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[[Image:2007_S3_title_Logo.jpg|center|250px]]
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{{Infobox Series
|image          = 10th title HD.jpg
|image2        = Normal_S4Promos-0008.jpg
|broadcast year = 2007
|broadcast year2 =2010
|nth season    = 30
|ep count      = 21
|story count    = 18
|first ep      = Time Crash (TV story)
|doctor        = Tenth Doctor
|companion      = Donna Noble
|companion2    = Martha Jones
|companion3    = Rose Tyler
|companion4    = Jack Harkness
|companion5    = Sarah Jane Smith
|companion6    = Wilfred Mott
|main enemy    = [[Davros]], [[Supreme Dalek (The Stolen Earth)|Supreme Dalek]], [[Rassilon]]
|producer      = Phil Collinson
|producer2      = Susie Liggat
|producer3      = Nikki Wilson
|producer4      = Tracie Simpson
|exec prod      = Russell T Davies
|exec prod2    = Julie Gardner
|exec prod3    = Phil Collinson
|start date    = [[27 November (releases)|27 November]] [[2007 (releases)|2007]]
|end date      = [[1 January (releases)|1 January]] [[2010 (releases)|2010]]
|network        = BBC One
|runtime        = 45'
|DWM            = DWM 387
|DWM2          = DWM 388
|DWM3          = DWM 389
|DWM4          = DWM 390
|DWM5          = DWM 391
|DWM6          = DWM 392
|DWM7          = DWM 393
|DWM8          = DWM 394
|DWM9          = DWM 395
|DWM10          = DWM 396
|DWM11          = DWM 397
|DWM12          = DWM 398
|DWM13          = DWM 399
|DWM14          = DWM 400
|DWM15          =
|DWMSE          = DWMSE 20
|DWMSE2        = DWMSE 24
|DWMSE3        = DWMSE 25
|confidential  = Series 4 (CON)
|action figures = Character Options series 4 action figures
|ref book      = The Writer's Tale
|ref book2      = The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter{{!}}The Final Chapter
|ref book3      = TCH 57{{!}}The Complete History 57
|ref book4      = TCH 58
|ref book5      = TCH 59
|ref book6      = TCH 60
|ref book7      = TCH 61
|ref book8      = TCH 62
|ref book9      =
|doc            =
|doc2          =
|doc3          =
|doc4          =
|doc5          =
|prev          = Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)
|next          = Series 5 (Doctor Who 2005)
|trailer        = DOCTOR WHO SEASON 4
|trailer2      =
|clip          = Meet the Vashta Nerada - Silence In The Library - Doctor Who - BBC
|clip2          = The two Doctors become three! - Doctor Who - BBC
|clip3          = Merry Christmas Doctor! - Doctor Who The End of Time - BBC
|bts            = Doctor Who Stolen Earth and Journey's End Event Excerpt
|bts2          =
|bts3          =
}}{{dab page|Series 4}}
The term '''Series 4''' of ''Doctor Who'' is one that has several different meanings, making a precise and universally-agreed definition difficult. It is nevertheless generally considered the "2008 series". It ran from [[16 November (releases)|16 November]] [[2007 (releases)|2007]] to [[1 January (releases)|1 January]] [[2010 (releases)|2010]]. It mainly starred [[David Tennant]] as the [[Tenth Doctor]] and [[Catherine Tate]] as [[Donna Noble]]. The regular series was preceded by {{cs|Voyage of the Damned (TV story)}}, opened with {{cs|Partners in Crime (TV story)}} and concluded with {{cs|Journey's End (TV story)}}, before being followed by a number of specials ending with {{cs|The End of Time (TV story)}}.


== Overview ==
It consisted of eighteen stories and twenty-one episodes. From a production standpoint, the series began with {{cs|Voyage of the Damned (TV story)}}, continued to {{cs|Time Crash (TV story)}}, and concluded with {{cs|The End of Time (TV story)}}. This view was amply supported by [[Russell T Davies]] in his memoir, ''[[The Writer's Tale]]'', and by production code and [[production block]] numbering, and is how this wiki presents the series and information relating to it.


The '''2009 Specials''' will be broadcast between the end of Series 4 and the beginning of Series 5.  Four specials will be broadcast at various points in 2009. Of the four specials, one has been scheduled for Easter 2009, and one for Christmas 2009, leaving the other two unscheduled. These four specials will be overseen by [[Russell T Davies]] and [[Julie Gardner]], but traditional line producer, [[Phil Collinson]], will not be returning for them. All will reportedly star [[David Tennant]].<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2007/09/03/48471.shtml Official website's 2007 bulletin about Series 5]</ref>
Subsequent home video releases suggested — by their very contents — that series could be considered as having begun with {{cs|Time Crash (TV story)}} and having ended with {{cs|Journey's End (TV story)}}. Additionally, while none of the non-weekly specials are given "series x, episode y" style numbering, ''Voyage of the Damned'' was listed on [[BBC iPlayer]] as part of [[Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 3]] ({{as of|2023|11}}, ''Time Crash'' has no iPlayer listing). Whatever one's perspective, though, there was universal agreement that the regular, weekly portion of series 4 began on [[5 April (releases)|5 April]] [[2008 (releases)|2008]] with the broadcast of {{cs|Partners in Crime (TV story)}} and continued through to the [[5 July (releases)|5 July]] 2008 broadcast of {{cs|Journey's End (TV story)}}. It was the second series of [[BBC Wales]] to have received a [[BAFTA]] nomination in the "Best Drama Series" category, although it did not win, as [[series 1 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 1]] had done. The four principal producers — [[Phil Collinson]], [[Russell T Davies]], [[Julie Gardner]] and [[Susie Liggat]] — were all named nominees.


David Tennant announced that after the 2009 specials he would leave ''Doctor Who''. Rumoured actors to replace Tennant were James Nesbitt <ref>[http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a69179/nesbitt-to-become-next-doctor.html Cult - News - Nesbitt to become next Doctor? On the 3rd of January, it was announced that Matt Smith will become the Eleventh Doctor. - Digital Spy<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, Robert Carlyle <ref>[http://www.williamhillmedia.com/index_template.asp?file=10285 Who Will Be Next Dr Who? | William Hill Press Office<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, [[David Walliams]] (who was the leading choice) <ref>[http://www.askmen.com/men/entertainment_250/287_david_walliams.html David Walliams - AskMen.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, [[Harry Lloyd]] <ref>[http://www.pr-inside.com/new-doctor-who-unveiled-r207167.htm NEWS NEW DOCTOR WHO UNVEILED!] <small> accessed 8th April 2009</small></ref>, [[David Morrissey]] (who previously played [[Jackson Lake]] in the [[The Next Doctor|2008 Christmas special]]) <ref>[http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/breaking-news/2008/07/04/liverpool-actor-david-morrissey-could-be-next-doctor-who-64375-21227910/ Liverpool Echo - Liverpool actor David Morrissey could be next Doctor Who] <small>accessed 8th April 2009</small></ref> <ref>[http://www.kasterborous.com/news.asp?id=1795 Kasterborous - The Next Doctor?] <small>accessed 8th April 2009</small></ref> and [[Paterson Joseph]]<ref>[http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/10/theres-yet-anot.html Wired.com - Joseph Joins List of Actors Who Would Be Who] <small>accessed 8th April 2009</small></ref><ref>[http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/23/anglophenia.jsp?bc_id=1249 BBC America: anglophenia - Pamela Anderson on Jordan: "I Have No Idea How She Became Famous"]<small> accessed 8th April 2009</small></ref><ref>[http://liveforfilm.blogspot.com/2008/10/next-dr-who-could-be.html Live for Films - The Next Dr Who could be...?] <small>accessed 8th April 2009</small></ref>. Bill Nighy has stated he would love to take over from Tennant once he leaves if the producers approach him <ref>[http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/nighy%20eyes%20doctor%20who%20role_1059948 Contactmusic.com - Bill Nighy - Nighy Eyes Doctor Who Role] <small>accessed 8th April 2009</small></ref>. On the 3rd January 2009, it was announced that 26 year old actor [[Matt Smith]] would be portraying the [[Eleventh Doctor]] for the duration of [[Series 5 (Doctor Who)]]. It is currently unknown whether the regeneration from the Tenth to Eleventh Doctor will occur in the last special, or at the beginning of the 5th series. In an interview with "Wired", [[Euros Lyn]] revealed that the story in which [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]] regenerates will be a two-part story with [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]] presumably regenerating in the second part.{{fact}}
The final two (or three in the case of Billie Piper) episodes saw the return of [[Freema Agyeman]] ([[Martha Jones]]), [[John Barrowman]] ([[Jack Harkness]]), [[Elisabeth Sladen]] ([[Sarah Jane Smith]]) and [[Billie Piper]] ([[Rose Tyler]]) to the main cast, accompanied by [[Noel Clarke]] ([[Mickey Smith]]), [[Camille Coduri]] ([[Jackie Tyler]]), [[Penelope Wilton]] ([[Harriet Jones]]), [[Adjoa Andoh]] ([[Francine Jones]]), [[Eve Myles]] ([[Gwen Cooper]]), and [[Gareth David-Lloyd]] ([[Ianto Jones]]). [[Kylie Minogue]] starred as [[Astrid Peth]] in the Christmas special {{cs|Voyage of the Damned (TV story)}}. [[Peter Davison]] returned to the role of the [[Fifth Doctor]] for the [[Children in Need]] special {{cs|Time Crash (TV story)}}. It also featured the return of [[Davros]], the creator of the Daleks, not seen on television since [[1988 (releases)|1988]]'s ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]''. Davros was recast and was played by [[Julian Bleach]].


For the 2009 Specials, the Doctor will be traveling alone, each episode starring a one-off companion.
== Broadcast milestones ==
Series 4 featured several milestones. It is the 30th broadcast season of ''Doctor Who'', and features the 750th broadcast episode; {{cs|The Stolen Earth (TV story)}}. The finale episodes ''The Stolen Earth'' and {{cs|Journey's End (TV story)}} also took the revived series to new heights of popularity, scoring the highest viewership ratings since the [[Tom Baker]] era and according to the media both episodes scored Appreciation Index ratings unprecedented for an ongoing scripted drama series.


There have been conflicting reports given as to why the decision was made to take a year off. Initial media reports suggested that this was in order to allow David Tennant to perform a season of Shakespeare during the time a regular season would have normally entered production. However, these reports are directly contradicted in Russell T. Davies' book ''[[Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale]]'', which contains correspondence from the spring of 2007 -- months before the gap year plan was announced -- in which Davies indicated that the intent was to take the series off for a year, except for a few specials, in order to allow a new production team to make its transition, as Davies had already informed the BBC that he would not executive-produce a fifth season.  
In terms of production, the season marked the first production of a "Companion-lite" episode, {{cs|Midnight (TV story)}} (as opposed to the usual "Doctor-lite" episodes, ie. {{cs|Love & Monsters (TV story)}} and {{cs|Blink (TV story)}}), although a Doctor-lite episode, {{cs|Turn Left (TV story)}} was also produced. This was necessitated by the need to film several episodes at the same time, including an unprecedented 15th episode, {{cs|The Next Doctor (TV story)}}, which would air as the 2008 Christmas special.


