Season 21 (Doctor Who 1963)

Season 21 — 1984
Doctor:	Fifth Doctor
Secondary Doctor:	Sixth Doctor
Companions:	Tegan, Turlough, Peri, Kamelion
Key crew
Producer(s):	John Nathan-Turner
Script editors:	Eric Saward
Series details
Start date:	5 January 1984
End date:	30 March 1984
Premiere network:	BBC1
Typical episode length:	mix of 25' and 45'
More info
Main DWMSE coverage in issues:	1, 3, 18
Key reference books about the season:	The Discontinuity Guide, The Fifth Doctor Handbook, The Sixth Doctor Handbook, The Eighties, JN-T: The Life and Scandalous Times, About Time 5
Key documentaries about the season:	Being Doctor Who, Mouth on Legs
Relevant Myth Makers interviews:	Janet Fielding, Nicola Bryant, Peter Grimwade, Colin Baker (1990), John Nathan-Turner, Mark Strikcson, Eric Saward, Colin Baker (2005)
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Season 21 of Doctor Who ran between 5 January 1984 and 30 March 1984. It starred Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor. The last story, The Twin Dilemma, introduced Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor.

Overview

The season consisted of seven serials and twenty-four episodes. The Twin Dilemma, the first story with Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor, aired last in the season. This season saw the departure of companions Tegan, Turlough and Kamelion and introduced Peri. Most episodes were the traditional twenty-five minute length. However, due to coverage of the 1984 Winter Olympics, Resurrection of the Daleks was re-edited before airing and shown as two forty-five minute episodes.

Colin Baker's first story, The Twin Dilemma, introduced a modified version of the opening credits including a slight modification to the series logo (although the theme arrangement was not changed). This was the first time since Season 4 that such a change occurred during a season.

Along with Season 4, it was one of only two seasons of the classic series to have a completely different cast in the final story of the season than in the first story.

Television stories

#	Title	Writer	Episodes	Notes
1	Warriors of the Deep	Johnny Byrne	4	First appearance of the Silurians and the Sea Devils since the Jon Pertwee years; last appearance of the Silurians in classic series; last appearance of the Sea Devils.
2	The Awakening	Eric Pringle	2	Last 2-part Doctor Who story to be broadcast with 25-minute episodes.
3	Frontios	Christopher H. Bidmead	4	First story to feature extensive destruction of the TARDIS and show its capacity to repair itself.
4	Resurrection of the Daleks	Eric Saward	2	Final appearance of Tegan Jovanka; first story broadcast in 45-minute episodes.
5	Planet of Fire	Peter Grimwade	4	First appearance of Peri Brown and final appearances of Vislor Turlough and Kamelion; first appearance of the Master since The Five Doctors.
6	The Caves of Androzani	Robert Holmes	4	First appearance of the Sixth Doctor and final regular appearance of the Fifth Doctor. Cameo appearances of Tegan, Turlough, Kamelion, Nyssa, Adric and the Master, all seen in visions experienced by the Fifth Doctor in his final moments.
7	The Twin Dilemma	Anthony Steven	4	First full story of the Sixth Doctor.

Cast

Recurring

• The Fifth Doctor - Peter Davison
• Tegan Jovanka - Janet Fielding
• Vislor Turlough - Mark Strickson
• Peri Brown - Nicola Bryant
• The Sixth Doctor - Colin Baker
• Davros - Terry Molloy
• Lytton - Maurice Colbourne
• Kamelion (voice) - Gerald Flood
• The Tremas Master - Anthony Ainley

Guest

• Solow - Ingrid Pitt
• Vorshak - Tom Adams
• Bulic - Nigel Humphreys
• Jane Hampden - Polly James
• Sir George Hutchinson - Denis Lill
• Colonel Wolsey - Glyn Houston
• Joseph Willow - Jack Galloway
• Will Chandler - Keith Jayne
• Andrew Verney - Frederick Hall
• Brazen - Peter Gilmore
• Norna - Lesley Dunlop
• Range - William Lucas
• Plantagenet - Jeff Rawle
• Cockerill - Maurice O'Connell
• Stien - Rodney Bewes
• Professor Howard Foster - Dallas Adams
• Timanov - Peter Wyngarde
• Sharaz Jek - Christopher Gable
• Morgus - John Normington
• Salateen - Robert Glenister
• Stotz - Maurice Roëves
• Professor Edgworth / Azmael - Maurice Denham
• Mestor - Edwin Richfield

