Doctor Who (season 18)

Doctor Who season 18
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	28
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC One
Original run	30 August 1980 (1980-08-30) – 21 March 1981 (1981-03-21)
Home video release
DVD release
Region 1	7 June 2005 - 11 January 2011 [1]
Region 2	5 July 2004 - 10 Janury 2011
Region 4	7 October 2004 - 20 January 2011
Series chronology
← Previous Season 17 Next → Season 19
List of Doctor Who serials

The 18th season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 30 March 1980 with the episode The Leisure Hive, and ended with Tom Baker's swan song Logopolis.

Casting

Main Characters

Season 18 saw the swan song of Tom Baker as The Fourth Doctor, ending his time after seven years on the program. New companions Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka), Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) and Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) made their introduction in Logopolis, The Keeper of Traken and Full Circle, respectively. Romana played by Lalla Ward departs from the series in Warriors' Gate.

Guest stars

The Master returns this time played by Geoffrey Beevers in The Keeper of Traken. After the events of Traken the Master is played by Anthony Ainley who would continue to play the Master for the rest of the classic series run.

Jacqueline Hill who plays the First Doctor's companion returns in Meglos, although this time playing Lexa. She is the only companion to return to play a different role.

Episodes

John Nathan-Turner replaced Graham Williams as producer. Barry Letts returned, as executive producer, for just this season. Christopher H. Bidmead replaced Douglas Adams as script editor. In a return to the format of early seasons, virtually all serials from Seasons 18 through 20 are linked together, often running directly into each other.

Story No.	Serial	Title	Directed by	Written by	UK viewers (million)	Original air date	Production code
109	1	"The Leisure Hive"	Lovett Bickford	David Fisher	5.1[2]	30 August - 20 September 1980	5N
Finding out-of-season Brighton beach somewhat lacking, the Doctor and Romana travel to the leisure planet Argolis - but there strange experiments are taking place.
110	2	"Meglos"	Terence Dudley	John Flanagan & Andrew McCulloch	4.7[3]	27 September - 18 October 1980	5Q
On Tigella, two opposing faction are irrevocably divided over one fundamental issue: the Dodecahedron, a mysterious object which provides the entire planet's energy.
111	3	"Full Circle"	Peter Grimwade	Andrew Smith	5.2[4]	25 October - 15 November 1980	5R
En route to Gallifrey to return Romana to the High Council of Time Lords, the TARDIS passes through a strange phenomenon and ends up in an alternative universe called E-Space.
112	4	"State of Decay"	Peter Moffatt	Terrance Dicks	5.2[5]	22 November - 13 December 1980	5P
After the events of Full Circle, the Doctor's adventures in E-Space arriving on a planet. The villagers live under the thrall of three lords who dwell in a shadowy Tower.
113	5	"Warriors' Gate"	Paul Joyce & Graeme Harper	Stephen Gallagher	7.5[6]	3-24 January 1981	6S
Time Winds strike the TARDIS, damaging it and K-9. Strangest of all, it allows Biroc, to enter, phased in time, sending the TARDIS into a milk-white void.
114	6	"The Keeper of Traken"	John Black	Johnny Byrne	6.25[7]	31 January - 21 February 1981	6T
The Doctor and Adric arrive back in N-Space in an empire of peace and harmony. They are surprised to find a holographic image of the elderly Keeper of Traken appear in the TARDIS.
135	7	"Logopolis"	Peter Grimwade	Christopher H. Bidmead	6.7[8]	28 February - 21 March 1981.	6V
The Doctor goes to Earth to take fresh measurements of a police box. A figure in white observes.

Broadcast

DVD Release

All serials of season 18 were released individually in between 2004 and 2011.

References

1. ^ "List of Doctor Who DVD releases - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia". En.wikipedia.org. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who_DVD_releases#Fifth_Doctor_releases. Retrieved 2011-10-09. 
2. ^ "Doctor Who Ratings Audience Viewing Figures". Themindrobber.co.uk. http://www.themindrobber.co.uk/ratings.html. Retrieved 2011-10-09. 
3. ^ "Doctor Who Ratings Audience Viewing Figures". Themindrobber.co.uk. http://www.themindrobber.co.uk/ratings.html. Retrieved 2011-10-09. 
4. ^ "Doctor Who Ratings Audience Viewing Figures". Themindrobber.co.uk. http://www.themindrobber.co.uk/ratings.html. Retrieved 2011-10-09. 
5. ^ "Doctor Who Ratings Audience Viewing Figures". Themindrobber.co.uk. http://www.themindrobber.co.uk/ratings.html. Retrieved 2011-10-09. 
6. ^ "Doctor Who Ratings Audience Viewing Figures". Themindrobber.co.uk. http://www.themindrobber.co.uk/ratings.html. Retrieved 2011-10-09. 
7. ^ "Doctor Who Ratings Audience Viewing Figures". Themindrobber.co.uk. http://www.themindrobber.co.uk/ratings.html. Retrieved 2011-10-09. 
8. ^ "Doctor Who Ratings Audience Viewing Figures". Themindrobber.co.uk. http://www.themindrobber.co.uk/ratings.html. Retrieved 2011-10-09.