Doctor Who (season 6)

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This article is about the 1968/69 season. For the 2011 series, see Doctor Who (series 6).

Doctor Who
Season 6
Doctor Who Season 6 DVD.jpg
Cover art of the Region 2 DVD release for first serial of the season
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of stories7
No. of episodes44 (7 missing)
Release
Original networkBBC1
Original release10 August 1968 (1968-08-10) –
21 June 1969 (1969-06-21)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 5
Next →
Season 7
List of episodes

The sixth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 10 August 1968 with the first story of season 6 The Dominators and ended Patrick Troughton's reign as the Doctor with its final story The War Games. Only 37 out of 44 episodes are held in the BBC archives; 7 remain missing. As a result, 2 serials are incomplete. The Invasion has had its two missing episodes reconstructed using animation.

Casting[]

See also: List of Doctor Who cast members

Main cast[]

Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury make their final appearances as the Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon and Zoe Heriot respectively. Troughton and his fellow actors collectively decided that the workload of Doctor Who was exhausting them, and that they would soon depart from the show. From Season 7 onwards the show would never have such a high number of episodes again. The three actors remained with the show until the conclusion of the final season six serial The War Games.

Guest stars[]

Nicholas Courtney reappears as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in The Invasion, last seen (as a Colonel) in The Web of Fear. He would soon make regular appearances in the program beginning with season 7's Spearhead from Space.

John Levene makes his first appearance as Corporal Benton in The Invasion. He would continue to make regular appearances, with the character promoted to sergeant, from season 7 until season 13.

Alan Bennion makes his first of three appearances in the series playing an Ice Warrior. In this, his first appearance, he portrays Lord Slaar in The Seeds of Death.

Serials[]

See also: List of Doctor Who episodes (1963–1989)

Terrance Dicks took over from Derrick Sherwin as script editor from The Invasion, with Sherwin resuming the role for The Space Pirates. Derrick Sherwin took over as producer from Peter Bryant for The War Games.

Season 6 is the most complete of all the Second Doctor's seasons, with only seven episodes missing (compared with twenty-eight from Season 4 and eighteen from Season 5), none of the season's stories missing in their entirety and only two stories (The Invasion and The Space Pirates) incomplete. This compares to the first two seasons of the Second Doctor from which only two complete serials (The Tomb of the Cybermen and The Enemy of the World) survive. The missing two episodes of The Invasion have since been reconstructed using animation and released on DVD.

The War Games, which was the final serial of the season, and the last of Patrick Troughton's tenure as the Doctor, was also the second longest serial up to that point, spanning 10 episodes – only the 12-part serial The Daleks' Master Plan from Season 3 was longer.

The Dominators and The Mind Robber were both produced at the end of the fifth recording block and held over to Season 6.[citation needed]

