2009

Events

January - March

• Dr. Owen Harper, who continues to have difficulty accepting his new undead existence, was relieved of his duties with Torchwood Three (though he continued to help out as their new tea boy) as Martha Jones agreed to stay on as medical officer. After a fruitless suicide attempt, Harper began to come to terms with his death and returns to active duty for a mission to retrieve an alien artefact from a dying millionaire, 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)
• Gwen Cooper and Rhys Williams are married, despite trouble with Nostrovites. (TW: Something Borrowed)
• The Torchwood Three team investigates the Night Travellers. (TW: From Out of the Rain)
• Gwen Cooper investigates the disappearance of Jonah Bevan and others who were lost through the Cardiff Rift and discovers Flat Holm Island. (TW: Adrift)

March

• Captain John Hart places bombs in an abandoned building where the Torchwood team, except for Gwen, were investigating. All four experience flashbacks after the detonation. (TW: Fragments)
• After regaining consciousness the Torchwood team try to stop John Hart. Later that night a series of alien attacks occur in Cardiff, including Weevils killing four senior Cardiff police officers, a Hoix let lose in a hospital where it was captured by Owen Harper, a group of men in cloaks haunt a building only to be shot dead by Toshiko Sato and Ianto Jones, and John Hart captures Jack Harkness and sets off several bombs in buildings across Cardiff. It was then revealed Jack's brother Gray was forcing John Hart to do his bidding. Gray unleashes all of the Weevils in the sewers on Cardiff, shoots Toshiko, who later died of her wounds, and Owen was disintegrated by nuclear radiation following the actions of Gray and John Hart, who helps Captain Jack stop Gray. (TW: Exit Wounds)

Spring, Prior to Easter

• Martha Jones calls in the surviving members of Torchwood Three for their help with an incident at CERN. (BBCR: Lost Souls)
• By this time, conspiracy theorists have begun noting the disappearance of bees from the planet Earth, which was also noted by Donna Noble. (DW: Partners in Crime, et al) It was later discovered 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 people's 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 was temporarily reunited with the Doctor and met Donna Noble for the first time. Donna also narrowly missed witnessing a brief transmission from Rose Tyler in the Doctor's 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 hospitable one for Sontaran offspring; numerous fatalities were reported worldwide before the Doctor disables the devices. Afterwards, the ATMOS devices were removed from the planet's vehicles. (DW: The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky)
• The Earth was 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 were taken to "the Crucible", the Dalek mothership, where they were killed in tests of the reality bomb. The current Prime Minister is shot down by Daleks. 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 was killed by the Daleks. Rose Tyler, meanwhile, contacts Donna Noble's family and was 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 this 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 were able to defeat the Daleks. Afterwards, the Doctor and his companions were 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 Three, and the Doctor returns Rose and Jackie Tyler to Pete's World, along with his clone. Donna Noble was 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)
  • At some point during these events, a young girl named Adelaide Brooke loses her family and encounters a Dalek that, for reasons unknown to her, chooses not to exterminate her. This event inspires her to become an astronaut, becoming a trailblazer for human exploration of space - in her case, establishing the first human base on Mars in 2058 and, in turn, inspiring generations of Brookes who further expand human reach into the stars. (DW: The Waters of Mars)
  • In the aftermath of the Medusa Cascade incident, the human race on Earth began coming to terms with the fact it was not alone in the universe. While many accept it, others experience crises of faith and a large number of people commit suicide. Brian Green becomes British Prime Minister sometime before September. (TW: Children of Earth: Day One)

Spring or Summer

• The last survivor of the ATMOS Sontaran invasion, Commander Kaagh, attempts to destroy Earth by commandeering the Tycho Project in Goblin's Copse, but is thwarted by Sarah Jane Smith and her team. Chrissie Jackson becomes aware of aliens. (SJA: The Last Sontaran, at least 6 weeks before other events in Series 2 of The Sarah Jane Adventures)

April

• 12: Easter. The 200 bus travelled through a wormhole, leaving several passengers, and the Doctor stranded on the desert planet of San Helios. (DW: Planet of the Dead)

May

• 12 - Adelaide Brooke's 10th birthday. (birthdate seen in DW: The Waters of Mars)
• 15 - 18 - the Mandragora Helix attempts a takeover of Earth through the MorganTech computer systems. (NSA: Beautiful Chaos)

Summer

• Maria and Alan Jackson move to America. (SJA: The Last Sontaran)
• Rani Chandra and her family move to Bannerman Road and Rani becomes involved in the fight against the Pied Piper, joining Sarah Jane Smith's team. (SJA: The Day of the Clown)
• Sarah Jane's team defeat the Ancient Lights and their spokesman Martin Trueman. (SJA: Secrets of the Stars)
• Rani Chandra discovers the Berserker Pendant and Clyde Langer's father Paul comes to visit him after walking out on his family years before. Paul pockets and is possessed by the pendant, but Sarah Jane and the team manage to bring him back to himself and Clyde throws the pendant into the sea. (SJA: Mark of the Berserker)
• The Trickster uses a time fissure to trick Sarah Jane into saving her parents' lives in 1951 and creating an alternate timeline where he has drained the life out of Earth and enslaved humanity. Sarah Jane and her young friends return to 2009 after her parents prevent this alternate timeline by sacrificing themselves in 1951. (SJA: The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith)
• Mrs Wormwood and Commander Kaagh, who have become allies in their respective exiles from the Bane and the Sontarans, return to Earth to resurrect Horath, the tyrant of the Dark Empire, and are defeated by Sarah Jane and her team. (SJA: Enemy of the Bane)

Summer - Fall

• A half-alien, half-human girl named Freda is sent back from the future to escape persecution and comes under the protection of Torchwood Three. (BBCR: Asylum)
• Torchwood Three discovers that Torchwood India still exists and that its members are preserving their own time in their headquarters by draining the life out of masses of innocent civilians, with plans to roll back time to Britain's Golden Age across the world. Torchwood Three defeats them and Torchwood India is frozen in time. (BBCR: Golden Age)
• Torchwood Three combats a mysterious force that puts people into coma-like trances after they answer the phone. (BBCR: The Dead Line)
• Rhys Williams' uncle Bryn dies and Torchwood Three investigates mysterious power cuts. (BBCR: The Devil and Miss Carew)
• Torchwood Three tracks a distress signal to the Mariana Trench. (BBCR: Submission)

September

Newspaper Ianto Jones picks up. Date reads: Wednesday September 2009 (TW: Children of Earth: Day Two)

• Over the course of five days, every child on Earth periodically stops in their tracks and begin reciting the same message (permutations of "We are coming"). Officially, Earth's governments claim it to be caused by a form of virus. Behind the scenes, the truth was this was a message from the 456, a race that had visited Earth in 1965 and negotiated the payment of 12 orphan children in exchange for the cure for a pandemic-level influenza virus. The 456 return to Earth and demand the payment of a significant percentage of Earth's children (for use in creating a narcotic). As part of a cover-up to divert blame away from the UK government, which brokered the original deal, the Torchwood 3 hub in Cardiff was destroyed and attempts were made to assassinate Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones. During the course of events, Thames House becomes the centre of 456-related negotiations, and at one point all occupants of the building were exposed to a deadly gas, killing all except for Mr. Dekker and Jack Harkness. Among those killed was Ianto Jones. Ultimately, through the efforts of Harkness - who was involved in the original 1965 deal - and the sacrifice of Harkness' grandson, the 456 were driven from Earth. Gwen Cooper and husband Rhys Williams learn that she was pregnant. The government of Prime Minister Brian Green was toppled soon afterwards (assumption). Stricken with guilt over the death of his grandson, Jack Harkness leaves Cardiff and spends the next few months wandering the Earth.
• (TW: Children of Earth Date based upon on-screen evidence, specifically a newspaper headline.)
• Sarah Jane, Luke, Clyde and Rani fight and kill a Raxacoricofallapatorian, while K9 defused a bomb. (SJA: The Nightmare Man)

