Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005): Difference between revisions

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: '' For the 1966-1967 season of the original series, see [[Season 4]].''
[[file:Doctor-who-logo-ten.jpg|center|250px]]{{big toc}}
[[file:Doctor-who-logo-ten.jpg|center|250px]]{{big toc}}
The '''2009 Specials''' (sometimes referred to by fans as 'Series 4b') were broadcast between the end of [[Series 4 (Doctor Who)|Series 4]] and the beginning of [[Series 5 (Doctor Who)|Series 5]]. The four specials were broadcast at various points in 2009 (though the final special was broadcast in 2010). Of the four specials, one aired at Easter 2009, followed by a second that aired in November, and a third one aired on Christmas 2009 with the final one airing on New Year's Day 2010. These four specials were overseen by [[Russell T Davies]] and [[Julie Gardner]], but traditional line producer, [[Phil Collinson]], did not return for them. All starred [[David Tennant]]. For the 2009 Specials, the Doctor was traveling alone, with each story featuring a one-off companion.
The term "'''''Doctor Who'' series 4'''" was one that had several different meanings, making a precise and universally-agreed definition difficult. It was nevertheless generally considered the "2008 series".


There had 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.{{fact}} However, these reports were 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.
From a production standpoint, the series began with ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]'', continued to ''[[Time Crash]]'', and concluded with ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]''. This view was amply supported by [[Russell T Davies]] in his memoir, ''[[The Writer's Tale]]'', and by production code and [[production block]] numbering.


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 readthrough, 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''.
However, subsequent home video releases suggested — by their very contents — that series could be considered as having begun with ''[[Time Crash]]'' and having ended with ''[[Journey's End]]''. Additionally, the BBC's official ''Doctor Who'' website blurred the marketing message by treating [[Christmas]] specials as independent of any series. Whatever one's perspective, though, there was universal agreement that the regular, weekly portion of series 4 began on [[5th April]] [[2008]] with the broadcast of ''[[Partners in Crime]]'' and continued through to the [[5th July]] [[2008]] broadcast of ''[[Journey's End]]''. 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)|series 1]] had done. The four principal producers — [[Phil Collinson]], [[Russell T Davies]], [[Julie Gardner]] and [[Susie Liggat]] —were all named nominees.
 
This series starred [[David Tennant]] as the [[Tenth Doctor]] and [[Catherine Tate]] as his companion, [[Donna Noble]]. 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]]. Peter Davison returned to the role of the [[Fifth Doctor]] for the Children in Need special [[Time Crash]].
 
==Major cast and characters==
[[David Tennant]] stayed on as the Tenth Doctor, and Catherine Tate reprised her role as Donna Noble, following her one off in the [[The Runaway Bride]].
 
This series featured several (former) companions returning; [[Freema Agyeman]], returned as [[Martha Jones]] for five episodes of the series, which began with ''[[The Sontaran Stratagem]]'' following her three episode spell with [[Torchwood]]. [[Jack Harkness]] crossed over from ''[[Torchwood]]'' for a second time later in the series. [[Billie Piper]] returned as [[Rose Tyler]] for a three episode stint starting with ''[[Turn Left]]'', all three returned in ''[[The Stolen Earth]]'' along with [[Elisabeth Sladen]] as [[Sarah Jane Smith]]. These were further joined by [[Noel Clarke]] as Mickey Smith and [[Camille Coduri]] as Jackie Tyler in ''[[Journey's End]]''.  
==Broadcast milestones==
Series 4 featured several milestones. It is the 30th ever broadcast season of Doctor Who, and features the 750th broadcast episode, which was ''[[The Stolen Earth]]'', the 50th new series episode, ''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp]]'', and the finale episodes ''The Stolen Earth'' and ''[[Journey's End]]'' 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]]'' (as opposed to the usual "Doctor-lite" episodes, ie. ''Love and Monsters ''and ''Blink''), although a Doctor-lite episode, ''[[Turn Left]]'' 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]]'', which would air as the 2008 Christmas special.
 