StorySerialSerial titleEpisode titlesDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		UK viewers
(millions) [1]		AI [1]
441The Dominators"Episode 1"Morris BarryNorman Ashby (Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln)10 August 1968 (1968-08-10)TT6.152
"Episode 2"Morris BarryNorman Ashby (Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln)17 August 1968 (1968-08-17)TT5.955
[Episode 3][note 1]Morris BarryNorman Ashby (Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln)24 August 1968 (1968-08-24)TT5.455
"Episode 4"Morris BarryNorman Ashby (Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln)31 August 1968 (1968-08-31)TT7.551
"Episode 5"Morris BarryNorman Ashby (Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln)7 September 1968 (1968-09-07)TT5.953
Arriving on an irradiated island, The Doctor, Jamie and new companion Zoe Heriot find an alien craft bearing the imperious and ruthless Dominators.
452The Mind Robber"Episode 1"David MaloneyDerrick Sherwin14 September 1968 (1968-09-14)UU6.651
"Episode 2"David MaloneyPeter Ling21 September 1968 (1968-09-21)UU6.549
"Episode 3"David MaloneyPeter Ling28 September 1968 (1968-09-28)UU7.253
"Episode 4"David MaloneyPeter Ling5 October 1968 (1968-10-05)UU7.356
"Episode 5"David MaloneyPeter Ling12 October 1968 (1968-10-12)UU6.749
By blowing a fluid link, the Doctor is forced to use the emergency unit to take the TARDIS away from danger and indeed out of reality itself: to the Land of Fiction. Here, he meets fictional characters, such as Rapunzel, Lemuel Gulliver and Medusa.
463The Invasion"Episode One"†Douglas CamfieldDerrick Sherwin and Kit Pedler (story)2 November 1968 (1968-11-02)VV7.355
"Episode "Two"Douglas CamfieldDerrick Sherwin and Kit Pedler (story)9 November 1968 (1968-11-09)VV7.153
"Episode Three"Douglas CamfieldDerrick Sherwin and Kit Pedler (story)16 November 1968 (1968-11-16)VV7.154
"Episode Four"†Douglas CamfieldDerrick Sherwin and Kit Pedler (story)23 November 1968 (1968-11-23)VV6.451
"Episode Five"Douglas CamfieldDerrick Sherwin and Kit Pedler (story)30 November 1968 (1968-11-30)VV6.752
"Episode Six"Douglas CamfieldDerrick Sherwin and Kit Pedler (story)7 December 1968 (1968-12-07)VV6.556
"Episode Seven"Douglas CamfieldDerrick Sherwin and Kit Pedler (story)14 December 1968 (1968-12-14)VV7.255
"Episode Eight"Douglas CamfieldDerrick Sherwin and Kit Pedler (story)21 December 1968 (1968-12-21)VV7.053
After becoming invisible, the TARDIS arrives in England. While looking for a missing scientist at an electronics company, the TARDIS crew find out that the Cybermen are hidden within London's sewers and are planning an invasion.
474The Krotons"Episode One"David MaloneyRobert Holmes28 December 1968 (1968-12-28)WW9.059
"Episode Two"David MaloneyRobert Holmes4 January 1969 (1969-01-04)WW8.457
"Episode Three"David MaloneyRobert Holmes11 January 1969 (1969-01-11)WW7.556
"Episode Four"David MaloneyRobert Holmes18 January 1969 (1969-01-18)WW7.155
On an unnamed planet, a race called the Gonds are subject to the mysterious Krotons, unseen beings to whom they provide their brightest members as "companions".
485The Seeds of Death"Episode One"Michael FergusonBrian Hayles25 January 1969 (1969-01-25)XX6.657
"Episode Two"Michael FergusonBrian Hayles1 February 1969 (1969-02-01)XX6.859
"Episode Three"Michael FergusonBrian Hayles and Terrance Dicks (uncredited)8 February 1969 (1969-02-08)XX7.555
"Episode Four"Michael FergusonBrian Hayles and Terrance Dicks (uncredited)15 February 1969 (1969-02-15)XX7.155
"Episode Five"Michael FergusonBrian Hayles and Terrance Dicks (uncredited)22 February 1969 (1969-02-22)XX7.657
"Episode Six"Michael FergusonBrian Hayles and Terrance Dicks (uncredited)1 March 1969 (1969-03-01)XX7.759
The Ice Warriors plan to destroy every living thing on Earth by making Earth more habitable for them.
496The Space Pirates"Episode One"†Michael HartRobert Holmes8 March 1969 (1969-03-08)YY5.857
"Episode Two"Michael HartRobert Holmes15 March 1969 (1969-03-15)YY6.852
"Episode Three"†Michael HartRobert Holmes22 March 1969 (1969-03-22)YY6.455
"Episode Four"†Michael HartRobert Holmes29 March 1969 (1969-03-29)YY5.853
"Episode Five"†Michael HartRobert Holmes5 April 1969 (1969-04-05)YY5.556
"Episode Six"†Michael HartRobert Holmes12 April 1969 (1969-04-12)YY5.352
Space beacons on the space lanes are being blown up and plundered for precious argonite by a gang of space pirates led by Caven and his associate Dervish.
507The War Games"Episode One"David MaloneyTerrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke19 April 1969 (1969-04-19)ZZ5.555
"Episode Two"David MaloneyTerrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke26 April 1969 (1969-04-26)ZZ6.354
"Episode Three"David MaloneyTerrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke3 May 1969 (1969-05-03)ZZ5.153
"Episode Four"David MaloneyTerrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke10 May 1969 (1969-05-10)ZZ5.750
"Episode Five"David MaloneyTerrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke17 May 1969 (1969-05-17)ZZ5.153
"Episode Six"David MaloneyTerrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke24 May 1969 (1969-05-24)ZZ4.253
"Episode Seven"David MaloneyTerrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke31 May 1969 (1969-05-31)ZZ4.953
"Episode Eight"David MaloneyTerrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke7 June 1969 (1969-06-07)ZZ3.553
"Episode Nine"David MaloneyTerrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke14 June 1969 (1969-06-14)ZZ4.157
"Episode Ten"David MaloneyTerrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke21 June 1969 (1969-06-21)ZZ5.058
Brainwashed soldiers are being abducted from Earth by aliens and forced to fight in simulated environments, reflecting the periods in history whence they were taken. The aliens' aim is to produce a super army from the survivors. The Doctor is forced to make a choice that will change who he is.

