Storylines graph
Storylines

Storylines in Doctor Who

The conflicts and themes that run through the narrative — each one traceable across episodes and seasons, event by event.

1609 conflict arcs
375 themes

Conflict Arc

Palmerdale's leadership challenged by crew

Interpersonal
S15 2 events

Lord Palmerdale's desperate authoritative demands clash with growing defiance from crew members Harker and Vince as survival tensions escalate, testing authority and trust in a crisis.

Conflict Arc

Pangol's Professional Crisis

Internal
S18 2 events

Pangol's Professional Crisis: Reputation under threat and technological failure.

Conflict Arc

Parasitic Seaweed Threat

Internal
S5 2 events

The Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria confront a sentient and parasitic seaweed that infects a North Sea gas refinery, threatening its inhabitants and infrastructure with an organic, consuming menace.

Conflict Arc

Paris's Struggle for Credibility

Interpersonal
S3 2 events

Paris struggles to gain credibility as a warrior and leader among Troy's elite, facing skepticism from Cassandra, Priam, and others despite his strategic insights. His efforts to prove himself are met with doubt and resistance.

Conflict Arc

Paterson's Authoritarian Regime

Interpersonal
S26 2 events

Sergeant Paterson's survivalist doctrine clashes with the Doctor's moral opposition and local resistance. He enforces authoritarian control even as the town unravels, with Ace trying to uncover truths about missing youth. The conflict pits his rigid regime against those fighting …

Conflict Arc

Penley's Fractured Loyalties

Internal
S5 2 events

Penley's internal struggle with fractured loyalties, torn between helping Storr and assisting the base.

Conflict Arc

Percival's Submission to the Master

Interpersonal
S9 2 events

Percival's gradual realization and submission to the Master's psychological domination culminates in his betrayal of duty. He is drawn into the Master's orbit, becoming a tool in the villain's plans.

Conflict Arc

Peri Brown's Chessene Ordeal

Internal
S22 2 events

Peri Brown's struggle to maintain loyalty to the Doctor while navigating Chessene's psychological manipulation and ethical compromises to survive.

Conflict Arc

Peri Brown's Kamelion Trauma

Internal
S21 2 events

Peri’s psychological trauma resurfacing and exploitation by Kamelion through familial imposture and memory manipulation.

Conflict Arc

Peri's Fight for Survival in Hostile Regimes

Interpersonal
S22 2 events

Peri Brown fights for survival and credibility against regimes that perceive her as a threat. Trapped in hostile environments, she uses her wits to evade capture and danger, asserting her agency in the face of overwhelming odds.

Conflict Arc

Persuade the Guardian for Mercy

Interpersonal
S8 2 events

The Doctor must persuade a guardian to spare their lives, risking sacrifice and appeals for mercy in a tense moral negotiation.

Conflict Arc

Persuasion's Unese

Internal
S19 2 events

Persuasion's institutional loyalty to Monarch's regime versus mounting unease about the regime's stability and moral decay.

Conflict Arc

Petrossian's Supernatural Terror

Internal
S26 2 events

Petrossian, on a field mission to recover critical intelligence, becomes prey to an ancient supernatural force. The conflict represents the fragility of human agency in the face of cosmic terror, as Petrossian's descent into fear tests his sanity and survival.

Conflict Arc

Pex's Assertion of Authority in Paradise Towers

Interpersonal
S24 2 events

Pex makes a combative assertion of his authority within Paradise Towers, driven by his fragile ego and delusions of heroic purpose as he seeks to dominate through force. His actions create conflict in a society already on the brink.

Conflict Arc

Philosophical Clash with Cho-Je

Interpersonal
S11 2 events

Cho-Je's detached philosophical approach clashes with the Doctor's immediate action-oriented nature when confronting supernatural threats, creating tension over methodology.

Conflict Arc

Philosophical Disagreement with UNIT

Interpersonal
S7 2 events

The Doctor versus the Brigadier in a philosophical disagreement over methods: science and diplomacy versus military force in dealing with alien threats.

