Reviewed by Guy Clapperton
Stars William Hartnell, William Russell, Jacqueline Hill,
Maureen O’Brien, Peter Purves | Written by Glyn Jones & Terry Nation
UK certification PG | UK RRP £29.99 | Runtime 241 minutes | Directed by Mervyn Pinfield & Richard Martin
OK, I admit it – I like The Space Museum, at least as far as episode one is concerned. It takes a charming conceit – the travelers "jump a time track" (it’s 1960s Doctor Who, they don’t have to explain what this means) and discover themselves frozen in an exhibition of specimens. They then get back to their own time and during the following three episodes have to avoid getting into that situation in the first place. The Doctor is interrogated and makes mincemeat of an interrogation machine, he hides in a Dalek casing – more on the Daleks later – and it should all be jolly fun.
Part one is indeed a great runaround. I just love the idea on which it’s based, when the characters see what’s in store for them. The problem is the rest, that turns into as routine a story as you could imagine. A whole bunch of incidental characters clearly don’t care about the story beyond picking up the next cheque and it’s only the regulars who come out with any dignity intact.
So, did someone say Daleks? OK, we’ve had the Nazi allegory of the first Dalek story, the audacity of the invasion of Earth in the second – and when it was good, my God was that story good – so now…er…how about one with a thick, stammering Dalek, in which there’s no imperative besides a chase through space? Chuck in a museum of schlock horror movie props at a fun fair which the Doctor mistakes for a parallel dimension (I am not making this up), a lengthy diversion on the Marie Celeste and finish with a punch-up in which one of the companions starts playing ‘shoot the Dalek’ and making gun noises with a stick? Not the kiddie companion either …
The Chase hasn’t worn well. It drags in places and the cast can’t decide whether to play it straight. The last episode goes a long way to redeem the tale overall with a cracking battle between the Daleks and one-offs the Mechons (usually referred to as Mechanoids but not by the Daleks), the departure of two companions – the ones from the first episode so this would have been a wrench for the viewer – and the introduction of an impressive character, Steven Taylor, played with conviction by Peter Purves. Elsewhere the humour (including, ironically, a part by Peter Purves as another character) is laboured and there isn’t much else to sustain this tale. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I notice Terry Nation didn’t write a story by himself again for another 9 years on this programme. The extras are many and stretch to an extra disc with nothing else. Highlights include the commentaries, some great backstage footage of Daleks being filmed in the Hartnell years and modern DW writer Rob Shearman telling everyone why he likes The Space Museum.
EXTRAS **** The Space Museum: Commentary with actors Maureen O'Brien and William Russell, and writer Glyn Jones, moderated by Peter Purves; Defending the Museum - writer Robert Shearman provides a personal and robust defence of this somewhat forgotten story; My Grandfather, the Doctor - Jessica Carney talks about the career of her grandfather, William Hartnell; A Holiday for the Doctor - spoof comedy recollections of 60s Doctor Who starring Christopher Green as actress Ida Barr; Photo Galley - production and publicity photos from the story; PDF Material - Radio Times listings. The Chase Disc 1: Commentary with actors Maureen O'Brien, William Russell and Peter Purves, and director Richard Martin; 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 newest version of his design; PDF Material - Radio Times listings. The Chase Disc 2: The Thrill of The Chase - director Richard Martin looks back at the making of the story; Last Stop White City - School teachers Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton were the first people from Earth to travel with the Doctor and his granddaughter Susan in their time and space vehicle, the TARDIS. From their first step into the TARDIS in 'An Unearthly Child' to their departure at the end of 'The Chase', the duo were involved in 16 thrilling adventures that captured the imagination of a generation. This documentary tells their story. With actors William Russell, director Richard Martin, studio vision mixer Clive Doig and writer Simon Guerrier; Daleks Conquer and Destroy - since they first appeared on our television screens in 1963, the Daleks have been a source of enduring fascination for followers of Doctor Who. But just what was their appeal? With producer Verity Lambert, Dalek designer Raymond Cusick, director Richard Martin, actress Carole Ann Ford, writer Robert Shearman, designer Matthew Savage, model unit supervisor Mike Tucker and new series Dalek voice artiste Nicholas Briggs; Daleks Beyond the Screen - from the outset, the merchandising opportunities presented by the popularity of the Daleks was quickly realised and continues right through to the present day. With producer Verity Lambert, Dalek designer Raymond Cusick, director Richard Martin, new series Dalek voice artiste Nicholas Briggs, designer Matthew Savage, writer Robert Shearman, Doctor Who merchandise collector Mick Hall, model unit supervisor Mike Tucker, Private Eye journalist Adam MacQueen, BBC Worldwide's Kate Walsh and Dave Turbitt; Shawcraft - The Original Monster Makers - this documentary looks at the work of Uxbridge-based Shawcraft Models, who during the sixties provided many of the props and models for Doctor Who. With BBC designers Raymond Cusick, Spencer Chapman, John Wood and Barry Newbery, and Annette Basford, the daughter of Shawcraft owner, Bill Roberts.; Follow that Dalek - an amateur 8mm cine film from 1967 looking around the premises of Shawcraft Models. The film features numerous props and models from Doctor Who, many seem for the first time in colour; Give-a-Show Slides - 16 stories presented on seven slides each, as featured in the Doctor Who Give-a-Show Slide Projector toy from the 60s; Photo Gallery - production and publicity photos from the story.