Doctor Who (season 2)

This article is about the 1964/65 season. For the 2006 series, see Doctor Who (series 2).
Doctor Who (season 2)
Starring
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of episodes 39 (2 missing)
9 stories
Release
Original network BBC One
Original release 31 October 1964 (1964-10-31) – 24 July 1965 (1965-07-24)

The second season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 31 October 1964 with the story Planet of Giants and ended on 24 July 1965 with The Time Meddler.

Casting

Main cast

William Hartnell continued his role as the First Doctor accompanied by his original companions: his granddaughter Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford), and schoolteachers Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill).

Susan departed at the end of the second story The Dalek Invasion of Earth, and was soon replaced by Vicki (Maureen O'Brien) in The Rescue.

The penultimate story The Chase saw the departure of Ian and Barbara, and the arrival of Steven (Peter Purves) as a regular member of the TARDIS crew. At the end of the season, aside from the Doctor, the main cast had changed and would do so the following season when it finished.

Guest stars

Peter Butterworth makes his first of two appearances as the Meddling Monk in the serial The Time Meddler.

Serials

Dennis Spooner replaced David Whitaker as script editor after The Dalek Invasion of Earth, and edited the remainder of the season apart from The Time Meddler, which was edited by Donald Tosh. Verity Lambert continued in her role as producer for the entire season while Mervyn Pinfield served as associate producer until the end of The Romans.[1] This season was originally intended to have 40 episodes with Planet of Giants originally shot and edited as 4 x 25 minute episodes. After viewing the episodes, Head of series and serials Donald Wilson found them to be lacking in action and ordered that the final two episodes be edited into 1 episode. The episode left over was later used to produce the single-episode teaser "Mission to the Unknown" in Season 3.

The Time Meddler is the first example in the series of what became known as "pseudo-historical" stories - these are serials that are set in the past, but have a story that involves significant science-fiction elements (beyond the presence of the TARDIS and its crew).[2]

Season 2 is the most complete season of Doctor Who during its black-and-white era, as only two episodes, both from The Crusade, are missing from the BBC archive.

Story Serial Title Directed by Written by Original air date Prod.
code
UK viewers
(millions)[3]
AI[3]
91Planet of Giants
"Planet of Giants"
"Dangerous Journey"
"Crisis"
Mervyn Pinfield and Douglas CamfieldLouis Marks
31 October 1964
7 November 1964
14 November 1964
J
8.4
8.4
8.9

57
58
59
Following a malfunction on the TARDIS console, the Doctor leads his companions Ian, Barbara and Susan to the world beyond. After some deduction, the travellers realise they have arrived on Earth but have shrunk in size to about an inch.
102The Dalek Invasion of Earth
"World's End"
"The Daleks"
"Day of Reckoning"
"The End of Tomorrow"
"The Waking Ally"
"Flashpoint"
Richard MartinTerry Nation
21 November 1964
28 November 1964
5 December 1964
12 December 1964
19 December 1964
26 December 1964
K
11.4
12.4
11.9
11.9
11.4
12.4

63
59
59
59
58
63
The TARDIS materialises in London only to find it devastated and in ruins. The TARDIS crew discover that they have landed in the 22nd century and the Earth has been invaded by the Daleks.
113The Rescue
"The Powerful Enemy"
"Desperate Measures"
Christopher BarryDavid Whitaker
2 January 1965
9 January 1965
L
12.0
13.0

57
59
The Doctor, Barbara and Ian encounter two survivors of a space crash, Vicki Pallister and Bennett on the planet Dido, who are awaiting a rescue ship, due to arrive in three days time. Vicki and Bennett live in fear of Koquillion, a bipedal inhabitant, which is stalking the area.
124The Romans
"The Slave Traders"
"All Roads Lead to Rome"
"Conspiracy"
"Inferno"
Christopher BarryDennis Spooner
16 January 1965
23 January 1965
30 January 1965
6 February 1965
M
13.0
11.5
10.0
12.0

53
51
50
50
While enjoying a holiday at a Roman villa in the year 64AD , the Doctor and Vicki decide to visit the city of Rome while Ian and Barbara are kidnapped and sold into slavery.
135The Web Planet
"The Web Planet"
"The Zarbi"
"Escape to Danger"
"Crater of Needles"
"Invasion"
"The Centre"
Richard MartinBill Strutton
13 February 1965
20 February 1965
27 February 1965
6 March 1965
13 March 1965
20 March 1965
N
13.5
12.5
12.5
13.0
12.0
11.5

56
53
53
49
48
42
An unknown force pulls the TARDIS off course and onto the planet Vortis. The TARDIS crew find two species, The Zarbi and the Menoptra at battle with each other.
146The Crusade
"The Lion"
"The Knight of Jaffa"
"The Wheel of Fortune"
"The Warlords"
Douglas CamfieldDavid Whitaker
27 March 1965
3 April 1965
10 April 1965
17 April 1965
P
10.5
8.5
9.0
9.5

51
50
49
48
The TARDIS materialises in 12th century Palestine, during the time of the Third Crusade. When the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki emerge, they find themselves in the middle of a Saracen ambush.
157The Space Museum
"The Space Museum"
"The Dimensions of Time"
"The Search"
"The Final Phase"
Mervyn PinfieldGlyn Jones
24 April 1965
1 May 1965
8 May 1965
15 May 1965
Q
10.5
9.2
8.5
8.5

