Doctor Who season 2

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Doctor Who (season 2)
)

This article is about the 1964–65 season. For the 2006 series, see Doctor Who series 2. For the 2025 series marketed as "season 2", see Doctor Who series 15.

Doctor Who
Season 2
BBC1
Original release31 October 1964 (1964-10-31) –
24 July 1965 (1965-07-24)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 1
Next →
Season 3
List of episodes

The second season of

first season, production was overseen by the BBC's first female producer Verity Lambert. Story editor David Whitaker continued to handle the scripts and stories during early production, handing over to Dennis Spooner as the season began to air; Spooner subsequently left his role by the season's end, and was replaced by Donald Tosh
for its final serial. By the season's end, Lambert was the only remaining production member from the team responsible for creating the series.

The season continued to star William Hartnell as the first incarnation of the Doctor, an alien who travels through time and space in his TARDIS, which appears to be a British police box on the outside. Carole Ann Ford continued her role as the Doctor's granddaughter Susan Foreman, who acts as his companion alongside her schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, portrayed by William Russell and Jacqueline Hill, respectively. Ford departed the series at the conclusion of the season's second serial, The Dalek Invasion of Earth, replaced by Maureen O'Brien as Vicki in the following story, The Rescue. Towards the end of the season, Russell and Hill also depart in the final episode of The Chase, replaced by Peter Purves as Steven Taylor. Hartnell remained as the only original cast member.

The nine serials were written by six writers: Whitaker, Spooner,

BBC Television Centre
.

The first episode was watched by 8.4 million viewers, considered a strong debut to the season. The Dalek Invasion of Earth was watched by an additional four million viewers, and the show reached a series-high of 13.5 million viewers for the first episode of

erased by the BBC between 1967 and 1969, though most were eventually discovered and recovered; of a total of 39 episodes, only two episodes of The Crusade remain missing. The serials received several VHS and DVD releases as well as tie-in novels, and a Blu-ray
set for the season was released in 2022.

