Doctor Who (season 3)

This article is about the 1965–66 season. For the 2007 series, see Doctor Who (series 3).
Doctor Who
Season 3
Cover art of the Region 2 DVD release for first serial of the season
Starring
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of stories 10
No. of episodes 45 (28 missing)
Release
Original network BBC1
Original release 11 September 1965 –
16 July 1966
Season chronology

The third season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 11 September 1965 with the story Galaxy 4 and ended on 16 July 1966 with The War Machines. Only 17 out of 45 episodes survive in the BBC archives; 28 remain missing. As a result, only three serials are complete.

Casting

See also: List of Doctor Who cast members

Main cast

William Hartnell continues his journey as The First Doctor, accompanied by companions Vicki (Maureen O'Brien) and Steven Taylor (Peter Purves). In the third story The Myth Makers, Vicki departed and was replaced by Katarina (Adrienne Hill). Katarina's tenure was brief, with the character being killed in episode 4 of the following story, The Daleks' Master Plan. In some companion lists, Sara Kingdom (Jean Marsh) is included as a companion, though her appearances were limited to later episodes of the serial The Daleks' Master Plan.

Dodo Chaplet (Jackie Lane) joined the Doctor and Steven in the next serial, The Massacre. There were no changes in the primary cast until Steven's departure in the penultimate story, The Savages. In the final story The War Machines, Dodo also departs, and the Doctor was joined by Polly (Anneke Wills) and Ben (Michael Craze). Like the previous season, the cast of companions had changed from start to finish.

Guest stars

Peter Butterworth makes his second and final appearance as the Meddling Monk in the serial The Daleks' Master Plan, though his presence in the story is limited to three parts only; "Volcano", "Golden Death", and "Escape Switch".

Serials

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

John Wiles replaced Verity Lambert as producer after "Mission to the Unknown". Innes Lloyd, in turn, replaced Wiles after The Ark. Donald Tosh continued as script editor until The Massacre: "Priest of Death", and was replaced by Gerry Davis beginning with The Massacre: "Bell of Doom".

The practice of giving each individual episode a different title was abandoned after The Gunfighters, near the end of the season. This season was notable for the longest serial to date, The Daleks' Master Plan, which contained 12 episodes. The record of The Daleks' Master Plan as the longest serial was eventually taken by the 14-part The Trial of a Time Lord, which spanned the whole of Season 23. The single-episode prequel to this story, "Mission to the Unknown", was not only the shortest story, but was notable for the absence of the entire regular cast. The episode came about when Planet of Giants, the opening serial of Season 2, was reduced from four to three episodes, leaving a single episode held over in the production schedule. Rather than attempt to create a single-episode story, or add an episode to an already commissioned story, it was decided to use this one episode as a trailer to set up the upcoming 12-part Dalek story.

Four of the stories from Season 3 ("Mission to the Unknown", The Myth Makers, The Massacre, and The Savages) are completely missing from the BBC archive, with no surviving episodes. Further, "Mission to the Unknown" and The Massacre are two of only three stories from the entire run of Doctor Who with no surviving footage from any sources (the other being Marco Polo from Season 1). Only three of this season's stories (The Ark, The Gunfighters and The War Machines) are complete. "Mission to the Unknown", however, is unique in that it is the only missing episode of Doctor Who to be fully recreated in live-action, with the student-made project having its production quality on par with that of 1960s television.

Season 3 holds the distinction of being the longest-running season of Doctor Who to date, having produced 45 episodes in 10 serials. Season 6 produced just one episode less in 7 serials.

The Massacre was the first serial that saw the lead actor cast in a dual role; William Hartnell not only plays the Doctor, but also the Abbot of Amboise. This would be repeated by Patrick Troughton in Season 5's The Enemy of the World.

