016 – The Chase | |||
---|---|---|---|
Doctor Who serial | |||
![]() The Daleks battle the Mechonoids in the latter's city on Mechanus. The design of the Mechonoids and the battle in the sixth episode received praise from critics.[1][2][3] | |||
Cast | |||
Guest
| |||
Production | |||
Directed by | Richard Martin[h] | ||
Written by | Terry Nation | ||
Script editor | Dennis Spooner | ||
Produced by | Verity Lambert | ||
Music by | Dudley Simpson | ||
Production code | R[8] | ||
Series | Season 2 | ||
Running time | 6 episodes, 25 minutes each | ||
First broadcast | 22 May 1965 | ||
Last broadcast | 26 June 1965 | ||
Chronology | |||
| |||
The Chase is the eighth serial of the second season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by Terry Nation and directed by Richard Martin,[h] the serial was broadcast on BBC in six weekly parts from 22 May to 26 June 1965. Set in multiple time periods on several different planets, including Aridius, Earth, and Mechanus, the serial features the Dalek race travelling through time while pursuing the TARDIS and its occupants—the First Doctor (William Hartnell) and his companions Ian Chesterton (William Russell), Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill), and Vicki (Maureen O'Brien)—to kill them and seize the TARDIS for themselves. The Doctor and companions encounter several characters, including monsters Dracula (Malcolm Rogers) and Frankenstein's monster (John Maxim), human astronaut Steven Taylor (Peter Purves), and an android replica of the Doctor (Edmund Warwick).
Nation was commissioned to write the serial by story editor Dennis Spooner following the success of the Daleks in The Daleks (1963–1964) and its sequel The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964); Martin was also chosen to direct based on his work on these serials. The Chase was the final work on Doctor Who by Martin and Spooner. The story was allocated a larger budget than normal, resulting in minimal budget for the preceding and following stories. A substantial part of the budget was allocated to the construction of the Mechonoids; they were given a press launch, and their merchandising rights were offered to manufacturers. The production crew coordinated with the Beatles's manager Brian Epstein to feature a clip of the band in the first episode of The Chase. Dudley Simpson composed the serial's incidental score.
The serial marks the final appearance of series regulars Russell and Hill, who depart in the sixth episode; their decisions, made independently, greatly upset Hartnell. It marks the first appearance of Purves, whose appearance in the third episode as Morton Dill led to his casting in the sixth as Steven Taylor, who later became a companion. Warwick worked with Hartnell to imitate his mannerisms as the android replica of the Doctor. Due to the variety of work, set designers Raymond Cusick and John Wood collaborated for the serial; Cusick redesigned some Daleks that had been modified since their original creation. The production crew sourced Dalek props that were on loan to various studios and companies, including for the film Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965). Filming for the serial took place at Riverside Studios from April to June 1965.
The Chase received high viewership, ranging from nine to ten million viewers, and successful Appreciation Index scores, though both were lower than the previous Dalek serial, The Dalek Invasion of Earth. Contemporary reviews improved as broadcast continued; the early episodes were found to be confusing and lacklustre, with the Daleks losing their appeal, though later episodes were praised for the battle between the Daleks and Mechonoids, the cast's performances, and the departure of Ian and Barbara. Retrospective reviews were mixed, with similar praise for the Mechonoids and characters, and criticism towards the comedy and unbelievability of some scenes and concepts. The story was novelised and released on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, and as an audiobook, with music and sound effects released on CD.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha>
tags or {{efn}}
templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
template or {{notelist}}
template (see the help page).