Doctor Who (season 8)
| Doctor Who (season 8) | |
|---|---|
 Cover art of the Region 2 DVD release for first serial of the season | |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of stories | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 25 |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Original release | 2 January – 19 June 1971 |
| Season chronology | |
The eighth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 2 January 1971 with Terror of the Autons and ended with The Dæmons featuring Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor.
Casting
Main cast
- Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor
- Katy Manning as Jo Grant
Jon Pertwee continues his role as the Third Doctor. Katy Manning makes her first appearance as companion Jo Grant in Terror of the Autons.
Recurring cast
- Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
- John Levene as Sergeant Benton
- Richard Franklin as Mike Yates
- Roger Delgado as The Master
Nicholas Courtney and John Levene continue their roles of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and Sergeant Benton, while Richard Franklin makes his first appearance as Captain Mike Yates.
Roger Delgado makes his first appearance as The Master in Terror of the Autons and continues to make appearances in each of the five serials.
Guest stars
Fernanda Marlowe makes appearances in The Mind of Evil and The Claws of Axos as Corporal Bell.
Serials
The season marks the first appearance of the Master who goes on to make further appearances through the season in every serial as the main antagonist who is finally captured at the end of the season. Colony in Space was the first serial set away from Earth since The War Games at the end of Season 6, and came about as a result of producer Barry Letts' feeling that the Earthbound stories of the Doctor's exile were too limiting in terms of potential plotting.
| Story | Serial | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | UK viewers (millions) [1] | AI [1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 1 | Terror of the Autons | Barry Letts | Robert Holmes | 2 January 1971 9 January 1971 16 January 1971 23 January 1971 | EEE | 7.3 8.0 8.1 8.4 | — |
| The Master arrives on Earth and makes an alliance with the Autons to conquer the planet. | ||||||||
| 56 | 2 | The Mind of Evil | Timothy Combe | Don Houghton | 30 January 1971 6 February 1971 13 February 1971 20 February 1971 27 February 1971 6 March 1971 | FFF | 6.1 8.8 7.5 7.4 7.6 7.3 | — |
| The Master creates the Keller Machine, a device that appears to rehabilitate prisoners, but instead kills them. | ||||||||
| 57 | 3 | The Claws of Axos | Michael Ferguson | Bob Baker and Dave Martin | 13 March 1971 20 March 1971 27 March 1971 3 April 1971 | GGG | 7.3 8.0 6.4 7.8 | — |
| The Axons land on Earth supposedly peacefully, even offering a new energy source. However, that is not their real purpose. | ||||||||
| 58 | 4 | Colony in Space | Michael E. Briant | Malcolm Hulke | 10 April 1971 17 April 1971 24 April 1971 1 May 1971 8 May 1971 15 May 1971 | HHH | 7.6 8.5 9.5 8.1 8.8 8.7 | — |
| On the human colony Uxarieus, the colonists' crops are failing and a giant reptile appears to be killing them. | ||||||||
| 59 | 5 | The Dæmons | Christopher Barry | Guy Leopold (Robert Sloman and Barry Letts) | 22 May 1971 29 May 1971 5 June 1971 12 June 1971 19 June 1971 | JJJ | 9.2 8.0 8.1 8.1 8.3 | — |
| The Master awakens the demonic Azal from his spaceship under a Bronze Age burial mound. | ||||||||
Broadcast
The entire season was broadcast from 2 January to 19 June 1971.
DVD releases
| Serial name | Number and duration of episodes |
R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terror of the Autons Only available as part of the Mannequin Mania box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1. | 4 × 25 min. | 9 May 2011 | 2 June 2011 | 10 May 2011 |
| Terror of the Autons – Doctor Who DVD Files Issue 101 | 4 × 25 min. | 14 November 2012 | 14 November 2012 | N/A |
| The Mind of Evil | 6 × 25 min. | 3 June 2013 | 5 June 2013 | 11 June 2013 |
| The Claws of Axos | 4 × 25 min. | 25 April 2005 | 2 June 2005 | 8 November 2005 |
| The Claws of Axos – Special Edition | 4 x 25 min. | 22 October 2012 | 7 November 2012 | 13 November 2012 |
| The Claws of Axos – Doctor Who DVD Files Issue 97 | 4 × 25 min. | 19 September 2012 | 19 September 2012 | N/A |
| Colony in Space | 6 × 25 min. | 3 October 2011 | 1 December 2011 | 8 November 2011 |
| The Dæmons | 5 × 25 min. | 19 March 2012[2][3] | 19 April 2012[4] | 10 April 2012[5] |
In print
| Serial name | Novelisation title | Author | First published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terror of the Autons | Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons | Terrance Dicks | 15 May 1975 |
| The Mind of Evil | The Mind of Evil | Terrance Dicks | 21 March 1985 |
| The Claws of Axos | Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos | Terrance Dicks | 21 April 1977 |
| Colony in Space | Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon | Malcolm Hulke | 27 March 1974 |
| The Dæmons | Doctor Who and the Dæmons | Barry Letts | 17 October 1974 |
References
- 1 2 "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
- ↑ "The Doctor Who News Page: DVD Schedule Update". Doctorwhonews.net. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- ↑ "Play.com listings". Play.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- ↑ "Doctor Who: The Daemons | DVD Movies & TV Shows, Genres, Sci-Fi / Fantasy : JB HI-FI". Jbhifionline.com.au. 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
- ↑ Doctor Who DVD news: Extras for Story #059: The Daemons AND Story #066: Carnival Of Monsters: Special Edition | TVShowsOnDVD.com Archived 7 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine.