The Doctor Who Production Diary: 1968 Previous: 1967 Next: 1969 Jump: Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec January early Jan With Peter Bryant having replaced Innes Lloyd as producer, Derrick Sherwin becomes Doctor Who's story editor, and Terrance Dicks is hired as his assistant 2 Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln are commissioned to provide a storyline for The Dominators 3 Recording for The Web Of Fear takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 6 Recording for The Enemy Of The World takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 6 Debut broadcast of The Enemy Of The World episode three on BBC One 8 Recording for The Web Of Fear takes place at the BBC Television Centre Puppet Theatre in White City, London 13 Debut broadcast of The Enemy Of The World episode four on BBC One 13 Recording for The Web Of Fear takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 14 Recording for The Web Of Fear takes place in Covent Garden, London 19 Frazer Hines is contracted for sixteen episodes beginning with The Wheel In Space 20 Debut broadcast of The Enemy Of The World episode five on BBC One 20 Recording for The Web Of Fear takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 27 Debut broadcast of The Enemy Of The World episode six on BBC One 27 Recording for The Web Of Fear takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 30 The Vietnam War intensifies as the Viet Cong forces launch the Tet Offensive 31 Peter Ling is commissioned to write The Mind Robber February early Feb Wendy Padbury is cast as new companion Zoe Heriot 2 Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln are commissioned to write The Dominators 2 Brian Hayles is commissioned to provide a storyline for “The Lords Of The Red Planet” 3 Recording for The Web Of Fear takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 3 Debut broadcast of The Web Of Fear episode one on BBC One 4 Recording for Fury From The Deep takes place in Broadstairs, Kent and at the Red Sands Sea Fort in the Thames Estuary 5 Recording for Fury From The Deep takes place in Broadstairs, Kent and at the Red Sands Sea Fort in the Thames Estuary 6 Recording for Fury From The Deep takes place in Broadstairs, Kent and at the Red Sands Sea Fort in the Thames Estuary 7 Recording for Fury From The Deep takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 8 Recording for Fury From The Deep takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 9 Recording for Fury From The Deep takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 10 Recording for The Web Of Fear takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 10 Debut broadcast of The Web Of Fear episode two on BBC One 12 Recording for Fury From The Deep takes place in Denham, Buckinghamshire 17 Recording for The Web Of Fear takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 17 Debut broadcast of The Web Of Fear episode three on BBC One 23 Paul Wheeler is commissioned to provide a storyline for “The Dreamspinner” 24 Debut broadcast of The Web Of Fear episode four on BBC One 24 Recording for Fury From The Deep takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 27 Wendy Padbury is contracted for The Wheel In Space and The Dominators, with an option for twelve additional episodes March 2 Debut broadcast of The Web Of Fear episode five on BBC One 2 Recording for Fury From The Deep takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 5 Recording for Fury From The Deep takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 6 Recording for Fury From The Deep takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 9 Debut broadcast of The Web Of Fear episode six on BBC One 9 Recording for Fury From The Deep takes place in Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 13 Paul Wheeler is commissioned to write the first episode of “The Dreamspinner” 14 A photocall is held to introduce Wendy Padbury as new companion Zoe Heriot 15 Patrick Troughton is contracted for twenty-four episodes beginning with The Wheel In Space 16 Recording for Fury From The Deep takes place in Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 16 Debut broadcast of Fury From The Deep episode one on BBC One 18 Recording for The Wheel In Space takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 19 Recording for The Wheel In Space takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 20 Recording for The Wheel In Space takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 21 Recording for The Wheel In Space takes place at the BBC Television Centre Puppet Theatre in White City, London 22 Recording for The Wheel In Space takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 22 Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln are instructed to cease work on the sixth episode of The Dominators 23 Recording for Fury From The Deep takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 23 Debut broadcast of Fury From The Deep episode two on BBC One 29 Recording for Fury From The Deep takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 1 in White City, London 29 By now, it has been decided to truncate The Dominators from six episodes to five; the remaining episode will be appended to the start of The Mind Robber 30 Debut broadcast of Fury From The Deep episode three on BBC One April 4 Civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr is slain in Memphis, Tennessee 5 Recording for The Wheel In Space takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 6 Debut broadcast of Fury From The Deep episode four on BBC One 9 Paul Wheeler's “The Dreamspinner” is abandoned 12 Recording for The Wheel In Space takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London 13 Debut broadcast of Fury From The Deep episode five