| The following article is written from an Out of Universe perspective. |
Season 37 aired between 30 September 2000 and 23 December 2000. It starred Michael French as The Doctor in his fifth and final season, along with Laurie Holden as Sammy Thompson in her third season and the first season for Gillian Kearney as new companion Lou Madison.
Overview
A new spin-off
Season 37 would be known as many for being very action-packed, with the usual returning villains and new ones alike along with the regeneration. However, the main one involved the formation of Leftover, which began way back in late 1998 with Terrance Dicks and Barry Letts. David Renwick approved this but felt it was unnecessary for a story to be a prequel to a spin-off but didn't hesitate to include Leftover in the future. However, this was also due to it partially being set-up with Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust from last season which saw the resurrection of Katie Tollinger.
The Master returns
After the creation of The Rogue last season, it was suggested to bring back the Master at some point in the season; eventually being a part of the debut story. The Master is now played by Murray Melvin.
Bye Nine
More notably, this season was Michael French's last as the Doctor; announcing it in late-November 1999 for Doctor Who Magazine and was officially confirmed by the BBC shortly afterwards.
New companion
To keep interest within the show, Renwick decided to include a second companion from the present day named Lou Madison, a student at Liverpool University in the present day, played by Gillian Kearney. The idea of Lou's character was to include some modern-day values in the show that would help strengthen the connection between the TARDIS crew and the audience as well as to keep hold of a younger audience, as the 21st century saw the television landscape change dramatically where Doctor Who was beginning to compete with newer reality television shows.
Stories
Alongside the introduction of Leftover, this season also consisted of the return of the Master, a war set in the future, exploring Lou's family history, the assassination of JFK, the return of Gallifrey and the Doctor's regeneration.
Cast
Regular
Recurring
- To be added.
Guest
Television Stories
Home Media
To be added.