Doctor Who Listener Archive - 1975

15 February 1975
Vol 77 No 1837 (15-21 Feb 1975)
p32: preview article entitled 'Radio and Television '75: A Special Report', mentions the imminent return of Doctor Who

AND there's lots more. "Dr Who" returns. You probably remember Patrick Troughton as the inimitable space doctor, but now Jon Pertwee takes over and immediately faces a terrifying menace, the Autons!

19 April 1975
Vol 78 No 1846 (19-25 Apr 1975)
p66: photo (b/w) of the Third Doctor and Liz Shaw [from Spearhead from Space]; TV listings: Doctor Who and the Silurians Episode 3 (TV1, Friday 25/04/75)

Caroline John and Jon Pertwee in "Dr Who".

30 August 1975
Vol 79 No 1865 (30 Aug-5 Sep 1975)
p69: photo (b/w) of the Third Doctor [from Day of the Daleks]; TV listings: Day of the Daleks Episode One (TV2, Monday 01/09/75)

JON PERTWEE is Dr Who in the series beginning this evening (see below).

13 September 1975
Vol 80 No 1867 (13-19 Sep 1975) [wrongly dated 13-20 Sep 1975]
p17: article entitled 'Adventure ho! Television's yarns for youngsters - two views' by Karen Jackman and Francis Perkin, features a couple of references (by Perkins) and a photo (b/w) of the Third Doctor [from Day of the Daleks]

Reading through the list of adventure programmes, one could well be back in the early days of the NZBC - Thunderbirds, Dr Who and The Cisco Kid ...

Dr Who stars Jon Pertwee, the third doctor since the series was first made back in 1963. This Doctor No. 3 is a dashing man of action, much addicted to gadgets and spectacular forms of transport. As science fiction goes, it's nothing new though, even with the threat of the deadly Daleks.

Photo caption:

above "Dr Who" (TV2)

27 September 1975
Vol 80 No 1869 (27 Sep-3 Oct 1975)
p77: article entitled 'The third Dr Who' and illustration (b/w) by Frank Hampson of the Third Doctor and Jo with Daleks; TV listings: Carnival of Monsters Episode One (TV2, Tuesday 30/09/75) [article and illustration are both sourced from the 1973 Radio Times Doctor Who tenth anniversary special]

The third Dr Who

JON PERTWEE, the third Dr Who (pictured), is a dashing man of action, much addicted to gadgets and spectacular forms of transport. In fact, he helped design the Who-mobile with two engineers from Nottingham who specialise in spirit cars. Shaped like a flying saucer and powered by what Pertwee calls a "pepped-up" engine, you have to lie down to drive it, rather like a Grand Prix racing car. It seats two and inside there's a TV, stereo, telephone and what he describes mysteriously as "a computer bank".

Pertwee became Dr Who in 1970, at the stage when he was working on the radio series "The Navy Lark". When he heard about the possibility of taking the part he said, "That's a ridiculous idea. I might have always been known as an eccentric, not only in my life but theatrically too, but I'm still considered by most people as a light comedian."

He says he loathes the Daleks. "I think they're boring, but people love them so I suppose I'm wrong." Though he's no great science fiction person, he's inclined to believe in UFOs: "But why won't the blighters land?" He also thinks it's crazy that the "Dr Who" series should be labelled violent. "It's got to be a bit scary. My boy has a place under the table where he watches it from. But he doesn't have nightmares about it. If parents write to me and say their kids are scared I write back and say: 'Well, it's very simple. You lean forward, put out your hand and turn the switch to the off position.

"Dr Who" goes back in time this evening, beginning a new four-part series called "Carnival of Monsters".

8 November 1975
Vol 80 No 1875 (8-14 Nov 1975)
p93: photo (b/w) of the Second and Third Doctors [from The Three Doctors]; TV listings: The Three Doctors Episode Three (TV2, Tuesday 11/11/75). Photo caption:

The two Doctors Who - Jon Pertwee (left) and his "other self" (Patrick Troughton) share an adventure with the Time Lords but have to defend themselves against Omega in this evening's episode.

15 November 1975
Vol 80 No 1876 (15-21 Nov 1975)
p75: photo (b/w) of Omega [from The Three Doctors]; TV listings: The Three Doctors Episode Four (TV2, Tuesday 18/11/75). Photo caption:

Right: Omega, the seemingly all-powerful being, tries to overcome the three incarnations of Dr Who in the final episode of the "Three Doctors" story (6.0).

22 November 1975
Vol 80 No 1877 (22-28 Nov 1975)
p85: photo (b/w) of Sarah [from The Time Warrior]; TV listings: The Time Warrior Part One (TV2, Tuesday 25/11/75). Photo caption:

Elisabeth Sladen is Sarah Jane, Dr Who's companion in this new story.

6 December 1975
Vol 80 No 1879 (6-12 Dec 1975)
p85: photo (b/w) of Linx [from The Time Warrior]; TV listings: The Time Warrior Part Three (TV2, Tuesday 09/12/75). Photo caption:

Linx, an alien warrior.