The Chase (Doctor Who)

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''The Chase'' is the eighth serial of the second season in the British

science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...

series '' Doctor Who''. Written by

Terry Nation Terence Joseph Nation (8 August 19309 March 1997) was a British screenwriter and novelist. Especially known for his work in British television science fiction, he created the Daleks and Davros for ''Doctor Who'', as well as the series '' Surviv ...

and directed by Richard Martin, the serial was broadcast on

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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 The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by write ...

race travelling through time while pursuing the time machine the

TARDIS The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior a ...

and its occupants—the

First Doctor The First Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor William Hartnell. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time ...

(

William Hartnell William Henry Hartnell (8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975) was an English actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the first incarnation of the Doctor in '' Doctor Who'' from 1963 to 1966. In film, Hartnell notably appeared in '' Bri ...

) and his companions

Ian Chesterton Ian Chesterton is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and a companion of the First Doctor. He was played in the series by William Russell, and was one of the members of the programme's first r ...

( William Russell), Barbara Wright (

Jacqueline Hill Grace Jacqueline Hill (17 December 1929 – 18 February 1993)Obituary
cuttin ...

), and

Vicki Vicky, Vicko, Vick, Vickie or Vicki is a feminine given name, often a hypocorism of Victoria. The feminine name Vicky in Greece comes from the name Vasiliki. Women * Family nickname of Victoria, Princess Royal (1840–1901), wife of German ...

(

Maureen O'Brien Maureen O'Brien (born 29 June 1943) is an English actress and author best known for playing the role of Vicki in the BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', although she has appeared in many other television programmes. Early ...

)—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 Frankenstein's monster or Frankenstein's creature, often referred to as simply "Frankenstein", is a fictional character who first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. Shelley's title thus compares ...

(

John Maxim John Maxim (20 July 1925 — 20 January 1990), sometimes credited as John Wills, was an English film and television actor. Career Between 1958 and 1988, he appeared in six films and nine television productions including the films ''The Fr ...

), human astronaut Steven Taylor (

Peter Purves Peter John Purves (; born 10 February 1939) is an English television presenter and actor. He played Steven Taylor in ''Doctor Who'' under the First Doctor, a role he continued to play in audio dramas for Big Finish Productions. He later became ...

), and an android replica of the Doctor (

Edmund Warwick Edmund Warwick (15 July 1907 – 21 December 1989) was a British actor who appeared in various television programmes. Some of his credits included ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'', ''Z-Cars'' and '' Doctor Who''. In the last of those Warwick ...

). Nation was commissioned to write the serial by story editor

Dennis Spooner Dennis Spooner (1 December 1932 – 20 September 1986) was an English television writer and script editor, known primarily for his programmes about fictional spies and his work in children's television in the 1960s. He had long-lasting profess ...

following the success of the Daleks in ''

The Daleks ''The Daleks'' (also known as ''The Mutants'' and ''The Dead Planet'') is the second Serial (radio and television), serial in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadca ...

'' (1963) and its sequel ''

The Dalek Invasion of Earth ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' is the second Serial (radio and television), serial of the Doctor Who (season 2), second season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Written by Terry Nation and directed by Richard Ma ...

'' (1963–1964); 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 ''Following'' is a 1998 independent neo-noir crime thriller film written, produced, edited and directed by Christopher Nolan. It tells the story of a young man who follows strangers around the streets of London and is drawn into a criminal unde ...

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 The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

's manager

Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein (; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was a British music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put him i ...

to feature a clip of the band in the first episode of ''The Chase''.

Dudley Simpson Dudley George Simpson (4 October 1922 – 4 November 2017) was an Australian composer and conductor. He was the Principal Conductor of the Royal Opera House orchestra for three years and worked as a composer on British television. He worked on ...

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 also marks the first appearance of Purves, whose appearance in the third episode as American tourist Morton Dill led to his casting in the sixth episode 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 Raymond Patrick Cusick (28 April 1928 – 21 February 2013) was a designer for the BBC. He is best known for designing the Daleks, a race of aliens who move around in tank-like travel machines, for the science fiction television series ''Doctor ...

and John Wood collaborated for the serial; Cusick redesigned some of the 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 ''Dr. Who and the Daleks'' is a 1965 British science fiction film directed by Gordon Flemyng and written by Milton Subotsky, and the first of two films based on the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It stars Peter Cushi ...

'' (1965). Filming for the serial took place at

Riverside Studios Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production. Having closed for redevelopment i ...

from April to June 1965. ''The Chase'' received generally high viewership, ranging from nine to ten million viewers, and successful

Appreciation Index The Audience Appreciation Index (AI) is an indicator measured from 0 to 100 of the public's appreciation for a television or radio programme, or broadcast service, in the United Kingdom. Until 2002, the AI of a programme was calculated by the B ...

scores; notably, 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 later novelised and released on VHS, DVD, and as an audiobook, with several pieces of music and sound effects released on CD.

Plot

While companions

( William Russell) and

(

) explore the Sagarro Desert on the planet Aridius, the

(

) and Barbara Wright (

Jacqueline Hill Grace Jacqueline Hill (17 December 1929 – 18 February 1993)Obituary
cuttin ...

