1990

Real World

January

• UK Release of DW: An Unearthly Child on video
• 14 - John Witty (the voice of the Computer in DW: The Seeds of Death) dies in Bristol.
• 18 - DWN: Doctor Who - Planet of Giants is first published. With this release, all serials of the First Doctor era were now novelised.
• 20 - John Maxim, who played Frankenstein's Monster in DW: The Chase, as well as a Cyberman in DW: The Moonbase (under the name John Wills), dies in Brighton.

February

• Target Books begins republishing selected novelisations with new cover designs by Alister Pearson. Other than the covers, these reprints are identical to earlier editions. A number of the reprints will be issued to coincide with video releases (which often used the same cover art) and rebroadcasts. The reissues are also in most cases retitled from their original publication, either with the "Doctor Who and the ..." title format being dropped, or the book's title being changed to reflect the original broadcast title. The first two novelisations republished in the new format are DWN: Doctor Who - The War Games and DWN: Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child.
• 15 - DWN: Doctor Who - The Happiness Patrol is first published.

March

• 15 - DWN: Doctor Who - The Space Pirates is first published. Final Target Books novelisation by Terrance Dicks.

April

• 27 - Abslom Daak - Dalek Killer graphic novel is first published by Marvel Comics.

May

• 1 - Brian Vaughan, who played Lt. Commander Watts in DW: The Sea Devils, dies.
• 15 - Writer and director Peter Grimwade dies from leukemia.
• 16 - Thomas Sangster, who played Tim Latimer in DW: Human Nature / The Family of Blood, is born in South London.

June

• 15 - Leonard Sachs, who played Admiral Gaspard de Coligny in DW: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve and Lord President Borusa in DW: Arc of Infinity, dies in London.
• 21 - DWN: Doctor Who - Remembrance of the Daleks is first published.
• 23 - Frank Gatliff dies.

July

• REF: Encyclopedia of The Worlds of Doctor Who: L-R is first published. The series is abandoned after this release, and no paperback of this volume is issued.
• Pertwee in Person: Jon Pertwee Talks with David Banks is released on cassette by Silver Fist Productions.
• 19 - TME: Doctor Who - Mission to Magnus first published. Third and final release in the "Missing Episodes" line, and the last "original" Doctor Who novel until the Virgin New Adventures line launches a year later.

August

• With no plans for a 27th season in sight, the BBC closes the Doctor Who Production Office.
• 2 - Edwin Richfield, who appeared as Captain John Hart in DW: The Sea Devils and Mestor in DW: The Twin Dilemma, dies from cancer in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, UK.
• 17 - Graham Williams, who produced Seasons 15-17 (1977-79) is killed in a shooting accident in Devon, England.

September

• 20 - DWN: Doctor Who - Ghost Light is first published.
  • Paperback edition of REF: Doctor Who: Cybermen is published; the new edition is expanded from the 1988 original.

October

• 18 - DWN: Doctor Who - Survival is first published, adapting the final serial of the original 1963-89 series.
• Bernard Finch dies.

November

• 10 - Dudley Jones, who played John Dyson in DW: The Tenth Planet, dies.
• 15 - DWN: Doctor Who - The Curse of Fenric is first published.
• 21 - Search Out Space, an episode of Search Out Science in which Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred appear as the Doctor and Ace and John Leeson provides the voice of K-9 Mark II, is first broadcast. Not generally considered part of continuity, this would be McCoy and Aldred's last official appearances as the Doctor and Ace until DW: Dimensions in Time in 1993.
• 23 - Mostyn Evans (Dai Evans in DW: The Green Death and the High Priest in DW: Death to the Daleks) dies.

December

• 28 - Edward Brayshaw, who played Léon Colbert in DW: The Reign of Terror and the War Chief in DW: The War Games, dies.

Unknown date

• DWN: An Unearthly Child published in Germany under the title Doctor Who Und Das Kind Van Der Sternen.
• After months of speculation, the BBC announces that it will not air a 27th season of Doctor Who in 1990, and at some point during the year the Doctor Who Production Office closes down. Although Sophie Aldred, in the later documentary More than Thirty Years in the TARDIS would say she was told the series had been cancelled, no actual public announcement of this is made by the BBC. Over the next few years the show's fate remains a matter of debate.
• Around the time of the BBC's announcement, Virgin Books, which has purchased Target Books, announces plans to launch a series of original novels continuing Doctor Who from the events of DW: Survival; the line is scheduled to launch in 1991. It is also announced that the traditional Target novelisation format would also come to an end in 1991, with all but a few stories left to be adapted.
• Anthony Steven dies.
• Neville Simons dies.

1989

20th century 1990s

1991