on BBC One 18 American oilman Robert McCulloch purchases the London Bridge constructed in 1831, and has it rebuilt in Arizona 19 Recording for The Wheel In Space takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 1 in White City, London 19 Derrick Sherwin is commissioned to write a new first episode for The Mind Robber, extending it from four episodes to five 20 Debut broadcast of Fury From The Deep episode six on BBC One 24 Wendy Padbury is issued a revised contract for stories from The Dominators through to the first serial of the sixth recording block 24 Dick Sharples is commissioned to provide a storyline for “The Prison In Space” 25 Recording for The Dominators takes place in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire 26 Recording for The Wheel In Space takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London 26 Recording for The Dominators takes place at the BBC Television Centre Puppet Theatre in White City, London 27 Debut broadcast of The Wheel In Space episode one on BBC One 28 Recording for The Dominators takes place in Trottiscliffe, Kent 29 Recording for The Dominators takes place in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire 30 Frazer Hines is contracted for two stories beginning with The Invasion, and decides that he will then leave Doctor Who 30 Recording for The Dominators takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London May 1 Recording for The Dominators takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 2 Recording for The Dominators takes place in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire 3 Recording for The Wheel In Space takes place at Riverside Studio 1 in Hammersmith, London 3 Recording for The Dominators takes place in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire 4 Debut broadcast of The Wheel In Space episode two on BBC One 6 Derrick Sherwin is commissioned to write The Invasion, from an idea by Kit Pedler 10 Recording for The Wheel In Space takes place at Riverside Studio 1 in Hammersmith, London 11 Debut broadcast of The Wheel In Space episode three on BBC One 12 Birth of Catherine Tate (bio), who played Donna Noble 17 Recording for The Dominators takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 4 in White City, London 18 Debut broadcast of The Wheel In Space episode four on BBC One 22 All five episodes of The Mind Robber are trimmed from twenty-five minutes in length to twenty minutes, in order to ease the workload of the regular cast 24 Recording for The Dominators takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 4 in White City, London 25 Debut broadcast of The Wheel In Space episode five on BBC One 28 Birth of Kylie Minogue (bio), who played Astrid Peth 29 Manchester United becomes the first English team to win the European Cup Final 31 Recording for The Dominators takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London 31 Roberts Holmes is commissioned to provide a storyline for The Krotons June early Jun Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln begin work on a third Yeti adventure, “The Laird Of McCrimmon”, which may have written out Jamie McCrimmon; however, conflict with the production office scuppers the story 1 Debut broadcast of The Wheel In Space episode six on BBC One 4 Dick Sharples is commissioned to write “The Prison In Space” 5 American presidential candidate Robert Kennedy is shot in Los Angeles, and dies the next day 5 Birth of Andy Goddard (bio), director 5 Birth of Gareth Roberts (bio), writer 7 Recording for The Dominators takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London 8 A rebroadcast of The Evil Of The Daleks episode one heralds the first-ever repeat of a complete Doctor Who story 9 Recording for The Mind Robber takes place in Groombridge, East Sussex and Kenley, London 10 Recording for The Mind Robber takes place at the BBC Television Centre Puppet Theatre in White City, London 11 Recording for The Mind Robber takes place at the BBC Television Centre Puppet Theatre in White City, London 12 Recording for The Mind Robber takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 13 Recording for The Mind Robber takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 14 Recording for The Dominators takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London 14 Recording for The Mind Robber takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 21 Recording for The Mind Robber takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London 25 Roberts Holmes is commissioned to write The Krotons 28 Recording for The Mind Robber takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London; Frazer Hines is suffering from chickenpox, so the script is rewritten to allow Hamish Wilson to play Jamie July early Jul Derrick Sherwin is increasingly sharing the producer's duties with Peter Bryant, so Terrance Dicks is promoted to script editor (as the post of story editor is now known) 5 Recording for The Mind Robber takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 5 Malcolm Hulke is commissioned to write a storyline for “The Impersonators” 8 Derrick Sherwin is retroactively granted permission for a staff contribution to write The Invasion 12 Recording for The Mind Robber takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 15 Brian Hayles is commissioned to provide a storyline for The Seeds Of Death 19 Recording for The Mind Robber takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London August 5 Birth of Matt Jones (bio), writer 10 Debut broadcast of The Dominators episode one on BBC One mid Aug An exhausted Patrick Troughton decides to leave Doctor Who after Season Six 17 Debut broadcast of The Dominators episode two on BBC One 20 To halt political reforms, the Soviet Union and most of its Warsaw Pact allies