Doctor Who: Season 13
It was during this season that the Doctor cut ties to UNIT (after Terror of the Zygons, the Brigadier would not appear again until Mawdryn Undead in 1983, and The Seeds of Doom marked the last occasion to date that the Doctor was explicitly said to be working for UNIT - as opposed to working with them as occasions warranted). Several of the serials in this season, particularly Pyramids of Mars and The Brain of Morbiu
Season 13 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Doctor Who Season 12.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Season overview
It was during this season that the Doctor cut ties to UNIT (after Terror of the Zygons, the Brigadier would not appear again until Mawdryn Undead in 1983, and The Seeds of Doom marked the last occasion to date that the Doctor was explicitly said to be working for UNIT - as opposed to working with them as occasions warranted). Several of the serials in this season, particularly Pyramids of Mars and The Brain of Morbius, are among the best-known of the 1970s-era storylines. Though it was aired as a part of Season 13, Terror of the Zygons was actually filmed as part of the previous season; this holdover allowed the series to switch back to an autumn season start.
Episode Guide
Season 13 Progress Shield
Terror of the Zygons (1)
Aug 30, 1975 · 25 min
Scotland, the near future. Something is smashing oil rigs off the Scottish coast, and UNIT have been called in to investigate. The Brigadier summons the Doctor to Earth to help in
Terror of the Zygons (2)
Sep 6, 1975 · 25 min
The Zygon traps the Doctor and Sarah Jane in a decompression chamber while Harry is taken to the aliens' underwater ship.
Terror of the Zygons (3)
Sep 13, 1975 · 25 min
The Doctor and the Brigadier begin to realise who the Zygon imposters among them are while Sarah Jane discovers a secret tunnel to the underwater ship.
Terror of the Zygons (4)
Sep 20, 1975 · 25 min
UNIT attempt to track down the Zygon ship while Broton prepares to have the Skarasen attack London.
Planet of Evil (1)
Sep 27, 1975 · 25 min
The Doctor and Sarah answer a distress call and find themselves on Zeta Minor, the last planet of the known universe, where a Morestran expedition has gone missing.
Planet of Evil (2)
Oct 4, 1975 · 25 min
The Doctor realises that Zeta Minor lies on the boundary between the universes of matter and anti-matter and something on the planet won't let the Morestrans leave.
Planet of Evil (3)
Oct 11, 1975 · 25 min
The Doctor makes a deal with the Anti-Matter Beast to return all the anti-matter to the planet but Sorenson is determined to continue his research.
Planet of Evil (4)
Oct 18, 1975 · 25 min
The Doctor tries to convince Sorenson to sacrifice himself for the rest of the crew but Salamar's attempt to deal with the situation causes their problems to multiply.
Pyramids of Mars (1)
Oct 25, 1975 · 25 min
The Doctor and Sarah are drawn off course and, instead of UNIT HQ, they arrive on the same site in 1911.
Pyramids of Mars (2)
Nov 1, 1975 · 25 min
The Doctor, Sarah and Laurence try to find a way to sever Sutekh's link to the mummies while poacher Ernie Clements finds the priory surrounded by a forcefield.
Pyramids of Mars (3)
Nov 8, 1975 · 25 min
The Doctor and Sarah try to destroy Sutekh's rocket but the Osiran's mental powers prove too great for them.
Pyramids of Mars (4)
Nov 15, 1975 · 25 min
Sutekh forces the Doctor to transport Scarman and a mummy to Mars, where the Doctor and Sarah try to stop them destroying the Eye of Horus.
The Android Invasion (1)
Nov 22, 1975 · 25 min
The Doctor and Sarah return to Earth in the present day to find a strangely deserted village and woods stalked by white-clad figures.
The Android Invasion (2)
Nov 29, 1975 · 25 min
The Doctor suspects Crayford brought something to Earth in his rocket, as he and Sarah find themselves hunted by UNIT.
The Android Invasion (3)
Dec 6, 1975 · 25 min
The Doctor is captured by Styggron and left to die in the destruction of the fake village but Sarah escapes from the disorientation chamber to try and rescue him.
The Android Invasion (4)
Dec 13, 1975 · 25 min
The Doctor and Sarah reach Earth and try to warn the research centre about the Kraal invasion before Styggron unleashes his virus.
The Brain of Morbius (1)
Jan 3, 1976 · 25 min
The storm-lashed planet Karn. Near a graveyard of crashed starships, the demented surgeon Solon hides in his castle, the last acolyte of the Time Lord despot Morbius. He only needs
The Brain of Morbius (2)
Jan 10, 1976 · 25 min
The Doctor is captured by the Sisterhood, and Sarah Jane is blinded freeing him. The Doctor has no choice but to go back for a cure, unaware that he is leaving Sarah Jane in the ha
The Brain of Morbius (3)
Jan 17, 1976 · 25 min
While the Doctor goes to confront the Sisterhood to seek a cure for Sarah Jane's blindness, Solon realizes that he must transfer Morbius' brain into a new body before it is too lat
The Brain of Morbius (4)
Jan 24, 1976 · 25 min
Morbius lives once more, but as a rampaging beast. The Doctor is forced to ally with Dr. Solon to bring him to heel, but the two disagree about what should happen to Morbius.
The Seeds of Doom (1)
Jan 31, 1976 · 25 min
The Antarctic, the near future. A strange seed-pod is unearthed from 20-thousand-year-old ice. The Doctor and Sarah go to investigate, but are too late to prevent the pod infecting
The Seeds of Doom (2)
Feb 7, 1976 · 25 min
Two employees of the millionaire Harrison Chase arrive at the Antarctic base, and they will stop at nothing to get hold of the second seed-pod.
The Seeds of Doom (3)
Feb 14, 1976 · 25 min
The Doctor and Sarah Jane return to England after their Antarctic ordeal and Chase tries to eliminate them, but they escape and track him down at his estate, where he is preparing
The Seeds of Doom (4)
Feb 21, 1976 · 25 min
The Doctor is captured by Chase, who plans to breed the stolen Krynoid pod. He is placed in an automated compost hopper and only Sarah Jane can save him... but will she make it bef
The Seeds of Doom (5)
Feb 28, 1976 · 25 min
The Krynoid grows to a monstrous size and traps the Doctor and the others in a cottage. The creature demands they turn over the Doctor, while Chase seeks to make an alliance with t
The Seeds of Doom (6)
Mar 6, 1976 · 25 min
The Doctor, Sarah Jane, and Scorby are trapped in the manor as a possessed Chase stalks them from within, while the gigantic Krynoid prepares to crush them from without. Worse, the