1996

History of the Doctor Who Universe

 * The Doctor, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright and Vicki arrive at the Festival of Ghana while being pursued by Daleks. (DW: The Chase)
 * The novel Bridget Jones's Diary is published. In the 51st century it would be preserved in The Library. (DW: Silence in the Library)
 * The Doctor is summoned back to Earth via the space-time telegraph by the United Nations to assist them after they were offered The Cold. Sam Jones meets Sarah Jane Smith (who also meets the Doctor in his eighth incarnation). (EDA: Interference - Book One, Interference - Book Two)

January

 * 15 - Filming begins in Vancouver, B.C. for the Doctor Who TV movie; discounting some post-production dubbing, this is the first major production session for Doctor Who since recording for DW: Ghost Light concluded on 3 August 1989.
 * 18 - NA: Just War is first published.
 * DWN/MA: Downtime is first published. Based upon the unofficial fan-made film of the same title, and published as part of the Virgin Missing Adventures line, it is the third and last of Virgin Publishing's series of post-Target Books novelisations. As such, it brings to an end a long line of adaptations dating back to 1973. It is the only Missing Adventures release not to feature the Doctor.

February

 * 15 - NA: Warchild is first published.
 * MA: The Man in the Velvet Mask is first published.
 * 21 - Filming concludes for the Doctor Who TV movie. The next time Doctor Who goes into production will not be until 18th July 2004.

March

 * 21 - NA: Sleepy is first published.
 * MA: The English Way of Death is first published.
 * REF: Ace! The Inside Story of the End of an Era is first published. Co-written by Sophie Aldred, it is a memoir of her time on the series.

April

 * Fox Television in America begins airing trailers for its upcoming broadcast of DW: Doctor Who. The trailers incorporate special effects footage from episode 1 of the 1986 serial DW: The Mysterious Planet.
 * 18 - NA: Death and Diplomacy is first published. First appearance of recurring character Jason Kane.
 * MA: The Eye of the Giant is first published.
 * Who Killed Kennedy is first published. This is the only original Doctor Who novel published by Virgin Publishing after 1991 not to be considered part of either the Virgin New Adventures or Virgin Missing Adventures lines (although it's often lumped in with the MA line as it features past incarnations of the Doctor).

May

 * 12 - CITV in Edmonton, Canada, is the first broadcaster to air the DW: Doctor Who TV movie, two days before its "official" premiere in the US.
 * 14 — DW: Doctor Who is first broadcast on Fox Television in America. Sylvester McCoy regenerates into Paul McGann for McGann's (to date) only on-screen appearance as The Doctor. The film introduces a new theme music arrangement by John Debney (the late Ron Grainer is not credited, however), and reinstates the Jon Pertwee era logo from 1970-1973 which subsequently replaces the 1987 series logo as the franchise branding (it will continue to be used into 2009 to denote "past Doctor"-related products following the 2005 series revival). The ratings prove to be a disappointment and Fox declines to commission a TV series or further movies. Subsequently, issues over rights and licensing prevent the telefilm from being released to home video in North America (a situation that persists into 2008), although a UK home video release occurs not long after its broadcast there.
 * 16 - NA: Happy Endings is first published. Promoted as the 50th book in the Virgin New Adventures line, it features cameo appearances by many characters from both the TV series and the NA books, and is notable for "outing" Mike Yates. Benny Summerfield ceases to be a regular companion with this novel, though she will return in later volumes and ultimately take over the New Adventures line after Virgin loses the Doctor Who licence.
 * MA: The Sands of Time is first published.
 * REF: Doctor Who: A History of the Universe is first published.
 * 17 - Doctor Who - The Script of the Film is first published.
 * 20 - Jon Pertwee dies from a heart attack in Connecticut.
 * 25 - The TV movie is promoted on the cover of the Radio Times.
 * 27 - DW: Doctor Who is first broadcast on BBC1. The UK broadcast includes some minor edits related to violence, and also includes an on-screen dedication in memory of Jon Pertwee. Unlike the US showing, the UK broadcast is considered a ratings winner, but without US support, the telefilm does not result in a series revival.
 * Doctor Who - The Novel of the Film is first published. This is the first novelisation of a televised story to not be published by Target Books or an affiliate. This is the first Doctor Who novel to be published by BBC Books, and would lead to the imprint taking over the Doctor Who fiction licence from Virgin Books (it is not, however, considered part of the later Eighth Doctor Adventures line). It is the last novelisation of a televised Doctor Who story to date, and the last novelisation of any kind until WC: Scream of the Shalka was adapted in 2004.

