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The '''twelfth season''' of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' ran between [[28th December]] [[1974]] and [[10th May]] [[1975]]. It was the first season of the series to feature [[Tom Baker]] as the [[Fourth Doctor]].  It consisted of 5 serials, and 20 episodes, which made it the shortest season to date.
{{real world}}
The season was shortened due to a decision by the BBC to move ''[[Terror of the Zygons]]'', originally intended as the finale, to the start of [[Season 13]] in order to allow the next season to begin earlier and allow ''Doctor Who'' to better compete against the soon-to-debut ''Space: 1999''.[http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/4f.html] All the stories in this season were interconnected, with several forming a loose story arc relating to [[Space Station Nerva]]. The [[Cybermen]] return to the series for the first time since the late 1960s. ''[[Genesis of the Daleks]]'' is one of the most famous of all ''Doctor Who'' serials.
{{Infobox Series
|image            = Doctor Who diamond logo.jpg
|image2          =
|broadcast year  = 1974
|broadcast year2  = 1975
|ep count        = 20
|story count      = 5
|first ep        = Robot (TV story)
|doctor          = Fourth Doctor
|doctor2          =
|companion        = Sarah Jane Smith
|companion2      = Harry Sullivan
|producer        = Philip Hinchcliffe
|producer2        = Barry Letts
|script ed        = Robert Holmes
|start date      = [[28 December (releases)|28 December]] [[1974 (releases)|1974]]
|end date        = [[10 May (releases)|10 May]] [[1975 (releases)|1975]]
|network          = BBC1
|runtime          = 25'
|DWM              = DWM 526
|DWMSE            = DWMSE 8
|DWMSE2          = DWMSE 15
|ref book        = The Discontinuity Guide
|ref book2        = The Fourth Doctor Handbook
|ref book3        = The Seventies
|ref book4        = About Time 4
|ref book5        = TCH 22{{!}}The Complete History 22
|ref book6        = TCH 23
|doc              = Behind the Sofa: Robert Holmes and Doctor Who
|mythmakers      = MM VHS 12
|mythmakers2      = MM VHS 17
|mythmakers3      = MM VHS 29
|mythmakers4      = MM VHS 50
|prev            = season 11 (Doctor Who 1963)|
|next            = season 13 (Doctor Who 1963)|
|trailer          = Season 12 Trailer The Collection Doctor Who
|clip            = No Doctor I'm the Doctor! - Doctor Who - Robot - BBC
|clip2            = Bargaining with the wirrn - Doctor Who - BBC sci-fi
|clip3            = Do I Have The Right? - Genesis of the Daleks - Doctor Who - BBC
}}{{dab page|Series 12}}
'''Season 12''' of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' ran from [[28 December (releases)|28 December]] [[1974 (releases)|1974]] to [[10 May (releases)|10 May]] [[1975 (releases)|1975]]. It starred [[Tom Baker]] as the [[Fourth Doctor]], [[Elisabeth Sladen]] as [[Sarah-Jane Smith]] and [[Ian Marter]] as [[Harry Sullivan]]. The season opened with ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'' and concluded with ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]''.


[[Image:Title-4a.jpg|right|250px]]
== Overview ==
==Stories==
It consisted of five serials comprised of twenty episodes, and would be the shortest season of the show until [[Season 22 (Doctor Who 1963)|season 22]] in 1985. The season was shortened by a decision by the BBC to move ''[[Terror of the Zygons (TV story)|Terror of the Zygons]]'', originally intended as the finale, to the start of [[Season 13 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season 13]]. This was intended to allow the next season to begin earlier and let ''Doctor Who'' better compete against the soon-to-debut ''[[Space: 1999]]''.
*[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]] (4 episodes)
*[[The Ark in Space]] (4 episodes)
*[[The Sontaran Experiment]] (2 episodes)
*[[Genesis of the Daleks]] (6 episodes)
*[[Revenge of the Cybermen]] (4 episodes)


==Main Cast==
All the stories in this season were interconnected, several forming a loose story arc relating to [[Space Station Nerva]]. The [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] returned to the series for the first time since ''[[The Invasion (TV story)|The Invasion]]''. ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]'', a story which introduced [[Davros]] and showed the [[creation of the Daleks]], is one of the most famous of all ''Doctor Who'' serials.
*[[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Tom Baker]]
*[[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
*[[Harry Sullivan]] - [[Ian Marter]] (introduced ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'')


