Theory:Timeline - Fourth Doctor
If this thread's title doesn't specify it's spoilery, don't bring any up.
This page lists appearances of the Fourth Doctor in the order in which he experienced them. This timeline is based on observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events in each of these stories. From these observations we have attempted to build a concise timeline. It is assumed, much like their TV story counterparts, that each novel or audio series their published/numbered order is the order they occur in[statement unclear]. There are also many gaps between stories.
The layout of this timeline is based in part on the observations on Doctor Who Reference Guide and Doctor Who - The Complete Adventures, Lance Parkin's AHistory and other sources that allow us to make observations, such as DocOhoReviews, The History of the Doctor, The Discontinuity Guide, Clive Banks Databank, the Big Finish forums and The Divergent Universe forums. None of these sources should be used solely as a source or considered a "true" timeline for stories.
Limiting factors
Companions
Due to the nature of travel throughout season 12, any story featuring TARDIS travel with Harry Sullivan (other than TV: The Ark in Space) must take place after TV: Revenge of the Cybermen and before TV: Terror of the Zygons. Any story with Sarah Jane Smith must take place before TV: The Hand of Fear. Any story with Leela must take place after TV: The Face of Evil and before TV: The Invasion of Time. Any story with K9 Mark I must take place after TV: The Invisible Enemy and before TV: The Invasion of Time. Any story with K9 Mark II must take place after TV: The Invasion of Time and before TV: Warriors' Gate. Any story with Romana I must take place after TV: The Ribos Operation and before TV: Destiny of the Daleks. Any story with Romana II must take place after TV: Destiny of the Daleks and before TV: Warriors' Gate. Any story with Adric must be set after TV: Full Circle.
Costume
The Fourth Doctor has an advantage when dating his stories due to his costume. The Doctor started out with a small red coat, a rainbow scarf, and blue geans. His coat soon grew to a larger deep brown coat. Eventually, his costume turned into the "red" version. This makes dating very simple when looking at how the Doctor is dressed.
Timeline
Early adventures
- The Doctor regenerates from his previous incarnation.
- The Doctor's regeneration stabalises. Sarah and Harry leave with him in the TARDIS.
- The Doctor and Sarah both comment on the Doctor's new face.
- PROSE: A New Life
- PROSE: The Hospitality on Hankus
- COMIC: The Psychic Jungle
- PROSE: The Sinister Sponge
- COMIC: Neuronic Nightmare
- PROSE: Avast There!
- PROSE: The Mission
- PROSE: The Heat-Seekers
- PROSE: The Last Broadcast
- PROSE: The Terror of the Darkness
- The Doctor and Harry's cameo takes place immediately after The Terror of the Darkness.
The Nerva Beacon
- The travellers arrive at the Nerva Beacon, and agree to beam down to Earth.
- The travellers fix the faulty equipment on Earth and beam back to the Nerva Beacon.
- The Time Lords intercept to transmat beam and give the Doctor a Time Ring and a mission on Skaro.
- Immediately after departing from Skaro, the Doctor, Sarah and Harry are scattered across the Adelphine Cluster due to temporal disruption interfering with the Time Ring.
- The Doctor, Sarah and Harry are still using the Time Ring.
- Just as they retrieve the TARDIS, the crew receive a summons from the Brigadier.
- The TARDIS still needs time to recover from the solar flare radiation.
- The TARDIS has recovered and makes its way to Scotland.
- The Doctor and his companions expect to find the Loch Ness at the start of the story, so this must take place while they were answering the Brigadier's summons.
- The travellers make it to Scotland, and Harry decides to remain on Earth with UNIT.
Walking in eternity
- The Doctor claims to have travelled over 30,000 years to get to the 17th century.
- Sarah and the Doctor are still wearing the clothes they wore in Planet of Evil.
- The Doctor is inspired to visit a Shakespearean-era theatre by his experiences in Managra.
- Sarah observes that the Doctor has been moody as of late.
- Sarah understands that it takes time for radio waves to travel between Mars and Earth.
- Front matter references TV adventures up to Pyramids of Mars.
