Doctor Who (season 3)

The third season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 11 September 1965 with the story Galaxy 4 and ended on 16 July 1966 with The War Machines. Only 17 out of 45 episodes survive in the BBC archives; 28 remain missing. As a result, only 3 serials are complete.

Doctor Who
Season 3
Cover art of the soundtrack release for first serial of the season
Starring	William Hartnell Maureen O'Brien Peter Purves Adrienne Hill Jean Marsh Jackie Lane Anneke Wills Michael Craze
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of stories	10
No. of episodes	45 (28 missing)
Release
Original network	BBC1
Original release	11 September 1965 – 16 July 1966
Season chronology

Casting

Main cast

• William Hartnell as the First Doctor
• Maureen O'Brien as Vicki
• Peter Purves as Steven Taylor
• Adrienne Hill as Katarina
• Jean Marsh as Sara Kingdom
• Jackie Lane as Dodo Chaplet
• Anneke Wills as Polly
• Michael Craze as Ben Jackson

William Hartnell continues his journey as The First Doctor, accompanied by companions Vicki (Maureen O'Brien) and Steven Taylor (Peter Purves). In the third story The Myth Makers, Vicki departed and was replaced by Katarina (Adrienne Hill). Katarina's tenure was brief, with the character being killed in episode 4 of the following story, The Daleks' Master Plan. In some companion lists, Sara Kingdom (Jean Marsh) is included as a companion, though her appearances were limited to later episodes of the serial The Daleks' Master Plan.

Dodo Chaplet (Jackie Lane) joined the Doctor and Steven in the next serial, The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve. There were no changes in the primary cast until Steven's departure in the penultimate story, The Savages. In the final story The War Machines, Dodo also departs, and the Doctor was joined by Polly (Anneke Wills) and Ben (Michael Craze). Like the previous season, the cast of companions had changed from start to finish.

Guest stars

Peter Butterworth makes his second and final appearance as the Meddling Monk in the serial The Daleks' Master Plan, though his presence in the story is limited to three parts only; "Volcano", "Golden Death", and "Escape Switch".

Serials

John Wiles replaced Verity Lambert as producer after "Mission to the Unknown". Innes Lloyd, in turn, replaced Wiles after The Ark. Donald Tosh continued as script editor until The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve: "Priest of Death", and was replaced by Gerry Davis beginning with The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve: "Bell of Doom".[1]

The practice of giving each individual episode a different title was abandoned after The Gunfighters, near the end of the season. This season was notable for the longest serial to date, The Daleks' Master Plan, which contained 12 episodes. The record of The Daleks' Master Plan as the longest serial was eventually taken by the 14-part The Trial of a Time Lord, which spanned the whole of Season 23. The single-episode prequel to this story, "Mission to the Unknown", was not only the shortest story, but was notable for the absence of the entire regular cast. The episode came about when Planet of Giants, the opening serial of Season 2, was reduced from four to three episodes, leaving a single episode held over in the production schedule. Rather than attempt to create a single-episode story, or add an episode to an already commissioned story, it was decided to use this one episode as a trailer to set up the upcoming 12-part Dalek story.

Four of the stories from Season 3 ("Mission to the Unknown", The Myth Makers, The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve, and The Savages) are completely missing from the BBC archive, with no surviving episodes. Further, "Mission to the Unknown" and The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve are two of only three stories from the entire run of Doctor Who with no surviving footage from any sources (the other being Marco Polo from Season 1). Only three of this season's stories (The Ark, The Gunfighters and The War Machines) are complete. "Mission to the Unknown", however, is unique in that it is the only missing episode of Doctor Who to be fully recreated in live-action, with the student-made project having its production quality on par with that of 1960s television.

Season 3 holds the distinction of being the longest-running season of Doctor Who to date, having produced 45 episodes in 10 serials. Season 6 produced just one episode less in 7 serials.

The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve was the first serial that saw the lead actor cast in a dual role; William Hartnell not only plays the Doctor, but also the Abbot of Amboise. This would be repeated by Patrick Troughton in Season 5's The Enemy of the World.

