Peter Davison said that if he had been given more stories like "The Caves of Androzani", then he would have reconsidered leaving.
This story marks the first occasion since The Keeper of Traken: Part Four (1981) (if Nyssa's pre-companion role in Season 18 is discounted) that the Doctor has spent a complete adventure with only a single incumbent companion, and the first time since The Invisible Enemy: Part Four (1977) that the Doctor has travelled without any non-human companions.
This episode was watched by 7.8 million viewers on its original transmission.