===Recurring===
It was also the last ''Doctor Who'' season to have a December/January start until the [[Peter Davison]] era. This is the first and, so far, only season to not feature the [[TARDIS control console]], and is the first since [[Season 7 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season 7]] to have no scenes set inside [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]].
*[[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]] - [[Nicholas Courtney]] (''Robot'')
*[[John Benton|Warrant Officer Benton]] - [[John Levene]] (''Robot'')


===Notes===
This is the first season since [[Season 5 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season 5]] that [[Malcolm Hulke]] didn't write for.
*While a short line of dialogue in ''[[Planet of the Spiders]]'' mentioned him, Harry Sullivan first appears in ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]''.
*Though they only appeared in one story during Season 12, the Brigadier and Benton had appeared more prominently in previous stories.


==Adaptations and merchandising==
== Television stories ==
===Video===
{| {{prettytable}}
====VHS====
! # || Title || Writer || Episodes || Notes
*Robot
|-
*The Ark in Space
|1 ||''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]''||[[Terrance Dicks]]||4||First appearance of [[Harry Sullivan]]. Final regular appearance of [[Bessie]]. First story to feature videotaped exteriors.
*The Sontaran Experiment/Genesis of the Daleks
|-
*Revenge of the Cybermen
|2 ||''[[The Ark in Space (TV story)|The Ark in Space]]''||[[Robert Holmes]]||4||First appearance of the ''[[Nerva Beacon]]''.
*[[The Tom Baker Years]] (extracts from each of the stories)
|-
|3 ||''[[The Sontaran Experiment (TV story)|The Sontaran Experiment]]''||[[Bob Baker]] and [[Dave Martin]]||2||
|-
|4 ||''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]''||[[Terry Nation]]||6||First appearance of [[Davros]].
|-
|5 ||''[[Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]''||[[Gerry Davis]]||4||Return of the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] as recurring antagonists. Final appearance of the ''[[Nerva Beacon]]''.
|}
 
== Cast ==
* [[Fourth Doctor|Doctor Who]] - [[Tom Baker]]
* [[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
* [[Harry Sullivan]] - [[Ian Marter]]


====DVD====
=== Recurring ===
*Robot
* [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]] - [[Nicholas Courtney]]
*The Ark in Space
* [[John Benton|Warrant Officer Benton]] - [[John Levene]]
*The Sontaran Experiment
*Genesis of the Daleks


===Novelisations===
=== Guest ===
*[[Doctor Who and the Giant Robot]]
* [[Hilda Winters]] - [[Patricia Maynard]]
*[[Doctor Who and the Ark in Space]]
* [[Experimental Prototype Robot K1|K1 Robot]] - [[Michael Kilgarriff]]
*[[Doctor Who and the Sontaran Experiment]]
* [[J.P. Kettlewell|Professor Kettlewell]] - [[Edward Burnham]]
*[[Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks]]
* [[Arnold Jellicoe|Jellicoe]] - [[Alec Linstead]]
*[[Revenge of the Cybermen (novelisation)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]
* [[Vira]] - [[Wendy Williams]]
* [[Noah (The Ark in Space)|Noah]] - [[Kenton Moore]]
* [[Rogin]] - [[Richardson Morgan]]
* [[Wirrn|Wirrn Operators]] - [[Stuart Fell]], [[Nick Hobbs]]
* [[Vural]] - [[Donald Douglas]]
* [[Krans]] - [[Glyn Jones]]
* [[Erak]] - [[Peter Walshe]]
* [[Styre]] and The [[Marshal (The Sontaran Experiment)|Marshal]] - [[Kevin Lindsay]]
* [[Davros]] – [[Michael Wisher]]
* [[Nyder]] – [[Peter Miles]]
* [[Gharman]] – [[Dennis Chinnery]]
* [[Sevrin]] - [[Stephen Yardley]]
* [[Ronson (Genesis of the Daleks)|Ronson]] - [[James Garbutt]]
* [[Kavell]] - [[Tom Georgeson]]
* [[Dalek|Dalek Voices]] - [[Roy Skelton]]
* [[Stevenson (Revenge of the Cybermen)|Stevenson]] - [[Ronald Leigh-Hunt]]
* [[Lester]] - [[William Marlowe]]
* [[Kellman]] - [[Jeremy Wilkin]]
* [[Vorus]] - [[David Collings]]
* [[Tyrum]] - [[Kevin Stoney (actor)|Kevin Stoney]]
* [[Cyber-Leader (Revenge of the Cybermen)|Cyberleader]] - [[Christopher Robbie]]


