Episode #21 : The Daleks' Master Plan

"I am a citizen of the universe, and a gentleman to boot!"

 

 

Episode 21:    The Daleks' Master Plan.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Katarina, and Steven Taylor..
Air Date:        Twelve episodes. 13th November 1965 to 29th January 1966.

 

In the year 4000, the Daleks conspire to conquer the Solar System. Their scheme involves treachery at the highest levels and a weapon capable of destroying the very fabric of time. Only the Doctor and his friends can prevent catastrophe — and there is no guarantee they will escape with their lives.

A massive twelve part story! Unfortunately only three parts of this remain in the hands of the BBC. The Daleks' Master Plan is a sequel, sort of, to the one off story entitled Mission to the Unknown. In this tale we find that the Daleks are working with a handful of aliens to destroy Earth's solar system using a device called the Time Destructor. Seems unusual for the Daleks to be working with non-Daleks but I guess the Dalek hatred for everything else wasn't quite in the show canon as yet.

The story follows a similar pattern as was used in The Chase with the characters pursued across space and time by the Daleks and their agents. Quite why this was done I can't say but the story synopses reads as a rather chaotic jumble that doesn't make a lot of sense anyway. We also have the brief return of the Meddling Monk, who has escaped Earth's past but his presence in the story doesn't add anything and he isn't actually part of the overall plot.

During this story we lose Katarina. The first companion to die while travelling with the Doctor. Apparently it was decided that her character didn't quite work so they killed her off very very quickly.

This story also features a rather odd and random element. One episode fell on Christmas Day 1965. At the time it was customary to make an episode that did into a comedy, and in this case the entire episode has nothing to do with the story at all. The Doctor even breaks the "fourth wall" to wish everyone at home a Merry Christmas!

All in all reading this story it just seems terrible. Only one interesting element to the canonical universe comes from it. The Doctor ends up being drained of life energy by the Time Destructor, and it has become part of the reason why his body is so worn out at the end of his run and a possible cause for his regeneration.

Episode #20 : The Myth Makers

"Woe to Troy!"

 

Episode 20:     Mission to the Unknown.
Companions:   The 1st Doctor, Katarina, Vicki, and Steven Taylor..
Air Date:         Four episodes. 16th October to 6th November 1965.

 

When the TARDIS arrives on the plains of Asia Minor not far from the besieged city of Troy, the Doctor is hailed by Achilles as the mighty god Zeus and taken to the Greek camp. He meets Agamemnon and Odysseus. Forced to admit he is a mere mortal - albeit a traveller in space and time - he is given two days to devise a scheme to capture Troy.Steven and Vicki, meanwhile, have been taken prisoner by the Trojans. Vicki, believed to possess supernatural powers, is given two days to banish the Greeks to prove she is not a spy.

The Myth Makers is another story that doesn't exist. It was a pure historical story explaining the battle of Troy and the legend of the wooden horse. In this case the idea is that of the Doctor's even though later on in his fourth incarnation he will deny the idea being his.

This story sees the departure of Vicki. Her character was beginning to grow on me a little bit even though she feels like a poor replacement for Susan. We do get the arrival of the companion Katarina though she isn't in the series for very long.

Unfortunately The Myth Makers does read in synopsis as another extremely dull historical tale.

Episode #19 : Mission To The Unknown

"Kill! Kill!"

 

Episode 19:     Mission to the Unknown.
Companions:   None.
Air Date:         One episodes. 9th October 1965.

 

On the planet Kembel, Space Security Service agent Marc Cory is investigating a recent sighting of a Dalek spaceship. His suspicion that the creatures may have established a base proves well-founded. He learns of a plot by the Daleks to invade and destroy the Solar System, but he is discovered and exterminated. The Daleks and their allies vow to conquer the universe, beginning with the planet Earth.

Mission to the Unknown no longer exists and was unique in that it does not feature any of the established cast. Instead this story was a cutaway episode acting as a prequal for an upcoming story called The Dalek's Master Plan.

Unfortunately there isn't much more that can be said for this story.

Episode #18 : Galaxy 4

"Oh, we have a small number of men - as many as we need. The rest we kill. They consume valuable food and fulfil no particular function. And these are not what you would call human! They are cultivated in test tubes. We have very good scientists. I am a living being. They are products - and inferior products! Grown for a purpose and capable of nothing more."

