Theory:Timeline - Fourth Doctor

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This page lists appearances of the Fourth Doctor in the order in which he experienced them. This timeline is based on observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events in each of these stories. From these observations we have attempted to build a concise timeline. It is assumed, much like their TV story counterparts, that each novel or audio series their published/numbered order is the order they occur in[statement unclear]. There are also many gaps between stories.

The layout of this timeline is based in part on the observations on Doctor Who Reference Guide and Doctor Who - The Complete Adventures, Lance Parkin's AHistory and other sources that allow us to make observations, such as DocOhoReviews, The History of the Doctor, The Discontinuity Guide, Clive Banks Databank, the Big Finish forums and The Divergent Universe forums. None of these sources should be used solely as a source or considered a "true" timeline for stories.

Limiting factors

Companions

Due to the nature of travel throughout season 12, any story featuring TARDIS travel with Harry Sullivan (other than TV: The Ark in Space) must take place after TV: Revenge of the Cybermen and before TV: Terror of the Zygons. Any story with Sarah Jane Smith must take place before TV: The Hand of Fear. Any story with Leela must take place after TV: The Face of Evil and before TV: The Invasion of Time. Any story with K9 Mark I must take place after TV: The Invisible Enemy and before TV: The Invasion of Time. Any story with K9 Mark II must take place after TV: The Invasion of Time and before TV: Warriors' Gate. Any story with Romana I must take place after TV: The Ribos Operation and before TV: Destiny of the Daleks. Any story with Romana II must take place after TV: Destiny of the Daleks and before TV: Warriors' Gate. Any story with Adric must be set after TV: Full Circle.

Costume

The Fourth Doctor has an advantage when dating his stories due to his costume. The Doctor started out with a small red coat, a rainbow scarf, and blue jeans. His coat soon grew to a larger deep brown coat. Eventually, his costume turned into the "red" version. This makes dating very simple when looking at how the Doctor is dressed.

Timeline

Early adventures

The Doctor regenerates from his previous incarnation.
Set immediately after Planet of the Spiders, with the Doctor's regeneration stabilising. Though he intends a fresh start by leaving UNIT behind, he accepts Sarah's offer to let her travel with him. UNIT doctor Harry Sullivan follows them into the TARDIS.
Sneaking away from UNIT during the events of Robot, the Doctor visits the Mordee colony, and attempts to repair Xoanon.
While working with UNIT, the Doctor does research into Richard III for his book, Doctor Who Discovers Historical Mysteries.
The Doctor and Sarah Jane both comment on the Doctor's new face, setting this shortly after Robot.
The Doctor and Harry's cameo takes place immediately after The Last Broadcast.

The Nerva Beacon

The travellers arrive at the Nerva Beacon due to Harry fiddling with TARDIS, and volunteer to beam down to Earth to do repairs, leading directly into The Sontaran Experiment.
The travellers fix the faulty equipment on Earth and beam back to the Nerva Beacon.
Set immediately after The Sontaran Experiment. The Time Lords intercept to transmat beam and give the Doctor a Time Ring and a mission on Skaro, where the Doctor meets Davros and witnesses the creation of the Daleks.
Immediately after Genesis of the Daleks, the Doctor, Sarah and Harry are scattered across the Adelphine Cluster due to temporal disruption interfering with the Time Ring. The Doctor claims to be 748-years-old.
The Doctor, Sarah and Harry are still using the Time Ring, setting this shortly after Genesis of the Daleks.
Just as they retrieve the TARDIS from the Nerva Beacon, the travellers receive a summons from the Brigadier, leading into Terror of the Zygons.

Returning to UNIT

The TARDIS still needs time to recover from the solar flare radiation from Revenge of the Cybermen.
The TARDIS has recovered from the solar flare radiation from Revenge of the Cybermen and makes its way to Scotland, leading into Terror of the Zygons.
The Doctor and his companions expect to find the Loch Ness on exiting the TARDIS, setting this shortly before Terror of the Zygons.
The travellers make it to Scotland, and Harry decides to remain on Earth with UNIT.
Set immediately after Terror of the Zygons, with the TARDIS having just left Loch Ness for London.
The Doctor claims to have travelled over 30,000 years to get to the 17th century, implying that this takes place immediately after Planet of Evil. The Doctor is blamed for the Great Fire of London, setting this before Pyramids of Mars.
Sarah and the Doctor are still wearing the clothes they wore in Planet of Evil.
The Doctor and Sarah are still trying to get back to London after Terror of the Zygons.
Set immediately after Pyramids of Mars.
Sarah observes that the Doctor has been moody as of late, setting this shortly after Pyramids of Mars.
The Doctor and Sarah make it to London after leaving for it in Terror of the Zygons, and enduring side-tracks during Planet of Evil and Pyramids of Mars.