Serials

See also: List of Doctor Who episodes (1963–1989)
No.
story		No. in
season		Serial titleEpisode titlesDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		UK viewers
(millions) [1]		AI [1]
91Planet of Giants"Planet of Giants"Mervyn PinfieldLouis Marks31 October 1964 (1964-10-31)J8.457
"Dangerous Journey"Mervyn Pinfield7 November 1964 (1964-11-07)8.458
"Crisis"Douglas Camfield14 November 1964 (1964-11-14)8.959
Arriving on Earth, the First Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan have been shrunk to the height of an inch. A government scientist called Farrow visits a callous industrialist named Forester to tell him that his application for a new insecticide called DN6 has been rejected as it is too deadly; news of this appraisal prompts Forester to fatally shoot Farrow. Forester alters Farrow's report to give support to the DN6 licence application and makes a supportive phone call to the ministry to the same effect. This is overheard by the local telephone operator and her policeman husband Bert. Bert heads off to the house to investigate. Forester's aide discovers the true virulence of DN6 and demands Forester cease his licence application. In the lab, the makeshift bomb explodes in Forester's face as Bert arrives. Back in the TARDIS, the Doctor succeeds in returning the craft and crew to normal size.
102The Dalek Invasion of Earth"World's End"Richard MartinTerry Nation21 November 1964 (1964-11-21)K11.463
"The Daleks"28 November 1964 (1964-11-28)12.459
"Day of Reckoning"5 December 1964 (1964-12-05)11.959
"The End of Tomorrow"12 December 1964 (1964-12-12)11.959
"The Waking Ally"19 December 1964 (1964-12-19)11.458
"Flashpoint"26 December 1964 (1964-12-26)12.463
The Daleks have invaded Earth following a plague and meteorite strike. Resistance fighter David rescues the Doctor with Susan while Barbara gets separated. Ian hides in a mine and becomes trapped in a capsule filled with explosives. The Doctor, Susan, and David arrive at the cliffs overlooking the mine; the Doctor sends David and Susan to interfere with the Daleks' radio signals, while he climbs into the mine. Barbara and resistance fighter Jenny are brought before the Black Dalek and discover that the Daleks are drilling through the Earth's crust to blow out its core. The Daleks imprison Barbara and Jenny and set the explosive-filled capsule in position, but Ian disarms it. The Doctor frees Barbara and Jenny. With the radio signals damaged, Barbara and the Doctor order the Robomen to destroy the Daleks, and the human slaves rebel. The bomb destroys the Dalek fleet. Back in London, the Doctor locks the TARDIS doors to shut Susan out and bids her an emotional farewell.
113The Rescue"The Powerful Enemy"Christopher BarryDavid Whitaker2 January 1965 (1965-01-02)L12.057
"Desperate Measures"9 January 1965 (1965-01-09)13.059
On the planet Dido, the Doctor, Ian, and Barbara encounter Vicki and Bennett, two survivors of a space crash who are awaiting a rescue ship. They live in fear of Koquillion, a bipedal inhabitant who is stalking the area. The Doctor enters Bennett's room, and follows a trap door to a temple where he unmasks Koquillion as Bennett. Bennett reveals he killed a crewmember on board the ship and was arrested, but the ship crashed before the crime could be transmitted to Earth. He has been using the Koquillion alias so that Vicki would back up his story, and had hoped the planet would be destroyed when his version of events was given. Just as Bennett is about to kill the Doctor, two surviving native Didonians arrive and force Bennett to his death over a ledge. With no living family and nothing left for her on Dido, Vicki is welcomed aboard the TARDIS.
124The Romans"The Slave Traders"Christopher BarryDennis Spooner16 January 1965 (1965-01-16)M13.053
"All Roads Lead to Rome"23 January 1965 (1965-01-23)11.551
"Conspiracy"30 January 1965 (1965-01-30)10.050
"Inferno"6 February 1965 (1965-02-06)12.050
While enjoying a holiday at a Roman villa in the year 64 AD, the Doctor and Vicki decide to visit the city of Rome. Meanwhile, Ian and Barbara are kidnapped; Barbara is sold as handmaiden to Nero's wife Poppaea Sabina, while Ian is confined to a galley on the Mediterranean. The Doctor is mistaken for a dead lyre player and decides to assume his identity. Ian is washed ashore and heads to Rome in search of Barbara, only to be captured and taken to be trained as a gladiator. Nero organises a banquet in the Doctor's honour, but when he is angered, he decides to have the Doctor fed to the lions. At the arena, Ian fights his way out, attempting to reunite with Barbara. Nero calls off his soldiers, planning to have Ian killed when he returns to rescue Barbara. The Doctor realises that Nero is planning to destroy the city. The Doctor accidentally sets fire to Nero's plans, which gives him the idea for the Great Fire of Rome; he spares the Doctor's life. Ian and Barbara are reunited as the Doctor and Vicki watch the city burn from a nearby hill.
135The Web Planet"The Web Planet"Richard MartinBill Strutton13 February 1965 (1965-02-13)N13.556
"The Zarbi"20 February 1965 (1965-02-20)12.553
