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Season guide

Doctor Who: Season 1

42 episodes Premiered Nov 23, 1963 Updated Jul 18, 2026

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

Season overview

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.

Episodes

S1·E1

An Unearthly Child

Nov 23, 1963 · 23 min

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 w

S1·E2

The Cave of Skulls

Nov 30, 1963 · 25 min

The enigmatic Doctor, wary that Ian and Barbara will reveal his secrets to the people of 20th-century Earth, takes them and his granddaughter Susan back to the dawn of human histor

S1·E3

The Forest of Fear

Dec 7, 1963 · 24 min

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

S1·E4

The Firemaker

Dec 14, 1963 · 24 min

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

S1·E5

The Dead Planet

Dec 21, 1963 · 25 min

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's waiting there?

S1·E6

The Survivors

Dec 28, 1963 · 25 min

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.

S1·E7

The Escape

Jan 4, 1964 · 26 min

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

S1·E8

The Ambush

Jan 11, 1964 · 25 min

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

S1·E9

The Expedition

Jan 18, 1964 · 25 min

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.

S1·E10

The Ordeal

Jan 25, 1964 · 27 min

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 Dale

S1·E11

The Rescue

Feb 1, 1964 · 23 min

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

S1·E12

The Edge of Destruction

Feb 8, 1964 · 25 min

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

S1·E13

The Brink of Disaster

Feb 15, 1964 · 23 min

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

S1·E14

The Roof of the World

Feb 22, 1964 · 24 min

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,

S1·E15

The Singing Sands

Feb 29, 1964 · 27 min

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

S1·E16

Five Hundred Eyes

Mar 7, 1964 · 23 min

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, t

S1·E17

The Wall of Lies

Mar 14, 1964 · 25 min

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

S1·E18

Rider from Shang Tu

Mar 21, 1964 · 23 min

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.

S1·E19

Mighty Kublai Khan

Mar 28, 1964 · 25 min

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.

S1·E20

Assassin at Peking

Apr 4, 1964 · 25 min

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.

S1·E21

The Sea of Death

Apr 11, 1964 · 24 min

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

S1·E22

The Velvet Web

Apr 18, 1964 · 26 min

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.

S1·E23

The Screaming Jungle

Apr 25, 1964 · 24 min

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

S1·E24

The Snows of Terror

May 2, 1964 · 25 min

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.

S1·E25

Sentence of Death

May 9, 1964 · 26 min

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

S1·E26

The Keys of Marinus

May 16, 1964 · 26 min

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

S1·E27

The Temple of Evil

May 23, 1964 · 24 min

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

S1·E28

The Warriors of Death

May 30, 1964 · 25 min

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

S1·E29

The Bride of Sacrifice

Jun 6, 1964 · 26 min

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.

S1·E30

The Day of Darkness

Jun 13, 1964 · 26 min

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 Ca

S1·E31

Strangers in Space

Jun 20, 1964 · 25 min

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 o

S1·E32

The Unwilling Warriors

Jun 27, 1964 · 25 min

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

S1·E33

Hidden Danger

Jul 11, 1964 · 25 min

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.

S1·E34

A Race Against Death

Jul 18, 1964 · 25 min

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.

S1·E35

Kidnap

Jul 25, 1964 · 26 min

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

S1·E36

A Desperate Venture

Aug 1, 1964 · 25 min

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.

S1·E37

A Land of Fear

Aug 8, 1964 · 25 min

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

S1·E38

Guests of Madame Guillotine

Aug 15, 1964 · 25 min

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

S1·E39

A Change of Identity

Aug 22, 1964 · 26 min

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.

S1·E40

The Tyrant of France

Aug 29, 1964 · 25 min

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

S1·E41

A Bargain of Necessity

Sep 5, 1964 · 24 min

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

S1·E42

Prisoners of Conciergerie

Sep 12, 1964 · 26 min

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.