Season 13 (Doctor Who 1963)

Season 13 — 1975-76
Doctor:	Fourth Doctor
Companions:	Sarah, Harry
Key crew
Producer(s):	Philip Hinchcliffe
Script editors:	Robert Holmes
Series details
Start date:	30 August 1975
End date:	6 March 1976
Premiere network:	BBC1
Typical episode length:	25'
More info
Main DWMSE coverage in issues:	8, 15
Key reference books about the season:	The Discontinuity Guide, The Fourth Doctor Handbook, The Seventies, About Time 4
Key documentaries about the season:	Behind the Sofa: Robert Holmes and Doctor Who
Relevant Myth Makers interviews:	Ian Marter, Tom Baker, Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks (part 2), Elisabeth Sladen
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The thirteenth season of Doctor Who ran between 30 August 1975 and 6 March 1976. It starred Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. With this season, Doctor Who returned to launching new seasons in the autumn, something that had not been done since Season 6.

Overview

Season 13 consisted of six serials and twenty-six episodes. It was during this season that the Doctor cut ties to UNIT (after Terror of the Zygons, the Brigadier would not appear again until Mawdryn Undead in 1983, and The Seeds of Doom marked the last occasion to date that the Doctor was explicitly said to be working for UNIT -- as opposed to working with them as occasions warranted). Several of the serials in this season, particularly Pyramids of Mars and The Brain of Morbius, are among the best-known of the 1970s-era storylines. Though it was aired as a part of Season 13, Terror of the Zygons was actually filmed as part of the previous season; this holdover allowed the series to switch back to an autumn season start.

Television stories

#	Title	Writer	Episodes	Notes
1	Terror of the Zygons	Robert Banks Stewart	4	Final appearance of Harry Sullivan as a companion. Final regular appearance of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.
2	Planet of Evil	Louis Marks	4	Debut of another TARDIS console room design.
3	Pyramids of Mars	Stephen Harris, aka Robert Holmes Story by Lewis Greifer	4	Introduction of the Osirans and Sutekh.
4	The Android Invasion	Terry Nation	4	Final appearances of Harry Sullivan and John Benton.
5	The Brain of Morbius	Robin Bland, aka Terrance Dicks Robert Holmes	4	Introduction of the Time Lord Morbius. First and final appearance of the Sisterhood of Karn until The Night of the Doctor (TV story).
6	The Seeds of Doom	Robert Banks Stewart	6	Final regular UNIT-based story until 1989.

Cast

Recurring

• The Fourth Doctor - Tom Baker
• Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen
• Harry Sullivan - Ian Marter
• Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - Nicholas Courtney
• Warrant Officer Benton - John Levene

Notes

• The Brigadier and Benton had appeared in a more prominent role in previous seasons.
• Harry Sullivan left as a companion in Terror of the Zygons, and later returned in The Android Invasion.
• Three stories featured UNIT: Terror of the Zygons, The Android Invasion and The Seeds of Doom. None of the regular UNIT characters appeared in the latter, which marked the final notable appearance of or reference to UNIT until Time-Flight.
• This series has been voted the Best All-Round Series in DWM 413's Mighty 200 Poll.
• For the first time since Season 7, no returning antagonists appear.

Stories set during this season

• PROSE: Managra (between Planet of Evil and Pyramids of Mars)
• PROSE: Evolution (between The Brain of Morbius and The Seeds of Doom)

Adaptations and merchandising

Home media

VHS

• Terror of the Zygons (1988/1999)
• Planet of Evil (1993)
• Pyramids of Mars (1985) (edited movie format)
• Pyramids of Mars (1994)
• The Android Invasion (1995)
• The Brain of Morbius (1984) (edited movie format)
• The Brain of Morbius (1990)
• The Seeds of Doom (1994)
• The Tom Baker Years (extracts from each of the stories) (1991)

DVD

The stories have been released on DVD individually since 2004. Terror of the Zygons was originally released on DVD, minus special features, as part of The Fourth Doctor Time Capsule Collectors Set on 29 July 2013. It was finally released individually, complete with special features, on 30 September 2013.

Serial name	Number and duration of episodes	R2 release date	R4 release date	R1 release date
Terror of the Zygons	4 × 25 min.	30 September 2013	TBA	8 October 2013
Planet of Evil	4 × 25 min.	15 October 2007	5 December 2007	4 March 2008
Pyramids of Mars	4 × 25 min.	1 March 2004	10 June 2004	7 September 2004
The Android Invasion Only available as part of the U.N.I.T. Files box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.	4 × 25 min.	9 January 2012	5 January 2012	10 January 2012
The Brain of Morbius	4 × 25 min.	21 July 2008	2 October 2008	7 October 2008
The Seeds of Doom	6 × 25 min.	25 October 2010	2 December 2010	8 March 2011

 Download/streaming availability

Serial name	Amazon Video	BBC Store	iTunes
Terror of the Zygons (4 episodes)
Planet of Evil (4 episodes)		✓
Pyramids of Mars (4 episodes)	✓	✓	✓
The Android Invasion (4 episodes)		✓
The Brain of Morbius (4 episodes)		✓
The Seeds of Doom (6 episodes)

Novels

• Doctor Who and the Loch Ness Monster
• Doctor Who and the Planet of Evil
• Doctor Who and the Pyramids of Mars
• Doctor Who and the Android Invasion
• Doctor Who and the Brain of Morbius
• Doctor Who and the Seeds of Doom

See also

• Gothic stories

External links

• BBC website guide to Season 13