| Doctor Who | |
|---|---|
| Season 2 | |
 Cover art of the Blu-ray release for the complete season | |
| Starring | |
| No. of stories | 9 |
| No. of episodes | 39 (2 missing) |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC1 |
| Original release | 31 October 1964 – 24 July 1965 |
| Season chronology | |
The second season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 1964 and 1965. The season began on 31 October 1964 with Planet of Giants and ended with The Time Meddler on 24 July 1965. Like the first season, production was overseen by the BBC's first female producer Verity Lambert. Story editor David Whitaker continued to handle the scripts and stories during early production, handing over to Dennis Spooner as the season began to air; Spooner subsequently left his role by the season's end, and was replaced by Donald Tosh for its final serial. By the season's end, Lambert was the only remaining production member from the team responsible for creating the series.
The season continued to star William Hartnell as the first incarnation of the Doctor, an alien who travels through time and space in his TARDIS, which appears to be a British police box on the outside. Carole Ann Ford continued her role as the Doctor's granddaughter Susan Foreman, who acts as his companion alongside her schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, portrayed by William Russell and Jacqueline Hill, respectively. Ford departed the series at the conclusion of the season's second serial, The Dalek Invasion of Earth, replaced by Maureen O'Brien as Vicki in the following story, The Rescue. Towards the end of the season, Russell and Hill also depart in the final episode of The Chase, replaced by Peter Purves as Steven Taylor. Hartnell remained as the only original cast member.
The nine serials were written by six writers: Whitaker, Spooner, Louis Marks, Terry Nation, Bill Strutton, and Glyn Jones. Lambert worked with the story editors to keep the show feeling fresh, attempting new avenues such as humorous and pseudo-historical content. The serials were mostly directed by returning directors Mervyn Pinfield, Richard Martin, Christopher Barry; the exception is Douglas Camfield, who had worked as a production assistant to director Waris Hussein during the first season. The first two serials were filmed from August to October 1964 within the same production block as the first season; the remainder of the season began filming in December 1964 and lasted for approximately seven months, with weekly recording take place mostly at Riverside Studios or the BBC Television Centre.
The first episode was watched by 8.4 million viewers, considered a strong debut to the season. The Dalek Invasion of Earth was watched by an additional four million viewers, and the show reached a series-high of 13.5 million viewers for the first episode of The Web Planet. The season received generally positive reviews, with praise directed at the scripts and performances, particularly Hartnell and Hill, though some stories and special effects were criticised; the final scenes of Ford, Russell, and Hill received particular praise for their emotional impact. Several episodes were erased by the BBC between 1967 and 1969, though most were eventually discovered and recovered; of a total of 39 episodes, only two episodes of The Crusade remain missing. The serials received several VHS and DVD releases as well as tie-in novels, and a Blu-ray set for the season was released in 2022.