Doctor Who: Season 4
Season 4 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 3.
- 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.
Episode Guide
Season 4 Progress Shield
The Smugglers (1)
Sep 10, 1966
The Doctor discovers Polly and Ben aboard the TARDIS shortly before the ship arrives in 17th century Cornwall, where the local churchwarden gives the Doctor a cryptic message short
The Smugglers (2)
Sep 17, 1966
Pike is convinced that the Doctor knows the location of Avery's treasure while Polly and Ben try to convince the locals they were not responsible for Longfoot's murder.
The Smugglers (3)
Sep 24, 1966
Polly and Ben are placed in the custody of Blake, who reveals he also has his suspicions about the Squire, while the Doctor and Kewper are forced to team up to escape from Pike's s
The Smugglers (4)
Oct 1, 1966
The Doctor and his friends are at the mercy of Cherub, who is now seeking Avery's treasure for himself, while Pike prepares to attack the village.
The Tenth Planet (1)
Oct 8, 1966
In 1986 a new planet appears in the Solar System which turns out to be a long-lost twin of Earth's named Mondas. Its inhabitants are the Cybermen.
The Tenth Planet (2)
Oct 15, 1966
The Doctor's warnings are ignored and the Cybermen take over the base, hampering the crew's efforts to help Zeus IV.
The Tenth Planet (3)
Oct 22, 1966
With the Doctor out of action, it is up to Polly, Ben and Barclay to stop Cutler using the Z-Bomb and devastating half the world.
The Tenth Planet (4)
Oct 29, 1966
The Cybermen take over the base again, apparently to stop the humans using the Z-Bomb, but then the Doctor realises they intend to use it themselves to destroy Earth.
The Power of the Daleks (1)
Nov 5, 1966
The TARDIS arrives on the Earth colony of Vulcan where the newly-regenerated Doctor assumes the identity of an Earth Examiner.
The Power of the Daleks (2)
Nov 12, 1966
While the Doctor worries about the inert Daleks in the capsules, Lesterson makes plan to reactivate one of them.
The Power of the Daleks (3)
Nov 19, 1966
The Doctor fails to convince the colonists of the danger posed by the Daleks and soon the other two are also reactivated.
The Power of the Daleks (4)
Nov 26, 1966
With Polly being held prisoner by the rebels, the Doctor and Ben decide to investigate them, while Lesterson discovers the Daleks are reproducing.
The Power of the Daleks (5)
Dec 3, 1966
The Doctor and Quinn attempt to escape in order to stop Bragen using the Daleks to take over the colony.
The Power of the Daleks (6)
Dec 10, 1966
With Bragen having taken over, the Daleks trick the rebels into turning them loose and only the Doctor can stop them wiping out the entire colony.
The Highlanders (1)
Dec 17, 1966
The Doctor, Polly and Ben arrive in 1746, in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden, and are captured by a group of Highlanders shortly before they themselves are captured by redc
The Highlanders (2)
Dec 24, 1966
Polly and Kirsty capture Lieutenant Ffinch to try and enlist his help while the Doctor tricks Grey in order to escape.
The Highlanders (3)
Dec 31, 1966
With the Highlanders imprisoned aboard Trask's ship, the Doctor attempts to expose Grey's plan.
The Highlanders (4)
Jan 7, 1967
Ben manages to join up with the Doctor, Polly and Kirsty and together they work to free the Highlanders from Trask's ship before Grey sells them into slavery.
The Underwater Menace (1)
Jan 14, 1967
The TARDIS materialises on a deserted beach where the Doctor and his friends are captured by primitive warriors and taken to the fabled city of Atlantis.
The Underwater Menace (2)
Jan 21, 1967
While Ara tries to save Polly from being turned into a Fish Person and Ben and Jamie try to escape from the mines, the Doctor discovers the full extent of Zaroff's plans.
The Underwater Menace (3)
Jan 28, 1967
The Doctor and Ramo are sentenced to be sacrificed to the goddess Amdo and must escape to put a stop to Zaroff's plan.
