2009

Doctor Who Universe

January

• 16 - Captain Jack is reunited with the Torchwood 3 team and re-unites with John Hart. (TW:Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) (Date: WEB:torchwood.co.uk)
• 23 - The Torchwood 3 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. (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, Harper continues to live past the standard 2.5 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)

March

• 02 - Dr. Owen Harper, who continues to have difficulty accepting his new undead existence, is relieved of his duties with Torchwood 3 (though he continues to help out as their new tea boy) as Martha Jones agrees to stay on as medical officer. Ultimately, 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 3 team investigate the Night Travellers. Events of TW:From Out of the Rain. (Date: WEB:torchwood.co.uk)

April

• 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).
• 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)
• 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 fatalties 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: NDA: Beautiful Chaos)

May

• 15 - 18 - the Mandragora Helix attempts a takeover of Earth through the MorganTech computer systems (NDA: Beautiful Chaos).

October

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

Unknown

• 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 and Owen Harper die during the events of (TW: "Exit Wounds"), some time prior to the Dalek invasion of earth.
• 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 3, 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)

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

January

• 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 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.
• 14 - Production begins on 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.
  • First issue of Doctor Who DVD Files, a fortnightly UK/Ireland-only magazine, is published, incorporating a DVD of the episodes Rose and 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 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 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 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 Planet of Fire was partially filmed in the Canary Islands in 1984.
• Late January - The weekly magazine Doctor Who Adventures publishes its 100th issue.
• 31 - Release of The Key 2 Time - The Judgement of Isskar.

February

• To tie in with its broadcasts of Torchwood Series 2, the digital channel Watch publishes an exclusive comic strip, The Return of the Vostok, on its website.
• 05 - The official trailer for Torchwood: Children of Earth is unveiled at the New York Comic Con and online.
• 12 - Release of The Nemonite Invasion, an original made-for-BBC Audio story read by Catherine Tate.
• 13 - The BBC reports that 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.
• 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 - Publication of The Whispering Gallery, a one-shot comic book by IDW Publishing.
• 26 - Publication of The Sontaran Games, the fourth Quick Reads novella. Beginning with this book, the BBC Tenth Doctor 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 - The Key 2 Time - The Destroyer of Delights 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

• 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.
• 13 - 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.
• 14 - Canadian premiere of 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.
• 30 - Scheduled release of The Key 2 Time - The Chaos Pool

April

• Scheduled release of The Magic Mousetrap
• Easter: Scheduled broadcast of Planet of the Dead, 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. (Exact date TBA) 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 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. Some media sources have suggested 11 April as the broadcast date; the BBC has yet to confirm.
• 16 - Scheduled publication of Judgement of the Judoon, Prisoner of the Daleks and The Slitheen Excursion. All three novels feature the Tenth Doctor without a companion, continuing the format established by The Eyeless. Notably, all three releases in this cycle (as well as the preceding Quick Reads release) feature returning monsters.
• 29 - Publication of Doctor Who: The Forgotten, a graphic novel-style release reprinting the The Forgotten story arc from IDW Publishing's Doctor Who comic book series.

Spring

• Production of the second, as-yet-untitled 2009 Doctor Who special is scheduled to begin, per a BBC announcement on 19 February.

May

• Scheduled release of Enemy of the Daleks.
• Scheduled publication of the Torchwood novels Bay of the Dead, The House That Jack Built, and Into the Silence.
• Scheduled publication of The Time Machination, a one-shot comic book by IDW Publishing, and reportedly the first comic in IDW's Doctor Who line to make reference to Torchwood.
• 07 - Production of the first season of the spinoff series K-9 is scheduled to be completed.[2]
• 29 - Scheduled publication of Doctor Who Classics Vol. 3, a graphic novel-style release reprinting issues of Doctor Who Classics by IDW Publishing.

Late spring

• Paul Magrs and Stuart Douglas have announced plans to launch a new series of books featuring Iris Wildthyme in the "late spring" of 2009, beginning with Iris Wildthyme and the Celestial Omnibius, possibly to be followed by a second 2009 release. Exact dates and author information TBA.

June

• Former Doctor Who executive producer Julie Gardner is scheduled to take her post at BBC Worldwide's Los Angeles branch.

Summer

• Series 3 of Torchwood is expected to air in the summer of 2009, "possibly late June or early July" according to BBC America president Gareth Ancier speaking after a Television Critics Association meeting in January (contradicting a report in Doctor Who Magazine #400 that said Spring 2009). According to Ancier, the plan as of January 2009 is for both BBC One and BBC America to air the series on the same day, the first time in franchise history such an international broadcast has coincided in this way. The third season will consist of a single five-episode story arc entitled Children of Earth.

July

• Big Finish marks the 10th anniversary of its line of Doctor Who audio productions.
• IDW Publishing is scheduled to launch Doctor Who Ongoing, a new comic series featuring the adventures of the Tenth Doctor.

September

• Scheduled publication of The Taking of Chelsea 426, The Krillitane Storm, and Autonomy. All novels feature the Tenth Doctor travelling on his own and, like previous BBC Tenth Doctor Adventures releases this year, feature the return of classic monsters. As of January 2009 it's not known yet whether these will be the final Tenth Doctor novels.
• Scheduled publication of The Dalek Project, the first graphic novel to be published by BBC Books.
• Scheduled publication of Doctor Who: The Ultimate Monster Guide.

Autumn

• A third season of The Sarah Jane Adventures is scheduled for broadcast in the autumn of 2009; titles and dates TBA.

October

• 17 - 30th anniversary of Doctor Who Magazine, the longest continually running publication of its type based upon an English-language TV series.

December

• 06 - 20th anniversary of the broadcast of Survival Episode 3, the final episode of the original 1963-1989 series.
• "Christmas/late 2009" - According to Russell T. Davies in SFX Magazine, the second of the 2009 Specials 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.[3]

Unannounced dates

• Production of the third and fourth specials will presumably occur in mid-2009, possibly dovetailing with the start of production on Series 5.
• Production of the 2010 series is expected to begin, with Steven Moffat as new head writer and Piers Wenger as new producer and Matt Smith in the role of the Eleventh Doctor.
• The first season of the Australian-made spinoff series K-9 is expected to air in that country sometime in the second half of 2009, likely carrying over into 2010.[4] Broadcast of the series in other countries has yet to be confirmed.

2008

21st century 2000s

2010