Doctor Who BT Phonecard set

A must have for any BT Phonecard collector or Doctor Who fan is the BT Phonecard series of telephone cards issued between 1995 and 1997 in the UK.

Pictured right - Tardis (BTG448) - the first of fifteen Dr Who themed Phonecards - featuring the Tardis and actor William Hartnell, the original Doctor.

In total there are 15 cards to collect featuring photos from the hit BBC TV series which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013. The first fourteen cards were issued on BT optical Phonecards (without a chip) and the fifteenth card on the later electronic chip Phonecard technology.

The cards were issued privately by a company called Jonder Promotions (International) who over the years issued a number of different Phonecards. Being a private issue (rather than a public issue) therefore meant these cards were never available to buy publicly from Post Offices and newsagents where BT Phonecards were widely sold.

Pictured left - The Dominators (BTG547) - featuring the second Doctor played by Patrick Troughton. This is the first Dr Who BT Phonecard to feature full face printing.

However these cards could still be used to make telephone calls from British Telecoms network of cardphone payphones displaying the green 'Phonecard' sign on the outside of the telephone box. Although being commissioned specifically for the growing collectors market, it is not believed that many cards have been used to make telephone calls. Therefore most copies available today will be in a mint unused condition.

Pictured right - The Silurians (BTG627) - featuring the third Doctor played by Jon Pertwee and Bessie his car.

The first three cards were issued in quantities of 3,000 cards each, while the subsequent three were issued in quantities of 1,200 and 1,000 each for the remaining nine cards.

As well as the cards, a fact sheet was also produced to accompany each telephone card and included information such as: the cast, producer, writer, the years a particular Doctor or his companion appeared in the BBC television series and more besides including background information to the story line.

Pictured left - Image of the Fendahl (PRO120) - featuring the fourth Doctor played by Tom Baker, besides his assistant Leela, played by Louise Jameson.

The first card starts with the original Doctor played by William Hartnell (see first image above), with the following cards accounting the following years and different actors playing the Doctor. The final card (pictured left) issued in 1997, depicts the episode "Image of The Fendahl" featuring the forth Doctor played by Tom Baker and his assistant Leela played by Louise Jameson.

Along with the fact sheets a special navy blue binder with slip case was also produced to store, protect and display the fifteen card set.

Doctor Who BT Phonecards

Pictured below is the full set of 15 cards, which was released between 1995 and 1997. To view a larger version simply click on the image below.

Dr Who Telephone Card Catalogue Numbers

In the mid nineties a company called 'The Telephone Card Catalogue Company' devised a catalogue reference number system for every BT Phonecard issue. Using these reference numbers and the a copy of the latest catalogue it's easier for collectors and alike to find more information about the card, including card control number, quantity produced and of course a photo of the card.

Here are the catalogue numbers for the Dr Who BT Phonecards:

‣BTG448 - Doctor Who (1) - Tardis
‣BTG462 - Doctor Who (2) - Daleks
‣BTG497 - Doctor Who (3) - Aztecs
‣BTG498 - Doctor Who (4) - The Web Planet
‣BTG547 - Doctor Who (5) - The Dominators
‣BTG562 - Doctor Who (6) - The Invasion
‣BTG585 - Doctor Who (7) - The Krotons
‣BTG621 - Doctor Who (8) - The War Games
‣BTG627 - Doctor Who (9) - The Silurians
‣BTG649 - Doctor Who (10) - Terror of the Autons
‣BTG650 - Doctor Who (11) - The Curse of Peladon
‣BTG697 - Doctor Who (12) - Planet of the Spiders
‣BTG698 - Doctor Who (13) - The Ark in Space
‣BTG699 - Doctor Who (14) - The Planet of Evil
‣PRO120 - Doctor Who (15) - Image of the Fendahl

Pictured above right - The lnvasion (BTG562) - featuring an attack by the Cybermen bent on taking over the earth and below right - The Ark in Space (BTG698) featuring Tom Baker as the travelling Time Lord.

Original BBC TV Doctor Who episode air dates

Below is a list of the original television air dates for episodes that are featured on the 15 BT Phonecards. The telephone card catalogue reference number for each card is included within brackets.

‣Unearthly Child (BTG448) - 23.11.1963
‣The Daleks (BTG462) - 21.12.1963
‣The Aztecs (BTG497) - 23.05.1964
‣The Web Planet (BTG498) - 13.02.1965
‣The Dominators (BTG547) - 10.08.1968
‣The Invasion (BTG562) - 02.11.1968
‣The Krotons (BTG585) - 28.12.1968
‣The War Games (BTG621) - 19.04.1969
‣The Siluruns (BTG621) - 31.01.1970
‣Terror of the Autons (BTG649) - 02.01.1971
‣The Curse of Peladon (BTG650) - 29.01.1972
‣Planet of the Spiders (BTG697) - 04.05.1975
‣The Ark in Space (BTG698) - 25.01.1975
‣The Planet of Evil (BTG699) - 27.09.1975
‣Image of Fandhal (PRO120) - 29.10.1977

New to Phonecards?

Phonecards were issued in UK by British Telecom (BT) between 1981 to 2002 as an alternative means from coins tomake telephone calls from public payphones. To use the user simply inserted the Phonecard into a special cardphone payphone.

During the years that phone cards were issued in the UK (1981 to 2002) telephone collector number steadily grew, making them one of the fastest ever hobbies in the UK. Learn more about collecting telephone cards.

Pictured left - No. 1 in a series of eight BT telephone cards for the Star Wars film Empire Strikes Back.

Another popular sci-fi BT Phonecard series was the Star Wars set of phone cards. In total some 24 telephone cards were issued spanning the then three films - Star Wars (A New Hope), The Empire Strikes Back and Return of The Jedi.

If you have any questions regarding the Dr Who Phonecards or further information you feel I could add to this page please contact me, thanks.

Last updated: 8th January 2024