) remain in the

. On the Time-Space Visualiser, they see the

s embarking on a plan to follow the TARDIS to Aridius to exterminate the Doctor and his companions and seize his ship. Realising that these events happened in the past and that the Daleks may already be on Aridius, the Doctor and Barbara venture out to warn Ian and Vicki, only to see Daleks emerging from the sands after a dust storm. The Doctor and Barbara are saved by native Aridians and reunited with Vicki and Ian, who were injured after an encounter with Mire Beasts. The Beasts attack again and, in the confusion, the Doctor and his friends flee to the TARDIS, evading Daleks who had discovered it buried in the sand. The Daleks pursue the TARDIS through time and space in their own vessel. The Doctor and companions stop atop the Empire State Building in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1966; after they leave, a Dalek appears. They are later mistaken for stowaways on the ''

Mary Celeste ''Mary Celeste'' (; often erroneously referred to as Marie Celeste) was an American-registered merchant brigantine, best known for being discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores Islands on December 4, 1872. The Cana ...

'' until the Daleks arrive and the frightened boat crew abandon the ship. Subsequently, landing in a mysterious old house, the Doctor and his companions encounter Dracula (Malcolm Rogers) and

(

), who attack the pursuing Daleks. In the confusion, the Doctor, Ian, and Barbara leave Vicki behind, unaware the monsters were actually

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may ...

s in a defunct futuristic theme park attraction. Vicki stows away aboard the Dalek ship and witnesses them create an android replica of the Doctor (

), programmed to kill the TARDIS crew, which is dispatched on arrival on the hostile jungle world of Mechanus. Vicki reunites with the Doctor, Ian, and Barbara, but a fight ensues between Ian and the real Doctor once the robot duplicate appears, claiming to be the original. When the robot Doctor mistakenly refers to Vicki as his granddaughter Susan, Barbara realises and the real Doctor disables his doppelgänger. As the Doctor and his companions venture into a metal city above the jungle, Mechonoids imprison them with shipwrecked human astronaut Steven Taylor (

). Under the cover of the Daleks attack on the city, the Doctor and his companions escape. Upon discovering the Dalek time machine and considering it more reliable than the TARDIS, Ian and Barbara persuade the Doctor to help them operate it to return to London in their own time. Upon arriving in London, 1965, Ian and Barbara set the time machine to auto-destruct. The Doctor and Vicki witness a conversation between Ian and Barbara on the Time-Space Visualiser; the Doctor says that he will miss them, and he and Vicki depart in the TARDIS.

Production

Conception and writing

Following the success of the

Daleks The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme '' Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in the 1963 ''Doctor Wh ...

in their introductory serial ''

'' (1963–1964) and its sequel ''

'' (1964), writer

was quickly commissioned to write a third serial by new story editor

, with whom he was old friends due to their history of comedy writing. Nation's original story pitch was scrapped for unknown reasons, and he was instead commissioned to write a six-episode Dalek serial, tentatively titled ''Doctor Who and the Daleks (III)'', around mid-December 1964. Nation submitted a five-page synopsis on 10 January 1965 to producer

Verity Lambert Verity Ann Lambert (27 November 1935 – 22 November 2007) was an English television and film producer. Lambert began working in television in the 1950s. She began her career as a producer at the BBC by becoming the founding producer of ...

, aware of the fact that it would be a more expensive production than typical. In Nation's synopsis, the story was known as ''Dr Who (Segment: Dalek Three) – The Pursuers''; a few months later, it became ''The Chase''. Nation wrote the scripts between writing episodes of ''

The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

'' (1962–1969). In the first episode's script, Nation suggested that the footage of the

Gettysburg Address The Gettysburg Address is a speech that U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, now known as Gettysburg National Cemetery, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on the ...

could be borrowed from the 1962 film '' How the West Was Won''. Nation's scripts required little editing from Spooner, though he was too busy to undertake rewrites regardless. Original alternatives to the planet Aridius included ancient Egypt, wherein the first

pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

is built over the location of a destroyed Dalek, and the planet Stygian, where the variable light waves render all living matter invisible. One of the few elements edited by Spooner included the Time-Space Visualiser; gifted by the Xerons to the Doctor at the end of ''The Space Museum'' (1965), the machine was added to ''The Chase'' to maintain continuity between stories—before this rewrite, the device was previously known as a Time Curve Visi-Scope and was invented by the Doctor. Spooner also changed the scene in which Ian and Vicki enter the tunnels in the first episode; in the original draft, they were dragged down by a colony of Mire Beasts. An external model sequence of the haunted house in the fourth episode was cut from the script when the reasoning behind the sequence—taking place in a futuristic theme park attraction as opposed to inside the minds of its occupants—was changed. In a draft script, the city from the fifth episode was referred to as "a real

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

edifice". A substantial part of the serial's budget was allocated to the construction of the Mechonoids, with a total cost of ; they were given a press launch on 14 April 1965, and their merchandising rights were offered to manufacturers. An early intention was for the first episode to feature

, dressed as old men, performing in the studio as part of a fictional 50th anniversary concert; the idea was rejected by the band's manager,

, who thought it would be poor for the group's image. The production team enquired about obtaining material of the Beatles from ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...

'', but discovered that most episodes had been

wiped Lost television broadcasts are mostly those early television programs which cannot be accounted for in studio archives (or in personal archives) usually because of deliberate destruction or neglect. Common reasons for loss A significant prop ...

after broadcasting; they were offered a November 1964 recording of "

I Feel Fine "I Feel Fine" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released in November 1964 as the A-side of their eighth single. It was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The recording includes one o ...

" at

Riverside Studio The Riverside Studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, also known as Tulsa Spotlight Club or Spotlight Theatre, was built in 1928. It was designed by architect Bruce Goff in International Style. It was built as a house with a studio wing for ...

. However, after the group performed their new song " Ticket to Ride" on ''Top of the Pops'' in April, Epstein consented to one minute of its usage on the show. This had the unintended effect of making the first episode of ''The Chase'' the only remaining source of any surviving Beatles footage from ''Top of the Pops'', as much of the show was wiped.

