1950s

The Tenth Doctor believed that the 1950s were a time for optimism, recalling the common Earth belief that flying cars were to be introduced in the following decade. (TV: Dreamland ^[+]Loading...["Dreamland (TV story)"]) The Seventh Doctor, however, described the 1950s as the height of American suspicion and xenophobia as a result of the Cold War. (COMIC: The Good Soldier ^[+]Loading...["The Good Soldier (comic story)"]) Owen Harper had always thought that the '50s were "uptight" and "sexually repressed" until he met Diane Holmes. (TV: Out of Time ^[+]Loading...["Out of Time (TV story)"])

According to Jack Harkness, a number of Torchwood Three members during this decade were "rotten apples" who would steal alien artefacts to sell at auction. Jack eventually put a stop to this practice by flooding the market with fake artefacts, destroying the customers' demand. (PROSE: The Beauty of Our Weapons ^[+]Loading...["The Beauty of Our Weapons (short story)"])

The Ninth Doctor claimed to Rose Tyler that the police box disguise of the TARDIS dated back to the 1950s. (TV: Rose ^[+]Loading...["Rose (TV story)"])

Winston Churchill was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the 1950s. (TV: The Idiot's Lantern ^[+]Loading...["The Idiot's Lantern (TV story)"])

2024 native Ruby Sunday believed that London had gotten rid of its smog in the 1950s, though the Fifteenth Doctor noted that there would be a "really bad smog" in December 1962. (TV: The Devil's Chord ^[+]Loading...["The Devil's Chord (TV story)"])

A secret bunker was built under Whitehall. (TV: Invasion of the Dinosaurs ^[+]Loading...["Invasion of the Dinosaurs (TV story)"])

In the second half of the decade, the British government created Department C19. (PROSE: The Scales of Injustice ^[+]Loading...["The Scales of Injustice (novel)"])

Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart joined the Scots Guards and was stationed for a time at Aldgate. (TV: The Web of Fear ^[+]Loading...["The Web of Fear (TV story)"], The Green Death ^[+]Loading...["The Green Death (TV story)"])

Two chapters of The True History of Planets were published as short stories in magazines. (PROSE: Mad Dogs and Englishmen ^[+]Loading...["Mad Dogs and Englishmen (novel)"])

Umbreen continued to live in Lahore during this decade. (TV: Demons of the Punjab ^[+]Loading...["Demons of the Punjab (TV story)"])

George Woods worked in the field of radar development in the 1950s and 60s. (TV: Lost in Time ^[+]Loading...["Lost in Time (TV story)"])

Undated events

A race of anemon changelings tried to take over London, by creating duplicates of people and infiltrating amongst the human race. Their attempt was thwarted by the First Doctor, Steven Taylor and Sara Kingdom with the help of a Jamaican immigrant, Michael Newman. (AUDIO: An Ordinary Life ^[+]Loading...["An Ordinary Life (audio story)"])

The Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones visited Los Angeles in the 1950s, foiling a Dominator plot before Adam Mitchell abducted Martha as part of his revenge. (COMIC: Quiet on the Set ^[+]Loading...["Quiet on the Set (comic story)"])

Behind the scenes

• The first airing of the Quatermass serials, which would have a tremendous influence on Doctor Who, occurred.