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 Silurians and Sea Devils since the Jon Pertwee years; last appearance of Silurians and Sea Devils in classic series; last appearance of Sea Devils. |
| 2 | The Awakening | Eric Pringle | 2 | |
| 3 | Frontios | Christopher H. Bidmead | 4 | |
| 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; 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 |
| 7 | The Twin Dilemma | Anthony Steven | 4 | First full story of the Sixth Doctor |
Main cast
Regulars
- The Fifth Doctor - Peter Davison (Departed The Caves of Androzani)
- The Sixth Doctor - Colin Baker (Introduced The Caves of Androzani)
- Peri Brown - Nicola Bryant (introduced Planet of Fire)
- Tegan Jovanka - Janet Fielding (departed Resurrection of the Daleks)
- Turlough - Mark Strickson (departed Planet of Fire)
Semi-regulars
- Kamelion - (destroyed in Planet of Fire) Gerald Flood
- The Master - Anthony Ainley
Stories set during this season
- PDA: Deep Blue (between Warriors of the Deep and The Awakening)
- PDA: The King of Terror (between The Awakening and Frontios)
- MA: Lords of the Storm (between Resurrection of the Daleks and Planet of Fire)
- BFA: Loups-Garoux (between Resurrection of the Daleks and Planet of Fire)
- PDA: Imperial Moon (between Resurrection of the Daleks and Planet of Fire)
- BFA: Red Dawn (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
- PDA: The Ultimate Treasure (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
- PDA: Superior Beings (between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani)
- PDA: Warmonger (directly after Superior Beings)
Adaptations and merchandising
Home media
VHS
- Warriors of the Deep
- The Awakening/Frontios
- Resurrection of the Daleks
- Planet of Fire
- The Caves of Androzani
- The Twin Dilemma
DVDs
All serials of season 21 were released individually in between 2002 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. Not yet available in Region 1. |
4 × 25 min. (Original Version) 2 × 46 min. (Broadcast Version) |
28 March 2011 | 5 May 2011 | TBA |
| Planet of Fire Only available as part of the Kamelion Tales box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1. |
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. Not yet available in Region 1. |
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 |