Season 22 of Doctor Who ran between 5 January 1985 and 30 March 1985. It starred Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor.
Overview
The season consisted of six serials and thirteen episodes. With this season the BBC experimented with the format of the series, reducing the number of episodes to thirteen, but making each episode forty-five minutes long. The experiment did not result in improved ratings and at the end of the season the BBC announced it was cancelling the series; uproar from fans resulted in the BBC changing its mind and putting the series on an eighteen month hiatus instead. This season is notable for featuring the final appearance of Patrick Troughton as the beloved Second Doctor, in a storyline that gave rise to a popular fan theory known as Season 6B.
Television stories
| # | Title | Writer | Episodes | Notes |
| 1 | Attack of the Cybermen | Paula Moore, aka Eric Saward Ian Levine Paula Woolsey |
2 | Re-appearance of Totters Lane junkyard, Lytton and the Cybermen. |
| 2 | Vengeance on Varos | Philip Martin | 2 | First appearance of Sil |
| 3 | The Mark of the Rani | Pip and Jane Baker | 2 | First appearance of the Rani; reappearance of the Master |
| 4 | The Two Doctors | Robert Holmes | 3 | Final appearance of the Second Doctor; reintroduction and final appearance of Jamie McCrimmon |
| 5 | Timelash | Glen McCoy | 2 | |
| 6 | Revelation of the Daleks | Eric Saward | 2 | Final classic serial with 45-minute parts and re-appearance of Davros. |
Cast
Regulars
Guests
- The Second Doctor - Patrick Troughton (final appearance)
- Jamie McCrimmon - Frazer Hines (final appearance)
- The Tremas Master - Anthony Ainley
- The Rani - Kate O'Mara (first appearance)
Stories set during this season
- PROSE: Shell Shock (novel) (Right after Vengeance on Varos)
- PROSE: Grave Matter (novel) and PROSE: Burning Heart (novel) (between Vengeance on Varos and The Mark of the Rani)
- PROSE: Players (novel) (Between The Mark of the Rani and The Two Doctors)
- AUDIO: Davros (audio story), AUDIO:Cryptobiosis and PROSE: Blue Box (novel) (between The Two Doctors and Timelash (TV story))
- AUDIO: Year of the Pig between Timelash (TV story) and Revelation of the Daleks)
Adaptations and merchandising
Home media
VHS
- Attack of the Cybermen (part of Cybermen Tin)
- Vengeance on Varos
- The Mark of the Rani
- The Two Doctors
- Timelash
- Revelation of the Daleks (part of Dalek Box Set)
DVD
All serials of season 22 were released individually between 2001 and 2009.
| Serial name | Number and duration of episodes |
R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack of the Cybermen | 2 × 45 min. | 16 March 2009 | 7 May 2009 | 7 July 2009 |
| Vengeance on Varos | 2 × 45 min. | 15 October 2001 | 8 January 2002 | 4 March 2003 |
| Vengeance on Varos – Special Edition | 2 × 45 min. | 10 September 2012 | 5 September 2012 | 11 September 2012 |
| The Mark of the Rani | 2 × 45 min. | 4 September 2006 | 2 November 2006 | 7 November 2006 |
| The Two Doctors Available individually or in the Bred for War box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1. |
3 × 45 min. | 8 September 2003 | 7 January 2004 | 1 June 2004 |
| Timelash | 2 × 45 min. | 9 July 2007 | 31 July 2007 | 1 April 2008 |
| Revelation of the Daleks Available individually or in The Complete Davros Collection box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1. |
2 × 45 min. | 11 July 2005 | 1 September 2005 | 6 June 2006 |