2009

Doctor Who Universe

January- March

• 16 - Captain Jack is reunited with the Torchwood Three team and re-unites with John Hart. (TW:Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) (Date: WEB: torchwood.co.uk)
• 23 - The Torchwood Three team discovers Cell 114 sleeper agents in Cardiff. (TW:Sleeper, Date: WEB: torchwood.co.uk)
• February - Annual de-frosting of Tommy Brockless, a young soldier first cryogenically frozen in 1918. Ultimately, this turns out to be the final defrosting. (TW: To the Last Man, Date: WEB: torchwood.co.uk)
• 20 - Dr. Martha Jones arrives in Cardiff on the trail of the Pharm and is temporarily assigned to Torchwood 3. (TW: Reset)
• 27 - Dr. Owen Harper is shot and killed during the resolution of the Pharm incident. (TW: Reset, Date: WEB: torchwood.co.uk)
• 28 - Before Martha Jones can conduct an autopsy on Owen Harper, Harper is revived by Jack Harkness using the second resurrection gauntlet. As a direct consequence, and for reasons known, Harper continues to live past the standard 2.5 minute revival time, but is briefly possessed by Durac, the embodiment of Death. A number of deaths also occur at a Cardiff hospital as a result of Durac's manifestation. (TW: Dead Man Walking)
• 02 - Dr. Owen Harper, who continues to have difficulty accepting his new undead existence, is relieved of his duties with Torchwood Three (though he continues to help out as their new tea boy) as Martha Jones agrees to stay on as medical officer. After an fruitless suicide attempt, Harper begins to come to terms with his death and returns to active duty for a mission to retrieve an alien artifact from a dying millionare, Henry Parker, who reveals intimate knowledge about Torchwood and its personnel before his passes away. With Harper reinstated, Jones departs Torchwood to return to her duties at UNIT. Soon after, Harper successfully talks a young woman out of committing suicide. (TW: A Day in the Death)
• 19 - The Torchwood Three team investigate the Night Travellers. Events of TW: From Out of the Rain, Date: WEB: torchwood.co.uk)
• By this time conspiracy theorists have begun noting the disappearance of bees from the planet Earth, which is also noted by Donna Noble. (DW: Partners in Crime, et al). It is later learned that they have left Earth in anticipation of its imminent relocation to the Medusa Cascade. (DW: The Stolen Earth)

April

• Thousands of Adipose are born from peoples fat and walk around the streets. During this time, Donna Noble reunites with the Tenth Doctor and begins her travels with him. Before leaving with the Doctor, however, Donna briefly encounters Rose Tyler (although she is unaware of Rose's identity). (DW: Partners in Crime; Date: NSA: Beautiful Chaos)
• The Sontarans invade Earth. During this event, Martha Jones is temporarily reunited with the Doctor and meets Donna Noble for the first time. Donna also narrowly misses witnessing a brief transmission from Rose Tyler in the TARDIS. As part of the Sontaran invasion plan, all ATMOS-equipped vehicles begin emitting a toxic gas intended to transform the world's atmosphere into a more hospitible one for Sontaran offspring; numerous fatalities are reported worldwide before the Doctor disables the devices. Afterwards, the ATMOS devices are removed from the planet's vehicles. (DW: The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky; Date: NSA: Beautiful Chaos)

May

• 15 - 18 - the Mandragora Helix attempts a takeover of Earth through the MorganTech computer systems (NSA: Beautiful Chaos).
• The Earth is relocated to the Medusa Cascade by the Daleks under the control of the Supreme Dalek and Davros. Despite the relocation, the planet retains a full communications network. An invasion of Earth by the Daleks commences and a number of humans are taken to "the Crucible", the Dalek mothership, where they are killed in tests of the reality bomb. As part of a counter-insurgency against the Dalek invasion, former Prime Minister Harriet Jones brings together a number of the Doctor's former companions, including Captain Jack Harkness, Sarah Jane Smith, and Martha Jones in order to contact the Doctor, and before she herself is killed by the Daleks. Rose Tyler, meanwhile, contacts Donna Noble's family and is ultimately reunited with the Doctor. During this incident, The Doctor undergoes a partial regeneration in order to repair damage from a Dalek blast; as a result of this, the Doctor's severed hand later forms a mental link with Donna and grows into a second version of the Doctor, but one that's half-human without Time Lord biological abilities such as regeneration. During ths incident, Martha Jones, under orders from UNIT, reveals the existence of the Osterhagen Key, a weapon capable of destroying Earth. Due to her interaction with the second Doctor, Donna briefly gains the knowledge of a Time Lord, and with her help the two Doctors are able to defeat the Daleks. Afterwards, the Doctor and his companions are successful in restoring Earth to its original location using the TARDIS; this sparks worldwide celebrations around the planet. Afterwards, Mickey Smith chooses to remain on his original Earth instead of returning to Pete's World, Harkness offers Martha Jones a job with Torchwood Three, and the Doctor returns Rose and Jackie Tyler to Pete's World, along with his clone. Donna Noble is returned to her family, but with all memories of the Doctor wiped from her mind due to the danger to her survival posed by her transformation. (DW: The Stolen Earth/Journey's End) (Takes place within 6 weeks of NSA: Beautiful Chaos)

