Doctor Who (season 18)
| Doctor Who (season 18) | |
|---|---|
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of stories | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 28 |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Original release | 30 August 1980 – 21 March 1981 |
The eighteenth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 30 August 1980 with the serial The Leisure Hive, and ended with Tom Baker's last story Logopolis.
Casting
Main cast
- Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor
- Lalla Ward as Romana
- John Leeson as Voice of K-9 Mk. II
- Matthew Waterhouse as Adric
- Sarah Sutton as Nyssa
- Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka
Season 18 sees the swan song of Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, ending his time after seven years on the program. New companions Adric (Matthew Waterhouse), Nyssa (Sarah Sutton), and Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) make their introductions in Full Circle, The Keeper of Traken, and Logopolis, respectively. Romana, played by Lalla Ward, departs from the series in Warriors' Gate, along with John Leeson who returns to voice the robot K9. With the arrival of Adric, this season marks the first time since 1967 that the show has given the Doctor a party of three travelling companions.
Guest stars
The Master returns to the show, this time played by Geoffrey Beevers, in The Keeper of Traken. After the events of Traken the Master is played by Anthony Ainley, who would continue to play the Master for the rest of the classic series run.
Jacqueline Hill, who plays the First Doctor's companion Barbara Wright, returns in Meglos, although this time playing the one-off character Lexa.
Serials
For Season 18 John Nathan-Turner replaces Graham Williams as producer. Barry Letts returns as executive producer, for just this season. Christopher H. Bidmead also replaces Douglas Adams as script editor. In a return to the format of early seasons, virtually all serials from Seasons 18 through 20 are linked together, often running directly into each other. Three serials – Full Circle, State of Decay, and Warriors' Gate – are part of a trilogy within the season. These three serials include the arrival of Adric and the departure of Romana and K9.
Over the period of Christmas 1980, the season took a two-week transmission break between the broadcasts of State of Decay and Warriors' Gate.
| Story | Serial | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | UK viewers (millions) [1] | AI [1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 109 | 1 | The Leisure Hive | Lovett Bickford | David Fisher | 30 August 1980 6 September 1980 13 September 1980 20 September 1980 | 5N | 5.9 5.0 5.0 4.5 | — — — 65 |
| Finding out-of-season Brighton beach somewhat lacking, the Doctor and Romana travel to the leisure planet Argolis - but there strange experiments are taking place. NOTE: The Randomiser is removed in this episode, which ends the Doctor's running from the Black Guardian. | ||||||||
| 110 | 2 | Meglos | Terence Dudley | John Flanagan & Andrew McCulloch | 27 September 1980 4 October 1980 11 October 1980 18 October 1980 | 5Q | 5.0 4.2 4.7 4.7 | 61 64 — 63 |
| On Tigella, two opposing factions are irrevocably divided over one fundamental issue: the Dodecahedron, a mysterious object which provides the entire planet's energy. Note: Gallifrey sends a summons to recall Romana at the end of the episode. | ||||||||
| 111 | 3 | Full Circle | Peter Grimwade | Andrew Smith | 25 October 1980 1 November 1980 8 November 1980 15 November 1980 | 5R | 5.9 3.7 5.9 5.4 | — — — 65 |
| En route to Gallifrey to return Romana to the High Council of Time Lords, the TARDIS passes through a strange phenomenon (a CVE or Charged Vacuum Emboîtement) and ends up in an alternative universe called E-Space. | ||||||||
| 112 | 4 | State of Decay | Peter Moffatt | Terrance Dicks | 22 November 1980 29 November 1980 6 December 1980 13 December 1980 | 5P | 5.8 5.3 4.4 5.4 | — — — 69 |
| After the events of Full Circle, the Doctor's adventures in E-Space continue with his arrival on a medieval planet. Villagers live under the thrall of three lords who dwell in a shadowy Tower. | ||||||||
| 113 | 5 | Warriors' Gate | Paul Joyce & Graeme Harper | Stephen Gallagher | 3 January 1981 10 January 1981 17 January 1981 24 January 1981 | 5S | 7.1 6.7 8.3 7.8 | 59 — — 59 |
| Time Winds strike the TARDIS, damaging it and K-9. Strangest of all, it allows Biroc, to enter, phased in time, sending the TARDIS into a milk-white void. | ||||||||
| 114 | 6 | The Keeper of Traken | John Black | Johnny Byrne | 31 January 1981 7 February 1981 14 February 1981 21 February 1981 | 5T | 7.6 6.1 5.2 6.1 | — — — 63 |
| The Doctor and Adric arrive back in N-Space in an empire of peace and harmony. They are surprised when the elderly Keeper of Traken appears in the TARDIS to ask for their help in rescuing the Union from a secret evil growing in its midst. | ||||||||
| 115 | 7 | Logopolis | Peter Grimwade | Christopher H. Bidmead | 28 February 1981 7 March 1981 14 March 1981 21 March 1981 | 5V | 7.7 7.7 5.8 6.1 | — 61 — 65 |
| The Doctor goes to Earth to take fresh measurements of a police box to repair the TARDIS. A figure in white observes. All the while, the Master lurks in the shadows, but what could he be planning? | ||||||||
Broadcast
The entire season was broadcast from 30 August 1980 to 21 March 1981.
DVD Release
All serials of season 18 were released individually in between 2004 and 2011.
| Serial name | Number and duration of episodes |
R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Leisure Hive | 4 × 25 min. | 5 July 2004 | 7 October 2004 | 7 June 2005 |
| Meglos | 4 × 25 min. | 10 January 2011 | 20 January 2011 | 11 January 2011 |
| The E-Space Trilogy: Full Circle (4 episodes) State of Decay (4 episodes) Warriors' Gate (4 episodes) | 12 × 25 min. | 26 January 2009 | 5 March 2009 | 5 May 2009 |
| The Keeper of Traken Only available as part of the New Beginnings box set in Regions 2 and 4. Available individually or in the box set in Region 1. | 4 × 25 min. | 29 January 2007 | 7 March 2007 | 5 June 2007 |
| Logopolis Only available as part of the New Beginnings box set in Regions 2 and 4. Available individually or in the box set in Region 1. | 4 × 25 min. | 29 January 2007 | 7 March 2007 | 5 June 2007 |
In print
| Serial name | Novelisation title | Author | First published |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Leisure Hive | Doctor Who and the Leisure Hive | David Fisher | 1982 |
| Meglos | Meglos | Terrance Dicks | 1983 |
| Full Circle | Full Circle | Andrew Smith | 1982 |
| State of Decay | Doctor Who and the State of Decay | Terrance Dicks | 1982 |
| Warriors' Gate | Doctor Who and Warriors' Gate | John Lydecker | 1982 |
| The Keeper of Traken | Doctor Who and the Keeper of Traken | Terrance Dicks | 1982 |
| Logopolis | Logopolis | Christopher H. Bidmead | 1982 |
References
- 1 2 "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 27 December 2014.