October

• The Doctor and Martha Jones visit Blackwood Falls. (NSA: Forever Autumn)
• 17 - The alien Androvax crash-lands in Ealing, followed by the Judoon Tybo, which arrests him. (SJA: Prisoner of the Judoon)
• 24 - The alien Eve was living in a funfair in Danemouth, Sussex and, along with her adoptive father and close friend, (later husband and father to their hybrid child) take off in her Ship. (SJA: The Mad Woman in the Attic)
• 29 - Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith and Peter Dalton; eventually revealed as a plan of the Trickster and averted with help from the Tenth Doctor. (SJA: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith)

November

• 7 - Sarah Jane Smith defeats Erasmus Darkening. (SJA: The Eternity Trap)
• 12 - The Mona Lisa gets out of her painting in the National Gallery in London. (SJA: Mona Lisa's Revenge)
• 19 - The Slitheen and Slitheen-Blathereen family arrived on Earth, along with the Rakweed, which infects parts of Ealing (SJA: The Gift)
• 20 - The Rakweed infects parts of London including Ealing, Perivale and Chiswick. (SJA: The Gift)

December

• 24 - "Harold Saxon" was resurrected by Miss Trefusis and the new governer of Broadfell Prison on Christmas Eve. Lucy Saxon interfered with the resurrection, causing an explosion at the prison and killing everyone inside, except for the Master. (DW: The End of Time)
  • The White House announced that President Barack Obama will make a Christmas Day speech announcing new economic initiatives aimed at resolving the current worldwide economic crisis. (DW: The End of Time)
• 25 - The Master was captured by soldiers working for Joshua Naismith so that the Master can help him use the Immortality Gate. However, the Master betrays him and as Barack Obama gives a speech on the Recession, uses the Gate's abilities, intended to heal planets, to turn every single Human on Earth except for Wilfred Mott and Donna Noble into copies of the Master.

• 26 - During this time a diamond harvested on Gallifrey was sent through time and space and crashes to Earth where it was retrieved by the Master, who uses it to open a portal that briefly allows Rassilon and other Time Lords to escape the Last Great Time War before the Doctor and, ultimately, the Master, foil their plans. Before this occurs, however, Rassilon undoes the "cloning" of the Master, returning the human race to normal, though they were soon faced with the spectacle of a giant planet appearing in the sky on a collision course; but this, too, was soon undone. (DW: The End of Time)
  • A malfunction with the world's wi-fi systems was later blamed for causing mass hallucinations, a cover story concocted by Mr Smith. (DW: The End of Time, Part Two)
  • Shortly after, Luke Smith was nearly run over by a car on Bannerman Road, but was rescued by the Doctor. (DW: The End of Time, Part Two)

Dates Unknown

• Gareth, head the seismology unit of the UCMA taskforce, develops a system for accurately predicting earthquakes. Gareth's system would be credited for saving the human race several times. (DW: Doctor Who)
• Shreela Govindia died 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)

Alternate timelines

• The Year That Never Was: The Master rules Earth with an iron fist. During this time, the Doctor, physically aged, was kept captive aboard the UNIT airship the Valiant, along with Jack Harkness and most of Martha Jones' family. Meanwhile, Martha, following instruction given to her by the Doctor, spends the year travelling the world spreading stories and faith about the Doctor. Ultimately, the collected faith of the people of the world restores the Doctor, leading to the Master's defeat. Captain Jack destroys the Paradox machine, reversing time back to 2008. Afterwards, the Master was shot by his wife, Lucy Saxon, and, refusing to regenerate, apparently died. (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 unliveable with nuclear radiation, Great Britain had become a police state. Londoners lucky enough to have survived were subject to forced relocations; Donna Noble's family was 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)

Behind the scenes

January

• CC: The Transit of Venus and CC: The Prisoner's Dilemma were both first released.
• 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 DW: Music of the Spheres. An extended version of the broadcast, including the performance of "Song for Ten", was later made available for UK Digital viewers.
• 02 - Doctor Who fandom was caught by surprise when the BBC announced that the actor to play the Eleventh Doctor was to be announced in a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential the next day. (According to REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter, however, this had been scheduled for several weeks.)
• 03 - During a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential, the BBC announced that Matt Smith had been cast as the Eleventh Doctor.
• 04 - The announcement of Matt Smith as the new Doctor was front page news in many UK newspapers. Since these are Sunday publications, many received international distribution.
• 05 - DW: The Trial of a Time Lord was released to DVD in Region 4.
• 06 - John Scott Martin died.
  • DW: The War Machines and Four to Doomsday were released to DVD in Region 1.
• 08 - Audio adaptation of DWN: Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen was first released.
  • Word reaches the Doctor Who production team that a transportation mishap had resulted in the London double-decker bus being shipped to Dubai for use in location filming for DW: Planet of the Dead being heavily damaged. Russell T Davies convenes an emergency meeting do discuss how to proceed (ultimately the damage was written into the script). (REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter)
• 14 - Production began on DW: 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. Tennant jokingly introduces himself as Matt Smith at the read-through.
  • First issue of Doctor Who DVD Files, a fortnightly UK/Ireland-only magazine, was published, incorporating a DVD of the episodes DW: Rose and DW: 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.
• 19 - Filming began on DW: 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. Planet of the Dead was the first Doctor Who episode to be produced in high-definition. The first scenes shot were of Michelle Ryan's character robbing a museum. (REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter)
  • Concurrent with the start of production were rumours that Michelle Ryan and Lee Evans had been cast in the special. The rumours were later confirmed by the BBC, which releases publicity photographs of Ryan with David Tennant.
  • DW: The Next Doctor was released on DVD in the UK. The DVD also includes the 2008 Doctor Who at the Proms concert and the mini-episode DW: Music of the Spheres.
  • 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 DW: Planet of the Dead ("The Tennant Tapes 2"), which consists of scenes aboard a bus and around a tunnel in Cardiff.
• 26 - The DVD box set The E-Space Trilogy was released in the UK, including the episodes DW: Full Circle, State of Decay and Warriors' Gate.
  • Doctor Who Adventures publishes its 100th issue.
• 28 - Media in the UK and United Arab Emirates report on the damage to the double-decker bus earlier in the month prior to filming the Easter special DW: Planet of the Dead. The resulting BBC News report serves as confirmation to earlier rumours that Doctor Who was 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 DW: Planet of Fire was partially filmed in the Canary Islands in 1984.
• 29 - BBC Books launches the first in a planned series of 10 novellas forming a single story arc, The Darksmith Legacy, with the publication of TDL: The Dust of Ages and TDL: The Graves of Mordane.
  • John Barrowman's autobiography, Anything Goes, was published in paperback.
• 31 - BFA: The Key 2 Time - The Judgement of Isskar was first released, launching a story arc that was as sequel to the original Key to Time arc of Season 16.