June

• Brian Green becomes British Prime Minister

September

Newspaper Ianto Jones picks up. Date reads: Wednesday September 2009 (TW: Children of Earth: Day Two)

• Over the course of five days, every child on Earth periodically stops in their tracks and begin reciting the same message (permutations of "We are coming"). Officially, Earth's governments claim it to be caused by a form of virus. Behind the scenes, the truth is this is a message from the 456, a race that had visited Earth in 1965 and negotiated the payment of 12 orphan children in exchange for the cure for a pandemic-level influenza virus. The 456 return to Earth and demand the payment of a significant percentage of Earth's children (for use in creating a narcotic). As part of a cover-up to divert blame away from the UK government, which brokered the original deal, the Torchwood 3 hub in Cardiff is destroyed and attempts are made to assassinate Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones. During the course of events, Thames House becomes the centre of 456-related negotiations, and at one point all occupants of the building are exposed to a deadly gas, killing all except for Mr. Dekker and Jack Harkness. Among those killed is Ianto Jones. Ultimately, through the efforts of Harkness - who was involved in the original 1965 deal - and the sacrifice of Harkness' grandson, the 456 are driven from Earth. (TW: Children of Earth Date based upon on-screen evidence, specifically a newspaper headline.)
  • During the course of these events, Gwen Cooper and husband Kai Owen learn that she is pregnant.
  • The government of Prime Minister Brian Green is toppled soon after (assumption).
  • Stricken with guilt over the death of his grandson, Jack Harkness leaves Cardiff and spends the next few months wandering the Earth.

October

• The Doctor and Martha Jones visit Blackwood Falls. (NSA: Forever Autumn)

Unknown

This section needs a cleanup.

It contains several grammatical or factual errors, or otherwise offends our our Manual of Style.

• Shreela Govindia dies of an autoimmune disease. (NA: Cat's Cradle: Warhead)
• ATMOS, a combination GPS/emission control system for automobiles, becomes widespread in vehicles around the world.
• Rose Tyler temporarily returns from her parallel Earth, initially arriving in the normal universe (DW: Partners in Crime) but later ending up in an alternate timeline where she attains a position of authority with UNIT and works with them and Donna Noble to restore the timeline. (DW: Turn Left)
• Toshiko Sato died by gunshot wound when she was shot by Gray, whilst Owen Harper expired after being expose to nuclear waste following the actions of Gray and John Hart. (TW: Exit Wounds)
• The events of the Torchwood radio play Lost Souls take place someplace during 2009, and after Exit Wounds as Toshiko and Owen don't appear.
• The events of the Torchwood radio play Asylum take place someplace during 2009, since that's what Gwen Cooper says the year is, but after Exit Wounds since Toshiko Sato and Owen Harper don't appear, and probably after The Stolen Earth and Journey's End as well.
• The events of the Torchwood radio play Golden Age take place someplace during 2009, since that's what Ianto says the year is, and after the previous play Asylum.

The presence of Jones places the plays prior to the events of Children of Earth, and therefore take place at some point prior to September 2009.

Alternate timelines

• The Year That Never Was: The Master rules the Earth with an iron fist, before Captain Jack destroys the Paradox machine, which reverses time back to 2008. (DW: Last of the Time Lords).
• Donna's World - After the Titanic fell to Earth on 25th December 2008, annihilating London and rendering most of southern England unlivable with nuclear radiation, Great Britain has become a police state. Londoners lucky enough to have survived are subject to forced relocations; Donna Noble's family is moved to Leeds. Rose Tyler works with the UNIT of this timeline to help Donna Noble restore the proper chain of events which, at one point, involves sending Donna back to 2007. (DW: Turn Left)

Real World

NOTE: This section includes announced and surmised events in the future; dates, events, and titles are subject to change. Some items listed below may also include spoilers.

