Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story

Selected stories

Selected story 1

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/1 "Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006. The two-part story features the Daleks, presumed extinct after the events of the 2005 series' finale, and the Cybermen, who appeared in "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel", both species having unexpectedly arrived on Earth at the conclusion of "Army of Ghosts".

The episode's plot consists mostly of the Daleks and Cybermen waging a global war, the first conflict between the two species in Doctor Who's 45-year history, with humanity caught in the crossfire. The Doctor, the Tyler family, and Mickey Smith fight for their lives trying to revert the situation, in which they are successful, but at an emotional cost to the Doctor and Rose as they are split apart.

The episode marks the final regular appearances of Billie Piper as companion Rose Tyler, Noel Clarke as Rose's ex-boyfriend and previous companion Mickey Smith, and Camille Coduri and Shaun Dingwall as Rose's parents Jackie and Pete Tyler.

Selected story 2

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/2 "Invasion of the Bane" is the first episode of the British science fiction television series The Sarah Jane Adventures. It was originally broadcast on 1 January 2007. Since the series was commissioned before the script for the episode was written, it is not a pilot, but a holiday special, but serves the introductory functions of a pilot.

The episode focuses upon a thirteen year old girl, Maria Jackson, discovering the existence of aliens. After discovering that the Bane, creators of a soft drink called Bubble Shock!, harbour a destructive secret, she teams up with investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith to prevent their plans.

Selected story 3

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/3 "The Girl in the Fireplace" is the fourth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on May 6, 2006, and is the only episode in the 2006 series written by Steven Moffat. Sophia Myles guest-starred as the historical figure Madame de Pompadour.

The episode takes place in multiple time periods as the Tenth Doctor and characters Rose and Mickey find time windows leading to 18th century France and a group of clockwork androids using them to stalk Madame de Pompadour throughout her life. Doctor Who writer Russell T. Davies described the episode as a "love story" for the Doctor. "The Girl in the Fireplace" was well-received by most critics despite the time constraints imposed on the plot; the episode was nominated for a Nebula Award and won the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.

Selected story 4

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/4 "Everything Changes" is an episode in the British science fiction television programme Torchwood, which was first broadcast on 22 October 2006. It is the first episode of the first series.

A man has been murdered in an ongoing spree, and PC Gwen Cooper is surprised when four shady figures take over from the police. They identify themselves only as "Torchwood". One woman, called Suzie by a tall American in a long coat, takes out a metal gauntlet and brings the victim back to life for just two minutes. The American identifies himself as Captain Jack Harkness, but Gwen researches and finds that the last person of this name vanished in 1941. She uses the guise of a pizza delivery person to find Torchwood Institute, only to discover they were expecting her. She is introduced to the entire team, and also shown a Weevil. However, her memory is erased. She meets Suzie again, who admits to the death and shoots herself. Gwen then remembers everything, and is given a job at the institute.

Selected story 5

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/5 An Unearthly Child (also known as 100,000 BC, among other titles) is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 23 November to 14 December 1963. It is the first serial of the series and introduces William Hartnell as the First Doctor, Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman, Jacqueline Hill as Barbara Wright and William Russell as Ian Chesterton.

The first episode deals with Ian's and Barbara's discovery of the Doctor and his spaceship, the "TARDIS", in a junkyard in contemparary London. The remaining episodes are set in 100,000BC, amongst a power struggle between warring Stone Age factions.

Selected story 6

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/6 The Daleks (also known as The Mutants) is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast weekly from 21 December 1963 to 1 February 1964. This story marks the first appearance of the Daleks, who have since become cultural icons.

This story introduces a trope in Doctor Who, that of the TARDIS' navigational circuits malfunctioning. In this case, instead of bringing the TARDIS crew back to Earth, it lands in a petrified jungle, and the Doctor has to try to fix their position by taking a reading of the stars. Companions Ian Chesterton and Barbara White explore a nearby city, but are captured by the militarist Daleks. Susan Foreman meets another species, the pacifist Thals, who she and the Doctor help win a war against the Daleks.

Selected story 7

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/7 The Edge of Destruction (also known as Inside the Spaceship, among other titles) is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in 2 weekly parts on February 8 and February 15, 1964.

