Transmitted originally: 30 December 1972 to 20 January 1973.
The power controlling these events is Omega, a figure from Time Lord history whose solar engineering provided the power for time travel. He has been trapped in the black hole ever since and now wants the Doctor to swap places with him. However, the decaying effects of his domain have already destroyed his physical form, leaving only his controlling will. He threatens to destroy the universe but is tricked into touching the second Doctor's recorder - the only thing not converted to antimatter on passing through the black hole - and is consumed in the resulting supernova. Everyone else escapes to Earth.
This story features a new TARDIS interior set, designed by Roger Liminton, based closely on the original.
At the conclusion of the story, the Time Lords lift the third Doctor's exile, sending him a new dematerialisation circuit and returning his knowledge of time travel.
The Third Doctor Novelisations
Back to the Third Doctor Programme Guide
Forward to 'Carnival of Monsters'.