17th September 2024: Corrected Catherine Tate's birthdate (with thanks to Joe Salazar).

23rd August 2024: The page for The War Between The Land And The Sea has been updated with new and clarified information. Doctor Who Magazine has revealed additional cast for Joy To The World.

31st July 2024: A new Lost Stories entry has been added for an untitled First Doctor adventure set in mediaeval England, incorporating details revealed in The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years.

30th July 2024: More news from San Diego Comic-Con gives us the name of the new companion being played by Varada Sethu.

26th July 2024: News from San Diego Comic-Con has meant the launch of a page for the forthcoming spin-off series The War Between The Land And The Sea, plus updates to the cast list for Joy To The World and the biographies for Russell T Davies, Pete McTighe, Dylan Holmes Williams, Jemma Redgrave and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

16th July 2024: A new Lost Stories entry has been added for an untitled adventure which would have reunited the Doctor and Vicki with Ian and Barbara, incorporating details revealed in The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years.

15th July 2024: Small revisions have been made to the entry for “The Hidden Planet” incorporating details revealed in The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years.

11th July 2024: A short biography of Anita Dobson has been added.

9th July 2024: A short biography of Angela Wynter has been added.

7th July 2024: A short biography of Yasmin Finney has been added.

1st July 2024: The seven-day viewing figure and more accurate start time for Empire Of Death have been updated. An addition has been made to the biography of Dylan Holmes Williams, reflecting his apparent involvement in a forthcoming Doctor Who spin-off.

27th June 2024: Small revisions have been made to the entry for The Ark incorporating details revealed in The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years. More substantial revisions have been made to the entry for The Celestial Toymaker, drawing on information contained in the same book, as well as The Endless Lies About The Celestial Toymaker Scripts, a video from the team behind the indispensible Dalek 63·88 website.

26th June 2024: The seven-day viewing figure and more accurate start time for The Legend Of Ruby Sunday have been updated. Small revisions have been made to the entries for “The Dream-Spinner” and “The Nazis”, incorporating details revealed in The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years.

25th June 2024: Small revisions have been made to the entry for “The Hounds Of Time” incorporating details revealed in The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years.

22nd June 2024: Small revisions have been made to the biography of Paul Erickson incorporating details revealed in The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years and elsewhere.

21st June 2024: Basic information for Empire Of Death has been added.

19th June 2024: Small revisions have been made to the entry for an untitled John Lucarotti story proposal incorporating details revealed in The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years.

18th June 2024: The seven-day viewing figure for Rogue has been updated. A new Lost Stories entry has been added for “The Greatest Game Of All”, incorporating details revealed in The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years.

17th June 2024: Small revisions have been made to the entry for The Rescue incorporating details revealed in The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years.

16th June 2024: Small revisions have been made to the entry for The Dalek Invasion Of Earth incorporating details revealed in The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years.

14th June 2024: Basic information for The Legend Of Ruby Sunday has been added. If you haven't watched it, please be advised that it includes major spoilers.

13th June 2024: The seven-day viewing figure and more accurate start time for Dot And Bubble have been updated.

12th June 2024: The broadcast time for Empire Of Death has been confirmed. Small revisions have been made to the entries for The Keys Of Marinus and “Farewell Great Macedon”, and a new Lost Stories entry has been added for “The Whirlpool Of Time”, incorporating details revealed in The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years.

11th June 2024: Small revisions have been made to the entries for The Daleks and “The Fragile Yellow Arc Of Fragrance” incorporating details revealed in The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years.

10th June 2024: Small revisions have been made to the entries for 100,000 BC and “The Living Planet” incorporating details revealed in The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years.

7th June 2024: Basic information for Rogue has been added.

5th June 2024: Courtesy the BBC, a plot summary and cast list have been added for The Legend Of Ruby Sunday, and the broadcast time has been confirmed.

4th June 2024: We are deeply saddened to report the death of one of Doctor Who's original stars: William Russell. The seven-day viewing figure and more accurate start time for 73 Yards have been updated.