Conflict Arc

Pilot's Conditioning Rebellion

Internal
S4 2 events

The Pilot's struggle to overcome his conditioning and brainwashing under the Macra's control, leading to his eventual rebellion and alliance with the Doctor.

Conflict Arc

Plague-Infested 17th-Century Village

Societal
S19 2 events

The Doctor's TARDIS misjump strands companions in a plague-infested 17th-century village, forcing survival mode against both environmental and human threats while navigating tertiary alien infiltration.

Conflict Arc

Plantagenet's Colony Crisis

Interpersonal
S21 2 events

The Doctor and his companions investigate meteorite bombings that challenge Plantagenet's leadership and the colony's fragile myths of control on the frontier.

Conflict Arc

Plantagenet's Leadership Crisis

Internal
S21 2 events

Plantagenet's struggle to maintain absolute authority while his body and leadership fail under the stress of bombardment and rebellion.

Conflict Arc

Plasmaton Control

Interpersonal
S19 2 events

Technological domination via Plasmaton bubbles and psychotronic control devices strips autonomy and enforces loyalty, leading to internal conflicts over resistance versus compliance.

Conflict Arc

Polly's Resistance to Colony Mind Control

Interpersonal
S4 2 events

Polly Wright resists the Colony's mind control and its manufactured reality, fighting to maintain her identity and autonomy. She works to expose the truth and rebel against the oppressive regime that seeks to erase her sense of self.

Conflict Arc

Post-Culloden Aftermath

Interpersonal
S4 2 events

The Doctor and his companions struggle to navigate the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden, balancing their desire to avoid interfering in history with moral obligations to help.

Conflict Arc

Predator Stalking Crew

Internal
S23 2 events

A predator stalks crewmembers based on signs of aging, manifesting as a biological threat that targets victims with concealed, organic efficiency. The unseen assailant creates a pervasive atmosphere of paranoia and vulnerability.

Conflict Arc

President Romana's Governance

Internal
S15 2 events

President Romana's attempts to govern authentically amid deceptive leadership tactics and institutional resistance, including her struggle with Borusa's manipulations and aligning with external allies to maintain political survival.

Conflict Arc

Prince Reynart's Rescue

Interpersonal
S16 2 events

The Doctor campaigns to rescue Prince Reynart through technological subterfuge, deploying an android replica and an untested plan that hinges on concealed mechanisms.

Conflict Arc

Prisoner Conflict on Desperus

Interpersonal
S3 2 events

On the prison planet Desperus, a power struggle between prisoners, including Bors, is complicated by the arrival of a crashed Spar ship offering potential escape. The prisoners must navigate shifting alliances and survival in a volatile environment.

Conflict Arc

Professor Hayter's Cosmic Terror

Internal
S19 2 events

Professor Hayter's psychological and physical resilience is tested as he grapples with the terrifying reality of the Xeraphin's cosmic power, oscillating between intellectual curiosity and existential terror.

Conflict Arc

Professor Horner's Reckless Ambition

Interpersonal
S8 2 events

Professor Horner's reckless ambition to uncover the secrets of Devil's Hump leads him to become a pawn in the Master's plan, unintentionally unleashing the ancient demon Azal. His arrogance blinds him to the supernatural danger, creating a crisis the Doctor …

Conflict Arc

Professor Kellman's Cybermen Conspiracy

Interpersonal
S12 2 events

Professor Kellman acts as a double agent within Vogan leadership, orchestrating Cybermen plague weaponization to cover his tracks. Ultimately, he seeks redemption by preventing galactic genocide, turning from villain to reluctant hero.

Conflict Arc

Professor Stahlman's Reckless Drilling

Interpersonal
S7 2 events

Professor Stahlman's reckless pursuit of drilling, disregarding all safety protocols and warnings, clashes with the Doctor's attempts to prevent a catastrophic volcanic eruption. His ambition endangers the world as the Doctor races to avert disaster.

Conflict Arc

Professor Travers' Redemption

Internal
S5 2 events

Professor Travers, burdened by traumatic encounters with the Yeti and personal guilt over reactivating the Great Intelligence, strives for redemtion while battling memory loss and losing influence over his daughter Anne.