"Escape to Danger"27 February 1965 (1965-02-27)12.553
"Crater of Needles"6 March 1965 (1965-03-06)13.049
"Invasion"13 March 1965 (1965-03-13)12.048
"The Centre"20 March 1965 (1965-03-20)11.542
On the planet
Zarbi
. Barbara is captured by the Zarbi who use her to find the Menoptra. The Zarbi take the Doctor and Ian to the Carsinome where they find Vicki. The Animus forces the Doctor to help track down the Menoptra invasion force. Ian meets a Menoptra called Vrestin, and learns that the Animus has taken control of the planet. The Doctor accidentally reveals the Menoptra spearhead plan to land near the Crater of Needles, giving the Animus the opportunity to ambush them. Ian and Vrestin meet the Optera, descendants of the Menoptra who fled underground, and convince them to help fight the Animus. The Doctor and Vicki are taken by the Zarbi to the Animus. Barbara, Ian, the Menoptra, and the Optera defeat the Animus. The Zarbi return to their docile state.
146The Crusade"The Lion"Douglas CamfieldDavid Whitaker27 March 1965 (1965-03-27)P10.551
"The Knight of Jaffa"†3 April 1965 (1965-04-03)8.550
"The Wheel of Fortune"10 April 1965 (1965-04-10)9.049
"The Warlords"†17 April 1965 (1965-04-17)9.548
The
Saphadin by El Akir, who mistakenly believes them to be King Richard and his sister Lady Joanna
. Des Preaux reveals their true identities, but Saladin is intrigued by Barbara and invites her to entertain him with her stories. De Tornebu and the Doctor are able to convince the King to help save Barbara. Ian delivers a message to Saladin, after which Saladin grants Ian leave to search for Barbara. Ian is attacked by bandits, but eventually escapes. Barbara twice escapes from El Akir's capture, and a man saves her by fatally stabbing him. Barbara and Ian are reunited and head for the TARDIS, where they meet the Doctor and Vicki and escape.
157The Space Museum"The Space Museum"Mervyn PinfieldGlyn Jones24 April 1965 (1965-04-24)Q10.561
"The Dimensions of Time"1 May 1965 (1965-05-01)9.253
"The Search"8 May 1965 (1965-05-08)8.556
"The Final Phase"15 May 1965 (1965-05-15)8.549
In a space museum on the planet Xeros, the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki find themselves encased and on display. A few moments later, the time track slips back and the exhibit with themselves and the TARDIS vanish, but the travellers are still inside the Museum. The head of the Moroks, Lobos, reflects sourly that the Morok Empire has become decadent and declined. The Moroks find the TARDIS and start tracking down the occupants. Vicki has made contact with the Xerons and, hearing of their enslavement, aids them in their plans to stage a revolution. They attack the Morok armoury and Vicki outwits its controlling computer. With their new weapons, the Xerons are able to begin a revolution. Ian has meanwhile freed the Doctor from Lobos, who had begun the process of freezing him and turning him into an exhibit. Ian and the Doctor are quickly recaptured by the Morok guards, and Barbara and Vicki are captured shortly thereafter. Help comes from the Xeron revolutionaries, who kill Lobos and the other Morok captors. The Xerons destroy the Museum.
168The Chase"The Executioners"Richard Martin[i]Terry Nation22 May 1965 (1965-05-22)R10.057
"The Death of Time"29 May 1965 (1965-05-29)9.556
"Flight Through Eternity"5 June 1965 (1965-06-05)9.055
"Journey into Terror"12 June 1965 (1965-06-12)9.554
"The Death of Doctor Who"19 June 1965 (1965-06-19)9.056
"The Planet of Decision"26 June 1965 (1965-06-26)9.557
Using a
time machine, the Daleks pursue the TARDIS through time and space in order to exterminate its crew. They narrowly miss the TARDIS crew on the planet Aridius, atop the Empire State Building in 1966, on the Mary Celeste, and in a futuristic theme park attraction featuring Dracula and Frankenstein's monster. The Daleks create an android replica of the Doctor programmed to kill the TARDIS crew, dispatched on arrival on the jungle world of Mechanus. A fight ensues between Ian and the real Doctor once the robot duplicate appears, claiming to be the original; Barbara realises which is the android, and the real Doctor disables his doppelgänger. Mechonoids imprison the Doctor and his companion with shipwrecked human astronaut Steven Taylor
. Under the cover of the Daleks attack on the city, the Doctor and his companions escape. Ian and Barbara convince the Doctor to use the Dalek time machine to return them to London in their own time.
179The Time Meddler"The Watcher"Douglas CamfieldDennis Spooner3 July 1965 (1965-07-03)S8.957
"The Meddling Monk"10 July 1965 (1965-07-10)8.849
"A Battle of Wits"17 July 1965 (1965-07-17)7.753
"Checkmate"24 July 1965 (1965-07-24)8.354
The Doctor and Vicki find Steven aboard the TARDIS. They arrive in
William of Normandy at the Battle of Hastings
. He boasts that his plan would accelerate mankind's development by centuries. The Doctor denounces the Monk for seeking to alter the course of history and forces him to reveal his TARDIS, where they find Steven and Vicki. The Doctor takes the dimensional control of the Monk's TARDIS, leaving the interior shrunk beyond use and the Monk stranded in 1066.