Walking in eternity

The Doctor and Sarah have recently endured the events of Pyramids of Mars, but aren't in a rush to get to London, setting this after The Android Invasion.
Though the book's blurb places this between Planet of Evil and Pyramids of Mars, the Doctor and Sarah aren't trying to get to London.
Sarah understands that it takes time for radio waves to travel between Mars and Earth, setting this after Pyramids of Mars.
Sarah recalls the events of The Android Invasion.
The Doctor complains about the Time Lords "messing about with the TARDIS", setting this after the comic stories set between Return of the Daleks and Treasure Trail, where the Time Lord had been doing so.
Sarah refers to the recent events of The Brain of Morbius.
Sarah claims it is Christmas in her time period.
Sarah celebrates Christmas in her time period.
The book's blurb places this between The Seeds of Doom and The Masque of Mandragora. Set a month after The Android Invasion, which was the last time Sarah saw Harry.

Rejoined by Harry

At some point after this, Harry resumes traveling with the Doctor and Sarah.
At some point after this, Harry leaves the TARDIS again.

Final adventures with Sarah

Set between The Seeds of Doom and The Masque of Mandragora.
The Doctor and Sarah go back in time to save the Eight Doctor after he fails to kill a dictator as a baby.
The Doctor begins using the secondary control room in the TARDIS.
The Doctor is using the secondary control room, setting this after The Masque of Mandragora.
Sarah recalls the events of The Masque of Mandragora.
The Doctor is using the secondary control room, setting this after The Masque of Mandragora.
The Doctor is using the secondary control room, setting this after The Masque of Mandragora.
Sarah is wearing her Andy Pandy clothes, setting this shortly before The Hand of Fear.
Sarah decides she had had enough of the TARDIS, and the Doctor receives a summons from Gallifrey, forcing him to leave Sarah behind. Ending leads directly into The Deadly Assassin.

Companionless

The Doctor crosses wits with the Decayed Master on Gallifrey.
The Doctor broods over the lives lost on Gallifrey during The Deadly Assassin.
The Doctor says a proper farewell to Sarah Jane Smith.
The Doctor is travelling alone, and still feels melancholy because "she" is no longer with him.
The Doctor helps in the saving of Gallifrey on the last day of the Last Great Time War.
The Doctor is traveling alone in his bohemian attire. Images of Davros, Morbius, and the Decayed Master are in his mind, setting this at least after The Deadly Assassin.

Old friends

The Doctor is using the secondary console room.
The Doctor has helped Shakespeare write Hamlet, setting this after The Stranger, The Writer, His Wife and the Mixed Metaphor.
The book's blurb places this between The Deadly Assassin and The Face of Evil.

Milena and Ms. Young

New acquaintances

The Doctor meets Nyssa for the first time, but she is already well acquainted with him due to a future encounter.

Traveling with a savage

Following her banishment from the Sevateem tribe, Leela forces her way into the TARDIS, joining the Doctor in his travels.
Though the book's blurb places this after The Robots of Death, Leela believes the TARDIS is possessed and the Doctor is highly irritated by her presence, setting this shortly after The Face of Evil.
Leela still shows particularly violent tendencies, setting this early in her travels.
The Doctor explains transdimensional engineering to Leela, and is happier with her company. He claims to be 750-years-old.
The events of The Robots of Death are still fresh in Leela's mind.
Though Leela is depicted dressed in her second attire, the book's cover places this between

Last Man Running and The Talons of Weng-Chiang.