The Underwater Menace (4)
Feb 4, 1967
With Zaroff's plan nearing completion, the Doctor and Ben realise the only way to save the world is to destroy Atlantis.
The Moonbase (1)
Feb 11, 1967
The TARDIS arrives on the Moon in the year 2070.When Jamie is injured, the other travellers are forced to seek the help of a moonbase afflicted with a space plague.
The Moonbase (2)
Feb 18, 1967
The Doctor and his friends attempt to convince the Moonbase crew that the Cybermen are responsible for the disappearances and find a cure for the plague.
The Moonbase (3)
Feb 25, 1967
The Cybermen take over the Moonbase and begin using the Gravitron to attack Earth but Polly, Ben and Jamie come up with a way to fight back.
The Moonbase (4)
Mar 4, 1967
With the Cybermen preparing to launch a full attack, the Doctor and his friends must keep the Moonbase and the Gravitron out of their hands until help arrives from Earth.
The Macra Terror (1)
Mar 11, 1967
The TARDIS arrives at a holiday camp company with the crew worried by a prediction of giant crabs and the Doctor becomes interested in the apparent madman Medok's stories of creatu
The Macra Terror (2)
Mar 18, 1967
The Doctor is unable to convince the colonists that the Macra exist and an attempt to brainwash his companions results in Ben betraying his friends.
The Macra Terror (3)
Mar 25, 1967
The Doctor, Polly and Jamie are sentenced to work in the pits and an escape attempt sees Ben's loyalties called into question again.
The Macra Terror (4)
Apr 1, 1967
The Doctor and Polly manage to save Jamie from the Macra and then try to show the Pilot who is really in charge of the colony.
The Faceless Ones (1)
Apr 8, 1967
The TARDIS materialises on the runway of Gatwick Airport, where Polly witnesses a murder only to be kidnapped before she can report it.
The Faceless Ones (2)
Apr 15, 1967
With Polly having apparently forgotten them, the Doctor, Ben and Jamie decide to carry out their own investigation of Chameleon Tours.
The Faceless Ones (3)
Apr 22, 1967
The Doctor, Jamie and Sam manage to convince Crossland to trust them and he persuades the Commandant to let them continue their investigation.
The Faceless Ones (4)
Apr 29, 1967
When Spencer attempts to kill them, the Doctor, Jamie and Sam become convinced Chameleon Tours are hiding something and Sam decides to book a ticket on one of their flights.
The Faceless Ones (5)
May 6, 1967
Jamie finds himself aboard the Chameleons' satellite and meets their Director while the Doctor forces the Chameleon Meadows to tell him the aliens' plans.
The Faceless Ones (6)
May 13, 1967
The Doctor and Pinto are captured by the Chameleons but the Doctor manages to use their dependence on their human originals to create dissent in their ranks.
The Evil of the Daleks (1)
May 20, 1967
Trying to find the stolen TARDIS, the Second Doctor and Jamie are lured into a trap by the Doctor's old enemies the Daleks.
The Evil of the Daleks (2)
May 27, 1967
The Doctor and Jamie investigate Waterfield's antiques shop, where they are knocked unconscious and transported back to the 19th century.
The Evil of the Daleks (3)
Jun 3, 1967
As part of the Daleks' experiment, the Doctor manipulates Jamie into attempting to rescue Victoria.
The Evil of the Daleks (4)
Jun 10, 1967
Jamie and Kemel team up to try and find Victoria, while the Doctor and the Daleks continue to monitor their progress.
The Evil of the Daleks (5)
Jun 17, 1967
With the experiment at an end, the Doctor begins to suspect the key to rescuing Jamie, Victoria and Kemel from the Daleks lies with Terrall.
The Evil of the Daleks (6)
Jun 24, 1967
The Doctor, Jamie and Waterfield follow the Daleks to Skaro, where they discover an unforeseen consequence to their experiment.
The Evil of the Daleks (7)
Jul 1, 1967
The Daleks are poised to spread the Dalek Factor throughout the history of Earth and begin by implanting the Doctor.