| Doctor Who | |
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| Season 8 | |
Cover art of the Blu-ray release for the complete season
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| Starring |
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| No. of stories | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 25 |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC1 |
| Original release | 2 January (1971-01-02) – 19 June 1971 (1971-06-19) |
| Season chronology | |
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| List of episodes | |
The eighth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 2 January 1971 with Terror of the Autons and ended with The Dæmons featuring Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor. This is the second of five series which Barry Letts produced consecutively and Terrance Dicks was the script editor.
Jon Pertwee continues his role as the Third Doctor. Katy Manning makes her first appearance as companion Jo GrantinTerror of the Autons.
Nicholas Courtney and John Levene continue their roles of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and Sergeant Benton, while Richard Franklin makes his first appearance as Captain Mike Yates.
Roger Delgado makes his first appearance as The MasterinTerror of the Autons and continues to make appearances in each of the five serials.
Michael Wisher returns as a guest playing Rex Farrell in Terror of the Autons. Fernanda Marlowe makes appearances in The Mind of Evil and The Claws of Axos as Corporal Bell. Bernard Kay makes his fourth and final appearance in the show as Caldwell in Colony in Space.
The season marks the first appearance of the Master who goes on to make further appearances through the season in every serial as the main antagonist who is finally captured at the end of the season. Colony in Space was the first serial set away from Earth since The War Games at the end of Season 6, and came about as a result of producer Barry Letts' feeling that the Earthbound stories of the Doctor's exile were too limiting in terms of potential plotting.
| No. story | No.in season | Serial title | Episode titles | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | UK viewers (millions) [1] | AI [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 55 | 1 | Terror of the Autons | "Episode One" | Barry Letts | Robert Holmes | 2 January 1971 (1971-01-02) | EEE | 7.3 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Two" | 9 January 1971 (1971-01-09) | 8.0 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Three" | 16 January 1971 (1971-01-16) | 8.1 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Four" | 23 January 1971 (1971-01-23) | 8.4 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Master arrives on Earth and makes an alliance with the Autons to conquer the planet.
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| 56 | 2 | The Mind of Evil | "Episode One" | Timothy Combe | Don Houghton | 30 January 1971 (1971-01-30) | FFF | 6.1 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Two" | 6 February 1971 (1971-02-06) | 8.8 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Three" | 13 February 1971 (1971-02-13) | 7.5 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Four" | 20 February 1971 (1971-02-20) | 7.4 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Five" | 27 February 1971 (1971-02-27) | 7.6 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Six" | 6 March 1971 (1971-03-06) | 7.3 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Master creates the Keller Machine, a device that appears to rehabilitate prisoners, but instead kills them.
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| 57 | 3 | The Claws of Axos | "Episode One" | Michael Ferguson | Bob Baker and Dave Martin | 13 March 1971 (1971-03-13) | GGG | 7.3 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Two" | 20 March 1971 (1971-03-20) | 8.0 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Three" | 27 March 1971 (1971-03-27) | 6.4 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Four" | 3 April 1971 (1971-04-03) | 7.8 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Axons land on Earth supposedly peacefully, even offering a new energy source. However, that is not their real purpose.
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| 58 | 4 | Colony in Space | "Episode One" | Michael E. Briant | Malcolm Hulke | 10 April 1971 (1971-04-10) | HHH | 7.6 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Two" | 17 April 1971 (1971-04-17) | 8.5 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Three" | 24 April 1971 (1971-04-24) | 9.5 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Four" | 1 May 1971 (1971-05-01) | 8.1 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Five" | 8 May 1971 (1971-05-08) | 8.8 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Six" | 15 May 1971 (1971-05-15) | 8.7 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On the human colony Uxarieus, the colonists' crops are failing and a giant reptile appears to be killing them.
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| 59 | 5 | The Dæmons | "Episode One" | Christopher Barry | Guy Leopold (Robert Sloman and Barry Letts) | 22 May 1971 (1971-05-22) | JJJ | 9.2 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Two" | 29 May 1971 (1971-05-29) | 8.0 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Three" | 5 June 1971 (1971-06-05) | 8.1 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Four" | 12 June 1971 (1971-06-12) | 8.1 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Episode Five" | 19 June 1971 (1971-06-19) | 8.3 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Master awakens the demonic Azal from his spaceship under a Bronze Age burial mound.
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The entire season was broadcast from 2 January to 19 June 1971.
| Season | Story no. | Serial name | Number and duration of episodes |
UK release date | Australia release date | USA/Canada release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 55 | Terror of the Autons |
4 × 25 min. | April 1993[2][3] | June 1993[3] | June 1995[3] |
| 56 | The Mind of Evil | 6 × 25 min. | May 1998[4][5] (B+W Re-mastered) (2 x VHS) |
March 1999[5] | January 1999[5] (2 x VHS) | |
| 57 | The Claws of Axos | 4 × 25 min. | May 1992[6][7] | October 1992[7] | June 1996[7] | |
| 58 | Colony in Space | 6 × 25 min. | November 2001[8][9] (released only in UK as part of a boxset "Colony in Space / The Time Monster") (2 x VHS) |
December 2001[9] (released only in AU as part of a boxset "Colony in Space / The Time Monster") (2 x VHS) |
January 2003[10] | |
| 59 | The Dæmons | 5 × 25 min. | March 1993[11][12] | July 1993[12] | October 1993[12] |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 55 | Terror of the Autons[a] | 4 × 25 min. | 9 May 2011[13][14][15] | 2 June 2011[16][17][18] | 10 May 2011[19] |
| 56 | The Mind of Evil | 6 × 25 min. | 3 June 2013[20][21][22] | 5 June 2013[23] | 11 June 2013[24] | |
| 57 | The Claws of Axos | 4 × 25 min. | 25 April 2005[25][26][27] | 7 July 2005[28] | 8 November 2005[29] | |
| The Claws of Axos (Special Edition) | 4 × 25 min. | 22 October 2012[26][30][31] | 7 November 2012[32][33][34] | 13 November 2012[35] | ||
| 58 | Colony in Space | 6 × 25 min. | 3 October 2011[36][37] | 1 December 2011[38][39][40] | 8 November 2011[41] | |
| 59 | The Dæmons | 5 × 25 min. | 19 March 2012[42][43][44] | 19 April 2012[45][46] | 10 April 2012[47] | |
| 55–59 | Complete Season 8[b] | 25 × 25 min. 1 × 30 min. 1 × 90 min. |
8 March 2021 (B) [48] | 26 May 2021 (B) [49] | 1 June 2021 (B) [50] |
| Season | Story no. | Library no.[a] | Novelisation title | Author | Hardcover release date[b] |
Paperback release date[c] |
Audiobook release date[d] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 055 | 63 | Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons | Terrance Dicks | 19 February 1981 | 15 May 1975 | 5 August 2010 |
| 056 | 96 | The Mind of Evil | 21 March 1985 | 11 July 1985 | 6 April 2017 | ||
| 057 | 10 | Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos | 21 April 1977 | 4 June 2016 | |||
| 058 | 23 | Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon | Malcolm Hulke | 18 March 1982 | 18 March 1974 | 3 September 2007 | |
| 059 | 15 | Doctor Who and the Dæmons | Barry Letts | 14 January 1982 | 17 October 1974 | 14 August 2008 | |
During the release of the season, several comics were published to tie in to the events of the season. The Kingdom Builders (Set before the events of the season) was published in TV Comic magazine. Gemini Plan, Timebenders (Set after the events of the season) & The Vogan Slaves (Set years into The Doctor's future) were published in Countdown magazine.
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Doctor Who episodes
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| Season 8 |
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