Doctor Who 101: A Timey-Wimey Order
My previous version of this list was fairly chronological in terms of the classic Doctors, but it got bogged down with too many stories that seemed kind of pivotal, as well as personal favorites, and information about episode availability and so forth.
This version of the list focuses simply on what's being referenced in new Who, in the order that those characters and ideas show up in the modern series, with the number of the corresponding new Who episode. Happy viewing!
This version of the list focuses simply on what's being referenced in new Who, in the order that those characters and ideas show up in the modern series, with the number of the corresponding new Who episode. Happy viewing!
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- DirectorDerek MartinusStarsJon PertweeCaroline JohnNicholas CourtneyAs the newly regenerated Doctor arrives on Earth, so does the Nestene.First appearance of Autons -- 1.1: Rose
- DirectorAlan BromlyStarsJon PertweeElisabeth SladenNicholas CourtneyThe Brigadier asks the Doctor to investigate the disappearance of several scientists, only for him to find they have been abducted back in time.The serial that introduced:
The concept of aliens other than the Doctor affecting the past - 1.3: The Unquiet Dead
The name of the Doctor's home planet, Gallifrey - 2.0: The Christmas Invasion
Sarah Jane Smith -- 2.3: School Reunion
The Sontarans -- 4.4: The Sontaran Strategem - DirectorDouglas CamfieldStarsPatrick TroughtonFrazer HinesWendy PadburyThe Doctor and the newly formed UNIT must stop a Cybermen Invasion and a Sinister Industrialist in league with themFirst appearance of UNIT -- 1.4: Aliens of London
(Actually, in many ways, "Spearhead from Space" is a follow-up to "The Invasion.") - DirectorChristopher BarryStarsWilliam HartnellWilliam RussellJacqueline HillThe TARDIS lands in a petrified forest on an alien planet. Determined to explore, the Doctor leads his companions into the metal city, where they discover the danger of what will become his deadliest enemies, the mutant Daleks. (Originally broadcast in seven parts.)First installment of the serial known under the umbrella title of "The Daleks."
First appearance in the modern series of the Daleks -- 1.6: Dalek - DirectorDerek MartinusStarsWilliam HartnellRobert BeattyDudley JonesIn December 1986, a new planet appears in the Solar System which turns out to be a long-lost twin of Earth's named Mondas. Its inhabitants are the Cybermen.The serial that introduced:
The concept of regeneration -- 1.13: Parting of the Ways
The Cybermen -- 2.5 -- Rise of the Cybermen
This storyline is also pivotal to:
10.11, 10.12 - World Enough and Time, The Doctor Falls
10.13 - Twice Upon a Time - DirectorDouglas CamfieldStarsJon PertweeCaroline JohnNicholas CourtneyThe Doctor and UNIT investigate strange happenings at a top secret government drilling project headed by the pompous Professor Stahlman.Introduces the concept of traveling between parallel dimensions -- 2.5: Rise of the Cybermen
- DirectorDerek MartinusStarsWilliam HartnellBarry JacksonEdward de SouzaWhilst The Doctor, Steven and Vicki are traveling to their next destination, on the planet Kembel, Marc Cory, a Space Security Service agent discovers The Daleks are attending a secret meeting with their allies. Where Cory discovers the Dalek's evil plan, which sets the stage for the epic 12-part adventure "The Dalek Master Plan".This missing episode is the only episode not to feature the Doctor at all, pre-dating all of the modern series' "Doctor-lite" episodes -- 210: Love and Monsters; 310: Blink; 411: Turn Left
The audio from this story is available on CD. - DirectorRichard MartinStarsWilliam HartnellWilliam RussellJacqueline HillThe Daleks' plan to transform Earth into a giant spaceship and wipe out its inhabitants is nearing completion and the Doctor and his friends face a race against time to prevent them from destroying the planet's core.The final episode in the serial known under the umbrella title "The Dalek Invasion of Earth."