Leela's first visit to Earth, although she won't remember it.
Leela has never seen a horse before, setting this before The Talons of Weng-Chiang.
Leela has only been traveling with the Doctor for a few weeks, but has seen spaceships before.
Battling Magnus Greel in 1889 London, the Doctor and Leela are aided by Henry Gordon Jago and Professor George Litefoot.
The Doctor and Leela have just parted ways with Jago and Litefoot, setting this immediately after The Talons of Weng-Chiang.
Leela refers to the events of The Talons of Weng-Chiang.
Ending leads directly into The Oseidon Adventure.
The Doctor and the Master meet for the first time since The Deadly Assassin.
Leela has recently encountered horses, setting this shortly after The Talons of Weng-Chiang.
Leela recalls the Victorian theatre from The Talons of Weng-Chiang.
The Doctor is currently using the secondary console room, setting this before it was destroyed in Empathy Games. He indicates that he has had a recent encounter with the Master. Leela does not know about regeneration.
The Doctor and Leela discuss their previous visit to London from The Talons of Weng-Chiang. Leela has a limited ability to read English.
Leela is still wearing Victorian clothing from The Ghosts of Gralstead.
Leela is still learning basic reading. She still does not know about regeneration.
The TARDIS' secondary console room is damaged by the fire started in The Catalyst. Leela is unfamiliar with the concept of money.
Leela views jeans as ridiculous, setting this before Horror of Fang Rock.
The Doctor teaches Leela about money for the first time, setting this after Empathy Games.
Leela is able to read on her own.
Leela recalls her previous encounter with the Master in The Oseidon Adventure.
Leela's reading level has advanced to the point where the Doctor is having her read him the works of Shakespeare. She also knows about policemen, setting this after The Talons of Weng-Chiang.
Leela still has brown eyes, setting this before Horror of Fang Rock.
Due to pigment dispersal from witnessing an explosion, Leela's eye colour changes from brown to blue. She also wears jeans for the first time.
Leela is still in jeans, setting this shortly after Horror of Fang Rock.
Leela refers to the temporary blindness she endured during Horror of Fang Rock.

Adopting K9

The Doctor closes the secondary console room for redecoration, and he takes Leela to the main console room for the first time as he moves back in to it. Leela is still learning to write her name. K9 is adopted by the Doctor on Professor Marius's insistence.
K9 takes damage from the drain on his batteries, as well as water damage from the canals, which gives him "corroded circuitry", leading into Image of the Fendahl.
Leela has changed into a new set of clothes, and K-9 is suffering from "corroded circuitry".
The Doctor is hunting a second Fendahl skull, setting this shortly after Image of the Fendahl.
Leela recalls being temporarily blinded during Horror of Fang Rock.
The Doctor and K9 begin playing chess, leading into The Sun Makers.
Leela has changed back into her first outfit.
Leela remembers seeing the steel hives of the Sun Makers during The Sun Makers.
Set immediately after Requiem for the Rocket Men.
Ending leads directly into Return to Telos.
Leela and K9 are kidnapped by Adam Mitchell, leading directly into Endgame.
The Doctor joins with his other incarnations to rescue Leela and K9 from Adam and the Tremas Master, and assists the other Doctors in saving their companions as well.
Leela is once again wearing her second outfit.
The Doctor gathers the parts needed to build K9 Mark II.
After the Doctor uses his position of Lord President to propel an invasion of Gallifrey, Leela decides to stay on Gallifrey to marry Andred, and K9 elects to stay with her. Alone in the TARDIS, the Doctor decides to begin work on K9 Mark II.
Set during The Invasion of Time, when the Doctor is moving around the Capitol.
The Doctor makes a message about the Timewyrm as a warning for himself using information he learnt from the Matrix during The Invasion of Time.

After the Presidency

The Doctor says that his previous companion has just departed for "greener pastures", the implication being that he is referring to Leela staying on Gallifrey.
Set shortly after The Invasion of Time, with the Doctor having just left Leela and K9 Mark I on Gallifrey, but has not yet opened the K9 Mark II container.

Nest Cottage

Before arriving at Nest Cottage, the Doctor was involved in the events of The Robots of Death, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, and Image of the Fendahl.
The Doctor leaves Nest Cottage.

A return to wandering

In The Drosten's Curse, the Doctor compares a stopping-and-starting golf cart to "a dog [he] knew", most likely K9.
A photograph depicts the Doctor in his "post-Underworld" appearance. No mention is made by Tiger of him travelling with another companion.

Seeking the serpent's egg

The Doctor returns to Nest Cottage after a year of traveling.
Follows on directly from Sepulchre.
The Doctor departs from Nest Cottage again.

Travels with K9

The Doctor eventually completes the construction of K9 MK II, and the two begin travelling alone together.
The Doctor is still building parts of K9 MK II.
The Doctor is illustrated as traveling with K9 in the TARDIS.
K9 is kidnapped, and the Doctor travels alone trying to find him.
The Doctor finds K9.
In an alternate timeline created by Rassilon and the Cybermen, K9 is cyber-converted during a Cyberman attack.

