Season 3 (Doctor Who 1963)

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.

	First Doctor
	Steven, Vicki, Dodo, Polly, Ben
	John Wiles Innes Lloyd Verity Lambert
	Dennis Spooner Donald Tosh Gerry Davis
	11 September 1965
	16 July 1966
	BBC1
	25'
	7, 12, 34
	The Discontinuity Guide, The First Doctor Handbook, The Sixties, Wiped!, About Time 1, The Complete History 6, TCH 7, TCH 8
	Jackie Lane, Peter Purves, Verity Lambert, William Hartnell, Donald Tosh, John Wiles era, Innes Lloyd and Peter Bryant production teams, Derek Martinus, Douglas Camfield
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You may wish to consult Series 3 for 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 At twelve episodes, The Daleks' Master Plan was the longest story in the show's history until superseded by the fourteen-episode The Trial of a Time Lord in 1986 (although some consider that tale to be four separate serials broadcast under a single title, and said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

• Corridors of Power
• The Schoolboy's Story
• Snowman in Manhattan
• Mars
• The Power Supply

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

• Salvation
• Bunker Soldiers
• The Man in the Velvet Mask

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) The Celestial Toymaker (episode 4 of 4) (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

External links

• BBC Website Guide to Season 3