Time is relative, but there is no denying that some Doctor Who stories have been longer than others. In fact, some of the Time Lord’s adventures have spanned entire seasons. Are these truly the biggest Doctor Who serials?
Doctor Who Season 1
Did you know that the very first season of Doctor Who is technically one long story? Each of the Doctor Who stories in this season connect to one another, meaning that you can effectively watch them through from ‘An Unearthly Child‘ to ‘The Reign of Terror,’ apart from the missing episodes of course; you will need to boot up the CD player for ‘Marco Polo.’ And you’ll need to set aside some 17.5 hours to appreciate it.
Remember, for viewers at the time it wasn’t clear when one adventure ended another began. The Doctor Who serials simply melded into one another, and the series didn’t use (official) serial titles in those days: only individual episode titles. So it was even harder to discern.
But what do you think? Is Doctor Who Season 1 really one big story, or is it more accurate to consider it a collection of smaller adventures?
Doctor Who Season 12 (and 13)
We face a similar ‘problem’ with the Doctor Who stories of Seasons 12 and 13. Like Doctor Who Season 1, each adventure rolls into the next. This was actually quite a novel idea at the time, and it hadn’t really been done since the William Hartnell days.
Thus, it is possible to watch everything in Doctor Who Season 12 from ‘Robot’ through to ‘Revenge of the Cybermen’ and, effectively, feel like you have watched one long adventure. Moreover, the latter story connects to the opening serial of Doctor Who Season 13, ‘Terror of the Zygons,’ if you want to stretch your viewing marathon even further.
And for the super hardcore among you, there is also the final story of Season 11, ‘Planet of the Spiders,’ which connects directly to ‘Robot.’ That’s 12.5 hours of viewing, fact fans. Better stock up on the jelly babies.
The Key to Time
Doctor Who Season 16 is effectively one epic quest. The Doctor Who stories in this series aren’t linked as obviously as those in seasons 1 and 12, but they are all connected by a theme. In Season 16, the Doctor and his new companion Romana are hunting down the missing segments to the Key to Time, and each adventure focuses on a single segment, of which there are six.
In all honesty, it might be more accurate to class the Key to Time quest as a ‘connected season’ rather than one big story, but it’s open to debate. What’s your opinion on Doctor Who Season 16?
The E-Space Trilogy
Doctor Who revisited the idea of a connected series a couple of years later, when John Nathan-Turner took over the reins as producer. And whilst not all of Doctor Who Season 18 is connected, many of its stories are, most notably the E-Space Trilogy which comprises ‘Full Circle,’ ‘State of Decay’ and ‘Warriors’ Gate.’
These Doctor Who stories see the Time Lord and Romana plunged into an alternate universe, and they spend three adventures trying to find their way out. In Romana’s case, she never escapes, although this is because she chooses to stay. Moreover, the Doctor picks up another companion over the course of the trilogy in the shape of Adric, whilst also saying goodbye to K9. It’s a rollercoaster.
At the same time, the E-Space Trilogy is one of the shorter entrants on our list at a ‘mere’ five hours – although if you’re feeling hardcore you could tack on the Doctor Who stories which follow: ‘The Keeper of Traken,’ ‘Logopolis‘ and ‘Castrovalva,’ as these are all connected; arguably, ‘The Keeper of Traken’ takes place close to the events of ‘Warriors’ Gate.’
The Trial of a Time Lord
Following the impromptu hiatus of 1985, the production team came up with the idea of a linked series for Doctor Who Season 23. The programme was effectively on trial for its life, and the writers decided to reflect this in the Doctor Who stories. In the 14 part ‘Trial of a Time Lord,’ the Doctor finds himself in court, taken out of time and space to face accusations of illicit interference in the lives of other planets.
Does it sound familiar? It should do, as the Doctor previously stood trial for similar ‘crimes,’ although things are a bit different this time. The whole trial is a sham, orchestrated by an evil, future incarnation of the Doctor known as the Valeyard who is hell bent on stealing the Sixth Doctor’s remaining regenerations. He obviously hasn’t seen ‘The Timeless Children.’
And whilst these Doctor Who stories may not be considered all-time classics, there are some great moments in Season 23, particularly the ‘Terror of the Vervoids’ segment written by Pip and Jane Baker. This season is also notable for featuring the final contributions of long-time writer Robert Holmes, who sadly passed away before he could finish his last script.
Flux
Doctor Who Series 13 was never intended to be a connected season, but it became that way (and considerably shorter) due to the COVID pandemic of 2020. These six Doctor Who stories concern a wave of destruction known as the Flux which threatens to wipe out the entire universe, and indeed it does destroy a considerable chunk of it.
Unusually, this fact isn’t addressed (or set right) at the season’s conclusion, and indeed the following stories carry on as if nothing had happened. The Flux was, however, ultimately acknowledged in 2022’s ‘Wild Blue Yonder’ as the Time Lord struggled to come to terms with everything that had happened.
Candidly, you will doubtless be confused by these Doctor Who stories as they are ambiguous, confusing and riddled with unanswered questions. Presumably, this was the intention of the writer and showrunner Chris Chibnall, as there are moments like the Doctor’s vision of the mysterious house which are never explained. But it’s visually striking and chock-full of beloved Doctor Who monsters, including the Daleks, Sontarans and Weeping Angels.
So tell us: which is your favourite of these epic Doctor Who stories? Can you think of any others we could add to this list? Let us know in the comments below.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the two obvious super-long stories of the early classic era. The 12 (half hour) episode long “Dalek’s Masterplan” from Hartnell and the 10 (half hour) episode long “The War Games” from Troughton, which definitely are one long story each. The Key to Time, Trial, Flux and seasons 1 and 12 are interconnected separate adventures, but the two stories I mentioned fit your article’s stated criteria best, in my opinion.