1990

Doctor Who universe

February

• 14 - On Owen Harper's tenth birthday, his mother declared that she did not have to like him, only love him. (TW: Adam)

Unknown date

• Child genius Luke Rattigan was born. (DW: The Sontaran Stratagem)

Behind the scenes

January

• DW: An Unearthly Child was first released on video in the UK.
• 14 - John Witty (the voice of the Computer in DW: The Seeds of Death) died in Bristol.
• 18 - DWN: Doctor Who - Planet of Giants was first published. With this release, all serials of the First Doctor era were now novelised.
• 20 - John Maxim, who played Frankenstein's Monster in DW: The Chase, as well as a Cyberman in DW: The Moonbase (under the name John Wills), died in Brighton.

February

• Target Books began republishing selected novelisations with new cover designs by Alister Pearson. Other than the covers, these reprints were identical to earlier editions. A number of the reprints were issued to coincide with video releases (which often used the same cover art) and rebroadcasts. The reissues were also in most cases retitled from their original publication, either with the "Doctor Who and the ..." title format being dropped, or the book's title being changed to reflect the original broadcast title. The first two novelisations republished in the new format were DWN: Doctor Who - The War Games and DWN: Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child.
• 15 - DWN: Doctor Who - The Happiness Patrol was first published.

March

• 15 - DWN: Doctor Who - The Space Pirates was first published. It was the final Target Books novelisation by Terrance Dicks.

April

• Brian Vaughan, who played Lt. Commander Watts in DW: The Sea Devils, died.
• 27 - Abslom Daak - Dalek Killer graphic novel was first published by Marvel Comics.

May

• Anthony Steven dies.
• 15 - Writer and director Peter Grimwade dies from leukemia.
• 16 - Thomas Sangster, who played Tim Latimer in DW: Human Nature / The Family of Blood, is born in South London.

June

• 15 - Leonard Sachs, who played Admiral Gaspard de Coligny in DW: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve and Lord President Borusa in DW: Arc of Infinity, dies in London.
• 21 - DWN: Doctor Who - Remembrance of the Daleks is first published.
• 23 - Frank Gatliff dies.

July

• REF: Encyclopedia of The Worlds of Doctor Who: L-R is first published. The series is abandoned after this release, and no paperback of this volume is issued.
• Pertwee in Person: Jon Pertwee Talks with David Banks is released on cassette by Silver Fist Productions.
• 12 - WHYY airs An Unearthly Child as the final PBS Doctor Who broadcast.
• 19 - TME: Doctor Who - Mission to Magnus first published. Third and final release in the "Missing Episodes" line, and the last "original" Doctor Who novel until the Virgin New Adventures line launches a year later.

August

• With no plans for a 27th season in sight, the BBC closes the Doctor Who Production Office.
• 2 - Edwin Richfield, who appeared as Captain John Hart in DW: The Sea Devils and Mestor in DW: The Twin Dilemma, dies from cancer in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, UK.
• 17 - Graham Williams, who produced Seasons 15-17 (1977-79) is killed in a shooting accident in Devon, England.

September

• 20 - DWN: Doctor Who - Ghost Light is first published.
  • Paperback edition of REF: Doctor Who: Cybermen is published; the new edition is expanded from the 1988 original.

October

• 18 - DWN: Doctor Who - Survival is first published, adapting the final serial of the original 1963-89 series.
• 24 - Christopher Eccleston makes his TV acting debut in the TV movie Blood Rights.
• Bernard Finch dies.

November

• 10 - Dudley Jones, who played John Dyson in DW: The Tenth Planet, dies.
• 15 - DWN: Doctor Who - The Curse of Fenric is first published.
• 21 - Search Out Space, an episode of Search Out Science in which Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred appear as the Seventh Doctor and Ace and John Leeson provides the voice of K9 Mark II, is first broadcast. Not generally considered part of continuity, this would be McCoy and Aldred's last official appearances as the Doctor and Ace until DW: Dimensions in Time in 1993.
• 23 - Mostyn Evans (Dai Evans in DW: The Green Death and the High Priest in DW: Death to the Daleks) dies.

December

• 28 - Edward Brayshaw, who played Léon Colbert in DW: The Reign of Terror and the War Chief in DW: The War Games, dies.

Unknown date

• DWN: An Unearthly Child published in Germany under the title Doctor Who und das Kind von den Sternen.
• Around the time of the BBC's announcement that no twenty-seventh season would be commissioned, Virgin Books, which has purchased Target Books, announces plans to launch a series of original novels continuing Doctor Who from the events of DW: Survival; the line is scheduled to launch in 1991. It is also announced that the traditional Target novelisation format would also come to an end in 1991, with all but a few stories left to be adapted.