1980 (releases)


 * 5 January - The Horns of Nimon Part Three debuted on BBC1.
 * 12 January - The Horns of Nimon Part Four debuted on BBC1, bringing the season to an end six weeks earlier than planned due to the cancellation of HOMEVID: Shada. This was the final story to feature the original 1960s arrangement by Delia Derbyshire of the Doctor Who theme music, specifically the arrangement introduced in the 1967 serial The Macra Terror; the final use of the diamond-shaped series logo and Bernard Lodge "tunnel" opening sequence; and the end of Graham Williams' term as producer and of Douglas Adams as a member of the writing team. It was David Brierley's last televised performance as the voice of K9 (although he voiced the character for the incomplete Shada).
 * 24 January - Doctor Who and the Underworld was first published.
 * 24 - The American edition of Doctor Who and the Android Invasion was published by Pinnacle Books.
 * 21 February - Doctor Who and the Invasion of Time was first published.
 * 20 March - Doctor Who and the Stones of Blood was first published.
 * 20 March - Target Books reissued the 1976 non-fiction book The Making of Doctor Who.
 * The American edition of PROSE: Doctor Who and the Seeds of Doom was published by Pinnacle Books. This was the last re-print of a Doctor Who novelisation by Pinnacle. As of 2009 it stood as the last American edition of a Doctor Who novel.
 * 24 April - PROSE: Doctor Who and the Androids of Tara was first published.
 * 26 May - PROSE: Doctor Who and the Power of Kroll was first published.
 * 26 June - PROSE: Doctor Who and the Armageddon Factor was first published. Due to the inability of Target Books to come to an agreement with Douglas Adams, this ultimately was the last of the Key to Time- arc serials to be novelised. The remaining serial, The Pirate Planet, was not officially novelised.
 * 26 - PROSE: Junior Doctor Who and the Brain of Morbius was first published. This was a short version of PROSE: Doctor Who and the Brain of Morbius and was the second of two such books released (a paperback edition of PROSE: Junior Doctor Who and the Giant Robot was also released in 1980). Reportedly, the book was originally to have been released in 1978.
 * Doctor Who Magazine began publishing Doctor Who-universe comics written by future comics superstar writer Alan Moore.
 * The Doctor Who Annual 1981 was published. Beginning this year the annual, previously published each September, moved to August.
 * 7 August - The final issue of Doctor Who Weekly was published; it changed to a monthly magazine in September.
 * 21 August - PROSE: Doctor Who and the Keys of Marinus and PROSE: Doctor Who and the Nightmare of Eden were first published. For the first time in several years, Target Books released more than one book on the same day.
 * 30 August - The Leisure Hive Part One debuted on BBC1, launching a longer-than-usual Season 18. It was Tom Baker's final season and the first series produced by John Nathan-Turner. Among the many changes evident with this episode were the introduction of a radically different arrangement of the Doctor Who theme by Peter Howell and a new neon-tubing style series logo. A modified costume was also introduced for the Doctor. Season 18 was the last truly "season-long" series, as during the Davison era the show aired from January to March only (two episodes per week) and was subject to an ever-decreasing number of episodes thereafter.
 * Doctor Who Magazine began publishing as a monthly publication, initially changing its title from Doctor Who Weekly to Doctor Who: A Marvel Monthly.
 * John Nathan-Turner approached Peter Davison about taking over from Tom Baker as the star of Doctor Who.
 * 6 September - The Leisure Hive Part Two debuted on BBC1.
 * 13 September - The Leisure Hive Part Three debuted on BBC1.
 * 20 September - The Leisure Hive Part Four debuted on BBC1.
 * 27 September - Meglos Part One debuted on BBC1, featuring the return of Jacqueline Hill to Doctor Who after more than 15 years, albeit as another character. John Leeson returned as the voice of K9.
 * 4 October - Meglos Part Two debuted on BBC1.
 * 11 October - Meglos Part Three debuted on BBC1.
 * 16 October - PROSE: Doctor Who and the Horns of Nimon was first published. (Although the series branding changed to a new logo, the previous logo was still used by Target Books for several more volumes.)
 * 18 October - Meglos Part Four debuted on BBC1.
 * 25 October - Full Circle Part One debuted on BBC1, launching what became known as the E-Space Trilogy. Matthew Waterhouse debuted as new companion Adric.
 * REF: A Day with a TV Producer, a non-fiction work profiling John Nathan-Turner and the production of The Leisure Hive, was published.
 * 1 November - Full Circle Part Two debuted on BBC1.
 * 8 November - Full Circle Part Three debuted on BBC1.
 * 13 November - PROSE: Junior Doctor Who and the Brain of Morbius was published in paperback.
 * 15 November - Full Circle Part Four debuted on BBC1.
 * 22 November - State of Decay Part One debuted on BBC1.
 * 29 November - State of Decay Part Two debuted on BBC1.
 * 4 December - PROSE: Doctor Who and the Monster of Peladon was first published.
 * 6 December - State of Decay Part Three debuted on BBC1.
 * 13 December - State of Decay Part Four debuted on BBC1.
 * Marvel Premiere issue 57 was published by Marvel Comics in the United States. This comic, featuring Fourth Doctor comic strip reprints from Doctor Who Weekly, was the first American comic ever published based upon the Doctor Who TV series (a previous comic published in the mid-60s by another US publisher was based upon the Dr. Who and the Daleks movie, not the TV series). This comic, and three issues that followed, led to the launching of a monthly Doctor Who title by Marvel in 1984.

Unknown dates

 * The Adventures of K9, a children's book series by David Martin, was published by Sparrow Books.
 * Tom Baker and Lalla Ward appeared as the Fourth Doctor and Romana in a series of commercials for Australian television, advertising Prime Computers (a room-sized computer system for business). While most of the commercials featured them in their standard character roles, the final commercial in the series had Romana flirting with the Doctor and ended with the Doctor proposing marriage to her.
 * Baker and Ward were then married on 30 December 1980.