This Week In DOCTOR WHO History: Sept 22nd To Sept 28th - Warped Factor - Words in the Key of Geek.

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This Week In DOCTOR WHO History: Sept 22nd To Sept 28th

No wonder Jamie's looking confused, there appears to be three novelty condoms at the door, this week in Doctor Who history...


Click on any red text to read our full retrospectives/reviews for that episode. All dates and viewing figures are for UK premier broadcasts unless otherwise stated.

September 22nd
Let's get things underway this week with a double birthday celebration, as two of Doctor Who's most popular companions were born on this day. That is to say, the actor/actress who played them were. Frazer Hines, who played Jamie McCrimmon, will be 75 and Billie Piper, Rose Tyler, will be 37. Happy birthday to them both.

Now, you may want to sit down for this one! Back in 1979 a staggering 14.4 million people tuned in to the fourth part of the Fourth Doctor adventure Destiny of the Daleks! Yet a few of years back when we ran a poll to find for your favourite Dalek story and 3000+ of you cast your votes, not a single one of them was for the adventure! Madness!!

Also on this day, in 2012, The Power of Three will set them free. Oh no hang on, that was Charmed! This was the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory and some little boxes.... and 7.67 million of Britain's finest.


September 23rd
Don't you just hate it when the Jehovah Witnesses come knocking? "Get your foot out the door, I don't want a copy of The Watchtower!". Either that or it's episode 4 of The Tomb of the Cybermen which was broadcast on this day in 1967, and watched by 7.4 million viewers. Two regenerations later and we have part 4 of The Ribos Operation broadcast in 1978 to 7.9 million viewers.


September 24th
Back in 1966 episode 3 of the pure historical adventure The Smugglers was watched by 4.2 million viewers. Then in 1977, the Fourth Doctor continued to put up mighty impressive numbers, with 9.9 million viewers tuning in to part 4 of Horror of Fang Rock.

It's wireless time now and the fifth part of the Third Doctor radio adventure The Paradise Of Death was broadcast from 6:31pm on BBC Radio 5 Live on this day in 1993.

After a special New Years Day 2007 pilot episode, The Sarah Jane Adventures got underway later that year with part one of Revenge of the Slitheen. Because everybody loved the Slitheen, right? Well 1.4 million of you did, as that's how many tuned in to BBC One at 5pm for the first part of the adventure. Part two followed over on CBBC at 5:30pm and, interestingly, saw an increase in viewers to 1.55 million.

And finally for this day in Doctor Who history, on September 24th 2011 it was Closing Time for the Eleventh Doctor and Craig Owens. 6.93 million viewers got the hell out of Colchester! 


September 25th
If that picture above doesn't scream 1960s Doctor Who then I don't know what does! Yes, on this day 51 years ago part 3 of Galaxy 4 (titled Air Lock) was watched by a staggering 11.3 million viewers! And, yes, they are the three novelty condoms we were referring to up the top of the page. I mean, they do look a bit like that, right? So I'm told.

Then in 1976 we have part four of The Masque of Mandragora which was broadcast to equally impressive numbers that Saturday evening at 6:12pm, as 10.6 million viewers tuned in to the classic Fourth Doctor adventure.


September 26th
September 26th is a big day for Doctor Who. Specifically Friday September 26th 2003, as that was the day the BBC announced Doctor Who would be returning to the screens with a brand new series written and produced by Russell T Davies.
Although little has so far been revealed about how the new Doctor Who series will look - or who will be given the starring role - Davies has clear ideas of the way he wants it to feel.

"The new series will be fun, exciting, contemporary and scary," he said.

"Although I'm only in the early stages of development, I'm aiming to write a full-blooded drama which embraces the Doctor Who heritage, at the same time as introducing the character to a modern audience."
That introduction would of course come on March 26th 2005, when Rose debuted with 10.5 million people watching.

10 years, 5 months and 9 series later, on September 26th 2015, The Witch's Familiar would air for the first time to significantly less viewers. The overnight figures showed just 3.71 million viewers were watching in the UK, making it the lowest overnight figure of any episode since the show returned in 2005. The final consolidated ratings would add 2 million on to that number, putting it in the bottom three lowest watched episodes since the show's revival.

Oh, in case you're interested the lowest watched episode to date of new-Who (nobody calls it that anymore, right?) is Sleep No More. 'Nuff said!


September 27th
Bumper, bumper, bumper day. Starting with part one of Planet of Evil which got underway on Saturday September 27th 1975 at 5:45pm. It saw the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane head to Zeta Minor, accompanied by a mighty impressive 10.4 million viewers. Not quite as many were watching part one of Meglos, as just five years later the Fourth had lost over half the audience, with 5 million Brits tuning in.

Still better than the fourth part of The Trial Of A Time Lord. On this day in 1986 we were reaching the conclusion of The Mysterious Planet, and 3.7 million viewers were scratching their head at who this Valeyard guy really could be!

Heading North of the border for the Scottish Doctors section. First up it's back to 1989 and part four of Battlefield, which saw the Seventh Doctor and 4 million viewers wave goodbye to the Brigadier. And wrapping up this bumper Who-filled day it's the Twelfth Doctor taking on a part time job at Coal Hill School as The Caretaker. 6.82 million Danny Pink loving viewers (a-hem) tuned in to catch the marvelous Skovox Blitzer (a-hem). 


September 28th
Look! Jamie's back. It must be The Mind Robber episode 3, which was broadcast in 1968 and watched by 7.2 million viewers. Then 19 years and 5 regenerations later we wrap up another week in Doctor Who history with the 4.9 million viewers tuning in for the closing part of Time and the Rani.

Did you watch any of these adventures live? Do you have a soft spot for Destiny of the Daleks? How about the Slitheen? (Surely not?) But they do look like novelty condoms, don't they? Let us know in the comments below

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