<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Doctor Who, Season 2 would capitilize on the modest success of the previous season, bringing the program to new levels of popularity. However, by season close most of the original principals would depart. Frequent turnovers would remain a pattern as long as the show continued its gruelling 40+ episode per year production schedule.

The departures would begin with "The Dalek Invasion of Earth." Twenty-four year old actress Carole Ann Ford was becoming frustrated with her role as the Doctor's accident prone teenage granddaughter Susan - a character who the production team was not allowing to mature significantly. Ultimately, it was decided to replace Susan with another teenager, the stranded orphan Vicki, who would join the TARDIS crew in "The Rescue."

Script editor David Whitaker would also depart after "The Dalek Invasion of Earth." His replacment would be Dennis Spooner, who had penned the season 1 story, "The Reign of Terror." But Spooner himself would also depart by the end of the season.

Associate producer Mervyn Pinfield had been assigned to advise fledgling producer Verity Lambert at the show's inception. But, since Lambert had now gained her feet, he was no longer needed and would depart the show mid season.

Wanting to move on to other projects, actor William Russell (Ian) announced that he would be leaving when his contract expired at the end of "The Chase." Feeling that perhaps Russell's exit signaled a good time to leave, Jacqueline Hill (Barbara) chose to depart at the same time.

Finally, producer Verity Lambert herself would choose to leave at the end of the season, leaving a rather devastated lead actor, William Hartnell, the only remaining original member of the principal cast and crew.

The season would build on the success of the first season by being bolder, experimenting more. It would see the first comedic serial in the show's history ("The Romans"). It would also venture into the realm of the boldly experimental with the distincly odd "The Web Planet."

The season would see the first and second much antipicated returns of the Daleks, who were already widely imitated on playgrounds across Britain, their toys and other memorabilia becoming hot sellers. The second of these appearances, "The Chase," would see the Daleks try their hand at comedy.

Finally, the season closer would introduce the first new member of the Doctor's race (not yet called Time Lords) to appear since the first episode, the mischeivous wanderer who became known as The Meddling Monk.

This season began airing on October 31, 1964. Ratings continued to climb through the middle of the season, making Doctor Who one of the most popular programs in Britain. But, they once again declined toward the end of the season.

• Planet of Giants (3 episodes)
• The Dalek Invasion of Earth (6 episodes)
• The Rescue (2 episodes)
• The Romans (4 episodes)
• The Web Planet (6 episodes)
• The Crusade (4 episodes)
• The Space Museum (4 episodes)
• The Chase (6 episodes)
• The Time Meddler (4 episodes)