Story	Serial	Serial title	Episode titles	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	UK viewers (millions) [2]	AI [2]
18	1	Galaxy 4	"Four Hundred Dawns"^†	Derek Martinus	William Emms	11 September 1965	T	9.0	56
			"Trap of Steel"^†	Derek Martinus	William Emms	18 September 1965	T	9.5	55
			"Air Lock"	Derek Martinus	William Emms	25 September 1965	T	11.3	54
			"The Exploding Planet"^†	Derek Martinus	William Emms	2 October 1965	T	9.9	53
Two ships have crashed after a space battle, but the planet they have landed on is about to be destroyed. The beautiful female Drahvins seem friendly, but in fact it is the ugly Rills that are more tolerant and forgiving.
19	2	"Mission to the Unknown"^†	N/A	Derek Martinus	Terry Nation	9 October 1965	T/A	8.3	54
Space agent Marc Cory is investigating the sighting of a Dalek ship and discovers they have a base on Kembel. But his crew are infected by Varga plants, imported from Skaro, and start to mutate into Vargas.
20	3	The Myth Makers	"Temple of Secrets"^†	Michael Leeston-Smith	Donald Cotton	16 October 1965	U	8.3	48
			"Small Prophet, Quick Return"^†	Michael Leeston-Smith	Donald Cotton	23 October 1965	U	8.1	51
			"Death of a Spy"^†	Michael Leeston-Smith	Donald Cotton	30 October 1965	U	8.7	49
			"Horse of Destruction"^†	Michael Leeston-Smith	Donald Cotton	6 November 1965	U	8.3	52
The TARDIS lands outside Troy during the siege. The Doctor is captured by the Greeks and given two days to devise a plan for taking the city. Steven and Vicki are captured by the Trojans, and given two days to devise a means of banishing the Greeks.
21	4	The Daleks' Master Plan	"The Nightmare Begins"^†	Douglas Camfield	Terry Nation	13 November 1965	V	9.1	54
			"Day of Armageddon"	Douglas Camfield	Terry Nation	20 November 1965	V	9.8	52
			"Devil's Planet"^†	Douglas Camfield	Terry Nation	27 November 1965	V	10.3	52
			"The Traitors"^†	Douglas Camfield	Terry Nation	4 December 1965	V	9.5	51
			"Counter Plot"	Douglas Camfield	Terry Nation	11 December 1965	V	9.9	53
			"Coronas of the Sun"^†	Douglas Camfield	Dennis Spooner	18 December 1965	V	9.1	56
			"The Feast of Steven"^†	Douglas Camfield	Terry Nation	25 December 1965	V	7.9	39
			"Volcano"^†	Douglas Camfield	Dennis Spooner	1 January 1966	V	9.6	49
			"Golden Death"^†	Douglas Camfield	Dennis Spooner	8 January 1966	V	9.2	52
			"Escape Switch"	Douglas Camfield	Dennis Spooner	15 January 1966	V	9.5	50
			"The Abandoned Planet"^†	Douglas Camfield	Dennis Spooner	22 January 1966	V	9.8	49
			"Destruction of Time"^†	Douglas Camfield	Dennis Spooner	29 January 1966	V	8.6	57
Some six months after the events of "Mission to the Unknown", the TARDIS arrives on the planet Kembel, and the Doctor leaves the TARDIS to try to find medical aid for the wounded Steven Taylor leaving him with the Trojan girl Katarina.
22	5	The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve	"War of God"^†	Paddy Russell	John Lucarotti and Donald Tosh	5 February 1966	W	8.0	52
