Doctor Who

Season 1 1963 - 1964
TV-PG

  • 1963-11-23T17:15:00Z on BBC Television
  • 42m
  • 17h 6m (42 episodes)
  • United Kingdom
  • English
  • Drama, Adventure, Science Fiction, Action, Fantasy
The season introduces William Hartnell as the First 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 is also introduced 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. Throughout the season, the Doctor and his companions travel throughout history and into the future. Historical stories were intended to educate viewers about significant events in history, such as the Aztec civilisation and the French Revolution; futuristic episodes took a more subtle approach to educating viewers, such as the theme of pacifism with the Daleks.

42 episodes

Series Premiere

1963-11-23T17:15:00Z

1x01 An Unearthly Child

Series Premiere

1x01 An Unearthly Child

  • 1963-11-23T17:15:00Z23m

After discussing a strange pupil, Susan Foreman, teachers Ian and Barbara follow her to a junkyard. They meet her grandfather, the Doctor, and force their way inside a police box with frightening results.

1963-11-30T17:15:00Z

1x02 The Cave of Skulls

1x02 The Cave of Skulls

  • 1963-11-30T17:15:00Z25m

The enigmatic Doctor, afraid that schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright will reveal his secrets to the people of 20th century Earth, has taken them and his granddaughter Susan back to the dawn of human history. There, the four travellers are dragged into the savage politics of a tribe of cavemen who have lost the secret of making fire…

1963-12-07T17:15:00Z

1x03 The Forest of Fear

1x03 The Forest of Fear

  • 1963-12-07T17:15:00Z24m

Prisoners of the earliest humans, the TARDIS crew are caught in a deadly power play for leadership of the tribe.

1963-12-14T17:15:00Z

1x04 The Firemaker

1x04 The Firemaker

  • 1963-12-14T17:15:00Z24m

The TARDIS crew must make fire for the early humans to stay alive. But once they do, they may not be allowed to leave!

1963-12-21T17:15:00Z

1x05 The Dead Planet

1x05 The Dead Planet

  • 1963-12-21T17:15:00Z24m

Time Unknown, Planet Unknown. The TARDIS lands in an eerie petrified forest overlooking a magnificent steel city. The Doctor wants to explore the city – but what is waiting there?

1963-12-28T17:15:00Z

1x06 The Survivors

1x06 The Survivors

  • 1963-12-28T17:15:00Z24m

The dead planet is not uninhabited after all. The Doctor is about to meet what will become his greatest enemies. And he and his crew are dying of radiation sickness.

1964-01-04T17:15:00Z

1x07 The Escape

1x07 The Escape

  • 1964-01-04T17:15:00Z25m

Imprisoned on Skaro by the scheming Daleks, the Doctor and his companions work to escape their clutches.

1964-01-11T17:15:00Z

1x08 The Ambush

1x08 The Ambush

  • 1964-01-11T17:15:00Z24m

The time travellers work desperately to both escape the Dalek city and prevent a bloody massacre.

1964-01-18T17:15:00Z

1x09 The Expedition

1x09 The Expedition

  • 1964-01-18T17:15:00Z24m

The time travellers have escaped from the Daleks, but left a vital piece of the TARDIS behind. Getting it back will mean pushing the Thals to mount a dangerous operation.

1964-01-25T17:15:00Z

1x10 The Ordeal

1x10 The Ordeal

  • 1964-01-25T17:15:00Z26m

Ian, Barbara and the Thals struggle through the caves to reach the Dalek city. Will they get there in time? Is there even a way through the treacherous caves? And what are the Daleks planning?

1964-02-01T17:15:00Z

1x11 The Rescue

1x11 The Rescue

  • 1964-02-01T17:15:00Z22m

Time is running out as the Doctor and his companions try to defeat the Daleks before they wipe out all life on Skaro.

1964-02-08T17:15:00Z

1x12 The Edge of Destruction

A mysterious explosion has knocked the TARDIS into void. And in their confusion, the crew are turning on one another.

1964-02-15T17:15:00Z

1x13 The Brink of Disaster

The TARDIS is adrift, the crew turning on each other. Only by working together can they find their way out before they are destroyed.