First time that a Companion leaves the series -- 2.13: Doomsday - DirectorRichard MartinStarsWilliam HartnellWilliam RussellJacqueline HillThe Doctor has obtained a Time and Space Visualizer, which has a TV screen that can show scenes in the past to order. Lincoln, Shakespeare and the Beatles are selected. They land on a barren planet with two suns, and become separated. A sandstorm causes the Doctor and Barbara to lose the TARDIS, Ian and Vicky meet an octopus-like monster, and the Daleks arrive, still hunting for them.Part 1 of the serial known as "The Chase." First appearance of William Shakespeare -- 3.2: The Shakespeare Code
- DirectorJohn DaviesStarsPatrick TroughtonFrazer HinesAnneke WillsThe TARDIS arrives at a holiday camp company with the crew worried by a prediction of giant crabs and the Doctor becomes interested in the apparent madman Medok's stories of creatures that roam the colony at night.First appearance of the Macra -- 3.3: Gridlock
- DirectorRichard MartinStarsWilliam HartnellWilliam RussellJacqueline HillThe TARDIS crew's attempts to escape from the Daleks take them to the top of the Empire State Building and a 19th century sailing ship.Part 3 of the serial known as "The Chase." Features the first time that the Doctor and the Daleks visit New York -- 3.4: The Daleks in Manhattan; 7.5: The Angels Take Manhattan
- DirectorBarry LettsStarsJon PertweeNicholas CourtneyRoger DelgadoWhen a Nestene Energy Unit is stolen and a radio telescope sabotaged, the Doctor is contacted by a Time Lord who tells him his old rival the Master is responsible.First appearance of:
The Master -- 3.11: Utopia
Jo Grant -- The "Sarah Jane Adventures" story The Death of the Doctor: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1679512/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 - DirectorDavid MaloneyStarsTom BakerLlewellyn ReesBernard HorsfallA mysterious evil is at work on Gallifrey. The President of the Time Lords has been assassinated and the Doctor caught red-handed. An inexorable master plan has been set in motion. There can be no escapeOnly time in the classic series when the Doctor traveled without a Companion -- 4.10: Midnight, plus the 2009 specials
- DirectorDavid MaloneyStarsTom BakerElisabeth SladenIan MarterThe Doctor and his companions are sent to the planet Skaro by the Time Lords to prevent the creation of the Daleks.Introduction of Davros -- 4.12: The Stolen Earth
- DirectorChristopher BarryStarsTom BakerElisabeth SladenIan MarterCan the Doctor, now in his fourth incarnation, recover from his post-regenerative trauma to save the Earth from Think Tank and their plot for world domination?Briefly referenced in the 2009 special "Planet of the Dead":
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1337072/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2 - 1963–198924mTV-G7.6 (731)TV EpisodeDirectorTimothy CombeStarsJon PertweeCaroline JohnNicholas CourtneyThe Doctor and Liz are summoned to the Wenley Moor Research Centre by the Brigadier, after several staff members suffer nervous breakdowns.First appearance of Silurians -- 5.8: The Hungry Earth
- DirectorDavid MaloneyStarsPatrick TroughtonFrazer HinesWendy PadburyThe Doctor, Jamie and Zoe realise they have arrived in the trenches of the First World War, where the sinister General Smythe accuses them of espionage.First appearance of hypercubes -- 6.4: The Doctor's Wife
- 1963–198924mTV-PG8.2 (889)TV EpisodeDirectorMorris BarryStarsPatrick TroughtonFrazer HinesDeborah WatlingThe Doctor, Jamie and Victoria arrive on Telos, where an archaeological group are exploring the Tomb of the Cybermen. But are the Cybermen as dormant as they believe?First appearance of the Cybermats -- 6.12: Closing Time