			"The Sea Beggar"^†	Paddy Russell	John Lucarotti and Donald Tosh	12 February 1966	W	6.0	52
			"Priest of Death"^†	Paddy Russell	John Lucarotti and Donald Tosh	19 February 1966	W	5.9	49
			"Bell of Doom"^†	Paddy Russell	John Lucarotti and Donald Tosh	26 February 1966	W	5.8	53
The arrival of the TARDIS in Paris in 1572 places its occupants, the Doctor and Steven in a dangerous situation. Tensions between Protestants and Catholics are at fever pitch in the city.
23	6	The Ark	"The Steel Sky"	Michael Imison	Paul Erickson and Lesley Scott	5 March 1966	X	5.5	55
			"The Plague"	Michael Imison	Paul Erickson and Lesley Scott	12 March 1966	X	6.9	56
			"The Return"	Michael Imison	Paul Erickson and Lesley Scott	19 March 1966	X	6.2	51
			"The Bomb"	Michael Imison	Paul Erickson and Lesley Scott	26 March 1966	X	7.3	50
At least ten million years into the future, the TARDIS materialises on a vast spacecraft Dodo names "the Ark" where the whole human race is bound for a new world.
24	7	The Celestial Toymaker	"The Celestial Toyroom"^†	Bill Sellars	Brian Hayles and Donald Tosh	2 April 1966	Y	8.0	48
			"The Hall of Dolls"^†	Bill Sellars	Brian Hayles and Donald Tosh	9 April 1966	Y	8.0	49
			"The Dancing Floor"^†	Bill Sellars	Brian Hayles and Donald Tosh	16 April 1966	Y	9.4	44
			"The Final Test"	Bill Sellars	Brian Hayles and Donald Tosh	23 April 1966	Y	7.8	43
The Doctor becomes invisible in the domain of the Toymaker, leaving Dodo and Steven incredulous. They step outside into a strange realm where the Doctor reappears, saying he recognizes the place they are in.
25	8	The Gunfighters	"A Holiday for the Doctor"	Rex Tucker	Donald Cotton	30 April 1966	Z	6.5	45
			"Don't Shoot the Pianist"	Rex Tucker	Donald Cotton	7 May 1966	Z	6.6	39
			"Johnny Ringo"	Rex Tucker	Donald Cotton	14 May 1966	Z	6.2	36
			"The O.K. Corral"	Rex Tucker	Donald Cotton	21 May 1966	Z	5.7	30
The Doctor gets his tooth pulled by Doc Holliday in Tombstone while Dodo and Steven literally sing for their lives. The travellers are caught up in the events leading up to the famous "Gunfight at the OK Corral".
26	9	The Savages	"Episode 1"^†	Christopher Barry	Ian Stuart Black	28 May 1966	AA	4.8	48
			"Episode 2"^†	Christopher Barry	Ian Stuart Black	4 June 1966	AA	5.6	49
			"Episode 3"^†	Christopher Barry	Ian Stuart Black	11 June 1966	AA	5.0	48
			"Episode 4"^†	Christopher Barry	Ian Stuart Black	18 June 1966	AA	4.5	48
The TARDIS materialises on a distant planet in the far future. The TARDIS crew find the planet inhabited by both the Elders and bands of roaming savages.
27	10	The War Machines	"Episode 1"	Michael Ferguson	Ian Stuart Black	25 June 1966	BB	5.4	49
			"Episode 2"	Michael Ferguson	Ian Stuart Black	2 July 1966	BB	4.7	45
			"Episode 3"	Michael Ferguson	Ian Stuart Black	9 July 1966	BB	5.3	44
			"Episode 4"	Michael Ferguson	Ian Stuart Black	16 July 1966	BB	5.5	39
The Doctor meets an advanced revolutionary computer named WOTAN who believes humans are inferior to machines.

