Doctor Who season 20
| Doctor Who | |
|---|---|
| Season 20 | |
| File:Doctor Who Season 20 DVD.jpg Cover art of the Region 2 DVD release for first serial of the season | |
| Starring | |
| No. of stories | 6, 1 special |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC1 |
| Original release | 3 January – 16 March 1983 (Season) 25 November 1983 (Special) |
| Season chronology | |
The twentieth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 3 January 1983 with the story Arc of Infinity, and ended 16 March 1983 with The King's Demons. A 20th Anniversary special, The Five Doctors, followed in November 1983.
Casting
Main cast
- Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor
- Sarah Sutton as Nyssa
- Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka
- Mark Strickson as Vislor Turlough
- Gerald Flood as Voice of Kamelion
- Richard Hurndall as the First Doctor
- Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor
- Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor
- Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman
- Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
- Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith
Peter Davison continues his role as the Doctor, accompanied by Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka). While Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) leaves halfway through the season in Terminus, Mark Strickson arrives as new companion Vislor Turlough in Mawdryn Undead. In the penultimate serial of the season, the shape-shifting android Kamelion (voiced by Gerald Flood) is invited aboard the TARDIS after the Doctor frees him from the Master. Kamelion accepts, though the character itself would only be seen again in Season 21's antepenultimate serial, Planet of Fire.
Past Doctors return for the 20th Anniversary special, with Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee appearing as the Second Doctor and Third Doctor. The First Doctor returns, played by Richard Hurndall as original actor William Hartnell died in 1975. Tom Baker was asked to return to play the Fourth Doctor but declined.
Past companions Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart), Carole Ann Ford (Susan Foreman) return for the 20th Anniversary special, whilst Nicholas Courtney also makes an appearance in Mawdryn Undead.
Recurring stars
- Anthony Ainley as The Master
- Valentine Dyall as the Black Guardian
- Paul Jerricho as The Castellan
Anthony Ainley returns as the Master yet again in The King's Demons and The Five Doctors.
The Black Guardian played by Valentine Dyall also makes a return in Mawdryn Undead, Terminus and Enlightenment.
The Castellan played by Paul Jerricho appears in Arc of Infinity and reprises the role in The Five Doctors
Guest stars
Additional companions Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon), Wendy Padbury (Zoe Heriot), Caroline John (Liz Shaw) and Richard Franklin (Mike Yates) make cameos throughout the special.
Returning villains for the season are Omega (Arc of Infinity), Cybermen (The Five Doctors) and The Mara (Snakedance). A lone Dalek and a lone Yeti appear briefly in The Five Doctors.
David Banks makes his second of four appearances in the show in The Five Doctors as a Cyber-leader.
Colin Baker, who was subsequently cast as the Sixth Doctor, made his first appearance in Doctor Who as Commander Maxil in the season's first serial, Arc of Infinity, becoming the first actor to appear in the programme prior to taking on the role of the Doctor.
Serials
To commemorate the twentieth season, the stories in this season involve the return of characters or villains seen in previous seasons. This season was broadcast twice weekly on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings on BBC1. It includes The Black Guardian Trilogy, consisting of the serials Mawdryn Undead, Terminus and Enlightenment and involving the arrival of Turlough, the departure of Nyssa and a single guest appearance from Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Overall, these serials form a rough twelve-part epic.
Although The Five Doctors was broadcast more than eight months after Part 2 of The King's Demons, which was the last regular story of the season, it is usually included as part of Season 20.