===Audiobooks===
== Stories set during this season ==
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Ark (audio story)|The Ark]]'' (alternative take to ''[[The Ark in Space (TV story)|The Ark in Space]]'')
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Daleks! Genesis of Terror (audio story)|Daleks! Genesis of Terror]]'' (alternative take to ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]'')
* [[PROSE]]: ''[[A Device of Death (novel)|A Device of Death]]'' (immediately after ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]'')
* [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Last Thing You Ever See (short story)|The Last Thing You Ever See]]'' (between ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]'' and ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]'')
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Genesis (audio anthology)|Genesis]]'' and ''[[Destiny (audio anthology)|Destiny]]'' (after the alternative ending of ''Genesis of the Daleks'')
* [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Return of the Cybermen (audio story)|Return of the Cybermen]]'' (alternative take to ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]'')


==Contemporaries==
== Adaptations and merchandising ==
Other selected TV series launched during the 1974-75 season that included the run of Season 12:
=== Home media ===
*''Land of the Lost''
==== VHS releases ====
*''Rhoda''
* ''Robot'' (1992)
*''Little House on the Prairie''
* ''The Ark in Space'' (1989) (edited movie format)
*''The Rockford Files''
* ''The Ark in Space'' (1994)
*''Name That Tune''
* ''The Sontaran Experiment/Genesis of the Daleks'' (1991)
*''The Sweeney''
* ''Genesis of the Daleks'' (2001)
*''Wheel of Fortune''
* ''Revenge of the Cybermen'' (1983/1984) (edited movie format)
*''The Jeffersons''
* ''Revenge of the Cybermen'' (1999)
*''Barney Miller''
* ''[[The Tom Baker Years (VHS box set)|The Tom Baker Years]]'' (1992) (extracts from each of the stories)
*''Jim'll Fix It''
*''The Good Life''


==External Links==
==== DVD & Blu-ray releases ====
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/season12.shtml BBC website guide to Season 12]
All serials of season 12 were released individually on DVD between 2002 and 2013. The complete season was upscaled in 1080i50 high definition and released on [[Blu-ray]] as ''Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 12'' in the UK on [[2 July (releases)|2 July]] [[2018 (releases)|2018]]. Due to authoring issues, replacement discs for two of the serials were issued by BBC Video later that year.


{| class="browser"
It was later released in Australia on [[1 August (releases)|1 August]] [[2018 (releases)|2018]] and was released in the US under the title ''Doctor Who: Tom Baker - Complete Season One'' on [[19 June (releases)|19 June]] [[2018 (releases)|2018]]. This is, to date, the only classic ''Doctor Who'' complete season Blu-ray set released in the US before the UK. BBC Video also released replacement discs for this set.
 
A standard edition of the box set was released in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] on [[31 May (releases)|31 May]] [[2021 (releases)|2021]].
 
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
 
! style="width:30%;" | '''Serial name'''
! style="width:10%;" | '''Number and duration<br />of episodes'''
! style="width:10%;" | '''R2 release date'''
! style="width:10%;" | '''R4 release date'''
! style="width:10%;" | '''R1 release date'''
|-
|-
| class="prev"|'''Previous season''':<br />[[Season 11]]
| ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'' || 4 × 25 min. || 4 June 2007 || 4 July 2007 || 14 August 2007
| class="next"|'''Next season''':<br />[[Season 13]]
|-
| ''[[The Ark in Space (TV story)|The Ark in Space]]'' || 4 × 25 min. || 8 April 2002 || 3 June 2002 || 6 August 2002
|-
| ''[[The Ark in Space (TV story)|The Ark in Space]]'' - Special Edition || 4 × 25 min. || 18 February 2013 || 20 February 2013 || 12 March 2013
|-
| ''[[The Sontaran Experiment (TV story)|The Sontaran Experiment]]''<br /><small>Available individually or in the ''[[Bred for War]]'' box set in Regions 2 and 4. <br />Only available individually in Region 1. || 2 × 25 min. || 9 October 2006 || 7 December 2006 || 6 March 2007
|-
| ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]''<br /><small>Available individually or in ''[[The Complete Davros Collection]]'' box set in Regions 2 and 4. <br />Only available individually in Region 1. || 6 × 25 min. || 10 April 2006 || 4 May 2006 || 6 June 2006
|-
| ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]''<br /><small>Only available as part of the ''Revenge of the Cybermen/[[Silver Nemesis (TV story)|Silver Nemesis]]'' box set in Regions 2 and 4. <br />Only available individually in Region 1.|| 4 × 25 min. || 9 August 2010 || 7 October 2010 || 2 November 2010
|-
|''[[The Collection]]'' - ''[[Season 12 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season 12]]''
|20 x 25 min.
|2 July 2018
|1 August 2018
|19 June 2018
|}
 