Although it was originally announced that the four specials following ''The Next Doctor'' would air during 2009, with a possible summer-fall broadcast for at least one of them, this now appears to not be the case, as [[Russell T. Davies]] has indicated to ''SFX Magazine'' that, following the broadcast of ''Planet of the Dead'' in April 2009, the remaining three specials will air "around Christmas/end of the year".<ref name="scifipulse">[http://scifipulse.net/?p=6378 SciFiPulse.net - Producer Can’t Wait To Kill Tenth Doctor]<small>accessed 8th April 2009</small></ref> An earlier indication that at least one special would not air until 2010 was given by David Tennant himself during interviews following the announcement of his departure from the series.
Series 4 was the last time Davies, Collinson, and Gardner produced the show until all three reunited beginning with the [[2023 specials]]. Collinson left after the regular episode ''Journey's End'', and Davies and Gardner left after ''The End of Time'', two of the five special episodes made after ''Journey's End''. Before returning, Davies had no involvement in writing freelance for his successors as head writer, although he did contribute to the final scene of [[Chris Chibnall]]'s outgoing story {{cs|The Power of the Doctor (TV story)}}, and wrote stories for ''[[Torchwood (series)|Torchwood]]'', ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'', the ''[[Doctor Who: Lockdown!]]'' event and a novelisation of ''[[Rose (novelisation)|Rose]]'' in the interim.


==The Next Doctor==
When the show resumed weekly broadcast in [[2010 (releases)|2010]], [[Steven Moffat]] became the head writer and executive producer. It also marked the last full season featuring [[David Tennant]] as the [[Tenth Doctor]] (he returned for the [[50th anniversary]], and, as the [[Fourteenth Doctor]], for the 2023 specials) as, in October [[2008 (production)|2008]], he announced his intention to leave the role following the production of the five specials; in January 2009 [[Matt Smith]] was announced as [[Eleventh Doctor|his successor]], with [[Karen Gillan]] appearing as his companion [[Amy Pond]].
There are conflicting reports from the BBC and other sources as to whether ''[[The Next Doctor]]'', the 2008 Christmas special, is part of the 2009 Specials "series" or not. Arguments in favour of it being included are that it was not aired with the rest of Series 4, and Series 4 already was linked to a Christmas special, ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]'', and also that it was not included on the so-titled "Complete Fourth Series" DVD box set issued in the autumn of 2008. Arguments in favour of it being considered part of the Fourth Series include it being produced during the same production block as Series 4, and that Russell T Davies referred to it as the 14th episode of Series 4 in his book ''[[Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale]]''. The fact the episode uses a Series 4 production code cannot be used as support as the same is holding true with all of the 2009 Specials which raises the question as to whether the "gap year" might eventually come to be known as Series 4.5 (or season 30.5). According to Davies' interview with ''SFX Magazine''<ref name="scifipulse"/> the four specials being produced in 2009 form an arc, suggesting that ''The Next Doctor'' is likely to be accorded standalone status, as was the case with the previous Christmas specials, none of which were considered part of the seasons that followed (although they were nonetheless included in the DVD box sets).


==2009 specials==
From a retroactive standpoint, the series was also notable for containing two instances that foreshadowed the Doctor's eventual [[Twelfth Doctor|twelfth incarnation]]. {{cs|The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)}} saw the Doctor saving [[Lobus Caecilius]] (portrayed by eventual Twelfth Doctor actor, [[Peter Capaldi]]) and his family from being killed in the destruction of [[Pompeii]] at Donna's urging, which would lead the Doctor to take on Caecilius' appearance in his twelfth incarnation, as a subconcious reminder to himself to always save people - no matter how impossible or "wrong" it might seem, as revealed in [[Series 9 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 9's]] {{cs|The Girl Who Died (TV story)}}. Furthermore, in {{cs|Silence in the Library (TV story)}}, [[River Song]] explains to the Doctor that a "future version" of him gave her her [[River Song's sonic screwdriver|sonic screwdriver]] during their last night together at [[Darillium]], this "future Doctor" would, indeed, turn out to be the Twelfth Doctor, and the events described would take place in {{cs|The Husbands of River Song (TV story)}}, 7 years later.
===Television stories===
 
*[[Planet of the Dead (TV story)|Planet of the Dead]] (11th April 2009)
*[[The Waters of Mars]] (November-ish 2009)
*Special 3 (date and title TBA, around Christmas Time 2009)  
*Special 4 (date and title TBA, around Christmas Time 2009)


[[Euros Lyn]] has confirmed that he will be directing the final two specials. In an interview with the website Zap2It.com in February 2009, Lyn indicated that the final two specials will constitute a two-part story.<ref>[http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2009/02/fifteen-minutes-with-torchwood-children-of-the-earth-director-euros-lyn.html Zap2It.com - interview with Euros Lyn]</ref>
The arc of [[Human-Time Lord Meta-Crisis]] that led to the Tenth Doctor wiping Donna's memories was also revisited in the 2023 special {{cs|The Star Beast (TV story)}}, with Catherine Tate reprising her role as Donna Noble, and Tennant returning as the near-identical [[Fourteenth Doctor]].


The title of the first special, ''Planet of the Dead'' was not made public until the closing credits of ''The Next Doctor''; the title of ''The Waters of Mars'' was released at the end of ''Planet of the Dead''.
=== Awards ===
* Winner, "Favourite Foreign Drama of the Year", [[2009 (production)|2009]] [[Seoul International Drama Award]]s (shared with ''[[CSI|CSI: Crime Scene Investigation]]'')


===Casting===
== Cast ==
* [[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[David Tennant]]
* [[Donna Noble]] - [[Catherine Tate]]
* [[Martha Jones]] - [[Freema Agyeman]]<!--In pre-title credits in The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky, The Doctor's Daughter, and The Stolen Earth/Journey's End-->
* [[Rose Tyler]] - [[Billie Piper]]<!--In pre-title credits in Turn Left and The Stolen Earth/Journey's End-->
* [[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack Harkness]] - [[John Barrowman]]<!--In pre-title credits in The Stolen Earth/Journey's End-->
* [[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]<!--In pre-title credits in The Stolen Earth/Journey's End-->
* {{Simm|c}} - [[John Simm]]<!--In pre-title credits in The End of Time-->
* [[Wilfred Mott]] - [[Bernard Cribbins]]<!--In pre-title credits in The End of Time-->
* [[Astrid Peth]] - [[Kylie Minogue]]<!--In pre-title credits in Voyage of the Damned-->
* [[Jackson Lake]] - [[David Morrissey]]<!--In pre-title credits in The Next Doctor-->
* [[Christina de Souza]] - [[Michelle Ryan]]<!--In pre-title credits in Planet of the Dead-->
* [[Adelaide Brooke]] - [[Lindsay Duncan]],<!--In pre-title credits in The Waters of Mars--> [[Rachel Fewell]]
: and introducing [[Matt Smith]] as [[Eleventh Doctor|the Doctor]]


'''[[Planet of the Dead (TV story)|Planet of the Dead]]'''
=== Recurring ===
*[[Christina de Souza|Lady Christina de Souza]] - [[Michelle Ryan]]
* Midshipman [[Alonso Frame]] - [[Russell Tovey]]
*[[Malcolm Taylor (Planet of the Dead)|Malcolm]] - [[Lee Evans]]
* [[Newsreader (The Christmas Invasion)|Newsreader]] - [[Jason Mohammad]]
*[[Erisa Magambo|Captain Arisa Magambo]] - [[Norma Dumezweni]]
* [[Sylvia Noble]] - [[Jacqueline King]]
* [[Ood Sigma]] - [[Paul Kasey]], [[Silas Carson]]
* Voice of the [[Ood]] - [[Silas Carson]]
* [[Harris (The Sontaran Stratagem)|Harris]] - [[Clive Standen]]
* [[Trinity Wells]] - [[Lachele Carl]]
* [[River Song|Professor River Song]] - [[Alex Kingston]]
* [[Erisa Magambo|Capt Erisa Magambo]] - [[Noma Dumezweni]]
* [[Oliver Morgenstern]] - [[Ben Righton]]
* [[Harriet Jones]] - [[Penelope Wilton]]
* [[Luke Smith]] - [[Tommy Knight]]
* [[Francine Jones]] - [[Adjoa Andoh]]
* [[Judoon]] - [[Paul Kasey]] and voiced by [[Nicholas Briggs]]
* [[Dalek]]s - [[Dalek operator|operated]] by [[Barnaby Edwards]], [[Nick Pegg]], [[David Hankinson]], [[Anthony Spargo]], and voiced by [[Nicholas Briggs]]
* [[Mickey Smith]] - [[Noel Clarke]]
* [[Jackie Tyler]] - [[Camille Coduri]]
* [[K9 Mark IV|K9]] - [[John Leeson]]
* [[Cyber-Leader]] - [[Paul Kasey]]
* [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] - [[Nicholas Briggs]]
* [[Lucy Saxon]] - [[Alexandra Moen]]
* [[Trefusis|Miss Trefusis]] - [[Sylvia Seymour]]
* [[Nerys]] - [[Krystal Archer]]


===Production===
=== Guest ===
Filming of ''Planet of the Dead'' commenced in mid-January 2009 and concluded in February. Production of [[The Waters of Mars]] to began late January 2009, and finished in mid February.
* [[Fifth Doctor]] - [[Peter Davison]]
* [[Max Capricorn]] - [[George Costigan]]
* [[Cofelia]] - [[Sarah Lancashire]]
* [[Soothsayer (The Fires of Pompeii)|Soothsayer]] - [[Karen Gillan]]
* [[Lobus Caecilius]] - [[Peter Capaldi]]
* [[Klineman Halpen]] - [[Tim McInnerny]]
* [[Luke Rattigan]] - [[Ryan Sampson]]
* [[Staal|General Staal]] - [[Christopher Ryan]]
* [[Skorr|Commander Skorr]] - [[Dan Starkey]]
* [[Jenny (The Doctor's Daughter)|Jenny]] - [[Georgia Moffett]]
* [[Cobb (The Doctor's Daughter)|Cobb]] - [[Nigel Terry]]
* [[Agatha Christie]] - [[Fenella Woolgar]]
* [[Arnold Golightly]] - [[Tom Goodman-Hill]]
* [[Hugh Curbishley|Colonel Hugh Curbishley]] - [[Christopher Benjamin]]
* [[Doctor Moon]] - [[Colin Salmon]]
* [[Charlotte Lux]] - [[Eve Newton]]
* [[Lee McAvoy]] - [[Jason Pitt]]
* [[Sky Silvestry]] - [[Lesley Sharp]]
* [[Winfold Hobbes|Professor Winfold Hobbes]] - [[David Troughton]]
* [[Fortune teller (Turn Left)|Fortune teller]] - [[Chipo Chung]]
* [[Ianto Jones]] - [[Gareth David-Lloyd]]
* [[Gwen Cooper]] - [[Eve Myles]]
* [[Davros]] - [[Julian Bleach]]
* [[Shadow Architect]] - [[Kelly Hunter]]
* [[Mr Smith]] - [[Alexander Armstrong]]
* [[Mercy Hartigan]] - [[Dervla Kirwan]]
* [[Carmen (Planet of the Dead)|Carmen]] - [[Ellen Thomas]]
* [[Andy Stone (The Waters of Mars)|Andy Stone]] - [[Alan Ruscoe]]
* [[Rassilon]] - [[Timothy Dalton]]
* [[The Woman (The End of Time)|The Woman]] - [[Claire Bloom]]
* [[Verity Newman]] - [[Jessica Hynes]]


===Series numbering===
== Television stories ==
Although it was initially thought that the "interval" season of specials might come to be known as Series 5, or Series 4.5, however at present it appears that the BBC will not be assigning a series "number" to the specials, much as the previous Christmas specials and mini-episodes do not technically belong to any particular season. This, however, is contradicted by Russell T Davies himself in his book ''[[The Writer's Tale]]'', where he calls ''The Next Doctor'' the fourteenth episode of the fourth series (likely due to the fact it was produced during the production of Series 4).''DWM'' confirmed the specials would be coded 4.14, 4.15, 4.16 etc. Also, the BBC iPlayer page for The Next Doctor on its Christmas Day release stated the episode was part of 'Series Four'.
=== Mini-episode ===
{| {{prettytable}}
!'''Episode<br />Number''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Director''' ||'''Notes'''
|-
|N/A ||{{cs|Time Crash (TV story)}}||[[Steven Moffat]]||[[Graeme Harper]]||Guest appearance by the [[Fifth Doctor]]. First [[multi-Doctor story]] of the revived series.
|}


