Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Doctor Who ceased production in 1989 after 695 episodes. A one-off TV movie was produced in the United States in 1996, before the series resumed in 2005. The original series (1963–1989), generally consists of multi-episode serials; in the early seasons, and occasionally through its run, serials tend to link together, one story leading directly into the next. 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 31May2025,[update] 892 episodes of Doctor Who have aired. This includes one television movie and multiple specials, and encompasses 319 stories over 41 seasons, starting in 1963. Additionally, several charity specials and animated serials have 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]
For the first two seasons of Doctor Who and most of the third (1963–1966), each episode carries its own title; the show displays no titles for overarching serials until The Savages, at which point the episodic titles cease. The titles below, for these early serials, are those in most common circulation, used for commercial releases and in resources. The story numbers below are meant as a guide to placement in the overall context of the programme.[2] 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,[3] and whether the unfinished serial Shada should be included.[4] The numbering scheme in this list follows the official website's episode guide.[2][N 1]
Due to the BBC's 1970s junking policy, 97 episodes of Doctor Who from the 1960s are no longer known to exist. As a result, 26 of the 50 serials from the 1960s are currently incomplete, with one or more episodes represented only by audio, which in many cases is in addition to clips or still frames. For commercial release, some episodes have been reconstructed using off-air audio recordings, paired to surviving visuals or newly commissioned animation.[5]
The following table dictates the season or series in question for the programme as a whole. The numbering system present is the same one used by the BBC; other sources may have alternate numbering.
↑Shada was left unfinished due to a strike. The story was later completed and officially released on home media in 2017.[7] It is not included in the episode or story counts as it was not broadcast.[4]
↑These specials consist of the 2008 Christmas, 2009 Easter, November, and Christmas, and 2010 New Year's Day episodes.[11]
↑These specials consist of the 50th anniversary and 2013 Christmas episodes.
↑These specials consist of the 2022 New Year's Day, Easter, and BBC centenary episodes.[12][13]
↑These specials consist of the 60th anniversary episodes.[14]
Episodes
First Doctor
The first incarnation of the Doctor was portrayed by William Hartnell. During Hartnell's tenure, the episodes were a mixture of stories set on Earth of the future with extraterrestrial influence, on alien planets, and in historical events without extraterrestrial influence, such as Marco Polo, one of the lost serials. In his last story, The Tenth Planet, the Doctor gradually grew weaker to the point of collapsing at the end of the fourth episode, leading to his regeneration.
O'Brien departed the role of Vicki in The Myth Makers,replaced by Adrienne Hill as Katarina,and then later by Jackie Lane as Dodo Chaplet. The Savages marked the final appearance of Steven,and The War Machines introduced companions Ben and Polly. The practice of giving each individual episode a different title was abandoned after The Gunfighters,near the end of the season.
The Smugglers and The Tenth Planet were the last serials to star the First Doctor,his regeneration to the Second occurring in the latter. It is also notable as the season with the most missing episodes,with not one serial existing in its entirety.
The Second Doctor was portrayed by Patrick Troughton,whose serials were more action-oriented than those of his predecessor. Additionally,after The Highlanders,stories moved away from the purely historical ones that featured during Hartnell's tenure;instead,any historical tales also included a science fiction element. Troughton retained the role until the last episode of The War Games when members of the Doctor's race,the Time Lords,put him on trial for breaking the laws of time. The Doctor was forced to regenerate and thereafter exiled on Earth.
The Third Doctor was portrayed by Jon Pertwee. Sentenced to exile on Earth and forcibly regenerated at the end of The War Games,the Doctor spent his time working for UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce). After The Three Doctors,the Time Lords repealed his exile;nevertheless,the Doctor still worked closely with UNIT from time to time. The Third Doctor regenerated into his fourth incarnation as a result of radiation poisoning in the last moments of Planet of the Spiders.
From this season onwards the programme was produced in colour. To accommodate the new production methods the number of episodes in a season was cut:season 6 has 44 episodes;season 7 has 25 episodes. The seasons continued to have between 20 and 28 episodes until season 22. This season featured companion Liz Shaw played by Caroline John.
