Season 25 of Doctor Who ran between 5 October 1988 and 4 January 1989. It starred Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor and Sophie Aldred as Ace. The season opened with Remembrance of the Daleks and concluded with The Greatest Show in the Galaxy.
Overview
The season consisted of four serials and fourteen episodes. As the silver anniversary season, it included several stories noting the milestone: Remembrance of the Daleks, which featured the final "classic series" appearance of the Daleks and Davros and which was set near Coal Hill School, the location of the first episode, An Unearthly Child; and Silver Nemesis, the final classic series appearance of the Cybermen, which had its first episode broadcast on the actual 25th anniversary of the series. It also showed the lighter side of the Seventh Doctor's personality fade and be replaced by darker qualities. The Greatest Show in the Galaxy was also the last episode to have the Doctor dressed in bright colours.
Television stories
| # | Title | Writer | Episodes | Notes |
| 1 | Remembrance of the Daleks | Ben Aaronovitch | 4 | Final appearance of Davros and the Daleks in the classic series; first hint of the so-called "Cartmel Masterplan"; significant shift in Seventh Doctor's personality from comical to manipulative begins to manifest. |
| 2 | The Happiness Patrol | Graeme Curry | 3 | Parodises Thatcherism and then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. |
| 3 | Silver Nemesis | Kevin Clarke | 3 | 25th anniversary story. Final appearance of the original Cybermen in the classic series. |
| 4 | The Greatest Show in the Galaxy | Stephen Wyatt | 4 | Serial inspired by an idea of shooting a story in a tent outside after an asbestos scare at the BBC. |
Cast
Recurring
Guest
- Group Captain Gilmore - Simon Williams
- Professor Rachel Jensen - Pamela Salem
- Mike Smith - Dursley McLinden
- Allison Williams - Karen Gledhill
- Helen A - Sheila Hancock
- Joseph C - Ronald Fraser
- Daisy K - Georgina Hale
- Lady Peinforte - Fiona Walker
- Richard Maynarde - Gerard Murphy
- De Flores - Anton Diffring
- Chief Clown - Ian Reddington
Adaptations and merchandising
Home media
VHS
- Remembrance of the Daleks (part of the Dalek limited edition tin, later released as part of the Davros Collection) (1993/2001)
- The Happiness Patrol (1997)
- Silver Nemesis (available in extended version) (1993)
- The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (2000)
DVD
Serials of season 25 are still being released individually. The first serial was released in 2001.
| Serial name | Number and duration of episodes |
R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remembrance of the Daleks | 4 × 25 min. | 26 February 2001 | 13 May 2002 | 2 April 2002 |
| Remembrance of the Daleks – Special Edition Available individually or in The Complete Davros Collection box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1. |
4 × 25 min. | 26 November 2007 20 July 2009 |
6 February 2008 1 October 2009 |
2 March 2010 |
| The Happiness Patrol Only part of the Ace Adventures box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1. |
3 × 25 min. | 7 May 2012 | 7 June 2012 | 8 May 2012 |
| Silver Nemesis Only available as part of the Cybermen box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1. |
3 × 25 min. | 9 August 2010 | 7 October 2010 | 2 November 2010 |
| The Greatest Show in the Galaxy | 4 × 25 min. | 30 July 2012 | 16 August 2012 | 14 August 2012 |
Download/streaming availability
| Serial name | Amazon Video | iTunes |
|---|---|---|
| Remembrance of the Daleks (4 episodes) | ✓ | ✓ |
| The Happiness Patrol (3 episodes) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Silver Nemesis (3 episodes) | ✓ | ✓ |
| The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (4 episodes) |