===Writers===
=== Christmas special ===
[[Russell T Davies]] is solely writing only the Christmas 2008 special and two others.<ref name=Gardner>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/07/11/nosplit/bvtvwho11.xml ''Daily Telegraph'' interview with Julie Gardner] 11 July 2008.</ref> One of the specials will be co-written by [[Gareth Roberts]], and one will be co-written by [[Phil Ford]].<ref>[http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a115043/doctor-who-specials-writers-announced.html? Rawson-Jones, Ben.  "'Doctor Who' specials writers announced".]  digitalspy.co.uk.  25 July 2008.  ''reporting on news originally broken in [[DWM Issue 398|''Doctor Who Magazine'' #398]].</ref>  These particular specials will be historic in that they will be the first two episodes of the [[BBC Wales]] production of ''Doctor Who'' to formally credit a co-writer.  With the inclusion of Ford, 2009 will mark the fifth straight year that ''Doctor Who'' has included at least one new writer for the show, and make Ford the only writer other than RTD himself to write for ''Torchwood'', ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' and ''Doctor Who''.
{| {{prettytable}}
!'''Episode<br />Number''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Director''' ||'''Notes'''
|-
|N/A ||{{cs|Voyage of the Damned (TV story)}}||[[Russell T Davies]]||[[James Strong]]||Dedicated to [[Verity Lambert]]. First appearance of [[Wilfred Mott]].
|}


===Rumours===
=== Regular series ===
*''The Sun'' newspaper in the UK reported [[Paul McGann]] is to make an appearance as the [[Eighth Doctor]] in one of the specials.<ref>[http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/article1673189.ece ''Sun'' reports McGann return]</ref>  However, on 12 September 2008, the BBC refuted this allegation, saying, "There is no truth to the story at all."<ref name=Mcgann>[http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a130094/bbc-refutes-mcgann-dr-who-return-story.html Rawson-Jones, Ben. ''BBC refutes McGann 'Dr Who' story''] 12 September 2008.</ref> However, a brief clip of McGann as the Doctor ''did'' appear in ''[[The Next Doctor]]'' as part of a recap of all of the Doctor's incarnations.
{| {{prettytable}}
*Actor Patrick Stewart may also appear in the 2009 specials, playing the renegade [[Time Lord]], [[The Monk]].<ref>[http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/article1770729.ece Blackburn, Jen. "Star Trek hero to play Time Lord". ''The Sun''. 6 October 2008.]</ref>  At least one (possibly made-up) source believes that "the BBC has offered him the role and are willing to wait for Stewart's schedule to clear".  Stewart could therefore appear in ''either'' the specials or the 2010 series.<ref>[http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/53502/Patrick-Trek-to-Tardis/ "Patrick Trek to TARDIS". ''Daily Star'' 5 October 2008]</ref> ''Unlikely as when it comes to Doctor Who the newspapers tend to make up their own rumours which are completely untrue.''
!'''Episode<br />Number''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Director''' ||'''Notes'''
*The Nimon may return in one of the specials as hinted by Russell T. Davies in an excerpt from The Next Doctor Podcast. <ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/audio/S0_05 BBC.co.uk: Doctor Who - The Next Doctor (audio commentary)] <small>accessed 12th April 2009</small></ref>
|-
*It is rumoured that News Reporter  [[Trinity Wells]], played by [[Lachele Carl]], who has appeared in every series, since series 1, will appear. Davies said in an interview that The Doctor may meet her and she may sacrifice herself for the Earth.{{fact}}
|1 ||{{cs|Partners in Crime (TV story)}}||Russell T Davies||James Strong||Return of [[Donna Noble]], [[Sylvia Noble]] and [[Rose Tyler]].  
*Although initial media coverage of the "gap year" indicated that all the specials would air in 2009, with Tennant's announcement of his pending departure in October 2008 came media references (yet to be officially confirmed) that the final special, and the final episode to feature Tennant, may not air until early 2010. Julie Gardner has confirmed that the first special will be broadcast during the Easter Holidays.
|-
*Two mini-episodes (''[[Children in Need Special]]'' and ''[[Time Crash]]'') and two interactive mini-episodes (the online game ''[[Attack of the Graske]]'' and the audience-participation ''[[Music of the Spheres]]'') have been produced since Tennant joined the series; the possibility exists that another mini-episode may be produced during the Specials season, although as of January 2009 there has been no indication of this.
|2 ||{{cs|The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)}}||[[James Moran]]||[[Colin Teague]]||[[Peter Capaldi]] and [[Karen Gillan]]'s first acting appearances in the show.
*Recurring rumors include speculation that either [[Georgia Moffett]] will return as [[Jenny]], the Doctor's daughter, or that [[River Song]], introduced as a future companion of the Doctor's in Series 4, will return (though spin-off speculates relates as to whether [[Alex Kingston]] would return of if a younger actress would be cast). Both have also been cited as potential companions in Series 5, too.{{fact}}
|-
*Initial rumours that one of the specials would be filmed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates were confirmed in late January 2009 when BBC News reported that a bus intended for use in location filming for ''Planet of the Dead'' in Dubai was damaged. A related rumour, referenced in the Dubai-based newspaper ''7DAYS'', citing an unnamed BBC source, indicated that filming for one of the specials would occur in the United States.<ref>[http://www.7days.ae/storydetails.php?id=72747%20%20%20%20&page=local%20news&title=Time%20Lord%20to%20land%20in%20Dubai 7days - Time Lord to land in Dubai] <small>accessed 8th April 2009</small></ref>
|3 ||{{cs|Planet of the Ood (TV story)}}||[[Keith Temple]]||Graeme Harper||Return of the [[Ood]]. First appearance of [[Ood Sigma]].
*In late January several media outlets reported that [[Freema Agyeman]] would reprise the role of [[Martha Jones]] in one of the specials; this is highly unlikely as Russell T Davies intends, with Donna losing her memory, Rose having found a half-human Doctor in a parallel universe, Martha having forged a life of her own outside the TARDIS, and Sarah Jane and Captain Jack still in ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' and ''[[Torchwood]]'', the 2009 specials will see the Doctor travelling alone, with no references to former companions.{{fact}}
|-
* Supposedly, [[Donna Noble]], [[Wilfred Mott]] and [[the Master]] are all meant to return for at least one of the 2009 specials. This is rumoured because in the [[Series 4]] Box-Set, a clip of Donna hearing the TARDIS disappear could be heard and a ring on her finger was shown quite visibly for a number of seconds. This clip was cut from the final cut. Throughout ''[[Journey's End]]'' and ''[[The Stolen Earth]]'', clips of a ring on Donna's finger are seen. This refers back to the ring that was seen in [[Last of the Time Lords]] and could have some connection between the Master and Donna.<ref>[http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/article1659508.ece The Sun.co.uk - It's Tate to be Back] <small>accessed 8th April 2009</small></ref>
|4 & 5 ||{{cs|The Sontaran Stratagem (TV story)}} / {{cs|The Poison Sky (TV story)}}||[[Helen Raynor]]||[[Douglas Mackinnon]]||Reintroduction of the [[Sontaran]]s. Guest appearance by [[Martha Jones]].
* According to an interview by [[Russell T. Davies]] in ''SFX Magazine'', at least one of the specials will feature the [[Ood]] and possibly tie in with the closing scene of ''[[Planet of the Ood]]'', and that the four specials that make up the gap year will form a loose arc, with the final two being a two-parter closely linked to the second special.<ref name="scifipulse"/>
|-
* The Daily Mirror reported that an Episode will be set on [[Mars]]. With the Doctor having to battle aliens from [[Mars]]. This could possibly mean the [[Ice Warrior]]s will be in one of the specials, or possibly the [[Sycorax]] as they were involved in an incident regarding a British expedition to Mars in ''[[The Christmas Invasion]]''.{{fact}}
|6 ||{{cs|The Doctor's Daughter (TV story)}}||[[Stephen Greenhorn]]||[[Alice Troughton]]||First appearance of [[Jenny]]. Continuing guest appearance by [[Martha Jones]].
* In mid-March the tabloid ''The Sun'' reported rumours that [[Billie Piper]], [[Freema Agyeman]] and [[Catherine Tate]] are going to appear in the final special. This rumour has not been confirmed by any official source, and production of the finale isn't expected to begin for some months yet.{{fact}}
|-
* Similarly, rumours abound that [[Bernard Cribbins]] is reprising the role of [[Wilfred Mott]], with guest star [[Jessica Hynes]] in one of the later specials, although claims that they have been seen "on set" on 21 March would appear to be unfounded given that production of Special 2 did not even begin until March 30. On 3rd April [[John Simm]] was seen on set, leading many to speculate that [[The Master]] will return.
|7 ||{{cs|The Unicorn and the Wasp (TV story)}}||[[Gareth Roberts]]||Graeme Harper||
*The Sun newspaper has also reported that one of the specials would be entitled "[[Beautiful Chaos]]" and Bernard Cribbins would guest star; meaning that the [[Mandragora Helix]] could return in an apparent adaption of the novel.
|-
*Rumours of past characters returning (though most of these remain new series character) have extended to the rumour that, just like the Fourth and Fifth Regenerations, characters influential in the Tenth Doctor's life will make brief cameo returns, including a rumour of the Fifth Doctor in the (reconstructed) old TARDIS console room set. (In some previous regenerations, previous characters have returned and, in many cases, said "Doctor", either in flashback or cameo)
|8 & 9 ||{{cs|Silence in the Library (TV story)}}/{{cs|Forest of the Dead (TV story)}}||[[Steven Moffat]]||[[Euros Lyn]]||First appearance and death of [[River Song]].  
*Verity Newman is a Time Lady. ([[The Rani]] or [[Romana]])
|-
|10 ||{{cs|Midnight (TV story)}}||rowspan=3|Russell T Davies||[[Alice Troughton]]||Companion-lite episode.
|-
|11 || {{cs|Turn Left (TV story)}}|||Graeme Harper||Doctor-lite episode.
|-
|12 & 13 ||{{cs|The Stolen Earth (TV story)}}/{{cs|Journey's End (TV story)}}|||Graeme Harper|| First direct crossover with ''[[Torchwood (TV series)|Torchwood]]'' and ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]''. Return of [[Martha Jones]], [[Jack Harkness]], [[Sarah Jane Smith]], [[Mickey Smith]], and [[Jackie Tyler]]. Reintroduction of [[Davros]]. Departure of [[Donna Noble]], [[Sylvia Noble]], and [[Wilfred Mott]] for more than a year. Final appearance of [[Harriet Jones]]. First appearance of the [[Meta-Crisis Doctor]]. Resolution of the "missing planets" arc.
|}


===Broadcast dates===
=== Mini-episode ===
* The BBC did not announce a broadcast date for ''Planet of the Dead'' until 1 April, leading to some erroneous reports that it would air on 12 April; it ended up being scheduled for 11 April.
{| {{prettytable}}
* Russell T. Davies has indicated that the remaining three specials will not air until near the end of 2009 and possibly into 2010.
!'''Episode<br />Number''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Director''' ||'''Notes'''
|-
|N/A ||{{cs|Music of the Spheres (TV story)}}||Russell T Davies||Euros Lyn||Shown during the BBC Proms season.
|}


===Trailers===
=== Specials ===
*According to BBC journalist Lizo Mzimba on Twitter, the first television trailer for the Planet of the Dead would air on BBC One on Wednesday 1st April at 9 pm, just prior to "The Apprentice".<ref>[http://twitter.com/lizo_mzimba/status/1417554635 Twitter / lizo mzimba] <small> accessed 8th April 2009</small></ref>
Sometimes referred to "Series 4b," the "David Tennant Specials" and the "2009 Specials," five special episodes following the regular season were broadcast at Christmas [[2008 (releases)|2008]], Easter [[2009 (releases)|2009]], November 2009, Christmas 2009 and [[1 January (releases)|New Year's Day]] [[2010 (releases)|2010]]. These four stories (the last two broadcasts were a single two-part story) were overseen by [[Russell T Davies]] and [[Julie Gardner]], but long-term line producer [[Phil Collinson]] did not return for them. All starred [[David Tennant]]. For these, the Doctor was travelling alone, with each story featuring a one-off companion. Catherine Tate had a smaller role as Donna Noble in the final specials but was not billed in the opening titles.
*A trailer for the second special aired after ''[[Planet of the Dead (TV story)|Planet of the Dead]]'' and revealed the title of the next special to be The Waters of Mars.