invade Czechoslovakia 24 Debut broadcast of The Dominators episode three on BBC One 28 Brian Hayles is commissioned to write The Seeds Of Death 30 Recording for The Invasion takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 31 Debut broadcast of The Dominators episode four on BBC One late Aug John Levene is promoted from a Cyberman to Corporal Benton in The Invasion after the original performer proves chronically tardy September 3 Recording for The Invasion takes place in Gloucestershire, at Fairford and Coln St Aldwyns 4 Recording for The Invasion takes place in Coln St Aldwyns, Gloucestershire 5 Frazer Hines' forthcoming departure is announced to the press, although he is convinced by Patrick Troughton to stay on Doctor Who to the end of Season Six; this results in the abandonment of new companion Nik 5 Recording for The Invasion takes place in Kempsford, Gloucestershire 6 Recording for The Invasion takes place in Wallingford, Oxfordshire 7 Debut broadcast of The Dominators episode five on BBC One 7 Recording for The Invasion takes place in Westminster, London 8 Recording for The Invasion takes place in London, at Camden and the City of London 9 Recording for The Invasion takes place in Acton, London 10 Recording for The Invasion takes place in Acton, London 11 Recording for The Invasion takes place in London, at Notting Hill, Kensington and Acton 12 Recording for The Invasion takes place in Acton, London 13 Recording for The Invasion takes place in London, at Westminster and the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing 14 Debut broadcast of The Mind Robber episode one on BBC One 20 Recording for The Invasion takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 21 Debut broadcast of The Mind Robber episode two on BBC One 26 Patrick Troughton is contracted for twenty-two episodes beginning with The Krotons 27 Recording for The Invasion takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 28 Debut broadcast of The Mind Robber episode three on BBC One October 4 Recording for The Invasion takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 5 A clash between police and demonstrators in Derry, Northern Ireland is a starting point of The Troubles 5 Debut broadcast of The Mind Robber episode four on BBC One 9 Frazer Hines is contracted for The Seeds Of Death 11 Recording for The Invasion takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 12 Debut broadcast of The Mind Robber episode five on BBC One 15 Dick Sharples' “The Prison In Space” is abandoned 17 Wendy Padbury is contracted for three additional serials beginning with The Krotons 18 Recording for The Invasion takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 22 Robert Holmes proposes “Aliens In The Blood” 25 Recording for The Invasion takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London November 1 Recording for The Invasion takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 2 Debut broadcast of The Invasion episode one on BBC One 4 Patrick Troughton is contracted for his final four episodes 8 Recording for The Invasion takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London; by now, Nicholas Courtney has accepted an offer to return to Doctor Who as a series regular for Season Seven 9 Debut broadcast of The Invasion episode two on BBC One 9 Roberts Holmes is commissioned to provide a storyline for The Space Pirates 10 Recording for The Krotons takes place in Malvern, Worcestershire 11 Recording for The Krotons takes place in Malvern, Worcestershire 12 Recording for The Krotons takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 13 Recording for The Krotons takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 14 Recording for The Krotons takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 15 Recording for The Krotons takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 16 Debut broadcast of The Invasion episode three on BBC One 20 Frazer Hines is issued his final contract, for The Space Pirates and The War Games 22 Recording for The Krotons takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 23 Debut broadcast of The Invasion episode four on BBC One 29 Recording for The Krotons takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 30 Debut broadcast of The Invasion episode five on BBC One December 3 Roberts Holmes is commissioned to write The Space Pirates 6 Recording for The Krotons takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 7 Debut broadcast of The Invasion episode six on BBC One 13 Recording for The Krotons takes place at Lime Grove Studio D in Shepherd's Bush, London 13 Terrance Dicks retroactively receives permission to rewrite the final four episodes of The Seeds Of Death 13 Recording for The Seeds Of Death takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 14 Debut broadcast of The Invasion episode seven on BBC One 16 Recording for The Seeds Of Death takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 17 Recording for The Seeds Of Death takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 18 Recording for The Seeds Of Death takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 19 Recording for The Seeds Of Death takes place in Hampstead, London 20 Recording for The Seeds Of Death takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 21 Debut broadcast of The Invasion episode eight on BBC One 23 Recording for The Seeds Of Death takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London 23 Terrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke are commissioned to write The War Games 24 The Apollo 8 is the first manned spacecraft to orbit the Moon 28 Debut broadcast of The Krotons episode one on BBC One 30 Malcolm Hulke's “The Impersonators” is abandoned

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