61
53
56
49
The TARDIS arrives near a vast Space Museum on the planet Xeros, but has jumped a time-track. The TARDIS crew have a series of bizarre experiences as they venture into the Museum – not least that they see but cannot be seen by the militaristic Moroks who run the museum, or the servile indigenous Xerons who work for them. The crew find the four travellers themselves encased and on display.
168The Chase
"The Executioners"
"The Death of Time"
"Flight Through Eternity"
"Journey into Terror"
"The Death of Doctor Who"
"The Planet of Decision"
Richard Martin and Douglas CamfieldTerry Nation
22 May 1965
29 May 1965
5 June 1965
12 June 1965
19 June 1965
26 June 1965
R
10.0
9.5
9.0
9.5
9.0
9.5

57
56
55
54
56
57
Using a Time-Space Visualiser, The TARDIS crew find that the Daleks now have a time machine, and are pursuing the TARDIS in order to exterminate its crew. This begins a deadly pursuit through time and space, leading to locations, such as the Mary Celeste, the Empire State Building and a haunted house attraction.
179The Time Meddler
"The Watcher"
"The Meddling Monk"
"A Battle of Wits"
"Checkmate"
Douglas CamfieldDennis Spooner
3 July 1965
10 July 1965
17 July 1965
24 July 1965
S
8.9
8.8
7.7
8.3

57
49
53
54
The Doctor and Vicki are amazed to find Steven Taylor aboard the TARDIS, after thinking he perished following their chase from the Daleks. They arrive in 1066 on the coast of Northumbria, and their arrival has been witnessed by a mysterious Monk who is somehow aware of what the TARDIS really is...

^† Episode is missing

Production

The first two serials were produced in the programme's first production block, but were held back until the beginning of the second season.[4] Verity Lambert began lobbying for a second season in August 1964, and was initially only guaranteed 13 episodes. Nine were already planned as Planet of Giants and The Dalek Invasion of Earth, and with only four episodes after that Lambert felt it was too short a time to retain the regular actors and it would be then pointless to write Susan out at the end of The Dalek Invasion of Earth. In best interest of the actors and their agents, a deal was struck of an additional 13 episodes, and the commitment of 26 episodes in the second production block was accepted the day The Dalek Invasion of Earth finished filming.[4]

Missing episodes

DVD releases

Serial name Number and duration
of episodes
R2 release date R4 release date R1 release date
Planet of Giants 3 × 25 min 20 August 2012[5][6] 5 September 2012[7] 11 September 2012[8]
The Dalek Invasion of Earth 6 × 25 min. 9 June 2003 13 August 2003 7 October 2003
The Rescue/The Romans:
The Rescue (2 episodes)
The Romans (4 episodes)
6 × 25 min. 23 February 2009 2 April 2009 7 July 2009
The Web Planet 6 × 25 min. 3 October 2005 3 November 2005 5 September 2006
The Space Museum/The Chase:
The Space Museum (4 episodes)
The Chase (6 episodes)
10 × 25 min. 1 March 2010 6 May 2010 6 July 2010
The Time Meddler 4 × 25 min. 4 February 2008 2 April 2008 5 August 2008

Lost in Time
All existing episodes from otherwise missing First Doctor serials from this season have been released on the Lost in Time collection. Lost in Time was released in two formats in Region 1, with individual releases for volumes one and two (which cover First Doctor and Second Doctor episodes respectively), as well as an edition combining both volumes. In Regions 2 and 4, Lost in Time is available only as the combined single volume.

Includes episodes from Number and duration
of episodes
R2 release date R4 release date R1 release date
The Crusade (episodes 1 & 3 of 4; soundtracks of 2 & 4) 6 × 25 min.
+ 2 × 25 min. audio
1 November 2004 2 December 2004
(Original release)
1 July 2010
(Re-release)
2 November 2004

In print

Serial name Novelisation title Author First published
Planet of Giants Planet of Giants Terrance Dicks 1990
The Dalek Invasion of Earth Doctor Who and the Dalek Invasion of Earth Terrance Dicks 1977
The Rescue The Rescue Ian Marter 1988
The Romans The Romans Donald Cotton 1987
The Web Planet Doctor Who and the Zarbi Bill Strutton 1965
The Crusade Doctor Who and the Crusaders David Whitaker 1965
The Space Museum The Space Museum Glyn Jones 1987
The Chase The Chase John Peel 1989
The Time Meddler The Time Meddler Nigel Robinson 1988

See also

References

  1. "Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide - Season 2". BBC. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  2. "The Time Meddler". BBC. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  4. 1 2 Richard Molesworth (compiler) (23 February 2009). The Rescue with Information Text (DVD). The Rescue DVD: BBC Worldwide.
  5. "The Doctor Who News Page: DVD Schedule Update". Doctorwhonews.net. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  6. "Twitter / Classic Doctor Who: Finishing touches to PLANE". Twitter.
  7. "Doctor Who: Planet of Giants". Ezydvd.com.au. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  8. "Doctor Who: Planet of Giants (2012)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
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