	7	The Twin Dilemma	"Part One"	Peter Moffatt	Anthony Steven	22 March 1984 (1984-03-22)	6S	7.6	61
			"Part Two"			23 March 1984 (1984-03-23)		7.4	66
			"Part Three"			29 March 1984 (1984-03-29)		7.0	59
			"Part Four"			30 March 1984 (1984-03-30)		6.3	67

The series moved back to once-weekly Saturday broadcasts. All episodes were 45 minutes long, though 25-minute edits were produced for foreign markets. Although there were now only 13 episodes in the season, the total running time remained approximately the same as in previous seasons since the episodes were almost twice as long.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [15]	AI [15]
137	1	Attack of the Cybermen	"Part One"	Matthew Robinson	Paula Moore	5 January 1985 (1985-01-05)	6T	8.9	61
			"Part Two"			12 January 1985 (1985-01-12)		7.2	65
138	2	Vengeance on Varos	"Part One"	Ron Jones	Philip Martin	19 January 1985 (1985-01-19)	6V	7.2	63
			"Part Two"			26 January 1985 (1985-01-26)		7.0	65
139	3	The Mark of the Rani	"Part One"	Sarah Hellings	Pip and Jane Baker	2 February 1985 (1985-02-02)	6X	6.3	64
			"Part Two"			9 February 1985 (1985-02-09)		7.3	64
140	4	The Two Doctors	"Part One"	Peter Moffatt	Robert Holmes	16 February 1985 (1985-02-16)	6W	6.6	65
			"Part Two"			23 February 1985 (1985-02-23)		6.0	62
			"Part Three"			2 March 1985 (1985-03-02)		6.9	65
141	5	Timelash	"Part One"	Pennant Roberts	Glen McCoy	9 March 1985 (1985-03-09)	6Y	6.7	66
			"Part Two"			16 March 1985 (1985-03-16)		7.4	64
142	6	Revelation of the Daleks	"Part One"	Graeme Harper	Eric Saward	23 March 1985 (1985-03-23)	6Z	7.4	67
			"Part Two"			30 March 1985 (1985-03-30)		7.7	65

The whole season is titled as The Trial of a Time Lord, and is split into four segments. The segments are commonly referred to by their respective novelisation's titles^[21] (listed below) but the season was broadcast as one fourteen-part story and these titles did not appear on screen. Episode length returned to 25 minutes, but with only fourteen episodes in the season, making the total running time of this season (and subsequent seasons) just over half of the previous seasons, going back to season 7. The season saw the departure of Peri and the introduction of Bonnie Langford as companion Mel Bush.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [22]	AI [22]
143a	1	The Mysterious Planet	"Part One"	Nicholas Mallett	Robert Holmes	6 September 1986 (1986-09-06)	7A	4.9	72
			"Part Two"			13 September 1986 (1986-09-13)		4.9	69
			"Part Three"			20 September 1986 (1986-09-20)		3.9	70
			"Part Four"			27 September 1986 (1986-09-27)		3.7	72
143b	2	Mindwarp	"Part Five"	Ron Jones	Philip Martin	4 October 1986 (1986-10-04)	7B	4.8	71
			"Part Six"			11 October 1986 (1986-10-11)		4.6	69
			"Part Seven"			18 October 1986 (1986-10-18)		5.1	66
			"Part Eight"			25 October 1986 (1986-10-25)		5.0	72
143c	3	Terror of the Vervoids	"Part Nine"	Chris Clough	Pip and Jane Baker	1 November 1986 (1986-11-01)	7C	5.2	66
			"Part Ten"			8 November 1986 (1986-11-08)		4.6	69
			"Part Eleven"			15 November 1986 (1986-11-15)		5.3	69
			"Part Twelve"			22 November 1986 (1986-11-22)		5.3	69
143d	4	The Ultimate Foe	"Part Thirteen"	Chris Clough	Robert Holmes	29 November 1986 (1986-11-29)	7C	4.4	69
			"Part Fourteen"		Pip and Jane Baker	6 December 1986 (1986-12-06)		5.6	69

The Seventh Doctor was portrayed by Sylvester McCoy.

This season was moved to a Monday schedule. Mel Bush left in Dragonfire with recurring character Sabalom Glitz (Tony Selby), and the companion role was taken over by Sophie Aldred as Ace.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [23][24]	AI [23][24]
144	1	Time and the Rani	"Part One"	Andrew Morgan	Pip and Jane Baker	7 September 1987 (1987-09-07)	7D	5.1	58
			"Part Two"			14 September 1987 (1987-09-14)		4.2	63
			"Part Three"			21 September 1987 (1987-09-21)		4.3	57
			"Part Four"			28 September 1987 (1987-09-28)		4.9	59
145	2	Paradise Towers	"Part One"	Nicholas Mallett	Stephen Wyatt	5 October 1987 (1987-10-05)	7E	4.5	61
			"Part Two"			12 October 1987 (1987-10-12)		5.2	58
			"Part Three"			19 October 1987 (1987-10-19)		5.0	58
			"Part Four"			26 October 1987 (1987-10-26)		5.0	57
146	3	Delta and the Bannermen	"Part One"	Chris Clough	Malcolm Kohll	2 November 1987 (1987-11-02)	7F	5.3	63
			"Part Two"			9 November 1987 (1987-11-09)		5.1	60
			"Part Three"			16 November 1987 (1987-11-16)		5.4	60
147	4	Dragonfire	"Part One"	Chris Clough	Ian Briggs	23 November 1987 (1987-11-23)	7G	5.5	61
			"Part Two"			30 November 1987 (1987-11-30)		5.0	61
			"Part Three"			7 December 1987 (1987-12-07)		4.7	64

