Season 24 (Doctor Who 1963)
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Season 24 of Doctor Who ran from 7 September 1987 to 7 December 1987. It starred Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Bonnie Langford as Melanie Bush and introduced Sophie Aldred as Ace. The season opened with Time and the Rani and concluded with Dragonfire.
Overview[[edit] | [edit source]]
The season consisted of four serials comprised of fourteen episodes. Unlike season 23, there was no overall story arc, and the episode allotment - two four-episode stories, two three-episode stories - would be retained for the remainder of the original series. Notably, the season featured the introduction of new companion Ace, who would be a prominent figure in the spinoff fiction that kept the Doctor Who name alive following its cancellation in 1989 and was the final official onscreen companion until Rose Tyler in the revived series.
Unlike the previous regenerations of the Doctor, the Sixth Doctor's happened at the beginning of the season's episode. Colin Baker, who played the Sixth Doctor, would not come back to shoot a few episodes leading up to the regeneration as he felt insulted at being replaced after a short time as the Doctor and was displeased to make fans think he was still the Doctor for another year when he was only offered one story before his dismissal. His Doctor's life was instead wrapped up through an audio series entitled The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure in 2015. As such, Sylvester McCoy briefly portrayed the Sixth Doctor when regenerating into the Seventh Doctor, the first actor to play two incarnations of the Doctor.
This was the last season of the original series where someone either left or joined the main cast.
This was the first season since Season 17 to not feature the Master.
Television stories[[edit] | [edit source]]
| # | Title | Writer | Episodes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Time and the Rani | Pip and Jane Baker | 4 | First appearance of the Seventh Doctor. Final televised appearance of the Rani. Last story to be written by Pip and Jane Baker. |
| 2 | Paradise Towers | Stephen Wyatt | 4 | |
| 3 | Delta and the Bannermen | Malcolm Kohll | 3 | First appearance of the Seventh Doctor's question-mark umbrella. |
| 4 | Dragonfire | Ian Briggs | 3 | Final regular appearance of Melanie Bush, and first appearance of Ace. |
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Delta and the Bannermen is notable in that it is one of few Classic Who stories to not have had a making-of documentary produced as part of the DVD range for its release on that medium. However, it was announced in January 2021 that the story will finally receive one when released on Blu-ray.
Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]
Recurring[[edit] | [edit source]]
Guest[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Ikona - Mark Greenstreet
- Faroon - Wanda Ventham
- Beyus - Donald Pickering
- Sarn - Karen Clegg
- Urak - Richard Gauntlett
- Lanisha - John Segal
- Chief Caretaker/The Great Architect - Richard Briers
- Deputy Chief Caretaker - Clive Merrison
- Tabby - Elizabeth Spriggs
- Tilda - Brenda Bruce
- Maddy - Judy Cornwell
- Pex - Howard Cooke
- Fire Escape - Julie Brennon
- Bin Liner - Annabel Yuresha
- Blue Kang Leader - Catherine Cusack
- Yellow Kang - Astra Sheridan
- Young Caretaker - Joseph Young
- Video Commentary - Simon Coady
- Gavrok - Don Henderson
- Delta - Belinda Mayne
- Weismuller - Stubby Kaye
- Hawk - Morgan Deare
- Tollmaster - Ken Dodd
- Burton - Richard Davies
- Billy - David Kinder
- Ray - Sara Griffiths
- Murray - Johnny Dennis
- Keillor - Brian Hibbard
- Chima - Tim Scott
- Bollitt - Anita Graham
- Adlon - Leslie Meadows
- The Lorells - Robin Aspland, Keff McCulloch, Justin Myers, Ralph Salmins
- Vocalists - Tracey Wilson, Jodie Wilson
- Goronwy - Hugh Lloyd
- Vinny - Martyn Geraint
- Callon - Clive Condon
- Arrex - Richard Mitchley
- Young Chimeron - Jessica McGough, Amy Osborn
- Chimeron Princess - Laura Collins, Carley Joseph
- Kane - Edward Peel
- Belazs - Patricia Quinn
- Kracauer - Tony Osoba
- Customer - Shirin Taylor
- Anderson - Ian Mackenzie
- McLuhan - Stephanie Fayerman
- Bazin - Stuart Organ
- Zed - Sean Blowers
- Pudovkin - Nigel Miles-Thomas
- The Creature - Leslie Meadows
- Announcer - Lynn Gardner
- Stellar - Miranda Borman
- Archivist - Daphne Oxenford
- Arnheim - Chris MacDonnell
Stories set before this season[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Main article: Season 23 (Doctor Who 1963) (see 'Stories set during this season' section)
Stories set during this season[[edit] | [edit source]]
- PROSE: The Useful Pile (Between Time and the Rani and Paradise Towers)
- AUDIO: Unregenerate! (Between Time and the Rani and Paradise Towers)
- AUDIO: Red (Between Time and the Rani and Paradise Towers)
- AUDIO: We Are the Daleks (Between Paradise Towers and Delta and the Bannermen)
- AUDIO: The Warehouse (Between Paradise Towers and Delta and the Bannermen)
- AUDIO: Terror of the Sontarans (Between Paradise Towers and Delta and the Bannermen)
- AUDIO: Bang-Bang-a-Boom! (Between Paradise Towers and Delta and the Bannermen)
- AUDIO: Flip-Flop (Between Paradise Towers and Delta and the Bannermen)
- COMIC: Plastic Millenium (Between Paradise Towers and Delta and the Bannermen)
- AUDIO: The Fires of Vulcan (Between Delta and the Bannermen and Dragonfire)
- AUDIO: Bad Day in Tinseltown (Between Delta and the Bannermen and Dragonfire)
- AUDIO: The Ribos Inheritance (Between Delta and the Bannermen and Dragonfire)
Adaptations and merchandising[[edit] | [edit source]]
Home media[[edit] | [edit source]]
VHS releases[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Time and the Rani (1995)
- Paradise Towers (1995)
- Delta and the Bannermen (2001)
- Dragonfire (1993)
DVD & Blu-ray releases[[edit] | [edit source]]
All serials of season 24 were released individually on DVD between 2009 and 2012.
| Serial name | Number and duration of episodes |
R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time and the Rani Available individually or in the Regeneration box set in Region 2. Only available individually in Regions 1 and 4. |
4 × 25 min. | 13 September 2010 | 4 November 2010 | 14 June 2011 |
| Paradise Towers | 4 × 25 min. | 18 July 2011 | 1 September 2011 | 9 August 2011 |
| Delta and the Bannermen | 3 × 25 min. | 22 June 2009 | 6 August 2009 | 1 September 2009 |
| Dragonfire Only available as part of the Ace Adventures box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1. |
3 × 25 min. | 7 May 2012 | 7 June 2012 | 8 May 2012 |
| The Collection - Season 24 | 14 x 25 min. | 28 June 2021 | TBA | 21 September 2021 |
Download/streaming availability[[edit] | [edit source]]
| Serial name | Amazon Video | iTunes |
|---|---|---|
| Time and the Rani (4 episodes) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Paradise Towers (4 episodes) | ||
| Delta and the Bannermen (3 episodes) | ||
| Dragonfire (3 episodes) |
All four stories were released in a Blu-ray box set in the UK on 28 June 2021.
Novelisations[[edit] | [edit source]]
External links[[edit] | [edit source]]
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