January

• CC: The Transit of Venus and CC: The Prisoner's Dilemma are both first released.
• 01 - BBC TV broadcasts an edited version of the July 2008 Doctor Who at the Proms concert, previously released on radio and the Internet. The broadcast includes the television debut of the audience-interactive mini-episode DW: Music of the Spheres. An extended version of the broadcast, including the performance of "Song for Ten", is later made available for UK Digital viewers.
• 02 - Who fandom is caught by surprise when the BBC announces that the actor to play the Eleventh Doctor is to be announced in a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential the next day,
• 03 - During a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential, the BBC announces that Matt Smith has been cast as the Eleventh Doctor.
• 04 - The announcement of Matt Smith as the new Doctor is front page news in many UK newspapers. Since these are Sunday publications, many receive international distribution.
• 06 - John Scott Martin dies.
• 08 - Audio adaptation of DWN: Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen is first released.
• 14 - Production begins on DW: Planet of the Dead with the first cast read-through of the script. David Tennant, as he did regularly during Series 2 and 3 and less regularly during Series 4, records the event for posterity for a series of video diaries (dubbed "The Tennant Tapes") later posted to the BBC's website. Tennant jokingly introduces himself as Matt Smith at the read-through.
  • First issue of Doctor Who DVD Files, a fortnightly UK/Ireland-only magazine, is published, incorporating a DVD of the episodes DW: Rose and DW: The End of the World.
• 16 - The website of the UK newspaper The Guardian publishes a column condemning then-rumored plans to film one of the 2009 specials in Dubai, citing the United Arab Emirates' human rights record.[1]
• 19 - Filming begins on DW: Planet of the Dead, the first of four one-hour Doctor Who specials to air during 2009 and early 2010 in lieu of a full season. These specials will mark the end of David Tennant's era as the Tenth Doctor, and also conclude Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner's tenures as producers. Concurrent with the start of production are rumours that Michelle Ryan and Lee Evans had been cast in the special. The rumours are later confirmed by the BBC, which releases publicity photographs of Ryan with David Tennant. According to Doctor Who Magazine #405, Planet of the Dead is the first Doctor Who episode to be produced in high-definition.
  • Catherine Tate guest stars on The Sunday Night Project and take part in a skit in which she impersonates David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor.
• 22 - David Tennant's first day of shooting on DW: Planet of the Dead ("The Tennant Tapes 2").
• 28 - Media in the UK and United Arab Emirates report that a transportation mishap has resulted in a double-decker bus intended for filming scenes for the Easter 2009 special DW: Planet of the Dead on location in Dubai, being heavily damaged, forcing writers Russell T Davies and Gareth Roberts to revise part of their script. The resulting BBC News report serves as confirmation to earlier rumours that Doctor Who is in fact filming at least part of Planet of the Dead in the Middle Eastern country. This marks the first full-scale production of a Doctor Who installment outside Europe since the 1996 telefilm was shot in Canada and only the second regular TV episode to film major scenes outside Europe since DW: Planet of Fire was partially filmed in the Canary Islands in 1984.
• 29 - BBC Books launches the first in a planned series of 10 novellas forming a single story arc, The Darksmith Legacy, with the publication of TDL: The Dust of Ages and TDL: The Graves of Mordane.
• Late January - The weekly magazine Doctor Who Adventures publishes its 100th issue.
• 31 - BFA: The Key 2 Time - The Judgement of Isskar is first released.

February

• To tie in with its broadcasts of Torchwood Series 2, the digital channel Watch publishes an exclusive comic strip, WC: The Return of the Vostok, on its website.
• BFIW: Iris Wildthyme and the Sound of Fear is first released, relaunching Big Finish's Iris Wildthyme audio drama series (last heard in 2005) starring Katy Manning.
• 05 - The official trailer for Torchwood: Children of Earth is unveiled at the New York Comic Con and online. At this point a broadcast date had not yet been announced.
• 12 - BBCR: The Nemonite Invasion, an original made-for-BBC Audio story read by Catherine Tate, is first released.
• 13 - The BBC reports filming is now officially under way in Dubai for DW: Planet of the Dead.
• 13 - 15 - The American "Gallifrey" Doctor Who and SF convention marks its 20th anniversary.
• 18 - Cast readthrough for the as yet untitled second 2009 special.
• 19 - The BBC announces that Lindsay Duncan has been cast as Adelaide, a character described as the companion of the Doctor's in the as-yet untitled second 2009 special. The BBC also announces that production of the special is scheduled to occur in the spring, although no confirmation of a broadcast date has yet been made.
• 25 - IDW: The Whispering Gallery, a one-shot comic book by IDW Publishing, is first published. This is the first of a series of single-issue standalones that IDW would publish during the year.
• 26 - NSA: The Sontaran Games, the fourth Quick Reads novella, is first published. Beginning with this book, the BBC New Series Adventures line begins a series of novels featuring returning monsters and races from both the classic and revival series; this is slated to continue throughout 2009.
• 28 - BFA: The Key 2 Time - The Destroyer of Delights is first released.
• An online version of Doctor Who DVD Files is launched, allowing those who already own the DVDs, or who are unable to buy the magazine internationally due to licensing restrictions, access to the printed content of the magazine. The subscription-based site also makes the contents of the Doctor Who: Battles in Time series available to international fans.