^† Episode is missing

Production

Development

following season.[11] During the production of The Dalek Invasion of Earth—the end of the first production block—associate producer Mervyn Pinfield departed the programme; he continued to be credited until the end of the season's fourth serial. Pinfield's role was not replaced, as Lambert had settled into her position and no longer required an assistant.[12] By the season's end, Lambert was the only remaining production member from the team responsible for creating the series.[13]

Casting and characters

A 22-year-old woman with dark hair smiling at the camera.
Carole Ann Ford
An 87-year-old man with white hair and glasses looking to the right of the camera.
William Russell
A 23-year-old woman with brown hair smiling to the right of the camera.
Jacqueline Hill
A 71-year-old woman with white hair smiling to the right of the camera.
Maureen O'Brien
A 71-year-old man with white hair and glasses smiling at the camera.
Peter Purves
The second season saw the departures of Ford, Russell, and Hill as Susan, Ian, and Barbara, and the introductions of O'Brien and Purves as Vicki and Steven, respectively.[14][15]

On 12 March 1964, trade paper Television Today announced that

BBC Television Centre, and O'Brien was eventually cast.[22] O'Brien had just come out of drama school when she was cast as Vicki;[23]: 3:33  it was her first television acting job.[22]

On 14 August 1964, Baverstock asked Lambert to renew the contracts of William Hartnell, William Russell, and Jacqueline Hill—for their roles as the Doctor, Ian Chesterton, and Barbara Wright, respectively—for an additional 13 weeks.[9] By 19 August, Lambert noted the responses: Hartnell turned down the offer, wanting 26 weeks and 250 guineas per episode (an increase of 25); Russell would accept upon his fee being raised to meet Hartnell's (a raise of approximately 75 guineas); and Hill would accept at a salary of 200 guineas (an increase of 95).[24] Baverstock recommended that Lambert caution the three actors regarding their requests, but soon withdrew himself from the discussions, asking Lambert to consult with head of series Elwyn Jones instead.[25] Lambert said that she would be willing to accept Hartnell's request if the show was renewed for 26 weeks instead of 13, but noted that Russell and Hill could only be offered a raise of between £10 and £25 (equivalent to £216 and £539 in 2021) per episode each.[26]

The season's penultimate serial, The Chase, marks the final regular appearance of Russell and Hill. Their departure was announced on 1 April 1965; Russell explained that the creativity had gone and he wanted to reenter comedy and theatre performances, and Hill said that "It has been great fun, but you can't go on forever".[27] They made their decisions independently, and gave extended notice to Lambert. Hartnell was greatly upset by their decision, becoming the sole original actor remaining on the series, and both he and Lambert tried to persuade them to stay.[27] Lambert eventually decided that Ian and Barbara would depart simultaneously, in a mildly romantic manner.[27] Peter Purves was cast as new companion Steven Taylor, having impressed Hartnell and O'Brien in a different role earlier in the serial;[28] Martin was hesitant to cast Purves in two roles within the same serial, but Lambert approved.[29]: 55:37  Purves accepted the role within days. Though generally unfamiliar with science fiction, he recalled being impressed by the show's first serial, An Unearthly Child (1963), and had enjoyed working with Hartnell and O'Brien; he had met Hartnell a few weeks prior while shooting The World of Wooster (1965–1967) at Ealing Studios. On 21 May 1965, Purves was contracted for three stories (13 episodes), with an option for a further 20 episodes by 10 September and another 26 by 4 February 1966.[30] His role as a companion on the show was announced on 18 June 1965.[31]

Writing

In April 1964, Whitaker suggested to Lambert that the show's second season should employ fewer writers for better character development. He set out a plan of ten serials between four and six episodes (52 in total), alternating between the three story types originally envisioned for the show: history of the past, technology in the future, and alternatives of the present. He suggested that the four historical stories focus on the