Directing and music

Richard Martin, PanoptiCon 2003 (cropped)

Richard Martin was chosen to direct the serial; he was reluctant to agree, but Lambert convinced him as he had become known as the "Dalek director", having directed both ''The Daleks'' and ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth''. Lambert sent the scripts to Martin on 25 February 1965, pleased with their action but concerned about potential production drawbacks; she was primarily concerned with the Mire Beast and Fungoids, having struggled with creatures like the Slyther in ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth''. She was also unhappy about the existence of Frankenstein's monster in the story, concerned that it did not present the concept in a logical way as in previous stories, and that it showed a lack of imagination to use other fictional characters. Lambert asked Martin to keep expenses to a minimum, but, recalling the overspend on his previous serial ''

The Web Planet ''The Web Planet'' is the fifth serial of the second season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Written by Bill Strutton and directed by Richard Martin, the serial was broadcast on BBC1 in six weekly parts from 1 ...

'' (1965), allocated a larger budget than normal; as a result, the preceding and following serials—''

The Space Museum ''The Space Museum'' is the seventh serial of the second season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Written by Glyn Jones and directed by Mervyn Pinfield, it was broadcast on BBC1 in four weekly parts from 24 A ...

'' and ''

The Time Meddler ''The Time Meddler'' is the ninth and final serial of the second season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. Written by Dennis Spooner and directed by Douglas Camfield, the serial was broadcast on BBC1 in four ...

'', respectively—were produced with a minimal budget and little pre-filming. Despite this, Martin still believed the show was underfunded, and considered it poor science fiction television. He was frustrated that he was unable to overcome production challenges to his liking; ''The Chase'' would ultimately be his final work on the show. It was also Spooner's final serial as story editor, having been offered the position of co-writer and assistant editor on '' The Baron'' (1966–1967) by Nation; Spooner was eager to work on a high-quality program with expected American viewership. The serial's incidental music was composed by

; Martin had originally wanted Max Harris to compose the score. To detract from the Dalek's scariness, Simpson was asked to compose "light" music; recording took place at

Olympic Sound Studios Olympic Studios was a renowned British independent commercial recording studio based in Barnes, London. It is best known for its recordings of many artists throughout the late 1960s to the first decade of the 21st century, including Jimi Hendr ...

on 20 April for the first three episodes and 23 April for the last three. The score, performed by five musicians conducted by Simpson, consisted of 52 cues and ran for over 25 minutes. Thirty new sounds were created for the serial by

Brian Hodgson Brian Hodgson (born 1938) is a British television composer and sound technician. Born in Liverpool in 1938, Hodgson joined the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in 1962 where he became the original sound effects creator for the science fiction program ...

of the

BBC Radiophonic Workshop The BBC Radiophonic Workshop was one of the sound effects units of the BBC, created in 1958 to produce incidental sounds and new music for radio and, later, television. The unit is known for its experimental and pioneering work in electroni ...

. The voice of the Mechonoid, performed by the voice of the Daleks David Graham, was edited by Hodgson and Ray Angel; they sped up the sound, broke it up, and added a continuous note.

Sets and design

Due to the variety of work required, set designers

and John Wood both worked on ''The Chase''; Cusick focused on the Dalek's time machine, the Mechonoid city, and the haunted house, while Wood concentrated on the Empire State Building and the ''Mary Celeste''. For the designs of the Mechonoids, Cusick was inspired by the designs of

Richard Buckminster Fuller Richard Buckminster Fuller (; July 12, 1895 – July 1, 1983) was an American people, American architect, systems theorist, writer, designer, inventor, philosopher, and futurist. He styled his name as R. Buckminster Fuller in his writings, ...

; the expensive models, which used three two-part fibreglass casings, were made by Shawcraft Models and completed in March 1965. Like the Daleks, they were designed to be controlled by a hidden operator inside the casing. Hartnell disliked the need to be precise with his movements around the props. The Mechonoids were too large to maintain after production; a Fungoid and the Mire Beast were kept, later appearing in a display at an exhibition in 1967. With production approaching, the crew noted that it needed to use the two Dalek props on loan to Belle Vue Zoo by early March. They also enquired into loaning the two Daleks given to the Dr. Barnardo's home in Ilford, Essex; when Dr. Barnardo's indicated that the props could only be used for a few days at the end of April, the crew decided to proceed without them. Other Dalek props were sourced from

Ealing Studios Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever s ...

, and from original manufacturer Shawcraft Models in Uxbridge; at the time, another prop was on loan to a different BBC production, thought to be an episode of ''

Hugh and I ''Hugh and I'' is a black-and-white British sitcom that aired from 1962 to 1967. It starred Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd as two friends who shared lodgings with Terry's mother and was followed by a sequel called '' Hugh and I Spy''. The two actor ...