- DirectorGraeme HarperStarsPeter DavisonNicola BryantChristopher GableThe Doctor and Peri get involved with drug running after landing on the twin planet of Androzani Minor and getting arrested as gun runners and targeted for execution. Not before Peri stumbles into some highly toxic and lethal plant life.First visit to Androzani -- 7.0: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe
- DirectorPaddy RussellStarsJon PertweeElisabeth SladenNicholas CourtneyThe Doctor and Sarah return to London in the present day only to find the city strangely deserted, while nearby UNIT are dealing with a series of monster appearances.First part of serial known as "Invasion of the Dinosaurs"
First appearance of dinosaurs in the series -- 7.2: Dinosaurs on a Spaceship - DirectorRex TuckerStarsWilliam HartnellWilliam HurndellMaurice GoodThe TARDIS arrives in Tombstone, Arizona in 1881. Where the Doctor is looking for a dentist when he has a toothache, where The Doctor finds the local dentist is the famous Doc Holliday who is in a feud with The Clanton Brothers and their hired gunfighter Johnny Ringo, whilst local sheriff Wyatt Earp is trying to keep the peace. The Doctor, Steven and Dodo find themselves joining forces with The Clanton Brothers and Sheriff Wyatt Earp.First part of serial known as "The Gunfighters"
First visit to the Old West -- 7.3: A Town Called Mercy - DirectorDouglas CamfieldStarsPatrick TroughtonFrazer HinesDeborah WatlingThe TARDIS becomes trapped in space before ending up in an underground station of a mysteriously deserted London.This serial contains the first appearance of Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, here known as General, soon to be Brigadier. (Sadly, the exact episode featuring his first appearance is missing, but the rest of the serial is intact.)
The Brig is mentioned in 4.4: The Sontaran Strategem and 6.13: The Wedding of River Song, but his story takes more prominence starting in 7.4: The Power of Three, when his daughter Kate becomes Brigadier. - 1963–198923mTV-PG7.2 (404)TV EpisodeDirectorGerald BlakeStarsPatrick TroughtonFrazer HinesDeborah WatlingWhen the TARDIS materialises in the Himalayas, the Doctor decides to pay a return visit to the nearby Det-Sen monastery only to be accused of murder.First appearance of the Great Intelligence -- 7.6: The Snowmen
A missing storyline available on audio CD - DirectorChristopher BarryKeith BarnfatherStarsNicholas CourtneyElisabeth SladenDeborah WatlingRetired commander of the United Nations' Intelligence Taskforce, and long-time associate of the mysterious time traveler the Doctor, Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart faces the toughest battle of his military career when he is embroiled in a plot unwittingly set in motion by university chancellor Victoria Waterfield, herself a former companion of the Doctor, to take over the Earth by an evil alien entity called the Great Intelligence, aided by its ferocious robot Yeti cohorts. Can the Brigadier defeat this menace to the Earth without the Doctor's help?A bizarre direct-to-VHS release featuring many characters from "Doctor Who" but not the Doctor himself. Notable for featuring the first appearance of the Brig's daughter Kate, who as mentioned above shows up in the modern series in 7.4: The Power of Three.
This odd little gem also features Sarah Jane Smith, Victoria Waterfield and the Great Intelligence!