| Story | Serial | Serial title | Episode titles | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | UK viewers (millions) [1] | AI [1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123 | 1 | Arc of Infinity | "Part One" | Ron Jones | Johnny Byrne | 3 January 1983 | 6E | 7.2 | 69 | |||
| "Part Two" | Ron Jones | Johnny Byrne | 5 January 1983 | 7.3 | 70 | |||||||
| "Part Three" | Ron Jones | Johnny Byrne | 11 January 1983 | 6.9 | 67 | |||||||
| "Part Four" | Ron Jones | Johnny Byrne | 12 January 1983 | 7.2 | 66 | |||||||
| 124 | 2 | Snakedance | "Part One" | Fiona Cumming | Christopher Bailey | 18 January 1983 | 6D | 6.7 | 65 | |||
| "Part Two" | Fiona Cumming | Christopher Bailey | 19 January 1983 | 7.7 | 66 | |||||||
| "Part Three" | Fiona Cumming | Christopher Bailey | 25 January 1983 | 6.6 | 67 | |||||||
| "Part Four" | Fiona Cumming | Christopher Bailey | 26 January 1983 | 7.4 | 67 | |||||||
| 125 | 3 | Mawdryn Undead | "Part One" | Peter Moffatt | Peter Grimwade | 1 February 1983 | 6F | 6.5 | 67 | |||
| "Part Two" | Peter Moffatt | Peter Grimwade | 2 February 1983 | 7.5 | 70 | |||||||
| "Part Three" | Peter Moffatt | Peter Grimwade | 8 February 1983 | 7.4 | 67 | |||||||
| "Part Four" | Peter Moffatt | Peter Grimwade | 9 February 1983 | 7.7 | 68 | |||||||
| 126 | 4 | Terminus | "Part One" | Mary Ridge | Stephen Gallagher | 15 February 1983 | 6G | 6.8 | 65 | |||
| "Part Two" | Stephen Gallagher | 16 February 1983 | 7.5 | 67 | ||||||||
| "Part Three" | Stephen Gallagher | 22 February 1983 | 6.5 | 64 | ||||||||
| "Part Four" | Stephen Gallagher | 23 February 1983 | 7.4 | 67 | ||||||||
| 127 | 5 | Enlightenment | "Part One" | Fiona Cumming | Barbara Clegg | 1 March 1983 | 6H | 6.6 | 67 | |||
| "Part Two" | Barbara Clegg | 2 March 1983 | 7.2 | 65 | ||||||||
| "Part Three" | Barbara Clegg | 8 March 1983 | 6.2 | 68 | ||||||||
| "Part Four" | Barbara Clegg | 9 March 1983 | 7.3 | 70 | ||||||||
| 128 | 6 | The King's Demons | "Part One" | Tony Virgo | Terence Dudley | 15 March 1983 | 6J | 5.8 | 65 | |||
| "Part Two" | Terence Dudley | 16 March 1983 | 7.2 | 63 | ||||||||
| ' | ||||||||||||
| 129 | – | The Five Doctors | N/A | Peter Moffatt | Terrance Dicks | 25 November 1983[a] | 6K | 7.7 | 75 | |||
Broadcast
The entire season (including the show's 20th anniversary special The Five Doctors) was broadcast from 3 January to 25 November. Transmission moved to Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except for the first episode of Arc of Infinity.
Home media
VHS releases
DVD and Blu-ray releases
All releases are for DVD unless otherwise indicated:
- (B) indicates a Blu-ray release
| Season | Story no. | Serial name | Number and duration of episodes |
R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 123 | Arc of Infinity[b] | 4 × 25 min. | 6 August 2007[2] | 5 September 2007[3] | 6 November 2007[4] |
| 124 | Snakedance[c] | 4 × 25 min. | 7 March 2011[5] | 7 April 2011[6] | 12 April 2011[7] | |
| 125–127 | Mawdryn Undead Terminus Enlightenment |
12 × 25 min.[d] 1 × 75 min.[e] |
10 August 2009[8] | 5 November 2009[9] | 3 November 2009[10] | |
| 128 | The King's Demons[f] | 2 × 25 min. | 14 June 2010[11] | 5 August 2010[12] | 7 September 2010[13] | |
| 129 | "The Five Doctors" (Special Edition) | 1 × 100 min.[g] | 1 November 1999[14] | 9 October 2000[15] | 11 September 2001[16] | |
| "The Five Doctors" (25th Anniversary Edition) | 1 × 90 min.[h] 1 × 100 min.[g] |
3 March 2008[17] | 5 June 2008[18] | 5 August 2008[19] | ||
| 123–129 | Complete Season 20[i] | 22 × 25 min. 1 × 90 min.[h] 1 × 100 min.[g] |
18 September 2023 (B) [20] | 24 July 2024 (B) [21] | 4 June 2024 (B) [22] |
- ^ The Five Doctors was first broadcast in the United States on 23 November 1983, the actual date of the programme's 20th anniversary.