This season forms a loose arc with the introduction of the Master,the villain in each of the season's storylines,and introduces the companion Jo Grant portrayed by Katy Manning.
The Fourth Doctor was portrayed by Tom Baker. Baker held the role for seven years,the longest of any actor,departing in 1981 due to disputes with producer John Nathan-Turner.[23]
All serials in this season continue directly one after the other,tracing one single problematic voyage of the TARDIS crew. Despite the continuity,each serial is considered its own standalone story. This season also introduced the character of Harry Sullivan portrayed by Ian Marter as a companion;this character was intended to undertake action scenes,during the period prior to Tom Baker being cast,when it was unclear how old the actor playing the new Doctor would be.
During this season,Ian Marter (Harry Sullivan) left after Terror of the Zygons,but returned for a guest appearance in The Android Invasion. Terror of the Zygons also saw the last semi-regular appearance of Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart) who did not return until Season 20 in Mawdryn Undead.
Season 16 consists of one long story arc encompassing six separate,linked stories. This season is referred to by the umbrella title The Key to Time and has been released on DVD under this title. This season introduced Mary Tamm as Romana I.
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. Season 18 forms a loose story arc dealing with the theme of entropy. Full Circle,State of Decay,and Warriors' Gate trace the Doctor's adventures in E-Space;they were released in both VHS and DVD boxsets with the umbrella title The E-Space Trilogy. This season saw the departure of Romana and the introduction of companions Adric and Nyssa,and soon-to-be companion,Tegan Jovanka.
The show moved from its traditional once-weekly Saturday broadcast to being broadcast twice-weekly primarily on Monday and Tuesday,[28] although there were regional variations to the schedule. Castrovalva,together with the previous two serials,The Keeper of Traken and Logopolis,form a trilogy involving the return of the Master. They were released on DVD under the banner title New Beginnings. The season marked the final appearance of Adric.[28]
To commemorate the twentieth season,the stories in this season involve the return of previous villains:Omega,the Mara,the Black Guardian and the Master. Mawdryn Undead,Terminus and Enlightenment involve the Black Guardian's plot to force the Doctor's new companion Vislor Turlough to kill the Doctor;they were released individually on VHS and as a set on DVD as parts of The Black Guardian Trilogy. This season was broadcast twice weekly on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings on BBC1. This was the last season to feature Nyssa as a companion.
Episodes were broadcast twice weekly on Thursday and Friday evenings,with Resurrection of the Daleks broadcast on two consecutive Wednesday nights in 45-minute,rather than 25-minute,parts. The Caves of Androzani saw the regeneration of the Fifth Doctor,and the season finale The Twin Dilemma was the first story of the Sixth Doctor. The season marked the departure of Tegan Jovanka and Vislor Turlough,as well as the introduction of Nicola Bryant as Peri Brown.
The series moved back to once-weekly Saturday broadcasts. All episodes were 45 minutes long,though 25-minute edits were produced for foreign markets. Although there were now only 13 episodes in the season,the total running time remained approximately the same as in previous seasons since the episodes were almost twice as long.
The whole season is titled as The Trial of a Time Lord,and is split into four segments. The segments are commonly referred to by their respective novelisations' titles[30] (listed below) but the season was broadcast as one fourteen-part story and these titles did not appear on screen. Episode length returned to 25 minutes,but with only fourteen episodes in the season,making the total running time of this season (and subsequent seasons) just over half of the previous seasons,going back to season 7. The season saw the departure of Peri and the introduction of Bonnie Langford as companion Mel Bush.
This season was moved to a Monday schedule. Mel Bush left in Dragonfire with recurring character Sabalom Glitz (Tony Selby),and the companion role was taken over by Sophie Aldred as Ace.