Series 4 marked the last full season to be produced by [[Russell T Davies]], [[Phil Collinson]] and [[Julie Gardner]]. Collinson left following ''Journey's End'', and Davies and Gardner announced they would depart following production of a series of specials planned for 2009 in lieu of a regular season. When the show resumed weekly broadcast in [[2010]], [[Steven Moffat]] became the head writer and show-runner. It also marked the last full season featuring [[David Tennant]] as [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]] as, in October 2008, he announced his intention to leave the role following the production of the 2009 specials; in January 2009 [[Matt Smith]] was announced as [[Eleventh Doctor|his successor]], with [[Karen Gillan]] appearing as his companion [[Amy Pond]].


==Television stories==
==Television stories==
===Specials===
[[file:Normal_S4Promos-0008.jpg|thumb|Promotional postcard for the series.]]
===Story arcs===
As with the preceding three seasons, Series 4 incorporated several ongoing [[story arc]]s which were resolved in the finale episodes. In Series 4 these threads included: Donna Noble's evolution, Rose Tyler's attempts to return to her original world and the Doctor, the disappearance of bees from planet Earth, recurring references to planets and moons disappearing, and the coming of "The Darkness", mainly represented by the attempts of the Daleks and Davros to wipe out all reality. Additionally, most episodes include a running gag: namely, that people keep mistaking the Doctor and Donna for a couple.  
===Mini-episode===
 
{| {{prettytable}}
|'''#''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Director''' || '''Notes'''
|-
|N/A ||''[[Time Crash]]''||[[Steven Moffat]]||[[Graeme Harper]]||Return of the Fifth Doctor
|}
 
===Christmas special===
 
{| {{prettytable}}
{| {{prettytable}}
|'''#''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Director''' || '''Notes'''
|'''#''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Director''' || '''Notes'''
|-
|-
|1 ||''[[Planet of the Dead (TV story)|Planet of the Dead]]''||[[Russell T Davies]] &<br>[[Gareth Roberts]]||[[James Strong]]||
|N/A ||''[[Voyage of the Damned]]''||[[Russell T Davies]]||[[James Strong]]||First appearance of Wilfred Mott
|}
 
===Regular series===
{| {{prettytable}}
|'''#''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Director''' || '''Notes'''
|-
|1 ||''[[Partners in Crime]]''||Russell T Davies||James Strong||Return of Donna Noble.
|-
|2 ||''[[The Fires of Pompeii]]''||[[James Moran]]||[[Colin Teague]]||
|-
|3 ||''[[Planet of the Ood]]''||[[Keith Temple]]||Graeme Harper||Reappearance of the Ood.
|-
|4 ||Pt. 1: ''[[The Sontaran Stratagem]]''<br>Pt. 2: ''[[The Poison Sky]]''||[[Helen Raynor]]||[[Douglas Mackinnon]]||Reintroduction of the Sontarans, return of Martha Jones and formal reintroduction of UNIT. Martha briefly rejoins TARDIS crew.
|-
|5 ||''[[The Doctor's Daughter]]''||[[Stephen Greenhorn]]||[[Alice Troughton]]||Martha Jones leaves the TARDIS once again.
|-
|6 ||''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp]]''||[[Gareth Roberts]]||Graeme Harper||
|-
|7 ||Pt. 1: ''[[Silence in the Library]]''<br>Pt. 2: ''[[Forest of the Dead]]''||[[Steven Moffat]]||[[Euros Lyn]]||First appearance of River Song.
|-
|-
|2 ||''[[The Waters of Mars]]''||[[Russell T Davies]] &<br>[[Phil Ford]]||[[Graeme Harper]]||
|8 ||''[[Midnight (TV story)|Midnight]]''||Russell T Davies||[[Alice Troughton]]||  
|-
|-
|3 ||''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', Part 1||[[Russell T Davies]]||[[Euros Lyn]]||Return of [[Donna Noble]], [[Wilfred Mott]], [[The Master (Harold Saxon)|the Master]], and [[Time Lord|the Time Lords]].
|9 ||''[[Turn Left]]''||Russell T Davies||Graeme Harper||Formal return of Rose Tyler.
|-
|-
|4 ||''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', Part 2||[[Russell T Davies]]||[[Euros Lyn]]||Last appearance of the [[Tenth Doctor]] and first appearance of the [[Eleventh]]. Reappearance of many of the Tenth Doctors companions.
|10 ||Pt. 1: ''[[The Stolen Earth]]''<br>Pt. 2: ''[[Journey's End]]''||Russell T Davies||Graeme Harper||Reintroduction of Davros. Return of Jack Harkness, Sarah Jane Smith, Mickey Smith, and Jackie Tyler. First direct crossover with ''Torchwood'' and ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' characters. Last regular appearances of Donna Noble and Wilfred Mott.
|}
|}