After the First Doctor's failed efforts to regain control of the TARDIS's faulty control system in The Daleks result in an explosion causing everyone to black out, the Doctor and his companions find themselves trapped in the craft. Strange occurrences cause them to suspect the TARDIS has been infiltrated or worse — that one of the crew members has sabotaged the TARDIS.

Selected story 8

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/8 Marco Polo is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in 7 weekly parts from February 22 to April 4, 1964. Although audio tracks and still photographs of the story exist, none of the footage of this serial has survived. This is the first "pure historical" Doctor Who story, in that there are no science fictional elements other than the fact that the Doctor and his companions have travelled to the past.

The TARDIS lands in Central Asia in 1289, where the First Doctor and his companions fall in with Marco Polo as his caravan makes its way along the fabled Silk Road from the Pamir Plateau, across the treacherous Gobi Desert and over the Himalayas to end up in Peking at the height of its imperial power.

Selected story 9

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/9 The Keys of Marinus is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in 6 weekly parts from April 11 to May 16, 1964.

The planet Marinus is under threat from the Voord. The only hope of stopping them is to recover the keys to a machine known as the Conscience of Marinus, which have been hidden around the planet. The First Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara are forced to search for the keys in a variety of dangerous locations in order to restore order to Marinus.

Selected story 10

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/10 The Aztecs is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in 4 weekly parts from May 23 to June 13, 1964.

The arrival of the TARDIS in 15th century Mesoamerica leads the crew to encounter the doomed Aztec people, a mixture of high culture and brutal savagery side by side. Matters are further complicated when Barbara is mistaken for a goddess, while the First Doctor inadvertently becomes engaged to be married.

Selected story 11

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/11 The Sensorites is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from June 20 to August 1, 1964. The third episode was postponed by one week following the overrun of sports programme Grandstand.

The Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan arrive in the TARDIS on board a spaceship. The ship's human crew are suffering from telepathic interference from the Sensorites, a race of reclusive aliens fearful of an attack from other species.

Selected story 12

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/12 The Reign of Terror is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from August 8 to September 12, 1964. The story was set in France during the period of the French Revolution known as the Reign of Terror.

The TARDIS sets down in a wood near Paris in the year 1794: the height of the Reign of Terror of the first French Revolution. It is not a safe period for travellers without papers, as plots and spies abound and the four travellers are soon dragged into spy rings and escape chains in a city gripped by fear and mistrust. But who can be trusted in a country in turmoil?

Selected story 13

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/13 Planet of Giants is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in three weekly parts from October 31 to November 14, 1964. The story was the first since the series' pilot episode to be set on modern-day Earth.

The Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan land in a strange world where insects grow to enormous size and die mysterious deaths. When Ian discovers a giant matchbox, they realise that they have arrived on Earth but have shrunk in size to mere inches.

Selected story 14

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/14 The Dalek Invasion of Earth is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from November 21 to December 26, 1964. This serial marks the final regular appearance of Carole Ann Ford as companion Susan Foreman.

The First Doctor has brought his human companions home to Earth, but two hundred years in their future. Trapped in a strangely quiet and deserted London, the travellers discover that Earth has been conquered by their old enemies — the Daleks. The travellers ally with a band of freedom fighters to reclaim the planet and discover their plan.

Selected story 15

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/15 The Rescue is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on January 2 and January 9, 1965. The story is set in the future on the planet Dido and introduces Maureen O'Brien as the Doctor's newest companion, Vicki.

In the serial, the Doctor, Ian and Barbara land on the planet Dido, where survivors from a doomed spaceship are threatened by a mysterious being known as Koquillion. The travellers come across two survivors, Vicki and Bennett. With Vicki's help, the Koquillion is unmasked as Bennet, who is killed by the natives of Dido. Vicki is then invited aboard the TARDIS.

Selected story 16

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/16 The Romans is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from January 16 to February 6, 1965. The story is set during the era of the Roman Empire in the reign of Nero.

While on holiday in Rome, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright are sold as slaves, while the Doctor is mistaken for the recently deceased lyre player Maximus Petullian, and is invited to Nero's court. Ian and Barbara are able to escape, but all of the travellers are caught up in the Great Fire of Rome in the closing episode, causing them to flee for their lives.

