Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)

Series 3 of Doctor Who ran from 25 December 2006 to 8 July 2007. It starred David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones and John Barrowman as Jack Harkness. The regular series was preceded by The Runaway Bride ^[+]Loading...["The Runaway Bride (TV story)"], opened with Smith and Jones ^[+]Loading...["Smith and Jones (TV story)"] and concluded with Last of the Time Lords ^[+]Loading...["Last of the Time Lords (TV story)"].

Series 3 — 2006-07

Doctor:

Tenth Doctor

Companions:

Martha, Jack

Key crew

Executive producer(s):

Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson

Producer(s):

Phil Collinson
Susie Liggat

Series details

Start date:

25 December 2006

End date:

30 June 2007

Premiere network:

BBC One

Typical episode length:

45'

More info

Main DWM coverage in issues:

377, 378, 379, 380, 381, 382, 383, 384, 385, 386

Main DWMSE coverage in issues:

17, 24

Key reference books about the season:

The Writer's Tale, About Time 8, The Complete History 54, TCH 55, TCH 56

Key documentaries about the season:

Designs on Doctor Who

Confidential:

Series 3 (CON)

Totally Doctor Who:

Series 2 (TDW)

Action figures for this series

Memorable moment

Another memorable moment

One more memorable moment

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2	4

You may wish to consult Series 3 for other, similarly-named pages.

A special screening of the series-opening episode was shown on 25 October 2019 as part of a Doctor Who theme night at Natural History Museum in Kensington as part of their after-hours series Lates.^[1]

Overview[[edit] | [edit source]]

It consisted of ten stories and fourteen episodes. Predominated by a story arc that dealt with the mystery of Harold Saxon, a British politician who turned out to be the Saxon Master, the series also involved the return of Jack Harkness. Because Jack's involvement in the series was narratively important to Torchwood, the series had a demonstrable impact on series 1 and series 2 of that sister programme.

Since the series 3 commission also included the 2006 Christmas Special, the series could also be said to have started the BBC Wales irregular tradition of having a "one-off" companion. The success of Catherine Tate's Donna Noble would not only cause the production team to successfully court her to return as a regular companion for the next series, it also showed the audience could accept, and apparently enjoy, a single-episode companion. Consequently, series 3 paved the way for the inclusion of any number of famous and busy guest stars to be companions in single episodes thereafter.

A trailer for the series was released.

Highlights[[edit] | [edit source]]

Series 3 introduced a slightly tweaked logo, first shown in The Runaway Bride ^[+]Loading...["The Runaway Bride (TV story)"], which remained in place throughout the remainder of David Tennant's tenure as the Doctor. This brought the show's title sequence more in line with its merchandise and promotional material, as it's official logo had been this version since 2005. A revamped version of the theme tune was also offered up by Murray Gold.

A new costume was added to the Doctor's wardrobe. From this series forward, he had a blue suit of the same basic design as his brown one. Though at first just a way to give him a Pertwee-esque variation from story to story, it would actually become narratively important to telling the story of series 4's Journey's End ^[+]Loading...["Journey's End (TV story)"], where another version of the Tenth Doctor appeared.

Equally important to the future was the series two main story arcs. The storyline with the Saxon Master was crucial to understanding the way in which the Tenth Doctor's regeneration in the later The End of Time ^[+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"] occurred. Likewise, the reasons for Martha Jones' departure at the end of the story were reflected in each of her later appearances in both Doctor Who and Torchwood.

Crucial to the development of the programme was the series' Doctor-lite episode, Blink ^[+]Loading...["Blink (TV story)"]. It introduced BBC Wales first new enemy that could be said to genuinely rival the Daleks' enduring popularity: the Weeping Angels. Their popularity became so great that they would become one of the Eleventh Doctor's main villains, rather than the Daleks.

Series 3 was also important for including a direct adaptation of a story that had been originally written for another medium. Though the audios Jubilee and Spare Parts had been the very loose bases for two previous stories, Human Nature ^[+]Loading...["Human Nature (TV story)"] was the first, unmistakably direct adaptation of an existing story in franchise story. It would not be the only time when the production office directly adapted a pre-existing work.

