Doctor Who has been running for over 50 years but along the way there has been some shows that were created within the Doctor Who universe but didn't feature the Doctor! All Spin off shows have some link to the main show.
1981: K9 and Company!
Created by John-Nathan Turner and written by legend Doctor Who writer Terrance Dicks in 1981. This is a one of episode that aired on the 28th December in 1981. originally there was plans to make a whole series of K9 and company but unfortunately the BBC decided not to make any more after the episode aired. Elisabeth Sladen reprised her roll as Sarah alongside John Leeson who returned to voice the robot dog K9!
"A girls best friend" shows Sarah Jane Smith getting a mysterious parcel from the man she use to travel the universe with, The Doctor. The Doctor gifts Sarah K9 MK three! Sarah is visiting her aunt Lavinia however she is yet to return home. Whilst Sarah is staying she meets meet Brendan – Lavinia’s ward.
Fans remember the show for the Iconic theme tune that was sung By K9 himself. K9 and company was the only spin off that was created during the classic years of Who but that one episode was crucial to a future episode and spin off that wouldn't be made until 2006!
K9 and company was released on VHS in August 1995 and later on DVD in June 2008. It was included in the release of the Blu-Ray Complete season 18 box set which was released in March 2019.
"A girls best friend" shows Sarah Jane Smith getting a mysterious parcel from the man she use to travel the universe with, The Doctor. The Doctor gifts Sarah K9 MK three! Sarah is visiting her aunt Lavinia however she is yet to return home. Whilst Sarah is staying she meets meet Brendan – Lavinia’s ward.
Fans remember the show for the Iconic theme tune that was sung By K9 himself. K9 and company was the only spin off that was created during the classic years of Who but that one episode was crucial to a future episode and spin off that wouldn't be made until 2006!
K9 and company was released on VHS in August 1995 and later on DVD in June 2008. It was included in the release of the Blu-Ray Complete season 18 box set which was released in March 2019.
2006: Torchwood!
Torchwood had many mentions from series 2 and we saw Torchwood One in the two final episodes of Doctor who series 2. In October 2006 the first episode of Torchwood series one aired, Everything Changes! The episode saw Gwen, a police officer become intrigued by a group of people who turn up to a crime scene and retrieve a dead person in front of her very eyes. She then follows them back to the hub where she manages to get in by pretending to be a pizza delivery person. The Torchwood team consists of Captain Jack, who we first saw in the series one episode, The Empty Child. Ianto Jones who use to work for Torchwood one before the fall of Canary Wharf, in the first series his role in the team was to do the administration side but by series two he played a more prominent part of the team. Dr Owen Harper, the medical officer for Torchwood three. Toshiko Sato is the teams technical and gadget expert. Martha Jones joined the team in season 2 for a few episodes. The show ran for 4 series on TV from 2006-2011. In 2015 Big Finish announced they would release Torchwood audios, they have released various audios featuring John Barrowman and all of the team have appeared including Martha Jones. They have also released a few box sets that are set in Torchwood one featuring Ianto Jones and Yvonne Hartman. Torchwood audios from Big finish are still being released today. Torchwood has been released various times in DVD and Blu-Ray form from 2006 - 2011.
2007: The Sarah Jane Adventures!
After Elisabeth Sladen returned to Doctor Who in the episode The School Reunion, she began filming the pilot episode called The Invasion Of The Bane which was just the beginning to her own spin of show, The Sarah Jane Adventures. The first episode was aired on New Years Day 2007 and was an hour long. The series followed Sarah fighting monsters with the help of her computer, Mr Smith and a team of school children - Luke, Clyde, Maria and from series 2 Rani and from series 5, Sky - helping Sarah Jane defend the earth from evil. K9 would also make appearances thought the series, John Leeson once again voiced K9. The Sarah Jane adventures ran for 5 Series and the final episode aired in 2011 after Elisabeth Sladen sadly suddenly passed away. The Sarah Jane adventures featured some new monsters like the Trickster and Grask but also had monsters from the Main show like Slitheen and Sontarans and the Judoon. Nicholas Courtney reprised his legendary role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart for a cameo in an episode as well as Katy Manning also staring as Jo Grant alongside Sarah and the 11th Doctor. Both the 10th and 11th Doctors featured in the series. The Sarah Jane Adventures is highly regarded along Doctor Who fans and was extremely popular. The Sarah Jane Adventures has been released on DVD and Blu-Ray from 2007 - 20012. Various episodes have also been included in the Specials steelbook and the season 10 Blu-Ray Box set.
2009: K9
2009 saw another spin off, but this one was not made by the BBC, it was made by Jetix Europe. The series was set in London, England but production was it was made in Australia. The series saw K9 defend earth from evil creatures along with a scientist and a group of school kids. John Leeson once again reprised his role and Voiced K9 for the series.
"In the year 2059 Professor Gryffen was conducting experiments with an alien Space Time Manipulator. The original K9 got pulled through with some other aliens. K9 was forced to self destruct saving London from the aliens. With help from Starkey K9 was able to regenerate. After K9 regenerated he had no memory of where he came from, now he helps Jorjie, Darius, Starkey and professor Gryffen protect London from alien threats."
They unfortunately only made one series of this spin off, which featured 26 x 25 minuet episodes. A second series was planned however it never came around. A movie was also planned called Time Quake which would have featured Omega. This also never came to light. In September 2018 they announced they would focus on a new "multi million Dollar" series however no further news has come about.
"In the year 2059 Professor Gryffen was conducting experiments with an alien Space Time Manipulator. The original K9 got pulled through with some other aliens. K9 was forced to self destruct saving London from the aliens. With help from Starkey K9 was able to regenerate. After K9 regenerated he had no memory of where he came from, now he helps Jorjie, Darius, Starkey and professor Gryffen protect London from alien threats."
They unfortunately only made one series of this spin off, which featured 26 x 25 minuet episodes. A second series was planned however it never came around. A movie was also planned called Time Quake which would have featured Omega. This also never came to light. In September 2018 they announced they would focus on a new "multi million Dollar" series however no further news has come about.
2016: Class
Class launched online via BBC Three in October 2016. The series was set at Coal Hill School and focused on 5 main characters; Mrs Quill - a alien teacher who was bought to earth by the Doctor, Charlie who is also an alien and was bought to earth by the Doctor, Ram, April and Tanya all of which are six form students at the school. The first episode featured the 12th Doctor played by Peter Capaldi. Series one featured 8 episodes. unfortunately Class was not commissioned for a second series. Big Finish announced they would make 2 volumes of Class featuring the original cast. They also made a further two more volumes in 2020. Class was aired on BBC One from the 9th January at a 22:45 slot. It was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on the 16th January 2017.
Offical Website: bbc.co.uk/programmes/p048h1bz
Offical Website: bbc.co.uk/programmes/p048h1bz