==== Download/streaming availability ====
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:40%;" | '''Serial name'''
! style="width:15%;" | '''Amazon Video'''
! style="width:15%;" | '''BritBox'''
! style="width:15%;" | '''Google Play'''
! style="width:15%;" | '''iTunes'''
|-
| ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]''<br /><small>(4 episodes)</small>
|
|✓
|✓
| Except UK
|-
| ''[[The Ark in Space (TV story)|The Ark in Space]]''<br /><small>(4 episodes)</small>
| UK
|✓
|
|Except France, Germany
|-
| ''[[The Sontaran Experiment (TV story)|The Sontaran Experiment]]''<br /><small>(2 episodes)</small>
| UK
|✓
|
|✓
|-
| ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]''<br /><small>(6 episodes)</small>
| UK
|✓
|
|✓
|-
| ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]''<br /><small>(4 episodes)</small>
|
|✓
|
|
|}
|}
[[BritBox]] is available only in the [[US]]. [[iTunes]] stores carry ''Doctor Who'' serials in [[Australia]], [[Canada]], [[France]], [[Germany]], the [[UK]] and US, unless stated otherwise. [[Amazon (service)|Amazon Video]] in the US streams classical ''Doctor Who'' through BritBox channel.
=== Novels ===
* ''[[Doctor Who and the Giant Robot (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Giant Robot]]''
* ''[[Doctor Who and the Ark in Space (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Ark in Space]]''
* ''[[Doctor Who and the Sontaran Experiment (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Sontaran Experiment]]''
* ''[[Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks]]''
* ''[[Doctor Who and the Revenge of the Cybermen (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Revenge of the Cybermen]]''
=== Scriptbooks ===
* In 2004, BBC Books published a hardcover, annotated collection of all the scripts from Season 12.
=== The Lost Stories ===
In 2021 and 2023, [[Big Finish Productions]] have released audio adaptations of three Season 12 stories based on their initially-intended storylines as part of their [[The Lost Stories|''Lost Stories'']] range.
* ''[[Return of the Cybermen (audio story)|Return of the Cybermen]]'' (based on ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]''<nowiki/>'s original storyline)
* ''[[Daleks! Genesis of Terror (audio story)|Daleks! Genesis of Terror]]'' (based on the first draft of ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]''<nowiki/>' first episode and the outline for the remaining five episodes)
* ''[[The Ark (audio story)|The Ark]]'' (based on [[John Lucarotti]]'s original pitch for ''[[The Ark in Space (TV story)|The Ark in Space]]'')


{{season 12}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/season12.shtml BBC website guide to Season 12]
{{DWTV}}
{{season 12 aliens}}
{{TitleSort}}
[[de:Doctor Who Staffel 12]]
[[es:Temporada 12 (DW-C)]]
[[it:Dodicesima Stagione]]
[[pt:12ª Temporada (SC)]]
[[ru:12 сезон (классические серии)]]


[[Category:Seasons]]
[[Category:Seasons]]
[[Category:Doctor Who seasons]]
[[Category:Infobox double checked]]

Latest revision as of 13:35, 4 November 2024

RealWorld.png

You may wish to consult Series 12 for other, similarly-named pages.

Season 12 of Doctor Who ran from 28 December 1974 to 10 May 1975. It starred Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah-Jane Smith and Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan. The season opened with Robot and concluded with Revenge of the Cybermen.

Overview[[edit] | [edit source]]

It consisted of five serials comprised of twenty episodes, and would be the shortest season of the show until season 22 in 1985. The season was shortened by a decision by the BBC to move Terror of the Zygons, originally intended as the finale, to the start of Season 13. This was intended to allow the next season to begin earlier and let Doctor Who better compete against the soon-to-debut Space: 1999.