Selected story 17

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/17 The Web Planet is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from February 13, 1965 to March 20, 1965.

The TARDIS is pulled off course by a mysterious force and trapped on the barren, desolate low-oxygen world of Vortis in the Isop galaxy. The Doctor, Barbara, Ian and Vicki are soon swept up in the struggles of the butterfly-like Menoptra, the original denizens of Vortis who were forced to flee the planet for the moon Pictos to escape the encroaching Animus and Zarbi. With assistance from the caterpillar-like Optera, the devolved descendants of the planet's original inhabitants, the TARDIS crew and the Menoptra are able to destroy the Animus at the center of its web complex.

Selected story 18

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/18 The Myth Makers is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from October 16 to November 6, 1965. The story is set in Homeric Troy. This serial sees the last appearance of Maureen O'Brien as Vicki and the introduction of Adrienne Hill as the Doctor's newest companion, Katarina.

The Doctor, Vicki, and Steven become involved in the siege of Troy. The story alters the fates of a few characters from the original literature. Vicki remains behind and becomes immortalised as the mythical character Cressida.

Selected story 19

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/19 The Daleks' Master Plan is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The twelve episodes (the most of any Dr Who serial, excluding the four 1986 stories that were together called The Trial of a Time Lord) were aired from November 13, 1965 to January 29, 1966. This serial marks the final appearance of Adrienne Hill as companion Katarina, the only appearance of Jean Marsh as Sara Kingdom and the first ever death of a companion.

The episode is set in the year 4000, the Daleks conspire to conquer the Solar System. Their scheme involves treachery at the highest levels, and a weapon capable of destroying the very fabric of time. The Doctor and his companions are forced to travel throughout time in order to stop them.

Selected story 20

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/20 The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from February 5 to February 26, 1966. This serial marks the first appearance of Jackie Lane as companion Dodo Chaplet.

The TARDIS materializes in Paris in the year 1572 and the First Doctor decides to visit the famous apothecary Charles Preslin. Steven, meanwhile, is befriended by a group of Huguenots from the household of the Protestant Admiral de Coligny. Having rescued a young serving girl, Anne Chaplet, from some pursuing guards, the Huguenots gain their first inkling of a heinous plan being hatched at the command of the Catholic queen mother, Catherine de' Medici.

Selected story 21

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/21 The Ark is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from March 5 to March 26, 1966.

The Doctor and his companions Steven Taylor and Dodo Chaplet arrive some ten million years into the future, on board a generation ship which is carrying the last of humanity away from an Earth that is about to fall into the Sun. However, the cold that Dodo has could prove devastating to these future humans and their servants, the Monoids.

Selected story 22

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/22 The Celestial Toymaker is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from April 2 to April 23, 1966.

The First Doctor and his companions arrive in a strange domain presided over by the Celestial Toymaker — an enigmatic, immortal entity who forces them to play a series of games, failure at which will render them his playthings. The Doctor has to solve the Trilogic game while Steven and Dodo are faced with defeating a succession of apparently child-like but potentially lethal animated toys.

Selected story 23

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/23 The Stone Rose is a BBC Books original novel written by Jacqueline Rayner and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the first New Series Adventures to feature the Tenth Doctor, and also features Rose and Mickey. The plot sees the Doctor travel to Ancient Rome, where Rose meets a girl who can predict the future.

Selected story 24

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/24 The Savages is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from May 28 to June 18, 1966. This serial marks the final appearance of Peter Purves as companion Steven Taylor. From this point on, all serials were given an overall title, as opposed to episode titles. In the episode, the TARDIS has arrived on a distant and seemingly idyllic world, but the Doctor, Steven and Dodo discover that it hides a terrible secret: the apparently civilised Elders maintain their advanced society through a most unethical means.

Selected story 25

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/25 The Crusade is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from March 27 to April 17, 1965. It starred William Hartnell as the First Doctor, Jacqueline Hill as Barbara Wright, William Russell as Ian Chesterton, and Maureen O'Brien as Vicki; and featured guest appearances by Julian Glover and Jean Marsh.

