[The 1st Doctor about to regenerate]

Doctor Who Chronology: The 1980s

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1980

The Horns of Nimon: 1,2,3,4: The 4th Doctor, the 2nd Romana and K-9 Mark II save the planet Skonnos from an invasion by the Nimon, who travel via artificial black holes from planet to planet, draining them completely of energy. The Doctor re-routes the path between black holes, sending the Nimon into the depths of empty space.

Shada: 1,2,3,4,5,6: The 4th Doctor, the 2nd Romana and K-9 Mark II visit the Doctor's old friend Prof. Chronotis at Cambridge. They discover that Chronotis is, in reality, retired Gallifreyan criminal Salyavin and is in possession of a powerful Time Lord artifact, the book The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey. An evil scientist named Skagra wishes to use Chronotis and the book to project his mind into every living being in existence, thus becoming the universe. The time-travellers, with the aid of two Cambridge students, foil Skagra's plan.

The Five Doctors: While at Cambridge, Borusa attempts to abduct the 4th Doctor and pull him forward in time to Gallifrey. The attempt is unsuccessful and the Doctor is returned to his proper moment in time.

During the first episode of "Shada."

The Leisure Hive: 1: The 4th Doctor, the 2nd Romana and K-9 Mark II briefly visit Brighton Beach.

September: In the village of Moreton Harwood, just as the local apples are due to be picked, a 13-second hailstorm strikes, destroying the crop.

"K9 and Company."

Meglos: 1,2,3,4: Meglos, the last of the plant-like Zolfa-Thurans, disguises himself as the 4th Doctor, and steals the Dodecahedron, the power supply of nearby world Tigella. The Doctor and the 2nd Romana expose Meglos and prevent him from using the Dodecahedron by turning its power back on itself.

The 4th Doctor returns the human kidnapped by Meglos to Earth.

Just before "Full Circle."

Full Circle: 1,2,3,4: While attempting to answer a summons to Gallifrey, the 4th Doctor, the 2nd Romana and K-9 Mark II enter Exo-Space (E-Space) when the TARDIS is pulled through a Charged Vacuum Emboitment (CVE). They arrive on the planet Alzarius just in time for "Mistfall," a period during which creatures emerge from the marshes and attack the Terradonians, a group whose ancestors were supposedly marooned forty generations ago. However, the Doctor discovers that the Terradonians are really highly evolved Marshmen who only believe they are from Terradon and helps them to finally launch their ship. When the TARDIS leaves, Adric, a local boy, stows away.

Presumably, since the travellers are trying to reach contemporary Gallifrey, this story is also contemporary.

In the village of Moreton Harwood, Lavinia Smith allows Bill Pollock to rent the east wing of her home as part of his market garden.

A year prior to "K9 and Company" (1981).

1981

On the planet Traken, a celebration is held to commemorate the wedding of Kassia and Tremas, two of that world's Consuls.

Just before "The Keeper of Traken."

The Keeper of Traken: 1,2,3,4: The 4th Doctor and Adric are summoned to Traken by the Keeper, a being who controls a Source to keep peace and harmony throughout the Union of Traken. They discover the Master, at the end of his regenerations and in need of a new body, attempting to take possession of the Source. With the help of Consul Tremas and his daughter Nyssa, the Master has access to the Source only for a short time. However, the Master has enough power left to steal Tremas' body as his own.

February 28: Logopolis: 1,2,3,4: The 4th Doctor and Adric visit Earth to measure a police box in an effort to repair the TARDIS' shape-changing abilities. While doing so, Tegan Jovanka, an Australian air hostess, inadvertently stows away. Next visiting Logopolis to initiate the repairs, they are joined by Nyssa of Traken. Here they encounter the Master, who attempts to take over Logopolis. This endangers all reality, as Logopolis has been postponing the Universe's heat death by opening temporary Charged Vacuum Emboitments. Returning to Earth, the Doctor and the Master open a permanent CVE using a radio telescope. The Master intends to blackmail the Universe using this. He is stopped by the Doctor, but at the cost of his own life; he is forced to regenerate.