1964-02-22T17:15:00Z

1x14 The Roof of the World

The TARDIS experiences a total power failure and is stranded in the Himalayas in the 13th century. The travellers are forced to join the caravan of the famous explorer, Marco Polo, in order to survive -- but Polo, fascinated by their claims that the TARDIS can fly through the air, seizes it on behalf of Kublai Khan in the hope that presenting the Khan with such a fabulous gift will convince him to let Polo return home to Venice. The travellers are forced to accompany Polo on his long trek across Asia to the Khan's court, but their many attempts to reclaim their property are foiled -- not just by Polo, but by the war lord Tegana, who is apparently on a mission of peace but has entirely different plans for dealing with Kublai Khan...

1964-02-29T17:15:00Z

1x15 The Singing Sands

1x15 The Singing Sands

  • 1964-02-29T17:15:00Z27m

Tegana sabotages the party's water bags, leaving them in dire need of fresh supplies.

1964-03-07T17:15:00Z

1x16 Five Hundred Eyes

1x16 Five Hundred Eyes

  • 1964-03-07T17:15:00Z23m

The Doctor and Susan are able to supply Marco with condensation that has formed inside the TARDIS, saving the group from dying of thirst. When the group are reunited with Tegana, the travellers begin to suspect he is up to something.

1964-03-14T17:15:00Z

1x17 The Wall of Lies

1x17 The Wall of Lies

  • 1964-03-14T17:15:00Z25m

The Doctor's group manage to rescue Barbara from the Mongols but once more Marco remains unaware of Tegana's involvement.

1964-03-21T17:15:00Z

1x18 Rider from Shang Tu

The Doctor and his friends elect to warn Marco of Acomat's attack even though it means losing their chance to gain access to the TARDIS.

1964-03-28T16:15:00Z

1x19 Mighty Kublai Khan

1x19 Mighty Kublai Khan

  • 1964-03-28T16:15:00Z25m

The Doctor, Ian and Barbara are forced to surrender to Tegana and Marco, leaving both of them the opportunity to gain possession of the TARDIS.

1964-04-04T16:15:00Z

1x20 Assassin at Peking

1x20 Assassin at Peking

  • 1964-04-04T16:15:00Z25m

Tegana finally makes his move to assassinate the Khan, giving the Doctor and his friends an opportunity to thwart his plans and regain the TARDIS.

1964-04-11T16:15:00Z

1x21 The Sea of Death

1x21 The Sea of Death

  • 1964-04-11T16:15:00Z23m

The alien world of Marinus. Perfect peace has reigned here for decades due to the mind-controlling influence of a machine known as the Conscience. But now a race known as the Voord have developed an immunity and Arbitan, keeper of the machine, has been forced to scatter the vital control keys around the planet. Now he needs the help of the time travellers to get them back - it will be an extraordinary journey, with perils every step of the way...

1964-04-18T16:15:00Z

1x22 The Velvet Web

1x22 The Velvet Web

  • 1964-04-18T16:15:00Z25m

The Doctor and his friends arrive in the apparently idyllic city of Morphoton but Barbara soon begins to realise there is more to their hosts than meets the eye.

1964-04-25T16:15:00Z

1x23 The Screaming Jungle

The search for the second key takes the travellers to a jungle where Ian and Barbara come under threat from rapidly growing plants.

1964-05-02T16:15:00Z

1x24 The Snows of Terror

Searching for the third key, Ian and Barbara meet with the sinister trapper Vasor before following Susan and the others into a cave system guarded by the mysterious Ice Soldiers.

1964-05-09T16:15:00Z

1x25 Sentence of Death

1x25 Sentence of Death

  • 1964-05-09T16:15:00Z25m

The group are reunited with the Doctor in the city of Millennius where Ian faces trial for murder after the fourth key is stolen.