Ancient Romans, while two of the five futuristic serials could include stories already written by Malcolm Hulke and Anthony Coburn. He also recommended that Terry Nation should be made senior writer, at least for the futuristic serials, alongside a senior writer for the historical stories.[32] Some of the writers under consideration for the second season by late October 1964 included Keith Dewhurst, William Emms, Brian Hayles, John Lucarotti, Alex Miller, and Hugh Whitemore;[33] Whitaker contacted John Wyndham to write for the show, but he declined due to his ongoing book work.[34] By January 1965, the story order and writers had been mostly finalised, with only the final serial omitted.[11] Lambert worked with the story editors to keep the show feeling fresh, attempting new avenues such as the overt humour of The Romans and The Chase, the "downright weirdness" of The Web Planet, and the pseudo-historical content of The Time Meddler.[13]

Richard I (right).[35][36]

The concept for the second season's first serial Planet of Giants was initially proposed as the first story of the show's

first season, written by C. E. Webber and entitled The Giants.[37][38] After some rewrites, the serial was rejected by show creator Newman in June 1963 due to its technical complexity and lack of character development.[39] The concept of The Giants was given to writer Robert Gould in mid-1963 to develop as the four-part fourth serial of the first season, but it was dropped by January 1964 due to scripting difficulties.[40] By February 1964, the serial was assigned to writer Louis Marks.[41] The main narrative was inspired by Rachel Carson's 1962 environmental science book Silent Spring, the first major documentation on human impact on the environment.[42] In March 1964, Whitaker formally commissioned Terry Nation to write the second serial following the success of the Daleks from the titular serial of the first season, as well as Nation's quick work on The Keys of Marinus.[43] Nation delivered the storyline for the serial in mid-April 1964 under the name The Return of the Daleks.[16] The serial was retitled The Dalek Invasion of Earth by September.[44]

By late August 1964, Whitaker began looking for stories for Doctor Who's second production block,[45] set to begin with The Rescue; by late September, he began officially commissioning scripts.[46] He rejected at least two proposals: The Hidden Planet by Malcolm Hulke due to necessary rewrites after Susan's departure, and a lack of science-fiction monsters;[46] and The Slide by Victor Pemberton as he felt it was a messy blend of the show's science fiction stories to date and disliked the dialogue.[47] Whitaker departed his position as story editor on 31 October 1964,[33] replaced by Dennis Spooner, who had begun training with Whitaker on 6 August.[46] The day after his contract expired, Whitaker was commissioned to write The Rescue and The Crusade,[48][36] the former as a two-part short vehicle to introduce Vicki as the new companion.[48] The Rescue used the same production team as the following serial, The Romans, and the two were formed to create a single six-episode production block. Spooner was commissioned to write The Romans,[35] envisioned as the first Doctor Who serial with a humorous tone, which Lambert had been interested in attempting;[35] according to William Russell, Lambert recognised Spooner's sense of humour and asked him to incorporate comedy into the script.[23]: 5:44 

After watching Doctor Who, Australian writer

free enterprise and the Zarbi communism.[50] For The Crusade—intended to balance the show's science fiction stories[36]—Whitaker was inspired by the Third Crusade; he found that some of the historical figures—namely King Richard and his sister Joan, whose affectionate relationship he considered "almost incestuous in its intensity"—were effective material for a character drama.[36] Depictions of the sexual relationship between the siblings were cut from the script, partly as Hartnell found it unsuitable for the family show.[51] The timing of some events were rearranged for dramatic purposes.[52]

Around early October 1964, Whitaker asked South African writer Glyn Jones to develop a story for Doctor Who; after Whitaker left the role, Spooner asked Jones to develop a four-part serial, titled The Space Museum.[53] Spooner edited out much of the humour from the original script, which Jones was unhappy with; Spooner felt that the serial was more intellectual.[54] Following the success of the first two Dalek stories, Spooner quickly commissioned Nation to write a third serial. Nation's original story pitch was scrapped and he was instead commissioned to write a six-episode Dalek serial, The Chase.[55] Nation's scripts required little editing from Spooner,[56] though he was too busy to undertake rewrites.[57] In March 1965, Lambert commissioned Spooner to write The Time Meddler to introduce new companion Steven Taylor; as story editors commissioning themselves was discouraged, Lambert justified his involvement to her superiors, citing the insufficient time required to brief an uninvolved writer, as none of the regular writers were available.[58] Spooner wanted the show to move away from "pure" historical stories like The Reign of Terror and The Romans, instead hoping to blend them with the show's more futuristic serials.[59] By April 1965, Spooner had decided to leave his role as story editor;[60] he was replaced by Donald Tosh,[61] who edited little of Spooner's work on The Time Meddler.[62]