Conflict Arc

Protecting Delta's Hatchling

Interpersonal
S24 2 events

The Doctor protects Delta and her hatchling while navigating institutional resistance from camp authorities like Burton and Weismuller.

Conflict Arc

Protecting Susan from Conspiracy

Interpersonal
S1 2 events

Barbara struggles to protect Susan from kidnappers and uncover the truth behind the conspiracy, balancing her loyalty to Ian with the safety of her companions.

Conflict Arc

Protecting the Hatchling from the Bannermen

Interpersonal
S24 2 events

Billy Harrow's evolving relationship with Delta and her hatchling moves from cautious cooperation to deep protective responsibility, as the danger posed by the Bannermen grows.

Conflict Arc

Race Against Time and Entropy

Societal
S17 2 events

The Doctor races against time and entropy to cross a collapsing time-space vortex to reach his TARDIS before Skagra completes mind-control domination, with Romana and Clare maintaining a fragile temporal link.

Conflict Arc

Radnor's Denial of the Ice Warrior Threat

Interpersonal
S6 2 events

Radnor dismisses the escalating threats posed by the Ice Warriors' invasion, while Eldred struggles desperately to make him understand the severity of the situation. Their conflict over perception of danger threatens the ability to mount an effective response.

Conflict Arc

Rago's Control Struggle

Internal
S6 2 events

Rago's internal struggle to maintain control and mission efficiency as setbacks and dwindling resources force him into increasingly desperate and furious decisions.

Conflict Arc

Range and Norna's Strained Partnership

Interpersonal
S21 2 events

Range and Norna find their partnership strained between scientific duty and familial loyalty as they pursue the truth about the mysterious disappearances on Frontios. Their collaboration is tested by escalating disasters and deception.

Conflict Arc

Ransom's Paranoia

Internal
S6 2 events

Ransom's internal struggle as paranoia about Smythe and conflicting loyalties intensify within the War Games simulation, leaving him subservient despite growing doubts.

Conflict Arc

Rebel Mission Failure Internal Fracture

Interpersonal
S9 2 events

After a failed assassination attempt, the rebellion suffers internal fracture. Distrust and ideological splits among rebel factions threaten their unity. The conflict explores how setbacks can tear apart revolutionary movements.

Conflict Arc

Recovering Professor Stengos's Remains

Interpersonal
S22 2 events

Natasha Stengos and Grigory risk everything in a covert mission to recover the remains of Professor Stengos from Davros's horrific experiments. They battle both grief and institutional corruption, navigating a landscape of trauma and moral decay to reclaim what is …

Conflict Arc

Remington's Ancestral Guilt

Internal
S25 2 events

Remington's internal conflict between ancentral guilt and personal ambition when exposed to her family's dark past.

Conflict Arc

Resistance Against War Lord Simulations

Interpersonal
S6 2 events

Resistance fighters like Carstairs and Russell struggle against the War Lords' simulation technology, working to expose the truth to other captured soldiers. Their battle is for liberation from a fabricated reality designed to control them.

Conflict Arc

Resisting the Master's Hypnosis

Interpersonal
S8 2 events

Captain Chin Lee struggles against the Master's hypnotic control, which forces her to act against her will and betray her duty, highlighting themes of autonomy and manipulation.

Conflict Arc

Riggs and Kellman's mutual mistrust

Interpersonal
S12 2 events

Lieutenant Lester Riggs and Professor Kellman engage in escalating mistrust and conflict, using aggression and disregard for protocol that threatens their mission and highlights the dangers of interpersonal strife.

Conflict Arc

Rigid Security Protocols Endangerment

Societal
S19 2 events

Security forces' rigid adherence to protocol traps and endangers the Doctor's companions rather than ensuring their safety. Uniformed officers and the Head of Sea Base Security prioritize rules over common sense, criticizing bureaucratic rigidity in the face of existential threats.

Conflict Arc

Ringway's Betrayal to the Cybermen

Interpersonal
S19 2 events

Ringway betrays the crew by exploiting existing divisions to align with the Cybermen. He actively undermines the Doctor's credibility, manipulating the situation to serve the Cybermen's objectives at the expense of his own allies.