Episode 18:    Galaxy 4.
Companions:  The 1st Doctor, Vicki, and Steven Taylor.
Air Date:         Four episodes. 11th September to 2nd October 1965.

The Doctor, Vicki and Steven arrive on an arid planet where they meet the beautiful Drahvins and the hideous Rills. Each has crash-landed after a confrontation in space. The Rills are friendly, compassionate explorers. The Drahvins are dull-witted, cloned soldiers, terrorised by the intelligent, warlike matriarch Maaga.

Galaxy 4 is another story that I have been unable to watch, though I believe that some elements of it have survived. Once again I am doing this review from reading episode synopses.

From the episode guides I have read I get the feeling that this isn't a very enjoyable story partly because it seems to take on a very feminist approach which leaves me cold. The attractive female Drahvins are evil fascist types who have eliminated the need for men on their world. Meanwhile the Rills are a hideous but friendly race of aliens, throwing a spin on the usual ugly equals evil approach. In other words it is a very cliched story. Throw all that together on a planet about to explode at any moment and you have your conflict.

Although this is a bit of a throw away filler story, the Drahvins do get a mention in The Pandorica Opens as one of the races whose ships appear in that episode.

Episode #17 : The Time Meddler

"That is the dematerializing control, and that, over yonder, is the horizontal hold. Up there is the scanner; those are the doors; that is a chair with a panda on it. Sheer poetry, dear boy! Now please stop bothering me."

Episode 17:   The Time Meddler.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Vicki, and Steven Taylor.
Air Date:        Four episodes. 3rd to 24th July 1965.

The Doctor, Vicki, and new companion Steven Taylor arrive in Saxon Northumbria on the eve of the Viking and Norman invasions. It is 1066, a pivotal moment in British history. The hand of a mysterious Monk is at work in the nearby monastery, intending that history takes a different course.

The Time Meddler is the sort of story that fits the show perfectly. A fellow time traveller seeking to alter the course of history in a significant way. In this case we are introduced to a new individual villain, a fellow Time Lord refered to as the meddling monk (though the term Time Lord isn't used for a few years yet). I am surprised that this sort of thing didn't crop up more often.

The Monk is somewhat different adversary for the Doctor in that really he isn't that much of a villain. He's a meddler trying to alter history to make things better and more interesting under his guiding hand. You can certainly see him as a precurser to the villianous Master later on in the show. The Monk was played by Peter Butterworth who would go on to become famous in the Carry On movies.

Despite all the references to non interference in the time line there is one small issue in the story that never gets resolved on screen and is thus open to interpretation. At one point Vicki and Steven find a futuristic atomic cannon set up overlooking the coast, but never tell the Doctor so there is every chance that it was left there.

All in all a very enjoyable tale. The mix of science fiction and historical combined works very well and is far better in my opinion than the pure historical stories.

Episode #16 : The Chase

"We're trying to defeat the Daleks, not start a jumble sale!"

 

Episode 16:   The Chase.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Vicki, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Six episodes. 22nd May to 26th June 1965.

 

The travellers learn from the Time-Space Visualiser taken from the Moroks' museum that Daleks equipped with their own time machine are on their trail with orders to exterminate them. They flee in the TARDIS.

The Chase starts off immediately after the events of the prior episode with the characters learning that the Daleks are chasing them down for extermination. Fleeing through time and space they land in one location after another and so on. This seems a little facical but it actually works in an odd kind of way.

No explanation is giving as to why the Daleks are doing this as chronologically all the companions have done thus far is thwart a handful of Daleks on Skaro and stop their conquest of Earth. Even for Daleks it seems a little extreme at this point in the Doctor's experiences with them.

The first landing point for the companions is the desert planet of Aridius. Once an ocean world the presence of two suns has evaporated the planet into a sandy desert. The natives having moved underground. This sequence plays out nicely expecially the interaction between the natives and the Daleks.

The second stop off point is atop the Empire State Building in New York 1966. This is a very silly segment that plays more for fun than anything else. The Daleks just end up wandering around asking the tourists where the time travellers are. Peter Purves who would join the TARDIS crew at the end of this story in the role of Steven Taylor plays a rather clueless American tourist character in this scene.