Quest for the Key to Time

The Doctor is given a quest by the White Guardian to assemble the Key to Time before the Black Guardian can, and is assigned Romana as an assistant. The Doctor claims to be 756-years-old, but Romana tells him he is really 759-years-old.
Romana is wearing her outfit from The Ribos Operation.
The book's blurb places this between The Ribos Operation and The Pirate Planet.
Set the morning after The Ribos Operation, with the Doctor sealing away the First Segment.
The Doctor takes Romana to Earth for the first time.
Romana refers to the event of The Stones of Blood.
The Doctor is taking a break from his quest.
Throughout the Doctor Who Annual 1980, the Doctor is travelling with Romana I and K9, but is not trying to assemble the Key to Time, nor is he using the randomiser, setting these stories during the break from the quest that ended in Heart of TARDIS.
The Doctor is forced to resume his quest for the Key to Time.
The Doctor and Romana are searching for the Fourth Segment, setting this shortly before The Androids of Tara.
The Doctor and Romana were looking for the Fifth Segment, setting this shortly before The Power of Kroll.
The Doctor and Romana investigated a mysterious painting.
The Doctor and Romana are looking for the sixth segment, setting this shortly before The Armageddon Factor.
The Doctor and Romana complete their quest to assemble the Key to Time, but the Doctor orders it to disperse itself to stop the Back Guardian getting it. The Doctor installs a randomiser into the TARDIS to elude the vengeful Black Guardian.

Further adventures with Romana

The Doctor and Romana are hiding from the Black Guardian in 1929 Hampshire, while K9 pilots the TARDIS around the universe to throw the Black Guardian off the Doctor's trail.
The Doctor and Romana are taking a holiday in 1929 Antibes without K9, setting this during The Auntie Matter.
The Doctor has only recently installed the randomizer.
The Doctor's companion is wearing "a neat designer dress straight from the pages of a magazine", a description matching the first incarnation of Romana.
Ending leads directly into War Against the Laan.
K9 is damaged after being affected by the time slippage.
K9 is fully repaired from the damage caused a month prior by the time spillage in War Against the Laan.
Romana encounters the Daleks for the first time. Ending leads directly into The Final Phase.
Romana elects to continue travelling in the TARDIS instead of returning to Gallifrey.
The Doctor arrived in Prague due to the randomizer, setting this after The Armageddon Factor.

The new Romana

Romana regenerates into a new body.
Romana is still wearing her outfit from Destiny of the Daleks.
Romana is still wearing her outfit from Destiny of the Daleks.
Romana's recent regeneration is referenced.
The Doctor plans to take Romana to Paris, leading into City of Death.
The Doctor and Romana fight Scaroth in 1979 Paris with the help of Duggan. The Doctor hasn't used his sonic screwdriver since Destiny of the Daleks.
Romana has recently been to Paris, setting this shortly after City of Death.
Set on the same day as The Not-So-Sinister Sponge, Do You Love Anyone Enough? and Better Watch Out, Better Take Care.

The Doctor, Romana and K-9 attend the Queen's re-coronation, and are spotted by the Brigadier.

The Doctor, Romana and K-9 attend the Mars Conference, and have a run in with Bernice Summerfield.
Romana notes that she and the Doctor have been to Paris recently, setting this shortly after City of Death.
The book's blurb places this between The Creature from the Pit and Nightmare of Eden.
The book's blurb places this after The Romance of Crime.
Set during Nightmare of Eden.
The Doctor mentions recovering from the events of Nightmare of Eden.
Though the audio's blurb places this between Shada and The Leisure Hive, Romana does not yet have a sonic screwdriver, setting this before The Horns of Nimon.
The Doctor acquires a chrono-historical stress gauge.
The Doctor is still using the chrono-historical stress gauge from The Little Things.
The Doctor's the chrono-historical stress gauge has been broken.
Romana reveals she has her own sonic screwdriver.
The Doctor knows about Romana's sonic screwdriver, setting this after The Horns of Nimon.
The Doctor and Romana are still worried about the Black Guardian's revenge, and Romana possess a sonic screwdriver, setting this after The Horns of Nimon.
Ending leads directly into Legacy of Death.
The events of Shada are overwritten by The Five Doctors, and later experienced by the Eighth Doctor. Upon returning to the TARDIS, the Doctor decides to go to Brighton. In the novelisation, set without the interference of The Five Doctors, the Doctor claims to be 760-years-old.
Wiping his own memory, the Doctor locks Shada away in a forgotten part of space.
Placement established by Connections.
The Doctor and Romana have just encountered the "mind-wiping sphere" from Shada. Where this takes place in the post-The Five Doctors timeline is unclear.
The Doctor is trying to get to Brighton, setting this shortly after Shada.
Ending leads directly into Casualties of Time.
The book's blurb places this between Shada and The Leisure Hive.
Menlove Stokes remembers the Doctor from The Romance of Crime. The Black Guardian tracks the Doctor and Romana down, but is defeated and entrapped in the Time Vortex by the Doctor, but the Doctor and Romana also get trapped in the vortex in the ordeal.

