The 2009 Specials (sometimes referred to by fans as 'Series 4b') were broadcast between the end of Series 4 and the beginning of Series 5. Of the four specials, one aired at Easter 2009, followed by a second in November, a third on Christmas 2009, with the final one airing on New Year's Day 2010. These four shows were overseen by Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner, but long-term line producer Phil Collinson did not return for them. All starred David Tennant. For the 2009 Specials, the Doctor was travelling alone, with each story featuring a one-off companion.

There had been conflicting reports given as to why a year was taken off. Initial media reports suggested this was to allow David Tennant to perform a season of Shakespeare during the time a regular season would have normally entered production.^{[source needed]} However, these reports were directly contradicted in Russell T Davies' book Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, which has correspondence from the spring of 2007, months before the gap year plan was announced. Davies indicated the intent was to take the series off for a year, except for a few specials, to let the new production team make its transition. Davies had already informed the BBC that he would not executive-produce a fifth season.

Exactly how to refer to these specials is a matter of some debate. Aside from informal terms such as "2009 Special" or "Gap Year", it is known that Planet of the Dead was considered Episode 15 of Series 4 by the production team, as revealed by David Tennant in his video diary of the episode's read through, and The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter shows the specials were all numbered 4.X. On the DVD/Blu-Ray release of the four specials plus The Next Doctor (in a box set titled The Complete Specials), a bonus feature of deleted scenes was entitled Series 4 Specials Deleted Scenes.

Television stories Edit

Specials Edit

Animated special Edit

Dreamland was a serialised animated story initially made available on the BBC's Red Button service before being televised in December 2009. Its writer has stated it takes place after the events of The Waters of Mars but it is not officially considered one of the Specials.

Other productions Edit

• David Tennant appeared as the Doctor in a two-part episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures entitled The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith. This is not considered one of the 2009 Specials.
• A 3-minute Doctor Who skit featuring John Barrowman with a cameo by David Tennant out of character aired as part of the Tonight's the Night talent series.
• In December 2009, Tennant appeared as the Doctor in a series of brief Christmas idents produced for BBC One and BBC America.

Disputed productions Edit

The Next Doctor Edit

Main article: The Next Doctor

The status of the 2008 Christmas special The Next Doctor is a matter of debate. Officially, it has been called the fourteenth episode of Series 4. However as noted below, the fourth series numbering also applies to the specials. The Next Doctor was produced during the same production block as Series 4, and also was produced differently than the specials, which were shot in high definition. It remains to be seen if over time The Next Doctor becomes accepted as one of the fourth season's episodes, as one of the 2009 specials, or as a complete standalone. BBC Video released it as part of the 2009 Specials box set on DVD and Blu-ray; as in the past, BBC Video's titling and programming has come to be considered definitive.

Music of the Spheres Edit

Main article: Music of the Spheres

Produced at the end of production on Series 4, this mini-episode was intended as part of the Doctor Who at the Proms concert which was aired on radio in the summer of 2008, with the episode initially available visually online. It did not receive official TV broadcast until early 2009, after broadcast of The Next Doctor. Like the Christmas special, its formal season placement is debated. Like The Next Doctor, it was released by BBC Video in the 2009 Specials DVD box set.

Soundtrack Edit

Main article: Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack: Series 4 - The Specials

The official soundtrack of the specials was released on 4 October, 2010.

Cast Edit

Primary cast Edit

• Tenth Doctor - David Tennant

Secondary cast Edit

• Lady Christina de Souza - Michelle Ryan
• Adelaide Brooke - Lindsay Duncan
• Wilfred Mott - Bernard Cribbins
• The Master - John Simm

Guest cast Edit

• Carmen - Ellen Thomas
• Barclay - Daniel Kaluuya
• Nathan - David Ames
• Captain Erisa Magambo - Norma Dumezweni
• Professor Malcolm Taylor - Lee Evans
• Andy Stone - Alan Ruscoe
• Ed Gold - Peter O'Brien
• Mia Bennett - Gemma Chan
• Yuri Kerenski - Aleksander Mikic
• Tarak Ital - Chook Sibtain
• The Woman - Claire Bloom
• Joshua Naismith - David Harewood
• Donna Noble - Catherine Tate
• Sylvia Noble - Jacqueline King
• Rassilon - Timothy Dalton