^† : Episode is missing

Missing episodes[]

See also: Doctor Who missing episodes
  • The Invasion – Episodes 1 & 4 (of 8 total) (Animated recreations exist)
  • The Space Pirates – Episodes 1, 3 – 6 (of 6 total)

Home media[]

See also: List of Doctor Who VHS releases and List of Doctor Who home video releases

VHS releases[]

Season Story no. Serial name Number and duration
of episodes 		R2 release date R4 release date R1 release date
6 044 The Dominators 5 × 25 min. September 1990[3][4] February 1991[4] August 1994[4]
045 The Mind Robber 5 × 25 min. May 1990[5][6] September 1990[6] February 1994[6]
046 The Invasion 6 × 25 min. June 1993[7][8]
(2 x VHS) 		October 1993[8] June 1995[8]
047 The Krotons 4 × 25 min. February 1991[9][10] July 1991[10] August 1994[10]
048 The Seeds of Death 1 × 150 min. July 1985[11][12] December 1987[12] March 1990[12]
050 The War Games 10 × 25 min. February 1990[13][14] June 1990[14] January 1992[14]

DVD and Blu-ray releases[]

Season Story no. Serial name Number and duration
of episodes 		R2 release date R4 release date R1 release date
6 044 The Dominators 5 × 25 min. 12 July 2010[15][16] 2 September 2010[17] 11 January 2011[18]
045 The Mind Robber 5 × 20 min. 7 March 2005[19] 5 May 2005[20] 6 September 2005[21]
046 The Invasion[a] 8 × 25 min. 6 November 2006[22][23] 3 January 2007[24] 6 March 2007[25]
047 The Krotons 4 × 25 min. 2 July 2012[26][27] 2 August 2012[28] 10 July 2012[29]
048 The Seeds of Death 6 × 25 min. 17 February 2003[30] 5 May 2003[31] 2 March 2004[32]
The Seeds of Death (Special Edition)[b] 6 × 25 min. 28 March 2011[33][34] 5 May 2011[35] 12 June 2012[36]
050 The War Games[c] 10 × 25 min. 6 July 2009[37][38] 3 September 2009[39] 3 November 2009[40]
Lost in Time, Volume 2
4–6 032 The Underwater Menace[d] 12 × 25 min.
(+ 2 × 25 min. audio)[e] 		1 November 2004[41][42] 2 December 2004[f][43]
1 July 2010[g][44] 		2 November 2004[45]
033 The Moonbase[h]
035 The Faceless Ones[i]
036 The Evil of the Daleks[j]
038 The Abominable Snowmen[k]
040 The Enemy of the World[l]
041 The Web of Fear[m]
043 The Wheel in Space[n]
049 The Space Pirates[o]
  1. ^ Episodes 2–3 and 5–8 of 8, animation of 1 and 4.
  2. ^ Only available as part of the Revisitations 2 box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.
  3. ^ Available individually or in the Regeneration box set in Region 2.
    Only available individually in Regions 1 and 4.
  4. ^ Episode 3 of 4.
  5. ^ Also includes surviving clips from The Power of the Daleks, The Highlanders,
    The Macra Terror and Fury from the Deep.
  6. ^ Original release.
  7. ^ Re-release.
  8. ^ Episodes 2 and 4 of 4; soundtracks of 1 and 3.
  9. ^ Episodes 1 and 3 of 6.
  10. ^ Episode 2 of 7.
  11. ^ Episode 2 of 6.
  12. ^ Episode 3 of 6.
  13. ^ Episode 1 of 6.
  14. ^ Episodes 3 and 6 of 6.
  15. ^ Episode 2 of 6.