===Animated special===
===Mini-episode===


{| {{prettytable}}
{| {{prettytable}}
|'''#''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Director''' || '''Notes'''
|'''#''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Director''' || '''Notes'''
|-
|-
|NA ||''[[Dreamland (TV story)|Dreamland]]''||[[Phil Ford]]||[[Gary Russell]]||
|NA ||''[[Music of the Spheres]]''||Russell T Davies||Euros Lyn||Shown during the BBC Proms season
|}
|}


''Dreamland'' was a serialized 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. 
===Christmas episode #2===
 
{| {{prettytable}}
===Other productions===
|'''#''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Director''' || '''Notes'''
* David Tennant appeared as the Doctor in a two-part episode of ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' entitled ''[[The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith]]''. This is not considered one of the 2009 Specials.
|-
* A 3-minute ''Doctor Who'' skit featuring [[John Barrowman]] and with a cameo by [[David Tennant]], out of character, aired as part of the ''[[Tonight's the Night]]'' talent series.
|NA ||''[[The Next Doctor]]''||Russell T Davies||[[Andy Goddard]]||Return of the [[Cybermen (Pete's World)|Cybermen]].
* 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.
|}
 
===Disputed productions===
====The Next Doctor====
 
: ''Main article: [[The Next Doctor]]''
 
The status of the 2008 Christmas special ''[[The Next Doctor]]'' is a matter of debate. Officially, it has been called the 14th episode of Series 4. However as noted below, the fourth series numbering also applies to the specials. Conversely, ''The Next Doctor'' was produced during the same production block as Series 4, and also was produced differently than the specials, which were shot in high definition. It remains to be seen if over time ''The Next Doctor'' becomes accepted as one of the fourth season's episodes, as one of the 2009 specials, or as a complete standalone. BBC Video released it as part of the 2009 Specials box set on DVD and Blu-ray; as in the past, BBC Video's titling and programming has come to be considered definitive.
 
====Music of the Spheres====
 
: ''Main article: [[Music of the Spheres]]''


Produced at the end of production on Series 4, this mini-episode was produced as part of the ''Doctor Who at the Proms'' concert which was aired on radio in the summer of 2008, with the episode initially available visually online. It did not receive official TV broadcast until early 2009, ''after'' broadcast of ''The Next Doctor''. Like the Christmas special, its formal season placement is debated. Like ''The Next Doctor'', it was released by BBC Video in the 2009 Specials DVD box set.
:''From a production standpoint, the 2009 stories ''[[Planet of the Dead (TV story)|Planet of the Dead]]'', ''[[The Waters of Mars]]'', and ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'' were also a part of series 4. However this wikia's community has chosen to separate them into [[2009 Specials (Doctor Who)|their own article]].
 
===Soundtrack===
: ''Main article: [[Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack: Series 4 - The Specials]]''
 
Released on 4th October, 2010.


==Cast==
==Cast==
===Primary cast===
===Primary cast===
*[[Tenth Doctor]] - [[David Tennant]]
*[[The Doctor]] - [[David Tennant]]
===[[Companion|Secondary cast]]===
*[[Donna Noble]] - [[Catherine Tate]]
*[[Jackson Lake]] - [[David Morrissey]]
===Secondary cast===
*[[Christina de Souza|Lady Christina De Souza]] - [[Michelle Ryan]]
*[[Martha Jones]] - [[Freema Agyeman]]
*[[Adelaide Brooke]] - [[Lindsay Duncan]]
*[[Rose Tyler]] - [[Billie Piper]]
*[[Wilfred Mott]] - [[Bernard Cribbins]]
*[[Wilfred Mott]] - [[Bernard Cribbins]]
*[[The Master]] - [[John Simm]]
*[[Sylvia Noble]] - [[Jacqueline King]]
 