Thirdly, the time travellers land on the deck of the Mary Celeste and shows us that it was the sudden presence of Daleks on board that caused everyone to leap over the side. One historical mystery solved by Doctor Who. This is another scene that just plays out as a tad silly.

Then both groups land in a bizarre haunted house, home to Frankenstein's Monster, a ghost, and Count Dracula. Neither side realise that they have arrived in a fun fair haunted house in 1996. Once again, a very odd section of the story.

Finally they land on the jungle world of Mechanus and are rescued by the strange Mechanoids who go on to fight the Daleks. The companions defeat the Daleks. Ian and Barbara convince the Doctor to let them use the Dalek time machine to return home and after some argument, he agrees but they end up home two years after they first left. Meanwhile, Steven has snuck on board the TARDIS.

It is a real shame that we lose Ian and Barbara here as I have found them both to be excellent companions who grew on me quickly. With the departure of Susan a while back we now only have the Doctor as an original character.

This story is entertaining despite the silliness throughout, but could have been so much better.

Episode #15 : The Space Museum

"Time, like space, although a dimension in itself, also has dimensions of its own."

 

Episode 15:   The Space Museum.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Vicki, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:       Four episodes. 24th April to 15th May 1965.

The TARDIS jumps a time track and the travellers arrive on the planet Xeros. There they discover their own future selves displayed as exhibits in a museum established as a monument to the galactic conquests of the warlike Morok invaders who now rule the planet. When time shifts back to normal, they realise that they must do everything they can to avert this potential future.

The Space Museum puts the show back on course with some good old fashioned science fiction. In this case the companions end up arriving ahead of themselves where they must then undo what they have seen before it happens. Coupled with assisting a revolution to reclaim a planet and we have a really good story.

In this story you get more of a hint that the Doctor is beginning to see that time can be altered in small ways. Perhaps setting up for his future adventures.

This story features Jeremy Bulloch as one of the Xerons. He is more known to us as the body actor for Boba Fett in the original Star Wars movies.

The Space Museum is a good story that I recommend for new viewers looking to see the history of the show.

Episode #14 : The Crusades

"There's something new in you, yet something older than the sky itself. I sense that I can trust you."

Episode 14:   The Crusades
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Vicki, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:       Four episodes. 27th March to 17th April 1965.

The TARDIS arrives in 12th century Palestine where a holy war is in progress between the forces of King Richard the Lionheart and the Saracen ruler Saladin. Barbara is abducted in a Saracen ambush and the Doctor, Ian and Vicki make their way to King Richard's palace in the city of Jaffa.

I have never seen this story as it is largely missing apart from a complete audio recording, so once again I am going by episode synopses and write ups.

The Crusades is yet another historical story this time dealing with the crusade for the holy land in the 12th century. The assumption again is that this was another attempt to teach children about history in a format that they might actually watch and enjoy.

Like other early episodes where it is impossible at this time to watch them in completeness, it is difficult to actually rate it. The problem is, as I have mentioned before, that for the most part purely historical stories tend to be a bit dull for me and I have no doubt that this is probably going to be the case with The Crusades. Hopefully though, one day I will be able to watch it.

As a side note, this episode was sold abroad like all others except to the Middle East where it was feared it may cause offence.

Episode #13 : The Web Planet

"I wouldn’t had thought it possible, but somehow we’ve materialised, for a split second of time, and been imprisoned in some kind of force. I simply can’t break its hold. Somewhere, somehow, we’re being slowly dragged down."

Episode 13:   The Web Planet
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Vicki, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Six episodes. 13th February to 20th March 1965.

On the planet Vortis, the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki are swept up in the struggles of the butterfly-like Menoptera, the original denizens of Vortis who were forced to flee the planet for the moon Pictos to escape the encroaching web of the Animus and its mind-controlled minions, the ant-like Zarbi and their living weapons, the larvae guns.

Unfortunately The Web Planet is yet another story which is far too long for its own good. At six parts it feels horribly drawn out and you have whole sections that could have been cut back. It is a real shame because had it been shorter I feel it would have made a rather good story.

This is Doctor Who and I feel bad criticising anything that appears cheap and nasty (remember wobbling walls in some stories?) as that was the charm for me at least under classic Who but this story is quite bad. I can forgive the look of the set due to the era this was made but the alien costumes for the Zarbi, Menoptera, and Optera are just awful. They are children's fancy dress costumes and little else. I can appreciate that at the time making an insectoid appearence would be difficult but I am sure they could have done better.