March

• CC: Resistance is first released.
• ST: Short Trips: Indefinable Magic is first published, which ultimately becomes the final collection of new material in this long-running short story series. After this month there is no new officially licensed original literary stories being published featuring the first eight Doctors.
• BFIW: Iris Wildthyme and the Land of Wonder is first released.
• The BBC series Tonight's the Night (hosted by John Barrowman) launches a contest for viewers to create their own Doctor Who monster. Following the 28 March deadline finalists will be chosen to take part in further competition on the series. The winner gets to appear in a specially written Doctor Who scene (which is similar to A Fix with Sontarans, as David Tennant appears as himself, and it also breaks the fourth wall).
• A trailer for the upcoming K9TV: K-9 spinoff series is unveiled at the MIPTV show in Cannes and is later posted online.
• 3 - The BBC announces that outgoing Doctor Who executive producer Julie Gardner will be joining the Los Angeles branch of BBC Worldwide in June 2009, serving as executive producer of American-market projects.
• 12 - Audio adaptation of DWN: Doctor Who and the Cybermen is first released.
• 13 - SJA: From Raxacoricofallapatorius With Love, a special mini-episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures, airs in the UK as part of Comic Relief's Red Nose Day. This is the first mini-episode to be based upon a spinoff of Doctor Who. David Tennant co-hosts the main BBC broadcast of of Red Nose Day with Davina McCall, introducing the SJA mini-episode and also taking part in a Doctor Who-themed round of the quiz show Mastermind. The SJA mini-adventure is originally given the title Funny for Money in pre-broadcast publicity, but so-writer Clayton Hickman later confirmed the official title on the Doctor Who Forum.[2]
• 14 - Canadian premiere of DW: The Next Doctor. The cable network Space is airing the special rather than the CBC, marking a possible major shift in how future episodes of the revived series will be broadcast in that country.
• 16 - A quarter-century after their use was phased out across the UK, Edinburgh's police department announces plans to reintroduce "TARDIS-style" police boxes.[3]
• Mid-March - For the fourth consecutive year, episodes of Doctor Who written by Steven Moffat are nominated for the annual Hugo Award: DW: Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead. Also nominated: Russell T Davies' episode DW: Turn Left (resulting in some controversy among fans who expected his DW: Midnight to be nominated. Competition for the award includes episodes of Battlestar Galactica and Lost; this year Doctor Who does not win, however, and the award goes to the made-for-Internet short film Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.
• 18 - In a speech to members of BAFTA, Russell T Davies reveals that production of Series 3 of The Sarah Jane Adventures had been impacted by BBC budget cuts and had nearly been cancelled on three occasions.[4]
• 26 - TDL: The Colour of Darkness and TDL: The Depths of Despair are first published.
• 30 - BFA: The Key 2 Time - The Chaos Pool is first released.

April

• BFA: The Magic Mousetrap is first released. Beginning with this release, and continuing over 12 months, a serialized second feature, CC: The Three Companions is included.
• CC: The Magician's Oath is first released.
• IDW: Doctor Who: The Forgotten, a graphic novel-style release reprinting the IDW: The Forgotten story arc from IDW Publishing's Doctor Who comic book series, is first published.
• BFIW: The Two Irises is first released.
• In the weeks following its broadcast of DW: The Next Doctor, the Canadian television network Space confirms that it has obtained the Canadian broadcast rights to the 2009 specials and Series 5, and announces it will air DW: Planet of the Dead in June. This ends speculation over the future of Doctor Who on the CBC, although it's not yet known whether the CBC or related networks will retain broadcast rights to the first four seasons. Up to at least the end of Series 4, the CBC had been a (sometimes-credited) co-producer of the series; presumably this announcement means that arrangement has ended.
• 09 - Audio adaptation of DWN: Doctor Who and the Masque of Mandragora is first released.
• 11 - DW: Planet of the Dead is first broadcast, the first of four one-hour special episodes of Doctor Who scheduled for broadcast during 2009 and early 2010 in lieu of a regular season in 2009. Co-written by Russell T Davies and Gareth Roberts, it is the first episode on which Davies shares writing credit, is the first episode of the revived series to credit two writers, and is the first story to credit two writers since 1993's DW: Dimensions in Time. It is also the first episode (as opposed to telemovie) of the series to be filmed in part outside Europe since 1984. The BBC did not officially announce the broadcast date until 1 April, leading to some erroneous reports that it would air on Easter Sunday itself, 12 April. The special, the first to be filmed in high-definition, was simulcast on BBC HD.
  • An installment of Doctor Who Confidential follows on BBC Three.
• 16 - NSA: Judgement of the Judoon, NSA: Prisoner of the Daleks and NSA: The Slitheen Excursion are first published. All three novels feature the Tenth Doctor without a companion, continuing the format established by NSA: The Eyeless. Notably, all three releases in this cycle (as well as the preceding Quick Reads release) feature returning monsters.
• 17 - Big Finish Productions announces that it is ending its long-running Short Trips series of short story anthologies, due to the BBC not renewing its licence in this area.[5]
• 30 - TDL: The Vampire of Paris is first published.

