Doctor Who
State of Decay, Part One
TV Flash files “State of Decay, Part One” as hour 544 of 700 in the TV Flash guide — Doctor Who (1963–) on BBC, season 18, episode 13, aired 1980-11-22, 25 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S18E13: listed hour 544 of 700 in the Doctor Who guide, hour 13 of 28 in season 18. It aired 1980-11-22 (25 min). The listed hour before it is “Full Circle, Part Four” (S18E12). Next is “State of Decay, Part Two” (S18E14). Broadcast log — titles and dates, not a plot bible.
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
The Doctor and Romana find an isolated planet. K9 scans the planet, finding it has a village. The Doctor and Romana find high technology readings with the TARDIS sensors even though the village appears to have an absence of technology. The TARDIS lands near the village. The Doctor and Romana set off, leaving K9 behind to guard the TARDIS. Adric, from the previous story, has stowed away on the TARDIS. K9 finds him, but Adric tells him that as he is a stowaway. The Doctor and Romana find two men arguing. The Doctor asks to speak to a scientist. One of the men mistakes them for lords. After the Doctor, Romana and one of the men leave, The other man, using a radio, calls to others and tells them of the two strangers who just arrived. Travelling through the forest, Romana and the Doctor are surrounded by men. They surrender and are taken to a hidden cave, where they meet the rebels. One man is trying to get a computer up and running. The Doctor helps him and Romana identifies the computer system as coming from Earth, Adric tries to steal some food in the village. Adric is caught and those who caught him take on pity him and offer him a place to sleep because of the evil things that happen at night. The Doctor and Romana appear to be attacked by a swarm of bats at the end.
Viewer FAQ
Where does State of Decay, Part One sit in the Doctor Who guide?
S18E13 is listed hour 544 of 700 — hour 13 of 28 in season 18, season 18 episode 13.
When did Doctor Who S18E13 air?
State of Decay, Part One aired 1980-11-22 and is listed at 25 minutes.
Where should I start with the 1960s serials?
William Hartnell's First Doctor is the origin of the TARDIS-and-companions contract. Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor is the proof that regeneration works. Start at a serial whose surviving episodes interest you; missing-episode gaps are part of the classic-era weather.
In the series
Why this series still plays
A Time Lord, a police box bigger on the inside, and regeneration as infinite franchise life: Doctor Who launched from the BBC in 1963 and never really parked. Early black-and-white serials built the mythology; Hartnell-to-Troughton proved the lead could change without ending the show. The longest experiment in serialized reinvention — woolly, weird, endlessly renewable.
November 23, 1963, is a drop that never really parked. BBC's *Doctor Who* launched a Time Lord and a blue police box bigger on the inside, then treated the lead as renewable inventory. **Regeneration is the window.** Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber, and Donald Wilson were among the early architects. Early black-and-white serials built the mythology; companions, sonic screwdrivers, and cliffhangers became ritual. Rex wants woolly national inheritance. Fine. The business model is recasting without ending the show.
Filed against
- William Hartnell as The First Doctor
William Hartnell’s First Doctor launched Doctor Who from the BBC in 1963 — a Time Lord, a police box bigger on the inside, regeneration as infinite franchise life. Early black-and-white serials built the mythology; Hartnell-to-Troughton…
- Patrick Troughton as The Second Doctor
Patrick Troughton played the Second Doctor on Doctor Who, the 1960s BBC proof that a Time Lord could change faces without ending the franchise. Police box bigger on the inside, regeneration as infinite life, early black-and-white serials…
- Jon Pertwee as The Third Doctor
Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor kept Doctor Who’s police box moving — a Time Lord, a box bigger on the inside, regeneration as infinite franchise life. BBC serials launched in 1963 and never really parked; Hartnell-to-Troughton proved the lead…