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Season 3 of Doctor Who ran from 11 September 1965 to 16 July 1966. It starred William Hartnell as the First Doctor, Maureen O'Brien as Vicki Pallister, Peter Purves as Steven Taylor, Adrienne Hill as Katarina and Jackie Lane as Dodo Chaplet. The season opened with Galaxy 4 and concluded with The War Machines.
- You may wish to consult
Series 3for other, similarly-named pages.
Overview
The season consisted of ten serials comprised of forty-five episodes. At twelve episodes, The Daleks' Master Plan was the longest story in the show's history until superseded by the fourteen-episode The Trial of a Time Lord in 1986 (although some consider that tale to be four separate serials broadcast under a single title, and said stories were produced as though they were separate serials).
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 TV story in which neither the Doctor nor any companions appear.
The season also had the greatest number of different companions (seven) and producers (three). This was the longest season in the history of the franchise to date, at 45 episodes.
It also featured the first appearance of actor Nicholas Courtney, who would go on to play Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. The Daleks' Master Plan also saw the return of Peter Butterworth as the Monk, who became the second Doctor Who enemy to make a return to the show after the Daleks.
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, with the exception of Missy's teasing in World Enough and Time.
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 change 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. It is therefore the most incomplete season of the William Hartnell-era.
Television stories
| # | Title | Writer | Episodes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galaxy 4 | William Emms | 4 | Directorial debut of Derek Martinus on the show. |
| 2 | Mission to the Unknown | Terry Nation | 1 | Only story not to feature the Doctor at all. |
| 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 | Death of Katarina; first story to feature the death of a companion. Introduction and death of Sara Kingdom. First fourth-wall break in the show's history. |
| 5 | The Massacre | John Lucarotti Donald Tosh |
4 | First appearance of Dodo Chaplet, and the first story to be directed by Paddy Russell. |
| 6 | The Ark | Paul Erickson Lesley Scott |
4 | First serial to be recorded out of sequence. |
| 7 | The Celestial Toymaker | Brian Hayles | 4 | First televised appearance of the Celestial Toymaker. |
| 8 | The Gunfighters | Donald Cotton | 4 | Final story to use individual episode titles. First story that entirely takes place in America. |
| 9 | The Savages | Ian Stuart Black | 4 | Final appearance of Steven Taylor and first story to be written by Ian Stuart Black. |
| 10 | The War Machines | 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 four episodes in length, except Mission to the Unknown (one episode) and The Daleks' Master Plan (twelve episodes). Up to The Gunfighters, each episode had its own title, but beginning with The Savages, overall story titles were introduced.
Cast
- Dr. Who – William Hartnell
- Steven Taylor – Peter Purves
- Vicki – Maureen O'Brien
- Dodo Chaplet – Jackie Lane
- Ben Jackson – Michael Craze
- Polly – Anneke Wills
Recurring
- Katarina – Adrienne Hill
- Sara Kingdom – Jean Marsh
- The Monk – Peter Butterworth
- Dalek Voices - Peter Hawkins, David Graham
- Jeff Garvey - Barry Jackson
Guest
- Maaga – Stephanie Bidmead
- Drahvin One - Marina Martin
- Drahvin Two - Susanna Carroll
- Drahvin Three - Lyn Ashley
- Rill Voice - Robert Cartland
- Marc Cory – Edward de Souza
- Gordon Lowery - Jeremy Young
- Malpha - Robert Cartland
- Achilles – Cavan Kendall
- Odysseus - Ivor Salter
- Agamemnon - Francis De Wolff
- King Priam - Max Adrian
- Paris - Barrie Ingham
- Cassandra - Francis White
- Troilus - James Lynn
- Mavic Chen - Kevin Stoney
- Bret Vyon – Nicholas Courtney
- Zephon - Julian Sherrier
- Trantis - Roy Evans
- Kirksen - Douglas Sheldon
- Karlton - Maurice Browning
- First Policeman - Norman Mitchell
- Second Policeman - Malcolm Rogers
- Blossom Lefavre - Sheila Dunn
- Steinberger P. Green - Royston Tickner
- Ingmar Knopf - Mark Ross
- Clown - Robert Jewell
- Professor Webster - Albert Barrington
- Celation - Terence Woodfield
- Tuthmos - Derek Ware
- Hyksos - Walter Randall
