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Season 19 of Doctor Who ran between 4 January 1982 and 30 March 1982. It starred Peter Davison in his first season as the Fifth Doctor. With this season, the BBC returned the series to a mid-winter season start, which had last been done for Season 12 and had been the format throughout the Jon Pertwee era.
Overview
The season consisted of seven serials and twenty-six episodes airing on a bi-weekly schedule. Two milestones occurred in Earthshock. Firstly, the Cybermen returned, unannounced, for the first time since Revenge of the Cybermen in 1975. Secondly, for the first time since The Daleks' Master Plan which had aired in 1965 and 1966, a companion died. Other milestones included Black Orchid, the first non-science fictional historical serial since 1966's The Highlanders, and the destruction of the sonic screwdriver in The Visitation. A cliffhanger ending to the series appeared to have left Tegan stranded at Heathrow Airport with the Doctor abandoning her by mistake.
Originally, this series was going to have twenty-eight episodes- two more than normal. However, John Nathan-Turner used two of the allocated episodes for A Girl's Best Friend, the failed pilot to K9 and Company.
Television stories
| # | Title | Writer | Episodes | Notes |
| 1 | Castrovalva | Christopher H. Bidmead | 4 | Continued from Logopolis. First full story of the Fifth Doctor. Final part of the the Master story arc. |
| 2 | Four to Doomsday | Terence Dudley | 4 | Peter Davison's first story filmed as the Fifth Doctor. |
| 3 | Kinda | Christopher Bailey | 4 | First appearance of the Mara. |
| 4 | The Visitation | Eric Saward | 4 | First Doctor Who script for Eric Saward and the last known use of the sonic screwdriver by the Doctor until Doctor Who (1996). |
| 5 | Black Orchid | Terence Dudley | 2 | First pure historical story since 1966 not involving aliens. |
| 6 | Earthshock | Eric Saward | 4 | Final appearance of Adric; first companion death since 1966. Reappearance of the Cybermen. |
| 7 | Time-Flight | Peter Grimwade | 4 | Temporary departure of Tegan Jovanka. |
Cast
Recurring
Stories set during this season
- PROSE: The Comet's Tail (during Castrovalva)
- PROSE: Cold Fusion (between Castrovalva and Four to Doomsday)
- PROSE: The Immortals (between Castrovalva and Four to Doomsday)
- PROSE: First Born (between Kinda and The Visitation)
- PROSE: Divided Loyalties (between The Visitation and Black Orchid)
- AUDIO: Smoke and Mirrors (between The Visitation and Black Orchid)
- PROSE: In the TARDIS: Christmas Day (between Black Orchid and Earthshock)
- PROSE: Hearts of Stone (between Black Orchid and Earthshock)
- AUDIO: The Darkening Eye (between Black Orchid and Earthshock)
Ratings
- Average: 9.3 million
- Highest: 10.5 million (Castrovalva Part 4)
- Lowest: 8.3 million (Time-Flight Part 4)
Adaptations and merchandising
Home media
VHS
- Castrovalva (1992)
- Four to Doomsday (2001)
- Kinda (1994)
- The Visitation / Black Orchid (1994)
- Earthshock (1992)
- Time-Flight (2000)
DVD
All serials of season 19 were released individually in between 2003 and 2011.
| Serial name | Number and duration of episodes |
R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castrovalva Only available as part of the New Beginnings box set in Regions 2 and 4. Available individually or in the box set in Region 1. |
4 × 25 min. | 29 January 2007 | 7 March 2007 | 5 June 2007 |
| Four to Doomsday | 4 × 25 min. | 15 September 2008 | 4 December 2008 | 6 January 2009 |
| Kinda Only available as part of the Mara Tales box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1. |
4 × 25 min. | 7 March 2011 | 7 April 2011 | 12 April 2011 |
| The Visitation | 4 × 25 min. | 19 January 2004 | 8 April 2004 | 1 March 2005 |
| Black Orchid | 2 × 25 min. | 14 April 2008 | 5 June 2008 | 5 August 2008 |
| Earthshock | 4 × 25 min. | 18 August 2003 | 1 October 2003 | 7 September 2004 |
| Time-Flight Only available as part of the Time-Flight/Arc of Infinity box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1. |
4 × 25 min. | 6 August 2007 | 5 September 2007 | 6 November 2007 |