Doctor Who season 11

This article is about the 1973–74 season. For the 2018 series, see Doctor Who series 11.
Doctor Who
Season 11
Cover art of the Region 2 DVD release for the first serial of the season
Starring
No. of stories5
No. of episodes26
Release
Original networkBBC1
Original release15 December 1973 (1973-12-15) –
8 June 1974 (1974-06-08)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 10
Next →
Season 12
List of episodes

The eleventh season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 15 December 1973 with the serial The Time Warrior, and ended with Jon Pertwee's final serial Planet of the Spiders. The season's writing was recognized by the Writer's Guild of Great Britain for Best Children's Drama Script.[1] This is the Third Doctor's fifth and final series, and also the last consecutively to be produced by Barry Letts and script edited by Terrance Dicks. Both Letts and Dicks would work for the programme again, however - Letts in Season 18 and Dicks on future stories, e.g. Horror of Fang Rock.

Casting

[edit]
See also: List of Doctor Who cast members

Main cast

[edit]

Jon Pertwee makes his final appearance as the series lead in Planet of the Spiders, although he would reprise the role of the Third Doctor in the 20th anniversary special episode, "The Five Doctors". Elisabeth Sladen makes her first appearance as Sarah Jane Smith in The Time Warrior. Tom Baker makes his first uncredited appearance as the Fourth Doctor in Part 6 of Planet of the Spiders, when Jon Pertwee's Doctor is fatally wounded and regenerates into the Fourth Doctor.

Recurring cast

[edit]

Nicholas Courtney and John Levene continue their roles of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and Sergeant Benton, while Richard Franklin makes his final regular appearance as Captain Yates in Planet of the Spiders

Guest stars

[edit]

Alan Bennion makes his third and final appearance in the series as an Ice Warrior, portraying Lord Azaxyr in The Monster of Peladon.

Serials

[edit]
See also: List of Doctor Who episodes (1963–1989)

This season was the last to have Barry Letts as producer and Terrance Dicks as script editor, ending the relationship that had gone through the whole of Jon Pertwee's tenure as the Doctor. It saw the introduction of a new logo that would be used nearly throughout the fourth Doctor's era, as well as the new companion Sarah Jane Smith and the alien race, the Sontarans.

No.
story		No. in
season		Serial titleEpisode titlesDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		UK viewers
(millions) [2]		AI [2]
701The Time Warrior"Part One"Alan BromlyRobert Holmes15 December 1973 (1973-12-15)UUU8.759
"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)10.660
In the Middle Ages, a rabble of criminals find the crashed spaceship of a Sontaran warrior. Meanwhile, in the 1970s, the Third Doctor is investigating the disappearance of several scientists from a top secret research complex.
712Invasion of the Dinosaurs"Part One"Paddy RussellMalcolm Hulke12 January 1974 (1974-01-12)WWW11.062
"Part Two"19 January 1974 (1974-01-19)10.1—
"Part Three"26 January 1974 (1974-01-26)11.063
"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)7.562
The Doctor and Sarah Jane arrive in 1970s London to find that it has been evacuated due to the mysterious appearance of dinosaurs.
723Death to the Daleks"Part One"Michael E. BriantTerry Nation23 February 1974 (1974-02-23)XXX8.161
"Part Two"2 March 1974 (1974-03-02)9.5—
"Part Three"9 March 1974 (1974-03-09)10.561
"Part Four"16 March 1974 (1974-03-16)9.562
Travelling through space, the TARDIS suffers an energy drain and crash-lands on the planet Exxilon.
734The Monster of Peladon"Part One"Lennie MayneBrian Hayles23 March 1974 (1974-03-23)YYY9.2—
"Part Two"30 March 1974 (1974-03-30)6.8—
"Part Three"6 April 1974 (1974-04-06)7.464
"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—
The Doctor returns to Peladon, which has been taken over by some Ice Warriors.
745Planet of the Spiders"Part One"Barry LettsRobert Sloman and Barry Letts (uncredited)4 May 1974 (1974-05-04)ZZZ10.158
"Part Two"11 May 1974 (1974-05-11)8.960
"Part Three"18 May 1974 (1974-05-18)8.857
"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)8.956
A giant spider from the planet Metebelis Three is summoned to an English meditation retreat by an out-of-work salesman.