- TV: The Android Invasion
- PROSE: The Vampires of Crellium
- PROSE: On the Slippery Trail
- PROSE: War on Aquatica
- PROSE: The Lost Generation
- Sarah remembers being shot at by homicidal androids.
- Sarah hasn’t seen Harry since The Android Invasion.
- Harry has resumed traveling with the Doctor
- COMIC: The Body Snatcher
- PROSE: The Eye-Spiders of Pergross
- PROSE: Detour to Diamedes
- COMIC: Menace on Metalupiter
- PROSE: Secret of the Bald Planet
- PROSE: The Dragons of Prague
- PROSE: UNIT Christmas Parties: Ships That Pass
- Harry leaves the TARDIS again after this story.
- COMIC: Return of the Daleks
- COMIC: The Wreckers
- COMIC: The Emperor's Spy
- COMIC: The Sinister Sea
- COMIC: Woden's Warriors
- COMIC: The Space Ghost
- COMIC: The Dalek Revenge
- COMIC: Virus
- COMIC: Treasure Trail
- TV: The Brain of Morbius
- The Doctor complains about the Time Lords "messing about with the TARDIS", setting this after the comic stories set between Return of the Daleks and Treasure Trail, where the Time Lord had been doing so.
- AUDIO: Chain Reaction
- PROSE: The Magic Box
- COMIC: Hubert's Folly
- COMIC: Which Way Out?
- COMIC: Counter-Rotation
- COMIC: Mind Snatch
- PROSE: Conscription
- Sarah claims it is Christmas in her time period.
- Sarah celebrates Christmas in her time period.
- COMIC: The Tansbury Experiment
- COMIC: The Mutant Strain
- COMIC: Double Trouble
- TV: The Seeds of Doom
- PROSE: Scarab of Death
- Sequel to Pyramids of Mars.
- AUDIO: Doctor Who and the Pescatons
- PROSE: The Sleeping Beast
- PROSE: The Sands of Tymus
- COMIC: The Rival Robots
- PROSE: A New Life
- COMIC: The Traitor
- PROSE: The Sea of Faces
- PROSE: Categorical Imperative
- COMIC: Dredger
- TV: The Masque of Mandragora
- The Doctor begins using the secondary control room in the TARDIS.
- Sarah recalls being prepared to be sacrificed, as she was in The Masque of Mandragora.
- COMIC: Jackals of Space
- PROSE: Autaia Pipipi Pia
- PROSE: Eternity
- AUDIO: Exploration Earth
- COMIC: The Naked Flame
- Sarah is wearing her Andy Pandy clothes.
- Sarah decides she had had enough of the TARDIS and the Doctor receives a summons from Gallifrey, and has to leave Sarah behind.
Companionless
- The Doctor crosses wits with the Master on Gallifrey.
- The Doctor broods over the lives lost on Gallifrey.
- The Doctor says a proper farewell to Sarah Jane Smith.
- The Doctor is travelling alone, and still feels melancholy because "she" is no longer with him.
- COMIC: Day of the Tune
- PROSE: Only Connect
- PROSE: Callahuanca
- COMIC: The False Planet
- COMIC: The Fire Feeders
- COMIC: Kling Dynasty
- TV: The Day of the Doctor
- PROSE: Dr. Who and the Hell Planet
- GAME: Destiny of the Doctors
- The Doctor is in his bohemian attire and is on his own. Images of Davros, Morbius, and the decaying Master are in his mind.
Old friends
- COMIC: The Sky Warrior
- PROSE: The Stranger, The Writer, His Wife and the Mixed Metaphor
- PROSE: Master of the Blackhole
- PROSE: Hamlet's Soliloquy
- COMIC: Under Pressure
- PROSE: Down to Earth
- PROSE: UNITed We Fall
- PROSE: Mutiny
- PROSE: Wonderland
- PROSE: Millennium Shock
Milena and Ms. Young
New acquaintances
- PROSE: Asylum
- PROSE: The Northern Heights
- PROSE: The Baron Wastes
- PROSE: Earth
- PROSE: My Hero
- PROSE: In Case of Emergencies
- PROSE: The Nobility of Faith
- PROSE: The Doctor's Cross Word
A noble savage
- Leela joins the Doctor in his travels.