31st May 2024: Basic information for Dot And Bubble has been added.

30th May 2024: Courtesy the BBC, a plot summary and cast list have been added for Rogue, and the broadcast time has been confirmed.

29th May 2024: A biography has been added for Michelle Greenidge.

28th May 2024: Basic information for Boom and 73 Yards has been added, plus the seven-day viewing figures and more accurate start times for Space Babies, The Devil's Chord and Boom.

23rd May 2024: I've just had a quick opportunity to update the plot summary, cast list and broadcast time for Dot And Bubble, courtesy the BBC. Regular service will resume on 28th or 29th May.

15th May 2024: Courtesy the BBC, a plot summary and cast list have been added for 73 Yards, and the broadcast time has been confirmed.

13th May 2024: The writer and title of the 2024 Christmas special have been confirmed by TV Choice magazine.

10th May 2024: Basic information for Space Babies and The Devil's Chord has been added.

8th May 2024: Courtesy the BBC, a plot summary and cast list have been added for Boom, and the broadcast time has been confirmed. The biography for Pearl Mackie has been updated to reflect her recent marriage.

3rd May 2024: Courtesy the BBC and the Radio Times, plot summaries and cast lists have been added for Space Babies and The Devil's Chord.

2nd May 2024: The broadcast times have been confirmed for Space Babies and The Devil's Chord.

17th April 2024: I rarely permit advertising on the site, but I'm making an exception for an exceptional (see what I did there?) new publication that will be out shortly from Telos Publishing. The Doctor Who Production Diary: The Hartnell Years is written by David Brunt, and covers the making of the programme between 1963 and 1966 in tremendous detail. Most impressively, its 668 pages boast a wealth of new research, including access to BBC paperwork never before consulted by Doctor Who historians. Of course, some of that information will eventually make its way into a future A Brief History update, once a suitable gap in time has elapsed since publication. In the meantime, please support David's excellent work if you have the means to do so, to help ensure that the series will continue into the Troughton era and beyond!

13th April 2024: A biography has been added for Varada Sethu.

12th April 2024: Ending months of speculation, the BBC have confirmed a new addition to the regular cast for Season Forty-One.

31st March 2024: The titles have been announced for episodes one, three, four, five, six, seven and eight of Season Forty.

28th March 2024: Updated Horror Of Fang Rock and The Invisible Enemy to incorporate new information provided by Paul Scoones' P.S.: The Myth Of Fang Rock. The 28-day viewing figure for The Church On Ruby Road has been posted.

19th March 2024: It's been announced that Steven Moffat is returning to Doctor Who to write for Season Forty.

15th March 2024: It has been announced that the episodes of Season Forty will premiere on BBC iPlayer at midnight on Saturday mornings, and simultaneously around the world on Disney Plus. A linear broadcast will then follow on BBC One later that evening. The first two episodes will air on May 11th, with a new episode then premiering each of the following six weeks.

18th February 2024: The rumoured identity of the fifth director for 2025's Season Forty-One has been noted.

5th February 2024: Twenty-eight-day viewing figures have been added for The Star Beast, Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle. The biography of Michael Jayston has been updated to reflect the sad news of his passing.

2nd February 2024: The episodes being made as part of the second and third recording blocks for 2025's Season Forty-One have been revealed. A biography has been added for Amanda Brotchie, whose involvement as a Season Forty-One director has now been confirmed.

22nd January 2024: And now a rumoured -- but also as-yet-unconfirmed -- fourth director for 2025's Season Forty-One has been noted.

10th January 2024: A rumoured -- but as-yet-unconfirmed -- third director for 2025's Season Forty-One has been noted.

8th January 2024: The seven-day viewing figure and more accurate start time for The Church On Ruby Road have been updated.

6th January 2024: Belatedly added a note about the novelisation of Planet Of The Ood to Keith Temple's biography.

4th January 2024: Happy New Year! The appreciation index figure for The Church On Ruby Road has been added.