'', "Bun Fight", which aired on 11 April 1965. Doctor Who Experience (5879255282)

Four of the Daleks owned by the BBC were refurbished, costing ; of this, the Publicity Department, which had been using the props extensively for promotional purposes, paid . Cusick disliked the modifications made on the Dalek casings by Spencer Chapman on ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth''; Cusick redesigned the casings, removing the fenders and power dishes and adding shoulder slats to the midriff section. The black Dalek Supreme from ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' was painted silver for ''The Chase''. Cusick also designed a lightweight prop, referred to as a "hover Dalek", which could appear to move rapidly over the sands; it was operated by Gerald Taylor. For the final shot of the first episode, Cusick and his team buried a Dalek in the sand and attached it to a

Land Rover Land Rover is a British brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR currently builds Land Rovers ...

vehicle via rope; however, the casing did not rise through the sand, forcing the team to reconsider the effect. Cusick and Shawcraft Models ultimately built an 18-inch Dalek puppet operated from underneath. Cusick designed the Dalek's control room from pieces of sets from ''The Daleks'' and ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth''. The Dalek ship in the third episode was populated by several Dalek props, including three unoccupied casings from the film ''

'' (1965). Martin contacted the film's writer and producer

Milton Subotsky Milton Subotsky (September 27, 1921 – June 27, 1991) was an American film and television writer and producer. In 1964, he founded Amicus Productions with Max J. Rosenberg. Amicus means "friendship" in Latin. The partnership produced low-budg ...

and asked to borrow some of the casings built for the movie, which had recently completed production; Subotsky offered Martin eight Dalek props, but as they were noticeably different from their television counterparts, three were used in the background to populate the shots. The interior TARDIS rooms were designed from material originally designed by Cusick for ''

The Edge of Destruction ''The Edge of Destruction'' (also referred to as ''Inside the Spaceship'') is the third serial of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It was written by David Whitaker, and first broadcast on BBC TV in two weekly part ...

'' (1964), with equipment bay elements from ''The Web Planet''. The Time-Space Visualiser was constructed by Shawcraft Models and used a television monitor, on which the footage was played. The TARDIS control room set was used for the Visualiser sequence, though the console was not used due to size. The first episode marks the first time in ''Doctor Who'' that the TARDIS was seen in flight; the effect was achieved by mixing a

kaleidoscope A kaleidoscope () is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces (or mirrors) tilted to each other at an angle, so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of these mirrors are shown as a regular symmetrical pattern when v ...

shot of stars with a shot of a two-inch TARDIS model. The Mire Beast costume, worn by Jack Pitt, was constructed by freelance specialist props team, father and son John and Jack Lovell; John researched similar creatures at the

Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...

, which led to the final orange costume made of sheet rubber. The Lovells also designed the rubber Fungoid costumes, which were nicknamed Fungoid Fred, Mushroom Malone, and Toadstool Taffy. The establishing shot of the Aridian landscape was a photograph of the

Kalahari Desert The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa extending for , covering much of Botswana, and parts of Namibia and South Africa. It is not to be confused with the Angolan, Namibian, and South African Namib coastal d ...

in Bechuanaland from Paul Popper Ltd, while the shot of Mechanus was a photograph of an Amazonian jungle from Fox Photos. The food being eaten by Barbara and Vicki in the third episode were

Mars bars Mars, commonly known as Mars bar, is the name of two varieties of chocolate bar produced by Mars, Incorporated. It was first manufactured in 1932 in Slough, England by Forrest Mars, Sr. The bar consists of caramel and nougat coated with milk c ...

, twelve of which were purchased for production. The set for the ship in the third episode was large, with several levels. One of Martin's favourite parts of the serial, the ship used much of the budget. The name plate of the ship was erroneously painted as ''Marie Celeste'' before being corrected to ''Mary Celeste''. Lambert was unsatisfied with the set of the Empire State Building; she complained to the design department's Barry Learoyd on 26 May, and wrote "even bearing in mind the necessary economy because of the budget, this is pretty poor by any standards". Learoyd responded on 9 June, noting that the set looked satisfactory in the transmission and clarifying that she had likely seen the set before its final tidying; Lambert conceded, but noted that the set only appeared satisfactory due to alteration in shots by Martin, who had placed the TARDIS in a different spot than planned to avoid showing too much of the set. The jungle set from the fifth episode, designed by Wood, used hanging gauzes to provide depth;

ivy ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...

, sea fern, and twelve bags of

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficient ...

were used to dress the set. The floor was painted to appear marshy, aided by the actors' performances, but was flat to allow movement of the Dalek props; the paint had to be removed immediately after production. The prop used by Ian against the Fungoids was a tube with a battery-operated bulb at the end. The rooftop set in the final episode was raised off the studio floor, with a blown-up aerial shot of a jungle laid atop. The crew decided not to destroy the model of the Mechonoid city as it burns in case of a later Mechonoid story; instead, a crossfading effect between shots of the model and stock footage of a volcanic eruption was used. Following the recording of the last episode, Martin wrote to Cusick and Wood to thank them for their work on the serial, crediting them for significantly contributing to any praise that the story would receive.

Casting and characters

William Russell, Gallifrey One, 2012, 2 (cropped)

''The Chase'' marks the final appearance of series regulars William Russell and Jacqueline Hill as Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, respectively. Their departure was announced on 1 April 1965; Russell explained that the creativity had gone and he wanted to reenter comedy and theatre performances, and Hill said that "It has been great fun, but you can't go on forever". They made their decisions independently, and gave extended notice to Lambert. Hartnell was greatly upset by their decision, becoming the sole original actor remaining on the series, and both he and Lambert tried to persuade them to stay; Hartnell said to Russell, "What's the matter with you? You've got three kids, you've got a job and we're having a great time – what more do you want?". Lambert eventually decided that Ian and Barbara would depart simultaneously, in a mildly romantic manner. Hartnell's final lines after their departure were left ambiguous in the script, stating in parentheses that he would say "Something about always fussing and bothering and getting in the way"; in the recording, Hartnell said the brief line "Silly old fusspots". Hartnell was not entirely pleased with Nation's script for the serial. Throughout production, Martin realised that Hartnell struggled to learn his lines, and was supported largely by Russell and Hill. Martin recalled head of Drama and ''Doctor Who'' co-creator

Sydney Newman Sydney Cecil Newman (April 1, 1917 – October 30, 1997) was a Canadian film and television producer, who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. After his return to Canada in 1970, Newman w ...

