1988

November

 * 23 - The Nemesis statue returns to Earth after 350 years. Lady Peinforte arrives to regain it. The Doctor uses it to destroy the Cyber-Fleet. (DW: Silver Nemesis)

Unknown date

 * The Doctor and Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart discover the secret of the Embodiment of Gris in Hong Kong. (NA: The Dying Days)


 * Construction of One Canada Square begins as part of the Canary Wharf redevelopment project in London. Unknown to the general public, the building, destined to become the tallest office tower in the UK, is secretly known as the Torchwood Tower and is built to house the Torchwood Institute in an instance of "hiding in plain sight". (DW: Army of Ghosts / Doomsday)

January

 * 16 - Robert Keegan dies.
 * 21 - DWN: Doctor Who - The Rescue is first published. This was the second and last novelisation by the late Ian Marter to be published posthumously, and the book includes a tribute to the actor/writer, who died soon after writing the book.
 * Titan Books launches a new line of books entitled Doctor Who: The Scripts, with the publication of the script for DW: An Unearthly Child, which was published under the working title The Tribe of Gum. This series of books would continue until 1994, although the second volume would not be published for some 18 months.

February

 * 15 - Red Dwarf debuts on the BBC. This science fiction comedy series becomes the BBC's longest-running SF program after Doctor Who, producing nine seasons over the next 21 years.
 * 18 - DWN: Doctor Who - Terror of the Vervoids First Published. First of four novelisations based upon DW: The Trial of a Time Lord, even though it was in fact the third chapter of the arc.
 * REF Doctor Who: The Early Years is published in paperback.

March

 * 23 - Reg Lye dies.
 * DWN: Doctor Who - The Time Meddler First Published.
 * REF: Encyclopedia of The Worlds of Doctor Who: E-K first published.

April

 * 21 - DWN: Doctor Who - The Mysterious Planet First Published.

May

 * 03 - David Garth, who played Grey in DW: The Highlanders and the Time Lord in DW: Terror of the Autons" dies.
 * 05 - DWN: Doctor Who - Time and the Rani First Published. First Seventh Doctor novelisation and the first to use the new Sylvester McCoy-era series logo (though it would not immediately replace the neon-tube logo on all Target Books releases). First photographic cover since DWN: Doctor Who - Enlightenment some four years earlier. Canadian fans notice a substantial (but ultimately temporary) jump in the cover price of Doctor Who books (on the order of $2-$3) beginning with this release.
 * 23 - The musical group called The Timelords releases "Doctorin' the Tardis", a dance single built around the Doctor Who Theme and recordings by Gary Glitter, and with a Dalek voice featured, is released in the UK. It becomes a substantial hit. (The group later rebrands itself The KLF and enjoys further hits in the 1990s.)

June

 * 05 - Michael Barrington dies.
 * 06 - The Timelords musical group releases "Gary in the TARDIS", a followup to their earlier single, "Doctorin' the TARDIS", featuring Gary Glitter.
 * 16 - DWN: Doctor Who - Vengeance on Varos First Published.

July

 * 21 - DWN: Doctor Who - The Underwater Menace First Published.
 * 22 - Patrick Newell dies.

August

 * 08 - David Tennant makes his TV acting debut in "The Secret of Croftmore", an episode of Dramarama.
 * 18 - DWN: Doctor Who - The Wheel in Space First Published. Final Target Books release to use the neon-tube series logo established in 1980. All further releases use the McCoy era logo introduced in 1987. This book has an extremely low print run which results in it becoming a collector's item.
 * In an effort to boost sales of older novelisations, Target Books launches the Doctor Who Classics line of releases. These are omnibus reissues of novelisations, two per volume. Two books are released this date (with the original book titles shortened to their original TV titles in the case of those with Doctor Who and... in the original release): DWN: Dalek Invasion of Earth/The Crusaders and DWN: The Myth Makers/The Gunfighters.

September

 * 01 - YTV, a Canadian youth-oriented cable network, is launched. During its first few years, Doctor Who is a regular part of the schedule, with YTV being one of the first North American broadcasters to show episodes from the Sylvester McCoy era.
 * 15 - DWN: Doctor Who - The Ultimate Foe First Published.
 * Doctor Who Classics - DWN: The Dominators/The Krotons published.
 * 20 - REF: Doctor Who: 25 Glorious Years published in paperback.

October

 * REF: Encyclopedia of The Worlds of Doctor Who: A-D published in paperback.
 * 01 - Roy Herrick dies.
 * 05 - DW: Remembrance of the Daleks Episode 1 is first broadcast, launching Doctor Who's history-making 25th season.
 * 08 - Sylvester McCoy, appearing as himself, appears in the "Clown Court" segment of The Noel Edmunds Saturday Roadshow, which presents outtakes from DW: Delta and the Bannermen, DW: Silver Nemesis and a bonus blooper from DW: The Visitation with Peter Davison.
 * 12 - DW: Remembrance of the Daleks Episode 2 is first broadcast.
 * 14 - Mary Morris dies.
 * 19 - DW: Remembrance of the Daleks Episode 3 is first broadcast.
 * 20 - DWN: Doctor Who - The Edge of Destruction is first published.
 * 26 - DW: Remembrance of the Daleks Episode 4 is first broadcast. Final appearance of Davros until DW: The Stolen Earth and final on-screen appearance of the Daleks until DW: Dalek.

November

 * REF: Doctor Who: Cybermen is first published.
 * Doctor Who: It's Bigger on the Inside, a collection of Doctor Who-related humor, first published by Marvel Comics
 * 02 - DW: The Happiness Patrol Episode 1 is first broadcast.
 * 07 - BBC Audio issues the 1986 radio play BBCR: Slipback and the 1979 audio version of DW: Genesis of the Daleks on cassette.
 * 09 - DW: The Happiness Patrol Episode 2 is first broadcast.
 * 16 - DW: ''The Happiness Patrol Episode 3 is first broadcast.
 * REF: Encyclopedia of The Worlds of Doctor Who: E-K is published in paperback.
 * 17 - DWN: Doctor Who - The Smugglers is first published.
 * REF: Doctor Who: 25 Glorious Years is first published.
 * 23 - DW: Silver Nemesis Episode 1 is first broadcast on the 25th anniversary of the first broadcast of Doctor Who.
 * 30 - DW: Silver Nemesis Episode 2 is first broadcast.

December

 * 01 - DWN: Doctor Who - Paradise Towers is first published. The cover art featuring an image of Sylvester McCoy marks the first time in 4 1/2 years that an image of the current Doctor has been included on a Target Books release.
 * 07 - DW: Silver Nemesis Episode 3 is first broadcast. Final on-screen appearance of the original Cybermen (save for brief references) to date.
 * 14 - DW: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy Episode 1 is first broadcast.
 * 21 - DW: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy Episode 2 is first broadcast.
 * 25 - Terence Dudley, writer and director dies.
 * 28 - DW: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy Episode 3 is first broadcast.
 * REF: The Official Doctor Who & the Daleks Book, a retrospective by John Peel and Terry Nation, is first published.
 * REF: Doctor Who Magazine Master Index is published.