==DVD releases==
There had been conflicting reports given as to why a year was taken off. Initial media reports suggested this was to allow David Tennant to perform a season of Shakespeare during the time a regular season would have normally entered production.<ref>[http://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/09-2007/david-tennant-takes-dr-who-tv-break-for-hamlet_20581.html David Tennant Takes Dr Who TV Break for Hamlet]</ref> However, these reports were directly contradicted in Russell T Davies' book ''[[Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale]]'', which has correspondence from the spring of [[2007 (production)|2007]], months before the gap year plan was announced. Davies indicated the intent was to take the series off for a year, except for a few specials, to let the new production team make its transition. Davies had already informed the BBC that he would not executive-produce a fifth season.
* ''The Next Doctor'' was released to DVD in the UK in January 2009 in a special edition that included the corresponding (Cutdown) episode of ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'', a specially edited version of the 2008 Proms concert special, and the mini-episode ''[[Music of the Spheres]]''.
* Amazon.co.uk is showing a DVD release of ''Planet of the Dead'' scheduled for 11 May 2009, although no official release announcement has been made by BBC Video/2 Entertain.
* As the remaining three specials are not expected to air until the end of 2009-early 2010, further DVD releases are not expected in Region 2 (UK) until early 2010.
* No DVD releases have as yet been announced for Region 1 (North America). It remains to be seen if the individual UK releases of ''The Next Doctor'' and ''Planet of the Dead'' will also be issued in Region 1 during 2009 or if BBC Video/2 Entertain will wait to release all the specials in one box set in 2010.


Exactly how to refer to these specials is a matter of some debate. Aside from informal terms such as "2009 Special" or "Gap Year", it is known that ''Planet of the Dead'' was considered Episode 15 of Series 4 by the production team, as revealed by David Tennant in his video diary of the episode's read through, and ''The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter'' shows the specials were all numbered 4.X. On the DVD/Blu-ray release of the four specials plus ''The Next Doctor'' (in a box set titled ''The Complete Specials''), a bonus feature of deleted scenes was entitled ''Series 4 Specials Deleted Scenes''.


{| class="browser"
=== 2008-10 Specials ===
{| {{prettytable}}
!'''Episode<br />Number''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Director''' ||'''Number of episodes'''||'''Notes'''
|-
|-
| class="prev"|'''Previous series''':<br />[[Series 4 (Doctor Who)|Series 4]]
|1 ||{{cs|The Next Doctor (TV story)}}||Russell T Davies||[[Andy Goddard]]||1||Return of the [[Cybusman]].
| class="next"|'''Next series''':<br /> [[Series 5 (Doctor Who)|Series 5]]
|-
|2 ||{{cs|Planet of the Dead (TV story)}}||Russell T Davies & [[Gareth Roberts]]||[[James Strong]]||1||First appearance of Lady [[Christina de Souza]].
|-
|3 ||{{cs|The Waters of Mars (TV story)}}||Russell T Davies & [[Phil Ford]]||[[Graeme Harper]]||1||Dedicated to [[Barry Letts]].
|-
|4 ||{{cs|The End of Time (TV story)}}||Russell T Davies||[[Euros Lyn]]||2||Last regular appearances of the [[Tenth Doctor]]. Reintroduction of [[Rassilon]] and the [[High Council|High Council of Time Lords]], and return of {{Simm}}, [[Donna Noble]], [[Sylvia Noble]], and [[Wilfred Mott]]. First appearance of the [[Eleventh Doctor]]. Resolution of the "knock four times" arc.
|}
|}


==Footnotes==
=== Animated special ===
{| {{prettytable}}
!'''Episode<br />Number''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Director''' ||'''Notes'''
|-
||NA ||{{cs|Dreamland (TV story)}}||[[Phil Ford]]||[[Gary Russell]]||First ''Doctor Who'' story produced entirely in 3-D computer animation.
|}
 
''Dreamland'' was a serialised animated story initially made available on the BBC's Red Button service before being televised in December 2009. Its writer has stated it takes place after the events of ''The Waters of Mars'' but it is not officially considered one of the Specials.
 
=== Other productions ===
* David Tennant appeared as the Doctor in a two-part episode of ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' entitled {{cs|The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith (TV story)}}. This is not considered one of the 2009 Specials.
* A 3-minute ''Doctor Who'' skit featuring [[John Barrowman]] with a cameo by [[David Tennant]] out of character aired as part of the ''[[Tonight's the Night]]'' talent series.
* In December 2009, Tennant appeared as the Doctor in a series of brief [[2009 BBC Christmas idents|Christmas idents]] produced for BBC One and BBC America.
 
== Adaptations and merchandising ==
=== Home media ===
==== DVD and Bluray ====
[[File:Doctor Who series 4 steelbook.jpg|thumb|Series 4 steelbook.]]
All episodes of Series 4 were released between [[2008 (releases)|2008]] and [[2010 (releases)|2010]].
 
It was also included in the ''Doctor Who: Complete Series 1-7'' [[Blu-ray]] box set, released on [[5 November (releases)|5 November]], [[2013 (releases)|2013]] in the US and [[4 November (releases)|4 November]], 2013 in the UK, split into the "Complete Fourth Series" and "The Complete Specials" sets respectively. In [[2015 (releases)|2015]], Series 1-4 were reissued on Blu-ray individually.
 
Series 4 was released on Blu-ray [[steelbook]] on [[27 May (releases)|27 May]] [[2019 (releases)|2019]]. The artwork was created by [[Sophie Cowdrey]].<ref>https://www.facebook.com/127031120644257/posts/3101039756576697?sfns=mo</ref>
 
Of note, the inclusion of {{cs|The Next Doctor (TV story)}} on "The Complete Specials" Blu-ray set makes this story the first standard-definition ''[[Doctor Who]]'' story to be upscaled for high-definition.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:30%;" | '''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'''
|-
| Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned<br />{{cs|Time Crash (TV story)}}<br />{{cs|Voyage of the Damned (TV story)}}|| 1 x 8 min.<br />1 x 72 min. || [[10 March (releases)|10 March]] [[2008 (releases)|2008]] || [[20 June (releases)|20 June]] 2008 || TBA
|-
| Doctor Who: Series 4, Volume 1<br />{{cs|Partners in Crime (TV story)}}<br />{{cs|The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)}}<br />{{cs|Planet of the Ood (TV story)}} || 2 x 50 min.<br />1 × 45 min. || [[2 June (releases)|2 June]] 2008 || [[7 August (releases)|7 August]] 2008 || TBA
|-
| Doctor Who: Series 4, Volume 2<br />{{cs|The Sontaran Stratagem (TV story)}} /<br />{{cs|The Poison Sky (TV story)}}<br />{{cs|The Doctor's Daughter (TV story)}}<br />{{cs|The Unicorn and the Wasp (TV story)}} || 4 × 45 min. || [[7 July (releases)|7 July]] 2008 || [[4 September (releases)|4 September]] 2008 || TBA
|-
| Doctor Who: Series 4, Volume 3<br />{{cs|Silence in the Library (TV story)}} /<br />{{cs|Forest of the Dead (TV story)}}<br />{{cs|Midnight (TV story)}} || 3 × 45 min. || [[4 August (releases)|4 August]] 2008 || [[2 October (releases)|2 October]] 2008 || TBA
|-
| Doctor Who: Series 4, Volume 4<br />{{cs|Turn Left (TV story)}}<br />{{cs|The Stolen Earth (TV story)}} /<br />{{cs|Journey's End (TV story)}} || 1 x 50 min.<br />1 × 45 min.<br />1 x 65 min. || [[1 September (releases)|1 September]] 2008 || [[6 November (releases)|6 November]] 2008 || TBA
|-
| Doctor Who: The Complete Fourth Series || 1 x 8 min.<br />1 x 72 min.<br />9 x 45 min.<br />3 x 50 min.<br />1 x 65 min. || [[17 November (releases)|17 November]] 2008 || [[4 December (releases)|4 December]] 2008 || [[18 November (releases)|18 November]] 2008
|-
| Doctor Who: The Next Doctor<br />{{cs|The Next Doctor (TV story)}}<br />{{cs|Music of the Spheres (TV story)}}|| 1 x 60 min.<br />1 x 7 min. || [[19 January (releases)|19 January]] [[2009 (releases)|2009]] || [[5 March (releases)|5 March]] 2009 || [[15 September (releases)|15 September]] 2009
|-
| Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead<br />{{cs|Planet of the Dead (TV story)}} || 1 x 60 min. || [[29 June (releases)|29 June]] 2009 || [[2 July (releases)|2 July]] 2009 || [[28 July (releases)|28 July]] 2009
|-
| Doctor Who: 2009 Winter Specials<br />{{cs|The Waters of Mars (TV story)}}<br />{{cs|The End of Time (TV story)}}|| 2 x 60 min.<br />1 x 75 min. || [[11 January (releases)|11 January]] [[2010 (releases)|2010]] || TBA || TBA
|-
| Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars<br />{{cs|The Waters of Mars (TV story)}} || 1 x 60 min. || TBA || [[4 February (releases)|4 February]] 2010 || [[2 February (releases)|2 February]] 2010
|-
| Doctor Who: The End of Time<br />{{cs|The End of Time (TV story)}}|| 1 x 60 min.<br />1 x 75 min. || TBA || [[4 March (releases)|4 March]] 2010 || 2 February 2010
|-
| Doctor Who: The Complete Specials || 1 x 8 min.<br />4 x 60 min<br />1 x 75 min. || 11 January 2010 || [[1 July (releases)|1 July]] 2010 || 2 February 2010
|}
 
Series 4 was upscaled to HD along with [[Series 1 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 1]], [[Series 2 (Doctor Who 2005)|2]] and [[Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)|3]] and released on [[21 November (releases)|21 November]] [[2023 (releases)|2023]] in a limited edition Blu-ray box set containing every "New Who" series up to [[Series 13 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 13]]<ref>https://www.ign.com/articles/doctor-who-limited-edition-complete-new-who-blu-ray-set-is-up-for-preorder</ref> or in a separate box set containing only the first four upscaled series on [[27 November (releases)|27 November]] 2023.<ref>https://hmv.com/Store/Film-TV/Blu-ray/Doctor-Who-Series-1-4?clickref=1101lxWJx3d4&utm_source=Visualsoft&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=skimlinks_phg</ref><ref>https://cultbox.co.uk/news/remastered-doctor-who-series-1-4-blu-ray-coming-in-november</ref>
 
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" widths="150">
Limited Edition New Who Blu-Ray Collection Box Set front.jpg|New Who Limited Edition (front)
Limited Edition New Who Blu-Ray Collection Box Set back.jpg|New Who Limited Edition (back)
Limited Edition New Who Blu-Ray Collection Box Set promo front.jpg|New Who Limited Edition (front)
Limited Edition New Who Blu-Ray Collection Box Set promo back.jpg|New Who Limited Edition (back)
Limited Edition New Who Collector's promo 1.jpg|New Who Limited Edition promo
Limited Edition New Who Collector’s promo 2.jpg|New Who Limited Edition promo
Series 1-4 & Specials Blu-Ray Box Set.jpg|Series 1-4 & Specials Box Set
Series 1-4 & Specials Blu-Ray Collection.jpg|Series 1-4 & Specials Collection
Series 1-4 & Specials Blu-Ray Collection backside.jpg|Series 1-4 & Specials (back)
Series 1-4 & Specials upscale promo.jpg|Series 1-4 & Specials promo
</gallery>
 
=== Soundtrack ===
{{Main|Doctor Who - Series 4 - The Specials (soundtrack)|l1=Doctor Who - Series 4 - The Specials}}
 
The official soundtrack of the specials was released on [[4 October (releases)|4 October]], 2010.
 