praising his and Hartnell's work on the serial at a bar after recording; Hartnell consistently wanted to rerecord to perfect his performance. Edmund Warwick, who portrayed the robotic version of the Doctor, said that his scenes were a "thank you" written in for him; the previous year, he had replaced Hartnell at short notice after he was injured during the recording of ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth''. During rehearsals for the fourth episode, Hartnell demonstrated his mannerisms for Warwick to imitate. Warwick shaved his moustache for the role. He mimed the scenes to dialogue that was pre-recorded by Hartnell on 27 May 1965. Due to the complexity of the scene, Warwick portrayed the real Doctor with his back to the camera in some shots. For the Mechonoids, Martin hired actors who had previously portrayed Daleks and Zarbi;

Robert Jewell Robert Jewell (20 January 1920 – 10 May 1998) was an Australian actor who mostly worked as a Dalek or other robot operator on '' Doctor Who'' in the late 1960s, also playing a cameo as Bing Crosby in the serial ''The Daleks' Master Plan ...

and

Kevin Manser Kevin Baden Manser (16 February 1929 – 21 December 2001) was an Australian actor best known for his career as a Dalek operator in the early seasons of the British science-fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. He was born in Adelaide ...

had recently completed work on ''Dr. Who and the Daleks'' (1965). David Graham pre-recorded most of his Dalek voices: for the sixth episode on 20 April at

Maida Vale Studios Maida Vale Studios is a complex of seven BBC sound studios, of which five are in regular use, in Delaware Road, Maida Vale, west London. It has been used to record thousands of classical music, popular music and drama sessions for BBC Radio 1 ...

, for the first two episodes on 21 April at Lime Grove Studios alongside

Peter Hawkins Peter John Hawkins (3 April 1924 – 8 July 2006) was a British actor. During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, he was one of the most sought-after voice artists for radio and television, becoming a regular face and voice around the Soho-based cir ...

, and for the third and fourth episodes on 12 and 19 May at Lime Grove. Martin cast several actors he had previously worked with in theatre. Arne Gordon, who played the tour guide in the third episode, required special dispensation from the

Ministry of Labour and National Service Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...

to appear in the show. Roslyn de Winter was cast as the Grey Lady; she was previously hired to play Vrestin and choreograph the Menoptra in ''The Web Planet''. Martin retrospectively found the costumes of the Aridians—played by Ian Thompson and

Hywel Bennett Hywel Thomas Bennett (8 April 1944 – 24 July 2017) was a Welsh film and television actor. He had a lead role in ''The Family Way'' (1966) and played the titular "thinking man's layabout" James Shelley in the television sitcom '' Shelley'' (1 ...

—to be "awful" due to the constrained budget; their movement was ballet-like due to the creatures' piscine nature, but Martin felt that they could have taken it further to appear more extraterrestrial. The characters of Frankenstein's monster and Dracula were closely modelled on their appearances in the 1931 films ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...

'' and '' Dracula'', respectively; the script referred to Frankenstein's monster being dressed in "the traditional Karloff costume", referring to

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film '' Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established ...

who portrayed the monster in the film. Playing Dracula, Malcolm Rogers pre-recorded his speech and mimed on set; Rogers intentionally moved in a stiff manner to emphasise that the character was a robotic exhibit. In the script, the Fungoids were described as "a black, glistening creature of sponge ... shaped like an egg"; Lambert asked Nation to change the shape so a human actor could fit inside. The name "Fungoid" was originally used for the Mire Beast.

Peter Diamond Peter Arthur Diamond (born , 1940) is an American economist known for his analysis of U.S. Social Security policy and his work as an advisor to the Advisory Council on Social Security in the late 1980s and 1990s. He was awarded the Nobel Memori ...

choreographed the fight between the Doctor and his robotic counterpart in the fifth episode. Peter Purves, who Martin had rejected to cast as a Menoptra in ''The Web Planet'', was cast in the role of Morton Dill. In the draft script, Morton was described as a "rather gawky young man... cast in the Hollywood mould of the southern hayseed come to the big city". After Purves's performance as Morton, Martin, Hartnell, and O'Brien told Lambert that they had enjoyed working with him, and recommended that he be considered to play the next companion. Martin was hesitant to cast Purves in two roles within the same serial, but Lambert approved. Spooner and Lambert took Purves to a pub and offered him the role of Michael Taylor. The following week, Purves discussed the character with Spooner; they changed his name to Steven Taylor and decided that he would be quirky and argumentative. Purves accepted the role within days. Though generally unfamiliar with science fiction, he recalled being impressed by the show's first serial, ''

An Unearthly Child ''An Unearthly Child'' (sometimes referred to as ''100,000 BC'') is the first serial of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC TV in four weekly parts from 23 November to 14 December 1963 ...

'' (1963), and had enjoyed working with Hartnell and O'Brien; he had met Hartnell a few weeks prior while shooting ''

The World of Wooster ''The World of Wooster'' is a comedy television series, based on the Jeeves stories by author P. G. Wodehouse. The television series starred Ian Carmichael as English gentleman Bertie Wooster and Dennis Price as Bertie's valet Jeeves. The s ...

'' (1965–1967) at Ealing Studios. On 21 May 1965, Purves was contracted for three stories (13 episodes), with an option for a further 20 episodes by 10 September and another 26 by 4 February 1966. Purves grew a beard for his role as Steven in the final episode of ''The Chase''. Nation left the character's final actions ambiguous in the script, allowing Spooner to decide how to onboard him as a companion. His role as a companion on the show was announced on 18 June 1965.

