Season 3 (Doctor Who 1963)

For other 2007 series, see Series 3.

The third season of Doctor Who ran between 11th September 1965 and 16th July 1966. The season was marked by extremes. At 12 episodes, The Daleks' Master Plan was the longest story in the show's history until superceded by the 14-episode The Trial of a Time Lord in 1986 (although some consider that tale to be four separate serials broadcast under a single title); the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 one in which neither the Doctor nor any companions appear (this episode, too, is controversial, however, as its role as a prologue to Daleks' Master Plan renders it more the 13th episode of that story rather than a standalone). The season also had the greatest number of different companions (7), and producers (3). It also featured the first appearance of actor Nicholas Courtney, although not in his most famous role as The Brigadier. And, 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.

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 changed in lead actor on a show still at the height of popularity. It consisted of ten serials (listed below) and 45 episodes, the majority of which are considered lost, though three serials, The Ark, The Gunfighters and The War Machines, exist in complete form.

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Stories

• Galaxy 4
• Mission to the Unknown
• The Myth Makers
• The Daleks' Master Plan
• The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve
• The Ark
• The Celestial Toymaker
• The Gunfighters
• The Savages
• The War Machines

Main Cast

• The Doctor - William Hartnell
• Vicki - Maureen O'Brien
• Steven Taylor - Peter Purves
• Katarina - Adrienne Hill
• Sara Kingdom - Jean Marsh
• Dodo Chaplet - Jackie Lane
• Ben Jackson - Michael Craze
• Polly - Anneke Wills

Stories set in this season

• PDA Salvation (after The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve)
• PDA Bunker Soldiers (after Salvation)
• BFA Mother Russia (between The Gunfighters and The Savages)
• MA The Man in the Velvet Mask (between The Savages and The War Machines)

Adaptations and merchandising

Video

VHS

• The Ark
• The Gunfighters
• The War Machines
• The Hartnell Years (Celestial Toymaker ep 4)
• Daleks: The Early Years (Dalek Master Plan 5+10)

DVD

• Lost in Time (Dalek Master Plan 2,5+10, Celestial Toymaker 4)

Novelisations

• Galaxy Four
• The Myth Makers
• The Daleks' Master Plan: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/Daleks Master Plan
• The Myth Makers
• The Massacre
• The Celestial Toymaker

External Links

• BBC Website Guide to Season 3

Previous season: Season 2

Next season: Season 4

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