↑Shada was initially left unfinished due to a strike. The serial was eventually completed using animation,released digitally in November 2017,and later broadcast by BBC America on 19 July 2018 in a feature-length edit.[27]
↑The Five Doctors was first broadcast in the United States on 23 November 1983,the actual date of the programme's 20th anniversary.
12Parts Two and Three of Silver Nemesis were first broadcast in New Zealand on 25 November 1988 as part of a compilation broadcast before their UK transmission.[35]
The final season continued to push the series towards a darker approach,focusing this time more on Ace's personal life as well as The Doctor's past and manipulations. This season set the tone for the Virgin New Adventures novels that followed.
The Eighth Doctor was portrayed by Paul McGann. The television movie is the only televised appearance of the character during his tenure.[37] The DVD release is titled Doctor Who:The Movie. In 2013,Paul McGann returned for the second television appearance of the Eighth Doctor in minisode titled "The Night of the Doctor".[38][39] The production code is 50/LDX071Y/01X,[40] though Doctor Who Magazine's "Complete Eighth Doctor Special" gives the code as #83705[41] and the BBC's online episode guide as "TVM".[42]
↑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).
↑Ainsworth, John (2015). "Doctor Who – The Complete History: The Twin Dilemma, Attack of the Cybermen, and Vengeance on Varos". Doctor Who: The Complete History. Vol.40. Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks. p.9.
↑Ainsworth, John, ed. (2015). "100,000 BC and The Mutants (aka The Daleks)". Doctor Who: The Complete History. 1 (4). London: Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks: 95, 159. ISSN2057-6048.
↑Ainsworth, John, ed. (2016). "Inside the Spaceship, Marco Polo, The Keys of Marinus and The Aztecs". Doctor Who: The Complete History. 2 (32). London: Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks: 28, 78, 120, 150. ISSN2057-6048.
12Wright, Mark, ed. (2016). "The Sensorites, The Reign of Terror and Planet of Giants". Doctor Who: The Complete History. 3 (21). London: Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks: 37, 79, 125. ISSN2057-6048.
↑Wright, Mark, ed. (2017). "The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Rescue, The Romans and The Web Planet". Doctor Who: The Complete History. 4 (61). London: Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks: 44, 75, 103, 142. ISSN2057-6048.
↑Ainsworth, John, ed. (2016). "The Crusade, The Space Museum, The Chase and The Time Meddler". Doctor Who: The Complete History. 5 (11). London: Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks: 27, 57, 107, 143. ISSN2057-6048.
12Wright, Mark, ed. (18 May 2016). "The Power of Kroll, The Armageddon Factor and Destiny of the Daleks". Doctor Who: The Complete History. 30 (19). London: Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks: 115. ISSN2057-6048.
12Ainsworth, John (21 February 2018). Wright, Mark (ed.). "City of Death, The Creature from the Pit, Nightmare of Eden and The Horns of Nimon". Doctor Who: The Complete History. 31 (65). London: Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks: 45, 82, 115, 143.
↑"Shada | Doctor Who". Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
12Ainsworth, John, ed. (19 October 2017). "Time and the Rani, Paradise Towers and Delta and the Bannermen". Doctor Who: The Complete History. No.43. Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks. pp.56, 99, 147. ISSN2057-6048.
12345Wright, Mark, ed. (29 November 2017). "Dragonfire, Remembrance of the Daleks and The Happiness Patrol". Doctor Who: The Complete History. No.44. Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks. pp.35, 95, 135. ISSN2057-6048.
123Wright, Mark, ed. (24 February 2016). "Silver Nemesis, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy and Battlefield". Doctor Who: The Complete History. No.45. Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks. pp.41, 84, 134. ISSN2057-6048.
↑Howe, David J; Walker, Stephen James (1998). "Part Two – Fiction: The Stories". Doctor Who – The Handbook: The Seventh Doctor. London: Doctor Who Books. p.69. ISBN0-426-20527-8.
12Wright, Mark, ed. (18 April 2018). "Ghost Light, The Curse of Fenric and Survival". Doctor Who: The Complete History. No.46. Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks. pp.41, 79, 123.
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