No.
story		 No. in
season		 Serial title Episode titles Directed by Written by Original air date Prod.
code		 UK viewers
(millions)  		AI 
18 1 Galaxy 4 "Four Hundred Dawns" Derek Martinus William Emms 11 September 1965 T 9.0 56
"Trap of Steel" 18 September 1965 9.5 55
"Air Lock" 25 September 1965 11.3 54
"The Exploding Planet" 2 October 1965 9.9 53
Two ships have crashed after a space battle, but the planet they have landed on is about to be destroyed. The beautiful female Drahvins seem friendly, but in fact it is the ugly Rills that are more tolerant and forgiving.
19 2 "Mission to the Unknown" N/A Derek Martinus Terry Nation 9 October 1965 T/A 8.3 54
Space agent Marc Cory is investigating the sighting of a Dalek ship and discovers they have a base on Kembel. But his crew are infected by Varga plants, imported from Skaro, and start to mutate into Vargas.
20 3 The Myth Makers "Temple of Secrets" Michael Leeston-Smith Donald Cotton 16 October 1965 U 8.3 48
"Small Prophet, Quick Return" 23 October 1965 8.1 51
"Death of a Spy" 30 October 1965 8.7 49
"Horse of Destruction" 6 November 1965 8.3 52
The TARDIS lands outside Troy during the siege. The Doctor is captured by the Greeks and given two days to devise a plan for taking the city. Steven and Vicki are captured by the Trojans, and given two days to devise a means of banishing the Greeks.
21 4 The Daleks' Master Plan "The Nightmare Begins" Douglas Camfield Terry Nation 13 November 1965 V 9.1 54
"Day of Armageddon" Terry Nation 20 November 1965 9.8 52
"Devil's Planet" Terry Nation 27 November 1965 10.3 52
"The Traitors" Terry Nation 4 December 1965 9.5 51
"Counter Plot" Terry Nation 11 December 1965 9.9 53
"Coronas of the Sun" Dennis Spooner 18 December 1965 9.1 56
"The Feast of Steven" Terry Nation 25 December 1965 7.9 39
"Volcano" Dennis Spooner 1 January 1966 9.6 49
"Golden Death" Dennis Spooner 8 January 1966 9.2 52
"Escape Switch" Dennis Spooner 15 January 1966 9.5 50
"The Abandoned Planet" Dennis Spooner 22 January 1966 9.8 49
"Destruction of Time" Dennis Spooner 29 January 1966 8.6 57
Some six months after the events of "Mission to the Unknown", the TARDIS arrives on the planet Kembel, and the Doctor leaves the TARDIS to try to find medical aid for the wounded Steven Taylor leaving him with the Trojan girl Katarina. On doing so, he becomes embroiled in a Dalek scheme to design the ultimate weapon.
22 5 The Massacre "War of God" Paddy Russell John Lucarotti 5 February 1966 W 8.0 52
"The Sea Beggar" John Lucarotti 12 February 1966 6.0 52
"Priest of Death" John Lucarotti 19 February 1966 5.9 49
"Bell of Doom" John Lucarotti and Donald Tosh 26 February 1966 5.8 53
The arrival of the TARDIS in Paris in 1572 places its occupants, the Doctor and Steven in a dangerous situation. Tensions between Protestants and Catholics are at fever pitch in the city.
23 6 The Ark "The Steel Sky" Michael Imison Paul Erickson and Lesley Scott 5 March 1966 X 5.5 55
"The Plague" 12 March 1966 6.9 56
"The Return" 19 March 1966 6.2 51
"The Bomb" 26 March 1966 7.3 50
At least ten million years into the future, the TARDIS materialises on a vast spacecraft Dodo names "the Ark" where the whole human race is bound for a new world.
24 7 The Celestial Toymaker "The Celestial Toyroom" Bill Sellars Brian Hayles and Donald Tosh (uncredited) 2 April 1966 Y 8.0 48
"The Hall of Dolls" 9 April 1966 8.0 49
"The Dancing Floor" 16 April 1966 9.4 44
"The Final Test" 23 April 1966 7.8 43
The Doctor becomes invisible in the domain of the Toymaker, leaving Dodo and Steven incredulous. They step outside into a strange realm where the Doctor reappears, saying he recognizes the place they are in.
25 8 The Gunfighters "A Holiday for the Doctor" Rex Tucker Donald Cotton 30 April 1966 Z 6.5 45
"Don't Shoot the Pianist" 7 May 1966 6.6 39
"Johnny Ringo" 14 May 1966 6.2 36
"The O.K. Corral" 21 May 1966 5.7 30
The Doctor gets his tooth pulled by Doc Holliday in Tombstone while Dodo and Steven literally sing for their lives. The travellers are caught up in the events leading up to the famous "Gunfight at the OK Corral".
26 9 The Savages "Episode 1" Christopher Barry Ian Stuart Black 28 May 1966 AA 4.8 48
"Episode 2" 4 June 1966 5.6 49
"Episode 3" 11 June 1966 5.0 48
"Episode 4" 18 June 1966 4.5 48
The TARDIS materialises on a distant planet in the far future. The TARDIS crew find the planet inhabited by both the Elders and bands of roaming savages.
27 10 The War Machines "Episode 1" Michael Ferguson Ian Stuart Black 25 June 1966 BB 5.4 49
"Episode 2" 2 July 1966 4.7 45
"Episode 3" 9 July 1966 5.3 44
"Episode 4" 16 July 1966 5.5 39
The Doctor meets an advanced revolutionary computer named WOTAN who believes humans are inferior to machines.

