Doctor Who Guide

How Many Episodes of Doctor Who Are There?

The complete episode count for Doctor Who across six decades — classic series, revived series, specials and the missing episodes that changed television history.
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Quick Answer

Doctor Who has produced over 870 individual episodes across the classic and revived series, making it one of the longest-running science-fiction television programmes in history. The classic series (1963-1989) ran to 695 episodes across 26 seasons. The revived series (2005-present) has produced over 180 episodes plus numerous specials. Approximately 97 episodes from the classic era are still missing from the BBC archive.

Episode Count by Era

695 Classic Episodes 1963 to 1989. 26 seasons, seven Doctors, hundreds of serials told across individual 25-minute episodes.
97 Missing Episodes Approximately 97 classic era episodes are still missing from the BBC archive, primarily from the Troughton era.
180+ Revived Episodes 2005 to present. Full-length episodes of approximately 45 minutes each plus Christmas and anniversary specials.
870+ Total (Surviving) Approximate total of surviving episodes across both eras. One of the largest archives in British television.

Classic Series Episode Breakdown (1963-1989)

The classic series ran in a very different format to the modern show. Rather than discrete self-contained 45-minute episodes, it told stories across multiple 25-minute instalments — a serial format inherited from the adventure radio dramas of the preceding decades. A single story might run two, four, six or even twelve episodes, with each instalment ending on a cliffhanger.

Doctor Actor Seasons Stories Episodes
First Doctor William Hartnell 1-3 29 134
Second Doctor Patrick Troughton 4-6 21 119
Third Doctor Jon Pertwee 7-11 24 128
Fourth Doctor Tom Baker 12-18 41 172
Fifth Doctor Peter Davison 19-21 20 69
Sixth Doctor Colin Baker 21-23 11 31
Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy 24-26 12 42

The Missing Episodes: A Unique Television Tragedy

One of the most significant and poignant facts about Doctor Who's episode count is the existence of approximately 97 missing episodes. In the 1970s, the BBC had a policy of wiping and reusing videotapes after programmes had been broadcast and sold for international distribution — at a time when the concept of archive value for old television was not widely understood. Doctor Who, along with many other BBC programmes, lost a significant portion of its earliest years to this policy.

The missing episodes are primarily from the Patrick Troughton era (Second Doctor, 1966-69), of which only a fraction of stories survive in complete form. A dedicated community of researchers and the BBC itself have worked for decades to recover missing episodes from foreign broadcasters who purchased the show's international rights in the 1960s and 1970s. Significant discoveries have been made — notably in 2013 when nine missing episodes were found in a Nigerian television station — and the search continues.

Revived Series Episode Count (2005-Present)

The revived series adopted a format of largely self-contained full-length episodes, typically around 45 minutes, in contrast to the classic era's serial format. Each series consists of approximately eight to thirteen episodes plus an annual Christmas or New Year special. The episode count in the revived era is considerably lower per year than the classic era, reflecting both the change in format and the higher production values of the modern show.

Doctor Actor Series Episodes (approx.) Showrunner
Ninth Doctor Eccleston Series 1 13 Russell T Davies
Tenth Doctor Tennant Series 2-4 + specials 47 Russell T Davies
Eleventh Doctor Smith Series 5-7 + specials 44 Steven Moffat
Twelfth Doctor Capaldi Series 8-10 + specials 40 Steven Moffat
Thirteenth Doctor Whittaker Series 11-13 + specials 36 Chris Chibnall
14th / 15th Doctor Tennant / Gatwa Specials + Series 1 (new) 14+ Russell T Davies

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes of Doctor Who are there in total?Over 870 surviving episodes across the classic and revived series. The classic series produced 695 episodes across 26 seasons from 1963 to 1989. The revived series has produced over 180 episodes plus specials from 2005 to the present day.
How many Doctor Who episodes are missing?Approximately 97 classic era episodes are still missing from the BBC archive, primarily from the Patrick Troughton era. They were wiped by the BBC in the 1970s. Some missing episodes have been recovered over the decades, most recently nine in 2013, and the search continues.
How long is a Doctor Who episode?Classic era episodes were typically 25 minutes long. Revived series episodes are approximately 45 minutes each, with Christmas and anniversary specials running anywhere from 45 to 75 minutes. The 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor ran to 75 minutes.
Which Doctor has the most episodes?Tom Baker (the Fourth Doctor) has the most episodes of any Doctor, with approximately 172 individual episode instalments across seven seasons from 1974 to 1981. David Tennant's Tenth Doctor has the most episodes of any revived era Doctor.

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The Darkside Merchandise stocks officially licensed merchandise. Episode counts are approximate and based on publicly available production records. Doctor Who is a trademark of the BBC.