Filming

The front of a building with a sign that reads "Riverside Studios".
Riverside Studios, 2009
A large brick building with several glass windows.
Television Centre, 2005
A two-storey white building with a sign that readse "Ealing Studios".
Ealing Studios, 2008
Six of the serials in the second season were recorded at Riverside,[63][64] with the remaining three at the Television Centre.[65][66] Ealing Studios was used to film model inserts in most stories.[67][68]

Early inserts for special effects were filmed for Planet of Giants in late 1964 using 35 mm film.[69] The show's regular cast—Hartnell, Russell, Hill, and Ford—filmed the sequences in which they appeared alongside giant props; the effect was achieved by recording the actors through glass and reflecting the object onto a half-silvered mirror. The footage was later deemed unsatisfactory, and the scenes were re-shot on 13 August.[70] Weekly recording for the serial began on 21 August at the Television Centre, Studio 4.[65] Due to director Mervyn Pinfield's other commitments, the fourth and final episode was directed by Douglas Camfield, who had worked as a production assistant to Waris Hussein during the show's first season. The final episode was recorded on 11 September.[71] On 19 October 1964, Wilson decided to reduce the four-part serial to three episodes, as it was felt to be an unsatisfactory opening to the show's second season; he preferred to open the season with The Dalek Invasion of Earth, but Susan's departure in the serial prevented the change. The two 24-minute episodes were edited together into a single 25-minute episode to form a faster-paced climax featuring the main characters.[72][73] Camfield was credited for the final episode.[74]

The Dalek Invasion of Earth, directed by Richard Martin, was the first major location shoot for Doctor Who, with 35 mm filming in central London at Trafalgar Square, the statue of the Duke of Cambridge in Whitehall, Westminster Bridge, and the Royal Albert Hall in August 1964.[75] The design team added Dalek markings on landmarks such as Nelson's Column, which police requested they remove.[76] Weekly studio recording for the serial began on 18 September in Studio 1 at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith,[77] the show's new regular studio.[78] During camera rehearsals for the third episode on 2 October, Hartnell injured his back when a prop ramp malfunctioned;[79] when Martin apologised for the incident, Hartnell assured that he would be fine, but Lambert insisted that he take several days to rest.[80]: 2:52  Following discussions between Hartnell's solicitors and the BBC's, the BBC denied liability and paid for an X-ray. Hartnell was given a week off to recover, and the fourth episode underwent minor rewrites; Edmund Warwick doubled for Hartnell as The Doctor in the episode.[81] The final episode was recorded on 23 October, marking a year of production since the filming of the show's first serial.[82] Planet of Giants and The Dalek Invasion of Earth were recorded in the show's first production block alongside the first season, and held back to open the second season.[83]

The regular cast took a six-week break before the show's second production block, beginning with The Rescue.[84] Directed by Christopher Barry, it was recorded on 4 and 11 December 1964 at Riverside Studios;[85] there was a happy atmosphere among the cast, including a picnic in Hartnell's dressing room on the first week.[86] Forming a single production block with The Rescue,[35] The Romans was filmed across four weeks, from 18 December 1964 to 15 January 1965, also directed by Barry.[87] Martin returned to direct The Web Planet, recorded from 22 January to 26 February 1965.[88] Martin wanted to use a greased neutral-density filter on shots of Vortis to capture its thin atmosphere, but found that the optical glass was too expensive, opting for a cheaper alternative;[89] two special lenses were fitted, both of which broke at some point during production.[90] Several recording sessions overran, including the second by 16 minutes, the third by 37,[91] and the fourth by 15;[88] among the problems were broken costumes, actors walking through shots, scenery problems causing actors to forget their lines, and delays in sets and studio lighting.[91] The third recording had finished so late that the dressing room lights were switched off by studio management, forcing the crew to exit in darkness.[92]

The Crusade, directed by Camfield, was recorded from 5–26 March 1965.

