The Doctor Who Production Diary: 1981

January
3 Debut broadcast of Warriors' Gate episode one on BBC One Warriors' Gate
8 Recording for Logopolis takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London Logopolis
9 Recording for Logopolis takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London Logopolis
10 Debut broadcast of Warriors' Gate episode two on BBC One Warriors' Gate
17 Debut broadcast of Warriors' Gate episode three on BBC One Warriors' Gate
22 Recording for Logopolis takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 6 in White City, London Logopolis
23 Recording for Logopolis takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 6 in White City, London Logopolis
24 Debut broadcast of Warriors' Gate episode four on BBC One Warriors' Gate
24 Recording for Logopolis takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 6 in White City, London Logopolis
26 Director Paul Joyce writes to John Nathan-Turner to apologise for the chaos surrounding the production of Warriors' Gate Warriors' Gate
31 Debut broadcast of The Keeper Of Traken episode one on BBC One The Keeper Of Traken

February
6 Christopher Priest is commissioned to write “The Enemy Within”, which is planned to culminate in the death of Adric, while Tanith Lee is commissioned to write an untitled story The Fifth Doctor
7 Debut broadcast of The Keeper Of Traken episode two on BBC One The Keeper Of Traken
9 Terence Dudley is commissioned to write Black Orchid Black Orchid
14 Debut broadcast of The Keeper Of Traken episode three on BBC One The Keeper Of Traken
18 Sarah Sutton's contract is extended to include twenty-four episodes during Season Nineteen Nyssa
18 Janet Fielding is contracted for the whole of Season Nineteen Tegan Jovanka
19 Practical considerations force John Flanagan and Andrew McCulloch's “Project Zeta-Sigma” to be dropped from the schedule; it is subsequently abandoned The Fifth Doctor
20 Peter Davison's contract for Season Nineteen is amended to reflect its reduction from twenty-eight episodes to twenty-six, accommodating the production of the special K·9 & Company The Fifth Doctor
21 Debut broadcast of The Keeper Of Traken episode four on BBC One The Keeper Of Traken
25 Matthew Waterhouse's contract is extended to include a minimum of twenty episodes during Season Nineteen Adric
28 Debut broadcast of Logopolis episode one on BBC One Logopolis

March
early
Mar
John Nathan-Turner decides to keep Nyssa through at least the end of Season Nineteen, but write out Adric during the year The Fifth Doctor
7 Debut broadcast of Logopolis episode two on BBC One Logopolis
9 Christopher H Bidmead is commissioned to provide a storyline for Castrovalva Castrovalva
14 Debut broadcast of Logopolis episode three on BBC One Logopolis
21 Debut broadcast of Logopolis episode four on BBC One Logopolis
28 Birth of Gareth David-Lloyd (bio), who played Ianto Jones
30 American President Ronald Reagan and three others are shot and wounded by would-be assassin John Hickley, Jr

April
8 Christopher H Bidmead is commissioned to write Castrovalva Castrovalva
12 The space shuttle era begins as Columbia is launched; it returns to Earth two days later
13 Recording for Four To Doomsday takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 6 in White City, London Four To Doomsday
14 Recording for Four To Doomsday takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 6 in White City, London Four To Doomsday
15 Recording for Four To Doomsday takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 6 in White City, London Four To Doomsday
mid
Apr
Eric Saward replaces Antony Root as the interim script editor of Doctor Who The Fifth Doctor
23 Lesley Elizabeth Thomas is commissioned to provide a storyline for “Way Down Yonder”, which was intended to feature location filming in the southern United States The Fifth Doctor
28 Recording for Four To Doomsday takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 6 in White City, London Four To Doomsday
29 Recording for Four To Doomsday takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 6 in White City, London Four To Doomsday
30 Recording for Four To Doomsday takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 6 in White City, London Four To Doomsday

May
1 Recording for The Visitation takes place at the BBC Television Film Studios in Ealing, London The Visitation
5 Bobby Sands dies in prison following a 66-day hunger strike over the rights of Irish Republican Army convicts, during which he was elected to Parliament
5 Recording for The Visitation takes place in Fulmer, Buckinghamshire The Visitation
6 Recording for The Visitation takes place in Fulmer, Buckinghamshire The Visitation
7 Recording for The Visitation takes place in Fulmer, Buckinghamshire The Visitation
8 Recording for The Visitation takes place in Hurley, Berkshire The Visitation
13 Turkish assassin Mehmet Ali Ağca shoots Pope John Paul II four times, though the pontiff survives
15 John Nathan-Turner circulates a character outline for new companion Turlough Vizlor Turlough
20 Recording for The Visitation takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London The Visitation
21 Recording for The Visitation takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London The Visitation
27 Death of Kit Pedler (bio), writer

