Whoniversaries 31 January

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i) births and deaths

31 January 1918: birth of John Crockett, who directed "The Wall of Lies", the fourth episode of the story we now call Marco Polo (First Doctor, 1964), and the whole of the story we now call The Aztecs (also First Doctor, 1964)

31 January 2003: death of William Marlowe, who played prisoner Harry Mailer in The Mind of Evil (Third Doctor, 1971) and Nerva crewman Lester in Revenge of the Cybermen (Fourth Doctor, 1976).

i) broadcast anniversaries

31 January 1970: broadcast of first episode of Doctor Who and the Silurians

31 January 1976: broadcast of first episode of The Seeds of Doom. A mysterious pod is found in Antarctica; it opens, infecting a nearby scientist. The Doctor and Sarah come to investigate.

31 January 1981: broadcast of first episode of The Keeper of Traken. First appearance of Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, and of Anthony Ainley though not yet as the Master. The dying Keeper invites the Doctor to come to Traken, where social balance is threatened by the evil calcified Melkur.

ii) date specified in canon

31 January 2007: the SS Elysium arrives in Panama after its encounter with Cybermen, as told in David Banks' 1993 novel Iceberg.

That brings January to an end, much the heaviest month in this project with 107 Old Who anniversaries, five Torchwood, various New Who and other things including the pilot of the Sarah Jane Adventures to take into account. (I realise I missed a couple of the Australian K9 episodes so have slotted them in now and will make sure to do so going forward.) February and March are also fairly intense; April and May (when many Old Who seasons had finished, and the numbers are not quite balanced out by the start of New Who) less so, and June will be a welcome relief.