Filming

While Martin was on

leave Leave may refer to: * Permission (disambiguation) ** Permitted absence from work *** Leave of absence, a period of time that one is to be away from one's primary job while maintaining the status of employee *** Annual leave, allowance of time away ...

in early March 1965, Lambert notified the design department that the serial would not utilise location filming; upon his return, however, Martin decided that minimal location shooting was desirable for a better representation of the Aridius surface in the first two episodes. Early

35mm film 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film * 35 mm movie film, a type of motion picture film stock * 35MM 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format ...

shooting took place in the second week of April 1965. On 9 April, Martin and a film unit travelled to Camber Sands; to avoid interrupting rehearsals for ''The Space Museum'', David Newman and Barbara Joss stood in for Russell and O'Brien, respectively, with the main actors overdubbing their dialogue later. The

East Sussex County Council East Sussex County Council is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex. East Sussex is divided into five local government districts. Three are larger, rural, districts (from west to east: Lewes; Wealden; and Rother). ...

granted permission for the BBC to pay local resident Laurence Nesbitt to dig two holes at the beach with timber

shoring Shoring is the process of temporarily supporting a building, vessel, structure, or trench with shores (props) when in danger of collapse or during repairs or alterations. ''Shoring'' comes from ''shore'', a timber or metal prop. Shoring may be verti ...

: one for the buried Dalek, and the other for Ian's trap for a Dalek. The two Time-Space Visualiser sequences for the first episode were recorded on 12 April at Ealing Studios on Stage 3A/B; the first required actor

Robert Marsden Robert Marsden ( – ) was an English actor, director, dramatic recitalist and teacher of drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and elsewhere. He was also one of the earliest (and latest surviving) wartime members of the BBC Radio Drama ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, while the second required Roger Hammond, Vivienne Bennett, and Hugh Walters as

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

, and

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, respectively. The ''Mary Celeste'' evacuation sequence from the third episode was recorded on 13 April on Stage 3A/B; it was the show's first use of a large water tank, with several stunt actors falling into the water. The battle between the Daleks and Mechonoids and shots of the Mechonoid city were filmed on Stage 3A/B from 14–15 April. Rehearsals for the first episode began on 26 April 1965. Weekly recording began on 30 April in Studio 1 at

. Delays with effects props provided by Shawcraft Models led to the first episode's recording session overrunning by ten minutes. On 6 May, Russell and Hill were released in the afternoon of rehearsals for the second episode to pose for about 20 photographs used to illustrate their return home in the final episode; the shoot was directed by

Douglas Camfield Douglas Gaston Sydney Camfield (8 May 1931 – 27 January 1984) was a British television director, active from the 1960s to the 1980s. Early life Camfield studied at the York School of Art and aimed to work for The Walt Disney Company. He was ...

and designed by Barry Newbery as part of the pre-filming work for ''The Time Meddler''. Locations for the photographs included the

Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north ban ...

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson comm ...

Westminster Bridge Westminster Bridge is a road-and-foot-traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, linking Westminster on the west side and Lambeth on the east side. The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats in the ...

, and

White City tube station White City is a London Underground station on Wood Lane in White City, west London, England, on the Central line between Shepherds Bush and East Acton stations in Travelcard Zone 2. The station is in a deep brick-sided cutting – and is d ...

. The recording session of the second episode on 7 May overran due to the lack of a fast rewind machine for retakes and issues with cutting the 35mm film sequences. Russell and Hill were again released in the afternoon of the first day of rehearsals for the third episode, 10 May, to film a short insert at Ealing Film Studios outside the maintenance garage for their arrival home; the explosion of the Dalek time ship was achieved by a bright flash of light. The short scene of Ian and Barbara on a

London bus Buses have been used as a mode of public transport in London since 1829, when George Shillibeer started operating a horse-drawn ''omnibus'' service from Paddington to the City of London. In the decades since their introduction, the red London b ...

(with

back projection Rear projection (background projection, process photography, etc.) is one of many in-camera effects cinematic techniques in film production for combining foreground performances with pre-filmed backgrounds. It was widely used for many years in ...

of London streets) was also filmed, on Stage 3A/B at Ealing Film Studios, reportedly directed by Camfield. The recording session of the third episode on 14 May also overran due to issues with the film inserts. Hartnell's grandson Paul Carney visited the set during recording of the fourth episode on 21 May. Production overran again as some wet paint on scenery had prevented a full rehearsal. For the recording of the fifth episode on 28 May, Lambert suggested that the 90-second action sequence—the fight between the Doctor and its robotic counterpart—be recorded first to ensure that Hartnell could regain composure for the remainder of production. The fight scene required precise timing for Hartnell to play both parts; two cameras focused on Hartnell (one on either side) and a third focused on his companions. Martin recalled that Hartnell was dedicated and competent during the fight sequence, having had much experience in similar sequences in his earlier career. The fifth episode recording session overran by 27 minutes. The final episode was recorded on 4 June.

Reception

Broadcast and ratings

The serial was broadcast on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

in six weekly parts from 22 May to 26 June 1965. Viewership numbers were considered extremely positive, though the early summer months meant that it failed to gain the high audience figures for serials like ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' and ''The Web Planet''. It gained generally a million viewers over the preceding serial, ''The Space Museum'', with the first episode receiving ten million viewers, and made its way into the top 20 most-viewed programmes for the night; the fourth and sixth episodes entered the top 10. The serial's

scores were also successful, ranging from 54 to 57, though not as high as ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth''. The original tapes of the second, fourth, and sixth episodes were erased on 17 August 1967, followed by the third and fifth on 31 January 1969, and the first on 17 July 1969. In 1978, 16mm telerecordings created for overseas markets were discovered at

BBC Enterprises #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

. In 1985, the serial was sold through Lionheart as part of a syndicated package to North America, where it was also available as a

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

. In November 1986, the serial was considered for a repeat broadcast as part of ''TV 50'', a celebration of 50 years of the BBC, though it was never played. It was screened on 4 December 1988 at the

National Film Theatre BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007, known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the UK, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films. It is operated by the British Film Institute. His ...

as part of a celebration of ''Doctor Who''; Edmund Warwick attended and signed autographs.

