Season 20 of Doctor Who ran between 3 January 1983 and 25 November 1983. It starred Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor.
Overview
The season consisted of six serials and twenty-two episodes of twenty-five minutes each, plus a ninety minute twentieth anniversary special, The Five Doctors broadcast as part of Children in Need. This season saw the departure of companion Nyssa and introduced Turlough. Every story of this season contained an old enemy of the Doctor in at least a minor role, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the show.
Television Stories
| # | Title | Writer | Episodes | Notes |
| 1 | Arc of Infinity | Johnny Byrne | 4 | First appearence of Omega since 1973, final appearance of Omega |
| 2 | Snakedance | Christopher Bailey | 4 | |
| 3 | Mawdryn Undead | Peter Grimwade | 4 | First appearance of Vislor Turlough; reintroduction of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Start of the Black Guardian's attempt at getting revenge on the Doctor. |
| 4 | Terminus | Steve Gallagher | 4 | Final appearance of Nyssa |
| 5 | Enlightenment | Barbara Clegg | 4 | Final appearances of the Black Guardian and the White Guardian. |
| 6 | The King's Demons | Terence Dudley | 2 | First appearance of Kamelion. First appearance of The Master since Castrovalva. |
Anniversary Special
| # | Title | Writer | Episodes | Notes |
| 7 | The Five Doctors | Terrance Dicks | 1 90-minute special | Final appearances of the First, Third and Fourth Doctors; reintroductions of the First, Second, Third and Fourth Doctors, Romana, Susan Foreman and Sarah Jane Smith. First Doctor Who appearances of K9 Mk. III and Rassilon |
Main Cast
Regulars
- The Doctor - Peter Davison
- Tegan Jovanka - Janet Fielding
- Nyssa - Sarah Sutton (departed Terminus )
- Turlough - Mark Strickson (introduced Mawdryn Undead )
Semi-Regulars
- Kamelion - Gerald Flood
- The Brigadier - Nicholas Courtney
- The Master - Anthony Ainley
- The Black Guardian - Valentine Dyall
Guests
- First Doctor - Richard Hurndall
- Second Doctor - Patrick Troughton
- Third Doctor - Jon Pertwee
- Fourth Doctor - Tom Baker (cameo)
- Susan Foreman - Carole Ann Ford
- Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen
- Romana II - Lalla Ward (cameo)
- Jamie McCrimmon - Frazer Hines (cameo)
- Zoe Heriot - Wendy Padbury (cameo)
- Liz Shaw - Caroline John (cameo)
- Mike Yates - Richard Franklin (cameo)
- K9 Mark III - John Leeson (Voice, cameo)
Stories set during this season
- BFA: Omega (immediately after to Arc of Infinity)
- PDA: Fear of the Dark (between Arc of Infinity and Snakedance)
- PDA: Zeta Major (between Arc of Infinity and Snakedance)
- MA: The Sands of Time (between Arc of Infinity and Snakedance)
- MA: Goth Opera (between Snakedance and Mawdryn Undead)
- BFA: Cobwebs - The Whispering Forest - The Cradle of the Snake (between Terminus and The King’s Demons)
- MA: The Crystal Bucephalus (between The King’s Demons and The Five Doctors.
- Involvement in EDA: The Eight Doctors (after to The Five Doctors)
Adaptations and Merchandising
Home Media
VHS
- Arc of Infinity
- Snakedance
- Mawdryn Undead
- Terminus
- Enlightenment
- The King's Demons/The Five Doctors (extended version)
DVD
- Arc of Infinity (2007)
- Snakedance (2011)
- The Black Guardian Trilogy (contains Mawdryn Undead, Terminus & Enlightenment) (2009)
- The King's Demons (2010)
- The Five Doctors - Special Edition (1999)
- The Five Doctors - 25th Anniversary Edition (2008)