The series also inspired the first original animation in franchise history, a 45-minute episode stripped across each episode of Totally Doctor Who's second season. Though nominally a part of the TDW commission, The Infinite Quest nevertheless gave Martha and the Doctor a 14th televised adventure that could be followed each week alongside the live-action programme.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Recurring[[edit] | [edit source]]

Sylvia Noble – Jacqueline King
Nerys – Krystal Archer
Francine Jones - Adjoa Andoh
Tish Jones - Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Leo Jones - Reggie Yates
Clive Jones - Trevor Laird
Oliver Morgenstern — Ben Righton
Judoon — Nicholas Briggs
Elizabeth I - Angela Pleasence
Novice Hame — Anna Hope
Face of Boe — Struan Rodger
Daleks - operated by Barnaby Edwards, Nicholas Pegg, Anthony Spargo, David Hankinson and voiced by Nicholas Briggs
Dalek Sec - Nicholas Briggs, Eric Loren
Sinister Woman - Elize du Toit
The Master - Derek Jacobi, John Simm
Lucy Saxon - Alexandra Moen
Trinity Wells - Lachele Carl

Guest[[edit] | [edit source]]

Empress of the Racnoss – Sarah Parish
Florence Finnegan - Anne Reid
William Shakespeare - Dean Lennox Kelly
Lilith - Christina Cole
Thomas Kincade Brannigan - Ardal O'Hanlon
Richard Lazarus - Mark Gatiss
Kathryn McDonnell - Michelle Collins
Joan Redfern - Jessica Hynes
Mother of Mine - Rebekah Staton
Tim Latimer - Thomas Sangster
Son of Mine - Harry Lloyd
Father of Mine - Gerard Horan
Sally Sparrow - Carey Mulligan
Chantho - Chipo Chung
BBC Newsreader - Olivia Hill
Thomas Milligan - Tom Ellis

Television stories[[edit] | [edit source]]

Christmas special[[edit] | [edit source]]

Episode Number	Title	Writer	Director	Notes
N/A	The Runaway Bride ^[+]Loading...["The Runaway Bride (TV story)"]	Russell T Davies	Euros Lyn	First appearance of Sylvia Noble.

Regular season[[edit] | [edit source]]

Episode Number	Title	Writer	Director	Notes
1	Smith and Jones ^[+]Loading...["Smith and Jones (TV story)"]	Russell T Davies	Charles Palmer	First appearance of Martha Jones, Tish Jones, Francine Jones, Leo Jones, Clive Jones and the Judoon.
2	The Shakespeare Code ^[+]Loading...["The Shakespeare Code (TV story)"]	Gareth Roberts	Charles Palmer	Martha's first trip in the TARDIS. First appearance of Elizabeth I in-person.
3	Gridlock ^[+]Loading...["Gridlock (TV story)"]	Russell T Davies	Richard Clark	Reintroduction of the Macra. Final appearance of the Face of Boe and the revelation of his secret.
4 & 5	Daleks in Manhattan ^[+]Loading...["Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)"] / Evolution of the Daleks ^[+]Loading...["Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)"]	Helen Raynor	James Strong	Return and destruction of the Cult of Skaro, save only for Dalek Caan, who escapes.
6	The Lazarus Experiment ^[+]Loading...["The Lazarus Experiment (TV story)"]	Stephen Greenhorn	Richard Clark
7	42 ^[+]Loading...["42 (TV story)"]	Chris Chibnall	Graeme Harper
8 & 9	Human Nature ^[+]Loading...["Human Nature (TV story)"] / The Family of Blood ^[+]Loading...["The Family of Blood (TV story)"]	Paul Cornell	Charles Palmer	First television story adapted from the expanded media. First appearance of the Chameleon Arch.
10	Blink ^[+]Loading...["Blink (TV story)"]	Steven Moffat	Hettie MacDonald	First appearance of the Weeping Angels. Doctor-lite and companion-lite episode.
11, 12, & 13	Utopia ^[+]Loading...["Utopia (TV story)"] / The Sound of Drums ^[+]Loading...["The Sound of Drums (TV story)"] / Last of the Time Lords ^[+]Loading...["Last of the Time Lords (TV story)"]	Russell T Davies	Graeme Harper (1) Colin Teague (2, 3)	Reintroduction of the Master, with the first appearance of the War Master and Saxon Master. Brief return of Jack Harkness. Last regular appearance of Martha Jones, Francine Jones, Tish Jones, Leo Jones and Clive Jones. Resolution of the Saxon arc.