Critical response

Peter Purves, MCM London Comic Con 2014 (further cropped)

At the BBC Programme Review Board after the first episode's broadcast, controller of television programmes

Huw Wheldon Sir Huw Pyrs Wheldon, (7 May 1916 – 14 March 1986) was a Welsh broadcaster and BBC executive. Early life Wheldon was born on 7 May 1916 in Prestatyn, Flintshire, Wales. He was educated at Friars School, Bangor, at the time an all-boys g ...

noted dissatisfaction at the Dalek's brief appearance; Newman assured that they would appear in the following five episodes. Two weeks later, Wheldon restated his appreciation of the serial. After the fourth episode,

Philip Purser Philip John Purser (28 August 1925 – 1 August 2022) was a British television critic and novelist. Life and career Purser was born in Letchworth, Hertfordshire on 28 August 1925. His mother had been the first female student of an art school ...

of the '' Sunday Telegraph'' described the show as "a ramshackle old serial these days" and noted that the Daleks were "fast losing their ancient menace", criticising their accents. Director of television Kenneth Adam felt that the inclusion of Dracula and Frankenstein's monster was an "". An audience report prepared on the fourth episode determined that the show was "very entertaining" and "refreshingly different from the usual run" of stories, praising the combination of science-fiction and horror and the performances of the regular cast; conversely, some viewers criticised its messy narrative, its frightening scenes for younger audience, and the haunted house sequences, with some feeling that the show was losing its appeal despite the Daleks. After the final episode, ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

''s

Maurice Richardson Maurice Richardson (1907–1978) was an English journalist and short story writer. Life and career Richardson was born to a wealthy family."Odd Man Out", Mary Manning,''Irish Times'', 4 August 1978 (p.11) Review of ''Fits and Starts''. As a ch ...

praised Hartnell's performance—"no wonder it was so difficult to tell which was the real Who and which the anti-Who robot"—and noted that the television show overrode his interest in watching the film ''Dr. Who and the Daleks''. Sydney Newman lauded the serial as "one of the best ever" and praised Ian and Barbara's exit. Marjorie Norris of '' Television Today'' described the final episode as "far and away the most dramatically successful" in the show's history, praising the battle between the Daleks and Mechonoids, the music and design, and the performances of Hartnell and Purves; of the former, she noted that he "deserves much praise for the way he points the comedy of the role without losing the authority and wayward brilliance of the man of science". An audience report prepared for the final episode described it as "an exciting episode to end a varied and ingenious story", with viewers saddened by the departure of Ian and Barbara. Retrospective reviews of the serial were mixed. In ''

The Discontinuity Guide ''The Discontinuity Guide'' is a 1995 guidebook to the serials of the original run (1963–1989) of the BBC science fiction series ''Doctor Who''. The book was written by Paul Cornell, Martin Day and Keith Topping and was first published as ''Do ...

'' (1995),

Paul Cornell Paul Douglas Cornell (born 18 July 1967) is a British writer best known for his work in television drama as well as ''Doctor Who'' fiction, and as the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield. As well as ''Docto ...

, Martin Day, and

Keith Topping Keith Andrew Topping (born 26 October 1963 in Walker, Tyneside) is an author, journalist and broadcaster. He is most well known for his work relating to the BBC Television series ''Doctor Who'' and for writing numerous official and unofficial g ...

described the serial as "one of the most bizarre ''Doctor Who'' stories" consisting of "unconnected set pieces with only the barest remnant of a plot". Writing in ''The Television Companion'' (1998), David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker found the serial weaker than previous Dalek stories, criticising the comedic and unbelievable nature of the locations; however, they lauded the final episode, praising the battle between the Daleks and the Mechonoids, the design of the latter, the departure of Ian and Barbara, and Purves's performance. In ''A Critical History of Doctor Who'' (1999),

John Kenneth Muir John Kenneth Muir (born December 3, 1969) is an American literary critic. As of 2022, he has written thirty reference books in the fields of film and television, with a particular focus on the horror and science fiction genres. Biography Bo ...

similarly considered the serial weaker than its predecessors, with some "droll" and "pointless dead ends", though praised the final battle and farewell sequence. In 2009, Patrick Mulkern of '' Radio Times'' described the serial as "unashamedly childish and comic-strip in tone and pace"; he praised the Daleks and the first, second, and sixth episodes, but found the fourth episode particularly disappointing. In 2010, ''

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...

''s Cliff Chapman similarly considered the final episode the strongest, describing Hartnell's performance as "powerful", but otherwise noted that each viewer's appreciation of the episode "will depend on how you view budget squeezed, directed, Terry Nation scripted romps". In 2010, Nick Setchfield of '' SFX'' acknowledged the "tacky entertainment" of the serial but expressed disappointment when comparing it to "masterly" previous serials like ''An Unearthly Child''; he found it an improvement over ''The Space Museum'' "only because it's powered by a demented, ramshackle energy that never allows for boredom". Writing for '' Doctor Who Magazine'', Graham Kibble-White believed that the comedy undermined the Daleks, and wrote that the serial "suffers from structural oddities", as well as the unconvincing android Doctor; however, Kibble-White praised the Mechonoids and the main cast, feeling that Ian and Barbara's departure "positively negates the preceding six episodes of tom-guffery". John Sinnott of ''

DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

'' found that the story's unusual structure worked to its benefit. ''

Total Sci-Fi Online ''Dreamwatch'' was a British magazine covering science fiction and fantasy films, books and television programmes. Published monthly by Gary Leigh (July 1983 to January 2001) and then Titan Magazines (2001 to 2007), it was a leading genre entert ...

