Season 8 (Doctor Who 1963)

Season 8 — 1971
Doctor:	Third Doctor
Companions:	Jo, Brigadier, Benton, Yates
Key crew
Producer(s):	Barry Letts
Script editors:	Terrance Dicks
Series details
Start date:	2 January 1971
End date:	19 June 1971
Premiere network:	BBC1
Typical episode length:	25'
More info
Main DWMSE coverage in issues:	2, 15
Key reference books about the season:	The Discontinuity Guide, The Third Doctor Handbook, The Seventies, About Time 3
Key documentaries about the season:	Jon and Katy, PanoptiCon 93
Relevant Myth Makers interviews:	Nicholas Courtney, Jon Pertwee, Richard Franklin, Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks (part 1), Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks (part 2), Roger Delgado, Katy Manning, Bob Baker and Dave Martin, Robert Sloman, John Levene
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You may be looking for series 8.

The eighth season of Doctor Who ran between 2 January 1971 and 19 June 1971. It starred Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor.

Overview

As of November 2012, season 8 remains notable for being the season with the most number of regular characters. Not only did it see a new companion in the form of Jo Grant, but it featured a regular enemy — the Master — and an expanded regular UNIT cast that now included Sergeant Benton and Mike Yates in most episodes. Adding in returning regulars Jon Pertwee and Nicholas Courtney, the regular cast swelled to six.

Television stories

#	Title	Writer	Episodes	Notes
1	Terror of the Autons	Robert Holmes	4	First appearances of Jo Grant, Mike Yates and the Master; featuring the return of the Nestene Consciousness and the Autons; beginning of the season-long Master arc.
2	The Mind of Evil	Don Houghton	6	First appearance of the second TARDIS interior.
3	The Claws of Axos	Bob Baker Dave Martin	4	First appearance of Axos.
4	Colony in Space	Malcolm Hulke	6	First time the Third Doctor is able to visit an alien planet following exile. First appearance of the "emitter head" sonic screwdriver model.
5	The Dæmons	Guy Leopold, aka Robert Sloman Barry Letts	5	Conclusion of the season-long Master arc. Second explanation for the destruction of Atlantis.

Cast

The cast of Season 8.

Recurring

• The Third Doctor - Jon Pertwee
• Jo Grant - Katy Manning
• Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - Nicholas Courtney
• The Master - Roger Delgado
• Sergeant Benton - John Levene
• Mike Yates - Richard Franklin
• Corporal Bell - Fernanda Marlowe

Stories set during this season

• PROSE: Who Killed Kennedy (all serials of season 8)
• AUDIO: The Sentinels of the New Dawn (between Terror of the Autons and The Mind of Evil)
• PROSE: Deadly Reunion (between The Mind of Evil and The Claws of Axos)
• AUDIO: The Doll of Death (between The Claws of Axos and Colony in Space)
• AUDIO: The Mists of Time (between The Claws of Axos and Colony in Space)
• COMIC: Change of Mind (between The Claws of Axos and Colony in Space)

Adaptations and merchandising

Home media

VHS

• Terror of the Autons (1993) (colour restoration)
• The Mind of Evil (1998) (in B/W)
• The Claws of Axos (1992)
• Colony in Space (2001)
• The Dæmons (1993) (colour restoration)
• The Pertwee Years (1992) (The Dæmons episode 5 - in B/W)

DVD

Serial name	Number and duration of episodes	R2 release date	R4 release date	R1 release date
Terror of the Autons Only available as part of the Mannequin Mania box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.	4 × 25 min.	9 May 2011	2 June 2011	10 May 2011
The Mind of Evil	6 × 25 min.	3 June 2013	5 June 2014	11 June 2013
The Claws of Axos	4 × 25 min.	25 April 2005	2 June 2005	8 November 2005
Colony in Space	6 × 25 min.	3 October 2011	1 December 2011	8 November 2011
The Dæmons	5 × 25 min.	19 March 2012	19 April 2012	10 April 2012

Download/streaming availability

Serial name	BBC Store	iTunes (France, Germany)	iTunes (other)
Terror of the Autons (4 episodes)	✓	✓	✓
The Mind of Evil (6 episodes)	✓
The Claws of Axos (4 episodes)	✓		✓
Colony in Space (6 episodes)	✓
The Dæmons (5 episodes)	✓

Novels

• Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons
• The Mind of Evil
• Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos
• Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon
• Doctor Who and the Dæmons

External links

BBC website guide to Season 8