February

• To tie in with its broadcasts of Torchwood Series 2, the digital channel Watch publishes an exclusive comic strip, WC: The Return of the Vostok, on its website.
• BFIW: Iris Wildthyme and the Sound of Fear was first released, relaunching Big Finish Productions' Iris Wildthyme audio drama series (last heard in 2005) starring Katy Manning.
• 05 - The official trailer for Torchwood: Children of Earth was unveiled at the New York Comic Con and online.
  • DW: Battlefield was released to DVD in Region 4.
• 10 - Cast and crew arrived in Dubai for filming scenes for DW: Planet of the Dead.
• 12 - BBCR: The Nemonite Invasion, an original made-for-BBC Audio story read by Catherine Tate, was first released.
• 13 - The BBC reports filming was 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.
• 18 - Cast read-through for the as yet untitled second 2009 special.
• 19 - The BBC announced that Lindsay Duncan had been cast as Adelaide, a character described as the companion of the Doctor's in the as-yet untitled second 2009 special.
• 23 - DW: The Rescue and The Romans were released in a 2-DVD set in the UK.
  • Shooting began for DW: The Waters of Mars (date per Russell T Davies' script).
• 25 - IDW: The Whispering Gallery, a one-shot comic book by IDW Publishing, was first published. This was the first of a series of single-issue stand-alones that IDW would publish during the year.
• 26 - NSA: The Sontaran Games, the fourth Quick Reads novella, was first published. Beginning with this book, the BBC New Series Adventures line began a series of novels featuring returning monsters and races from both the classic and revival series; this was slated to continue throughout 2009.
• 28 - BFA: The Key 2 Time - The Destroyer of Delights was first released.
• An online version of Doctor Who DVD Files was launched, allowing those who already own the DVDs, or who were 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

• CC: Resistance was first released.
• ST: Short Trips: Indefinable Magic was first published, which ultimately becomes the final collection of new material in this long-running short story series as the BBC does not renew Big Finish Productions' licence. As a result, following this publication there were no new officially licensed original literary stories being published featuring the first eight Doctors, for the time being.
• BFIW: Iris Wildthyme and the Land of Wonder was first released.
• The BBC series Tonight's the Night (hosted by John Barrowman) launches a contest for viewers to create their own Doctor Who monster. Following the 28 March deadline finalists will be chosen to take part in further competition on the series. The winner gets to appear in a specially written Doctor Who scene (which was similar to A Fix with Sontarans, as David Tennant appears as himself, and it also breaks the fourth wall).
• A trailer for the upcoming K9TV: K-9 spinoff series was unveiled at the MIPTV show in Cannes and was later posted online.
• 3 - The BBC announced that outgoing Doctor Who executive producer Julie Gardner would be joining the Los Angeles branch of BBC Worldwide in June 2009, serving as executive producer of American-market projects.
  • North American release of The Key to Time: Special Edition, a DVD collection of all stories from Season 16. This was the expanded set that was released in the UK in 2007 and replaces an earlier version of the box set that had been issued in 2002. Unlike the previous release, however, individual release of th six stories does not occur in Region 1.
• 5 - DW: The Next Doctor (including Music of the Spheres) was released to DVD in Region 4. Also released was The E-Space Trilogy box set featuring DW: Full Circle, State of Decay and Warriors' Gate.
• 12 - Audio adaptation of DWN: Doctor Who and the Cybermen was first released.
• 13 - SJA: 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 was 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. The SJA mini-adventure was originally given the title Funny for Money in pre-broadcast publicity, but so-writer Clayton Hickman later confirmed the official title on the Doctor Who Forum.
• 14 - Canadian premiere of DW: The Next Doctor. The cable network Space was 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.
• 16 - A quarter-century after their use was phaded out across the UK, Edinburgh's police department announced plans to reintroduce "TARDIS-style" police boxes.
  • DW: Attack of the Cybermen was released to DVD in the UK.
• Mid-March - For the fourth consecutive year, episodes of Doctor Who written by Steven Moffat were nominated for the annual Hugo Award: DW: Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead. Also nominated: Russell T Davies' episode DW: Turn Left (resulting in some controversy among fans who expected his DW: Midnight to be nominated. Competition for the award includes episodes of Battlestar Galactica and Lost; this year Doctor Who does not win, however, and the award goes to the made-for-Internet short film Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.
• 18 - In a speech to members of BAFTA, Russell T Davies reveals that production of Series 3 of The Sarah Jane Adventures had been impacted by BBC budget cuts and had nearly been cancelled on three occasions.
• 21 - A scene for DW: The End of Time Part Two was shot early in order to accommodate Jessica Hynes' schedule and allow her to appear in a cameo. (REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter)
• 25 - The final cast read-through of the David Tennant era (for both parts of DW: The End of Time) takes place.
• 26 - TDL: The Colour of Darkness and TDL: The Depths of Despair were first published.
• 30 - BFA: The Key 2 Time - The Chaos Pool was first released.
  • Filming began on David Tennant's final two episodes, DW: The End of Time (date per Russell T Davies' script).

April

• BFA: The Magic Mousetrap was first released. Beginning with this release, and continuing over 12 months, a serialized second feature, CC: The Three Companions was included.
• CC: The Magician's Oath was first released.
• IDW: Doctor Who: The Forgotten, a graphic novel-style release reprinting the IDW: The Forgotten story arc from IDW Publishing's Doctor Who comic book series, was first published.
• BFIW: The Two Irises was first released.
• In the weeks following its broadcast of DW: The Next Doctor, the Canadian television network Space confirmed that it had obtained the Canadian broadcast rights to the 2009 specials and Series 5, and announced it will air DW: Planet of the Dead in June. This ends speculation over the future of Doctor Who on the CBC, although it's not yet known whether the CBC or related networks will retain broadcast rights to the first four seasons. Up to at least the end of Series 4, the CBC had been a (sometimes-credited) co-producer of the series; presumably this announcement means that arrangement had ended.
• 01 - As an April Fool's joke, word circulates around the Doctor Who set that Michael Jackson was paying a visit. (REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter)
• 02 - DW: The Rescue and The Romans were released to DVD in Region 4 in a single set.
• 09 - Audio adaptation of DWN: Doctor Who and the Masque of Mandragora was first released.
• 10 - After a hiatus of 10 years, Red Dwarf, the BBC's other major science fiction series, returns to TV for a three-part miniseries, Back to Earth, with part 1 aired this date on the non-BBC cable network, Dave.
• 11 - DW: Planet of the Dead was first broadcast, 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. Co-written by Russell T Davies and Gareth Roberts, it was the first episode on which Davies shares writing credit, was the first episode of the revived series to credit two writers, and was the first story to credit two writers since 1993's DW: Dimensions in Time. It was also the first episode (as opposed to telemovie) of the series to be filmed in part outside Europe since 1984. The BBC did not officially announce the broadcast date until 1 April, leading to some erroneous reports that it would air on Easter Sunday itself, 12 April. The special, the first to be filmed in high-definition, was simulcast on BBC HD.
  • An installment of Doctor Who Confidential follows on BBC Three.
• 13 - BBC Video releases the DVD box set The Cybermen Collection in the UK. The set includes the previously released Tenth Doctor episodes DW: The Age of Steel, Rise of the Cybermen, Army of Ghosts, and Doomsday and was the first themed reissue collection involving the revived series.
• 16 - NSA: Judgement of the Judoon, NSA: Prisoner of the Daleks and NSA: The Slitheen Excursion were first published. All three novels feature the Tenth Doctor without a companion, continuing the format established by NSA: The Eyeless. Notably, all three releases in this cycle (as well as the preceding Quick Reads release) feature returning monsters.
• 17 - Big Finish Productions announced that it was ending its long-running Short Trips series of short story anthologies, due to the BBC not renewing its licence in this area.
  • Russell T Davies completes the script for the Tonight's the Night Doctor Who skit, which Davies describes as his last-ever Doctor Who script. (REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter)
• 20 - A mini-episode/skit featuring John Barrowman as Jack Harkness and a cameo by David Tennant, was filmed for Tonight's the Night. (REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter)
  • DW: Image of the Fendahl was released to DVD in the UK.
• 30 - TDL: The Vampire of Paris was first published.

