The Caves of Androzani

135[1]The Caves of Androzani
Doctor Who serial
Cast
Others
Production
Directed byGraeme Harper
Written byRobert Holmes
Script editorEric Saward
Produced byJohn Nathan-Turner
Music byRoger Limb
Production code6R
SeriesSeason 21
Running time4 episodes, 25 minutes each
First broadcast8 March 1984 (1984-03-08)
Last broadcast16 March 1984 (1984-03-16)
Chronology
← Preceded by
Planet of Fire
Followed by →
The Twin Dilemma
List of episodes (1963–1989)

The Caves of Androzani is the sixth serial of the 21st season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 8 to 16 March 1984.

In the serial, the Doctor becomes involved in a war for control of the life-prolonging substance "spectrox" on the planet Androzani Minor, which is being fought between the ruthless businessman Morgus (John Normington) and the android-builder Sharaz Jek (Christopher Gable).

The Caves of Androzani was Peter Davison's last regular appearance as the Fifth Doctor, marked the first appearance of Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor, and saw the return of scriptwriter Robert Holmes to the series for the first time since 1978. It was also Graeme Harper's first work on the series as a full director, having worked on earlier serials as an assistant director. In 2009 The Caves of Androzani was voted by fans as the best Doctor Who story in history.[2]

  1. ^ From the Doctor Who Magazine series overview, in issue 407 (pp26-29). The Discontinuity Guide, which counts the unbroadcast serial Shada, lists this as story number 136. Region 1 DVD releases follow The Discontinuity Guide numbering system.
  2. ^ Kirsty Cameron (16 September 2009). "Doctor Who Top 10". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 23 September 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2009.