===Guest cast===
===Guest cast===
*[[Carmen (Planet of the Dead)|Carmen]] - [[Ellen Thomas]]
*[[Fifth Doctor]] - [[Peter Davison]]
*[[Barclay (Planet of the Dead) |Barclay]] - [[Daniel Kaluuya]]
*[[Astrid Peth]] - [[Kylie Minogue]]
*[[Nathan (Planet of the Dead) |Nathan]] - [[David Ames]]
*[[Miss Foster]] - [[Sarah Lancashire]]
*[[Erisa Magambo |Captain Erisa Magambo]] - [[Norma Dumezweni]]
*[[Caecilius]] - [[Peter Capaldi]]
*[[Malcolm Taylor (Planet of the Dead)|Professor Malcolm Taylor]] - [[Lee Evans]]
*[[Metella Caecilius Iucundus|Metella]] - [[Tracey Childs]]
*[[Andrew Stone]] - [[Alan Ruscoe]]
*[[Klineman Halpen|Mr Halpen]] - [[Tim McInnerny]]
*[[Ed Gold]] - [[Peter O'Brien]]
*[[General Staal]] - [[Christopher Ryan]]
*[[Mia Bennett]] - [[Gemma Chan]]
*[[Colonel Mace]] - [[Rupert Holliday-Evans]]
*[[Yuri Kerenski]] - [[Aleksander Mikic]]
*[[Jenny]]- [[Georgia Moffett]]
*[[Tarak Ital]] - [[Chook Sibtain]]
*[[Agatha Christie]] - [[Fenella Woolgar]]
*[[The Woman]] - [[Claire Bloom]]
*[[Clemency Eddison]] - [[Felicity Kendal]]
*[[Joshua Naismith]] - [[David Harewood]]
*[[Arnold Golightly]] - [[Tom Goodman-Hill]]
*[[Donna Noble]] - [[Catherine Tate]]
*[[River Song]] - [[Alex Kingston]]
*[[Sylvia Noble]] - [[Jacqueline King]]
*[[Moon]]- [[Colin Salmon]]
*[[Rassilon]] - [[Timothy Dalton]]
*[[Strackman Lux]] - [[Steve Pemberton]]
====Introducing====
*[[Sky Silvestry]] - [[Lesley Sharp]]
*[[Eleventh Doctor]] - [[Matt Smith]]
*[[Sanchez]] - [[Michael Brandon]]
*[[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
*[[Luke Smith]] - [[Tommy Knight]]
*[[Mr Smith]] - [[Alexander Armstrong]] (Voice)
*[[Jack Harkness]] - [[John Barrowman]]
*[[Gwen Cooper]] - [[Eve Myles]]
*[[Ianto Jones]] - [[Gareth David-Lloyd]]
*[[Harriet Jones]] - [[Penelope Wilton]]
*[[Davros]] - [[Julian Bleach]]
*[[Francine Jones]] - [[Adjoa Andoh]]
*[[Mickey Smith]] - [[Noel Clarke]]
*[[Jackie Tyler]] - [[Camille Coduri]]
*[[K9]] - [[John Leeson]] (Voice)
*[[Jackson Lake]] - [[David Morrissey]]
*[[Rosita Farisi]] - [[Velile Tshabalala]]
==Novels==
==Novels==
*[[The Eyeless]]
[[file:2_books.JPG|thumb|right|Two of the Series 4 Books]]
*[[Judgement of the Judoon]]
*[[Ghosts of India]]
*[[The Slitheen Excursion]]
*[[Shining Darkness]]
*[[Prisoner of the Daleks]]
*[[The Doctor Trap]]
*[[The Taking of Chelsea 426]]
*[[Beautiful Chaos]]
*[[The Krillitane Storm]]
*[[Autonomy]]
*[[Code of the Krillitanes]]
==Audiobooks==
==Audiobooks==
*[[The Rising Night]]
*[[Pest Control]]
*[[The Day of the Troll]]
*[[The Forever Trap]]
*[[The Last Voyage]]
*[[The Nemonite Invasion]]
*[[Dead Air]]
== Aliens and enemies ==
==Aliens and enemies==
{| width="100%" border="%"
*[[Stingray]]s
|
*[[Tritivore]]s
*[[Max Capricorn]]
*[[The Flood (The Waters of Mars)|The Flood]]
*[[Heavenly Host]]
*[[Dalek]]
*[[Bannakaffalatta]]
*[[The Master]]
*[[Cofelia|Matron Cofelia]]
*[[The Master Race]]
*[[Adipose]]
*[[Time Lord]]s
*[[Lucius Petrus Dextrus]]
*[[Rassilon]]
*[[Pyrovile]]
*[[Vinvocci]]
*[[Joshua Naismith]]
*[[Abigail Naismith]]
*[[Ood]]
*[[Ood]]
*[[Ood Elder]]
*[[Klineman Halpen]]
*[[Ood Sigma]]
*[[Staal]]
*[[Governor (The End of Time)|The Governor]]
*[[Luke Rattigan]]
*[[Trefusis]]
*[[Sontaran]]s
*[[Sontaran]]
*[[Cobb|General Cobb]]
*[[Judoon]]
*[[Hath]]
*[[Hath]]
*[[Sycorax]]
*[[Vespiform]]
*[[Adipose]]
*[[Vashta Nerada]]
*[[Slitheen]]
|
*[[Graske]]
*[[Node]]
*[[Viperox]]
*[[Midnight Entity]]
*[[Viperox Queen]]
*[[Sky Silvestry]]
*[[Azlok|Lord Azlok]]
*[[Time Beetle]]
*[[Gray alien]]s
*[[Fortune Teller]]
*[[Mister Dread]]
*[[Davros]]
*[[Alliance of Shades]]
*[[Dalek]]s
*[[Skorpius Fly|Skorpius flies]]
*[[Dalek Caan]]
*[[Cyber-Leader (Pete's World)|Cyber-Leader]]
*[[Cyberman (Pete's World)|Cybermen]]
*[[Mercy Hartigan]]
*[[Cybershade]]
*[[Cyber-King]]
|}
 
