C02S08 The chase
Synopsis
When the Doctor and his companions discover that a group of time-travelling Daleks have orders to exterminate them, a dangerous chase across time and space follows.
To escape the Daleks, the TARDIS must travel from the desert planet Aridius to the top of the Empire State Building on Earth, and from a mysterious sailing ship to a haunted house. But there is an even greater danger waiting for the time travellers when they reach the planet Mechanus...
Cover notes
The Daleks were in demand in 1965. Fans could already read about them in comic strips and books, play with all sorts of Dalek toys, and even wear Dalek slippers or wash with Dalek soap! Terry Nation's creations had bewitched the nation, so their third appearance in Doctor Who was much anticipated.
The Chase is an eventful story and, interestingly, one of the only times that the Daleks are used in the series for laughs. Featuring Daleks with a slightly altered design, it is a franetic dash through time and space with a dramatic change to the regular cast at the end of the story.
School teachers Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton had pushed their way into the TARDIS in the first Doctor Who story in 1963 - so their sudden departure is rather moving. In their place comes space pilot Steven Taylor, played by Peter Purves, who also makes a cameo appearance earlier in the story playing a completely different character.
Two months after The Chase was broadcast, Daleks could be seen in colour for the first time on the big screen in Dr. Who and the Daleks, based on the first Dalek story. The BBC bought some of these film Daleks, and three of these props, minus their bases, can be spotted in The Chase. The second Dalek story, The Dalek Invasion of Earth was similarly made into a film in 1966, and although a third Dalek film based on The Chase was considered, a film adaptation was never made.
Cast
| The Doctor | William Hartnell | listed as Dr. Who |
| Ian Chesterton | William Russell | |
| Barbara Wright | Jacqueline Hill | |
| Vicki | Maureen O'Brien | |
| Abraham Lincoln | Robert Marsden | ep. 1 |
| Francis Bacon | Roger Hammond | ep. 1 |
| Queen Elizabeth I | Vivienne Bennett | ep. 1 |
| William Shakespeare | Hugh Walters | ep. 1 |
| Television announcer | Richard Coe | ep. 1 |
| Dalek voice | Peter Hawkins | |
| Dalek voice | David Graham | |
| Dalek operator | Robert Jewell | |
| Dalek operator | Kevin Manser | |
| Dalek operator | John Scott Martin | ep. 1,2,3,4 |
| Dalek operator | Gerald Taylor | |
| Mire beast | Jack Pitt | ep. 1,2 |
| Malsan | Ian Thompson | ep. 2 |
| Rynian | Hywel Bennett | ep. 2 |
| Prondyn | Al Raymond | ep. 2 |
| Guide | Arne Gordon | ep. 3 |
| Morton Dill | Peter Purves | ep. 3 |
| Albert C. Richardson | Dennis Chinnery | ep. 3 |
| Capt. Benjamin Briggs | David Blake Kelly | ep. 3 |
| Bosun | Patrick Carter | ep. 3 |
| Willoughby | Douglas Ditta | ep. 3 |
| Cabin steward | Jack Pitt | ep. 3 |
| Frankenstein | John Maxim | ep. 4 |
| Count Dracula | Malcolm Rogers | ep. 4 |
| Grey Lady | Roslyn de Winter | ep. 4 |
| Robot Dr. Who | Edmund Warwick | ep. 5 |
| Mechanoid voice | David Graham | ep. 5,6 |
| Mechanoid operator | Murphy Grumbar | ep. 5,6 |
| Mechanoid operator | Jack Pitt | ep. 5,6 |
| Mechanoid operator | Jon Scott Martin | ep. 5,6 |
| Mechanoid operator | Ken Tyllson | ep. 5,6 |
| Steven Taylor | Peter Purves | ep. 6 |
Crew
| Written by | Terry Nation | |
| Fight arrranged by | Peter Diamond | ep. 5 |
| Title music | Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop | |
| Incidental music | Dudley Simpson | |
| Film Cameraman | Charles Parnall | listed final episode only; probably all |
| Film Editor | Norman Matthews | listed final episode only; probably all |
| Costumes supervised by | Daphne Dare | listed final episode only; probably all |
| Make-up supervised by | Sonia Markham | listed final episode only; probably all |
| Lighting | Howard King | listed final episode only; probably all |
| Sound | Ray Angel | listed final episode only; probably all |
| Story Editor | Dennis Spooner | |
| Designer | Raymond Cusick | |
| Designer | John Wood | |
| Producer | Verity Lambert | |
| Director | Richard Martin |
DVD Extras
| Maureen O'Brien William Russell Peter Purves Richard Martin |
commentary track | |
| Cusick in Cardiff | Raymond Cusick, the designer of the Daleks, visits the new series production studios in Cardiff to be shown around the TARDIS set and meet the latest version of a Dalek | |
| The thrill of The Chase | Director Richard Martin looks back at the making on the story | |
| Last stop White City | School teachers Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton were the first people from Earth to travel with the Doctor. This documentary tells their story. | |
| Daleks Conquer and Destroy | Since they first appeared on out television screens in 1963, the Daleks have been a source of enduring fascination for followers of Doctor Who. But just what is the appeal of the Daleks? | |
| Daleks beyond the screen | A look at the merchandising opportunities presented by the popularity of the Daleks. | |
| Shawcraft - The original monster makers | Documentary looks at the work of Uxbridge-based Shawcraft Models, who provided many of the props and models for Doctor Who during the 1960s. | |
| Follow that Dalek | Amateur 8mm colour cine film from 1967 looking around the premises of Shawcraft Models. The film features numerous props and models from Doctor Who, many seen for the first time in colour. | |
| Give-a-Show Slides [2010] | Dr. Who in "Lilliput" The Daleks destroy the Zomites Dr. Who on the Aqua Planet Dr. Who in the spiders web Dr. Who meets the Watermen The defeat of the Daleks The secrets of TARDIS The Daleks are foiled Dr. Who and the nerve machine The Ice-Age monster Rescued from the Daleks Escape from the Aquafein Where diamonds are worthless The prehistoric monster On the planet Vortis The Zarbi are destroyed |
16 stories presented on seven slides each, from the 1960s Doctor Who Give-a-Show Projector. |
| Enter+++Enter+++Zero+++Stop [2009] | Richard Martin Nicholas Briggs Robert Shearman .... |
(Easter egg) Disecting the Mechanoids intent and appearance |
| photo gallery | ||
| Radio Times listings |
Commentary
| serial code : | R |
| episode count : | 6 |
| initial broadcast date : | 1965-05-28 |
| DVD release date : | |
| DVD SE release date : | |
| BluRay release date : | |
| part of The space museum / The chase boxset | |