Broadcast

[edit]

Episode one of The Time Warrior saw the first appearance of the iconic diamond-shaped Doctor Who logo. This would be used throughout the Third Doctor's final season and almost through the Fourth Doctor's tenure before retiring in part four of The Horns of Nimon (not including the unbroadcast and incomplete serial Shada which would have followed The Horns of Nimon).

The entire season was broadcast from 15 December 1973 to 8 June 1974.

Home media

[edit]
See also: List of Doctor Who home video releases and List of other Doctor Who home video releases

VHS releases

[edit]
Season Story no. Serial name Number and duration
of episodes 		UK release date Australia release date USA/Canada release date
11 70 The Time Warrior 1 × 100 min. June 1989[3][4]
Edited 		March 1989[4] April 1991[4]
71 Invasion of the Dinosaurs 6 × 25 min. October 2003[5][6] February 2004[6] October 2003[6]
72 Death to the Daleks 1 × 100 min.
4 x 25 min. 		July 1987[7][8]
(Edited)
February 1995[8][9] (Unedited) 		December 1987[8] March 1990[8]
73 The Monster of Peladon 6 × 25 min. January 1996[10][11]
(2 x VHS) 		May 1997[11] May 1997[11]
(2 x VHS)
74 Planet of the Spiders 6 × 25 min. April 1991[12][13]
(2 x VHS) 		September 1991[13] May 1994[13]

DVD and Blu-ray releases

[edit]

All releases are for DVD

Season Story no. Serial name Number and duration
of episodes 		R2 release date R4 release date R1 release date
11 70 The Time Warrior[a] 4 × 25 min. 3 September 2007[14][15][16] 3 October 2007[17] 1 April 2008[18]
71 Invasion of the Dinosaurs[b] 6 × 25 min. 9 January 2012[19][20][21] 5 January 2012 [22][23] 10 January 2012[24]
72 Death to the Daleks 4 × 25 min. 18 June 2012[25][26][27] 5 July 2012[28][29][30] 10 July 2012[31]
73 The Monster of Peladon[c] 6 × 25 min. 18 January 2010[32][33][34] 4 March 2010[35][36][37] 4 May 2010[38]
74 Planet of the Spiders[d] 6 × 25 min. 18 April 2011[39][40] 2 June 2011[41][42][43] 10 May 2011[44]
  1. ^ Available individually or in the Bred for War box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.
  2. ^ Only available as part of the U.N.I.T. Files box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.
  3. ^ Only available as part of the Peladon Tales box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.
  4. ^ Available individually or in the Regeneration box set in Region 2. Only available individually in Regions 1 and 4.