In Palestine, near Jerusalem, during the Third Crusade, The Doctor and his companions become ensnared in the political struggles between Richard the Lionheart and Saladin.

Selected story 26

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/26 The Space Museum is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from April 24 to May 15, 1965. The story is set on the planet Xeros, a subjugated planet in the Morok Empire, now home to a vast museum and a young, rebellious population.

The Doctor and his companions experience something strange after they land on the planet Xeros. Shattered glass mends itself, footprints fail to materialize in the sand, and everything is silent. And then, inside a gigantic museum, they find something even more alarming: themselves.

Selected story 27

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/27 The Chase is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from May 22 to June 26, 1965. The story is set on multiple locations including the Mary Celeste, the Empire State Building, and the planet Aridius, and concerns the Doctor and his companions being hunted by time-traveling Daleks throughout space and time. The serial marks the last appearance of William Russell and Jacqueline Hill as companions Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright and the introduction of Peter Purves as new companion Steven Taylor.

Selected story 28

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/28 The Time Meddler is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from July 3 to July 24, 1965. The story is set on the eastern coast of England in late summer, 1066, and it introduces the Meddling Monk.

The Doctor, Vicki, and new companion Steven Taylor arrive in Saxon Northumbria on the eve of the Viking and Norman invasions. It is 1066, a pivotal moment in British history, and the hand of a mysterious Monk is at work in the nearby monastery. The Monk is actually a time/space traveller from the same planet as the Doctor, and is attempting historical alterations. The Doctor prevents this and traps the Monk in 1066 by removing a critical component of his TARDIS.

Selected story 29

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/29 Galaxy 4 is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from September 11 to October 2, 1965.

The Doctor, Vicki, and Steven land on an unknown planet which will soon die on which the hideous Rills with their Chumbley robots, and the Drahvins had crashlanded. The Drahvins try to enlist the Doctor's help to destroy the "evil" Rills, but who are the real villains?

Selected story 30

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/30 "Mission to the Unknown" is a single-episode Doctor Who story. It is notable as the only such installment in the original run of the series, and also for not featuring any of the regular characters, including the Doctor, although William Hartnell is still credited on-screen.

The story concerns three men struggling to repair their crashed spaceship in a hostile jungle on the planet Kembel. It serves as a prelude to the later serial, The Daleks' Master Plan.

Selected story 31

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/31 The War Machines is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in 4 weekly parts from June 25 to July 16, 1966. This serial is the first appearance of Michael Craze and Anneke Wills as the companions Ben Jackson and Polly, as well as marking the departure of Jackie Lane as Dodo Chaplet. It should not be confused with the Second Doctor story The War Games. The episode takes place in 1966, inside the Post Office Tower. The antagonist is WOTAN, an advanced computer meant to network with systems worldwide, but has since gone rogue.

Selected story 32

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/32 The Smugglers is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from September 10 to October 1, 1966.

In the episode, the Doctor arrives on the coast of seventeenth century Cornwall, much to the astonishment of Polly and Ben. Pirates led by Captain Samuel Pike and his henchman Cherub are searching for a hidden treasure, while a smuggling ring masterminded by the local Squire is trying to off-load contraband.

Selected story 33

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/33 The Tenth Planet is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from October 8 to October 29, 1966. It was William Hartnell's last regular appearance as the First Doctor, and the first story to feature the Cybermen. Patrick Troughton also makes his first, uncredited appearance as the Second Doctor.

The episode takes place in 1986. Earth's sister planet, Mondas has returned home, bringing with it the emotionless, unstoppable Cybermen. At the Snowcap base in Antarctica, the invasion begins, but the Cybermen have not reckoned on the First Doctor and his companions. However, the Doctor becomes weaker throughout the episode, eventually collapsing and regenerating into a new form: the Second Doctor.

Selected story 34

Portal:Doctor Who/Selected story/34 The Power of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from November 5 to December 10, 1966. It is Patrick Troughton's first full story as the Doctor.

The serial begins with companions Ben and Polly being suspicious of the newly regenerated Doctor. The Doctor brings the TARDIS to the colony of Vulcan where he learns, to his horror, that a scientist has recovered three inert Dalek bodies from a crash and has reactivated them to serve the colony.