== Stories set during this season ==
 
=== With Donna ===
Between {{cs|Partners in Crime (TV story)}} and {{cs|The Stolen Earth (TV story)}}/{{cs|Journey's End (TV story)}}
 
==== Novels ====
[[File:2_books.JPG|thumb|right|Two of the Series 4 Books]]
* ''[[Ghosts of India (novel)|Ghosts of India]]''
* ''[[Shining Darkness (novel)|Shining Darkness]]''
* ''[[The Doctor Trap (novel)|The Doctor Trap]]''
* ''[[Beautiful Chaos (novel)|Beautiful Chaos]]''
* ''[[In the Blood (novel)|In the Blood]]''
 
==== BBC Audio audiobooks ====
* ''[[Pest Control (audio story)|Pest Control]]''
* ''[[The Forever Trap (audio story)|The Forever Trap]]''
* ''[[The Nemonite Invasion (audio story)|The Nemonite Invasion]]''
 
==== Big Finish full-cast audio stories ====
* ''[[Technophobia (audio story)|Technophobia]]''
* ''[[Time Reaver (audio story)|Time Reaver]]''
* ''[[Death and the Queen (audio story)|Death and the Queen]]''
* ''[[No Place (audio story)|No Place]]''
* ''[[One Mile Down (audio story)|One Mile Down]]''
* ''[[The Creeping Death (audio story)|The Creeping Death]]''
* ''[[Prequel to Donna Noble: Kidnapped (audio story)|Prequel to Donna Noble: Kidnapped]]''
* ''[[Out of this World (audio story)|Out of this World]]''
* ''[[Spinvasion (audio story)|Spinvasion]]''
* ''[[The Sorcerer of Albion (audio story)|The Sorcerer of Albion]]''
* ''[[The Chiswick Cuckoos (audio story)|The Chiswick Cuckoos]]''
 
=== Post-Donna ===
Between ''The Stolen Earth/Journey's End'' and {{cs|The End of Time (TV story)}}
 
==== Novels ====
 
*''[[The Eyeless (novel)|The Eyeless]]''
* ''[[Judgement of the Judoon (novel)|Judgement of the Judoon]]''
* ''[[The Slitheen Excursion (novel)|The Slitheen Excursion]]''
* ''[[Prisoner of the Daleks (novel)|Prisoner of the Daleks]]''
* ''[[The Taking of Chelsea 426 (novel)|The Taking of Chelsea 426]]''
* ''[[The Krillitane Storm (novel)|The Krillitane Storm]]''
* ''[[Autonomy (novel)|Autonomy]]''
* ''[[Code of the Krillitanes (novel)|Code of the Krillitanes]]''
 
==== BBC Audio audiobooks ====
 
*''[[The Rising Night (audio story)|The Rising Night]]''
* ''[[The Day of the Troll (audio story)|The Day of the Troll]]''
* ''[[The Last Voyage (audio story)|The Last Voyage]]''
* ''[[Dead Air (audio story)|Dead Air]]''
 
==== Big Finish full-cast audio stories ====
 
*''[[Buying Time (audio story)|Buying Time]]''
* ''[[The Wrong Woman (audio story)|The Wrong Woman]]''
* ''[[The House of Kingdom (audio story)|The House of Kingdom]]''
* ''[[Cycle of Destruction (audio story)|Cycle of Destruction]]''
* ''[[The Trojan Dalek (audio story)|The Trojan Dalek]]''
* ''[[The Lost (audio story)|The Lost]]''
* ''[[The First Son (audio story)|The First Son]]''
* ''[[The Dalek Defence (audio story)|The Dalek Defence]]''
* ''[[The Triumph of Davros (audio story)|The Triumph of Davros]]''
*''[[Splinters (audio story)|Splinters]]''
*''[[The Stuntman (audio story)|The Stuntmen]]''
*''[[Quantum of Axos (audio story)|Quantum of Axos]]''
*''[[Out of Time (audio story)|Out of Time]]''
*''[[The Gates of Hell (audio story)|The Gates of Hell]]''
*''[[Wink (audio story)|Wink]]''
 
==== TV ====
* {{cs|The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith (TV story)}} (from the [[Tenth Doctor]]'s perspective)
* {{cs|Dreamland (TV story)}}
* {{cs|The Day of the Doctor (TV story)}} (from the Tenth Doctor's perspective)
 
== Promotional trailers ==
[[File:Series 4 promo trailer screenshot.jpg|thumb|Early Series 4 promo trailer]]
As with previous seasons, promotional videos were created to promote the season, though this year they were shown in theatres as well as on television in the UK. Of particular note is the [[Campfire (trailer)|second video]] that was released, which utilised unique, specially shot footage of Donna sitting by a camp- or bonfire talking to either an unseen individual or the audience about the Doctor "coming back to save us" and "I'll be ready" interspersed with images of Sontarans, Ood and Daleks.
 
The other major trailers included another Donna-centric trailer utilising a scene between Donna and [[Wilfred Mott]] from ''Partners in Crime'', and a mid-season trailer focusing in part on the return of Rose Tyler in ''Turn Left''.
 
=== Other Series 4 promotional videos ===
There were also other non-narrative clips advertising the fourth series.
 
=== Christmas Special ===
On [[1 December (releases)|1 December]] [[2007 (releases)|2007]], a 60-second ''BBC One Christmas Drama'' advert began airing on television, it featured several clips from ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It was [[4 December (releases)|later]] released online on the [[Doctor Who website|''Doctor Who'' website]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206102817/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2007/12/04/51236.shtml|title=Long Voyage|date of source=4 December 2007|publisher=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=19 January 2019}}</ref> and the music used was ''{{w|Let Me Entertain You (Gypsy)|"Let Me Entertain You (from 'Gypsy')"}}'' by [[Sandra Church]].
 
On [[8 December (releases)|8 December]], a 90-second advert began being screened in [[Odeon]] [[cinema]]s, the music used was "''[[The Doctor's Theme]]''" and "''[[End of the World (soundtrack)|End of the World]]''" by [[Terry Devine-King]].<ref>From the album ''Horror & Thriller Movies WOMG 011''.</ref> After an exclusive cinema-only run the advert was released online on the ''Doctor Who'' website and [[YouTube]] on [[14 December (releases)|14 December]].
 
Also on 8 December, a 10-second teaser began airing on [[BBC One]], and was released online as part of the [[Adventure Calendar]] on the ''Doctor Who'' website and YouTube. A further three trailers began airing on [[BBC One]], a 40-second one on [[15 December (releases)|15 December]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217110308/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2007/12/15/51552.shtml|title=New Trailer|date of source=15 December 2007|publisher=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=19 January 2019}}</ref> a 20-second one on [[16 December (releases)|16]], and another 40-second one on [[21 December (releases)|21]]; these too were released online on the ''Doctor Who'' website and YouTube. The last one marked the final use of the [[2005 (releases)|2005]] arrangement of the [[Doctor Who theme|''Doctor Who'' theme]] as the current theme.
 
<gallery widths="130" position="center" spacing="medium">
BBC One logo Xmas 2007 Cinema Trailer.jpg|BBC One logo
Doctor Who logo VotD Xmas 2007 Cinema Trailer.jpg|Advertising {{cs|Voyage of the Damned (TV story)}}.
BBC One logo Christmas Day 6.50 Xmas 2007 Cinema Trailer.jpg|Advertising ''Voyage of the Damned''.
</gallery>
 
=== Main series ===
A 90-second trailer began being screened in [[Cineworld]], [[Empire Cinema|Empire]] & [[Odeon]] [[cinema]]s from [[1 February (releases)|1 February]] [[2008 (releases)|2008]] as part of a deal with [[Carlton Screen Advertising]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126132802/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/02_february/01/who.shtml|title=Doctor Who hits the big screen|date of source=1 February 2008|publisher=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=1 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201002704/https://www.campaignlive.com/article/bbc-launches-cinema-push-back-doctor/781068|title=BBC launches cinema push to back Doctor Who|date of source=1 February 2008|publisher=Campaign US|accessdate=1 February 2021}}</ref> It used graphic elements created for the [[Christmas Special]] trailers, and the music used was "''[[All the Strange, Strange Creatures]]''". It featured clips from {{cs|Partners in Crime (TV story)}}, {{cs|The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)}}, {{cs|Planet of the Ood (TV story)}}, {{cs|The Sontaran Stratagem (TV story)}}, {{cs|The Poison Sky (TV story)}}, {{cs|The Unicorn and the Wasp (TV story)}}, {{cs|Midnight (TV story)}}, and {{cs|Turn Left (TV story)}}.
 
After an exclusive cinema-only run, the trailer began airing on television from [[22 March (releases)|22 March]] 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321123013/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2008/03/17/53671.shtml|title=Series Four Trailer|date of source=17 March 2008|publisher=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=20 January 2019}}</ref>
 
A 60-second mid-series trailer began airing from [[24 May (releases)|24 May]] 2008, to make up for the [[Eurovision Song Contest|Eurovision]] delay to episode 8. It used the ''Series 4'' graphic elements, and the music was "''[[Hellstorm (soundtrack)|Hellstorm]]''" by [[Klaus Badelt]].<ref>From the album ''Directors Cuts: Epic Choral DCD019''.</ref> It featured clips from {{cs|Silence in the Library (TV story)}} to {{cs|The Stolen Earth (TV story)}}.
 
<gallery widths="130" position="center" spacing="medium">
Doctor Who logo Coming Soon S4 Cinema Trailer.jpg.jpg|Coming Soon
BBC_One_Logo_Series_4_Trailer.JPG|BBC One logo
Doctor Who Logo Campfire Saturday 7.10.JPG|Advertising {{cs|The Stolen Earth (TV story)}}.
Doctor Who Logo Campfire Saturday 6.40.jpg|Advertising {{cs|Journey's End (TV story)}}.
</gallery>
 
=== 2008-10 Specials ===
The graphic elements created for the [[2007 (releases)|2007]] [[Christmas Special]] and [[Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 4]] trailers continued to be used for the [[Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005)#2008-10 Specials|2008-10 Specials]].
 