In print[]

Main article: List of Doctor Who novelisations
Serial name Novelisation title Author First published
The Dominators The Dominators Ian Marter 19 April 1984
The Mind Robber The Mind Robber Peter Ling 20 November 1986
The Invasion The Invasion Ian Marter 16 May 1985
The Krotons The Krotons Terrance Dicks 13 June 1985
The Seeds of Death The Seeds of Death Terrance Dicks 17 July 1986
The Space Pirates The Space Pirates Terrance Dicks 15 March 1990
The War Games Doctor Who and the War Games Malcolm Hulke 25 September 1979

Notes[]

  1. ^ This episode has no on-screen episode title[2]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  2. ^ "BBC – Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – The Dominators – Details". bbc.co.uk.
  3. ^ "DOCTOR WHO - THE DOMINATORS". bbfc.co.uk.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c "The Dominators (VHS)". timelash.com.
  5. ^ "DOCTOR WHO - THE MIND ROBBER". bbfc.co.uk.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c "The Mind Robber (VHS)". timelash.com.
  7. ^ "DOCTOR WHO - THE INVASION". bbfc.co.uk.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c "The Invasion (VHS)". timelash.com.
  9. ^ "DOCTOR WHO - THE KROTONS". bbfc.co.uk.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c "The Krotons (VHS)". timelash.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
  11. ^ "DOCTOR WHO - THE SEEDS OF DEATH". bbfc.co.uk.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b c "The Krotons (VHS)". timelash.com.
  13. ^ "DOCTOR WHO - THE WAR GAMES". bbfc.co.uk.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b c "The War Games (VHS)". timelash.com.
  15. ^ "Doctor Who: The Dominators (DVD)". BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  16. ^ "Doctor Who: The Dominators". British Video Association. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  17. ^ "Doctor Who: The Dominators 2 DVD Set". BBC. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  18. ^ "Doctor Who - Story #044: The Dominators". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  19. ^ "Doctor Who: Mind Robber (DVD)". BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  20. ^ "Doctor Who The Mind Robber". Roadshow Entertainment. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  21. ^ "Doctor Who - Story #045: Mind Robber". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  22. ^ "Doctor Who: The Invasion (DVD)". BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  23. ^ "Doctor Who: The Invasion". British Video Association. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  24. ^ "Dr Who The Invasion". Roadshow Entertainment. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  25. ^ "Doctor Who - Story #046: The Invasion". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  26. ^ "Doctor Who: The Krotons (DVD)". BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  27. ^ "Doctor Who: The Krotons". British Video Association. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  28. ^ "Doctor Who The Krotons DVD". BBC. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  29. ^ "Doctor Who - Story #047: The Krotons". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  30. ^ "Doctor Who: The Seeds of Death". 17 February 2003. Retrieved 9 June 2017 – via Amazon.
  31. ^ "Dr. Who - Seeds Of Death [2 Discs] by Roadshow Entertainment - Shop Online for Movies, DVDs in Australia". www.fishpond.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  32. ^ "Doctor Who - Story #048: Seeds Of Death". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  33. ^ "Doctor Who: Revisitation Boxset Volume 2 (DVD)". BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  34. ^ "Doctor Who: Revisitations 2". British Video Association. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  35. ^ "Doctor Who Revisitations 2 (6 DVD Set)". BBC. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  36. ^ "Doctor Who - Story #048: Seeds Of Death: Special Edition". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  37. ^ "Doctor Who: War Games (DVD)". BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  38. ^ "Doctor Who: War Games". British Video Association. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  39. ^ "Doctor Who The War Games". Roadshow Entertainment. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  40. ^ "Doctor Who - Story #050: War Games". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  41. ^ "Doctor Who: Lost In Time (DVD)". BBC. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  42. ^ "Doctor Who: Lost in Time". British Video Association. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  43. ^ "Lost in Time". timelash.com. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  44. ^ "Doctor Who - Lost In Time". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  45. ^ "Doctor Who - Story #032, 033, 035, 036, 038, 040, 041, 043, 049: Lost In Time: Patrick Troughton Years". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
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