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Doctor Who season 8

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This article is about the 1971 season. For the 2014 series, see Doctor Who series 8.

Season of television series
Doctor Who
Season 8
Cover art of the Blu-ray release for the complete season
Starring
No. of stories5
No. of episodes25
Release
Original networkBBC1
Original release2 January (1971-01-02) –
19 June 1971 (1971-06-19)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 7Next →
Season 9
List of episodes

The eighth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 2 January 1971 with Terror of the Autons and ended with The Dæmons featuring Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor. This is the second of five series which Barry Letts produced consecutively and Terrance Dicks was the script editor.

Casting

See also: List of Doctor Who cast members

Main cast

Jon Pertwee continues his role as the Third Doctor. Katy Manning makes her first appearance as companion Jo Grant in Terror of the Autons.

Recurring cast

Nicholas Courtney and John Levene continue their roles of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and Sergeant Benton, while Richard Franklin makes his first appearance as Captain Mike Yates.

Roger Delgado makes his first appearance as The Master in Terror of the Autons and continues to make appearances in each of the five serials.

Guest stars

Michael Wisher returns as a guest playing Rex Farrell in Terror of the Autons. Fernanda Marlowe makes appearances in The Mind of Evil and The Claws of Axos as Corporal Bell. Bernard Kay makes his fourth and final appearance in the show as Caldwell in Colony in Space.

Serials

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

The season marks the first appearance of the Master who goes on to make further appearances through the season in every serial as the main antagonist who is finally captured at the end of the season. Colony in Space was the first serial set away from Earth since The War Games at the end of Season 6, and came about as a result of producer Barry Letts' feeling that the Earthbound stories of the Doctor's exile were too limiting in terms of potential plotting.

No.
story		No. in
season		Serial titleEpisode titlesDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		UK viewers
(millions) 		AI 
551Terror of the Autons"Episode One"Barry LettsRobert Holmes2 January 1971 (1971-01-02)EEE7.3—
"Episode Two"9 January 1971 (1971-01-09)8.0—
"Episode Three"16 January 1971 (1971-01-16)8.1—
"Episode Four"23 January 1971 (1971-01-23)8.4—
The Master arrives on Earth and makes an alliance with the Autons to conquer the planet.
562The Mind of Evil"Episode One"Timothy CombeDon Houghton30 January 1971 (1971-01-30)FFF6.1—
"Episode Two"6 February 1971 (1971-02-06)8.8—
"Episode Three"13 February 1971 (1971-02-13)7.5—
"Episode Four"20 February 1971 (1971-02-20)7.4—
"Episode Five"27 February 1971 (1971-02-27)7.6—
"Episode Six"6 March 1971 (1971-03-06)7.3—
The Master creates the Keller Machine, a device that appears to rehabilitate prisoners, but instead kills them.
573The Claws of Axos"Episode One"Michael FergusonBob Baker and Dave Martin13 March 1971 (1971-03-13)GGG7.3—
"Episode Two"20 March 1971 (1971-03-20)8.0—
"Episode Three"27 March 1971 (1971-03-27)6.4—
"Episode Four"3 April 1971 (1971-04-03)7.8—
The Axons land on Earth supposedly peacefully, even offering a new energy source. However, that is not their real purpose.
584Colony in Space"Episode One"Michael E. BriantMalcolm Hulke10 April 1971 (1971-04-10)HHH7.6—
"Episode Two"17 April 1971 (1971-04-17)8.5—
"Episode Three"24 April 1971 (1971-04-24)9.5—
"Episode Four"1 May 1971 (1971-05-01)8.1—
"Episode Five"8 May 1971 (1971-05-08)8.8—
"Episode Six"15 May 1971 (1971-05-15)8.7—
On the human colony Uxarieus, the colonists' crops are failing and a giant reptile appears to be killing them.
595The Dæmons"Episode One"Christopher BarryGuy Leopold (Robert Sloman and Barry Letts)22 May 1971 (1971-05-22)JJJ9.2—
"Episode Two"29 May 1971 (1971-05-29)8.0—
"Episode Three"5 June 1971 (1971-06-05)8.1—
"Episode Four"12 June 1971 (1971-06-12)8.1—
"Episode Five"19 June 1971 (1971-06-19)8.3—
The Master awakens the demonic Azal from his spaceship under a Bronze Age burial mound.

Broadcast

The entire season was broadcast from 2 January to 19 June 1971.

Home media

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

VHS releases

Season Story no. Serial name Number and duration
of episodes 		UK release date Australia release date USA/Canada release date
8 55 Terror of the Autons
 4 × 25 min. April 1993 June 1993 June 1995
56 The Mind of Evil 6 × 25 min. May 1998
(B+W Re-mastered)
(2 x VHS) 		March 1999 January 1999
(2 x VHS)
57 The Claws of Axos 4 × 25 min. May 1992 October 1992 June 1996
58 Colony in Space 6 × 25 min. November 2001
(released only in UK as part of a boxset "Colony in Space / The Time Monster")
(2 x VHS) 		December 2001
(released only in AU as part of a boxset "Colony in Space / The Time Monster")
(2 x VHS) 		January 2003
59 The Dæmons 5 × 25 min. March 1993 July 1993 October 1993

DVD and Blu-ray releases

All releases are for DVD unless otherwise indicated:

