| The following article is written from an Out of Universe perspective. |
Season 38 aired between 22 September 2001 and 15 December 2001. It starred Richard E. Grant in his first season as The Doctor with Laurie Holden as Sammy Thompson who departed at the end of the first story, and Gillian Kearney as Lou Madison who left at the end of the season.
Overview
Doctor Number Ten
This season was significant for being the first to feature Richard E. Grant as The Doctor, now in his tenth incarnation. In contrast to some of the more recent iterations of the Doctor, his version would be more light-hearted whilst also retaining the coldness as this would play out throughout his era.
Parting friends
There were significant rumours at first that Sammy Thompson may not appear throughout the entire season. The BBC later confirmed that Sammy would depart at the end of the first story for 'realistic reasons', showing how regeneration can be unexpected among the Doctor's companions and the consequences. Gillian Kearney also revealed for Season 38 to be her last as well, but unlike Laurie Holden, she would stay on throughout and leave in the final story.
Additionally behind the scenes, Sue Vertue and Steven Moffat announced that Season 38 would also be their last in charge. On the other hand, executive producer David Renwick remained on and would continue for the next season.
Going digital
After over seven years, the BBC decided to change the camera setup from being recorded entirely on film, to digital. This affected most other BBC shows as the process was cheaper and easier to use.
Stories
The main events included the debut of Leftover to the show as well as the return of the Weeping Angels, The Rani, The Rogue and the Daleks as well as: an alien race feeding on the past, Queen Victoria and an invasion in New York.
Small tweaks
As semi-traditional, a new Doctor meant a new title sequence, and was loosely based on Renwick's intention for Season 38 and perhaps beyond to be much-more Earth-based, which was what the first part of the new titles were based on. Afterwards, the TARDIS sweeps in from the left and flies away where the logo appears (the same as it had been since Season 35, but with a different texture) followed by the names, Grant's face and the episode title and writer. A new theme arrangement was produced by Vangelis which hearkened back more to the earlier Derbyshire and Howell themes in a 'back to basics' approach.
Cast
Regular
Recurring
Guest
To be added.
Television Stories
Main Season
| Serial | # | Title | Writer | Director | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Night of the Angels | Steven Moffat | Hettie MacDonald | 22 September 2001 |
| 2 | 29 September 2001 | ||||
| 3 | 6 October 2001 | ||||
| 2 | 4 | The Dance of the Devil | Terrance Dicks | Julie Edwards | 13 October 2001 |
| 3 | 5 | Metamorphosis | Russell T Davies | 20 October 2001 | |
| 4 | 6 | Invaders from Mars | Mark Gatiss | Euros Lyn | 27 October 2001 |
| 7 | 3 November 2001 | ||||
| 5 | 8 | State of Change | Christopher Bulis | Joe Ahearne | 10 November 2001 |
| 9 | 17 November 2001 | ||||
| 6 | 10 | Rogue Who | Nicholas Meyer | Nicholas Meyer | 24 November 2001 |
| 7 | 11 | The Time of the Daleks | Justin Richards | David Tucker | 1 December 2001 |
| 12 | 8 December 2001 | ||||
| 13 | 15 December 2001 |
Mini-Episode
| Title | Writer | Director | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| WhoEnders | Colin Brake | Sue Dunderdale | 16 November 2001 |
Home Media
To be added