==Promotional trailers==
[[file:Series 4 promo trailer screenshot.jpg|thumb|Early Series 4 promo trailer]]
As with previous seasons, trailers 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 trailer 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. There is no scene like this in any of the episodes; the meaning of "he'll come back to save us" is unknown as there is no circumstance within Series 4 in which Donna would be in such a position to make such a remark.


==Footnotes==
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''.
{{reflist}}


==Awards==
*Winner, "Favorite Foreign Drama of the Year", [[2009]] [[Seoul International Drama Award]]s (shared with ''[[wikipedia:CSI: Crime Scene Investigation|CSI: Crime Scene Investigation]]'')
==External links==
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/ BBC website page for series 4]
{{DWTV}}
{{DWTV}}
{{2009 Specials aliens}}
{{series 4 aliens}}
[[Category:Doctor Who seasons]]
[[Category:Doctor Who seasons]]
[[Category:National Television Award winners]]

Revision as of 09:45, 11 August 2011

For the 1966-1967 season of the original series, see Season 4.
File:Doctor-who-logo-ten.jpg

The term "Doctor Who series 4" was one that had several different meanings, making a precise and universally-agreed definition difficult. It was nevertheless generally considered the "2008 series".

From a production standpoint, the series began with Voyage of the Damned, continued to Time Crash, and concluded with The End of Time. This view was amply supported by Russell T Davies in his memoir, The Writer's Tale, and by production code and production block numbering.

However, subsequent home video releases suggested — by their very contents — that series could be considered as having begun with Time Crash and having ended with Journey's End. Additionally, the BBC's official Doctor Who website blurred the marketing message by treating Christmas specials as independent of any series. Whatever one's perspective, though, there was universal agreement that the regular, weekly portion of series 4 began on 5th April 2008 with the broadcast of Partners in Crime and continued through to the 5th July 2008 broadcast of Journey's End. 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.