Introducing Edit

• The Eleventh Doctor - Matt Smith

Novels Edit

• The Eyeless
• Judgement of the Judoon
• The Slitheen Excursion
• Prisoner of the Daleks
• The Taking of Chelsea 426
• The Krillitane Storm
• Autonomy
• Code of the Krillitanes

Audiobooks Edit

• The Rising Night
• The Day of the Troll
• The Last Voyage
• Dead Air

Footnotes Edit

v • e Doctor Who television stories   Seasons 1-4: First Doctor Season 1 1963 1964 An Unearthly Child  • The Daleks  • The Edge of Destruction  • Marco Polo  • The Keys of Marinus  • The Aztecs  • The Sensorites  • The Reign of Terror Season 2 1964 1965 Planet of the Giants  • The Daleks Invasion of Earth  • The Rescue  • The Romans  • The Web Planet  • The Crusade  • The Space Museum  • The Chase  • The Time Meddler Season 3 1965 1966 Galaxy 4  • Mission to the Unknown  • The Myth Makers  • The Daleks' Master Plan  • The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve  • The Ark  • The Celestial Toymaker  • The Gunfighters  • The Savages  • The War Machines Season 4 1966 The Smugglers  • The Tenth Planet   Seasons 4-6: Second Doctor Season 4 1966 1967 The Power of the Daleks  • The Highlanders  • The Underwater Menace  • The Moonbase  • The Macra Terror  • The Faceless Ones  • The Evil of the Daleks Season 5 1967 1968 The Tomb of the Cybermen  • The Abominable Snowmen  • The Ice Warriors  • The Enemy of the World  • The Web of Fear  • Fury from the Deep  • The Wheel in Space Season 6 1968 1969 The Dominators  • The Mind Robbers  • The Invasion  • The Krotons  • The Seeds of Death  • The Space Pirates  • The War Games   Seasons 7-11: Third Doctor Season 7 1970 Spearhead from Space  • Doctor Who and the Silurians  • The Ambassadors of Death  • Inferno Season 8 1971 Terror of the Autons  • The Mind of Evil  • The Claws of Axos  • Colony in Space  • The Dæmons Season 9 1972 Day of the Daleks  • The Curse of Peladon  • The Sea Devils  • The Mutants  • The Time Monster Season 10 1972 1973 The Three Doctors  • Carnival of Monsters  • Frontier in Space  • Planet of the Daleks  • The Green Death Season 11 1973 1974 The Time Warrior  • Invasion of the Dinosaurs  • Death to the Daleks  • The Monster of Peladon  • Planet of the Spiders   Seasons 12-18: Fourth Doctor Season 12 1974 1975 Robot  • The Ark in Space  • The Sontaran Experiment  • Genesis of the Daleks  • Revenge of the Cybermen Season 13 1975 1976 Terror of the Zygons  • Planet of Evil  • Pyramids of Mars  • The Android Invasion  • The Brain of Morbius  • The Seeds of Doom Season 14 1976 1977 The Masque of Mandragora  • The Hand of Fear  • The Deadly Assassin  • The Face of Evil  • The Robots of Death  • The Talons of Weng-Chiang Season 15 1977 1978 Horror of Fang Rock  • The Invisible Enemy  • Image of the Fendahl  • The Sun Makers  • Underworld  • The Invasion of Time Season 16 1978 1979 The Key to Time: The Ribos Operation  • The Pirate Planet  • The Stones of Blood  • The Androids of Tara  • The Power of Kroll  • The Armageddon Factor Season 17 1979 1980 Destiny of the Daleks  • City of Death  • The Creature from the Pit  • Nightmare of Eden  • The Horns of Nimon  •Shada (unbroadcast) Season 18 1980 1981 The Leisure Hive  • Meglos  • Full Circle  • State of Decay  • Warriors' Gate  • The Keeper of Traken  • Logopolis   Seasons 19-21: Fifth Doctor Season 19 1982 Castrovalva  • Four to Doomsday  • Kinda  • The Visitation  • Black Orchid  • Earthshock  • Time-Flight Season 20 1983 Arc of Infinity  • Snakedance  • Mawdryn Undead  • Terminus  • Enlightenment  • The King's Demons Children in Need 1983 The Five Doctors Season 21 1984 Warriors of the Deep  • The Awakening  • Frontios  • Resurrection of the Daleks  • Planet of Fire  • The Caves of Androzani   Seasons 21-23: Sixth Doctor Season 21 1984 The Twin Dilemma Season 22 1985 Attack of the Cybermen  • Vengeance of Varos  • The Mark of the Rani  • The Two Doctors  • Timelash  • Revelation of the Daleks Season 23 1986 The Trial of a Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet  • Mindwarp  • Terror of the Vervoids  • The Ultimate Foe   Seasons 24-26: Seventh Doctor Season 24 1987 Time and the Rani  • Paradise Towers  • Delta and the Bannermen  • Dragonfire Season 25 1988 1989 Remembrance of the Daleks  • The Happiness Patrol  • Silver Nemesis  • The Greatest Show in the Galaxy Season 26 1989 Battlefield  • Ghost Light  • The Curse of Fenric  • Survival   1996: Eighth Doctor 1996 Doctor Who   Series 1: Ninth Doctor Series 1 2005 Rose  • The End of the World  • The Unquiet Dead  • Aliens of London / World War Three  • Dalek  • The Long Game  • Father's Day  • The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances  • Boom Town  • Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways   Series 2-4: Tenth Doctor Series 2 2005 2006 Mini-episode Children in Need Special Christmas special The Christmas Invasion Regular episodes New Earth  • Tooth and Claw  • School Reunion  • The Girl in the Fireplace  • Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel  • The Idiot's Lantern  • The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit  • Love & Monsters  • Fear Her  • Army of Ghosts / Doomsday Series 3 2006 2007 Christmas special The Runaway Bride Regular episodes Smith and Jones  • The Shakespeare Code  • Gridlock  • Daleks in Manhatten / Evolution of the Daleks  • The Lazarus Experiment  • 42  • Human Nature / The Family of Blood  • Blink  • Utopia / The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords Animation The Infinite Quest Series 4 2007 2008 2009 2010 Mini episode Time Crash Christmas episode Voyage of the Damned Regular episodes Partners in Crime  • The Fires of Pompeii  • Planet of the Ood  • The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky  • The Doctor's Daughter  • The Unicorn and the Wasp  • Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead  • Midnight  • Turn Left  • The Stolen Earth / Journey's End Mini episode Music of the Spheres The Specials The Next Doctor  • Planet of the Dead  • The Waters of Mars  • The End of Time Animation Dreamland For the purposes of this list, "series 4" is considered to be the production series 4, which ran all the way from Time Crash to The End of Time.   Series 5-present: Eleventh Doctor Series 5 2010 Regular episodes The Eleventh Hour  • The Beast Below  • Victory of the Daleks  • The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone  • The Vampires of Venice  • Amy's Choice  • The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood  • Vincent and the Doctor  • The Lodger  • The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang Mini episodes Meanwhile in the TARDIS Series 6 2010 2011 Christmas special A Christmas Carol Mini episodes Space / Time Regular episodes The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon  • The Curse of the Black Spot  • The Doctor's Wife  • The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People  • A Good Man Goes to War  • Let's Killer Hitler  • Night Terrors  • The Girl Who Waited  • The God Complex  • Closing Time  • The Wedding of River Song Mini episodes Death Is the Only Answer  • Night and the Doctor Series 7 2011 Christmas special The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe Despite marketing language by the BBC, The Adventure Games are not televised episodes, and therefore are not included on this list. Deliberately unincluded on this list are BBC licensed episodes which this wiki considers to be non-canonical — such as the so-called "Pilot Episode", Dimensions in Time, A Fix with Sontarans, Search Out Space, The Curse of Fatal Death and the National Television Awards Sketch 2011.