In print

[edit]
See also: List of Doctor Who novelisations
Season Story no. Library no.[a] Novelisation title Author Hardcover
release date[b] 		Paperback
release date[c] 		Audiobook
release date[d]
11 070 65 Doctor Who and the Time Warrior Terrance Dicks[e] 18 May 1978 29 June 1978 13 November 2008
071 22 Doctor Who and the Dinosaur Invasion Malcolm Hulke 19 February 1976 5 November 2007
072 20 Death to the Daleks Terrance Dicks 20 July 1978 3 March 2016
073 43 Doctor Who and the Monster of Peladon 20 November 1980 4 December 1980 5 March 2020
074 48 Doctor Who and the Planet of the Spiders 20 November 1975 16 October 1975 4 June 2009
  1. ^ Number in Target's Doctor Who Library, if applicable
  2. ^ Published by Target's parent companies (Allen Wingate, W. H. Allen, BBC Books) unless otherwise indicated
  3. ^ Published by Target Books (or by BBC Books under the Target Collection umbrella) unless otherwise indicated
  4. ^ Unabridged from BBC Audio/AudioGo unless otherwise indicated
  5. ^ Prologue by Robert Holmes (uncredited)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "'Doctor Who's Trophy Cabinet". Digital Spy. 24 January 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  3. ^ "DOCTOR WHO - THE TIME WARRIOR". bbfc.co.uk.
  4. ^ a b c "The Time Warrior (VHS)". timelash.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2004.
  5. ^ "DOCTOR WHO - INVASION OF THE DINOSAURS". bbfc.co.uk.
  6. ^ a b c "Invasion of the Dinosaurs (VHS)". timelash.com.
  7. ^ "DOCTOR WHO - DEATH TO THE DALEKS". bbfc.co.uk.
  8. ^ a b c d "Death to the Daleks (VHS)". timelash.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
  9. ^ "DOCTOR WHO - DEATH TO THE DALEKS 1994". bbfc.co.uk.
  10. ^ "DOCTOR WHO - THE MONSTER OF PELADON". bbfc.co.uk.
  11. ^ a b c "The Monster of Peladon (VHS)". timelash.com.
  12. ^ "DOCTOR WHO - PLANET OF THE SPIDERS". bbfc.co.uk.
  13. ^ a b c "Planet of the Spiders (VHS)". timelash.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
  14. ^ "Doctor Who: The Time Warrior (DVD)". BBC Shop. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  15. ^ "Doctor Who: The Time Warrior". British Video Association. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  16. ^ Smith 2014, The Time Warrior.
  17. ^ "Doctor Who The Time Warrior by Roadshow Entertainment - Shop Online for Movies, DVDs in Australia". www.fishpond.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  18. ^ "Doctor Who - Story #070: The Time Warrior". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  19. ^ Doctor Who: U.N.I.T Files Box Set (DVD) (Media notes). BBC Shop.
  20. ^ "Doctor Who: U.N.I.T. Files". British Video Association. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  21. ^ Smith 2014, Invasion of the Dinosaurs.
  22. ^ "Doctor Who UNIT Files Box Set". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  23. ^ "Doctor Who UNIT boxset 3 DVD Set". BBC. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  24. ^ "Doctor Who - Story #071: Invasion of the Dinosaurs". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  25. ^ "Doctor Who: Death to the Daleks (DVD)". BBC Shop. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  26. ^ "Doctor Who: Death to the Daleks". British Video Association. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  27. ^ Smith 2014, Death to the Daleks.
  28. ^ "Doctor Who - Death To The Daleks". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  29. ^ "Doctor Who - Death to the Daleks". Roadshow Entertainment. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  30. ^ "Doctor Who Death to The Daleks DVD". BBC. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  31. ^ "Doctor Who - Story #072: Death to the Daleks". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  32. ^ "Doctor Who: Peladon Boxset (DVD)". BBC Shop. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  33. ^ "Doctor Who: Inferno". British Video Association. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  34. ^ Smith 2014, The Monster of Peladon.
  35. ^ "Doctor Who - Peladon Tales". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  36. ^ "Doctor Who Peladon Tales". Roadshow Entertainment. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  37. ^ "Doctor Who - Peladon Tales 3 DVD Set". BBC. Archived from the original on 28 November 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  38. ^ "Doctor Who - Story #073: The Monster of Peladon". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  39. ^ "Doctor Who: Regeneration". British Video Association. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  40. ^ Smith 2014, Planet of the Spiders.
  41. ^ "Doctor Who - Planet of Spiders". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  42. ^ "Doctor Who Planet of the Spiders". Roadshow Entertainment. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  43. ^ "Doctor Who - Planet of the Spiders 2 DVD Set". BBC. Archived from the original on 5 December 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  44. ^ "Doctor Who - Story #074: Planet of the Spiders". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Smith, Paul (2014). The Classic Doctor Who DVD Compendium. United Kingdom: Wonderful Books. ISBN 978-0-9576062-2-7.
  • Smith, Paul MC (July 2021). Based on the Popular BBC Television Serial. Wonderful Books.
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