On [[24 July (releases)|24 July]] [[2008 (releases)|2008]], the first trailer for {{cs|The Next Doctor (TV story)}} was shown at the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' panel at [[San Diego Comic-Con]], but it wasn't released online until [[29 October (releases)|29 October]], alongside an interview with [[David Tennant]] regarding his departure from the show, on the [[Doctor Who website|''Doctor Who'' website]] and [[YouTube]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081101085616/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/news/latest/081029_news_04|title=David Tennant to leave Doctor Who|date of source=29 October 2008|publisher=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=22 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081101085601/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/doctorwho/s4/misc/news/|title=DAVID TENNANT TO LEAVE DOCTOR WHO|date of source=29 October 2008|publisher=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=22 January 2019}}</ref> It was 40-seconds long, it featured the tagline "Coming Christmas 2008 The Return of the [[Cybermen]]", and the music used was "''[[The Cybermen (song)|The Cybermen]]''".
 
On [[1 December (releases)|1 December]] 2008, a 60-second ''BBC One Christmas Drama'' trailer began airing on television, which featured several clips from ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It was also released online on [[YouTube]], and the music used was "[[Donna and Blitzen (soundtrack)|Donna and Blitzen]]" by [[Badly Drawn Boy]].
 
A second 40-second trailer began airing on [[BBC One]] from [[15 December (releases)|15 December]] 2008, and was also released online as part of the [[Adventure Calendar]] on the [[Doctor Who website|''Doctor Who'' website]]. Again the music used was "''The Cybermen''".
 
A 60-second trailer for {{cs|Planet of the Dead (TV story)}} began airing on [[BBC One]] from [[31 March (releases)|31 March]] [[2009 (releases)|2009]], and the following day it was released online on the ''Doctor Who'' website.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090405140121/http:/www.bbc.co.uk:80/doctorwho/s4/news/latest/090401_news_01|title=Planet of the Dead Trailer Revealed!|date of source=1 April 2009|publisher=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=23 January 2019}}</ref> A minor variation of the trailer was also shown on [[BBC HD]] at part of the "BBC HD Preview", which was near identical expect for some shots in a different order.
 
On [[26 July (releases)|26 July]] [[2009 (releases)|2009]], the first trailers for {{cs|The Waters of Mars (TV story)}} and ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time, Part One]]'' were shown at the ''Doctor Who'' panel at [[San Diego Comic-Con]], with the ''The Waters of Mars'' one being released online on the ''Doctor Who'' website the following day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090729090655/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/doctorwho/s4/news/latest/090728_news_01|title=New Trailer for The Waters of Mars|date of source=27 July 2009|publisher=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=23 January 2019}}</ref> It was 65-seconds long, and the music used was "''[[Doctor Who - Series 4 (soundtrack)|Turn Left]]''" and "''[[Doctor Who - Series 4 (soundtrack)|Corridors and Fire Escapes]]''". On [[4 November (releases)|4 November]] 2009, a second 60-second trailer began airing on [[BBC One]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091107184913/http:/www.bbc.co.uk:80/doctorwho/s4/features/bulletins/bulletin_091104_02|title=Tantalizing!|date of source=4 November 2009|publisher=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=23 January 2019}}</ref> and again the following day it was released online on the ''Doctor Who'' website.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091108095936/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/doctorwho/s4/features/bulletins/bulletin_091105_01|title=Stunning New Trailer!|date of source=5 November 2009|publisher=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=24 January 2019}}</ref> A third 20-second trailer began airing on [[BBC One]] from [[6 November (releases)|6 November]] 2009. It was a narrative trailer, and utilised clips applied with [[CCTV]] effects to mimic found footage.
 
On [[15 November (releases)|15 November]] 2009, a 30-second narrative trailer for {{cs|Dreamland (TV story)}} began airing on [[BBC One]]. It was narrated by [[Stuart Milligan]] in character as [[Stark (Dreamland)|Colonel Stark]] giving a situation report. The music used was "''[[Ear of God (soundtrack)|Ear of God]]" and "''[[Seismic Syndrome (soundtrack)|Seismic Syndrome]]''" by [[Mel Wesson]], [[Bruce Fowler]], [[Steve Kofsky]] and [[Hans Zimmer]].<ref>From the album ''Directors Cuts: Rises DCD028''.</ref> It was [[20 November (releases)|later]] released online on the ''Doctor Who'' website.
 
On [[3 December (releases)|3 December]] 2009, a 60-second ''BBC One Christmas Drama'' trailer began airing on television, it featured several clips from ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It was also released online on [[YouTube]], and the music used was "''[[Let Your Love Grow Tall (soundtrack)|Let Your Love Grow Tall]]''" by [[Passion Pit]].
 
A 40-second trailer for ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time, Part One]]'' began airing on [[BBC One]] from [[16 December (releases)|16 December]] 2009. It used the [[Diegesis#Music|diegetic sound]] of [[the Master]]'s "[[The Drumming|drumming]]" instead of music. Another 40-second trailer for ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|Part Two]]'' began airing on [[BBC One]] from [[25 December (releases)|25 December]] 2009. It was also released online on the ''Doctor Who'' website, and the music used was "''[[The Doctor's Theme|The Doctor's Theme Series Four]]''" and "''[[Doctor Who - Series 4 - The Specials (soundtrack)|Final Days]]''".
 
<gallery widths="130" position="center" spacing="medium">
The Next Doctor trailer end board.jpg|Advertising {{cs|The Next Doctor (TV story)}}.
Doctor Who Logo Campfire Planet of the Dead.jpg|Advertising {{cs|Planet of the Dead (TV story)}}.
Planet of the Dead trailer end board.jpg|Advertising ''Planet of the Dead''.
Doctor Who Logo Campfire The Waters of Mars.jpg|Advertising {{cs|The Waters of Mars (TV story)}}.
The Waters of Mars trailer end board.jpg|Advertising ''The Waters of Mars''.
Doctor Who The Waters of Mars Trailer 1.jpg|31.07.2008<br>NASA 'Phoenix' Probe<br>Confirms water on Mars
Doctor Who The Waters of Mars Trailer 2.jpg|01.07.2058<br>First Mars colony established:<br>'Bowie Base One'
Doctor Who The Waters of Mars Trailer 3.jpg|21.11.2059<br>Base destroyed<br>Reason unknown - No survivors
Dreamland trailer 1.jpg|[[Stark (Dreamland)|Colonel Stark]]'s situation report.
Dreamland trailer 2.jpg|Advertising {{cs|Dreamland (TV story)}}.
Doctor Who Logo Campfire The End of Time.jpg|Advertising {{cs|The End of Time (TV story)}}.
The End of Time, Part One trailer end board.jpg|Advertising ''The End of Time, Part One''.
The End of Time, Part Two trailer end board.jpg|Advertising ''The End of Time, Part Two''.
</gallery>
 
 
== External links ==
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/ BBC website page for series 4]
 
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Doctor Who seasons]]
{{DWTV}}
{{Series 4 aliens}}
{{TitleSort}}
 
 
[[de:Doctor Who Staffel 30]]
[[es:Temporada 4 (DW-M)]]
[[it:Quarta Stagione (Doctor Who)]]
[[nl:Serie 4]]
[[pt:4ª Temporada (SN)]]
[[ru:4 сезон (новые серии)]]
[[Category:Seasons|Series 04 (Doctor Who)]]
[[Category:Doctor Who seasons|Season 30]]

Latest revision as of 13:11, 4 August 2024

RealWorld.png

You may wish to consult Series 4 for other, similarly-named pages.

The term Series 4 of Doctor Who is one that has several different meanings, making a precise and universally-agreed definition difficult. It is nevertheless generally considered the "2008 series". It ran from 16 November 2007 to 1 January 2010. It mainly starred David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble. The regular series was preceded by Voyage of the Damned [+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"], opened with Partners in Crime [+]Loading...["Partners in Crime (TV story)"] and concluded with Journey's End [+]Loading...["Journey's End (TV story)"], before being followed by a number of specials ending with The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"].

Overview[[edit] | [edit source]]

It consisted of eighteen stories and twenty-one episodes. From a production standpoint, the series began with Voyage of the Damned [+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"], continued to Time Crash [+]Loading...["Time Crash (TV story)"], and concluded with The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"]. This view was amply supported by Russell T Davies in his memoir, The Writer's Tale, and by production code and production block numbering, and is how this wiki presents the series and information relating to it.

Subsequent home video releases suggested — by their very contents — that series could be considered as having begun with Time Crash [+]Loading...["Time Crash (TV story)"] and having ended with Journey's End [+]Loading...["Journey's End (TV story)"]. Additionally, while none of the non-weekly specials are given "series x, episode y" style numbering, Voyage of the Damned was listed on BBC iPlayer as part of series 3 (As of November 2023, Time Crash has no iPlayer listing). Whatever one's perspective, though, there was universal agreement that the regular, weekly portion of series 4 began on 5 April 2008 with the broadcast of Partners in Crime [+]Loading...["Partners in Crime (TV story)"] and continued through to the 5 July 2008 broadcast of Journey's End [+]Loading...["Journey's End (TV story)"]. It was the second series of BBC Wales to have received a BAFTA nomination in the "Best Drama Series" category, although it did not win, as series 1 had done. The four principal producers — Phil Collinson, Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and Susie Liggat — were all named nominees.

The final two (or three in the case of Billie Piper) episodes saw the return of Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones), John Barrowman (Jack Harkness), Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) and Billie Piper (Rose Tyler) to the main cast, accompanied by Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith), Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler), Penelope Wilton (Harriet Jones), Adjoa Andoh (Francine Jones), Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper), and Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto Jones). Kylie Minogue starred as Astrid Peth in the Christmas special Voyage of the Damned [+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"]. Peter Davison returned to the role of the Fifth Doctor for the Children in Need special Time Crash [+]Loading...["Time Crash (TV story)"]. It also featured the return of Davros, the creator of the Daleks, not seen on television since 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks. Davros was recast and was played by Julian Bleach.

Broadcast milestones[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 4 featured several milestones. It is the 30th broadcast season of Doctor Who, and features the 750th broadcast episode; The Stolen Earth [+]Loading...["The Stolen Earth (TV story)"]. The finale episodes The Stolen Earth and Journey's End [+]Loading...["Journey's End (TV story)"] also took the revived series to new heights of popularity, scoring the highest viewership ratings since the Tom Baker era and according to the media both episodes scored Appreciation Index ratings unprecedented for an ongoing scripted drama series.

In terms of production, the season marked the first production of a "Companion-lite" episode, Midnight [+]Loading...["Midnight (TV story)"] (as opposed to the usual "Doctor-lite" episodes, ie. Love & Monsters [+]Loading...["Love & Monsters (TV story)"] and Blink [+]Loading...["Blink (TV story)"]), although a Doctor-lite episode, Turn Left [+]Loading...["Turn Left (TV story)"] was also produced. This was necessitated by the need to film several episodes at the same time, including an unprecedented 15th episode, The Next Doctor [+]Loading...["The Next Doctor (TV story)"], which would air as the 2008 Christmas special.

Series 4 was the last time Davies, Collinson, and Gardner produced the show until all three reunited beginning with the 2023 specials. Collinson left after the regular episode Journey's End, and Davies and Gardner left after The End of Time, two of the five special episodes made after Journey's End. Before returning, Davies had no involvement in writing freelance for his successors as head writer, although he did contribute to the final scene of Chris Chibnall's outgoing story The Power of the Doctor [+]Loading...["The Power of the Doctor (TV story)"], and wrote stories for Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, the Doctor Who: Lockdown! event and a novelisation of Rose in the interim.

When the show resumed weekly broadcast in 2010, Steven Moffat became the head writer and executive producer. It also marked the last full season featuring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor (he returned for the 50th anniversary, and, as the Fourteenth Doctor, for the 2023 specials) as, in October 2008, he announced his intention to leave the role following the production of the five specials; in January 2009 Matt Smith was announced as his successor, with Karen Gillan appearing as his companion Amy Pond.