May

• BFA: Enemy of the Daleks is first released.
• TWN: Bay of the Dead, TWN: The House That Jack Built, and TWN: Into the Silence are first published.
• CC: The Mahogany Murderers is first released. This is the first entry in The Companion Chronicles to not feature a Doctor; instead, it features the characters of Henry Gordon Jago and George Litefoot from DW: The Talons of Weng-Chiang.
• ST: Short Trips: Re:Collections, an anthology of previously published stories, is first published, bringing to a close Big Finish's Short Trips line.
• BFIW: Iris Wildthyme and the Panda Invasion is first released.
• 07 - Production of the first season of the spinoff series K9TV: K-9 is scheduled to be completed.[6]
• 08 - Official release of the film Star Trek, a new take on the classic series. Simon Pegg, who guest starred in DW: The Long Game and narrated Doctor Who Confidential, appears as Scotty in the highest-profile example to date of a Doctor Who actor crossing over into the Star Trek franchise. Deep Roy, an alumni of DW: The Talons of Weng-Chiang, shares several scenes with Pegg in a small role as Scotty's alien sidekick.
• 12 - Proving some things just never change, a survey of parents of young children published in The Telegraph cites Doctor Who is a series blamed for giving children nightmares, with parents surveyed indicating they'd rather see it aired in post-watershed hours.[7]
• 20 - IDW: The Time Machination, a one-shot comic book by IDW Publishing, is first published. This is the first comic in IDW's Doctor Who line to make reference to Torchwood.
  • Iris Wildthyme and the Celestial Omnibius published by Obverse Books and edited by Paul Magrs and Stuart Douglas, is first published. This is the first of a planned series of short story anthologies featuring the character of Iris Wildthyme.
• 23 - The John Barrowman-hosted talent series Tonight's the Night airs a specially written and filmed Doctor Who scene in which Barrowman, as Jack Harkness, encounters an alien (played by a contest winner) in the TARDIS. The scene is written by Russell T Davies and includes a cameo David Tennant, out of character as himself. The scene breaks the fourth wall, showing the studio surrounding the TARDIS set, and the special also included a Doctor Who Confidential-style look behind the scenes of the filming.
• 26 - The BBC and Russell T Davies announce that David Tennant will appear as the Tenth Doctor in an upcoming two-part episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures.
• 28 - BBC America announces that it has obtained the US broadcast rights to the 2009 specials of Doctor Who. The series had previously aired on the Sci Fi Channel.
  • TDL: The Game of Death is first published.
• 29 - The BBC announces that Karen Gillan, who previously appeared in DW: The Fires of Pompeii, will co-star with Matt Smith as the new Doctor Who companion for Series 5.[8]
  • Publication of IDW: Doctor Who Classics Vol. 3, a graphic novel-style release reprinting issues of IDW: Doctor Who Classics by IDW Publishing.

June

• CC: The Stealers from Saiph is first released.
• Former Doctor Who executive producer Julie Gardner is takes her post at BBC Worldwide's Los Angeles branch.
• The Canadian cable network Space officially confirms that it has obtained the broadcasting rights to Doctor Who from the CBC, and will air the remaining 2009 specials along with Series 5 in 2010; in addition, it will obtain Canadian broadcast rights to the first four seasons and the never-aired-in-Canada DW: Voyage of the Damned in the spring of 2010.
• David Tennant, fresh from concluding his final episodes as the Doctor, begins filming a motion picture version of Hamlet, which is scheduled for broadcast on BBC Two in late 2009, on PBS in the US in 2010, and also is planned for limited theatrical release in the US in the fall of 2009.
• 02 - Shaun Lyon announces that the Outpost Gallifrey website, the Doctor Who News website, and the Doctor Who Forum will all close as of 31st July. A detailed reason for closing the sites is not provided.[9]
• 09 - TWM: Torchwood: Rift War, an omnibus of the multi-part Rift War! comic strip from Torchwood Magazine, is first published by Titan Books.
• 10 - IDW: Autopia, a one-shot comic story, is first published.
• 12 - Preview showing of episode one of Torchwood: Children of Earth at the British Film Institute (BFI) in London.
• 16 - Michael Summerton dies. He appeared in DW: The Daleks as one of the first Daleks to appear in Doctor Who.
• 23 - BBC Radio 4 broadcasts On the Outside it Looked Like an Old Fashioned Police Box, a documentary on the history of the Target Books novelisations hosted by Mark Gatiss. The documentary is posted online for the following week.
• 25 - TDL: The Planet of Oblivion is first published.
• 27 - US broadcast debut of DW: The Next Doctor on the show's new US broadcaster, BBC America.[10]
• 30 - BFA: The Angel of Scutari is first released.
  • BFBS: Glory Days is first released, launching the 10th season of the Big Finish Bernice Summerfield Series.