- The events of The Robots of Death are still fresh in Leela’s mind.
- Leela still shows particularly violent tendencies, setting this early in her travels.
- Sequel to The Robots of Death.
- Leela's first visit to Earth, although she won't remember it.
- Leela has never seen a horse before.
- Leela is still learning basic reading. She does not know of regeneration.
- Leela has only been traveling with the Doctor for a few weeks, but has seen spaceships before.
- The first scene of Talons, seen from H. G. Well's perspective.
- The Doctor and Leela have just parted ways with Jago and Litefoot.
- Leela has recently encountered horses.
- AUDIO: Sound the Siren And I'll Come To You Comrade
- COMIC: The Orb
- COMIC: The Mutants
- COMIC: The Devil's Mouth
- COMIC: The Aqua-City
- PROSE: The Brain of Socrates
- Leela recalls the Victorian theatre.
- Leela refers to her visit to London in 1889, and how she fired a revolver at a dragon.
- AUDIO: The Wrath of the Iceni
- AUDIO: Energy of the Daleks
- AUDIO: Trail of the White Worm
- AUDIO: The Oseidon Adventure
- The Doctor and the Master meet for the first time since The Deadly Assassin.
- AUDIO: Night of the Stormcrow
- PROSE: Famine on Planet X
- PROSE: The Planet of Dust
- PROSE: Terror on Tantalogus
- COMIC: The Power
- PROSE: Flashback
- COMIC: Emsone's Castle
- PROSE: The Crocodiles from the Mist
- AUDIO: The Ghosts of Gralstead
- Leela has a limited ability to read English.
- Leela is still wearing Victorian clothing from their visit to London in The Ghosts of Gralstead.
- Leela is unfamiliar with the concept of money. The TARDIS' secondary console room is destroyed in a fire.
- Charley runs into the console room on entering the TARDIS, so it is set after the secondary console room was destroyed.
- Leela views jeans as ridiculous.
- The Doctor teaches Leela about money for the first time.
- Leela is able to read on her own.
- AUDIO: The Crooked Man
- AUDIO: The Evil One
- AUDIO: Last of the Colophon
- AUDIO: Destroy the Infinite
- AUDIO: The Abandoned
- AUDIO: Zygon Hunt
- AUDIO: The Foe from the Future
- Leela's reading level has advanced to the point where the Doctor is having her read him the works of Shakespeare. She also knows about policemen.
- Leela's eye colour changes from brown to blue. She also wears jeans for the first time.
- Leela is still in jeans.
Adopting K9
- K9 Mark I is adopted by the Doctor.
- K9 takes damage from the drain on his batteries, as well as water damage from the canals, which gives him "corroded circuitry".
- K-9 is suffering from "corroded circuitry".
- The Doctor is hunting a second Fendahl skull.
- Leela recalls being temporarily blinded at Fang Rock.
- The Doctor and K9 begin playing chess.
- Leela remembers seeing the steel hives of the Sun Makers.
- The Doctor begins to go without his cravat.
- AUDIO: The Darkness of Glass
- AUDIO: Requiem for the Rocket Men
- AUDIO: Death Match
- AUDIO: Suburban Hell
- AUDIO: The Cloisters of Terror
- AUDIO: The Fate of Krelos
- AUDIO: Return to Telos
- COMIC: A Rare Gem
- Leela and K9 are kidnapped Adam Mitchell, leading directly into Endgame.
- The Doctor joins with his other incarnations to rescue Leela and K9 from Adam and the Tremas Master, and assists the other Doctors in saving their companions as well.
- Leela has changed into a new set of clothes.
- The Doctor begins work on K9 Mark II.
- Leela and K9 MK I leave the Doctor, who decides to begin work on K9 MK II.
Nest Cottage
- The Doctor mentions fighting giant rats, killer robots, and a skull from the dawn of time before arriving at Nest Cottage.
- The Doctor leaves Nest Cottage for a year.
A return to wandering
- In The Drosten's Curse, the Doctor compares a stopping-and-starting golf cart to "a dog [he] knew", most likely K9.