May

• BFA: Enemy of the Daleks was first released.
• TWN: Bay of the Dead, TWN: The House That Jack Built, and TWN: Into the Silence were first published.
• CC: The Mahogany Murderers was first released. This was the first entry in The Companion Chronicles to not feature a Doctor; instead, it features the characters of Henry Gordon Jago and George Litefoot from DW: The Talons of Weng-Chiang.
• ST: Short Trips: Re:Collections, an anthology of previously published stories, was first published, bringing to a close Big Finish Productions' Short Trips line.
• BFIW: Iris Wildthyme and the Panda Invasion was first released.
• 05 - DW: Battlefield and The E-Space Trilogy box set (DW: Full Circle, State of Decay, Warriors' Gate) were released to DVD in North America/Region 1.
• 07 - Production of the first season of the spinoff series K9TV: K-9 was completed.
  • TWA: In the Shadows was first released.
  • DW: Attack of the Cybermen was released to DVD in Region 4.
• 08 - Official release of the film Star Trek, a new take on the classic series. Simon Pegg, who guest starred in DW: The Long Game and narrated Doctor Who Confidential, appears as Scotty in the highest-profile example to date of a Doctor Who actor crossing over into the Star Trek franchise. Deep Roy, an alumni of DW: The Talons of Weng-Chiang, shares several scenes with Pegg in a small role as Scotty's alien sidekick.
• 11 - DW: The Deadly Assassin was released to DVD in the UK.
• 12 - David Tennant and Matt Smith film the regeneration sequence for DW: The End of Time, Part Two; among those in attendance was Timothy Dalton. This was Smith's first performance on camera as the Eleventh Doctor. Russell T Davies meets Smith for the first time just prior to shooting. Steven Moffat oversees the filming of Smith's portion of the regeneration. According to Tennant, he leaves the studio before Smith films his segment, although a photograph of the two together was taken and REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter suggests he wasn't quite that rushed. (Doctor Who Confidential: Allon-sy!)
  • Proving some things just never change, a survey of parents of young children published in The Telegraph cites Doctor Who was a series blamed for giving children nightmares, with parents surveyed indicating they'd rather see it aired in post-watershed hours.
• 16 - David Tennant and Billie Piper film their reunion scene for DW: The End of Time. According to Doctor Who Magazine issue 417, Tennant begs onlookers not to reveal the dialogue spoken during the scene, but it shows up online within hours anyway.
• 20 - David Tennant films his final regular-series scenes as the Tenth Doctor for DW: The End of Time, Part Two. Tennant's final scene was a green-screen action shot of him falling through a glass ceiling (the regeneration having been shot earlier). Afterwards, he was called back on set for an emotional celebration (REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter, and Doctor Who Confidential: Allon-sy!).
  • IDW: The Time Machination, a one-shot comic book by IDW Publishing, was first published. This was the first comic in IDW's Doctor Who line to make reference to Torchwood.
  • Iris Wildthyme and the Celestial Omnibus published by Obverse Books and edited by Paul Magrs and Stuart Douglas, was first published. This was the first of a planned series of short story anthologies featuring the character of Iris Wildthyme.
• 21 - David Tennant films the 2009 BBC Christmas idents in London. These short promotional pieces will air during the 2009 Christmas season on BBC One and BBC America. Although Tennant identifies this as his final performance as the Doctor in his video diary, in fact he later films one last appearance for an episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures (see below).
• After 21st May - David Tennant films his final true performance as the Tenth Doctor for SJA: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith. According to an interview with Tennant published in Doctor Who Magazine issue 417, production occurs the week after he films his final scenes for Doctor Who proper.
• 23 - The John Barrowman-hosted talent series Tonight's the Night airs a specially written and filmed Doctor Who scene in which Barrowman, as Jack Harkness, encounters an alien (played by a contest winner) in the TARDIS. The scene was written by Russell T Davies and includes a cameo by David Tennant, out of character as himself. The scene breaks the fourth wall, showing the studio surrounding the TARDIS set, and the special also included a Doctor Who Confidential-style look behind the scenes of the filming.
• 26 - The BBC and Russell T Davies announce that David Tennant will appear as the Tenth Doctor in an upcoming two-part episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures.
• 28 - BBC America announced that it had obtained the US broadcast rights to the 2009 specials of Doctor Who. The series had previously aired on the Sci Fi Channel.
  • TDL: The Game of Death was first published.
• 29 - The BBC announced that Karen Gillan, who previously appeared in DW: The Fires of Pompeii, will co-star with Matt Smith as the new Doctor Who companion for Series 5.
  • Publication of IDW: Doctor Who Classics Vol. 3, a graphic novel-style release reprinting issues of IDW: Doctor Who Classics by IDW Publishing.

June

• CC: The Stealers from Saiph was first released.
• Former Doctor Who executive producer Julie Gardner was takes her post at BBC Worldwide's Los Angeles branch.
• The Canadian cable network Space officially confirms that it had obtained the broadcasting rights to Doctor Who from the CBC, and will air the remaining 2009 specials along with Series 5 in 2010; in addition, it will obtain Canadian broadcast rights to the first four seasons and the never-aired-in-Canada DW: Voyage of the Damned in the spring of 2010.
• David Tennant, fresh from concluding his final episodes as the Doctor, began filming a motion picture version of Hamlet, which was scheduled for broadcast on BBC Two in late 2009, on PBS in the US in 2010, and also was planned for limited theatrical release in the US in the fall of 2009.
• 02 - Shaun Lyon announced that the Outpost Gallifrey website, the Doctor Who News website, and the Doctor Who Forum will all close as of 31st July. A detailed reason for closing the sites was not provided.
• 04 - The complete Series 1 of The Sarah Jane Adventures was released to DVD in Region 4.
  • DW: Image of the Fendahl was released to DVD in Region 4.
• 07 - The Sunday Mirror includes a poster of the Doctor and a Dalek maze reprinted from Doctor Who Adventures.
• 09 - TWM: Torchwood: Rift War, an omnibus of the multi-part Rift War! comic strip from Torchwood Magazine, was first published by Titan Books. It was the first Torchwood graphic novel.
  • TWA: The Sin Eaters was first released.
• 10 - IDW: Autopia, a one-shot comic story, was first published.
• 12 - Preview showing of episode one of Torchwood: Children of Earth at the British Film Institute (BFI) in London.
• 13 - Beginning today and continuing for the next six Saturdays, special mini-editions of Doctor Who Adventures were included as giveaways in the Daily Mirror. These specials feature reprints from DWA.
• 16 - Michael Summerton died. He appeared in DW: The Daleks as one of the first Daleks to appear in Doctor Who.
• 17 - The UK tabloid The Sun publishes a leaked photograph of David Tennant and Timothy Dalton with Dalton in his Time Lord costume, spoiling what was intended to be a surprise reveal of the return of Gallifrey in DW: The End of Time. This provokes an angered response from Russell T Davies in his correspondence with Benjamin Cook. (REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter)
• 22 - DW: Delta and the Bannermen was released to DVD in the UK.
• 23 - BBC Radio 4 broadcasts On the Outside it Looked Like an Old Fashioned Police Box, a documentary on the history of the Target Books novelisations hosted by Mark Gatiss. The documentary was posted online for the following week.
• 25 - TDL: The Planet of Oblivion was first published.
• 27 - US broadcast debut of DW: The Next Doctor on the show's new US broadcaster, BBC America.
• 29 - DW: Planet of the Dead was released to DVD and Blu-Ray in the UK, becoming the first Doctor Who episode to be released in Blu-Ray.
• 30 - BFA: The Angel of Scutari was first released.
  • BFBS: Glory Days was first released, launching the 10th season of the Big Finish Bernice Summerfield Series.