tetanus shot. Camfield arranged for a cow carcass to be present during recording in order to achieve particular shots through the rotting rib cage; the carcass attracted flies and emitted an odour beneath the studio lights.[93] Pinfield returned to direct The Space Museum, recorded from 2–23 April 1965 at the BBC Television Centre; this was a temporary move from Riverside Studios.[95]

Martin was chosen to direct the six-part serial The Chase; he was reluctant to agree, but Lambert convinced him as he had become known as the "Dalek director", having directed both The Daleks and The Dalek Invasion of Earth.[96] Lambert asked Martin to keep expenses to a minimum, but, recalling the overspend on The Web Planet, allocated a larger budget than normal;[97] as a result, the preceding and following serials were produced with a minimal budget and little pre-filming.[96] The Chase was recorded from 30 April to 4 June 1965.[98] On 6 May, Russell and Hill were released in the afternoon of rehearsals for the second episode to pose for about 20 photographs used to illustrate their return home in the final episode;[3] the shoot was directed by Camfield as part of the pre-filming work for The Time Meddler.[3][99] Recording on The Time Meddler was due to take place at Riverside Studios until late May, when it was decided to switch back to Television Centre.[100] The Time Meddler was recorded from 11 June to 2 July 1965.[101] By this time, incoming producer John Wiles—set to replace Lambert in the coming months—joined the production. Hartnell found the change unsettling and threw fake tantrums to scare the production team to obey him; he later admitted to other cast members that he was only joking.[102]

Release

Promotion

An original Dalek, coloured mostly silver and grey, with blue balls protruding from the skirt.
An original Dalek.
Several Dalek props were used in public appearances for promotion of the season's penultimate serial The Chase, which aired in the buildup to the release of the feature film Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965).[31]

In September 1964, the BBC announced that Doctor Who would return for its second season in October, emphasising that it was one of its core pieces of content alongside coverage of the

trade paper Television Today ran a story about O'Brien's debut as Vicki in The Return; Radio Times and the Daily Mirror published similar stories on 31 December 1964 and 2 January 1965, respectively, with the latter featuring an image from the set of The Romans.[105] Promotion for The Romans included a preview in Radio Times on 14 January, and syndicated stories in local papers on 16 January.[106]

A special trailer for The Web Planet, filmed on 4 February 1965, features the Zarbi arriving at the BBC Television Centre before being shown to their dressing rooms.

Junior Points of View the same day, while a photograph of Hill was published in the Daily Sketch the following day.[109] The Space Museum was promoted in Radio Times on 22 April.[110]

A photocall took place in early April 1965 with the Daleks and Mechonoids to promote The Chase, prompting several newspaper stories on 15 April; Lambert spoke to The Sun in response to the robots.[111] The serial received a one-page preview in Radio Times, confirming the reports of Russell and Hill's departure in the final episode. The later episodes of The Chase aired in the buildup to the release of the feature film Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965), resulting in several pieces of cross promotion; a clip from the film was played on The Roy Castle Show—hosted by Roy Castle, one of the film's stars—about an hour after the broadcast of The Chase's fourth episode. Several Dalek props were used in public appearances for promotion. A photograph of the Doctor with Dracula and Frankenstein's monster was featured on the cover of Television Today on 10 June.[31] The Time Meddler was previewed in Radio Times on 1 July, with a photograph of the new lead cast. The show received extensive publicity during the broadcast of The Time Meddler due to the release of Dr. Who and the Daleks; on 28 July, Lambert was interviewed by Denis Tuohy on Late Night Line-Up, and the Daily Mirror published a story about Hartnell's life and career.[112]

Broadcast

Planet of Giants was transmitted on BBC1 in three weekly parts from 31 October to 14 November 1964, at 5:15 p.m.

The Aztecs.[118]

The Web Planet was broadcast in six weekly parts from 13 February to 20 March 1965; the final episode aired later, at 5:55 p.m.

Bruce Grenville in New Zealand in January 1999, and returned to the BBC;[122][123] it was sourced from the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation.[123] The second and fourth episodes remain missing, existing only through tele-snaps and off-air recordings.[124]

The Space Museum was transmitted in four weekly parts from 24 April to 15 May 1965.

