- You may wish to consult
Series 3for other, similarly-named pages.
The third season of Doctor Who ran between 11 September 1965 and 16 July 1966. The season was marked by extremes. At twelve episodes, The Daleks' Master Plan was the longest story in the show's history until superceded by the fourteen-episode The Trial of a Time Lord in 1986 (although some consider that tale to be four separate serials broadcast under a single title); the single-episode story Mission to the Unknown remains the shortest Doctor Who story ever televised (not counting the several mini-episodes produced since 2005) and the only one in which neither the Doctor nor any companions appear (this designation, though, is controversial, as its role as a prologue to Daleks' Master Plan renders it more the thirteenth episode of that story rather than a standalone). The season also had the greatest number of different companions (seven) and producers (three). It also featured the first appearance of actor Nicholas Courtney, although not in his most famous role as The Brigadier. This was also the season of The War Machines, to date the only televised story in which the taboo of never referring to the Doctor directly by the name "Doctor Who" is broken.
Behind the scenes, it was dominated by the departure of Verity Lambert, the immensely exhausting production of The Daleks' Master Plan, and preparations for William Hartnell's departure – including intense discussion over how to handle such an unprecedented changed in a lead actor on a show still at the height of popularity. It consisted of ten serials (listed below) and forty-five episodes, the majority of which are considered lost, though three serials, The Ark, The Gunfighters and The War Machines, exist in complete form.
Television stories
| # | Title | Writer | Episodes | Notes |
| 1 | Galaxy 4 | William Emms | 4 | |
| 2 | Mission to the Unknown | Terry Nation | 1 | Only story not to feature the Doctor |
| 3 | The Myth Makers | Donald Cotton | 4 | First appearance of Katarina and final appearance of Vicki |
| 4 | The Daleks' Master Plan | Terry Nation Dennis Spooner |
12 | Final appearance of Katarina and first and final appearance of Sara Kingdom; first story to feature the death of a companion |
| 5 | The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve | John Lucarotti Donald Tosh |
4 | First appearance of Dodo Chaplet |
| 6 | The Ark | Paul Erickson Lesley Scott |
4 | |
| 7 | The Celestial Toymaker | Brian Hayles | 4 | |
| 8 | The Gunfighters | Donald Cotton | 4 | Final story to use individual episode titles |
| 9 | The Savages | Ian Stuart Black | 4 | Final appearance of Steven Taylor |
| 10 | The War Machines | Ian Stuart Black | 4 | First appearances of Ben Jackson and Polly Wright and final appearance of Dodo Chaplet. First occasion of a writer composing consecutive stories. |
Notes
- All stories were exactly four episodes in length, except Mission to the Unknown (one episode) and The Daleks' Master Plan (twelve episodes). Up to The Gunfighters, each chapter had its own title, but beginning with The Savages, overall story titles were introduced.
Cast
Main cast
- The First Doctor – William Hartnell
- Vicki – Maureen O'Brien (Departed in The Myth Makers)
- Steven Taylor – Peter Purves (Departed in The Savages)
- Katarina – Adrienne Hill (Introduced in The Myth Makers and departed in The Daleks' Master Plan)
- Sara Kingdom – Jean Marsh (Introduced and departed in The Daleks' Master Plan)
- Dodo Chaplet – Jackie Lane (Introduced in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve and departed in The War Machines)
- Ben Jackson – Michael Craze (Introduced in The War Machines)
- Polly – Anneke Wills (Introduced in The War Machines)
Guest cast
- Maaga – Stephanie Bidmead
- Marc Cory – Edward de Souza
- Achilles – Cavan Kendall
- Bret Vyon – Nicholas Courtney
- The Monk – Peter Butterworth
- King Charles IX – Barry Justice
- Zentos – Inigo Jackson
- The Celestial Toymaker – Michael Gough
- Ike Clanton – William Hurndell
- Chal – Ewen Solon
- Major Green – Alan Cirtus
Stories set during this season
- PROSE: Salvation (between The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve and The Ark)
- PROSE: Bunker Soldiers (after Salvation)
- AUDIO: Mother Russia (between The Gunfighters and The Savages)
- PROSE: The Man in the Velvet Mask (between The Savages and The War Machines)
Adaptations and merchandising
Home media
VHS
- The Ark (1998)
- The Gunfighters (2002)
- The War Machines (1997)
- The Hartnell Years (1991 (Celestial Toymaker 4)
- Daleks: The Early Years (1992) (Dalek Master Plan 5+10)
Loose Cannon VHSes
- Galaxy 4 (1999)
- Mission to the Unknown (2000)
- The Myth Makers (1998/2006)
- The Daleks' Master Plan (2003) (Episodes 1-4,6-9,10-12/2 parts)
- The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (2001)
- The Celestial Toymaker (1999)
- The Savages (1999/2008)
DVD
| Serial name | Number and duration of episodes |
R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy 4 (Episode 3 of 4) |
1 x 25 min. | 2012 | TBA | TBA |
| The Ark | 4 × 25 min. | 14 February 2011 | 3 March 2011 | 8 March 2011 |
| The Gunfighters Only available as part of the Earthstory box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1. |
4 × 25 min. | 20 June 2011 | 4 August 2011 | 12 July 2011 |
| The War Machines | 4 × 25 min. | 25 August 2008 | 7 November 2008 | 6 January 2009 |
| {Lost in Time: William Hartnell}
The Daleks' Master Plan (episodes 2, 5 & 10 of 12) |
6 × 25 min. + 2 × 25 min. audio |
1 November 2004 | 2 December 2004 (Original release) 1 July 2010 (Re-release) |
2 November 2004 |
Novelisations
- Galaxy Four
- The Myth Makers
- The Daleks' Master Plan:Mission to the Unknown/The Mutation of Time
- The Massacre
- The Ark
- The Celestial Toymaker
- The Gunfighters
- The Savages
- The War Machines
Audiobooks
- Galaxy 4
- Mission to the Unknown/Daleks Master Plan
- The Myth Makers
- The Massacre
- The Celestial Toymaker