Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Doctor Who ceased broadcasting in 1989, then resumed in 2005. The original series (1963–1989), generally consists of multi-episode serials. In contrast, 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.
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. Of these episodes, 187 are from the revived series. 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] As of November 2023, up to a seventeenth series of the revived era has been planned.[2]
The story numbers below are meant as a guide to placement in the overall context of the programme.[3] 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,[4] and whether the unfinished serial Shada should be included.[5] The numbering scheme in this list follows the official website's episode guide.[3] Other sources, such as the Region 1 classic Doctor WhoDVD releases, use different numbering schemes, which diverge after the 108th story, The Horns of Nimon (1979–1980).
Series overview
The following table dictates the season or series in question for the programme as a whole.
^Shada was left unfinished due to a strike. The story was later completed and officially released on home media in 2017. The voices of the original actors with new animation was incorporated to bridge the gaps between the recorded live-action segments. It is not included in the episode or story counts as it was not broadcast.
^A change in transmission format for this season only as episodes were 45 minutes instead of the usual 24 minutes. Thus a traditional 4-part story was transmitted in 2 parts.
^These specials consist of the 2008 Christmas, 2009 Easter, 2009 November and the 2009–10 Christmas/New Year's Day episodes.
^These specials consist of the 50th Anniversary and 2013 Christmas episodes.
^This episode was the first episode of the twelfth series (and is only counted in the § Regular seasons table of this article), and thus not a special aired outside of a series, but it was aired four days before the twelfth series' traditional timeslot in order to air deliberately on New Year's Day.
^These specials consist of the 2022 New Year's Day, 2022 Easter, and 2022 BBC Centenary episodes.[7][8]
^These specials consist of the 60th anniversary episodes.
In 2005, the BBC relaunched Doctor Who after a 16-year absence from episodic television, with Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, and Mal Young as executive producers, and Phil Collinson as producer. For the first time since the 1965–1966 season, each episode has a title. Unlike the classic series, most were stand alone as complete stories. The show also returned to its traditional Saturday evening slot.
Ninth Doctor
The revived series began with Christopher Eccleston taking the lead role of the Ninth Doctor. During Eccleston's tenure, the episodes were all set on either Earth, or in its orbit, in its past, present and future. In his last story, The Parting of the Ways, the Doctor absorbed the Time Vortex to save his companion, leading to his regeneration.
The 2005 series introduces Billie Piper as the companion Rose Tyler, and constitutes a loose story arc, dealing with the consequences of the Time War and its impact on the Doctor, and the mystery of the seemingly omnipresent phrase 'Bad Wolf'.
The Tenth Doctor was portrayed by David Tennant, who was cast even before the first series aired.[12] With the success of the first series, Doctor Who returned to its old formula of visiting alien planets in addition to the time travel. Tennant retained the role until Part Two of The End of Time when the Doctor suffers radiation poisoning, saving his companion.
The back-story for the spin-off series Torchwood is "seeded" in various episodes in the 2006 series. Rose continues travelling with the Doctor, leaving the series at the end of the finale Doomsday.
This series introduces Freema Agyeman as the companion Martha Jones, whose tenure also ends in the finale Last of the Time Lords, and deals with the Face of Boe's final message, the mysterious Mr. Saxon, and the Doctor dealing with the loss of Rose Tyler.
This series explores the coincidences binding the Doctor and the new companion Donna together, portrayed by Catherine Tate, who reprised her role from the Christmas special The Runaway Bride, and departed the series in the finale Journey's End, which also brought back all the companions in the revived series upto that moment. There is also a loose story arc of both planets and bees mysteriously disappearing.
The specials focus on the "four knocks" and the death of the Tenth Doctor. The Doctor continued to travel alone through all the specials, taking one-off companions as he deals with the grief of continuously ending up alone time after time.
The Eleventh Doctor was portrayed by Matt Smith. Steven Moffat took over as showrunner from the fifth series, swapping the melodramatic stories of his predecessor for ones involving convoluted time travel, which remained a staple for the entirety of Smith's tenure as the Doctor.[16][17] Smith retained the role until the Christmas special The Time of the Doctor, with the Doctor dying due to old age and fatigue from a centuries-long war.[18]
This series introduced Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill as companions Amy Pond and Rory Williams respectively, and deals with cracks spreading throughout time and space and erasing things and the opening of the Pandorica which are mentioned in various episodes.
This series centres on River Song's relation to the Doctor, her true identity, the Doctor's "death" and discovering what the Silence is. The original transmission of series 6 was split into two parts, with the first seven episodes airing April to June 2011 and the final six from late August to October 2011.
Series 7 started with five episodes and a Christmas special in late 2012, followed by eight episodes in 2013. It dealt with the exit of the Ponds midway through the series in The Angels Take Manhattan, the Great Intelligence and the mystery of the new companion Clara Oswald portrayed by Jenna Coleman.
The specials focus on various incarnations of the Doctor, including the return of the Tenth Doctor and the reveal of the War Doctor and his actions during the Time War.