Spring 1996

 * Around the time the novelisation of the telefilm is published, a major shake-up occurs in the Doctor Who publishing world when it's announced that BBC Books has taken on the licence to publish fiction featuring The Doctor and other BBC-owned characters and concepts from the franchise. Virgin Books, which has been publishing original novels since 1991 and also owns the Target Books line which dates back to 1973, announces its Virgin New Adventures and Virgin Missing Adventures lines will conclude in 1997, after several remaining commissioned novels are published. Virgin, however, also announces it will continue the New Adventures line after that point, focusing on the character of Benny Summerfield.

June

 * Doctor Who novel writer Jonathan Blum writes and plays the Seventh Doctor in an unofficial video production, Time Rift. Blum later recycles elements of the story for his later novel EDA: Vampire Science.
 * 20 - NA: GodEngine is first published. A new cover design format for the Virgin New Adventures line is launched with this book.
 * MA: Killing Ground is first published.

July

 * 18 - NA: Christmas on a Rational Planet is first published. This book contains the earliest reference to characters from the later Faction Paradox spin-off works.
 * MA: The Scales of Injustice is first published.
 * VD: Decalog 3: Consequences is first published. This book is notable for including a short story by future head writer Steven Moffat. This is the last Decalog volume to feature the Doctor.

August

 * 10 - Rex Tucker dies.
 * 15 - NA: Return of the Living Dad is first published. Benny Summerfield returns for this novel.
 * MA: The Shadow of Weng-Chiang, the 25th Missing Adventures novel, is first published.

September

 * 19 - NA: The Death of Art is first published.
 * MA: Twilight of the Gods is first published.
 * REF: Doctor Who: Companions is published in paperback.

October

 * Frazer Hines publishes his autobiography, Films, Farms and Fillies.
 * 03 - REF: Doctor Who: The Eighties first published.
 * 07 - REF: TX File: Doctor Who, a "filofax"-style reference book, published by BBC Books as one of a series of TX File releases.
 * 17 - NA: Damaged Goods is first published. This book is notable as it was written by Russell T Davies before he achieved national fame as the creator of Queer as Folk and, ultimately, became executive director of the revival of Doctor Who.
 * MA: Speed of Flight is first published. Final Virgin Missing Adventures novel to feature the Third Doctor.

November

 * 1 - David Dodimead, who played Barclay in DW: The Tenth Planet, dies.
 * 21 - MA: The Plotters is first published. Final Virgin Missing Adventures novel to feature the First Doctor.
 * Posthumous publication of REF: I Am the Doctor!, Jon Pertwee's second volume of memoirs.
 * REF: Doctor Who - The Handbook: The Third Doctor is first published.
 * Due to production issues, there is no Virgin New Adventures novel published this month; the book scheduled for release date, NA: So Vile a Sin, is pushed back to 24th April 1997.
 * 22 - REF: Classic Who: The Harper Classics first published.

December

 * 05 - NA: Bad Therapy is first published. Roz Forrester is no longer a companion, but readers have to wait until NA: So Vile a Sin is finally published to find out why. Peri Brown makes a return appearance.
 * MA: Cold Fusion is first published. First and only Missing Adventures novel to feature more than one incarnation of the Doctor, and the first to feature the Seventh Doctor. At one point Virgin planned for Seventh Doctor adventures to continue in the Missing Adventures line after novels began to appear featuring the Eighth Doctor, but this did not happen. This is also the final Missing Adventures novel to feature the Fifth Doctor.
 * REF: The Completely Useless Encyclopedia first published.

Unknown

 * Frederick Hall, who played Andrew Verney in DW: The Awakening, dies.