Doctor Who (season 14)
| Doctor Who (season 14) | |
|---|---|
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of stories | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Original release | 4 September 1976 – 2 April 1977 |
The fourteenth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 4 September 1976 with The Masque of Mandragora, and ended with The Talons of Weng-Chiang.
Casting
Main cast
Tom Baker continues his role as The Fourth Doctor. Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) departs partway through the season in The Hand of Fear. As Sarah Jane was effectively the only tie the Doctor had to UNIT at this point, he no longer had a reason to return to his former job following her departure. In between the two serials, the Doctor has a solo adventure in The Deadly Assassin. The Doctor is then joined by Leela played by Louise Jameson in The Face of Evil.
Guest stars
The Master reappears in The Deadly Assassin as the main antagonist, his first appearance since Frontier in Space (1973), this time played by Peter Pratt. The character would not make a further appearance until five years later in 1981.
Serials
The Masque of Mandragora saw the debut of the new wood-panelled "Secondary Console Room" set, which was to be used as the main TARDIS console room throughout the season. The season took a five-week transmission break between the broadcasts of The Deadly Assassin and The Face of Evil in order to extend the season further into 1977, allowing Robert Holmes time to work on the final serial The Talons of Weng-Chiang.
| Story | Serial | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | UK viewers (millions) [1] | AI [1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | 1 | The Masque of Mandragora | Rodney Bennett | Louis Marks | 4 September 1976 11 September 1976 18 September 1976 25 September 1976 | 4M | 8.3 9.8 9.2 10.6 | 58 56 — 56 |
| An encounter with the living energy structure known as the Mandragora Helix leads the TARDIS to 15th century Italy. | ||||||||
| 87 | 2 | The Hand of Fear | Lennie Mayne | Bob Baker and Dave Martin | 2 October 1976 9 October 1976 16 October 1976 23 October 1976 | 4N | 10.5 10.2 11.1 12.0 | — — 62 — |
| The Doctor and Sarah are caught in a mining explosion. Sarah is found clutching what appears to be a fossilised hand, buried in a 150-million-year-old stratum. | ||||||||
| 88 | 3 | The Deadly Assassin | David Maloney | Robert Holmes | 30 October 1976 6 November 1976 13 November 1976 20 November 1976 | 4P | 11.8 12.1 13.0 11.8 | — 59 — 61 |
| The Doctor returns to his homeworld, Gallifrey. When the President of the High Council is assassinated, however, he becomes the prime suspect. | ||||||||
| 89 | 4 | The Face of Evil | Pennant Roberts | Chris Boucher | 1 January 1977 8 January 1977 15 January 1977 22 January 1977 | 4Q | 10.7 11.1 11.3 11.7 | 61 — 59 60 |
| The Doctor arrives on a planet where two tribes are at war and discovers that their god of evil is himself. | ||||||||
| 90 | 5 | The Robots of Death | Michael E. Briant | Chris Boucher | 29 January 1977 5 February 1977 12 February 1977 19 February 1977 | 4R | 12.8 12.4 13.1 12.6 | 62 — — 57 |
| A vessel is commanded by a crew of indolent or avaricious human staff. It is a happy partnership until the human crew start being murdered one by one. | ||||||||
| 91 | 6 | The Talons of Weng-Chiang | David Maloney | Robert Holmes | 26 February 1977 5 March 1977 12 March 1977 19 March 1977 26 March 1977 2 April 1977 | 4S | 11.3 9.8 10.2 11.4 10.1 9.3 | — — — 60 — 58 |
| The Doctor and Leela travel to Victorian London where they encounter a sinister Chinese stage magician and his master, a fugitive from the 51st century. | ||||||||
Broadcast
The entire season was broadcast from 4 September 1976 to 2 April 1977.
DVD Releases
| Serial name | Number and duration of episodes |
R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masque of Mandragora | 4 × 25 min. | 8 February 2010 | 31 March 2010 | 4 May 2010 |
| The Hand of Fear | 4 × 25 min. | 24 July 2006 | 7 September 2006 | 7 November 2006 |
| The Deadly Assassin | 4 × 25 min. | 11 May 2009 | 2 July 2009 | 1 September 2009 |
| The Face of Evil | 4 × 25 min. | 5 March 2012[2][3] | 5 April 2012 | 13 March 2012[4] |
| The Robots of Death | 4 × 25 min. | 13 November 2000 | 2 July 2001 | 11 September 2001 |
| The Robots of Death – Special Edition Part of the Revisitations 3 box set. | 4 × 25 min. | 13 February 2012[5] | 1 March 2012[6] | 13 March 2012[4] |
| The Talons of Weng-Chiang | 6 × 25 min. | 28 April 2003 | 30 June 2003 | 7 October 2003 |
| The Talons of Weng-Chiang – Special Edition Only available as part of the Revisitations 1 box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1. | 6 × 25 min. | 4 October 2010 | 2 December 2010 | 11 October 2011 |
In print
| Serial name | Novelisation title | Author | First published |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Masque of Mandragora | Doctor Who and the Masque of Mandragora | Philip Hinchcliffe | 1977 |
| The Hand of Fear | Doctor Who and the Hand of Fear | Terrance Dicks | 1979 |
| The Deadly Assassin | Doctor Who and the Deadly Assassin | Terrance Dicks | 1977 |
| The Face of Evil | Doctor Who and the Face of Evil | Terrance Dicks | 1978 |
| The Robots of Death | Doctor Who and the Robots of Death | Terrance Dicks | 1979 |
| The Talons of Weng-Chiang | Doctor Who and the Talons of Weng-Chiang | Terrance Dicks | 1977 |
References
- 1 2 "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
- ↑ "The Doctor Who News Page: DVD Schedule Update". Doctorwhonews.net. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- ↑ "Play.com listings2". Play.com. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- 1 2 "Doctor Who - 4 Classic DVDs in March Include 3 Special Editions and Leela's Introduction!". tvshowsondvd. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
- ↑ Amazon.co.uk Revisitations 3
- ↑ Filmink listings
- "A Brief History Of Time (Travel): The Masque Of Mandragora". Shannonsullivan.com. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
- "A Brief History Of Time (Travel): The Hand Of Fear". Shannonsullivan.com. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
- "A Brief History Of Time (Travel): The Deadly Assassin". Shannonsullivan.com. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
- "A Brief History Of Time (Travel): The Face Of Evil". Shannonsullivan.com. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
- "A Brief History Of Time (Travel): The Robots Of Death". Shannonsullivan.com. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
- "The Talons Of Weng-Chiang". =A Brief History Of Time (Travel). Shannonsullivan.com. Retrieved 2012-07-20.