''s Jonathan Wilkins likened the serial to pop art and felt that "only an utter grouch could dislike a ''Doctor Who'' story as zany and iconic as ''The Chase''"; he highlighted the character work concerning Ian and Barbara and the "sense of epic science fiction that is only slightly betrayed by the ever-present problems of budget". In 2012, ''SFX''s Steve O'Brien named the haunted house sequence and the android Doctor among the "silliest moments" in the show's history, though Will Salmon considered Ian and Barbara's departure as among the best of any companion; in 2021, ''Den of Geek''s Andrew Blair echoed the latter sentiment.

Commercial releases

The Mechonoids proved successful in toys and merchandising, with several models and figures designed and released as early as 1965. They also appeared in a strip in the comic ''

TV Century 21 ''TV Century 21'', later renamed ''TV21'', ''TV21 and Tornado'', ''TV21 and Joe 90'', and ''TV21'' again, was a weekly British children's comic published by City Magazines during the latter half of the 1960s. Originally produced in partnership ...

''. The final episode of the serial was released as a seven-inch EP by Century 21 Records in April 1966, titled ''The Daleks''; it features new incidental music, additional narration by David Graham, and a recording of the theme music by

Eric Winstone Eric Winstone (born 1 January 1913 in London, died 2 May 1974 in Pagham, Sussex) was an English big band leader, conductor and composer. Biography and career Playing piano in his spare time from a job as Westminster Gas and Coke Company led hi ...

. Music and sound effects from the serial were released as part of ''30 Years at the Radiophonic Workshop'', released by BBC 3D in July 1993. Sound effects were also included on '' Doctor Who at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop Volume 1: The Early Years 1963–1969'', released by

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...

in May 2000, and sound effects and music were featured on '' Doctor Who: The 50th Anniversary Collection'', released by Silva Screen Records in December 2013 and reissued in November 2014. A novelisation of this serial, written by John Peel, was published by

Target Books Target Books was a British publishing imprint, established in 1973 by Universal-Tandem Publishing Co Ltd, a paperback publishing company. The imprint was established as a children's imprint to complement the adult Tandem imprint, and became wel ...

and W. H. Allen & Co. in 1989 after lengthy negotiations. Peel restored most of Nation's original ideas in the novelisation, as many of the original changes had been due to timing and budgetary reasons rather than artistic ones. The cover was designed by Alister Pearson. The original print of the book was limited to 24,000 copies. Target reissued the novel with a slightly revised cover in July 1991. An unabridged

audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sc ...

of the novelisation, titled ''Daleks: The Chase'', was released in August 2011 by

AudioGO AudioGO (formerly BBC Audiobooks) was a publisher of audiobooks and a range of spoken word and large-print titles. It was majority owned by AudioGO Ltd, and minority owned by BBC Worldwide. It was formed in 2010, when AudioGO purchased a majori ...

; it is narrated by O'Brien, with Dalek voices by

Nicholas Briggs Nicholas Briggs (born 29 September 1961) is an English actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer. He is associated with the BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Dal ...

, and uses Pearson's cover art. The audiobook was reissued in ''Doctor Who: Dalek Menace!'' by AudioGO in October 2012. ''The Chase'' was released on VHS by

BBC Video 2 Entertain (stylized as 2 , entertain) is a British video and music publisher founded in September 2004 by the merger of BBC Video and Video Collection International in 2004. Under CEO Richard Green, the company operated as a joint venture b ...

in September 1993 in a box set titled ''Doctor Who: The Daleks Limited Edition Box Set'' alongside ''

Remembrance of the Daleks ''Remembrance of the Daleks'' is the first serial of the 25th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The serial was first broadcast in four weekly episodes from 5 to 26 October 1988. It was written by Ben Aaronovi ...

'' (1988). The set was packaged in a Dalek tin with a booklet written by Andrew Pixley; Andrew Skilleter designed the cover artwork for ''The Chase''. The serial was released in a DVD box set alongside the preceding serial, ''The Space Museum'', in March 2010; it features an audio commentary with Russell, O'Brien, Martin, and Purves, as well as documentaries about the production, the characters of Ian and Barbara, the appeal of the Daleks and their merchandising, a history of Shawcraft Models, and Cusick's visit to the art department of ''Doctor Who'' after the fourth revived series. The serial was released on

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

on 5 December 2022, alongside the rest of the show's second season as part of ''The Collection''. A third Dalek film based on ''The Chase''—a sequel to ''

Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. ''Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.'' is a 1966 British science fiction film directed by Gordon Flemyng and written by Milton Subotsky, and the second of two films based on the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It stars ...

'' (1966)—was considered, but never made.

Notes

References

DVD resources

* * * *

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chase, The Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln Cultural depictions of Elizabeth I Cultural depictions of William Shakespeare Dalek television stories Doctor Who stories set on Earth Fiction set in 1872 Fiction set in 1965 Fiction set in 1966 Fiction set in 1996 First Doctor serials Mary Celeste Television episodes about vampires Television episodes written by Terry Nation Television programmes about the Beatles