Doctor Who/Season Twenty-Six

Season Twenty-Six
Doctor Who
Season Premiere	September 6, 1989
Season Finale	December 6, 1989
Episode Count	14
Notable Episodes	The Curse of Fenric
Previous Season Twenty-Five	Next The TV Movie

Season Twenty-Six of Doctor Who premiered on September 6, 1989.

What some regard as a bit of a return to form for the series, the final season of the original series features four stories, three of which are fairly highly regarded (The Curse of Fenric, Ghostlight, and Survival) and one which is considered below par (Battlefield, which suffers from a truly terrible score). This season sees the return of two popular characters, the Brigadier and The Master. Interestingly enough, and probably to cover for the completely lack of any budget, the final season is completely Earthbound (excepting a few parts in Survival).

This season has a recurring theme of evolution, with social darwinism being large themes in Ghostlight and Survival, and a possible branch of humanities' evolution shown in The Curse of Fenric. Another emphasis of the season is on Ace's backstory, culminating with her returning home to meet her friends in Survival.

Episodes

#	#	Title			Airdate
156: Battlefield
706	1	Battlefield (1)			September 6, 1989
707	2	Battlefield (2)			September 13, 1989
708	3	Battlefield (3)			September 20, 1989
709	4	Battlefield (4)			September 27, 1989
157: Ghost Light
710	5	Ghost Light (1)			October 4, 1989
711	6	Ghost Light (2)			October 11, 1989
712	7	Ghost Light (3)			October 18, 1989
158: The Curse of Fenric
713	8	The Curse of Fenric (1)			October 25, 1989
714	9	The Curse of Fenric (2)			November 1, 1989
715	10	The Curse of Fenric (3)			November 8, 1989
716	11	The Curse of Fenric (4)			November 15, 1989
159: Survival
717	12	Survival (1)			November 22, 1989
718	13	Survival (2)			November 29, 1989
719	14	Survival (3)			December 6, 1989

Planned season 27

When is was clear that Doctor Who wouldn't be returning for another year, planning had already begun on season 27, supposedly airing in the fall of 1990. As had been the case since season 24, the producers planned on the upcoming season the consist of 14 25-minute episodes, telling two 3-part stories, and two 4-part stories.

Most notably, the 27th season would have seen the departure of companion Ace, who would leave for Gallifrey in order to study to become a time lord, at the end of the second story. The third story would then introduce a new companion, a woman described as an "aristocratic cat burglar".

While none of the scripts were finalized at the time of the show's cancellation, the outlines were commissioned and adapted into audio dramas two decades later. Minor changes included, most notably, Ace not being written out, but rather teamed up with the new companion - safecracker Raine Creevey.

#	#	Title			Airdate
1	1	Earth Aid			July 2011 (as audio)
2	2	Thin Ice			April 2011 (as audio)
3	3	Crime of the Century			May 2011 (as audio)
4	4	Animal			June 2011 (as audio)