From a retroactive standpoint, the series was also notable for containing two instances that foreshadowed the Doctor's eventual twelfth incarnation. The Fires of Pompeii [+]Loading...["The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)"] saw the Doctor saving Lobus Caecilius (portrayed by eventual Twelfth Doctor actor, Peter Capaldi) and his family from being killed in the destruction of Pompeii at Donna's urging, which would lead the Doctor to take on Caecilius' appearance in his twelfth incarnation, as a subconcious reminder to himself to always save people - no matter how impossible or "wrong" it might seem, as revealed in Series 9's The Girl Who Died [+]Loading...["The Girl Who Died (TV story)"]. Furthermore, in Silence in the Library [+]Loading...["Silence in the Library (TV story)"], River Song explains to the Doctor that a "future version" of him gave her her sonic screwdriver during their last night together at Darillium, this "future Doctor" would, indeed, turn out to be the Twelfth Doctor, and the events described would take place in The Husbands of River Song [+]Loading...["The Husbands of River Song (TV story)"], 7 years later.

The arc of Human-Time Lord Meta-Crisis that led to the Tenth Doctor wiping Donna's memories was also revisited in the 2023 special The Star Beast [+]Loading...["The Star Beast (TV story)"], with Catherine Tate reprising her role as Donna Noble, and Tennant returning as the near-identical Fourteenth Doctor.

Awards[[edit] | [edit source]]

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

and introducing Matt Smith as the Doctor

Recurring[[edit] | [edit source]]

Guest[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

Mini-episode[[edit] | [edit source]]

Episode
Number		 Title Writer Director Notes
N/A Time Crash [+]Loading...["Time Crash (TV story)"] Steven Moffat Graeme Harper Guest appearance by the Fifth Doctor. First multi-Doctor story of the revived series.

Christmas special[[edit] | [edit source]]

Episode
Number		 Title Writer Director Notes
N/A Voyage of the Damned [+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"] Russell T Davies James Strong Dedicated to Verity Lambert. First appearance of Wilfred Mott.

Regular series[[edit] | [edit source]]

Episode
Number		 Title Writer Director Notes
1 Partners in Crime [+]Loading...["Partners in Crime (TV story)"] Russell T Davies James Strong Return of Donna Noble, Sylvia Noble and Rose Tyler.
2 The Fires of Pompeii [+]Loading...["The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)"] James Moran Colin Teague Peter Capaldi and Karen Gillan's first acting appearances in the show.
3 Planet of the Ood [+]Loading...["Planet of the Ood (TV story)"] Keith Temple Graeme Harper Return of the Ood. First appearance of Ood Sigma.
4 & 5 The Sontaran Stratagem [+]Loading...["The Sontaran Stratagem (TV story)"] / The Poison Sky [+]Loading...["The Poison Sky (TV story)"] Helen Raynor Douglas Mackinnon Reintroduction of the Sontarans. Guest appearance by Martha Jones.
6 The Doctor's Daughter [+]Loading...["The Doctor's Daughter (TV story)"] Stephen Greenhorn Alice Troughton First appearance of Jenny. Continuing guest appearance by Martha Jones.
7 The Unicorn and the Wasp [+]Loading...["The Unicorn and the Wasp (TV story)"] Gareth Roberts Graeme Harper
8 & 9 Silence in the Library [+]Loading...["Silence in the Library (TV story)"]/Forest of the Dead [+]Loading...["Forest of the Dead (TV story)"] Steven Moffat Euros Lyn First appearance and death of River Song.
10 Midnight [+]Loading...["Midnight (TV story)"] Russell T Davies Alice Troughton Companion-lite episode.
11 Turn Left [+]Loading...["Turn Left (TV story)"] Graeme Harper Doctor-lite episode.
12 & 13 The Stolen Earth [+]Loading...["The Stolen Earth (TV story)"]/Journey's End [+]Loading...["Journey's End (TV story)"] Graeme Harper First direct crossover with Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Return of Martha Jones, Jack Harkness, Sarah Jane Smith, Mickey Smith, and Jackie Tyler. Reintroduction of Davros. Departure of Donna Noble, Sylvia Noble, and Wilfred Mott for more than a year. Final appearance of Harriet Jones. First appearance of the Meta-Crisis Doctor. Resolution of the "missing planets" arc.

Mini-episode[[edit] | [edit source]]

Episode
Number		 Title Writer Director Notes
N/A Music of the Spheres [+]Loading...["Music of the Spheres (TV story)"] Russell T Davies Euros Lyn Shown during the BBC Proms season.

Specials[[edit] | [edit source]]

Sometimes referred to "Series 4b," the "David Tennant Specials" and the "2009 Specials," five special episodes following the regular season were broadcast at Christmas 2008, Easter 2009, November 2009, Christmas 2009 and New Year's Day 2010. These four stories (the last two broadcasts were a single two-part story) were overseen by Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner, but long-term line producer Phil Collinson did not return for them. All starred David Tennant. For these, the Doctor was travelling alone, with each story featuring a one-off companion. Catherine Tate had a smaller role as Donna Noble in the final specials but was not billed in the opening titles.

There had been conflicting reports given as to why a year was taken off. Initial media reports suggested this was to allow David Tennant to perform a season of Shakespeare during the time a regular season would have normally entered production.[1] However, these reports were directly contradicted in Russell T Davies' book Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, which has correspondence from the spring of 2007, months before the gap year plan was announced. Davies indicated the intent was to take the series off for a year, except for a few specials, to let the new production team make its transition. Davies had already informed the BBC that he would not executive-produce a fifth season.

Exactly how to refer to these specials is a matter of some debate. Aside from informal terms such as "2009 Special" or "Gap Year", it is known that Planet of the Dead was considered Episode 15 of Series 4 by the production team, as revealed by David Tennant in his video diary of the episode's read through, and The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter shows the specials were all numbered 4.X. On the DVD/Blu-ray release of the four specials plus The Next Doctor (in a box set titled The Complete Specials), a bonus feature of deleted scenes was entitled Series 4 Specials Deleted Scenes.

2008-10 Specials[[edit] | [edit source]]

Episode
Number		 Title Writer Director Number of episodes Notes
1 The Next Doctor [+]Loading...["The Next Doctor (TV story)"] Russell T Davies Andy Goddard 1 Return of the Cybusman.
2 Planet of the Dead [+]Loading...["Planet of the Dead (TV story)"] Russell T Davies & Gareth Roberts James Strong 1 First appearance of Lady Christina de Souza.
3 The Waters of Mars [+]Loading...["The Waters of Mars (TV story)"] Russell T Davies & Phil Ford Graeme Harper 1 Dedicated to Barry Letts.
4 The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"] Russell T Davies Euros Lyn 2 Last regular appearances of the Tenth Doctor. Reintroduction of Rassilon and the High Council of Time Lords, and return of the Saxon Master, Donna Noble, Sylvia Noble, and Wilfred Mott. First appearance of the Eleventh Doctor. Resolution of the "knock four times" arc.

Animated special[[edit] | [edit source]]

Episode
Number		 Title Writer Director Notes
NA Dreamland [+]Loading...["Dreamland (TV story)"] Phil Ford Gary Russell First Doctor Who story produced entirely in 3-D computer animation.

Dreamland was a serialised animated story initially made available on the BBC's Red Button service before being televised in December 2009. Its writer has stated it takes place after the events of The Waters of Mars but it is not officially considered one of the Specials.

Other productions[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

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

DVD and Bluray[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 4 steelbook.

All episodes of Series 4 were released between 2008 and 2010.

It was also included in the Doctor Who: Complete Series 1-7 Blu-ray box set, released on 5 November, 2013 in the US and 4 November, 2013 in the UK, split into the "Complete Fourth Series" and "The Complete Specials" sets respectively. In 2015, Series 1-4 were reissued on Blu-ray individually.

Series 4 was released on Blu-ray steelbook on 27 May 2019. The artwork was created by Sophie Cowdrey.[2]

Of note, the inclusion of The Next Doctor [+]Loading...["The Next Doctor (TV story)"] on "The Complete Specials" Blu-ray set makes this story the first standard-definition Doctor Who story to be upscaled for high-definition.

Name Number and duration
of episodes 		R2 release date R4 release date R1 release date
Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned
Time Crash [+]Loading...["Time Crash (TV story)"]
Voyage of the Damned [+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"]		 1 x 8 min.
1 x 72 min.		 10 March 2008 20 June 2008 TBA
Doctor Who: Series 4, Volume 1
Partners in Crime [+]Loading...["Partners in Crime (TV story)"]
The Fires of Pompeii [+]Loading...["The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)"]
Planet of the Ood [+]Loading...["Planet of the Ood (TV story)"]		 2 x 50 min.
1 × 45 min.		 2 June 2008 7 August 2008 TBA
Doctor Who: Series 4, Volume 2
The Sontaran Stratagem [+]Loading...["The Sontaran Stratagem (TV story)"] /
The Poison Sky [+]Loading...["The Poison Sky (TV story)"]
The Doctor's Daughter [+]Loading...["The Doctor's Daughter (TV story)"]
The Unicorn and the Wasp [+]Loading...["The Unicorn and the Wasp (TV story)"]		 4 × 45 min. 7 July 2008 4 September 2008 TBA
Doctor Who: Series 4, Volume 3
Silence in the Library [+]Loading...["Silence in the Library (TV story)"] /
Forest of the Dead [+]Loading...["Forest of the Dead (TV story)"]
Midnight [+]Loading...["Midnight (TV story)"]		 3 × 45 min. 4 August 2008 2 October 2008 TBA
Doctor Who: Series 4, Volume 4
Turn Left [+]Loading...["Turn Left (TV story)"]
The Stolen Earth [+]Loading...["The Stolen Earth (TV story)"] /
Journey's End [+]Loading...["Journey's End (TV story)"]		 1 x 50 min.
1 × 45 min.
1 x 65 min.		 1 September 2008 6 November 2008 TBA
Doctor Who: The Complete Fourth Series 1 x 8 min.
1 x 72 min.
9 x 45 min.
3 x 50 min.
1 x 65 min.		 17 November 2008 4 December 2008 18 November 2008
Doctor Who: The Next Doctor
The Next Doctor [+]Loading...["The Next Doctor (TV story)"]
Music of the Spheres [+]Loading...["Music of the Spheres (TV story)"]		 1 x 60 min.
1 x 7 min.		 19 January 2009 5 March 2009 15 September 2009
Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead
Planet of the Dead [+]Loading...["Planet of the Dead (TV story)"]		 1 x 60 min. 29 June 2009 2 July 2009 28 July 2009
Doctor Who: 2009 Winter Specials
The Waters of Mars [+]Loading...["The Waters of Mars (TV story)"]
The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"]		 2 x 60 min.
1 x 75 min.		 11 January 2010 TBA TBA
Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars
The Waters of Mars [+]Loading...["The Waters of Mars (TV story)"]		 1 x 60 min. TBA 4 February 2010 2 February 2010
Doctor Who: The End of Time
The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"]		 1 x 60 min.
1 x 75 min.		 TBA 4 March 2010 2 February 2010
Doctor Who: The Complete Specials 1 x 8 min.
4 x 60 min
1 x 75 min.		 11 January 2010 1 July 2010 2 February 2010

Series 4 was upscaled to HD along with Series 1, 2 and 3 and released on 21 November 2023 in a limited edition Blu-ray box set containing every "New Who" series up to Series 13[3] or in a separate box set containing only the first four upscaled series on 27 November 2023.[4][5]

  • New Who Limited Edition (front)

    New Who Limited Edition (front)

  • New Who Limited Edition (back)

    New Who Limited Edition (back)

  • New Who Limited Edition (front)

    New Who Limited Edition (front)

  • New Who Limited Edition (back)

    New Who Limited Edition (back)

  • New Who Limited Edition promo

    New Who Limited Edition promo

  • New Who Limited Edition promo

    New Who Limited Edition promo

  • Series 1-4 & Specials Box Set

    Series 1-4 & Specials Box Set

  • Series 1-4 & Specials Collection

    Series 1-4 & Specials Collection

  • Series 1-4 & Specials (back)

    Series 1-4 & Specials (back)

  • Series 1-4 & Specials promo

    Series 1-4 & Specials promo

Soundtrack[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: Doctor Who - Series 4 - The Specials (soundtrack)

The official soundtrack of the specials was released on 4 October, 2010.