1964-05-16T16:15:00Z

1x26 The Keys of Marinus

The Doctor and his friends must locate the real murderers and the fourth key before heading off for a final confrontation with the Voord

1964-05-23T16:15:00Z

1x27 The Temple of Evil

1x27 The Temple of Evil

  • 1964-05-23T16:15:00Z24m

The TARDIS arrives on Earth landing in 16th century Aztec society. Barbara goes off exploring - despite the Doctor's orders not to wander off - and is taken away by the high priest Autloc who believes she is the reincarnation of the goddess Yetaxa. They believe it is a sign that the rains - which are late - will now come. The high priest of sacrifice Tlotoxl recruits Ian to lead their army but he finds he has a rival in Ixta. Ian is less than comfortable with his role when he learns that they are to deliver the human sacrifice to the high priest at the rain ceremony. The Doctor emphasizes that they must not interfere with Aztec rituals, something that does not sit well with Barbara.

1964-05-30T16:15:00Z

1x28 The Warriors of Death

Barbara tries to change the course of history - and Ian fights for his life.

1964-06-06T16:15:00Z

1x29 The Bride of Sacrifice

While the Doctor tries to find a way back to the TARDIS, Tlotoxl continues to plot Barbara's downfall and sees an opening when Susan questions Aztec custom.

1964-06-13T16:15:00Z

1x30 The Day of Darkness

Tlotoxl's machinations result in both Susan and Ian being arrested. With the TARDIS once again trapped inside the tomb, the travellers' only hope for escape lies with Autloc and Cameca.

1964-06-20T16:15:00Z

1x31 Strangers in Space

1x31 Strangers in Space

  • 1964-06-20T16:15:00Z25m

The 28th century. The TARDIS materialises on a spaceship orbiting a planet known as the Sense-Sphere, whose natives, the Sensorites, have trapped the ship's human crew in a state of paralysis.

1964-06-27T16:15:00Z

1x32 The Unwilling Warriors

The Doctor and his companions are on board an Earth ship trapped in orbit around the Sense-Sphere when it is boarded by the Sensorites, who steal the lock mechanism from the TARDIS.

1964-07-11T16:15:00Z

1x33 Hidden Danger

1x33 Hidden Danger

  • 1964-07-11T16:15:00Z25m

The Doctor and his companions are escorted to the Sense-Sphere where they attempt to negotiate with the Sensorites for the release of the TARDIS.

1964-07-18T16:15:00Z

1x34 A Race Against Death

1x34 A Race Against Death

  • 1964-07-18T16:15:00Z25m

With Ian having fallen victim to the Sensorites' plague, the Doctor is desperate to find a cure. But the City Administrator is still determined to rid his world of aliens.

1964-07-25T16:15:00Z

1x35 Kidnap

1x35 Kidnap

  • 1964-07-25T16:15:00Z26m

The City Administrator is determined to destroy the Doctor and his friends and his paranoia prevents the Doctor's cure from being distributed.

1964-08-01T16:15:00Z

1x36 A Desperate Venture

1x36 A Desperate Venture

  • 1964-08-01T16:15:00Z24m

While the City Administrator's schemes reach their climax, the Doctor and Ian venture into the tunnels under the city to discover the real cause of the Sensorite plague.

1964-08-08T16:15:00Z

1x37 A Land of Fear

1x37 A Land of Fear

  • 1964-08-08T16:15:00Z24m

The TARDIS lands during the French Revolution, where Ian, Barbara, and Susan become caught up in the politics of the day. When they are arrested and set to be executed, the Doctor must take on the disguise of a public official to try and save their lives.

Susan, Ian and Barbara are sentenced to be guillotined but an encounter with a dying English prisoner may offer Ian a chance of survival.

1964-08-22T16:15:00Z

1x39 A Change of Identity

Susan and Barbara are rescued by Jules and Jean, two members of the escape chain, while the Doctor gains access to the prison by posing as a revolution official.

1964-08-29T16:15:00Z

1x40 The Tyrant of France

The Doctor is forced into a meeting with Robespierre while Barbara's attempts to find a physician for Susan result in them being betrayed.

1964-09-05T16:15:00Z

1x41 A Bargain of Necessity

Ian finds himself held prisoner by the treacherous Leon while the Doctor attempts to engineer Susan and Barbara's escape.

Season Finale

1964-09-12T16:15:00Z

1x42 Prisoners of Conciergerie

Season Finale

1x42 Prisoners of Conciergerie

  • 1964-09-12T16:15:00Z25m

Ian finally delivers his message to James Stirling but in order to secure Susan's release he and Barbara are forced into a dangerous spying mission.

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