One interesting addition to this story comes from the expanded universe of the novels - though there is reference in the animated story The Infinite Quest making the concept semi-canonical. That addition makes the Animus one of the Great Old Ones from the Cthulhu Mythos of HP Lovecraft. In this case the Animus is supposed to be an entity called Lloigor, though it bears little real resemblence to that fictional entity. This is not the last appearence or reference to a Great Old One in the show.

Ultimately I feel this is a story that could have been a lot better both in length and production efforts. A fairly dissapointing tale.

Episode #12 : The Romans

 

"Alright? Of course I'm alright, my child. You know, I am so constantly outwitting the opposition, I tend to forget the delights and satisfaction of the gentle art of fisticuffs."

Episode 12:   The Romans.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Vicki, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Four episodes. 16th January to 6th February 1965.

The four time travellers are enjoying a rare holiday, staying at a villa not far from Rome in the year A.D. 64. The Doctor soon becomes restless and sets off to visit the city, taking Vicki with him. In their absence, Ian and Barbara are kidnapped by slave traders.

The Romans is a historical story focusing really on Emperor Nero and the historical fire that he is supposed to have started. Of course in this tale it is the Doctor who gives him the idea to do it. As a historical story it isn't too bad. It works by splitting the companions up into two groups and each having their own adventures without interacting with the other. This by itself makes the story work.

The story does have a flaw though, and it is the introduction of a humorous element which is greatly unnecessary. While most of the story is quite serious and a little dark in places, the elements surrounding Emperor Nero come straight out of Benny Hill or the Carry On movies. In one chase sequence where Nero seeks Barbara it gets just painfully farcical.

The Romans features the first instance of a well known actor making an appearance. Derek Francis, who plays Nero, was a well known British movie and television performer at the time though I doubt any of now have ever heard of him. This is a trend however in later seasons that brings well known and household faces to the show, even if just as a cameo.

So in closing, The Romans is an OK story but let down by an infusion of unnecessary humour.

Episode #11 : The Rescue

"You destroyed a whole planet just to save your own skin. You're insane!"

 

Episode 11:    Planet of the Giants.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Vicki, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Two episodes. 2nd to 9th January 1965.
 

Having left Susan on Earth, the Doctor, Ian and Barbara land the TARDIS on the planet Dido in the year 2493. There they discover two humans, Bennett and Vicki, trapped in their spaceship, the only crew to survive death at the hands of the hostile Didonians. But the Doctor is baffled: the Didonians are a peaceful nation. What has happened to change them? Why have they murdered the crew of the spaceship? Why, apart from the mysterious Koquillion, are they strangely absent?

In all honesty, this is quite a disappointing story. Initially you have a bit of a mystery going on for the companions to uncover and investigate, but it is so transparent and obvious. Also, the story just seems to be a jumping off point for the introduction of Vicki as a replacement for Susan. I know I'd much rather have kept Susan for a while longer.

For those interested, however, The Rescue is the first story to feature the trademark wheezing-groaning noise for the materialisation/re-materialisation of the TARDIS.

Episode #10 : The Dalek Invasion of Earth

"One day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine."

 



Episode 10:    The Dalek Invasion of Earth.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Six episodes. 21st November to 26th December 1964.

The TARDIS returns to London; however it's the 22nd century. With bodies in the river, and quiet in the docklands, the city is a very different place. The Daleks have invaded and it's up to the Doctor to thwart them once again.

Here we have the return of the Daleks and this time they have invaded and defeated the Earth. Their plan is to core out the planet, insert an engine of some kind and pilot it about the galaxy. Just where are they doing the nessecary mining for this? Bedfordshire. Since I live on the Bedfordshire border I find this rather amusing.

The story itself isn't a bad one and has enough pacing to keep the viewer interested. Since the characters get split up almost immediately you get a lot of scenes in different places across London, the countryside and at the mine site. All of which prevents the monotony of a lengthy story run.

