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
November 24th
Hello my friends. Here we go again with another seven day round up of the episodes broadcast, the special events and the birthday's celebrated this week in Casualty history. Yes, the longest-running prime time emergency medical drama television series in the world has been keeping viewers glued to the screen for over 1150 episodes of medical shenanigans, including on this day in 1979 when consultant Ewart Plimmer, with the assistance of staff nurse Clive King, operate on an injured Secker, who is addicted to the organic substance Vraxoin.
Hang on. Mixing my longest running genres here! It is of course The Fourth Doctor anventure the Nightmare of Eden which began on this day in 1979. Part one drew an audience of 8.7 million viewers. But as we've had an Eastenders cross-over (more on that later - sorry), surely a Casualty one is overdue? I mean, it's DOCTOR who after all. This thing writes itself! Are you listening Mr Chibnall?
Also on this day episode two of The Sarah Jane Adventures, er, adventure, The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith, was broadcast in 2008 at 4:35pm, and watched by 1.39 million viewers.
November 25th
Part Three of The Ice Warriors is now missing (along with the previous installment), so unless you were one of those 7.4 million people who tuned in for this Second Doctor adventure back in 1967 then you've likely only seen the animated recreation. Then, the Fourth Doctor began a new adventure on this day in 1978, with part one of The Androids of Tara watched by 8.5 million viewers.
But the big one for this day arrived back in 1983, when 7.7 million people tuned in to the 20th Anniversary special The Five Doctors which was broadcast as part of that evening's Children In Need. Fun fact - it had already premiered two days previously in the USA, on Doctor Who's actual anniversary.
The not quite as big one for this day, but certainly winning the award for most recent episode of the week (let's face it, it's the only award it will be winning), goes to The Witchfinders. Broadcast on this day in 2018 to an audience of 7.21 million people.
November 26th
All of Patrick Troughton's 1966 debut adventure The Power of the Daleks is currently missing believed wiped, so only the 7.8 million people watching episode four on this day in 1966 have seen it in all its glory. Though the 2016 animated version is pretty special indeed, and we reviewed episode four here. Also on this day we have part one of The Sun Makers which aired in 1977 to an audience of 8.5 million viewers.
And now a story which is not quite as exciting as the previous time Doctor Who had teamed up with Children In Need for a multi-Doctor adventure - the 1993 30th Anniversary 3D special Dimensions In Time. It would be fair to say that it is quite hard to love, but during the annual charity telethon part one was watched by an enormous audience of 13.8 million viewers - making it one of the top five most watched episodes of Doctor Who ever! Sad fact that.
Fun fact - Although Dimensions In Time is not officially canon, it is referenced in the Doctor Who novel First Frontier. The Seventh Doctor says, "I once had [a nightmare] where all my old foes chased me round a soap opera." Best way to explain it if you ask me!
In spin-off land we have the Torchwood episode Greeks Bearing Gifts, which was broadcast in 2006 and watched by 1.31 million BBC Three viewers. And a decade later, when BBC Three had moved online and was rebadged as ||| or something like that (I mean, it's a TV channel, it's not Prince!) the seventh episode of Class debuted. Titled The Metaphysical Engine, or What Quill Did it proved to be not only the penultimate episode of the first series, but the penultimate of the show as a whole.
Now, prepare yourself form some Noel...
November 27th
We start today with a sad fact. Episode three of The Daleks' Master Plan (entitled Devil's Planet) is missing from the BBC archives, so only the 10.3 million people lucky enough to tune in on this day in 1965 would have been able to fully appreciate it.
Then, another sad fact. A whopping 13.6 million people tuned into watch part two of Dimensions In Time when it aired during Noel's House Party on Saturday Nov 27th 1993, making it one of the top ten episodes ever! (sigh)
Also on this day, episode three of the 40th Anniversary animated web adventure Scream of the Shalka was released onto the BBC's Doctor Who website at noon back in 2003.
And let's say a big hoorah for the lady that started it all, in a sense. Verity Ann Lambert OBE, Doctor Who's very first producer, was born on this day in 1935. Another Who birthday is coming right up...
November 28th
Today is Karen Gillan's birthday. Happy Birthday Pond!
And let's have an actual Who episode too, shall we? How about the second part of The Dalek Invasion of Earth, entitled The Daleks, which was broadcast on this day in 1964 and watched by 12.40 million viewers.
Nice!
Then it's a quick TARDIS journey forward in time to 2015 for a Twelfth Doctor series nine highlight, Heaven Sent, which was watched by 6.19 million UK viewers.
November 29th
Two part two's from two Fourth Doctor stories were both broadcast on this day. Firstly in 1975, it appears Sarah Jane's face lift has gone horribly wrong! How embarrassing, and an audience of 11.3 million tuned in to see it during The Android Invasion. Less than half that were watching in 1980 when 5.3 million saw State of Decay.
The Sixth Doctor was still on trial this day in 1986 when the first part of The Ultimate Foe (part thirteen of The Trial of a Time Lord) was broadcast in 1986 to 4.4 million viewers.
The penultimate episode of classic Doctor Who was broadcast on this day in 1989. That would be part two of Survival, which drew an audience of 4.8 million viewers. None of whom liked Coronation Street!
And finally on this day in 1993 the documentary 30 Years In The TARDIS was broadcast at 8:02pm, and watched by 4.3 million viewers. All still shaking their head over the recent memory of Dimensions In Time (*shudder*).
November 30th
On Saturday November 30th 1963 the very first Doctor Who repeat aired on BBC1. As the opening episode of An Unearthly Child had been overshadowed by the assassination of John F Kennedy, the decision was made to give it a second airing. It would go out immediately preceding part two - The Cave of Skulls. So at 5.05pm the repeat began, and records show that come 5:29pm 5.9 million viewers were watching the new episode, in which the Doctor smokes a pipe! It was a very different time.
Also broadcast on this day in Doctor Who history was episode five of The Invasion, the 1968 Second Doctor adventure was watched by an audience of 6.7 million viewers. Fast forward 19 years and five Doctors to part two of Dragonfire. The whole of season 24 went out on Monday evenings, and up against Coronation Street but still managed to pull in 4 million viewers. The following year, Sylvester McCoy faced the Silver Nemesis, with part two of the story going out to 5.2 million viewers, who had all tuned in on that Wednesday evening at 7:35pm.
Did you watch any of these adventures live? What about that Dimensions In Time, eh? Would you be up for a Casualty crossover? Let us know in the comments below.
Until next Sunday...
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