This is coming soon to DVD! - DirectorChris ChattertonDerek MartinusStarsPatrick TroughtonWendy GiffordPeter BarkworthThe Doctor, Jamie and Victoria are brought to a base which is attempting to halt the flow of the Second Ice Age.First appearance of Ice Warriors -- 7.9: Cold War
- DirectorDavid MaloneyStarsPatrick TroughtonJames CopelandTerence BrownThe TARDIS lands on a nameless desolate planet where The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe learn the native Gonds are ruled by the mysterious and unseen Krotons, where The Krotons chooses their top students to join The Krotons in their machine as their companions. But The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe discover The Krotons are crystalline alien beings and are turning The Gonds mental power into energy and are feeding off it.First mention of Hostile Action Displacement System -- 7.9: Cold War
- DirectorAlan WareingStarsSylvester McCoySophie AldredIan HoggThe Doctor takes Ace to an old 'haunted' house called Gabriel Chase in the year 1883, 100 years before events that took place within that very house in her personal past.First story in a seemingly haunted house -- 7.10: Hide; also "Sarah Jane Adventures" episode The Eternity Trap
- DirectorRichard MartinStarsWilliam HartnellWilliam RussellJacqueline HillIn this completely TARDIS-based story, the crew find themselves and their ship acting very strangely indeed. Blame runs high for the Ship's unusual behavior, until the Doctor realizes the TARDIS itself may be trying to warn them... (Originally broadcast in two parts; also known in fan circles as "Inside the Spaceship.")First story set entirely inside the TARDIS -- 7.11: Journey to the Center of the TARDIS
- DirectorBarry LettsStarsPatrick TroughtonFrazer HinesDeborah WatlingAfter the Doctor is attacked by a group of mysterious gunmen, he discovers he is the physical double of the famous scientist Salamander.The first time that the actor playing the Doctor has portrayed a different character (usually a villain) in the same story -- 7.13: Nightmare in Silver
- 1963–198925mTV-G7.3 (476)TV EpisodeDirectorChris CloughStarsColin BakerBonnie LangfordMichael JaystonThe charge against the Doctor changes from mere meddling to inexcusable genocide. His future looks both grim and very short.Only appearance of the Valeyard, who's referenced in 7.14 -- The Name of the Doctor
- DirectorWaris HusseinDouglas CamfieldStarsWilliam HartnellWilliam RussellJacqueline HillTwo schoolteachers investigate the personal life of one of their brilliant students and her mysterious grandfather.The very first episode. The scene that bookends 7.14 -- The Name of the Doctor takes place some time before the events of this story.
- DirectorPeter MoffattJohn Nathan-TurnerPennant RobertsStarsPeter DavisonJon PertweePatrick TroughtonThe Doctor and his previous incarnations are brought to the Death Zone on his homeworld Gallifrey as part of a renegade Time Lord's scheme.Multiple clips from this episode show up in 7.14 -- The Name of the Doctor.
- DirectorGeoffrey SaxStarsPaul McGannEric RobertsDaphne AshbrookThe newly-regenerated Doctor takes on the Master on the turn of the millennium, 31 December 1999.The only onscreen appearance of the Eighth Doctor prior to 2013's brilliant short "Night of the Doctor."
- DirectorChristopher BarryStarsTom BakerElisabeth SladenPhilip MadocThe Tardis lands in a spaceship graveyard on the bleak planet Karn, where The Doctor and Sarah find a evil scientist called Doctor Solon is constructing a new body for the brain of an evil Time Lord known as Morbius, who The Doctor thought was executed by the High Council on Gallifrey. Morbius plots to rule the galaxy with his new body.First appearance of the Sisterhood of Karn -- Night of the Doctor; 9.1: The Magician's Apprentice
- DirectorDouglas CamfieldStarsTom BakerElisabeth SladenIan MarterThe Doctor, Sarah and Harry return to Earth in response to an emergency space-time telegraph from the Brigadier, who asks them to investigate the destruction of a series of North Sea oil rigs.First appearance of the Zygons -- Day of the Doctor
- DirectorLennie MayneStarsJon PertweePatrick TroughtonWilliam HartnellThe 10th Anniversary Serial has three incarnations of the Doctor meeting up to face the evil Omega in a universe of antimatter.Referenced several times in the 50th anniversary special, Day of the Doctor.
- DirectorBarry LettsStarsJon PertweeKaty ManningTenniel EvansThe Doctor attempts to test his new dematerialisation circuit by taking Jo to Metebelis Three but instead the TARDIS arrives in the hold of a 1920s cargo ship.Miniscopes briefly referenced in 8.3: Robot of Sherwood
- DirectorPeter GrimwadeStarsPeter DavisonBeryl ReidMatthew WaterhouseTegan is captured by the Cybermen, allowing the Cyber Leader to use her as a hostage and force the Doctor to do his bidding. Left behind on the ship, Adric attempts to prevent it from plummeting to Earth as time is running out.Ratings: 8.7/10 from 186 users (One of the few times in the series that a Companion dies, and the only still-existing serial to portray this.)