- COMIC: The Snow Devils
- COMIC: The Space Garden
- COMIC: The Eerie Manor
- COMIC: Guardian of the Tomb
- COMIC: The Image Makers
- PROSE: Attachments
- PROSE: Plight of the Monkrah
- PROSE: Puppeteer
- COMIC: Party Animals
- PROSE: The Glass Princess
- COMIC: The Swords of Kali
- A photograph depicts the Doctor in his "post-Underworld" appearance. No mention is made by Tiger of him travelling with another companion.
Seeking the serpent's egg
- The Doctor returns to Nest Cottage.
- AUDIO: The Demon of Paris
- AUDIO: A Shard of Ice
- AUDIO: Starfall
- AUDIO: Sepulchre
- AUDIO: Tsar Wars
- AUDIO: The Broken Crown
- AUDIO: Aladdin Time
- AUDIO: The Hexford Invasion
- AUDIO: Survivors in Space
- The Doctor departs from Nest Cottage.
Travels with K9
- K9 MK II has been completed.
Quest for the Key to Time
- The Doctor is given a quest by the White Guardian and is assigned Romana as an assistant.
- This is Romana's first time on Earth.
- Romana refers to Vivian Fay, and recalls using a gun on Zanak.
- The Doctor is taking a break from his quest.
- The Doctor is forced to resume his quest.
- COMIC: The Seventh Segment
- PROSE: Pericles
- AUDIO: Ferril's Folly
- TV: The Androids of Tara
- PROSE: The Glarn Strategy
- TV: The Power of Kroll
- AUDIO: Tales from the Vault
- The Doctor and Romana investigated a mysterious painting.
- The Doctor and Romana are looking for the sixth segment.
- The Doctor and Romana complete their quest. The Doctor installs a randomiser into the TARDIS.
Further adventures with Romana
- The Doctor and Romana explain they are hiding from the Black Guardian in 1929.
- The Doctor and Romana are relaxing in 1929 without K9.
- K9 is damaged after being affected by the time slippage.
- K9 is fully repaired from the damage caused by the time spillage.
- Romana elects to continue travelling in the TARDIS instead of returning to Gallifrey.
- The Doctor arrived in Prague due to the randomizer.
- PROSE: X-Rani and the Ugly Mutants
- PROSE: Light Fantastic
- COMIC: Terror on Xaboi
- PROSE: Reluctant Warriors
- COMIC: The Weapon
- PROSE: Return of the Electrids
- PROSE: The Sleeping Guardians
- COMIC: Death to the Doctor!
- AUDIO: The Doctor's First XI
- AUDIO: The Warren Legacy
The new Romana
- Romana regenerates.
- Romana is still wearing her outfit from Destiny of the Daleks.
- Romana is still wearing her outfit from Destiny of the Daleks.
- Romana's regeneration is referenced.
- The Doctor plans to take Romana to Paris.
- The Doctor and Romana fight the Jagaroth in Paris.
- PROSE: The End of Now
- PROSE: The Final Analysis
- TV: The Creature from the Pit
- PROSE: The Romance of Crime
- PROSE: The English Way of Death
- PROSE: Seven to One
- TV: Nightmare of Eden
- COMIC: Time & Time Again
- Takes place during Nightmare of Eden.
- The Doctor mentions recovering from the experiences with the Mandrels and the CET Machine.
- Romana does not yet have a sonic screwdriver
- The Doctor acquires a chrono-historical stress gauge.
- The Doctor is still using the chrono-historical stress gauge.
- The Doctor's the chrono-historical stress gauge book is mentioned.
- Romana reveals she has her own sonic screwdriver.
- Romana notes that she and the Doctor have been to Paris before.
- The Doctor knows about Romana's sonic screwdriver.
- The Doctor and Romana are still worried about the Black Guardian's revenge, and Romana posses a sonic screwdriver.
- AUDIO: The Labyrinth of Buda Castle
- AUDIO: The Paradox Planet / Legacy of Death
- TV: Shada
- TV: The Five Doctors
- The events of Shada are overwritten by The Five Doctors, and later experienced by the Eighth Doctor. Upon returning to the TARDIS, the Doctor decides to go to Brighton.