July

• Big Finish Productions marks the 10th anniversary of its line of Doctor Who audio productions.
• IDW Publishing launches IDW: Doctor Who Ongoing, a new comic series featuring the adventures of the Tenth Doctor, beginning with a three-issue storyline entitled IDW: Silver Scream.
• Doctor Who Magazine #411 reports that John Leeson will reprise the role of K-9 for the upcoming K9TV: K-9 spin-off series.
• BFA: The Company of Friends was first released. This audio was notable for introducing the Doctor Who Magazine comic character Izzy Sinclair to the audio range, as well as revealing that Mary Shelley had once been a companion.
• BFA: Mission of the Viyrans, a single-episode story from 2007 that had previously been packaged with another story, BFA: The Mind's Eye, was made available for individual download.
• CC: The Drowned World was first released.
• 01 - BBCR: Asylum was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4, the first of a trilogy of Torchwood dramas featuring the TV cast aired in the days prior to TW: Children of Earth. The three plays were also made available for streaming listening worldwide (and for MP3 download within the UK) for one week after broadcast and were released on CD later in the year.
• 02 - BBCR: Golden Age was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
  • BBCR: The Rising Night was first released, read by Michelle Ryan.
  • Audio adaptation of DWN: Doctor Who - The Happiness Patrol was first released.
  • DW: The Deadly Assassin and Planet of the Dead were released to DVD in Region 4.
• 03 - BBCR: The Dead Line was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
• 06 - Torchwood: Children of Earth: Day One was first broadcast, launching Series 3 of Torchwood, which this year consists of a single five-episode arc airing over five consecutive nights. The show moves to BBC One.
  • UK DVD release of DW: The War Games. This release also includes the first BBC-sanctioned release of Devious, a fan-made Doctor Who story featuring the final performance of Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor. Although BBC Video had included the occasional fan-made production on DVDs previously (most notably in the The Beginning box set), this was the first time a major fan production had been included on an official BBC release. The DVD, however, includes only a 12-minute excerpt as the film had yet to be completed.
• 07 - Torchwood: Children of Earth: Day Two was first broadcast.
  • Release of the soundtrack album for Torchwood: Children of Earth.
  • DW: The Rescue and The Romans were issued as a two-DVD set in Region 1, along with DW: Attack of the Cybermen.
• 08 - Torchwood: Children of Earth: Day Three was first broadcast.
• 09 - Torchwood: Children of Earth: Day Four was first broadcast.
• 10 - Torchwood: Children of Earth: Day Five was first broadcast, concluding Series 3 and the Children of Earth arc.
• 11 - John Breslin (Capt. Jimmy Munro, DW: Spearhead from Space) died.
• 13 - Only three days after it was broadcast, BBC Video releases the Torchwood mini-series Children of Earth to DVD and Blu-Ray in the UK. This was the quickest Who franchise home video release to date.
• mid July - To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first Apollo moon landing, the BBC's official website, over the course of four days, uploads the exclusive Tenth Doctor short story WC: Blue Moon.
• 18 - The sixth and final special mini-edition of Doctor Who Adventures appears in the Daily Mirror.
• 20 - Production began on Series 5 of Doctor Who, with the BBC formally announcing the Doctor's new companion as Amy Pond and unveiling the first photographs of the Eleventh Doctor's costume and revised TARDIS exterior. Media coverage of the first day's filming also reveals that a major guest star from Series 4 will be returning. The episode filmed was later identified as DW: The Time of Angels.
  • DW: The new DVD edition of DW: Remembrance of the Daleks was released on its own in the UK, some 18 months after its original release as part of The Complete Davros Collection.
• 20-24 - Broadcasts of Torchwood: Children of Earth on both BBC America in the US and Space in Canada. As in the UK, the miniseries runs for five consecutive nights.
  • The broadcasts in Canada and the US were ratings successes. This, combined with the show's success in the UK, was the subject of media coverage and speculation that a fourth season of Torchwood was likely to be commissioned.
• 22 - IDW: Room with a Deja View, a standalone comic story, first published.
• 23 - According to media reports, John Barrowman was involved in an 80 mph race car crash while filming a segment of the series Fifth Gear. He escapes with minor injuries.Mail Online - Lucky escape for John Barrowman as he walks away from 80mph car crash on Fifth Gear The exact date of the accident was unclear, as only a couple of days after this date Barrowman attends the San Diego ComicCon.
• 24 - Harry Towb died. He appeared in DW: The Seeds of Death and DW: Terror of the Autons; in the latter, he experienced one of the most iconic of all Doctor Who deaths by being "eaten" by a living plastic chair.
• 25 - Broadcast of DW: Planet of the Dead on the Canadian network Space (originally announced for 20th June).
• 26 - Broadcast of DW: Planet of the Dead on BBC America.
  • Doctor Who was officially named the single most successful science fiction TV series by Guinness World Records. The honour was announced at the 2009 San Diego ComicCon.PopWatch|EW.com | 'Doctor Who' named 'most successful sci-fi series' by Guinness: Suck it, 'Star Trek'</ref> The same event also unveiled the first trailer for the David Tennant finale specials, confirming the return appearance of a longtime villain and indicating the title DW: The End of Time for the finale. The ComicCon marks Tennant's first appearance at such an event; he was accompanied by John Barrowman and Russell T Davies.
  • Prior to arriving at ComicCon, Tennant and Davies were interviewed on San Diego's CW affiliate. Many of the station's crewmembers were revealed to be fans.
• 28 - North American DVD and Blu-Ray releases of Torchwood: Children of Earth and DW: Planet of the Dead. Planet of the Dead was the first Doctor Who story to be released in the high-def Blu-Ray format.
• 30 - TDL: The Pictures of Emptiness was first published.
• 31 - BFBS: Absence was first released.
  • The Internet's largest Doctor Who discussion board, the Doctor Who Forum, along with the original Doctor Who News Page (formerly known as Outpost Gallifrey), closes. A replacement discussion board, Gallifrey Base, was established some weeks earlier (although the archives of the 13-year-old forum were deleted), while other parties have taken over the Doctor Who News Page.