July

• Big Finish marks the 10th anniversary of its line of Doctor Who audio productions.
• IDW Publishing launches IDW: Doctor Who Ongoing, a new comic series featuring the adventures of the Tenth Doctor, beginning with a three-issue storyline entitled IDW: Silver Scream.
• Doctor Who Magazine #411 reports that John Leeson will reprise the role of K-9 for the upcoming K9TV: K-9 spin-off series.
• BFA: The Company of Friends is first released. This audio is notable for introducing the Doctor Who Magazine comic character Izzy Sinclair to the audio range, as well as revealing that Mary Shelley had once been a companion.
• BFA: Mission of the Viyrans, a single-episode story from 2007 that had previously been packaged with another story, BFA: The Mind's Eye, is made available for individual download.
• CC: The Drowned World is first released.
• 01 - TWA: Asylum is first broadcast on BBC Radio 4, the first of a trilogy of Torchwood dramas featuring the TV cast aired in the days prior to TW: Children of Earth. The three plays are also made available for streaming listening worldwide (and for MP3 download within the UK) for one week after broadcast. All three plays are also scheduled for CD release in the fall of 2009.
• 02 - TWA: Golden Age is first broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
  • BBCR: The Rising Night is first released, read by Michelle Ryan.
  • Audio adaptation of DWN: Doctor Who - The Happiness Patrol is first released.
• 03 - TWA: The Dead Line is first broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
• 06 - Torchwood: Children of Earth: Day One is first broadcast, launching Series 3 of Torchwood, which this year consists of a single five-episode arc airing over five consecutive nights. The show moves to BBC One.
  • UK DVD release of DW: The War Games. This release also includes the first BBC-sanctioned release of Devious, a fan-made Doctor Who story featuring the final performance of Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor. Although BBC Video has included the occasional fan-made production on DVDs previously (most notably in the The Beginning box set), this is the first time a major fan production has been included on an official BBC release. The DVD, however, includes only a 12-minute excerpt as the film has yet to be completed.[11]
• 07 - Torchwood: Children of Earth: Day Two is first broadcast.
  • Release of the soundtrack album for Torchwood: Children of Earth.
• 08 - Torchwood: Children of Earth: Day Three is first broadcast.
• 09 - Torchwood: Children of Earth: Day Four is first broadcast.
• 10 - Torchwood: Children of Earth: Day Five is first broadcast, concluding Series 3 and the Children of Earth arc.
• Late July - To commemmorate the 40th anniversary of the first Apollo moon landing, the BBC's official website, over the course of four days, uploads the exclusive Tenth Doctor short story WC: Blue Moon.
• 20 - Production begins on Series 5 of Doctor Who, with the BBC formally announcing the Doctor's new companion as Amy Pond and unveiling the first photographs of the Eleventh Doctor's costume. Media coverage of the first day's filming also reveals that a major guest star from Series 4 will be returning.
• 20-24 - Broadcasts of Torchwood: Children of Earth on both BBC America in the US and Space in Canada. As in the UK, the miniseries runs for five consecutive nights.
• 22 - IDW: Room with a Deja View, a standalone comic story, first published.
• 23 - According to media reports, John Barrowman is involved in an 80 mph race car crash while filming a segment of the series Top Gear. He escapes with minor injuries.[12] The exact date of the accident is unclear, as only a couple of days after this date Barrowman attends the San Diego ComicCon.
• 24 - Harry Towb dies. He appeared in DW: The Seeds of Death and DW: Terror of the Autons; in the latter, he experienced one of the most iconic of all Doctor Who deaths by being "eaten" by a living plastic chair.
• 25 - Broadcast of DW: Planet of the Dead on the Canadian network Space (originally announced for 20 June).
• 26 - Broadcast of DW: Planet of the Dead on BBC America.
  • Doctor Who is officially named the single most successful science fiction TV series by Guinness World Records. The honour is announced at the 2009 San Diego ComicCon.[13] The same event also unveiled the first trailer for the David Tennant finale specials, confirming the return appearance of a longtime villain and indicating the title DW: The End of Time for the finale. The ComicCon marks Tennant's first appearance at such an event; he is accompanied by John Barrowman and Russell T. Davies.
• 28 - North American DVD and Blu-Ray releases of Torchwood: Children of Earth. and DW: Planet of the Dead. Planet of the Dead is the first Doctor Who story to be released in the high-def Blu-Ray format.
• 30 - TDL: The Pictures of Emptiness is first published.
• 31 - BFBS: Absence is first released.
  • The Internet's largest Doctor Who discussion board, the Doctor Who Forum, along with the original Doctor Who News Page (formerly known as Outpost Gallifrey), closes. A replacement discussion board, Gallifrey Base, is established some weeks earlier (although the archives of the 13-year-old forum are deleted), while other parties have taken over the Doctor Who News Page.

August

• BFA: The Cannibalists is first released.
• CC: The Glorious Revolution is first released.
• REF: Bernice Summerfield: The Inside Story is first published; this is a Big Finish-published history of the creation of the character.
• RP: Myth Makers: Telos Publishing first released by Reeltime Pictures.
• 06 - Official Doctor Who Annual 2010 is first published.
  • Audio adaptation of DWN: Doctor Who - The Mind Robber is first released.
• 09 - Steven Moffat's winning streak at the Hugo Awards ends when DW: Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead is defeated by a Joss Whedon production, Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog, in the Dramatic Presentation - Short Form category, which Moffat and Doctor Who has dominated since 2006. An examination of the voting results show only about 100 votes separated Moffat from first place in the final tally. DW: Turn Left by Russell T. Davies had also been nominated for the award this year. As Moffat has not written any of the 2009 specials, the earliest he'll be eligible again for a Hugo is in 2011.
• 10 - UK DVD release of the Black Guardian Trilogy box set consisting of DW: Mawdryn Undead, DW: Terminus and DW: Enlightenment.
• 19 - CC: The Mists of Time, a Big Finish Productions audio drama and part of The Companion Chronicles, is made available for download exclusively through Doctor Who Magazine #411. The download offer expires in October.
• 20 - Broadcast of The Doctor, the first episode of the three-part documentary series, Doctor Who's Greatest Moments on BBC Three. It follows a rebroadcast of DW: The Runaway Bride and scores 400,000 viewers[14].
• 25 - The Doctor is named Best Alien in online Best Television Characters of the 2000s poll conducted by Zap2It, an entertainment website affiliated with the Los Angeles Times. The Doctor also received a strong write-in presence in the Best Doctor category (but was disqualified as he isn't considered a medical doctor), while The Master received write-in votes for Best Villain.[15]
• 26 - IDW: Cold Blooded War!, a standalone comic, is first published.
  • Big Finish Productions announces that Frazer Hines will be returning to the role of Jamie McCrimmon for an upcoming series of audios in which Jamie serves as companion to the Sixth Doctor.
• 27 - TDL: The Art of War is first published.
  • Doctor Who's Greatest Moments: The Companions airs on BBC Three. Only 290,000 viewers this week, a drop from the first episode.[16]
• 30 - Farewell Great Macedon is first published by Nothing at the End of the Lane. This is an unproduced First Doctor script by Moris Farhi that had been commission by David Whitaker. Also included in the book is a single-episode story, The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance, written as a "tester" script by Farhi.
• 31 - BFA: Patient Zero is first released.
  • BFBS: Venus Mantrap is first released.

