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Episode guide

Doctor Who: Season 3

Poster for Doctor Who Season 3

45 episodes · premiered Sep 11, 1965

At twelve episodes, The Daleks' Master Plan was the longest story in the show's history until superseded by the fourteen-episode The Trial of a Time Lord in 1986. The season also had the greatest number of different companions (seven) and producers (three). This was the longest season in the history of the franchise to date, at 45 episodes. It also featured the first appearance of actor Nicholas Courtney, although not in his most famous role as the Brigadier. The Daleks' Master Plan also saw the return of Peter Butterworth as the Monk, who became the second Doctor Who enemy to make a return (after the Daleks themselves) to the show. This was also the season of The War Machines, to date the only televised story in which the taboo of never referring to the Doctor directly by the name "Doctor Who" is broken, with the exception of Missy's teasing in World Enough and Time.

Doctor Who: cast and where to watch

  1. Episode 1: Four Hundred Dawns Sep 11, 1965 · 25m After an encounter with a hostile robot called a Chumblie, the Doctor and his companions are rescued by a group of female Drahvins.
  2. Episode 2: Trap of Steel Sep 18, 1965 · 25m With the knowledge that the planet will be destroyed in two days, the Drahvins instruct the Doctor to help them steal the Rills' ship.
  3. Episode 3: Air Lock Sep 25, 1965 · 24m The Doctor and Vicki encounter the Rills and learn the situation is more complex than they thought while Steven finds the Drahvins' hospitality ever more perilous.
  4. Episode 4: The Exploding Planet Oct 2, 1965 · 25m The Doctor and Vicki enlist the aid of the Chumblies to rescue Steven from the Drahvins and then find a way off the planet before its destruction.
  5. Episode 5: Mission to the Unknown Oct 9, 1965 · 25m Whilst The Doctor, Steven and Vicki are traveling to their next destination. On the planet Kembel, Marc Cory, a Space Security Service agent discovers The Daleks are attending a secret…
  6. Episode 6: Temple of Secrets Oct 16, 1965 · 25m The TARDIS lands in the middle of the Trojan War, where the Doctor is mistaken for the god Zeus.
  7. Episode 7: Small Prophet, Quick Return Oct 23, 1965 · 25m While Odysseus forces the Doctor to find a way to win the war, Steven decides to get himself taken prisoner in order to enter Troy and find Vicki and the TARDIS.
  8. Episode 8: Death of a Spy Oct 30, 1965 · 25m With Steven and Vicki being held prisoner by the Trojans, the Doctor's only hope of seeing them again is to suggest the idea of the Trojan Horse.
  9. Episode 9: Horse of Destruction Nov 6, 1965 · 25m The Doctor waits inside the Trojan Horse for a chance to reach his companions but Steven's assumed identity as a Greek soldier and Vicki's growing feelings for Troilus endanger their escape.
  10. Episode 10: The Nightmare Begins Nov 13, 1965 · 25m The Doctor runs afoul of the Daleks and Special Security Agent Bret Vyon on the planet Kembel.
  11. Episode 11: Day of Armageddon Nov 20, 1965 · 24m The Doctor infiltrates the Daleks' conference to try and discover their plans, leaving Steven, Katarina and Bret to find a way off the planet.
  12. Episode 12: Devil's Planet Nov 27, 1965 · 25m The Doctor and his friends escape Kembel in the Spar ship but the Daleks force them down on the planet Desperus, where they are threatened by a group of convicts.
  13. Episode 13: The Traitors Dec 4, 1965 · 25m With Katarina being held hostage, the Doctor, Steven and Bret are in danger of having to given in to Kirksen's demands, while, on Earth, Chen has them listed as traitors.
  14. Episode 14: Counter Plot Dec 11, 1965 · 24m The Doctor, Steven and Sara are accidentally transported to the planet Mira where Chen sends the Daleks after them.
  15. Episode 15: Coronas of the Sun Dec 18, 1965 · 25m The Doctor, Steven and Sara escape Mira in a Dalek pursuit ship but when they find the ship is returning to Kembel, they are forced to come up with a new plan to avoid the Daleks.
  16. Episode 16: The Feast of Steven Dec 25, 1965 · 25m The Doctor, Steven and Sara visit a Liverpool police station on Christmas Day and a Hollywood film set during the 1920s.
  17. Episode 17: Volcano Jan 1, 1966 · 25m The Daleks realise the Doctor has given them a fake Taranium Core while, on the planet Tigus, the Doctor encounters the Meddling Monk.
  18. Episode 18: Golden Death Jan 8, 1966 · 25m The Doctor, Steven and Sara travel to Ancient Egypt, pursued by both the Daleks and the Meddling Monk.
  19. Episode 19: Escape Switch Jan 15, 1966 · 24m Steven, Sara and the Monk are captured by the Daleks in order to force the Doctor to hand over the Taranium Core.
  20. Episode 20: The Abandoned Planet Jan 22, 1966 · 25m The Doctor, Steven and Sara reach Kembel where they find the Daleks have betrayed their allies and imprisoned them.
