| The following article is written from an Out of Universe perspective. |
Season 46 of Doctor Who aired between 5 September 2009 and 7 November 2009. It starred Paterson Joseph as the Twelfth Doctor and Sophie Okonedo as Lizzie Clarke. The season opened with Cannon Fodder and concluded with Mad World. The season was followed by the movie, Doctor Who: Vengeance which was the last outing for Joseph as the Doctor.
Overview
The curse continues...
Despite the recent success of the show after returning to it's usual premise, the new format introduced in Season 45 (two extra episodes plus a Christmas special) proved very exhausting; especially for Paterson Joseph, and thus he announced early on that Season 46 would be his last. The announcement was recalled by fans to be 'the three seasons and movie curse' which had previously occurred with his predecessors Anthony Head and Richard E. Grant.
Behind the scenes
Robert Shearman took over from Paul Cornell as script editor, with Faith Penhale joining as executive producer alongside Ira Steven Behr. This came after the, so-called Julie Gardner Controversy, between her and Marc Platt during production of the spin-off, Panopticon.
The changes
With Shearman in place as script editor, a few further changes were made. He suggested to change the text style in the title sequence to make it more readable following complaints that the BBC's new 30-second credit rules resulted in the end credits scrolling too quickly. The TARDIS interior had a few additions to give it a more homely feel, such as a sofa and a bookshelf. The additions hearkened back to the Ninth Doctor's later TARDIS interior.
Under Shearman's leadership, the writer's room was given a larger role as well as the inclusion of a few new staff writers. They were responsible for crafting the stories and coming up with the basic ideas of individual stories.
Bringing back a companion
After enjoying the use of two companions last season, Shearman along with producer Gary Russell decided to bring back a previous companion as they knew it would create a renewed interest and buzz around the show. At first, Sammy Thompson was set to return, but this didn't come to fruition due to Laurie Holden busy working on The Walking Dead. Two other companions from the 90s planned to return included Janet Wells and most strongly, Bernice Summerfield. Unfortunately, they both realised that a story had already taken place from a point before Bernice met the Eighth Doctor with The Reckoning of Shadows from Season 34. Furthermore, they didn't want to ruin Janet's reputation following her departure from the Ninth Doctor in The Web of Time from the same season where her discovery of the Doctor's ability to regenerate could consequently affect her character.
Mouth on legs... at the airport
Eventually, it was decided to bring back Tegan Jovanka, given that she was one of the more recent companions either alive or not involved with a spin-off. She joined the Doctor and Lizzie for three episodes in the season.
Ten episodes, ten stories
The main aim was for the season to be in an episodic structure in order for it to have a different feel, and especially with most seasons of Chapter 3 so far being serialized, despite Season 44 moving away from it slightly, albeit with a plot arc about the Shalka. The only sort of arc that occurred was only with Tegan in the three episodes she was in.
Cast
Regular
Recurring
- Angela Jensen M.P. - Jacqueline Pearce
- Major General Winifred Bambera - Angela Bruce
- Brian Green M.P. - Nicholas Farrell
- Rick Yates M.P. - Nicholas Briggs
- The Rogue - Timothy Dalton
- The Inquisitor - Lynda Bellingham
- The Rani - Siobhan Redmond
- Leela - Louise Jameson
- Voice of K-9 - John Leeson
- Francis - Christopher Biggins
- Ohila - Claire Higgins
- Orthena - Katarina Olsson
- The Doctor - Anthony Head
- The Rogue - Derek Jacobi
- The Keeper - Don Warrington
- The Rani - Kate O'Mara
- Francs - John Paton
- Quilly - James Otis
- Camik - Harry Welsh
- Famd - Sam Green
- Rela - Warrice Jackery
- Jeldone - Joseph Culp
- Lt. Fassile - Alexander Siddig
- Fen Gearla - Otto Rem
- Duo Famsr - Alexander Balie
- Duo Deathtrick - Alan Dale
- Katie Tollinger - Julia Sawalha
- Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen
- Jo Jones - Katy Manning
- Elizabeth Shaw - Caroline John
- Melanie Bush - Bonnie Langford
- Sebastian Jensen - Paul Darrow
- Jim Hernandez - Tom Hooper
- Bleytal - Richard Hope
- Ishkan - Neve McIntosh
Guest
- Malcolm - Lee Evans
- Captain Magambo - Noma Dumezweni
- Colonel Mace - Rupert Holliday Evans
- News Reporters - Lachele Carl; Jason Mohammad
- Jack the Ripper - Brian Miller
- Reginald Isambard - Nicholas Day
- Phoebe Lloyd - Sophie-Louise Dann
- Barman - Seán Carlsen
- Mr. Rutley - Richard Syms
- Ronald - David Benson
- Nicholas - Alan Turner
- P.C. Coward - James Grout
- Mrs Quillington - Julia McKenzie
- Will Adams - David Tennant
- Kendara - Karen Gillan
- Bobby Simon - Frank Sinatra Jr.
