Series 4 (Doctor Who)



Series Overview

Series 4 of Doctor Who, occasionally known as Season 30 for clarity between it and Season 4, started on the 5th April 2008.

David Tennant stayed on as the Tenth Doctor, and Catherine Tate reprised her role as Donna Noble, following her one off in the The Runaway Bride.

Old Friends Return

They were be joined by Freema Agyeman, returning as companion Martha Jones for five episodes of the series, which started with The Sontaran Stratagem after her three epsiode spell with Torchwood. Jack Harkness crossed over from Torchwood for a second time later in the series. Billie Piper returned as Rose Tyler for a three episode stint starting with Turn Left, but also made cameo appearences in Partners in Crime, The Poison Sky and Midnight. How she escapes the Parallel Universe has not yet been stated. Sarah Jane Smith, Mickey Smith and Jackie Tyler also made combacks in the final two episodes, making this series the first in the new series to feautre more than 5 companions. K9 may also make a brief appearance in Journey's End.

Crossovers

In the episode Turn Left the characters from the two related shows are not seen, but are mentioned during an interview after the Royal Hope Hospital is returned to Earth and during a conversation between Rose Tyler and Donna Noble.

The final two episodes of the series also feature crossovers from the companions shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones cross over form Torchwood when the Torchwood 3 Hub gets attacked by the Daleks. Luke Smith crosses over in the first of the two-part finale when his 'Mother' Sarah Jane Smith gets called upon by the Doctor, and his friends Maria Jackson and Clyde Langer cross over in the last episode.



Information

Series 4 featured several milestones. It is the Thirtieth ever broadcast season of Doctor Who, and features the 750th broadcast episode, which is The Stolen Earth, the 50th new series episode, The Unicorn and the Wasp, and the 200th broadcast story of Doctor Who, Silence in the Library.

On the 1st of February 2008, BBC and Carlton Screen Advertising released a brand new trailer for Series 4. It went on TV and Online on Saturday the 22nd of March. The brand new theme tune, premiered in Voyage of the Damned was featured from the start of Series 4. Russell T. Davies stated that 6 planets were to be mentioned in Series 4 these are: Midnight, Ood Sphere, Messaline, Shan Shen, Pyrovillia and the Lost Moon of Poosh. All of the Planets the were stated have all been featured and the names and places were used before the series finale.

Story Arc

There is no specific arc word or phrase but there are small hints to the finale in each episode and they could be anything from words and phrases to individuals, planets or species. But there are several themes mentioned throughout the show. Shadow Proclamation, The Medusa Cascade, Lost Planets, Bee's Disappering and Bad Wolf.

Confirmation


 * Series 5 will not be seen until 2010.
 * After this series, Julie Gardner will no longer be the Executive Producer.
 * Catherine Tate will be leaving in Journey's End. She has also confirmed she will not appear in the 3 specials in 2009.
 * After this series and the 3 specials in 2009 Russell T. Davis will be succeeded by Steven Moffat as head writer.

Specials

 * Time Crash
 * Voyage of the Damned

Episodes

 * Partners in Crime
 * The Fires of Pompeii
 * Planet of the Ood
 * The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky
 * The Doctor's Daughter
 * The Unicorn and the Wasp
 * Silence In The Library / Forest of the Dead
 * Midnight
 * Turn Left
 * The Stolen Earth / Journey's End

Primary Cast

 * The Doctor - David Tennant (All episodes)
 * Donna Noble - Catherine Tate (All episodes)
 * Rose Tyler - Billie Piper (Partners in Crime (Cameo), The Poison Sky (Cameo), Midnight (Cameo), Turn Left - Journey's End)
 * Martha Jones - Freema Agyeman (The Sontaran Stratagem - The Doctor's Daughter, The Stolen Earth - Journey's End)

Secondary Cast

 * Jack Harkness - John Barrowman (The Stolen Earth - Journey's End)
 * Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen (The Stolen Earth - Journey's End)
 * Mickey Smith - Noel Clarke (The Stolen Earth - Onwards)
 * Jackie Tyler - Camille Coduri (The Stolen Earth - Journey's End)
 * Gwen Cooper - Eve Myles (The Stolen Earth - Journey's End)
 * Ianto Jones - Gareth David-Lloyd (The Stolen Earth - Journey's End)
 * Luke Smith - Tommy Knight (The Stolen Earth - Journey's End)
 * Maria Jackson - Yasmin Paige (Journey's End)
 * Clyde Langer - Daniel Anthony (Journey's End)
 * Astrid Peth - Kylie Minogue (Voyage of the Damned)

Novels

 * Ghosts of India
 * Shining Darkness
 * The Doctor Trap
 * Beautiful Chaos
 * The Eyeless