| Season Number: | 8 |
| Bgcolour: |
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| Num Stories: | 5 |
| Num Episodes: | 25 |
| Network: | BBC1 |
| Episode List: | List of Doctor Who episodes (1963–1989) |
The eighth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 2 January 1971 with Terror of the Autons and ended with The Dæmons featuring Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor. This is the second of five series which Barry Letts produced consecutively and Terrance Dicks was the script editor.
See also: List of Doctor Who cast members.
Jon Pertwee continues his role as the Third Doctor. Katy Manning makes her first appearance as companion Jo Grant in Terror of the Autons.
Nicholas Courtney and John Levene continue their roles of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and Sergeant Benton, while Richard Franklin makes his first appearance as Captain Mike Yates.
Roger Delgado makes his first appearance as The Master in Terror of the Autons and continues to make appearances in each of the five serials.
Michael Wisher returns as a guest playing Rex Farrell in Terror of the Autons. Fernanda Marlowe makes appearances in The Mind of Evil and The Claws of Axos as Corporal Bell. Bernard Kay makes his fourth and final appearance in the show as Caldwell in Colony in Space.
See also: List of Doctor Who episodes (1963–1989). The season marks the first appearance of the Master who goes on to make further appearances through the season in every serial as the main antagonist who is finally captured at the end of the season. Colony in Space was the first serial set away from Earth since The War Games at the end of Season 6, and came about as a result of producer Barry Letts' feeling that the Earthbound stories of the Doctor's exile were too limiting in terms of potential plotting.
The entire season was broadcast from 2 January to 19 June 1971.
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.
During the release of the season, several comics were published to tie in to the events of the season. The Kingdom Builders (Set before the events of the season) was published in TV Comic magazine. Gemini Plan, Timebenders (Set after the events of the season) & The Vogan Slaves (Set years into The Doctor's future) were published in Countdown magazine.