18 April

Events

 * 1906 - The city of San Francisco on Earth was ravaged by an earthquake and then consumed by fire. Thanks to the Seventh Doctor's interference, the gateway through which the creature Azathoth and her rakshassi army hoped to invade Earth opened not in the India of 1887 but in the lobby of the Palace Hotel. Azathoth and her followers were consumed in the fire, while the Doctor, Ace, Bernice Summerfield, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson escaped. The Doctor departed for England to retrieve his TARDIS, materialising in San Francisco mere moments after he left his companions, although the trip to England took three months. Holmes and Watson rejected the Doctor's offer to join him in his travels. He returned them to Baker Street in 1887. (PROSE: All-Consuming Fire)

Behind the scenes

 * 1935 - Harold Innocent, who played Gilbert M in TV: The Happiness Patrol, was born.
 * 1956 - Eric Roberts, who portrayed the Master in the 1996 Doctor Who television movie, was born.
 * 1964 - "The Velvet Web", Episode 2 of TV: The Keys of Marinus, was first broadcast.
 * 1965 - Camille Coduri, who played Jackie Tyler in series 1, 2 and (in a one off appearance) 4 of the BBC Wales-produced Doctor Who, was born in Wandsworth London.
 * 1970 - TV: The Ambassadors of Death Episode 5 was first broadcast.
 * 1971 - David Tennant, who played the Tenth Doctor, was born.
 * 1992 - James Bate (Amyand in Planet of Fire) died.
 * 2010 - TV: Victory of the Daleks was first broadcast.