Doctor Who series 3
| Doctor Who | |
|---|---|
| Series 3 | |
DVD box set cover art | |
| Showrunner | Russell T Davies |
| Starring |
|
| No. of stories | 9 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (+1 special) |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Original release | 31 March – 30 June 2007 |
| Series chronology | |
The third series of the revived British science fiction programme Doctor Who, and the twenty-ninth season of the show overall, was preceded by the 2006 Christmas special "The Runaway Bride". Following the special, a regular series of thirteen episodes was broadcast, starting with "Smith and Jones" on 31 March 2007 and ending with "Last of the Time Lords" on 30 June 2007. In addition, a 13-part animated serial (equivalent to one regular episode) was produced and broadcast as part of Totally Doctor Who.
The series stars David Tennant as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor, an alien Time Lord who travels through time and space in his TARDIS, which appears to be a British police box on the outside. In the Christmas special he is joined by Catherine Tate as Donna Noble. The series also introduces Freema Agyeman as the Doctor's new companion Martha Jones, who leaves at the end of the series because her family need support whilst recovering from the events of the series finale, which involved her mother, sister and brother being tortured. John Barrowman also reprises his role as Captain Jack Harkness in the final three episodes which serve as the finale. The series is connected by a loose story arc consisting of the recurring phrase "Vote Saxon", which ultimately is revealed to be the return of the Doctor's enemy Time Lord the Master, first played by Derek Jacobi before regenerating into John Simm.
Three episodes from Series 3 were adapted from previously published works: "Human Nature" / "The Family of Blood" was adapted by Paul Cornell from his own New Adventures novel, also entitled Human Nature, while "Blink" originated as a short story in the 2006 Doctor Who annual by Steven Moffat called "What I Did on My Christmas Holidays' By Sally Sparrow".[1] "Human Nature" is also the first instance of the Doctor's previous incarnations prior to his ninth being explicitly referenced in the revived era through the sketches in The Journal of Impossible Things.[2]
The series garnered widespread acclaim and received positive reviews from critics, along with various awards.[3] Viewers and critics alike praised its acting, music, storytelling, suspenseful cliffhangers, meaningful themes, and high production quality.[4]
- ^ Pixley 2007, p. 95.
- ^ Ware, Peter. "Doctor Who – Fact File – Human Nature". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Doctor Who: Season 3 | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 8 July 2025.