Season 8

Season 8 of Doctor Who ran from 2 January 1971 to 19 June 1971. It starred Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor, Katy Manning as Jo Grant, Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Richard Franklin as
Mike Yates, John Levene as John Benton and Roger Delgado as . The season opened with Terror of the Autons and concluded with The Dæmons.
== Overview ==
It consisted of five serials comprised of twenty-five episodes. , season 8 remains notable for being the season with the most number of regular characters. Not only did it see a new companion in the form of Jo Grant, but it featured a regular enemy — — who was the first Time Lord enemy of the Doctor to appear more than twice, and an expanded regular UNIT cast that now included Sergeant Benton and Mike Yates in most episodes. Adding in returning regulars Jon Pertwee and Nicholas Courtney, the regular cast swelled to six.
== Television stories ==
#	Title 	Writer 	Episodes	Notes
1	Terror of the Autons	Robert Holmes 	4 	First appearances of Jo Grant, Mike Yates and . Beginning of the season-long "Master arc".
2	The Mind of Evil 	Don Houghton 	6 	
3	The Claws of Axos 	Bob BakerDave Martin 	4 	First story to be written by Bob Baker and Dave Martin. First appearance of the second TARDIS interior.
4	Colony in Space 	Malcolm Hulke 	6 	Directorial debut of Michael E. Briant. First time the Third Doctor is able to visit an alien planet following his exile. First appearance of the "emitter head" sonic screwdriver model.
5	The Dæmons 	Guy Leopold, akaRobert SlomanBarry Letts	5 	Conclusion of the season-long "Master arc".
== Cast ==
* Dr. Who - Jon Pertwee
* Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - Nicholas Courtney
* Jo Grant - Katy Manning
* Mike Yates - Richard Franklin
* Sergeant Benton - John Levene
* The Master - Roger Delgado
=== Recurring ===
* Corporal Bell - Fernanda Marlowe
=== Guest ===
* Auton Voice - Hayden Jones
* Rossini - John Baskcomb
* Rex Farrel - Michael Wisher
* McDermott - Harry Towb
* Farrel Senior - Stephen Jack
* Mrs. Farrel - Barbara Leake
* Captain Chin Lee - Pik-Sen Lim
* Dr. Summers - Michael Sheard
* Barnham - Neil McCarthy
* Fu Peng - Kristopher Kum
* Mailer - William Marlowe
* Vosper - Hayden Jones
* Major Cosworth - Patrick Godfrey
* Chinn - Peter Bathurst
* Filer - Paul Grist
* Hardiman - Donald Hewlett
* Winser - David Savile
* Axon Man - Bernard Holley
* Captain Harker - Tim Piggott-Smith
* Ashe - John Ringham
* Mary Ashe - Helen Worth
* Winton - Nicholas Pennell
* Norton - Roy Skelton
* Dent - Morris Perry
* Caldwell - Bernard Kay
* Morgan - Tony Caunter
* Primitive - Pat Gorman
* Miss Hawthorne - Damaris Hayman
* Bert the Landlord - Don McKillop
* Winstanley - Rollo Gamble
* Bok - Stanley Mason
* Sgt. Osgood - Alec Linstead
* Azal - Stephen Thorne
== Stories set before this season ==
The following stories are the known stories set between Season 7 finale Inferno and Season 8 opener Terror of the Autons.
* COMIC: The Kingdom Builders
*AUDIO: Binary
* AUDIO: Taken For Granted
*AUDIO: The Rings of Ikiria
== Stories set during this season ==
Based on Theory:Timeline - Third Doctor
Between Terror of the Autons & The Mind of Evil
* PROSE: Dark Intruders
* PROSE: War in the Abyss
* PROSE: Hunt to the Death
* PROSE: Doorway into Nowhere
* PROSE: The Claw
* PROSE: Saucer of Fate
* PROSE: The Phaser Aliens
* AUDIO: The Sentinels of the New Dawn
* COMIC: Prologue: The Third Doctor
* AUDIO: Damascus
Between The Mind of Evil and The Claws of Axos
*PROSE: Deadly Reunion
In-between all stories of this season and in-between Seasons 8 and 9:
* ﻿PROSE: Who Killed Kennedy (all serials of season 8)
== Adaptations and merchandising ==
=== Home media ===
==== VHS releases ====
* Terror of the Autons (1993) (colour restoration)
* The Mind of Evil (1998) (in B/W)
* The Claws of Axos (1992)
* Colony in Space (2001)
* The Dæmons (1993) (colour restoration)
* The Pertwee Years (1992) (The Dæmons episode 5 - in B/W)
==== DVD & Blu-ray releases ====
All serials of season 8 were released individually on DVD between 2005 and 2013. The complete season was upscaled in 1080i50 high definition and released on Blu-ray as Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 8 in the UK on 8 March 2021.
Picture restoration was undertaken by Peter Crocker, with sound restoration by Mark Ayres. Design and illustration was provided by Lee Binding. The Executive Producer was Russell Minton.
The Dæmons required significant additional colour restoration. This was undertaken by Gavin Rymill, Anthony Lamb and 'Dr Hue' colourisers Rich Tipple and Kieran Highman.
Serial name 	Number and durationof episodes	R2 release date	R4 release date	R1 release date
Terror of the AutonsOnly available as part of the Mannequin Mania box set in Regions 2 and 4. Only available individually in Region 1.	4 × 25 min. 	9 May 2011 	2 June 2011 	10 May 2011
The Mind of Evil 	6 × 25 min. 	3 June 2013 	5 June 2014 	11 June 2013
The Claws of Axos 	4 × 25 min. 	25 April 2005 	2 June 2005 	8 November 2005
The Claws of Axos - Special Edition 	4 × 25 min. 	22 October 2012	7 November 2012	13 November 2012
Colony in Space 	6 × 25 min. 	3 October 2011 	1 December 2011	8 November 2011
The Dæmons 	5 × 25 min. 	19 March 2012 	19 April 2012 	10 April 2012
The Collection - Season 8 	25 x 25 min. 	8 March 2021 	TBA 	1 June 2021
==== Download/streaming availability ====
Serial name 	Amazon Video	BritBox	iTunes
Terror of the Autons(4 episodes)	UK 	✓ 	✓
The Mind of Evil(6 episodes) 	 	✓ 	
The Claws of Axos(4 episodes) 	UK 	✓ 	Except France, Germany
Colony in Space(6 episodes) 	 	✓ 	
The Dæmons(5 episodes) 	 	✓ 	
BritBox is available only in the US. iTunes stores carry Doctor Who serials in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK and US, unless stated otherwise.
=== Novels ===
* Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons
* The Mind of Evil
* Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos
* Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon
* Doctor Who and the Dæmons
== External links ==
BBC website guide to Season 8
Season 08
Season 08
Category:Infobox double checked
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