| Season Number: | 19 |
| Bgcolour: |
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| Num Stories: | 7 |
| Num Episodes: | 26 |
| Network: | BBC1 |
| Episode List: | List of Doctor Who episodes (1963–1989) |
The nineteenth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 4 January 1982 with Castrovalva, and ended with Time-Flight. John Nathan-Turner produced the series, with two script editors: Anthony Root and Eric Saward.
See also: List of Doctor Who cast members.
Season 19 saw the introduction of Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor. Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding), Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) and Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) were his companions. Adric is killed off in the climax of Earthshock; a rare instance in the series of a companion dying.
Anthony Ainley returns in Castrovalva and Time-Flight as the Master.
David Banks makes the first of four appearances in the show as a Cyber-leader beginning in Earthshock.
See also: List of Doctor Who episodes (1963–1989). Antony Root served as script editor for Four to Doomsday and The Visitation, after which he was replaced by Eric Saward. Saward's work as script editor included the opening serial, Castrovalva, which was filmed later in the production run, and Earthshock, for which Root is credited due to Saward being the scriptwriter. The show moved from its traditional once-weekly Saturday broadcast to twice-weekly, primarily on Monday and Tuesday,[1] although there were regional variations to the schedule.
Black Orchid was the first purely historical story, with no science-fiction elements save for the TARDIS and its crew, since The Highlanders from Season 4; it was also the first two-part serial since The Sontaran Experiment in Season 12, and the first of a regular run of a two-parter every season until the change of format to 45 minute episodes in Season 22.
The entire season was broadcast from 4 January to 30 March 1982. For the first time in the series' history, episodes were not broadcast on Saturdays, but in a twice weekly format on Mondays and Tuesdays.
See also: List of Doctor Who home video releases and List of other Doctor Who home video releases.
See also: List of Doctor Who novelisations.