Serials
To commemorate the twentieth season, the stories in this season involve the return of previous villains. This season was broadcast twice weekly on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings on BBC1. Within the season are the serials; Mawdryn Undead, Terminus and Enlightenment which are part of The Black Guardian Trilogy. These serials oversee the departure of Nyssa and the arrival of Turlough along with a single guest appearance from Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Overall, these serials form a rough twelve-part epic.
| Story No. | Serial | Title | Directed by | Written by | UK viewers (million) |
AI (%) |
Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123 | 1 | Arc of Infinity | Ron Jones | Johnny Byrne | Ep. 1: 7.2 Ep. 2: 7.3 Ep. 3: 6.9 Ep. 4: 7.2 |
Ep. 1: 69 Ep. 2: 70 Ep. 3: 67 Ep. 4: 66 |
3–12 January 1983 | 6E |
| The Doctor is attacked by an anti-matter creature, which attempts to join with him genetically. Its intention is to bond with a Time Lord and cross over into this dimension through the Arc of Infinity — the gateway to all dimensions. The chosen Time Lord is the Doctor. | ||||||||
| 124 | 2 | Snakedance | Fiona Cumming | Christopher Bailey | Ep. 1: 6.7 Ep. 2: 7.7 Ep. 3: 6.6 Ep. 4: 7.4 |
Ep. 1: 65 Ep. 2: 66 Ep. 3: 67 Ep. 4: 67 |
18–26 January 1983 | 6D |
| The arrival of the TARDIS on Manussa, triggers nightmares in Tegan, who dreams of a snake-shaped cave mouth. It is evident to the Fifth Doctor that the Mara is reasserting itself on her mind. | ||||||||
| 125 | 3 | Mawdryn Undead | Peter Moffatt | Peter Grimwade | Ep. 1: 6.5 Ep. 2: 7.5 Ep. 3: 7.4 Ep. 4: 7.7 |
Ep. 1: 67 Ep. 2: 70 Ep. 3: 67 Ep. 4: 68 |
1–9 February 1983 | 6F |
| The Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa, aboard the TARDIS, find themselves caught in the warp ellipse of a starliner that is trapped in time. They find a transmat capsule as the source of interference that is trapping the TARDIS, and are soon joined by Turlough. Turlough is contacted by the Black Guardian, who seeks to kill the Doctor, the Black Guardian offers Turlough passage off Earth if he eradicates the Doctor, to which Turlough agrees. | ||||||||
| 126 | 4 | Terminus | Mary Ridge | Stephen Gallagher | Ep. 1: 6.8 Ep. 2: 7.5 Ep. 3: 6.5 Ep. 4: 7.4 |
Ep. 1: 65 Ep. 2: 67 Ep. 3: 64 Ep. 4: 67 |
15–23 February 1983 | 6G |
| The TARDIS, to save itself, has materialized aboard a spaceship heading for an unknown destination. It becomes apparent that the spaceship is actually a transport carrying sufferers of a leprosy-like disease, to a space station named Terminus. | ||||||||
| 127 | 5 | Enlightenment | Fiona Cumming | Barbara Clegg | Ep. 1: 6.6 Ep. 2: 7.2 Ep. 3: 6.2 Ep. 4: 7.3 |
Ep. 1: 67 Ep. 2: 65 Ep. 3: 68 Ep. 4: 70 |
1–9 March 1983 | 6H |
| The Eternals sail through the universe, racing for the ultimate prize. | ||||||||
| 128 | 6 | The King's Demons | Tony Virgo | Terence Dudley | Ep. 1: 5.8 Ep. 2: 7.2 |
Ep. 1: 65 Ep. 2: 63 |
15–16 March 1983 | 6J |
| The Doctor discovers a shapeshifting robot posing as King John. | ||||||||
| 129 | The Five Doctors | Peter Moffatt | Terrance Dicks | 7.7 | 75 | USA: 23 November 1983 UK: 25 November 1983 |
6K | |
| With the Fourth Doctor trapped in a vortex, First, Second, Third and Fifth Doctors, plus various companions, must play the game of Rassilon to defeat an unlikely foe |
Read more about this topic: Doctor Who (season 20)