- Mark Jeffries - Colin Stinton
- George Augustus - Clive Merrison
- Mr Peabody - Philip Jackson
- Edward - Olly McCauley
- Wakefield - Tim Bentinck
- Marjorie - Alison Thea-Skot
- Voice of the Electra - Nicholas Briggs
- Air Steward - Catherine Tate
- Sky Silvestry - Lesley Sharp
- Professor Hobbes - David Troughton
- Mary Blasco - Ayesha Antoine
- Valerie Cane - Lindsey Coulson
- Bill Cane - Daniel Ryan
- Andy - Colin Morgan
- Mechanic - Duane Henry
- Policeman - Gary Russell
- Mr. Jefferson - Danny Webb
- Zachary Cross Flane - Shaun Parkes
- Ida Scott - Claire Rushbrook
- Toby Zed - Will Thorp
- Danny Bartock - Ronny Jhutti
- Scooti Manista - Myanna Buring
- Guards - Lianna Stewart
- The Ood - Paul Kasey
- Voice of the Beast - Gabriel Woolf
- Voice of the Ood - Silas Carson
- Maragret - Frances Del La Tour
- Jason Taylor - Derek Griffiths
- McCarthy - Andrian Dunbar
- Sally Taylor - Lorna Want
- PC Sharp - Nick Wilton
- Karimov - Matthew Cottle
- Vitas - Owen Aaronovitch
- Duo Dram - Quinn Lawrence
- Duo Herl - Craig Wasson
- Captain Arkque - Jillian Bach
- Admiral Samuels - Barry Sonya
- Lh. Achti - Wendy Simmons
- Erasmus Darkening - Donald Sumpter
- Professor Rivers - Floella Benjamin
- Toby Silverman - Adam Gillen
- Lord Marchwood - Callum Blue
- Joseph Marchwood - Rhys Gear
- Elizabeth Marchwood - Amelia Clarkson
- Mr Scriven - Tony Boncza
- Roco Colasanto - Joseph Long
- Soothsayer - Chipo Chung
- Mooky Kahari - Marcia Lecky
- Veena Brady - Suzann McLean
- Alice Coltrane - Natalie Walter
- Jival Chowdry - Chasker Patel
- Morganstern - Ben Righton
- Spanish Maid - Loraine Velez
- News Reporters - Lachele Carl, Jason Mohammad
- Housing Officer - Sanchia McCormack
- Woman in Doorway - Terri-Ann Brumby
- Man in Pub - Neil Clench
- Voice of the Shalka - Diana Quick
Television Stories
Main Season
| # | Title | Writer | Director | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cannon Fodder | David Hare | Keith Boak | 5 September 2009 |
| 2 | The Whitechapel Murderer | Mark Wright & Cavan Scott | Tom Shankland | 12 September 2009 |
| 3 | Inquisition | Ronald D. Moore | Gary Russell | 19 September 2009 |
| 4 | The Façade | Jacqueline Rayner & Nicholas Briggs | Euros Lyn | 26 September 2009 |
| 5 | Delayed Indefinitely | Robert Shearman & Joseph Lidster | James Hawes | 3 October 2009 |
| 6 | The Impossible Planet | Matt Jones | James Strong | 10 October 2009 |
| 7 | Brave New Town | Jonathan Clements | Rachel Talalay | 17 October 2009 |
| 8 | The Fight for Survival | David Weddle & Bradley Thompson | Michael Nankin | 24 October 2009 |
| 9 | The Eternity Trap | Phil Ford | Alice Troughton | 31 October 2009 |
| 10 | Mad World | Robert Shearman | Billy Gierhart | 7 November 2009 |
Mini-Episode
| Title | Writer | Director | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time Crash | Steven Moffat | Jonathan Fox Bassett | 20 November 2009 |
Home Media
To be added