All the stories in this season were interconnected, several forming a loose story arc relating to Space Station Nerva. The Cybermen returned to the series for the first time since The Invasion. Genesis of the Daleks, a story which introduced Davros and showed the creation of the Daleks, is one of the most famous of all Doctor Who serials.

It was also the last Doctor Who season to have a December/January start until the Peter Davison era. This is the first and, so far, only season to not feature the TARDIS control console, and is the first since Season 7 to have no scenes set inside the TARDIS.

This is the first season since Season 5 that Malcolm Hulke didn't write for.

Television stories[[edit] | [edit source]]

# Title Writer Episodes Notes
1 Robot Terrance Dicks 4 First appearance of Harry Sullivan. Final regular appearance of Bessie. First story to feature videotaped exteriors.
2 The Ark in Space Robert Holmes 4 First appearance of the Nerva Beacon.
3 The Sontaran Experiment Bob Baker and Dave Martin 2
4 Genesis of the Daleks Terry Nation 6 First appearance of Davros.
5 Revenge of the Cybermen Gerry Davis 4 Return of the Cybermen as recurring antagonists. Final appearance of the Nerva Beacon.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Recurring[[edit] | [edit source]]

Guest[[edit] | [edit source]]

Stories set during this season[[edit] | [edit source]]

Adaptations and merchandising[[edit] | [edit source]]

Home media[[edit] | [edit source]]

VHS releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Robot (1992)
  • The Ark in Space (1989) (edited movie format)
  • The Ark in Space (1994)
  • The Sontaran Experiment/Genesis of the Daleks (1991)
  • Genesis of the Daleks (2001)
  • Revenge of the Cybermen (1983/1984) (edited movie format)
  • Revenge of the Cybermen (1999)
  • The Tom Baker Years (1992) (extracts from each of the stories)

DVD & Blu-ray releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

All serials of season 12 were released individually on DVD between 2002 and 2013. The complete season was upscaled in 1080i50 high definition and released on Blu-ray as Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 12 in the UK on 2 July 2018. Due to authoring issues, replacement discs for two of the serials were issued by BBC Video later that year.

It was later released in Australia on 1 August 2018 and was released in the US under the title Doctor Who: Tom Baker - Complete Season One on 19 June 2018. This is, to date, the only classic Doctor Who complete season Blu-ray set released in the US before the UK. BBC Video also released replacement discs for this set.

A standard edition of the box set was released in the UK on 31 May 2021.

Serial name Number and duration
of episodes
R2 release date R4 release date R1 release date
Robot 4 × 25 min. 4 June 2007 4 July 2007 14 August 2007
The Ark in Space 4 × 25 min. 8 April 2002 3 June 2002 6 August 2002
The Ark in Space - Special Edition 4 × 25 min. 18 February 2013 20 February 2013 12 March 2013
The Sontaran Experiment
Available individually or in the Bred for War box set in Regions 2 and 4.
Only available individually in Region 1.
2 × 25 min. 9 October 2006 7 December 2006 6 March 2007
Genesis of the Daleks
Available individually or in The Complete Davros Collection box set in Regions 2 and 4.
Only available individually in Region 1.
6 × 25 min. 10 April 2006 4 May 2006 6 June 2006
Revenge of the Cybermen
Only available as part of the Revenge of the Cybermen/Silver Nemesis box set in Regions 2 and 4.
Only available individually in Region 1.
4 × 25 min. 9 August 2010 7 October 2010 2 November 2010
The Collection - Season 12 20 x 25 min. 2 July 2018 1 August 2018 19 June 2018

Download/streaming availability[[edit] | [edit source]]

Serial name Amazon Video BritBox Google Play iTunes
Robot
(4 episodes)
Except UK
The Ark in Space
(4 episodes)
UK Except France, Germany
The Sontaran Experiment
(2 episodes)
UK
Genesis of the Daleks
(6 episodes)
UK
Revenge of the Cybermen
(4 episodes)

BritBox is available only in the US. iTunes stores carry Doctor Who serials in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK and US, unless stated otherwise. Amazon Video in the US streams classical Doctor Who through BritBox channel.

Novels[[edit] | [edit source]]

Scriptbooks[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • In 2004, BBC Books published a hardcover, annotated collection of all the scripts from Season 12.

The Lost Stories[[edit] | [edit source]]

In 2021 and 2023, Big Finish Productions have released audio adaptations of three Season 12 stories based on their initially-intended storylines as part of their Lost Stories range.

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]