Doctor Who
Earthshock, Part Four
TV Flash files “Earthshock, Part Four” as hour 581 of 700 in the TV Flash guide — Doctor Who (1963–) on BBC, season 19, episode 22, aired 1982-03-16, 25 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S19E22: listed hour 581 of 700 in the Doctor Who guide, hour 22 of 26 in season 19. It aired 1982-03-16 (25 min). The listed hour before it is “Earthshock, Part Three” (S19E21). Next is “Time-Flight, Part One” (S19E23). Broadcast log — titles and dates, not a plot bible.
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
The Cybermen have taken over the bridge of the freighter. They fit a device onto the freighters control panel that will cause the ship to explode. The ships fuel will cause a explosion so strong that it will destroy the Earth completely. The Doctor and Companions battle against the Cybermen in an attempt to foil their plan. Someone pays the ultimate price to save the Earth and crew of the freighter.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Earthshock, Part Four sit in the Doctor Who guide?
S19E22 is listed hour 581 of 700 — hour 22 of 26 in season 19, season 19 episode 22.
When did Doctor Who S19E22 air?
Earthshock, Part Four aired 1982-03-16 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…