^† : Episode is missing

Missing episodes

• Galaxy 4 – Episodes 1, 2 & 4 (of 4 total)
• "Mission to the Unknown" – Entire episode (Live-action recreation available)
• The Myth Makers – All 4 episodes
• The Daleks' Master Plan – Episodes 1, 3, 4, 6 – 9, 11 & 12 (of 12 total)
• The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve – All 4 episodes
• The Celestial Toymaker – Episodes 1, 2 & 3 (of 4 total)
• The Savages – All 4 episodes

Home media

VHS releases

Season	Story no.	Serial name	Number and duration of episodes	R2 release date	R4 release date	R1 release date
3	023	The Ark	4 × 25 mins.	October 1998[3]	February 1999[3]	March 1999[3]
	025	The Gunfighters	4 × 25 mins.	November 2002[4][5] (3 x VHS released only in UK as part of a boxset "The First Doctor Collection")	December 2002[4] (3 x VHS released only in AU as part of a boxset "The First Doctor Collection")	October 2003[6]
	027	The War Machines	4 × 25 mins.	June 1997[7][8]	January 1998[8]	March 1998[8]

DVD and Blu-ray releases

Season	Story no.	Serial name	Number and duration of episodes	R2 release date	R4 release date	R1 release date
3	023	The Ark	4 × 25 min.	14 February 2011[9][10]	3 March 2011[11]	8 March 2011[12]
	025	The Gunfighters[lower-alpha 1]	4 × 25 min.	20 June 2011[13][14]	4 August 2011[15]	12 July 2011[16]
	027	The War Machines	4 × 25 min.	25 August 2008[17][18]	7 November 2008[19]	6 January 2009[20]
Lost in Time, Volume 1
2–3	014 021 024	The Crusade[lower-alpha 2] The Daleks' Master Plan[lower-alpha 3] The Celestial Toymaker[lower-alpha 4]	6 × 25 min. (+ 2 × 25 min. audio)[lower-alpha 5]	1 November 2004[21][22]	2 December 2004[lower-alpha 6][23] 1 July 2010[lower-alpha 7][24]	2 November 2004[25]

1. Only available as part of the Earth Story box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.
2. Full episodes 1 & 3 of 4, with soundtracks of episodes 2 & 4.
3. Episodes 2, 5 & 10 of 12.
4. Episode 4 of 4.
5. Also includes surviving clips from The Smugglers and The Tenth Planet.
6. Original release.
7. Re-release.

In print

Serial name	Novelisation title	Author	First published
Galaxy 4	Galaxy Four	William Emms	14 November 1985
"Mission to the Unknown"	The Daleks' Master Plan Part I: Mission to the Unknown	John Peel	21 September 1989
The Myth Makers	The Myth Makers	Donald Cotton	11 April 1985
The Daleks' Master Plan	The Daleks' Master Plan Part I: Mission to the Unknown The Daleks' Master Plan Part II: The Mutation of Time	John Peel	21 September 1989 19 October 1989
The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve	The Massacre	John Lucarotti	18 June 1987
The Ark	The Ark	Paul Erickson	16 October 1986
The Celestial Toymaker	The Celestial Toymaker	Gerry Davis and Alison Bingeman	19 June 1986
The Gunfighters	The Gunfighters	Donald Cotton	11 July 1985
The Savages	The Savages	Ian Stuart Black	20 March 1986
The War Machines	The War Machines	Ian Stuart Black	16 February 1989

See also

• List of Doctor Who episodes (1963–1989)

References

1. "Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – Season 3". BBC. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
2. "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
3. "The Ark (VHS)". timelash.com.
4. "The Sensorites (VHS)". timelash.com.
5. "DOCTOR WHO - THE GUNFIGHTERS". bbfc.co.uk.
6. "The Gunfighters (VHS)". timelash.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2004.
7. "DOCTOR WHO - THE WAR MACHINES". bbfc.co.uk.
8. "The War Machines (VHS)". timelash.com.
9. "Doctor Who: The Ark (DVD)". BBC. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
10. "Doctor Who: The Ark". British Video Association. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
11. "Doctor Who - The Ark". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
12. "Doctor Who: The Ark". BBC. Archived from the original on 30 July 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
13. "Doctor Who: Earth Story (DVD)". BBC. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
14. "Doctor Who: Earth Story". British Video Association. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
15. "Doctor Who Earth Story". BBC. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
16. "Doctor Who: The Gunfighters". BBC. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
17. "Doctor Who: The War Machines (DVD)". BBC. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
18. "Doctor Who: The War Machines". British Video Association. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
19. "Doctor Who - The War Machines". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 12 September 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
20. "Doctor Who: War Machines". DVD Talk. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
21. "Doctor Who: Lost In Time (DVD)". BBC. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
22. "Doctor Who: Lost in Time". British Video Association. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
23. "Lost in Time". timelash.com. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
24. "Doctor Who - Lost In Time". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
25. "Doctor Who - Story #014, 021, 024: Lost In Time: William Hartnell Years". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.