1950s

The Seventh Doctor described the 1950s as the height of American suspicion and xenophobia as a result of the Cold War. (COMIC: The Good Soldier)

A secret bunker was built under Whitehall. (TV: Invasion of the Dinosaurs)

In the second half of the decade, the British government created Department C19. (PROSE: The Scales of Injustice)

Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart joined the Scots Guards and was stationed for a time at Aldgate. (TV: The Web of Fear, The Green Death)

Two chapters of The True History of Planets were published as short stories in magazines. (PROSE: Mad Dogs and Englishmen)

Behind the scenes

 * The first airing of the Quatermass serials, which would have a tremendous influence on Doctor Who, occurred.