The exact date for this story is given in "Four to Doomsday."

February 28: Castrovalva: 1,2,3,4: After regenerating into his 5th incarnation, Tegan, Nyssa and Adric help the Doctor back to the TARDIS. After unsuccessfully attempting to destroy the Doctor's TARDIS by sending it back to the creation of the universe, the Master uses Adric to create a fictional city called Castrovalva to imprison the Doctor. With the help of Castrovalva's inhabitants, the Doctor and his friends are able to escape.

This story continues directly from "Logopolis."

February 28: Four to Doomsday: 1,2,3,4: The 5th Doctor, Adric, Nyssa and Tegan arrive on a spaceship four days from Earth, containing the entire population of the planet Urbanka in microchip format, as well as a number of Earthlings in android bodies. Monarch, the Urbankan leader, intends to replace Earth's population with his own and strip the planet of its resources in an attempt to achieve faster-than-light travel. Monarch believes that he is God, and travelling faster than light will allow him to travel back through time to the creation of the Universe and meet himself. The travellers convince the androids the revolt, and sabotage Monarch's plans.

It is possible that this story takes place simultaneously with "Logopolis" and/or "Castrovalva."

Ianto Jones' future girlfriend Lisa Hallett is born.

Lisa is 26 in "Cyberwoman" (TW) (2007).

June: Peter Tracey of Moreton Harwood receives a suspended sentence for housebreaking.

Six months before "K9 and Company."

July 29: Charles, Prince of Wales, marries Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Diana fluffs Charles' full name during their vows.

Historical records and "Father's Day."

British synthesizer duo Soft Cell releases the single "Tainted Love," which becomes a world-wide hit for them.

Historical records. The song's existence is confirmed in "The End of the World."

Frances Way (née Griffiths) and Elsie Hill (née Wright), who as young girls took a number of pictures of real "fairies" in 1917, begin denying the genuineness of those photos.

Historical records and "Small Worlds" (TW).

December: K9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend: While visiting her aunt Lavinia in Moreton Harwood, Sarah Jane Smith acquires K9 Mark III, a gift from the Doctor. With his assistance, as well as help from her aunt's ward, Brendan Richards, Sarah uncovers a coven of witches causing mischief in the area.

December 29: The coven of witches from Moreton Harwood appears in court on attempted murder charges.

"K9 and Company."

1982

Time-Flight: 1,4: The 5th Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan arrive at Heathrow airport shortly after the disappearance of a Concorde. The Doctor believes the aircraft has been displaced in time. Using his UNIT connection, another Concorde is taken for the same flight, with the TARDIS and crew on board; the plane is pulled back through time 140 million years. The next day, the Concorde returns from the past, having escaped the Master, the abductors of both planes. The Master arrives moments later, but the Doctor is able to force the Master's TARDIS to the planet Xeriphas. When the Doctor leaves, Tegan is accidentally left behind.

Tegan attempts to resume her career as an air hostess, but is fired.

Some time after "Time-Flight," as revealed in "Arc of Infinity."

The Master escapes from Xeraphas with a shape-changing robot called Kamelion, left by a previous would-be invader of that world.

Some time after "Time-Flight," as revealed in "The King's Demons."

On Channel Four, the British quiz show "Countdown" makes its debut. A deadly version of the show will be broadcast through the Game Station in the far future.

Historical records and "Bad Wolf."

Joyce Saville becomes a victim of the alien "Mary", her heart torn out of its chest and consumed.

Revealed during Owen's research in "Greeks Bearing Gifts" (TW).

Father's Day: The 9th Doctor and Rose discreetly attend the wedding of Rose's parents, Pete and Jackie.