This series starred David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Catherine Tate as his companion, Donna Noble. 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. Peter Davison returned to the role of the Fifth Doctor for the Children in Need special Time Crash.

Major cast and characters

David Tennant stayed on as the Tenth Doctor, and Catherine Tate reprised her role as Donna Noble, following her one off in the The Runaway Bride.

This series featured several (former) companions returning; Freema Agyeman, returned as Martha Jones for five episodes of the series, which began with The Sontaran Stratagem following her three episode spell with Torchwood. Jack Harkness crossed over from Torchwood for a second time later in the series. Billie Piper returned as Rose Tyler for a three episode stint starting with Turn Left, all three returned in The Stolen Earth along with Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith. These were further joined by Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith and Camille Coduri as Jackie Tyler in Journey's End.  

Broadcast milestones

Series 4 featured several milestones. It is the 30th ever broadcast season of Doctor Who, and features the 750th broadcast episode, which was The Stolen Earth, the 50th new series episode, The Unicorn and the Wasp, and the finale episodes The Stolen Earth and Journey's End 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 (as opposed to the usual "Doctor-lite" episodes, ie. Love and Monsters and Blink), although a Doctor-lite episode, Turn Left 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, which would air as the 2008 Christmas special.

Series 4 marked the last full season to be produced by Russell T Davies, Phil Collinson and Julie Gardner. Collinson left following Journey's End, and Davies and Gardner announced they would depart following production of a series of specials planned for 2009 in lieu of a regular season. When the show resumed weekly broadcast in 2010, Steven Moffat became the head writer and show-runner. It also marked the last full season featuring David Tennant as the Doctor as, in October 2008, he announced his intention to leave the role following the production of the 2009 specials; in January 2009 Matt Smith was announced as his successor, with Karen Gillan appearing as his companion Amy Pond.

Television stories

Promotional postcard for the series.

Story arcs

As with the preceding three seasons, Series 4 incorporated several ongoing story arcs which were resolved in the finale episodes. In Series 4 these threads included: Donna Noble's evolution, Rose Tyler's attempts to return to her original world and the Doctor, the disappearance of bees from planet Earth, recurring references to planets and moons disappearing, and the coming of "The Darkness", mainly represented by the attempts of the Daleks and Davros to wipe out all reality. Additionally, most episodes include a running gag: namely, that people keep mistaking the Doctor and Donna for a couple.  

Mini-episode

# Title Writer Director Notes
N/A Time Crash Steven Moffat Graeme Harper Return of the Fifth Doctor

Christmas special

# Title Writer Director Notes
N/A Voyage of the Damned Russell T Davies James Strong First appearance of Wilfred Mott

Regular series

# Title Writer Director Notes
1 Partners in Crime Russell T Davies James Strong Return of Donna Noble.
2 The Fires of Pompeii James Moran Colin Teague
3 Planet of the Ood Keith Temple Graeme Harper Reappearance of the Ood.
4 Pt. 1: The Sontaran Stratagem
Pt. 2: The Poison Sky		 Helen Raynor Douglas Mackinnon Reintroduction of the Sontarans, return of Martha Jones and formal reintroduction of UNIT. Martha briefly rejoins TARDIS crew.
5 The Doctor's Daughter Stephen Greenhorn Alice Troughton Martha Jones leaves the TARDIS once again.
6 The Unicorn and the Wasp Gareth Roberts Graeme Harper
7 Pt. 1: Silence in the Library
Pt. 2: Forest of the Dead		 Steven Moffat Euros Lyn First appearance of River Song.
8 Midnight Russell T Davies Alice Troughton
9 Turn Left Russell T Davies Graeme Harper Formal return of Rose Tyler.
10 Pt. 1: The Stolen Earth
Pt. 2: Journey's End		 Russell T Davies Graeme Harper Reintroduction of Davros. Return of Jack Harkness, Sarah Jane Smith, Mickey Smith, and Jackie Tyler. First direct crossover with Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures characters. Last regular appearances of Donna Noble and Wilfred Mott.