The series was moved to Wednesdays. The programme celebrated its 25th anniversary with the serial story Silver Nemesis.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [24][25]	AI [24][25]
148	1	Remembrance of the Daleks	"Part One"	Andrew Morgan	Ben Aaronovitch	5 October 1988 (1988-10-05)	7H	5.5	68
			"Part Two"			12 October 1988 (1988-10-12)		5.8	69
			"Part Three"			19 October 1988 (1988-10-19)		5.1	70
			"Part Four"			26 October 1988 (1988-10-26)		5.0	72
149	2	The Happiness Patrol	"Part One"	Chris Clough	Graeme Curry	2 November 1988 (1988-11-02)	7L	5.3	67
			"Part Two"			9 November 1988 (1988-11-09)		4.6	65
			"Part Three"			16 November 1988 (1988-11-16)		5.3	65
150	3	Silver Nemesis	"Part One"	Chris Clough	Kevin Clarke	23 November 1988 (1988-11-23)	7K	6.1	71
			"Part Two"			30 November 1988 (1988-11-30)[a]		5.2	70
			"Part Three"			7 December 1988 (1988-12-07)[a]		5.2	70
151	4	The Greatest Show in the Galaxy	"Part One"	Alan Wareing	Stephen Wyatt	14 December 1988 (1988-12-14)	7J	5.0	68
			"Part Two"			21 December 1988 (1988-12-21)		5.3	66
			"Part Three"			28 December 1988 (1988-12-28)		4.8	69
			"Part Four"			4 January 1989 (1989-01-04)		6.6	64

The final season continued to push the series towards a darker approach, focusing this time more on Ace's personal life as well as The Doctor's past and manipulations. This season set the tone for the Virgin New Adventures novels that followed.

No. story	No. in season	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [25][27]	AI [24][27]
152	1	Battlefield	"Part One"	Michael Kerrigan	Ben Aaronovitch	6 September 1989 (1989-09-06)	7N	3.1	69
			"Part Two"			13 September 1989 (1989-09-13)		3.9	68
			"Part Three"			20 September 1989 (1989-09-20)		3.6	67
			"Part Four"			27 September 1989 (1989-09-27)		4.0	65
153	2	Ghost Light	"Part One"	Alan Wareing	Marc Platt	4 October 1989 (1989-10-04)	7Q	4.2	68
			"Part Two"			11 October 1989 (1989-10-11)		4.0	68
			"Part Three"			18 October 1989 (1989-10-18)		4.0	64
154	3	The Curse of Fenric	"Part One"	Nicholas Mallett	Ian Briggs	25 October 1989 (1989-10-25)	7M	4.3	67
			"Part Two"			1 November 1989 (1989-11-01)		4.0	68
			"Part Three"			8 November 1989 (1989-11-08)		4.0	68
			"Part Four"			15 November 1989 (1989-11-15)		4.2	68
155	4	Survival	"Part One"	Alan Wareing	Rona Munro	22 November 1989 (1989-11-22)	7P	5.0	69
			"Part Two"			29 November 1989 (1989-11-29)		4.8	69
			"Part Three"			6 December 1989 (1989-12-06)		5.0	71

The Eighth Doctor was portrayed by Paul McGann. The movie is the only television appearance of this Doctor during his tenure. The only production title held by this story was Doctor Who. The DVD release is titled Doctor Who: The Movie. In 2013, Paul McGann returned for the second television appearance of the Eighth Doctor in the minisode titled "The Night of the Doctor".^[28][29] The production code is 50/LDX071Y/01X,^[30] though Doctor Who Magazine's "Complete Eighth Doctor Special" gives the code as #83705^[31] and the BBC's online episode guide as "TVM".^[32]

No. story	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [33]	AI [33]
156	Doctor Who	Geoffrey Sax	Matthew Jacobs	12 May 1996 (1996-05-12) (Canada) 14 May 1996 (USA) 27 May 1996 (UK)	50/LDX071Y/01X[34]	9.08	75

2005–present episodes This list has been split for improved performance.

• List of Doctor Who Christmas and New Year's specials
• List of unmade Doctor Who serials and films
• List of Doctor Who audio releases
• List of Doctor Who home video releases
• List of Doctor Who audio plays by Big Finish
• List of Doctor Who radio stories
• List of special Doctor Who episodes
• Doctor Who spin-offs

• BBC Episode Guide (1963–1996) (archived)
• BBC Episode Guide (1963–2022) (archived)
• DoctorWho.TV story guide
• Doctor Who at IMDb: 1963, 1996, 2005, 2023