No date is given in the dialogue of the episode. In "Rise of the Cybermen", taking place in 2007, alternate Pete claims that he and Jackie have been married 20 years, which would put their wedding in 1987. However, given the reference to Prince Charles and Lady Diana's wedding in 1981, it's unlikely that the mainstream Tylers' wedding was that late. It is more probable that they got married at different times in each universe. (The shooting scripts dates this scene in 1982, lending support to this theory.)

1983

Arc of Infinity: 1,2,3,4: Previously believed dead, Omega attempts to return to a positive matter existence by bonding himself to the 5th Doctor's form; if successful, Omega will also take control of the Matrix on Gallifrey and thus rule the Time Lords. The Doctor, with the help of Nyssa and Tegan, who rejoins the two, interrupts Omega's transformation, making it temporary; Omega perishes.

After recovering from his encounter with Omega, Tegan's cousin Colin Frazer is released from an Amsterdam hospital and returns home to Brisbane, Australia.

"A couple of days" after "Arc of Infinity."

Mawdryn Undead: 1,2,3,4: The TARDIS is trapped on a ship in orbit around the Earth, due to a faulty transmat device. The 5th Doctor repairs the fault on Earth, but the TARDIS is pushed back through time six years. The Doctor meets his old friend, now-retired Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, who does not remember the Doctor. The Doctor helps Lethbridge-Stewart recover his memory and they realize that Nyssa and Tegan are in 1977, also with Lethbridge-Stewart. With a student named Turlough, in reality an agent for the Black Guardian, they examine the ship. Here they encounter Mawdryn and his fellow "mutants," caught in perpetual regeneration. For them to die as they wish, the Doctor must sacrifice his remaining regenerations. This becomes unnecessary when Lethbridge-Stewart encounters his 1977 self, brought forward in time by Nyssa and Tegan, releasing enough energy for the mutants to die; this also gives the younger Lethbridge-Stewart partial amnesia. The Lethbridge-Stewarts are returned to their proper times and places and Turlough joins the TARDIS crew.

The Eternals begin preparations for the race for Enlightenment.

Two days before "Enlightenment." Striker's crew have been on board "ship" that long.

Enlightenment: 1,2,3,4: The 5th Doctor, Tegan and Turlough become involved in a race through space held by a group of immortals called Eternals. The race is being held by the Guardians of Time and the prize is Enlightenment, a crystal with mysterious powers. The Doctor wins the race and Turlough is given a segment of Enlightenment. By refusing it, Turlough is freed from his arrangement with the Black Guardian to destroy the Doctor.

Archaeologist Peter Warmsley begins excavating a site on the edge of Lake Vortigern near Carbury.

Ten years prior to "Battlefield" (1993).

Ace, aged thirteen, is friends with an Asian girl named Manisha, whose home is firebombed in a racially motivated attack. Wanting to "get away," Ace runs away and hides in the abandoned Gabriel Chase mansion. She is terrified when she begins to sense the evil pervading the building and burns the building down.

"Ghost Light."

The Five Doctors: Time Lord President Borusa, wishing to discover Rassilon's secret of immortality, abducts the first five Doctors (although the 4th Doctor's abduction is unsuccessful) and a number of past and present companions to Gallifrey and forces them to find their way through the Death Zone to Rassilon's Tomb. The Doctors discover how to gain Rassilon's secret; Borusa takes it, but is turned into a statue, truly immortal. The 5th Doctor is declared President in his place but flees with Tegan and Turlough before taking office.

After being returned to his proper time, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart makes a speech as guest of honour at a UNIT reunion.

Just after "The Five Doctors."

The 2nd Doctor reads about Lethbridge-Stewart's speech in the Times and decides to visit him the day before.

The day after "The Five Doctors."

1984

In Little Hodcombe, the Malus is awakened by Sir George Hutchinson's unbalanced mind. Under the Malus' influence, Sir George organizes a Civil War re-creation in order to stir up enough psychic energy to completely revive the Malus. Tegan Jovanka's grandfather, Andrew Verney, realizes what is happening and is held captive by Sir George and his men.