- The Doctor and Romana have just encountered the "mind-wiping sphere" from Shada.
- The Doctor is trying to get to Brighton.
- AUDIO: The Trouble with Drax
- AUDIO: The Pursuit of History / Casualties of Time
- PROSE: Festival of Death
- PROSE: Checkpoint
- PROSE: Colony of Death
- PROSE: Alien Mind Games
- PROSE: A Midsummer's Nightmare
- COMIC: Every Dog Has His Day
- PROSE: The Voton Terror
- PROSE: Sweet Flower of Uthe
- PROSE: Suitors, Inc.
- PROSE: The Monster in the Wardrobe
- PROSE: Breadcrumbs
- PROSE: Special Occasions: 1. The Not-So-Sinister Sponge
- PROSE: Special Occasions: 2. Do You Love Anyone Enough?
- PROSE: Special Occasions: 3. Better Watch Out, Better Take Care
- PROSE: Special Occasions: 4. Playing with Toys
- PROSE: The Well-Mannered War
- Menlove Stokes remembers the Doctor from the Rock of Judgement.
Looking for K9
- During the early Doctor Who Magazine issues, the Doctor is traveling with K9 Mark II without Romana, while wearing his bohemian clothing and having the randomiser activated. In Timeslip he expresses a desire to contact Romana, suggesting that they got separated after the cliffhanger of The Well-Mannered War.
- K9 is kidnapped, and the Doctor travels alone trying to find him.
K9 found
- The Doctor finds K9.
K9 and Sharon
- Sharon joins the TARDIS.
- PROSE: Evil Egg
- COMIC: Doctor Who and the Dogs of Doom
- PROSE: Sands of Time
- PROSE: Mind-Jump
- PROSE: The Hole Truth
- PROSE: Breakdown
- COMIC: Doctor Who and the Time Witch
- COMIC: Dragon's Claw
- COMIC: The Collector
- COMIC: Dreamers of Death
- Sharon leaves the TARDIS.
More adventures with K9
- The Doctor has changed his clothes to a burgundy design, and the randomiser is still in effect.
- The Season 18 theme is used, and the Doctor is alone.
Final voyages with Romana
- The Doctor has reunited with Romana, who is surprised that he is wearing a burgundy coat.
- The Doctor says that he has visited an alternate future in which the Roman Empire never fell, referring to Doctor Who and the Iron Legion.
- The Doctor decides to go to Brighton.
- The Doctor completely removes the randomiser after his holiday in Brighton.
- The Doctor is “dressed entirely in red” and there is no sign of K9.
- The Time Lords order Romana back to Gallifrey.
Trapped in E-Space
- En route to Gallifrey, the TARDIS gets sucked into E-Space, where Adric stows away on the TARDIS.
- Takes place directly after the Doctor, Romana, and Adric leave the Vampire Planet.
- Adric has dealt with Marshmen and Great Vampires.
- Adric mentions the imprisonments he endured during The Invasion of E-Space and O, Darkness. The Doctor and Romana die, but, after some years, Adric is able to change time so that the Doctor and Romana live.
- Romana leaves the TARDIS and the Doctor gives her K9 MK II. The Doctor escapes E-Space with Adric.
Return to N-Space
- Saddened by Romana's departure, the Doctor cleans the TARDIS.
- The Doctor and Adric have recently returned to N-Space.
- K9 MK III has been assembled.
Final adventures
- The Doctor drops K9 MK III of with Sarah Jane, (A Girl's Best Friend) which saddens Adric. (A Boy's Tale)
- The Doctor is traveling alone.
- COMIC: Spider-God
- COMIC: The Deal
- COMIC: End of the Line
- COMIC: Doctor Who and the Free-Fall Warriors
- COMIC: Junkyard Demon
- COMIC: The Neutron Knights
- COMIC: Junkyard Demon II
- Sequel to Junkyard Demon
- The Doctor has reunited with Adric.
- Critically injured in his battle with the Tremas Master, the Doctor regenerates into his next incarnation with the assistance of the Watcher.