Lone adventures with K9

During the early Doctor Who Magazine issues, the Doctor is traveling with K9 Mark II without Romana, while wearing his bohemian clothing and having the randomiser activated. In Timeslip he expresses a desire to contact Romana, suggesting that the two have got separated by forces beyond their control.
The Movellans appear in the Doctor's vision, implying that this takes place after Destiny of the Daleks.

K9 and Sharon

After capturing war criminal Beep the Meep, the Doctor offers Sharon Davies a trip home in the TARDIS.
Set immediately after Doctor Who and the Star Beast, with the Doctor failing to return Sharon home.
Sharon is forcibly aged by four years by a malfunctioning chrono-compensator. The Doctor claims to be losing track of his true age.
The Doctor is able to return Sharon to Blackcastle, but she is uncertain if she wants to stay.
Sharon, feeling her aging has made it impossible to return home, leaves the TARDIS to stay with Vernon Allen on Unicepter IV.

More adventures with K9

The Doctor has changed his clothes to a burgundy design, and the randomiser is still in effect.

Final voyages with Romana

The Doctor and K9 somehow reunite with Romana, and she resumes traveling with them.
Romana is surprised that the Doctor is wearing a burgundy coat, feeling it reflects a more morose and sombre mood.
The Doctor refers to the events of Doctor Who and the Iron Legion.
Authorial intent places this story, and the rest of the Season 6 audios, before The Leisure Hive, with the Doctor wearing his burgundy clothing, the Randomiser still effect and the Season 18 theme tune being used.
K9 goes on an absent in the rest of the Season 6 audios by this point.
Ending leads directly into The Thief Who Stole Time.
After switching his old clothes for a burgundy design, the Doctor decides to take Romana to Brighton, leading into The Leisure Hive.
After a holiday in Brighton, the Doctor completely removes the randomiser to give it for the Tachyon Recreation Generator on Argolis. K9 is damaged after rolling into the sea without his sea water defences.
The Doctor is "dressed entirely in red" and there is no sign of K9, implying this takes place immediately after he was damaged in The Leisure Hive.
After repairing K9, the TARDIS is contacted by the Time Lords, who order Romana back to Gallifrey.

Trapped in E-Space

En route to Gallifrey, the TARDIS gets sucked into E-Space, where Adric stows away on the TARDIS.
Set during State of Decay.
Set immediately after State of Decay.
Adric has dealt with the Great Vampires, setting this after State of Decay.
Adric mentions the imprisonments he endured during The Invasion of E-Space and O, Darkness. The Doctor and Romana die, but, after some years, Adric is able to change time so that the Doctor and Romana live.
As the Doctor and Adric escape E-Space, Romana elects to remain and help the enslaved Tharils release themselves from captivity, with K9 staying with her due to damage from the time winds preventing him from crossings back into N-Space.

Return to N-Space

Saddened by Romana's departure, the Doctor cleans the TARDIS.
Having recently returned to N-Space, the Doctor and Adric are summoned to Traken by the Keeper of Traken to deal with a Melkur. With the aid of Consul Tremas and his daughter, Nyssa, the Doctor and Adric foil the Decayed Master's plan to steal the Source.
During Doctor Who Annual 1982, K9 Mark III has been assembled, and the Doctor is wearing his bohemian attire while traveling with Adric, but is illustrated in his burgundy coat for Just a Small Problem.

Final adventures

The Doctor drops K9 Mark III of for Sarah Jane, (A Girl's Best Friend) which saddens Adric (A Boy's Tale) and seems to lead into a period of separation between the two.
Sequel to Junkyard Demon.
The Doctor reunites with Adric for more adventures.
Accidently picking up Tegan Jovanka as a stowaway, the Doctor and Adric learn that the Tremas Master has stolen Tremas's body. Informed of his coming regeneration by the Watcher, the Doctor is reunited with Nyssa on Logopolis, where the Master accidently starts the collapse of the universe. Forced to join forces to broadcast a CVE signal from Pharos Project, the Doctor is critically injured after he falls from the antenna stopping the Master's betrayal, and is forced to regenerate into his next incarnation with the assistance of the Watcher.
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