^† : Episode is missing

Missing episodes

See also: Doctor Who missing episodes
  • Galaxy 4 – Episodes 1, 2 & 4 (of 4 total) (Animated recreations exist)
  • "Mission to the Unknown" – Single episode (Live-action recreation available)
  • The Myth Makers – All 4 episodes
  • The Daleks' Master Plan – Episodes 1, 3, 4, 6 – 9, 11 & 12 (of 12 total)
  • The Massacre – All 4 episodes
  • The Celestial Toymaker – Episodes 1, 2 & 3 (of 4 total)
  • The Savages – All 4 episodes

Home media

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

VHS releases

Season Story no. Serial name Number and duration
of episodes 		UK release date Australia release date USA/Canada release date
3 23 The Ark 4 × 25 mins. October 1998 February 1999 March 1999
25 The Gunfighters 4 × 25 mins. November 2002 (3 x VHS released only in UK as part of a boxset "The First Doctor Collection") December 2002 (3 x VHS released only in AU as part of a boxset "The First Doctor Collection") October 2003
27 The War Machines 4 × 25 mins. June 1997 January 1998 March 1998

DVD and Blu-ray releases

All releases are for DVD unless otherwise indicated:

  • (D,B) indicates a simultaneous DVD and Blu-ray release
Season Story no. Serial name Number and duration
of episodes 		R2 release date R4 release date R1 release date
3 18 Galaxy 4 4 × 25 min. 15 November 2021 (D,B) 12 January 2022 (D,B) 5 April 2022
21, 24 Lost in Time, Volume 1
The Daleks' Master Plan
The Celestial Toymaker 		4 × 25 min. 1 November 2004 2 December 2004 2 November 2004
23 The Ark 4 × 25 min. 14 February 2011 3 March 2011 8 March 2011
24 The Celestial Toymaker 4 × 25 min. TBA (D,B) TBA 26 March 2024 (B)
25 The Gunfighters 4 × 25 min. 20 June 2011 4 August 2011 12 July 2011
27 The War Machines 4 × 25 min. 25 August 2008 7 November 2008 6 January 2009
  1. All four episodes animated (colour and black and white versions), remastered Episode 3 and "tele-snap" reconstructions
  2. Episodes 2, 5, and 10 of 12
  3. Episode 4 of 4
  4. Re-released in slimmer packaging in late 2016
  5. Re-released in slimmer packaging in July 2010
  6. All four episodes animated (colour and black-and-white versions), remastered Episode 4 and 'tele-snap' reconstructions
  7. Only available as part of the Earth Story box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.

In print

See also: List of Doctor Who novelisations
Season Story no. Library no. Novelisation title Author Hardcover
release date 		Paperback
release date 		Audiobook
release date
3 018 104 Galaxy Four William Emms 14 November 1985 10 April 1986 6 July 2017
019, 021 141 The Daleks' Master Plan Part I: Mission to the Unknown John Peel — 21 September 1989 6 May 2010
020 97 The Myth Makers Donald Cotton 11 April 1985 12 September 1985 7 April 2008
021 142 The Daleks' Master Plan Part II: The Mutation of Time John Peel — 19 October 1989 3 June 2010
022 122 The Massacre John Lucarotti 18 June 1987 19 November 1987 11 June 2015
023 114 The Ark Paul Erickson 16 October 1986 19 March 1987 1 March 2018
024 111 The Celestial Toymaker Gerry Davis 19 June 1986 20 November 1986 —
Alison Bingeman
025 101 The Gunfighters Donald Cotton 11 July 1985 9 January 1986 7 February 2013
026 109 The Savages Ian Stuart Black 20 March 1986 11 September 1986 4 February 2021
027 136 The War Machines — 16 February 1989 7 March 2019
  1. Number in Target's Doctor Who Library, if applicable
  2. Published by Target's parent companies (Allen Wingate, W. H. Allen, BBC Books) unless otherwise indicated
  3. Published by Target Books (or by BBC Books under the Target Collection umbrella) unless otherwise indicated
  4. Unabridged from BBC Audio/AudioGo unless otherwise indicated

See also