September

• BFA: Paper Cuts is first released.
• BFA: The Eight Truths is first released.
• CC: The Prisoner of Peladon is first released.
• 03 - BBCR: The Stuff of Nightmares, an audio adventure from BBC Audio, and Part 1 of the BBCR: Hornets' Nest story arc, is first released. The adventure features Tom Baker providing the voice of the Fourth Doctor; his first new performance in the role since 1993. Richard Franklin reprises his 1970s role of Mike Yates. To be followed by four more chapters over the next few months.
  • Doctor Who's Greatest Moments: The Enemies airs on BBC Three, concluding the trilogy of documentaries.
  • Audio book version of NSA: Prisoner of the Daleks is first released.
• 04 - Iain Cuthbertson (Garron in DW: The Ribos Operation) dies at the age of 79.
• 08 - Ray Barrett (Bennett in DW: The Rescue), dies of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 82.
• 14 - Publication of First Generation, the autobiography of Mary Tamm. Colin Baker writes the foreword. The book is available in a standard paperback edition and a limited-edition hardcover (200 copies) signed by Tamm.
• 15 - North American DVD release of DW: The Next Doctor. Like the UK version of the release, the 2008 Doctor Who at the Proms concert special is included as a bonus feature, along with the mini-episode DW: Music of the Spheres which has never been broadcast in North America.
• 19 - Doctor Who receives the first Television category award at the British Fantasy Awards.
• 21 - John Barrowman publishes his second autobiography, I Am What I Am.
• 24 - TDL: The End of Time, the final book in the BBC Books miniseries The Darksmith Legacy, is first published. The book coincidentally shares its title with the final David Tennant special.
  • REF: The Ultimate Monster Guide is first published.
  • IDW: Black Death White Life, a standalone comic, is published.
• Scheduled publication of NSA: The Taking of Chelsea 426, NSA: The Krillitane Storm, and NSA: Autonomy. All novels feature the Tenth Doctor travelling on his own and, like previous BBC New Series Adventures releases this year, feature the return of classic monsters.
• Three Torchwood audio dramas aired on BBC Radio 4 in July: TWA: Asylum, TWA: Golden Age and TWA: The Dead Line, are released to CD.
• 30 - BFA: Blue Forgotten Planet is first released. This appears to the the final appearance (for now) of India Fisher as Charley Pollard.
  • BFBS: Secret Origins is first released.

Autumn

• Scheduled broadcast of the six-part animated serial DW: Dreamland on CBBC. The serial will have previously been available (to UK residents) on the Doctor Who official website.[17]
• Scheduled publication of Howe's Transcendental Toybox Update No. 3.

October

• BFA: Castle of Fear is scheduled for release.
• CC: The Pyralis Effect is scheduled for release.
• 01 - TWN: The Undertaker's Gift, TWN: Risk Assessment and TWN: Consequences are first published.
  • REF: Torchwood: The Encyclopedia is first published.
• 05 - With several episodes already under their belts, Matt Smith and Karen Gillan begin filming the first episode of Series 5 in Llandaff, Wales.[18] Subsequent media coverage of the filming begin to reveal details regarding the new season, ranging from Amy Pond's apparent profession to glimpses of the redesigned TARDIS interior.
  • Silva Screen Records releases a CD containing soundtrack music from Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD.
• 06 - The BBC unveils a new Doctor Who logo for Series 5.
  • Blue Peter launches a contest calling on viewers to design a TARDIS console that apparently will be used in an upcoming episode of Doctor Who.
• 08 - BBCR: The Dead Shoes, part 2 of the BBCR: Hornets' Nest arc starring Tom Baker, is first released.
  • BBCR: Day of the Troll is first released.
  • SJAA: The Shadow People and SJAA: The White Wolf are first released.
  • NSA: The Dalek Project, the first Doctor Who graphic novel commissioned by and published by BBC Books, is first published.[19]
• 09 - Barry Letts dies.
• 14 - Expiry date for the download offer included in Doctor Who Magazine #411 that allowed readers to download an exclusive Big Finish Productions audio drama, CC: The Mists of Time. It's not known whether this recording will be made available again hereafter.
• 15 - SJA: Prisoner of the Judoon Part 1 is first broadcast, launching the third season of The Sarah Jane Adventures on CBBC. This season two episodes will air per week.
• 16 - SJA: Prisoner of the Judoon Part 2 is first broadcast.
  • Tom Baker reads Barry Letts' obituary on the BBC Radio 4 programme The Last Word.
• 17 - 30th anniversary of Doctor Who Magazine, the longest continually running publication of its type based upon an English-language TV series.
• 22 - SJA: The Mad Woman in the Attic Part 1 is first broadcast.
• 23 - SJA: The Mad Woman in the Attic Part 2 is first broadcast.
• 25 - David Tennant begins his first post-Doctor Who television job, and his first American TV assignment, as host of Masterpiece Contemporary on PBS.
• 26 - The first 4 seasons of the revived Doctor Who are scheduled to be released in the UK in a single box set edition.
• 29 - Scheduled broadcast of SJA: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith Part 1, featuring a guest appearance by David Tennant as the Doctor.
• 30 - Scheduled broadcast of SJA: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith Part 2.
  • The film Hamlet, starring David Tennant, is scheduled to begin a limited theatrical run in the United States, prior to TV broadcast in 2010.[20]