- ^ Only available as part of the Time-Flight/Arc of Infinity box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.
- ^ Only available as part of the Mara Tales box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.
- ^ Known collectively as The Black Guardian Trilogy. Each serial comprises four episodes.
- ^ The 75-minute long episode is an Enlightenment Special Edition
- ^ Only available as part of the Kamelion Tales box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.
- ^ a b c "Special edition" of "The Five Doctors" with restored footage and new special effects
- ^ a b Broadcast version of "The Five Doctors"
- ^ Released as Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 20 in Region B. Released as Doctor Who – Peter Davison: Complete Season Two in Region A.
In print
| Serial name | Novelisation title | Author | First published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arc of Infinity | Arc of Infinity | Terrance Dicks | 21 July 1983 |
| Snakedance | Snakedance | Terrance Dicks | 21 January 1984 |
| Mawdryn Undead | Mawdryn Undead | Peter Grimwade | 18 August 1984 |
| Terminus | Terminus | John Lydecker | 16 June 1983 |
| Enlightenment | Enlightenment | Barbara Clegg | 24 May 1984 |
| The King's Demons | The King's Demons | Terence Dudley | 16 February 1986 |
| The Five Doctors | The Five Doctors | Terrance Dicks | 24 November 1983 |
Notes
References
- ^ a b "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
- ^ Smith 2014, Arc of Infinity.
- ^ "Doctor Who by Roadshow Entertainment - Shop Online for Movies, DVDs in Australia". Fishpond. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ^ "Doctor Who: Arc of Infinity". 6 November 2007. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2017 – via Amazon.
- ^ Smith 2014, Snakedance.
- ^ "Doctor Who Mara Tales by Roadshow Entertainment - Shop Online for Movies, DVDs in Australia". Fishpond. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ^ "Doctor Who: Snakedance". 12 April 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2017 – via Amazon.
- ^ Smith 2014, The Black Guardian Trilogy.
- ^ "Doctor Who: Black Guardian Trilogy - Australia Buy Online. Buy Discount DVD Movies Online". gamehead.com.au. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ^ "Doctor Who: The Black Guardian Trilogy". 3 November 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2017 – via Amazon.
- ^ Smith 2014, The King's Demons.
- ^ "Doctor Who Kamelion Tales (Box Set) by Roadshow Entertainment - Shop Online for Movies, DVDs in Australia". Fishpond. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ^ "Doctor Who: The King's Demons". 7 September 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2017 – via Amazon.
- ^ Smith 2014, The Five Doctors Special Edition.
- ^ "The Dr Who - Five Doctors by Roadshow - Shop Online for Movies, DVDs in Australia". Fishpond. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ^ "Doctor Who: The Five Doctors". 11 September 2001. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2017 – via Amazon.
- ^ Smith 2014, The Five Doctors 25th Anniversary Edition.
- ^ "Doctor Who The Five Doctors by Roadshow Entertainment - Shop Online for Movies, DVDs in Australia". Fishpond. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ^ "Doctor Who: The Five Doctors". 5 August 2008. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2017 – via Amazon.
- ^ "Doctor Who – The Collection Season 20 Blu-Ray Limited Edition Packaging". Retrieved 28 August 2023 – via Amazon.
- ^ "Doctor Who - Classic - Series 20 - Limited Edition Blu-ray". Sanity. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Doctor Who: Peter Davison Complete Season 2". BBC Shop Canada. BBC Studios. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
Cite error: A list-defined reference named "TimeFlightArcOfInfinity-R2" is not used in the content (see the help page).