1971 (releases)


 * 1 January - Actor Navin Chowdhry was born.
 * 2 January - Terror of the Autons Episode 1 debuted on BBC1, launching Season 8. It introduced the Master as played by Roger Delgado. Katy Manning debuted as new companion Jo Grant. Also debuting was Richard Franklin as recurring character Captain Yates. Season 8 marked the first time a full season followed a single theme, in this case stories involving the Master.
 * 9 January - Terror of the Autons Episode 2 debuted on BBC1.
 * 16 January - Terror of the Autons Episode 3 debuted on BBC1.
 * 23 January - Terror of the Autons Episode 4 debuted on BBC1.
 * 30 January - The Mind of Evil Episode 1 debuted on BBC1.
 * 6 February - The Mind of Evil Episode 2 debuted on BBC1.
 * 13 February - The Mind of Evil Episode 3 debuted on BBC1.
 * 20 February - The Mind of Evil Episode 4 debuted on BBC1. On the same day, the Polystyle comic strip began running in Countdown with the first instalment of Gemini Plan.
 * 25 February - Actor Christien Anholt was born.
 * 27 February - The Mind of Evil Episode 5 debuted on BBC1.
 * 6 March - The Mind of Evil Episode 6 debuted on BBC1.
 * 13 March - The Claws of Axos Episode 1 debuted on BBC1.
 * 20 March - The Claws of Axos Episode 2 debuted on BBC1.
 * 22 March - Actor Takuma Takewaka was born.
 * 27 March - The Claws of Axos Episode 3 debuted on BBC1.
 * 3 April - The Claws of Axos Episode 4 debuted on BBC1.
 * 10 April - Colony in Space Episode 1 debuted on BBC1.
 * 14 April - Jon Pertwee became the unwitting subject of This is Your Life.
 * 17 April - Colony in Space Episode 2 debuted on BBC1.
 * 18 April - Actor David Tennant was born.
 * 24 April - Colony in Space Episode 3 debuted on BBC1.
 * 1 May - Colony in Space Episode 4 debuted on BBC1.
 * 8 May - Colony in Space Episode 5 debuted on BBC1.
 * 15 May - Colony in Space Episode 6 debuted on BBC1.
 * 22 May - The Dæmons Episode 1 debuted on BBC1.
 * 25 May - Actor Terence de Marney died.
 * 29 May - The Dæmons Episode 2 debuted on BBC1.
 * 5 June - The Dæmons Episode 3 debuted on BBC1.
 * 10 June - Actor Michael Piccarilli was born.
 * 12 June - The Dæmons Episode 4 debuted on BBC1.
 * 19 June - The Dæmons Episode 5 debuted on BBC1, concluding Season 8.
 * 28 June - Actor Benito Martinez was born.
 * 4 August - Actor Fenella Woolgar was born.
 * 20 August - Actor David Walliams was born.
 * For reasons unknown, World Distributors cancelled plans for a 1972 Doctor Who Annual. This was the only year the book was skipped until its cancellation in the mid-1980s.
 * 4 November - Actor Robyn Moore was born.
 * 19 November - Actor Naoko Mori was born.
 * 4 December - Actor Alec Ross died.