June
3 Recording for The Visitation takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London The Visitation
4 Recording for The Visitation takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London The Visitation
5 Recording for The Visitation takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London The Visitation
12 Raiders Of The Lost Ark, starring Harrison Ford as archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones, is released in theatres
27 The Sun is the first to report on the BBC's decision, made in the spring, to move Doctor Who away from Saturday teatime; it will now air twice-weekly on Monday and Tuesday evenings The Fifth Doctor
29 By now, Antony Root has decided not to return to Doctor Who and Eric Saward has agreed to a permanent appointment as script editor; permission is sought for Saward to write Earthshock in the gap between contracts, as a replacement for Christopher Priest's “The Enemy Within” Earthshock

July
17 Christopher Priest's “The Enemy Within” is formally abandoned The Fifth Doctor
24 Eric Saward is commissioned to write Earthshock Earthshock
29 Prince Charles weds Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral
29 Recording for Kinda takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 8 in White City, London Kinda
30 Recording for Kinda takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 8 in White City, London Kinda
31 Recording for Kinda takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 8 in White City, London Kinda

August
3 With Doctor Who airing during the winter for Season Nineteen, John Nathan-Turner asks Head of Series and Serials David Reid to reschedule Season Twenty to an autumn start to concide with the programme's twentieth anniversary in November 1983 The Five Doctors
10 Stephen Gallagher is commissioned to provide a storyline for Terminus Terminus
12 Recording for Kinda takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 8 in White City, London Kinda
13 Recording for Kinda takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 8 in White City, London Kinda
14 Recording for Kinda takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 8 in White City, London Kinda
25 In response to John Nathan-Turner's memo of August 3rd, the Controller of Programmes for BBC One, Alan Hart, suggests that Doctor Who's twentieth anniversary be commemmorated with a celebratory special The Five Doctors

September
1 Recording for Castrovalva takes place in Duddleswell, East Sussex Castrovalva
2 Recording for Castrovalva takes place in Withyham, East Sussex Castrovalva
3 Recording for Castrovalva takes place in Withyham, East Sussex Castrovalva
4 Recording for Castrovalva takes place in Groombridge, East Sussex Castrovalva
7 Pat Mills and John Wagner are commissioned to provide a storyline for “The Song Of The Space Whale” The Fifth Doctor
15 Recording for Castrovalva takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London Castrovalva
16 Recording for Castrovalva takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London Castrovalva
22 Barbara Clegg is commissioned to provide a storyline for Enlightenment Enlightenment
22 Bill Lyons is commissioned to provide a storyline for “Parasites” The Fifth Doctor
28 Christopher Bailey is commissioned to provide a storyline for Snakedance Snakedance
29 Recording for Castrovalva takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 6 in White City, London Castrovalva
30 Recording for Castrovalva takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 6 in White City, London Castrovalva
30 Christopher Bailey is asked to provide four minutes' worth of extra material for Kinda after the final episode is found to be severely underrunning Kinda

October
1 Anthony Ainley is contracted for Time-Flight The
Master
1 Recording for Castrovalva takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 6 in White City, London Castrovalva
5 Recording for Black Orchid takes place in Quainton, Buckinghamshire Black Orchid
6 Egyptian President Anwar Sadat is killed by soldiers who oppose diplomatic relations with Israel; he is succeeded by Hosni Mubarak
6 Recording for Black Orchid takes place in Withyam, East Sussex Black Orchid
7 Recording for Black Orchid takes place in Withyam, East Sussex Black Orchid
8 Recording for Black Orchid takes place in Withyam, East Sussex Black Orchid
9 Recording for Black Orchid takes place in Withyam, East Sussex Black Orchid
15 Stephen Gallagher is commissioned to write episode one of Terminus Terminus
20 Recording for Black Orchid takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London Black Orchid
21 Recording for Black Orchid takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 3 in White City, London Black Orchid
22 Barbara Clegg is commissioned to write the first episode of Enlightenment Enlightenment
29 Recording for Earthshock takes place in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire Earthshock

November
9 Christopher Bailey is commissioned to write Snakedance Snakedance
10 Recording for Earthshock takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 8 in White City, London Earthshock
11 Recording for Kinda takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 8 in White City, London Kinda
11 Recording for Earthshock takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 8 in White City, London Earthshock
12 Recording for Earthshock takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 8 in White City, London Earthshock
23 Ronald Reagan authorises CIA support of rebels in Nicaragua, beginning what would become known as the Iran-Contra Affair
24 Recording for Earthshock takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 8 in White City, London Earthshock
25 Recording for Earthshock takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 8 in White City, London Earthshock
26 Recording for Earthshock takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio 8 in White City, London Earthshock
late
Nov
John Nathan-Turner and Eric Saward are given a demonstration of a prototype android developed by Chris Padmore and Mike Power; they consider writing the robot into Doctor Who as a new companion Kamelion

December
2 Pat Mills and John Wagner are commissioned to write “The Song Of The Space Whale”; John Wagner subsequently withdraws from the project, which is revised as the introductory story for new companion Turlough The Fifth Doctor
3 Stephen Gallagher is commissioned to write the final three episodes of Terminus Terminus
15 Johnny Byrne submits a storyline for Arc Of Infinity Arc Of Infinity
late
Dec
Terence Dudley is given a demonstration of Chris Padmore and Mike Power's android as he develops The King's Demons Kamelion