Over "a few days" before "The Awakening."

The Awakening: 1,2: The 5th Doctor, Tegan and Turlough arrive in the British village of Little Hodcombe, intending to visit Tegan's grandfather, Andrew Verney. Here they encounter the Malus, an alien entity feeding of the psychic energy created by a deadly English Civil War re-enactment. The travellers sabotage the war games, cutting the Malus off from the villagers' emotions; the Malus self-destructs.

After returning Will Chandler to 1643, the 5th Doctor, Tegan and Turlough spend some time visiting with Tegan's grandfather in Little Hodcombe.

Just after "The Awakening."

A group of builders discover a stash of cylinders containing the Movellan virus in a London warehouse. Believing them to be unexploded bombs, they contact the army, who decide to dispatch a bomb disposal squad.

Some time before "Resurrection of the Daleks."

Resurrection of the Daleks: 1,2 ("long" episodes) or 1,2,3,4 ("short" episodes): In a London warehouse, the 5th Doctor, Tegan and Turlough discover a time-corridor created by the Daleks. The Daleks are using the warehouse to store samples of the Movellan virus which is devastating the Daleks far in the future. The Doctor and his companions visit the other end of the time-corridor; upon their return, they are followed by a group of Daleks. The Doctor destroys the Daleks with the Movellan virus, but not before the army unit guarding the warehouse are wiped out. Tegan leave the TARDIS crew, unable to stomach any more violence. Lytton, one of the Daleks' mercenary agents, is stranded on Earth.

While visiting the island of Lanzarote with her step-father Howard, Peri Brown meets "a couple of English guys" and decides to travel with them to Morocco. She cashes in her return air-ticket to the States to fund the trip.

Shortly before "Planet of Fire."

Planet of Fire: 1,2,3,4: After unintentionally picking up American student Perpugilliam ("Peri") Brown on the island of Lanzarote on Earth, the 5th Doctor and Turlough are forced to visit the planet Sarn by a Master-controlled Kamelion. The Master, reduced in size while experimenting with his Tissue Compression Eliminator, uses Kamelion to expose him to the healing fires of Sarn to restore him. The fire, however, turns deadly, apparently destroying the Master. The Doctor destroys Kamelion, at his own request, to prevent any further misuse of his abilities. Sarn is a prison planet for Turlough's homeworld, Trion. While there, he discovers that his family, who fought on the losing side of a civil war, has been pardoned. Turlough elects to return home; Peri talks the Doctor into taking her on his travels.

Peri Brown is due back at school in the United States in the fall of this year.

"Three months" after "Planet of Fire."

Scientists at Princeton University discover strange matter.

"Time and the Rani."

The Torchwood Institute purchases the security firm of H.C. Clements. The Institute will eventually build a laboratory under the firm where they will attempt to produce Huon particles.

23 years before "The Runaway Bride" (2007).

1985

Stranded on Earth, Lytton sends out a distress signal. The signal is intercepted and answered by the Cryons in the 26th century. They ask Lytton to help them in their struggle against the Cybermen, who have taken over the Cryons' world of Telos; Lytton agrees.

Some time before "Attack of the Cybermen."

Attack of the Cybermen: 1,2 ("long" episodes) or 1,2,3 ("short" episodes): Attempting to track down a distress call, the 6th Doctor and Peri visit London, where they encounter former Dalek mercenary Lytton in conflict with a group of Cybermen from the 26th century. The Cybermen plan to divert Halley's Comet and slam it into the Earth in order to prevent Mondas' destruction the following year. The Doctor, Peri and Lytton travel to the future, where they thwart the scheme.