August

• BFA: The Cannibalists was first released.
• CC: The Glorious Revolution was first released.
• REF: Bernice Summerfield: The Inside Story was first published; this was a Big Finish Productions-published history of the creation of the character.
• RP: Myth Makers: Telos Publishing first released by Reeltime Pictures.
• Unknown date - Alan Chuntz (The chauffeur in DW: The Seeds of Doom and a member of the HAVOC stunt team featured on the show between the 1960s and 1980s), died at age 81.
• 06 - Doctor Who The Official Annual 2010 was first published.
  • Audio adaptation of DWN: Doctor Who - The Mind Robber was first released.
  • The DVD box set The Cybermen Collection was released in Region 4. The set includes the previously released Tenth Doctor episodes DW: The Age of Steel, Rise of the Cybermen, Army of Ghosts, and Doomsday. Also released in region 4: DW: Delta and the Bannermen.
• 09 - Steven Moffat's winning streak at the Hugo Awards ends when DW: Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead was defeated by a Joss Whedon production, Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog, in the Dramatic Presentation - Short Form category, which Moffat and Doctor Who had dominated since 2006. An examination of the voting results show only about 100 votes separated Moffat from first place in the final tally. DW: Turn Left by Russell T Davies had also been nominated for the award this year. As Moffat had not written any of the 2009 specials, the earliest he'll be eligible again for a Hugo was in 2011.
• 10 - UK DVD release of the Black Guardian Trilogy box set consisting of DW: Mawdryn Undead, DW: Terminus and DW: Enlightenment.
• 19 - CC: The Mists of Time, a Big Finish Productions audio drama and part of The Companion Chronicles, was made available for download exclusively through Doctor Who Magazine #411. The download offer expires in October.
• 20 - Broadcast of The Doctor, the first episode of the three-part documentary series, Doctor Who's Greatest Moments on BBC Three. It follows a rebroadcast of DW: The Runaway Bride and scores 400,000 viewers.
• 25 - The Doctor was named Best Alien in online Best Television Characters of the 2000s poll conducted by Zap2It, an entertainment website affiliated with the Los Angeles Times. The Doctor also received a strong write-in presence in the Best Doctor category (but was disqualified as he isn't considered a medical doctor), while The Master received write-in votes for Best Villain.
• 26 - IDW: Cold Blooded War!, a standalone comic, was first published.
  • Big Finish Productions announced that Frazer Hines will be returning to the role of Jamie McCrimmon for an upcoming series of audios in which Jamie serves as companion to the Sixth Doctor..
• 27 - TDL: The Art of War was first published.
  • Doctor Who's Greatest Moments: The Companions airs on BBC Three. Only 290,000 viewers this week, a drop from the first episode.
• 30 - Farewell Great Macedon was first published by Nothing at the End of the Lane. This book collects two unproduced First Doctor scripts by Moris Farhi - Farewell Great Macedon, which had been commissioned by David Whitaker, and a single-episode story, The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance, written as a "tester" script by Farhi.
• 31 - BFA: Patient Zero was first released.
  • BFBS: Venus Mantrap was first released.

September

• BFA: Paper Cuts was first released.
• BFA: The Eight Truths was first released.
• CC: The Prisoner of Peladon was first released.
• 01 - DW: Image of the Fendahl, The Deadly Assassin and Delta and the Bannermen were released to DVD in Region 1.
• 03 - BBCR: The Stuff of Nightmares, an audio adventure from BBC Audio, and Part 1 of the BBCR: Hornets' Nest story arc, was first released. The adventure features Tom Baker providing the voice of the Fourth Doctor; his first new performance in the role since 1993. Richard Franklin reprises his 1970s role of Mike Yates. To be followed by four more chapters over the next few months.
  • NSA: The Taking of Chelsea 426, NSA: The Krillitane Storm, and NSA: Autonomy were first published. All novels feature the Tenth Doctor travelling on his own and, like previous BBC New Series Adventures releases this year, feature the return of classic monsters. These were the final full-length novels to feature the Tenth Doctor.
  • Doctor Who's Greatest Moments: The Enemies airs on BBC Three, concluding the trilogy of documentaries.
  • Audio book version of NSA: Prisoner of the Daleks was first released.
  • The Doctor Who Stories was first published by BBC Children's Books; this was an omnibus containing stories from the Doctor Who Files magazine, plus a previously unpublished story, Speech Day.
  • The War Games (including excerpts from the fan film Devious) was released to DVD in Region 4.
• 04 - Iain Cuthbertson (Garron in DW: The Ribos Operation) died at the age of 79.
• 05 - Final e-mail exchange between Russell T Davies and Benjamin Cook to be included in Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter.
• 07 - UK DVD release of DW: The Twin Dilemma. With this release, the Sixth Doctor era becomes the first classic series era to be completely released to DVD.
• 08 - Ray Barrett (Bennett in DW: The Rescue), died of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 82.
• 14 - Publication of First Generation, the autobiography of Mary Tamm. Colin Baker writes the foreword. The book was available in a standard paperback edition and a limited-edition hardcover (200 copies) signed by Tamm.
• 15 - North American DVD release of DW: The Next Doctor. Like the UK version of the release, the 2008 Doctor Who at the Proms concert special was included as a bonus feature, along with the mini-episode DW: Music of the Spheres which had never been broadcast in North America.
  • Timothy Bateson (Binro in DW: The Ribos Operation) died.
• 19 - Doctor Who receives the first Television category award at the British Fantasy Awards.
• 21 - John Barrowman publishes his second autobiography, I Am What I Am. This second volume of memoirs covers his years working on Doctor Who and Torchwood.
  • DW: The Keys of Marinus was released to DVD in the UK.
• 24 - TDL: The End of Time, the final book in the BBC Books miniseries The Darksmith Legacy, was first published. The book coincidentally shares its title with the final David Tennant special.
  • REF: The Ultimate Monster Guide was first published.
  • IDW: Black Death White Life, a standalone comic, was published.
• Late September - Three Torchwood audio dramas aired on BBC Radio 4 in July: BBCR: Asylum, Golden Age and The Dead Line, were released to CD in a 3-disc box set, The Radio Adventures.
  • Doctor Who Magazine announced the results of its "The Mighty 200" reader's poll in DWM 413. DW: The Caves of Androzani was voted the reader's favourite story of all time (with DW: Blink at #2), while DW: The Twin Dilemma was voted least favourite.
• 30 - BFA: Blue Forgotten Planet was first released. This appears to the the final appearance (for now) of India Fisher as Charley Pollard.
  • BFBS: Secret Origins was first released.

