The Fourth Doctor and Romana I

This era of the TV show was something of an experiment. It was the first full season to have a single story arc, the search for the Key to Time. It also introduced Romana, played by Mary Tamm, intended as an extreme contrast to Leela. Since the Key to Time stories are all pretty much connected, it wouldn’t initially appear that there’s much space to fit in more. However, nobody had yet accounted for the space after the Key to Time story finished, which could have gone on for a while before “Destiny of the Daleks.” Although Mary Tamm appeared as Romana in small parts in Gallifrey stories, and in a few Companion Chronicles, once Tom Baker returned to the role, she was able to star in one season of full-cast dramas before her death in 2012. Although she died too young, it’s remarkable that there’s one season of stories to better flesh out her character.