The Two Doctors: 1,2,3 ("long" episodes) or 1,2,3,4,5,6 ("short" episodes): The 2nd Doctor and Jamie are sent to Space Station Camera J7 in the Third Zone by the Time Lords to put an end to some potentially disastrous time-travel experiments. The experiments are a ruse to lure a Time Lord to the station; Chessene, a genetically-enhanced Androgum, allied with the Sontarans, need Time Lord DNA to create a working time-machine. The 6th Doctor and Peri track the group to Spain on Earth. The Sontarans are killed through Chessene's treachery, Chessene dies while trying to use an incomplete time-machine and the 2nd Doctor is rescued.

Toshiko Sato moves from Osaka, Japan, back to the United Kingdom.

"Greeks Bearing Gifts" (TW).

July: The science fiction comedy film Back to the Future is released. The Doctor uses moments from this film to explain to Martha what could happen to her is history is changed.

Historical records and "The Shakespeare Code".

The best-selling novel Lucky by Jackie Collins is published.

Historical records and "Bad Wolf."

Timelash: 1,2 ("long" episodes) or 1,2,3,4 ("short" episodes): The 6th Doctor and Peri visit the planet of Karfel and, with the assistance of a young time-displaced H.G. Wells, depose that planet's dictator, the half-man, half-beast Borad and prevent a war between Karfel and its neighbouring planet, Bandril. The Doctor also destroys the Timelash, a time corridor the Borad used to banish rebellious citizens.

1986

April 26: A series of explosions at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Russia leads to a meltdown, the largest in human history. The effects are severe and long-lasting.

Historical records and "Boom Town."

The Smugglers: 4: The 1st Doctor, Polly and Ben arrive in the Antarctic.

The Tenth Planet: 1,2,3,4: In an Antarctic Space Tracking Station, the 1st Doctor (who is steadily becoming weaker), Ben and Polly encounter the Cybermen. They have returned to the solar system with their rogue planet Mondas, to drain the Earth of its energy. The travellers and the crew of the station manage to keep the Cybermen busy until Mondas absorbs too much energy, destroying itself. When the travellers return to the TARDIS, the Doctor begins to regenerate.

The Power of the Daleks: 1: The Doctor finishes regenerating into his second body before leaving with Polly and Ben in the TARDIS.

Rose Tyler is born.

Rose is 19 when she meets the Doctor in "Rose" (2005). Her age is first given in "The Unquiet Dead."

In an unrecorded adventure, the 6th Doctor acquires Melanie "Mel" Bush as a companion while visiting Pease Pottage.

Placement here is conjectural. We never see Mel's first adventure, her first appearance being in "The Trial of a Time Lord." Presumably, they first met in a contemporary adventure.

The Trial of a Time Lord: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14: The 6th Doctor is pulled out of time to a Time Lord space-station where he is tried for "behaviour unbecoming of a Time Lord," and transgression of the First Law. The prosecutor for the trial, the Valeyard, submits as evidence, viewed through the Matrix, the Doctor's involvement on Ravalox, in reality a displaced Earth, in 2 000 000 and Thoros-Beta in 2379. In his defence, the Doctor shows the court his actions on the Hyperion III in 2986. The trial is interrupted by the Master, who reveals that the Time Lord High Council is responsible for the relocation of Earth in order to hide secrets stolen from the Matrix. The Council has put the Doctor on trial in order to conceal this. The Valeyard is revealed to be an amalgamation of the Doctor's darker attributes. The Master also produces Mel and Sabalom Glitz as witnesses. The Doctor and the Valeyard enter the Matrix and engage in combat; the Valeyard is defeated. The High Council is deposed and the trial's Inquisitor is made the new President.

1987

Februrary 7: Not long before her death, Kathy Nightingale, now Katherine Costello Wainwright writes a letter to her friend Sally Sparrow. She has her grandson promise to deliver it to Sally in 2007 on the day that Kathy disappears into the past.

"Blink".

Stuart Hoskins and Sarah Clarke meet on a street corner outside a club. As Sarah has lost her purse and has no money for a taxi, Stu gives her a ride home. They hit it off and are married within the year.