November

• BFA: The Eternal Summer is scheduled for release.
• BFIW: The Claws of Santa is scheduled for release.
• CC: Ringpullworld is scheduled for release.
• Scheduled publication of Barry Letts' autobiography, Who and Me.
• 03 - Scheduled North American DVD release of DW: The War Games (including the fan-film Devious) and the Black Guardian Trilogy box set consisting of DW: Mawdryn Undead, DW: Terminus and DW: Enlightenment.
• 05 - Scheduled broadcast of SJA: The Eternity Trap Part 1.
  • Scheduled release of BBCR: The Circus of Doom from BBC Audio, part 2 of the BBCR: Hornets' Nest arc starring Tom Baker.
  • Scheduled publication of SJAN: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith.
  • Scheduled release of the audio adaptation of DWN: Doctor Who and the Dalek Invasion of Earth.
• 06 - Scheduled broadcast of SJA: The Eternity Trap Part 2.
• 08 - The Doctor Who Museum at Blackpool is scheduled to close after five years of operation.
• 09 - Scheduled UK DVD release of The Sarah Jane Adventures season 2.
• 10 - Scheduled North American DVD release of The Sarah Jane Adventures season 2.
• 12 - Scheduled broadcast of SJA: Mona Lisa's Revenge Part 1.
  • BBCR: Doctor Who at the BBC: A Legend Reborn is scheduled for release.
• 13 - Scheduled broadcast of SJA: Mona Lisa's Revenge Part 2.
• 19 - Scheduled broadcast of SJA: The Gift Part 1.
• 20 - Scheduled broadcast of SJA: The Gift Part 2, concluding the third season of The Sarah Jane Adventures.
• 30 - Scheduled release of BFA: The Nightmare Fair, launching a new spin-off series of Big Finish Productions audio dramas entitled The Lost Stories adapting scripts planned for the TV series, but never produced, in this case DW: The Nightmare Fair. This is actually the second audio adaptation of The Nightmare Fair following an earlier, unofficial production mounted for charity.

Late 2009

• According to Russell T Davies in SFX Magazine, the second of the 2009 Specials, DW: The Waters of Mars, is scheduled to air around Christmas 2009 (though whether this means December 25 has yet to be confirmed as of March 2009), followed possibly by one or both of the remaining specials leading to David Tennant's regeneration into Matt Smith.[21] In early April 2009, however, Davies indicated that a "November-ish" broadcast was being considered for The Waters of Mars. As of May 2009 the only official word from the BBC, coming from the trailer featured at the end of Planet of the Dead is "later this year".
• In his column in Doctor Who Magazine #409, Russell T Davies hinted at the possibility of one final Tenth Doctor mini-episode before the end of the Tennant era. Exactly when, if, and what form such an episode would take remains unconfirmed as of October 2009.
• Announced publication window for The Panda Book of Horror, a followup to the anthology Iris Wildthyme and the Celestial Omnibus.

December

• BFA: Plague of the Daleks is scheduled for release.
• BFBS: Secret Histories is scheduled for publication.
• 03 - Scheduled release of the final two chapters of the BBCR: Hornets' Nest audio drama arc from BBC Audio: BBCR: A Sting in the Tail and BBCR: Hive of Horror, both starring Tom Baker and Richard Franklin.
• 06 - 20th anniversary of the broadcast of DW: Survival Episode 3, the final episode of the original 1963-1989 series.
• Christmas? - the third of the four 2009 specials is expected to air around Christmas 2009; it is not yet known whether the fourth and last special (title confirmed as DW: The End of Time in Doctor Who Magazine #412) will also air about this time, or later (possibly New Year's Day).
• 25 - Announced broadcast of the film version of Hamlet starring David Tennant on BBC2.
• 31 - Scheduled release of BFA: Mission to Magnus, adapting the unreleased serial DW: Mission to Magnus as part of The Lost Stories line.

2008

21st century 2000s

2010