Stories set during this season

• PROSE: Deep Blue (between Warriors of the Deep and The Awakening)
• PROSE: The King of Terror (between The Awakening and Frontios)
• PROSE: Lords of the Storm (between Resurrection of the Daleks and Planet of Fire)
• AUDIO: Phantasmagoria (between Resurrection of the Daleks and Planet of Fire)
• AUDIO: Loups-Garoux (between Resurrection of the Daleks and Planet of Fire)
• AUDIO: Singularity (between Resurrection of the Daleks and Planet of Fire)
• PROSE: Imperial Moon (between Resurrection of the Daleks and Planet of Fire)
• AUDIO: Red Dawn (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• PROSE: The Ultimate Treasure (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• PROSE: Superior Beings (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• PROSE: Warmonger (directly after Superior Beings)
• AUDIO: Exotron (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: Urban Myths (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: The Eye of the Scorpion (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: The Church and the Crown (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: No Place Like Home (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: Nekromanteia (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• PROSE: Blood and Hope (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: The Axis of Insanity (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• PROSE: Graham Dilley Saves the World (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: The Roof of the World (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• PROSE: The Gangster's Story (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: Three's a Crowd (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: The Council of Nicaea (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: The Kingmaker (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: The Veiled Leopard (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: The Gathering (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: Cuddlesome (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: The Mind's Eye (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• PROSE: Far Away in a Manger (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: The 100 Days of the Doctor (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: The Bride of Peladon (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: Mission of the Viyrans (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: The Judgement of Isskar (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: The Destroyer of Delight (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: The Chaos Pool (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: Peri and the Piscon Paradox (immediately before The Caves of Androzani)
• AUDIO: Winter (during The Caves of Androzani)

Adaptations and merchandising

Home media

VHS

• Warriors of the Deep (1995)
• The Awakening/Frontios (1997)
• Resurrection of the Daleks (1993/2001)
• Planet of Fire (1998)
• The Caves of Androzani (1992)
• The Twin Dilemma (1992)

DVDs

All serials of season 21 were released individually in between 2001 and 2011.

Serial name	Number and duration of episodes	R2 release date	R4 release date	R1 release date
Warriors of the Deep Only available as part of the Beneath the Surface box set in Regions 2 and 4. Available individually or in the box set in Region 1.	4 × 25 min.	14 January 2008	5 March 2008	3 June 2008
The Awakening Only available as part of the Earthstory box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.	2 × 25 min.	20 June 2011	4 August 2011	12 July 2011
Frontios	4 × 25 min.	30 May 2011	7 July 2011	14 June 2011
Resurrection of the Daleks Available individually or in The Complete Davros Collection box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.	4 × 25 min. (Original Version)	18 November 2002	3 February 2003	1 July 2003
Resurrection of the Daleks – Special Edition Only available as part of the Revisitations 2 box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.	4 × 25 min. (Original Version) 2 × 46 min. (Broadcast Version)	28 March 2011	5 May 2011	12 June 2012
Planet of Fire Only available as part of the Kamelion Tales box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1. Includes remastered "movie version" with new footage.	4 × 25 min. (Broadcast Version) 1 × 66 min. (Special Edition)	14 June 2010	5 August 2010	7 September 2010
The Caves of Androzani	4 × 25 min.	18 June 2001	7 January 2002	2 April 2002
The Caves of Androzani – Special Edition Only available as part of the Revisitations 1 box set in Regions 2 and 4.	4 × 25 min.	4 October 2010	2 December 2010	14 February 2012
The Twin Dilemma	4 × 25 min.	7 September 2009	3 December 2009	5 January 2010

Novels

• Warriors of the Deep
• The Awakening
• Frontios
• Planet of Fire
• The Caves of Androzani
• The Twin Dilemma

Target Books was unable to come to an agreement that would have allowed Resurrection of the Daleks to be adapted as a novel; it remains one of a handful of classic-era stories not to be novelised.

External links

• BBC website guide to Season 21