Slightly conjectural. One gets the feeling from Father's Day, especially from Stu's father's dialogue, that Sarah and Stu have had a whirlwind romance, leading to a quick marriage, exacerbated by Sarah's pregnancy.

Time and the Rani: 1,2,3,4: The Rani forces the Doctor's TARDIS down to the surface of the planet Lakertya; the Doctor regenerates into his 7th persona in the crash. The Rani wishes to use the Doctor's knowledge of time theory to help her turn the planet into a giant time-manipulator. With Mel's help, the Doctor is able to sabotage the Rani's plan and free the Lakertyans under her control.

While experimenting in her bedroom with the extraction of nitro-glycerine from gelignite, Ace vanishes in a timestorm caused by Fenric. Her mother, Audrey, reports her missing to the police.

"Dragonfire." Ace seems to be of contemporary origin and some of her jacket's badges read 1987, hence the placement here. Fenric's involvement is revealed in "The Curse of Fenric," where we also learn Audrey's name. The report of her missing is mentioned in "Survival."

Construction begins on One Canada Square, a 50 storey skyscraper in London's Canary Wharf business complex. The building is actually a project of Torchwood's. The organization has detected a "radar black spot" 600 feet above sea level and designed the skyscraper to surround it.

"Army of Ghosts".

Martha Jones' brother Leo is born.

Leo celebrates his 21st birthday during "Smith and Jones" (2008).

Pete Tyler attempts to teach his wife Jackie to use the clock on their video recorder. It does not go well.

About a week before "Father's Day."

Nov. 7: Father's Day: The 9th Doctor takes Rose, at her request, to witness her father, Pete's, death by a hit-and-run, hoping to be with him, so he will not have died alone. Instead, Rose saves Pete's life, causing a "wound in time" which attracts monstrous creatures bent on consuming humankind to "repair" the wound. After the Doctor's plan to stop the creatures fails, Pete realizes that his death is the only way to fix things, and he allows himself to be run down by the hit-and-run. He does not die alone, however; Rose comforts him as he passes away.

Nov. 13: Carys Fletcher is born.

"Day One" (TW).

1988

July: Sean Harris is born.

He is 19 at the time of "Ghost Machine" (TW) (2007).

Power outages plague Windsor as the Nemesis statue approaches Earth.

Over the "few days" leading up to "Silver Nemesis."

General Uvlavad Kudlak is badly injured during a battle in the Ghost War between the Uvodni and the Malakh empire. The General is forced to leave the front lines.

20 years before "Warriors of Kudlak" (SJA) (2008).

November 22-23: Silver Nemesis: 1,2,3: The "comet" Nemesis, launched in 1638 by the Doctor, returns to Earth. A group of Neo-Nazis, an army of Cybermen, and the Lady Peinforte (from the 17th century) battle for possession of Nemesis, as the validium it is made of would give them enormous power. The 7th Doctor and Ace prevent any of the groups from gaining the Nemesis and the Doctor uses it to destroy the Cyberfleet, as was always his intent.

John Tucker is born. He will become one of Suzie Costello's murder victims in 2007.

John was 19 when killed shortly before "Everything Changes" (TW) (2007).

The Pharos Institute is set up to investigate paranormal phenomena.

"20 years" before "The Lost Boy" (SJA) (2008).

1989

Four young people from Perivale, some friends of Ace, go missing when they are abducted by the Cheetah People.

In the month leading up to "Survival."

Survival: 1,2,3: The 7th Doctor takes Ace to Perivale for a visit, where they discover a number of disappearances have taken place. The Master lures the travellers to the planet of the Cheetah People, where they find the missing people. The Doctor and Ace return to Earth with the survivors, leaving the Master stranded on the self-destructing other world.

The Ritz ballroom in Cardiff closes.

"Captain Jack Harkness" (TW).

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