October

• BFA: Castle of Fear was first released.
• CC: The Pyralis Effect was first released.
• SFX Magazine #188 comes with a Doctor Who - Tom Baker Sampler CD, including excerpts from BBCR: Hornets' Nest, Doctor Who and the Pescatons, several Target novelisations read by Baker, and archival interviews from the Doctor Who at the BBC series.
• REF: Howe's Transcendental Toybox Update No. 3 was first published.
• REF: Doctor Who: Guide to Alien Armies was first published.
• The Doctor Who Files Collector's Edition was first published.
• 01 - TWN: The Undertaker's Gift, TWN: Risk Assessment and TWN: Consequences were first published.
  • REF: Torchwood: The Encyclopedia was first published.
  • TW: Children of Earth and the new edition of DW: Remembrance of the Daleks was released to DVD in Region 4.
• 02 - The complete Series 2 of Torchwood was released to DVD in Region 4.
• 05 - With several episodes already under their belts, Matt Smith and Karen Gillan begin filming the first episode of Series 5 in Llandaff, Wales. Subsequent media coverage of the filming begin to reveal details regarding the new season, ranging from Amy Pond's apparent profession to glimpses of the redesigned TARDIS interior.
  • The Dalek War DVD box set was released in the UK, comprising the connected storylines DW: Frontier in Space and Planet of the Daleks.
  • Silva Screen Records releases a CD containing soundtrack music from Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D..
  • David Tennant: A Life in Time and Space, was published in paperback.
• 06 - The BBC unveils a new Doctor Who logo for Series 5.
  • Blue Peter launches a contest calling on viewers to design a TARDIS console that apparently will be used in an upcoming episode of Doctor Who.
• 08 - BBCR: The Dead Shoes, part 2 of the BBCR: Hornets' Nest arc starring Tom Baker, was first released.
  • BBCR: Day of the Troll was first released.
  • SJAA: The Shadow People and SJAA: The White Wolf were first released.
  • NSA: The Dalek Project, the first Doctor Who graphic novel commissioned by and published by BBC Books, was scheduled for publication this date , but it appears to have not been released.
• 09 - Barry Letts died.
• 14 - Expiry date for the download offer included in Doctor Who Magazine issue 411 that allowed readers to download an exclusive Big Finish Productions audio drama, CC: The Mists of Time.
• 15 - SJA: Prisoner of the Judoon Part 1 was first broadcast, launching the third season of The Sarah Jane Adventures on CBBC. This season two episodes will air per week.
• 16 - SJA: Prisoner of the Judoon Part 2 was first broadcast.
  • Tom Baker reads Barry Letts' obituary on the BBC Radio 4 programme The Last Word.
• 17 - 30th anniversary of Doctor Who Magazine, the longest continually running publication of its type based upon an English-language TV series.
• 19 - BBC Video releases its second themed box set reissuing related episodes of the revived series: The Dalek Collection. Episodes included: DW: Dalek, Bad Wolf, The Parting of the Ways, Daleks in Manhattan, Evolution of the Daleks, The Stolen Earth, and Journey's End.
• 21 - Chris D'Oyly-John died. John was a longtime production unit manager, production assistant, and assistant floor manager during the classic series.
• 22 - SJA: The Mad Woman in the Attic Part 1 was first broadcast.
• 23 - SJA: The Mad Woman in the Attic Part 2 was first broadcast.
• 25 - David Tennant began his first post-Doctor Who television job, and his first American TV assignment, as host of Masterpiece Contemporary on PBS.
• 26 - The first 4 seasons of the revived Doctor Who were released in the UK in a single 23-disc DVD box set edition, as were the first 3 seasons of Torchwood in a 14-disc box set.
• 27 - The first 4 seasons of the revived Doctor Who were released in Region 1 (North America) in a single 23-disc DVD box set edition. (No such Region 1 release occurs for Torchwood, however.)
• 29 - SJA: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith Part 1 was first broadcast, featuring a guest appearance by David Tennant as the Doctor, the first time the Doctor had appeared in one of the spin-off series. The episode scores the series' highest-ever ratings.
  • Elisabeth Sladen and Russell T Davies appear on BBC Breakfast to promote that night's episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures. The studio used for BBC Breakfast was the same one where Sladen filmed Doctor Who in the mid-1970s.
• 30 - SJA: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith Part 2 was first broadcast, once again featuring David Tennant.
  • Press preview for DW: The Waters of Mars.
  • David Tennant appears on GMTV during which he announced the airdate for DW: The Waters of Mars.
  • 75th anniversary of Maida Vale studio, where the BBC Radiophonic Workshop recorded the Doctor Who theme among other works.
• 31 - The first episode of the spin-off series K-9, K9TV: Regeneration, debuts in the UK on the Disney XD channel. This will be a special, to be followed by the remainder of the series in 2010.

November

• BFA: The Eternal Summer was first released.
• BFIW: The Claws of Santa was first released.
• CC: Ringpullworld was first released.
• BBC America's upcoming broadcasts of the final David Tennant specials receive major promotion in full-page ads in American comic books issued this month, including those published by DC Comics.
• 02 - NBC announced that David Tennant will film a pilot for a proposed new series, Rex was Not Your Lawyer. Tennant becomes the first Doctor actor to be signed to lead an American TV series.
• 03 - North American DVD release of DW: The War Games (including footage from the fan-film Devious) and the Black Guardian Trilogy box set consisting of DW: Mawdryn Undead, DW: Terminus and DW: Enlightenment.
• 05 - SJA: The Eternity Trap Part 1 was first broadcast
  • BBCR: The Circus of Doom from BBC Audio, part 2 of the BBCR: Hornets' Nest arc starring Tom Baker, was first released.
  • SJAN: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith was first published.
  • The audio adaptation of DWN: Doctor Who and the Dalek Invasion of Earth was first released.
  • The DVD Box set The Black Guardian Trilogy featuring DW: Mawdryn Undead, Terminus and Enlightenment was released to Region 4.
• 06 - SJA: The Eternity Trap Part 2 was first broadcast.
• 08 - The Doctor Who Museum at Blackpool closes after five years of operation.
  • The death of Alan Chuntz, a frequent stuntman on Doctor Who, was announced.
• 09 - UK DVD release of The Sarah Jane Adventures series 2.
  • Barry Letts' autobiography, Who and Me was first published.
• 10 - North American DVD release of The Sarah Jane Adventures series 2.
  • The UK version of the MSN Video website began featuring classic series episodes, which will be uploaded for viewing on Tuesdays and Fridays as of this date. The first story to be featured was DW: The Web Planet.
• 11 - Fantasy legend Michael Moorcock announced that he will be writing Doctor Who novel for publication by the end of 2010.
• 12 - SJA: Mona Lisa's Revenge Part 1 was first broadcast.
• 13 - SJA: Mona Lisa's Revenge Part 2 was first broadcast.
• 15 - DW: The Waters of Mars was first broadcast, the second of the gap year specials. An edition of Doctor Who Confidential follows.
  • BBC Worldwide releases several classic series stories to YouTube, for viewing outside of the United Kingdom (as the files include advertising).
• 16 - UK release of the Key to Time: The Complete Adventure DVD box set, months after its North American release. This set had actually been previously issued in the UK in 2007, but in a limited edition; this was its first wide release in Region 2.
• 19 - SJA: The Gift Part 1 was first broadcast.
• 20 - SJA: The Gift Part 2 was first broadcast, concluding the third season of The Sarah Jane Adventures.
  • The annual Children in Need appeal on BBC One includes a preview of DW: The End of Time.
• 21 - DW: Dreamland Part 1 was released on the BBC Red Button service, as well as other UK-based satellite networks. It was also available (for UK users only) on the BBC's Doctor Who website.
  • Michael Moorcock writes an article in The Guardian about Doctor Who, for which he will be writing a novel.
• 22 - DW: Dreamland Part 2 was released.
• 23 - DW: Dreamland Part 3 was released.
• 24 - DW: Dreamland Part 4 was released.
• 25 - DW: Dreamland Part 5 was released.
• 26 - DW: Dreamland Part 6 was released, concluding the animated serial.
• 29 - New Zealand broadcast of DW: The Waters of Mars on Prime.
  • Bernard Cribbins receives a special BAFTA award for his six-decade career in film and TV.
• 30 - BFA: The Nightmare Fair was released, launching a new spin-off series of Big Finish Productions audio dramas entitled The Lost Stories adapting scripts planned for the TV series, but never produced, in this case DW: The Nightmare Fair. This was actually the second audio adaptation of The Nightmare Fair following an earlier, unofficial production mounted for charity.
  • The UK Royal Mint announced the release of a series of commemorative medals honouring Doctor Who. This was the first time a TV series had been featured on Mint-produced coins. The coins feature David Tennant, the the Doctor's TARDIS, Daleks and other characters.
• Late November - Filming for Series 5 of Doctor Who takes place in Croatia.
  • The December issue of the UK edition of Reader's Digest was published, featuring a cover story on Doctor Who.