- Gaston de Leran - Eric Thompson
- Nicholas Muss - David Weston
- Simon Duval - John Tillinger
- Anne Chaplet - Annette Robertson
- Abbot of Amboise - William Hartnell
- Marshal Tavannes - André Morell
- Admiral de Coligny - Leonard Sachs
- Catherine de Medici - Joan Young
- King Charles IX – Barry Justice
- Commander - Eric Elliot
- Zentos – Inigo Jackson
- Manyak - Roy Spencer
- Mellium - Kate Newman
- Dassuk - Brian Wright
- Venussa - Eileen Helsby
- Maharis - Terence Woodfield
- Monoid Voices - Roy Skelton, John Halstead
- Refusian Voice - Richard Beale
- The Celestial Toymaker – Michael Gough
- Joey/ King of Hearts/ Sergeant Rugg - Campbell Singer
- Clara/ Queen of Hearts/ Mrs Wiggs - Carmen Silvera
- Kitchen Boy/ Cyril - Peter Stephens
- Ike Clanton – William Hurndell
- Phineas Clanton - Maurice Good
- Billy Clanton - David Cole
- Seth Harper - Shane Rimmer
- Charlie the Barman - David Graham
- Kate Fisher - Sheena Marshe
- Doc Holliday - Anthony Jacobs
- Wyatt Earp - John Alderson
- Bat Masterson - Richard Beale
- Johnny Ringo - Laurence Payne
- Jano - Frederick Jaeger
- Chal – Ewen Solon
- Captain Edal - Peter Thomas
- Tor - Patrick Godfrey
- Nanina - Clare Jenkins
- Exorse - Geoffrey Frederick
- Professor Brett - John Harvey
- Major Green – Alan Curtis
- Professor Krimpton - John Cater
- Sir Charles Summer - William Mervyn
Stories set before this season
The following stories are the known adventures set between Season 2 finale The Time Meddler and Season 3 opener Galaxy 4
Novels
to be added
Short stories
Audios
- Steven and Vicki's involvement in The Light at the End
- The Bounty of Ceres
- The Dalek Occupation of Winter
- An Ideal World
- Entanglement
- The Crash of the UK-201
- The Ravelli Conspiracy
- The Suffering
- Frostfire
- Upstairs
- Fields of Terror
- Etheria
- Across the Darkened City
- The Founding Fathers
Comics
to be added
Stories set during this season
Novels
Short stories
- Tarnished Image
- Scribbles in Chalk
- The Little Drummer Boy
- Ash
- Waiting for Jeremy
- Making History
- White on White
- The Rag & Bone Man's Story
- There are Fairies at the Bottom of My Garden
- Murder in the Dark
Audio stories
- The Anachronauts
- Home Truths
- The Drowned World
- The Guardian of the Solar System
- The Perpetual Bond
- The Cold Equations
- The First Wave
- The Vardan Invasion of Mirth
- Mother Russia
- Tales from the Vault
- Return of the Rocket Men
- An Ordinary Life
- The Sontarans
- Helmstone
- O Tannenbaum
- Peace in Our Time
- Out of the Deep
- This Sporting Life
- The Horror of Bletchington Station
- Sara's involvement in The Light at the End
- The Outlaws
- The Miniaturist
- The Demon Song
- The Incherton Incident
- Men of War
Adaptations and merchandising
Home media
VHS releases
- The Ark (1998)
- The Gunfighters (2002)
- The War Machines (1997)
- The Hartnell Years (1991) (The Celestial Toymaker episode 4 - "The Final Test")
- Daleks: The Early Years (1992) (The Daleks' Master Plan episodes 5 and 10 - "Counter Plot" and "Escape Switch")
Loose Cannon VHS releases
- 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 & Blu-ray releases
| Serial name | Number and duration of episodes |
R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy 4 (episode 3 of 4, condensed reconstructions of episodes 1, 2 & 4) Only available on The Aztecs - Special Edition. |
1 x 25 min. | 11 March 2013 | 20 March 2013 | 12 March 2013 |
| Galaxy 4 (animated reconstructions of all 4 episodes and surviving episode 3) | 4 x 25 min. | 15 November 2021 | TBA | TBA |
| The Ark | 4 × 25 min. | 14 February 2011 | 3 March 2011 | 8 March 2011 |
| The Gunfighters Only available as part of the Earth Story 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) (also includes surviving clips from The Daleks' Master Plan) |
4 × 25 min. | 1 November 2004 | 2 December 2004 (Original release) 1 July 2010 (Re-release) |
2 November 2004 |
Download/streaming availability
| Serial name | BritBox |
|---|---|
| Galaxy 4 | |
| Mission to the Unknown | |
| The Myth Makers | |
| The Daleks' Master Plan | |
| The Massacre | |
| The Ark (4 episodes) |
✓ |
| The Celestial Toymaker | |
| The Gunfighters (4 episodes) |
✓ |
| The Savages | |
| The War Machines (4 episodes) |
✓ |
BritBox is available only in the US and Canada.
Novelisations
- Galaxy Four
- The Myth Makers
- 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/The Dalek's Master Plan
- The Myth Makers
- The Massacre
- The Celestial Toymaker