The Twelfth Doctor was portrayed by Peter Capaldi. His tenure saw a reduction of total episodes per series from thirteen to twelve. His Doctor was characterised by his grappling with the question of the meaning of goodness and whether he is himself a good man. Capaldi played the role until the Christmas special Twice Upon a Time, trying to save a ship of strangers from Cybermen, "without hope, without witness, without reward".
The series dealt with the mystery identity of the character "Missy", the mystery around "The Promised Land", and the dynamic of The Doctor and Clara and how it was affected by his regeneration.
The series consisted almost exclusively of two-parters, and dealt with the consequences of the changing dynamics of Doctor and Clara's relationship, which led to her departure in the finale Hell Bent, and the prophecy of the Hybrid.
The series dealt with the mystery of the vault and the Doctor's oath, and later exploring the Doctor and Missy's relationship, and the possibility of Missy "turning good". This season introduces Pearl Mackie and Matt Lucas as the Doctor's new companions Bill Potts and Nardole respectively, both of whom depart in the finale "The Doctor Falls".
The Thirteenth Doctor was portrayed by Jodie Whittaker,[20] becoming the first woman to play the role, with Chris Chibnall taking over as showrunner from the eleventh series onwards, and the reduction of episodes from twelve to ten. They both departed in the special The Power of the Doctor, with the Doctor dying at the hands of the Master.
This series dealt with a new incarnation of the Master, the return of Jack Harkness, the appearance of an unknown incarnation of the Doctor who existed at some point before the Time War, and the "Lone Cyberman", while following the destruction of Gallifrey and the secret of the Timeless Child. The special marked the last regular appearance of Graham and Ryan.
Series 13 consisted of a single story arc, subtitled Flux, consisting of six episodes. It involved a universe-ending anomaly, called the "Flux", which brought several enemies together in an attempt to take over Earth and the destruction of large parts of the universe.[22][23]John Bishop joined the series as new companion Dan.[24]
The specials loosely continued from Flux, the last celebrating the BBC's centenary, and dealt with Yaz and the Doctor's relationship and the lead up to the Thirteenth Doctor's regeneration, with both Yaz and Dan departing in the finale.
These specials celebrated Doctor Who's 60th anniversary. They reunited the Doctor with Donna Noble; introduced The Meep on-screen; involved thwarting a threat at the universe's edge; re-introduced The Toymaker; and concluded with the Fourteenth Doctor's unique bi-generation.[28]
The Fifteenth Doctor is portrayed by Ncuti Gatwa and is the current Doctor.[29][30][26]
His tenure saw the reduction of episodes from ten to eight and is the first series to be distributed worldwide outside the UK by Disney+.
The Christmas special introduced Millie Gibson as companion Ruby Sunday, while the following season centred around the mystery of Ruby's birth, as well as a mysterious woman who appeared in different forms within each of the Doctor and Ruby's adventures. The series released at midnight on BBC iPlayer in the UK, with the BBC broadcast happening the following Saturday evening.[31]
A Christmas special will air on 25 December 2024, followed by the eight-episode fifteenth series in 2025.[6]Millie Gibson is expected to return as Ruby Sunday, alongside new companion, Belinda Chandra, played by Varada Sethu.[33] Filming occurred between 23 October 2023 and 25 May 2024.[34]
A third series with Davies as showrunner was being planned by November 2023.[2] Gatwa commented on returning in April 2024.[37] By that June, Davies was working on the fourth script for the series, despite it not yet being commissioned, with filming expected to begin in early 2025, and an expected release within 2026.[38]
^These titles are normally prefixed with their respective "Chapter" number, or with the overall serial title "Flux".
^Episodes for the fourteenth series released simultaneously at midnight BST in the United Kingdom on BBC iPlayer (followed by a 7pm BBC broadcast the same day), and at 7pm ET the day prior in the United States on Disney+.[32]
^Pixley, Andrew (9 November 2006). "Series Two Companion". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 14 – Special Edition. pp. 21, 29, 35, 42, 50, 61, 69, 79, 85, 91, 101.
Ainsworth, John, ed. (2018). "The Return of Doctor Mysterio and The Pilot". Doctor Who: The Complete History. 85. Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks: 50, 114.
Wright, Mark, ed. (2018). "Smile, Thin Ice and Knock Knock". Doctor Who: The Complete History. 86. Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks: 39, 78, 122.
Ainsworth, John, ed. (2018). "Oxygen, Extremis and The Pyramid at the End of the World". Doctor Who: The Complete History. 87. Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks: 50, 95, 141.
Ainsworth, John (2019). Wright, Mark (ed.). "The Lie of the Land, Empress of Mars and The Eaters of Light". Doctor Who: The Complete History. 88. Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks: 41, 89, 130.
Ainsworth, John (2019). Wright, Mark (ed.). "World Enough and Time / The Doctor Falls and Twice Upon a Time". Doctor Who: The Complete History. 89 (276). Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks: 60, 122.
^Hearn, Marcus (30 December 2021). "The 2022 Yearbook". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 59 – Special Edition. pp. 14, 26, 40, 50, 62, 70. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