BBC2 from 3 to 24 January 1992.[128]

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
2 9 Planet of Giants 3 × 25 mins. January 2002[132] March 2002[132] May 2003[132]
10 The Dalek Invasion of Earth 6 × 25 mins. May 1990[133] November 1990[134] February 1994[134]

11
12 		The Rescue/The Romans:
The Rescue
The Romans 		6 × 25 mins. September 1994[135] November 1994[136] March 1996[136]
13 The Web Planet 6 × 25 mins. September 1990[137] May 1991[138] August 1994[138]
14
15 		The Crusade
The Space Museum 		6 × 25 mins. July 1999[139] July 1999[140] January 2000[140]
16 The Chase[a] 6 × 25 mins. September 1993[141] September 1993[142] October 1993[142]
17 The Time Meddler 4 × 25 mins. November 2002[b][143] December 2002[b][143] October 2003[144]

DVD and Blu-ray releases

All releases are for DVD unless otherwise indicated:

Season Story no. Serial name Number and duration
of episodes 		R2 release date R4 release date R1 release date
2 9 Planet of Giants 3 × 25 min. 20 August 2012[145] 5 September 2012[146] 11 September 2012[147]
10 The Dalek Invasion of Earth 6 × 25 min. 9 June 2003[148] 13 August 2003[149] 7 October 2003[150]
11–12 The Rescue
The Romans 		6 × 25 min. 23 February 2009[135] 2 April 2009[151] 7 July 2009[152]
13 The Web Planet 6 × 25 min. 3 October 2005[137] 3 November 2005[153] 5 September 2006[154]
14 Lost in Time, Volume 1
The Crusade[c] 		2 × 25 min. 1 November 2004[123][d] 2 December 2004[155][e] 2 November 2004[155]
15–16 The Space Museum
The Chase 		10 × 25 min. 1 March 2010[156] 6 May 2010[157] 6 July 2010[158]
17 The Time Meddler 4 × 25 min. 4 February 2008[159] 2 April 2008[160] 5 August 2008[161]
9–17 Complete Season 2 39 × 25 min. 5 December 2022 (B) [162] 25 January 2023 (B) [162] 28 March 2023 (B) [162]
  1. ^ Released in a box set alongside Remembrance of the Daleks[141]
  2. ^ a b Part of The First Doctor Box Set
  3. ^ Episodes 1 and 3 of 4, with soundtracks of episodes 2 and 4
  4. ^ Re-released in slimmer packaging in late 2016[155]
  5. ^ Re-released in slimmer packaging in July 2010[155]

Books

See also: List of Doctor Who novelisations
Season Story no. Library no.[a] Novelisation title Author Hardcover
release date[b] 		Paperback
release date[c] 		Audiobook
release date[d]
2 009 145 Planet of Giants Terrance Dicks — 18 January 1990[163] 4 May 2017[163]
010 17 Doctor Who and the Dalek Invasion of Earth 24 March 1977[164] 5 November 2009[164]
011 124 The Rescue Ian Marter 20 August 1987[165] 21 January 1988[165] 4 April 2013[165]
012 120 The Romans Donald Cotton 16 April 1987[166] 17 September 1987[166] 5 January 2023[167]
013 73 Doctor Who and the Zarbi Bill Strutton 16 September 1965[e][168] 2 May 1973[168] 7 November 2005[168]
014 — Doctor Who and the Crusaders David Whitaker 24 February 1966[e][169] 1967[f][169] 7 November 2005[169]
12 17 January 1985[169] 2 May 1973[169]
015 117 The Space Museum Glyn Jones 15 January 1987[170] 18 June 1987[170] 4 February 2016[170]
016 140 The Chase John Peel — 20 July 1989[171] 4 August 2011[171]
017 126 The Time Meddler Nigel Robinson 15 October 1987[172] 17 March 1988[172] 6 October 2016[172]
  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. BBC Audio/AudioGo
    unless otherwise indicated
  5. ^ a b Published by Frederick Muller Ltd.
  6. ^ Published by Green Dragon

Reception

Ratings

Viewers per episode (millions)