Mini-episode

# Title Writer Director Notes
NA Music of the Spheres Russell T Davies Euros Lyn Shown during the BBC Proms season

Christmas episode #2

# Title Writer Director Notes
NA The Next Doctor Russell T Davies Andy Goddard Return of the Cybermen.
From a production standpoint, the 2009 stories Planet of the Dead, The Waters of Mars, and The End of Time were also a part of series 4. However this wikia's community has chosen to separate them into their own article.

Cast

Primary cast

Secondary cast

Guest cast

Novels

Two of the Series 4 Books

Audiobooks

Aliens and enemies

Promotional trailers

Early Series 4 promo trailer

As with previous seasons, trailers 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 trailer 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. There is no scene like this in any of the episodes; the meaning of "he'll come back to save us" is unknown as there is no circumstance within Series 4 in which Donna would be in such a position to make such a remark.

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.

Awards

External links

BBC website page for series 4

v • e
Doctor Who television stories
 
Seasons 1-4: William Hartnell
Season 1: 1963-1964
Season 2: 1964-1965
Season 3: 1965-1966
Season 4: 1966
 
Seasons 4-6: Patrick Troughton
Season 4: 1966-1967
Season 5: 1967-1968
Season 6: 1968-1969
 
Seasons 7-11: Jon Pertwee
Season 7: 1970
Season 8: 1971
Season 9: 1972
Season 10: 1972-1973
Season 11: 1973-1974
 
Seasons 12-18: Tom Baker
Season 12: 1974-1975
Season 13: 1975-1976
Season 14: 1976-1977
Season 15: 1977-1978
Season 16: 1978-1979
Season 17: 1979-1980
Season 18: 1980-1981
 
Seasons 19-21: Peter Davison
Season 19: 1982
Season 20: 1983
Children in Need 1983
Season 21: 1984
 
Seasons 21-23: Colin Baker
Season 21: 1984
Season 22: 1985
Season 23: 1986
 
Seasons 24-26: Sylvester McCoy
Season 24: 1987
Season 25: 1988-1989
Season 26: 1989
 
TV Movie & 2013 specials: Paul McGann
TV Movie: 1996
Specials: 2013
Minisodes
 
Series 1: Christopher Eccleston
Series 1: 2005
Regular episodes
 
Series 2-4: David Tennant
Series 2: 2005-2006
Minisode
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Series 3: 2006-2007
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Animated special
Series 4: 2007-2010
Minisode
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Minisodes
Animated special
Seasonal specials
 
Series 5-2013 specials: Matt Smith
Series 5: 2010
Regular episodes
Series 6: 2010-2011
Christmas Special
Minisodes
Regular episodes
(Part 1: Apr 2011)
Regular episodes
(Part 2: Aug 2011)
Minisode
Series 7: 2011-2013
Christmas Special
Minisodes
Regular episodes
(Part 1: 2012)
Minisode
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
(Part 2: 2013)
Specials: 2013
 
Series 8-10: Peter Capaldi
Series 8: 2014
Regular episodes
Series 9: 2014-2015
Christmas Special
Minisode
Regular episodes
Christmas Special
Series 10: 2016-2017
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Christmas Special
 
Series 11-13: Jodie Whittaker
Series 11: 2018-2019
Regular episodes
New Year Special
Series 12: 2020-2021
Regular episodes
New Year Special
Series 13: 2021
Minisodes
Regular episodes
Seasonal specials
 
60th Anniversary Specials: David Tennant
Specials: 2023
Minisodes
60th Anniversary Specials
 
Season 1 (2023)-present: Ncuti Gatwa
Season 1: 2023-2024
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
v • e
Aliens and Enemies of Series 4
Voyage of the Damned
Partners in Crime
The Fires of Pompeii
Planet of the Ood
The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky
The Doctor's Daughter
Hath (Hath Gable  • Hath Peck)  • Cobb
The Unicorn and the Wasp
Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead
Midnight
Turn Left
The Stolen Earth / Journey's End
Music of the Spheres
The Next Doctor
Planet of the Dead
The Waters of Mars
The End of Time
Dreamland
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