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

With Donna[[edit] | [edit source]]

Between Partners in Crime [+]Loading...["Partners in Crime (TV story)"] and The Stolen Earth [+]Loading...["The Stolen Earth (TV story)"]/Journey's End [+]Loading...["Journey's End (TV story)"]

Novels[[edit] | [edit source]]

Two of the Series 4 Books

BBC Audio audiobooks[[edit] | [edit source]]

Big Finish full-cast audio stories[[edit] | [edit source]]

Post-Donna[[edit] | [edit source]]

Between The Stolen Earth/Journey's End and The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"]

Novels[[edit] | [edit source]]

BBC Audio audiobooks[[edit] | [edit source]]

Big Finish full-cast audio stories[[edit] | [edit source]]

TV[[edit] | [edit source]]

Promotional trailers[[edit] | [edit source]]

Early Series 4 promo trailer

As with previous seasons, promotional videos were created to promote the season, though this year they were shown in theatres as well as on television in the UK. Of particular note is the second video that was released, which utilised unique, specially shot footage of Donna sitting by a camp- or bonfire talking to either an unseen individual or the audience about the Doctor "coming back to save us" and "I'll be ready" interspersed with images of Sontarans, Ood and Daleks.

The other major trailers included another Donna-centric trailer utilising a scene between Donna and Wilfred Mott from Partners in Crime, and a mid-season trailer focusing in part on the return of Rose Tyler in Turn Left.

Other Series 4 promotional videos[[edit] | [edit source]]

There were also other non-narrative clips advertising the fourth series.

Christmas Special[[edit] | [edit source]]

On 1 December 2007, a 60-second BBC One Christmas Drama advert began airing on television, it featured several clips from Doctor Who. It was later released online on the Doctor Who website,[6] and the music used was "Let Me Entertain You (from 'Gypsy')" by Sandra Church.

On 8 December, a 90-second advert began being screened in Odeon cinemas, the music used was "The Doctor's Theme" and "End of the World" by Terry Devine-King.[7] After an exclusive cinema-only run the advert was released online on the Doctor Who website and YouTube on 14 December.

Also on 8 December, a 10-second teaser began airing on BBC One, and was released online as part of the Adventure Calendar on the Doctor Who website and YouTube. A further three trailers began airing on BBC One, a 40-second one on 15 December,[8] a 20-second one on 16, and another 40-second one on 21; these too were released online on the Doctor Who website and YouTube. The last one marked the final use of the 2005 arrangement of the Doctor Who theme as the current theme.

  • BBC One logo

    BBC One logo

  • Advertising Voyage of the Damned [+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"].

    Advertising Voyage of the Damned [+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"].

  • Advertising Voyage of the Damned.

    Advertising Voyage of the Damned.

Main series[[edit] | [edit source]]

A 90-second trailer began being screened in Cineworld, Empire & Odeon cinemas from 1 February 2008 as part of a deal with Carlton Screen Advertising.[9][10] It used graphic elements created for the Christmas Special trailers, and the music used was "All the Strange, Strange Creatures". It featured clips from Partners in Crime [+]Loading...["Partners in Crime (TV story)"], The Fires of Pompeii [+]Loading...["The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)"], Planet of the Ood [+]Loading...["Planet of the Ood (TV story)"], The Sontaran Stratagem [+]Loading...["The Sontaran Stratagem (TV story)"], The Poison Sky [+]Loading...["The Poison Sky (TV story)"], The Unicorn and the Wasp [+]Loading...["The Unicorn and the Wasp (TV story)"], Midnight [+]Loading...["Midnight (TV story)"], and Turn Left [+]Loading...["Turn Left (TV story)"].

After an exclusive cinema-only run, the trailer began airing on television from 22 March 2008.[11]

A 60-second mid-series trailer began airing from 24 May 2008, to make up for the Eurovision delay to episode 8. It used the Series 4 graphic elements, and the music was "Hellstorm" by Klaus Badelt.[12] It featured clips from Silence in the Library [+]Loading...["Silence in the Library (TV story)"] to The Stolen Earth [+]Loading...["The Stolen Earth (TV story)"].

  • Coming Soon

    Coming Soon

  • BBC One logo

    BBC One logo

  • Advertising The Stolen Earth [+]Loading...["The Stolen Earth (TV story)"].

    Advertising The Stolen Earth [+]Loading...["The Stolen Earth (TV story)"].

  • Advertising Journey's End [+]Loading...["Journey's End (TV story)"].

    Advertising Journey's End [+]Loading...["Journey's End (TV story)"].

2008-10 Specials[[edit] | [edit source]]

The graphic elements created for the 2007 Christmas Special and Series 4 trailers continued to be used for the 2008-10 Specials.

On 24 July 2008, the first trailer for The Next Doctor [+]Loading...["The Next Doctor (TV story)"] was shown at the Doctor Who panel at San Diego Comic-Con, but it wasn't released online until 29 October, alongside an interview with David Tennant regarding his departure from the show, on the Doctor Who website and YouTube.[13][14] It was 40-seconds long, it featured the tagline "Coming Christmas 2008 The Return of the Cybermen", and the music used was "The Cybermen".

On 1 December 2008, a 60-second BBC One Christmas Drama trailer began airing on television, which featured several clips from Doctor Who. It was also released online on YouTube, and the music used was "Donna and Blitzen" by Badly Drawn Boy.

A second 40-second trailer began airing on BBC One from 15 December 2008, and was also released online as part of the Adventure Calendar on the Doctor Who website. Again the music used was "The Cybermen".

A 60-second trailer for Planet of the Dead [+]Loading...["Planet of the Dead (TV story)"] began airing on BBC One from 31 March 2009, and the following day it was released online on the Doctor Who website.[15] A minor variation of the trailer was also shown on BBC HD at part of the "BBC HD Preview", which was near identical expect for some shots in a different order.

On 26 July 2009, the first trailers for The Waters of Mars [+]Loading...["The Waters of Mars (TV story)"] and The End of Time, Part One were shown at the Doctor Who panel at San Diego Comic-Con, with the The Waters of Mars one being released online on the Doctor Who website the following day.[16] It was 65-seconds long, and the music used was "Turn Left" and "Corridors and Fire Escapes". On 4 November 2009, a second 60-second trailer began airing on BBC One,[17] and again the following day it was released online on the Doctor Who website.[18] A third 20-second trailer began airing on BBC One from 6 November 2009. It was a narrative trailer, and utilised clips applied with CCTV effects to mimic found footage.

On 15 November 2009, a 30-second narrative trailer for Dreamland [+]Loading...["Dreamland (TV story)"] began airing on BBC One. It was narrated by Stuart Milligan in character as Colonel Stark giving a situation report. The music used was "Ear of God" and "Seismic Syndrome" by Mel Wesson, Bruce Fowler, Steve Kofsky and Hans Zimmer.[19] It was later released online on the Doctor Who website.

On 3 December 2009, a 60-second BBC One Christmas Drama trailer began airing on television, it featured several clips from Doctor Who. It was also released online on YouTube, and the music used was "Let Your Love Grow Tall" by Passion Pit.

A 40-second trailer for The End of Time, Part One began airing on BBC One from 16 December 2009. It used the diegetic sound of the Master's "drumming" instead of music. Another 40-second trailer for Part Two began airing on BBC One from 25 December 2009. It was also released online on the Doctor Who website, and the music used was "The Doctor's Theme Series Four" and "Final Days".

  • Advertising The Next Doctor [+]Loading...["The Next Doctor (TV story)"].

    Advertising The Next Doctor [+]Loading...["The Next Doctor (TV story)"].

  • Advertising Planet of the Dead [+]Loading...["Planet of the Dead (TV story)"].

    Advertising Planet of the Dead [+]Loading...["Planet of the Dead (TV story)"].

  • Advertising Planet of the Dead.

    Advertising Planet of the Dead.

  • Advertising The Waters of Mars [+]Loading...["The Waters of Mars (TV story)"].

    Advertising The Waters of Mars [+]Loading...["The Waters of Mars (TV story)"].

  • Advertising The Waters of Mars.

    Advertising The Waters of Mars.

  • 31.07.2008 NASA 'Phoenix' Probe Confirms water on Mars

    31.07.2008
    NASA 'Phoenix' Probe
    Confirms water on Mars

  • 01.07.2058 First Mars colony established: 'Bowie Base One'

    01.07.2058
    First Mars colony established:
    'Bowie Base One'

  • 21.11.2059 Base destroyed Reason unknown - No survivors

    21.11.2059
    Base destroyed
    Reason unknown - No survivors

  • Colonel Stark's situation report.

    Colonel Stark's situation report.

  • Advertising Dreamland [+]Loading...["Dreamland (TV story)"].

    Advertising Dreamland [+]Loading...["Dreamland (TV story)"].

  • Advertising The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"].

    Advertising The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"].

  • Advertising The End of Time, Part One.

    Advertising The End of Time, Part One.

  • Advertising The End of Time, Part Two.

    Advertising The End of Time, Part Two.


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

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ David Tennant Takes Dr Who TV Break for Hamlet
  2. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/127031120644257/posts/3101039756576697?sfns=mo
  3. ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/doctor-who-limited-edition-complete-new-who-blu-ray-set-is-up-for-preorder
  4. ↑ https://hmv.com/Store/Film-TV/Blu-ray/Doctor-Who-Series-1-4?clickref=1101lxWJx3d4&utm_source=Visualsoft&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=skimlinks_phg
  5. ↑ https://cultbox.co.uk/news/remastered-doctor-who-series-1-4-blu-ray-coming-in-november
  6. ↑ Long Voyage. bbc.co.uk (4 December 2007). Retrieved on 19 January 2019.
  7. ↑ From the album Horror & Thriller Movies WOMG 011.
  8. ↑ New Trailer. bbc.co.uk (15 December 2007). Retrieved on 19 January 2019.
  9. ↑ Doctor Who hits the big screen. bbc.co.uk (1 February 2008). Retrieved on 1 February 2021.
  10. ↑ BBC launches cinema push to back Doctor Who. Campaign US (1 February 2008). Retrieved on 1 February 2021.
  11. ↑ Series Four Trailer. bbc.co.uk (17 March 2008). Retrieved on 20 January 2019.
  12. ↑ From the album Directors Cuts: Epic Choral DCD019.
  13. ↑ David Tennant to leave Doctor Who. bbc.co.uk (29 October 2008). Retrieved on 22 January 2019.
  14. ↑ DAVID TENNANT TO LEAVE DOCTOR WHO. bbc.co.uk (29 October 2008). Retrieved on 22 January 2019.
  15. ↑ Planet of the Dead Trailer Revealed!. bbc.co.uk (1 April 2009). Retrieved on 23 January 2019.
  16. ↑ New Trailer for The Waters of Mars. bbc.co.uk (27 July 2009). Retrieved on 23 January 2019.
  17. ↑ Tantalizing!. bbc.co.uk (4 November 2009). Retrieved on 23 January 2019.
  18. ↑ Stunning New Trailer!. bbc.co.uk (5 November 2009). Retrieved on 24 January 2019.
  19. ↑ From the album Directors Cuts: Rises DCD028.
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