Timeline
- Lytton contacts Cybermen in the London sewers. (DW: Attack of the Cybermen)
- The second and sixth Doctors prevent the Sontarans from gaining time travel. (DW: The Two Doctors)
- 10th October - Orson Welles dies
History of Doctor Who
January
- 05 - Attack of the Cybermen Episode 1 First Broadcast. Beginning with this episode, the series moves to 45-minute episodes.
- 12 - Attack of the Cybermen Episode 2 First Broadcast
- 19 - Vengeance on Varos Episode 1 First Broadcast
- 26 - Vengeance on Varos Episode 2 First Broadcast
February
- 02 - The Mark of the Rani Episode 1 First Broadcast
- 06 - Neil McCarthy (George Patrick Barnham in The Mind of Evil and Thawn in The Power of Kroll) dies from motor neurone disease.
- 09 - The Mark of the Rani Episode 2 First Broadcast
- 14 - Doctor Who - Planet of Fire First Published.
- 16 - The Two Doctors Episode 1 First Broadcast
- 23 - The Two Doctors Episode 2 First Broadcast
- 23 - A Fix with Sontarans First Broadcast
- 27 - The BBC announces that it is suspending Doctor Who after the conclusion of the current season, effectively cancelling the series. Fan protest would ultimately result in the series returning in 1986 after an 18-month hiatus.
March
- 02 - The Two Doctors Episode 3 First Broadcast
- 14 - Doctor Who - The Caves of Androzani First Published.
- 23 - Revelation of the Daleks Episode 1 First Broadcast
- 30 - Revelation of the Daleks Episode 2 First Broadcast. Final 45-minute episode until 2005. Also final use of the Peter Howell arrangement of the theme music.
April
- Severn House publishes Doctor Who Book of Space, a hardcover version of Doctor Who Quiz Book of Space aimed at libraries.
- 11 - Doctor Who - Marco Polo First Published.
- 30 - George Pravda, who appeared as Alexander Denes in The Enemy of the World, Jaeger in The Mutants and Castellan Spandrell in The Deadly Assassin dies.
May
- Doctor Who Magazine publishes its 100th issue.
- Doctor Who: The TARDIS Inside Out first published.
- 16 - The Doctor Who Cookbook first published.
- The Doctor Who Monster Book is republished nearly 10 years after its first issue. A poster included in the first release is omitted in the reprint.
- 17 - Hugh Burden dies.
June
- 11 - Norman Claridge, who played the Priest in "The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve," dies in London.
- 13 - Doctor Who - The Awakening First Published.
- 24 - Valentine Dyall dies after recording a role for the upcoming radio play Slipback.
July
- Severn House publishes Doctor Who Book of Science, a hardcover version of Doctor Who Quiz Book of Science aimed at libraries.
- 7 - Ewen Solon, who played Chal in "The Savages" and Vishinsky in "Planet of Evil," dies in Addleston, England.
- 11 - Doctor Who - The Mind of Evil First Published.
- 25 - Slipback Episode 1 and 2 First Broadcast. The first radio play based upon Doctor Who and the first original audio drama since Doctor Who and the Pescatons a decade earlier, this serial was produced as a stopgap during the enforced hiatus for the televised series.
August
- Doctor Who Annual 1986 published. This is the final annual to be published by World Distributors, ending a series that began in 1965. The annual format would be revived by Marvel Comics in the 1990s.
- 29 - Patrick Barr, who played Jack Hobson in "The Moonbase," dies in London.
September
- 12 - Doctor Who - The Myth Makers First Published.
- Doctor Who: The Illustrated A-Z first published.
October
- US edition of Doctor Who: The TARDIS Inside Out published.
- 10 - Doctor Who - The Invasion First Published.
- 14 - The Third Doctor Who Quiz Book by Nigel Robinson published. Final book in the series.
November
- 14 - Doctor Who - The Krotons First Published.
December
- 05 - Doctor Who - The Two Doctors First Published. First Sixth Doctor novelisation. Promoted as the 100th Doctor Who novelisation by Target Books. Although the TV series logo has been modified slightly for the new Doctor, the Target line leaves the logo unchanged.
| 1984 | 20th century 1980s |
1986 |