  21. Episode 21: Destruction of Time Jan 29, 1966 · 25m With the Daleks poised to invade the solar system, the Doctor decides his only option is to activate the Time Destructor prematurely, threatening the entire planet.
  22. Episode 22: War of God Feb 5, 1966 · 25m The TARDIS lands in sixteenth century Paris and Steven becomes involved with a group of Huguenots.
  23. Episode 23: The Sea Beggar Feb 12, 1966 · 25m While trying to find the Doctor, Steven discovers a conspiracy to assassinate a man known as the Sea Beggar.
  24. Episode 24: Priest of Death Feb 19, 1966 · 25m Steven has discovered the identity of the Sea Beggar, but can he warn the Huguenots in time?
  25. Episode 25: Bell of Doom Feb 26, 1966 · 25m Steven rejoins the Doctor and they leave Paris just ahead of the massacre, leaving Anne behind.
  26. Episode 26: The Steel Sky Mar 5, 1966 · 24m The Doctor, Steven and Dodo arrive on a giant spaceship millions of years in the future, transporting the last humans away from the doomed Earth.
  27. Episode 27: The Plague Mar 12, 1966 · 25m With the Ark infected with a cold virus, the Doctor must convince the Guardians to trust him so he can find a cure.
  28. Episode 28: The Return Mar 19, 1966 · 24m The Doctor, Steven and Dodo have travelled 700 years into the future and find that the Ark is now under the control of the Monoids as it approaches Refusis.
  29. Episode 29: The Bomb Mar 26, 1966 · 25m The Monoids abandon the Ark, leaving Steven and the Guardians to die, but a mutiny in their ranks may give the Doctor a chance to bring about peace.
  30. Episode 30: The Celestial Toyroom Apr 2, 1966 · 25m The Doctor, Steven and Dodo arrive in the realms of the Celestial Toymaker, who forces them to play his deadly games.
  31. Episode 31: The Hall of Dolls Apr 9, 1966 · 25m While the Doctor continues to play the Trilogic Game with the Toymaker, Steven and Dodo are involved in a deadly game of musical chairs.
  32. Episode 32: The Dancing Floor Apr 16, 1966 · 25m Steven and Dodo are forced to cross the dancing floor, where the Toymaker's dolls plan to force them to dance for eternity.
  33. Episode 33: The Final Test Apr 23, 1966 · 24m As the Doctor nears the end of his game against the Toymaker, Steven and Dodo take on Cyril in a lethal game of hopscotch to try and recover the TARDIS.
  34. Episode 34: A Holiday for the Doctor Apr 30, 1966 · 24m The TARDIS arrives in Tombstone, Arizona in 1891. Where the Doctor is looking for a dentist when he has a toothache, where The Doctor finds the local dentist is the famous Doc Holliday who…
  35. Episode 35: Don't Shoot the Pianist May 7, 1966 · 24m With the Clantons believing the Doctor to be Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp takes him into protective custody but this leaves Steven and Dodo in danger.
  36. Episode 36: Johnny Ringo May 14, 1966 · 25m Earp comes to Steven's rescue and arrests Phineas Clanton, prompting the Clantons to decide to enlist the help of Johnny Ringo.
  37. Episode 37: The O.K. Corral May 21, 1966 · 24m The Clantons have shot Warren Earp, leading to a showdown between the two families with the Doctor powerless to prevent bloodshed.
  38. Episode 38: The Savages (1) May 28, 1966 · 25m The Doctor, Steven and Dodo arrive in the far future and are welcomed by the advanced civilisation of the Elders but soon begin to suspect they are hiding a secret.
  39. Episode 39: The Savages (2) Jun 4, 1966 · 25m The Doctor, Steven and Dodo investigate why there are Savages in the Elders' city and uncover the true price of the Elders' perfect society.
  40. Episode 40: The Savages (3) Jun 11, 1966 · 25m The Doctor has been subjected to the Elders' extraction process and Steven and Dodo must return to their city to rescue him.
  41. Episode 41: The Savages (4) Jun 18, 1966 · 25m The Doctor urges the Savages to finally bring an end to the Elders' oppression and enlists the help of an unlikely ally.
  42. Episode 42: The War Machines (1) Jun 25, 1966 · 24m The Doctor and Dodo return to London in the present day where the Doctor becomes concerned about WOTAN, a new super-computer installed in the Post Officer Tower.
  43. Episode 43: The War Machines (2) Jul 2, 1966 · 24m Dodo is under the control of WOTAN and attempts to lure the Doctor into a trap, while the rest of WOTAN's slaves begin construction on its robotic War Machines.
  44. Episode 44: The War Machines (3) Jul 9, 1966 · 24m Ben tries to escape from the warehouse but is captured by Polly, who is now also under WOTAN's control, and forced to work on construction the War Machine.
  45. Episode 45: The War Machines (4) Jul 16, 1966 · 23m The first War Machine is defeated but the Doctor only has a matter of hours to destroy WOTAN before the rest of its army is activated.