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Season 8 of Doctor Who ran between 2 January 1971 and 19 June 1971. It starred Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor, Katy Manning as Jo Grant, Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Richard Franklin as Mike Yates, John Levene as John Benton and Roger Delgado as the Master. The season opened with the story Terror of the Autons and concluded with the story The Dæmons.
- You may wish to consult
Series 8for other, similarly-named pages.
Overview
It consisted of five stories and twenty-five episodes. As of 2017[update], season 8 remains notable for being the season with the most number of regular characters. Not only did it see a new companion in the form of Jo Grant, but it featured a regular enemy — the Master — who was the first Time Lord enemy of the Doctor to appear more than twice, and an expanded regular UNIT cast that now included Sergeant Benton and Mike Yates in most episodes. Adding in returning regulars Jon Pertwee and Nicholas Courtney, the regular cast swelled to six.
Television stories
| # | Title | Writer | Episodes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terror of the Autons | Robert Holmes | 4 | First appearances of Jo Grant, Mike Yates and the Master. Beginning of the season-long "Master arc". |
| 2 | The Mind of Evil | Don Houghton | 6 | |
| 3 | The Claws of Axos | Bob Baker Dave Martin |
4 | First appearance of the second TARDIS interior. First appearance of Axos. First story to be written by Bob Baker and Dave Martin. |
| 4 | Colony in Space | Malcolm Hulke | 6 | First time the Third Doctor is able to visit an alien planet following his exile. First appearance of the "emitter head" sonic screwdriver model. Directorial debut on the programme of Michael E. Briant. |
| 5 | The Dæmons | Guy Leopold, aka Robert Sloman Barry Letts |
5 | Conclusion of the season-long "Master arc". Second explanation for the destruction of Atlantis. |
Cast
- Dr. Who - Jon Pertwee
- Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - Nicholas Courtney
- Jo Grant - Katy Manning
- Mike Yates - Richard Franklin
- Sergeant Benton - John Levene
- The Master - Roger Delgado
Recurring
Guest
- Auton Voice - Hayden Jones
- Rossini - John Baskcomb
- Rex Farrel - Michael Wisher
- McDermott - Harry Towb
- Farrel Senior - Stephen Jack
- Mrs. Farrel - Barbara Leake
- Captain Chin Lee - Pik-Sen Lim
- Dr. Summers - Michael Sheard
- Barnham - Neil McCarthy
- Fu Peng - Kristopher Kum
- Mailer - William Marlowe
- Vosper - Hayden Jones
- Major Cosworth - Patrick Godfrey
- Chinn - Peter Bathurst
- Filer - Paul Grist
- Hardiman - Donald Hewlett
- Winser - David Savile
- Axon Man - Bernard Holley
- Captain Harker - Tim Piggott-Smith
- Ashe - John Ringham
- Mary Ashe - Helen Worth
- Winton - Nicholas Pennell
- Norton - Roy Skelton
- Dent - Morris Perry
- Caldwell - Bernard Kay
- Morgan - Tony Caunter
- Primitive - Pat Gorman
- Miss Hawthorne - Damaris Hayman
- Bert the Landlord - Don McKillop
- Winstanley - Rollo Gamble
- Bok - Stanley Mason
- Sgt. Osgood - Alec Linstead
- Azal - Stephen Thorne
Stories set during this season
Based on Theory:Timeline - Third Doctor
Pre-Season
- COMIC: The Kingdom Builders (19 December 1970 - 6 February 1971)
- AUDIO: Taken For Granted (19 June 2018)
Between Terror of the Autons & The Mind of Evil
- PROSE: Dark Intruders (September 1972)
- PROSE: War in the Abyss (September 1972)
- PROSE: Hunt to the Death (September 1972)
- PROSE: Doorway into Nowhere (September 1972)
- PROSE: The Claw (September 1972)
- PROSE: Saucer of Fate (September 1972)
- PROSE: The Phaser Aliens (September 1972)
- AUDIO: The Doll of Death (September 2008)
- AUDIO: The Sentinels of the New Dawn (14 April 2011)
- COMIC: Prologue: The Third Doctor (21 July 2016)
- AUDIO: Damascus (30 August 2016)
Between The Mind of Evil and The Claws of Axos
- PROSE: Deadly Reunion (3 November 2003)
Post-Season
- PROSE: Who Killed Kennedy (all serials of season 8) (18 April 1996)
Adaptations and merchandising
Home media
VHS releases
- Terror of the Autons (1993) (colour restoration)
- The Mind of Evil (1998) (in B/W)
- The Claws of Axos (1992)
- Colony in Space (2001)
- The Dæmons (1993) (colour restoration)
- The Pertwee Years (1992) (The Dæmons episode 5 - in B/W)
DVD & Blu-ray releases
All serials of season 8 were released individually on DVD between 2005 and 2013. The complete season was upscaled in 1080i50 high definition and released on Blu-ray as Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 8 in the UK on 8 March 2021.
Picture restoration was undertaken by Peter Crocker, with sound restoration by Mark Ayres. Design and illustration was provided by Lee Binding. The Executive Producer was Russell Minton.
The Dæmons required significant additional colour restoration. This was undertaken by Gavin Rymill, Anthony Lamb and 'Dr Hue' colourisers Rich Tipple and Kieran Highman.
| Serial name | Number and duration of episodes |
R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terror of the Autons Only available as part of the Mannequin Mania box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1. |
4 × 25 min. | 9 May 2011 | 2 June 2011 | 10 May 2011 |
| The Mind of Evil | 6 × 25 min. | 3 June 2013 | 5 June 2014 | 11 June 2013 |
| The Claws of Axos | 4 × 25 min. | 25 April 2005 | 2 June 2005 | 8 November 2005 |
| Colony in Space | 6 × 25 min. | 3 October 2011 | 1 December 2011 | 8 November 2011 |
| The Dæmons | 5 × 25 min. | 19 March 2012 | 19 April 2012 | 10 April 2012 |
Download/streaming availability
| Serial name | Amazon Video | BritBox | iTunes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terror of the Autons (4 episodes) |
UK | ✓ | ✓ |
| The Mind of Evil (6 episodes) |
✓ | ||
| The Claws of Axos (4 episodes) |
UK | ✓ | Except France, Germany |
| Colony in Space (6 episodes) |
✓ | ||
| The Dæmons (5 episodes) |
✓ |
BritBox is available only in the US. iTunes stores carry Doctor Who serials in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK and US, unless stated otherwise.