December

• BFA: Plague of the Daleks was first released.
• BFBS: Secret Histories was first published.
• A revised and updated edition of Hines Sight, the autobiography of Frazer Hines first issued in 1996, was published.
• The BBC releases a series of short promo videos, or "idents" featuring David Tennant as the Doctor, for broadcast during the Christmas season. Four spots were created: a 30-second-long mini-story in which the Doctor turns the TARDIS into a sleigh with the help of some flying reindeer, and three five-second-long "stings", one featuring Tennant digging the TARDIS out of a snowdrift, and two featuring a reindeer wandering around the outside of the TARDIS. A modified vresion of the main 30-second ident also airs in the US on BBC America.
• 01 - The 2009 Doctor Who Adventure Calendar was launched on the BBC's Doctor Who website. As with previous advent calendars, each day through the month a different special feature was uploaded, ranging from exclusive video to fiction. This year the calendar will feature two original short stories and an original mini-episode.
• 02 - IDW: Through Time and Space was published in North America. This was a graphic novel omnibus of the one-shot comics published by IDW Publishing throughout 2009.
• 03 - The final two chapters of the BBCR: Hornets' Nest audio drama arc from BBC Audio were first released: BBCR: A Sting in the Tail and BBCR: Hive of Horror, both starring Tom Baker and Richard Franklin.
  • Richard Todd (Sanders in DW: Kinda) died.
  • The first 4 seasons of Doctor Who were released to Region 4 in a single 23-DVD collection. DW: The Twin Dilemma was also released in Region 4.
• 05 - DW: Dreamland was broadcast in its entirety on BBC Two.
  • The Dalek Collection, a DVD compilation including DW: Dalek, Bad Wolf, The Parting of the Ways, Daleks in Manhattan, Evolution of the Daleks, The Stolen Earth, and Journey's End, was released in Region 4.
• 06 - 20th anniversary of the broadcast of DW: Survival Episode 3, the final episode of the original 1963-1989 series.
  • Part One of WC: The Advent of Fear, a two-part online short story, was published as part of the BBC's Doctor Who Adventure Calendar.
  • DW: The Waters of Mars was broadcast on ABC1 in Australia.
• 08 - The London events listings magazine Time Out publishes a special Doctor Who-themed issue with 10 variant cover photos -- one for every Doctor.
• 10 - Part Two of WC: The Advent of Fear, an exclusive-to-Internet short story, appears on the BBC's Doctor Who Adventure Calendar.
• 12 - The Panda Book of Horror, an Iris Wildthyme short story collection, was first published.
  • Broadcast of the BBC Radio 4 documentary Shelved, which looks at the cancellation of the Tom Baker story DW: Shada, among others. The special includes "a key revelation" about Doctor Who discovered in documentation from the era.
  • BBC Radio 7 rebroadcasts An Hour with Jon Pertwee, a one-man show recorded by the one-time Doctor actor.
  • Rebroadcast of DW: Dreamland on CBBC.
  • Doctor Who Magazine #416 was published, marking the publication's final use of the Doctor Who logo introduced in 2005. One regular feature reaches a milestone as the "Time Team" completes its 10-year project to watch and review every "classic series" story.
• 13 - Paul Cornell publishes an unofficial Doctor Who short story, The Last Doctor, on his blog.Paul Cornell.com - The 12 Blogs of Christmas: One. A Doctor Who Story for Christmas.</ref>
• 14 - The Welsh government approves plans to develop a BBC Drama Village, a series of studios near Cardiff Bay which would be used for productions such as Doctor Who.
• 15 - Blue Peter airs a feature on Doctor Who.
  • Steven Moffat was interviewed by Matthew Sweet on BBC Radio 3's Night Waves about his new job on Doctor Who.
• 16 - A Doctor Who-themed edition of the comedy quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks, guest-hosted by David Tennant with Bernard Cribbins and Catherine Tate as panelists, was first broadcast.
  • An interview with David Tennant was aired on BBC One's Six O'Clock News.
• 17 - Part 1 of WC: The Doctor on My Shoulder, an exclusive online short story, was uploaded to the 2009 BBC Doctor Who Advent Calendar.
  • Press showing for DW: The End of Time, Part One.
  • James Cairncross (Lemaitre, DW: The Reign of Terror and Beta in DW: The Krotons), died at the age of 94.
• 18 - Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf, Part 2 was rebroadcast on BBC7 Radio.
  • InnerSPACE, an entertainment news program on the Canadian cable network Space, devotes an entire episode to Doctor Who.
  • Rebroadcast of DW: Planet of the Dead on Space in Canada.
• 19 - DW: The Waters of Mars was broadcast on BBC America in the US and Space in Canada.
  • Donald Pickering (Eyesen, DW: The Keys of Marinus; Captain Blade, DW: The Faceless Ones; Beyus, DW: Time and the Rani) died.
  • Rebroadcast of DW: The Infinite Quest on BBC2.
  • A special Doctor Who Adventures mini-magazine appears in the Daily Mirror. Unlike past inserts which have been reprints, this publication includes all-new material and was the first DWA-related publication to be simply titled Doctor Who rather than Doctor Who Adventures.
• 20 - Space in Canada rebroadcasts DW: The Waters of Mars.
  • The Observer Magazine runs a cover feature on David Tennant and Doctor Who.
• 22 - DW: The Next Doctor was rebroadcast on BBC3.
• 23 - DW: Planet of the Dead was rebroadcast on BBC3.
  • WC: The Doctor on My Shoulder Part 2 was uploaded to the BBC Doctor Who Adventure Calendar.
• 24 - WC: A Ghost Story for Christmas was uploaded to the BBC Doctor Who Adventure Calendar. This short video story retells the origin of the Weeping Angels (DW: Blink) and shows the disappearance of a young woman. The video was not available for viewing outside the UK.
  • David Tennant was interviewed on GMTV.
  • DW: Dreamland was rebroadcast on BBC One.
  • DW: The Waters of Mars was rebroadcast on BBC3.
  • Radio Times publishes a special magazine paying tribute to the David Tennant era. The special was available via mail-order only.
• 25 - DW: The End of Time, Part One, the fifth Doctor Who Christmas special, was first broadcast. An episode of Doctor Who Confidential follows.
• 26 - US broadcast of The End of Time, Part I on BBC America.
  • Broadcast of the film version of Hamlet starring David Tennant on BBC2.
  • David Tennant and Catherine Tate guest-host the Jonathan Ross programme on BBC Radio 2. Their guests include Bernard Cribbins and Peter Davison. During the broadcast the two begin discussing how to properly pronounce the year "2010", with Tennant claiming the BBC had instituted a rule on the matter. The debate sparks additional discussion and debate in media around the world.
  • The documentary Doctor Who - The Lost Episodes was broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
• 27 - DW: The End of Time, Part One was rebroadcast on BBC3.
  • David Tennant appears on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.
• 29 - Broadcast of Who on Who, a BBC Radio 2 special in which David Tennant interviews Russell T Davies about Doctor Who.</ref>The Doctor Who News Page - Tennant and Davies on Radio 2</ref>
• Last week of December: Radio Times lists Matt Smith as a face to watch in 2010 and includes an interview with Steven Moffat discussing Smith.
• 31 - BFA: Mission to Magnus was released, adapting the unreleased serial DW: Mission to Magnus as part of The Lost Stories line.
  • Doctor Who at the Proms was rebroadcast on BBC HD.
  • Promoting the next day's finale, David Tennant appears on BBC One's Breakfast program, and later takes part in a BBC Radio 5 phone-in programme. An appearance on MTV was also broadcast around this time.
  • David Tennant and Catherine Tate make a pre-recorded appearance on Channel 4's Alan Carr: Chatty Man.