Season Story no. Serial name Number and duration
of episodes 		R2 release date R4 release date R1 release date
8 55 Terror of the Autons 4 × 25 min. 9 May 2011 2 June 2011 10 May 2011
56 The Mind of Evil 6 × 25 min. 3 June 2013 5 June 2013 11 June 2013
57 The Claws of Axos 4 × 25 min. 25 April 2005 7 July 2005 8 November 2005
The Claws of Axos (Special Edition) 4 × 25 min. 22 October 2012 7 November 2012 13 November 2012
58 Colony in Space 6 × 25 min. 3 October 2011 1 December 2011 8 November 2011
59 The Dæmons 5 × 25 min. 19 March 2012 19 April 2012 10 April 2012
55–59 Complete Season 8 25 × 25 min.
1 × 30 min.
1 × 90 min. 		8 March 2021 26 May 2021 1 June 2021
  1. Only available as part of the Mannequin Mania box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.
  2. Released as Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 8 in Region B. Released as Doctor Who – Jon Pertwee: Complete Season Two in Region A.

In print

See also: List of Doctor Who novelisations
Season Story no. Library no. Novelisation title Author Hardcover
release date 		Paperback
release date 		Audiobook
release date
8 055 63 Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons Terrance Dicks 19 February 1981 15 May 1975 5 August 2010
056 96 The Mind of Evil 21 March 1985 11 July 1985 6 April 2017
057 10 Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos 21 April 1977 4 June 2016
058 23 Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon Malcolm Hulke 18 March 1982 18 March 1974 3 September 2007
059 15 Doctor Who and the Dæmons Barry Letts 14 January 1982 17 October 1974 14 August 2008
  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

Tie-In Comics

During the release of the season, several comics were published to tie in to the events of the season. The Kingdom Builders (Set before the events of the season) was published in TV Comic magazine. Gemini Plan, Timebenders (Set after the events of the season) & The Vogan Slaves (Set years into The Doctor's future) were published in Countdown magazine.

References

  1. ^ "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  2. "DOCTOR WHO - TERROR OF THE AUTONS". bbfc.co.uk.
  3. ^ "Terror of the Autons (VHS)". timelash.com.
  4. "DOCTOR WHO - THE MIND OF EVIL". bbfc.co.uk.
  5. ^ "The Mind of Evil (VHS)". timelash.com.
  6. "DOCTOR WHO - THE CLAWS OF AXOS". bbfc.co.uk.
  7. ^ "The Claws of Axos (VHS)". timelash.com.
  8. "DOCTOR WHO - COLONY IN SPACE". bbfc.co.uk.
  9. ^ "Colony in Space / The Time Monster (VHS)". timelash.com.
  10. "Colony in Space (VHS)". timelash.com.
  11. "DOCTOR WHO - THE DAEMONS". bbfc.co.uk.
  12. ^ "The Daemons (VHS)". timelash.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
  13. "Doctor Who Mannequin Mania Boxset (DVD)". BBC Shop. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  14. "Doctor Who: Mannequin Mania". British Video Association. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  15. Smith 2014, Terror of the Autons.
  16. "Doctor Who Mannequin Mania". Roadshow Entertainment. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  17. "Doctor Who - Mannequin Mania". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  18. "Doctor Who - Mannequin Mania 2 DVD Set". BBC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  19. "Doctor Who - Story #055: Terror of the Autons". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  20. "Doctor Who The Mind of Evil (DVD)". BBC Shop. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  21. "Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil". British Video Association. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  22. Smith 2014, The Mind of Evil.
  23. "Doctor Who - The Mind Of Evil". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  24. "Doctor Who - Story #056: The Mind of Evil". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  25. "Doctor Who: Claws Of Axos (DVD)". BBC Shop. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  26. ^ "Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos". British Video Association. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  27. Smith 2014, The Claws of Axos.
  28. "Doctor Who The Claws of Axos 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.
  29. "Doctor Who - Story #057: The Claws Of Axos". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  30. "Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos – Special Edition (DVD)". BBC Shop. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  31. Smith 2014, The Claws of Axos Special Edition.
  32. "Doctor Who Claws of Axos Special Ed". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  33. "Doctor Who Claws of Axos". Roadshow Entertainment. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  34. "Doctor Who Claws of Axos Special Edition 2 DVD Set". BBC. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  35. "Doctor Who - Story #057: The Claws Of Axos: Special Edition". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  36. "Doctor Who: Colony In Space (DVD)". BBC Shop. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  37. Smith 2014, Colony in Space.
  38. "Doctor Who Colony In Space". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  39. "Doctor Who Colony In Space". Roadshow Entertainment. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  40. "Doctor Who Colony in SpaceDVD". BBC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  41. "Doctor Who - Story #058: Colony in Space". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  42. "Doctor Who: The Dæmons (DVD)". BBC Shop. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  43. "Doctor Who: The Daemons". British Video Association. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  44. Smith 2014, The Dæmons.
  45. "Doctor Who - The Daemons". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  46. "Doctor Who The Daemons". Roadshow Entertainment. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  47. "Doctor Who - Story #059: The Daemons". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  48. "The Collection: Season 8". Doctor Who News. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  49. "Doctor Who: Classic Season 8". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  50. "Doctor Who: Jon Pertwee Complete Season Two (BD) [Blu-ray]". Amazon. June 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2022.

Bibliography

  • Smith, Paul (2014). The Classic Doctor Who DVD Compendium. United Kingdom: Wonderful Books. ISBN 978-0-9576062-2-7.
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