The Dalek Invasion of Earth also sees the first time that we lose a companion. In this case, Susan. I would love to know the reasoning behind it at the BBC because I can't think of any reason for doing so. Shame too though because Susan is one of the characters I quite like from the early days of the show and now with Doctor Who in its modern incarnation I keep hoping that they will bring her back. She has reappeared once in The Five Doctors, but I would really like to see her make an appearence and perhaps be a companion again for a while.

This story was also turned into a cinematic movie as a sequal to Doctor Who and the Daleks, both films starring Peter Cushing. As with the first film adaptation I think the movie does a much better job of carrying the story than a six part serial manages.

On the DVD release of this story there is a rather cool option to either watch it with the original special effects or with new CGI that replaces the old style Dalek saucers with the design from the current series of the show.

Episode #9 : Planet of the Giants

"I wonder what sort of a world could produce an insect that size."

Episode 9:      Planet of the Giants.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Three episodes. 31st October to 14th November 1964.


The doors of the TARDIS open of their own accord just before it materialises, running out of control. On emerging, the travellers find the ship has been reduced in size and they are now only about an inch tall. As tiny people, they stumble across a plot by a ruthless businessman, Forester, and his misguided scientist colleague, Smithers, to launch a new insecticide, DN6 - a product so destructive that it would kill not only those insects harmful to agriculture but also those vital to it.


The thoroughly enjoyed watching this story. At three parts it was just the right length. It was also very well written both in plot and in interaction between the characters. At the actual story itself is a mixture of classic science fiction with the characters being shrunk and the dangers presented, and a plot relevant even more in the modern day; the impact of insecticides. In this case it is blended very well. Due to the science elements of the story Ian gets a chance to shine, much like Barbara did during The Aztecs.

One thing I find unusual is during one episode Barbara comes face to face with a "giant" fly. The model is animatronic (sort of) and looks very realistic. Jump forward to the 3rd Doctor story The Green Death and we have yet another giant fly but then the models effect is fairly poor. Just strikes me as odd as that an earlier story can pull of the effect better than a later one.

Episode #8 : The Reign of Terror

Our lives are important — at least to us — and as we see, so we learn... Our destiny is in the stars, so let's go and search for it.

Episode 8:     The Reign of Terror.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Six episodes. 8th August to 12th September 1964.

The TARDIS materialises not far from Paris in 1794 - one of the bloodiest years following the French Revolution of 1789. The travellers become involved with an escape chain rescuing prisoners from the guillotine and get caught up in the machinations of an English undercover spy, James Stirling - alias Lemaitre, governor of the Conciergerie Prison.

The Reign of Terror is a story that I have not been able to watch thus far. I believe that some of the episodes are still missing, so I have resorted to reading through episode guides to put this one together.

Unfortunately I think that this is another historical story that is just a little too long. By the episode guides it feels that the writer tried to showhorn as much as he could about the French Revolution into this story. Hopefully, if I get the opportunity to watch this episode in the future I may change that mind set.

What sets this story apart from those that came before is that it is the first episode of Doctor Who to be filmed partially outside of a studio, with Buckinghamshire and the Isle of Wight doubling up for France.

Episode #7 : The Sensorites

"It all started out as a mild curiosity in the junkyard, and now it's turned out to be quite a great spirit of adventure."

Episode 7:     The Sensorites.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Six episodes. 20th June to 1st August 1964.

The Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan arrive in the TARDIS on board a spaceship. Their initial concern is for the ship's human crew, who are suffering from telepathic interference from the Sensorites, but Susan communicates with the Sensorites and finds the aliens fear an attack by the humans and are just defending themselves. Travelling to the Sense Sphere (the Sensorites' planet) the Doctor seeks to cure an illness the Sensorites and Ian have succumbed to, but finds it has been caused by deliberate poisoning.

The Sensorites is a very good story with a well written plot. Like a lot of science fiction it revolves around a familiar story. In this case it is human greed, desiring to capture a planet to mine it for a rare mineral. Coupled with some political intrigue among the Sensorites and you have a rather good tale. Also, as a story that has plenty of sceneary changes it doesn't get too dull.

The only problem I have with this story is the length of it. Six episodes is just a little too long. As much as I enjoyed it, it could have easily been dropped down to a four part and the story would have benefited for it.

As a nod back to this story, later on in the modern incarnation of the show it appears that the Ood Sphere is in the same solar system as the Sense Sphere, or at least the systems are in close proximity.