Animated special[[edit] | [edit source]]

Episode Number	Title	Writer	Director	Notes
N/A	The Infinite Quest	Alan Barnes	Gary Russell	Shown originally in 13 parts on Totally Doctor Who, later rebroadcast as a single episode. First time an animated serial of Doctor Who premiered on television.

Adaptations and merchandising[[edit] | [edit source]]

Home media[[edit] | [edit source]]

DVD[[edit] | [edit source]]

This section's awfully stubby.

This section need to have images added.

All episodes of Series 3 were released in 2007 in both individual volumes and in box set form by 2|Entertain for Region 2 and by Warner Home Video for Region 1.

In 2014 the series was re-released on DVD in the US, split into two volumes labelled "Part One" and "Part Two" respectively, mimicking the home video release of Series 6 and 7. This release is missing much of the bonus content seen on the previous box set. Re-packaged versions of the complete series were also made available.

Name	Number and duration of episodes	R2 release date	R4 release date	R1 release date
Doctor Who: The Runaway Bride The Runaway Bride ^[+]Loading...["The Runaway Bride (TV story)"]	1 x 60 min.	2 April 2007	1 July 2007	TBA
Doctor Who: Series 3, Volume 1 Smith and Jones ^[+]Loading...["Smith and Jones (TV story)"] The Shakespeare Code ^[+]Loading...["The Shakespeare Code (TV story)"] Gridlock ^[+]Loading...["Gridlock (TV story)"]	3 × 45 min.	21 May 2007	1 August 2007	TBA
Doctor Who: Series 3, Volume 2 Daleks in Manhattan ^[+]Loading...["Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)"] / Evolution of the Daleks ^[+]Loading...["Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)"] The Lazarus Experiment ^[+]Loading...["The Lazarus Experiment (TV story)"] 42 ^[+]Loading...["42 (TV story)"]	4 × 45 min.	25 June 2007	5 September 2007	TBA
Doctor Who: Series 3, Volume 3 Human Nature ^[+]Loading...["Human Nature (TV story)"] / The Family of Blood ^[+]Loading...["The Family of Blood (TV story)"] Blink ^[+]Loading...["Blink (TV story)"]	3 × 45 min.	23 July 2007	3 October 2007	TBA
Doctor Who: Series 3, Volume 4 Utopia ^[+]Loading...["Utopia (TV story)"] / The Sound of Drums ^[+]Loading...["The Sound of Drums (TV story)"] / Last of the Time Lords ^[+]Loading...["Last of the Time Lords (TV story)"]	2 × 45 min. 1 x 52 min.	20 August 2007	7 November 2007	TBA
Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series	1 x 60 min. 12 × 45 min. 1 x 52 min.	5 November 2007	5 December 2007	6 November 2007

Blu-ray[[edit] | [edit source]]

This section's awfully stubby.

This section needs to have images and possibly a table added.

Series 3 was included in the Doctor Who: Complete Series 1-7 Blu-ray box set, released 4 November, 2013 in the UK and on 5 November, 2013 in the US. In 2015, Series 1-4 were reissued on Blu-ray individually.

Series 3 was upscaled to HD along with Series 1, 2 and 4 and released on 21 November 2023 in a limited edition Blu-ray box set containing every "New Who" series up to Series 13^[2] or in a separate box set containing only the first four upscaled series on 27 November 2023.^[3]^[4]

The Complete Series 1-4 was released on 24 October 2024 by the BBC Shop newly upscaled to high definition and with all existing bonus features plus one new extra.^[5]