Crap. Rubbish. Caca de toro. A lot in “The Space Museum” is—yep, I’m gonna give into the clichй—cringeworthy. I don’t mean the another-base-under-seige-please, a-good-companion-is-one-with-big-breasts, CSO-backgrounds-are-cool, Cartmel-is-a-genius crap. I mean the real, even-for-an-episode-of-Doctor-Who, deal. 

The guest stars almost uniformly make poor acting choices. Nerve gas described as dangerous is survived for the better part of a whole episode with the use of a flimsy, not to mention shared, handkerchief. The music from about the first half of episode two forward is questionably appropriate, at best. Vicki reprograms a security computer despite never having displayed the slightest inclination for such work before. Worse, how is she’s clever enough to reprogram a computer she’s never seen before, but too damn stupid to realize that the easiest, best hope for overcoming the time paradox was just to send one person back to the TARDIS to wait inside while the other three made their ways back separately? As if that weren’t enough, there’s the unbelievable gall of the final moments of episode four: the Dalek teaser at the end makes “The Chase” look like we’re gonna be in for a freakin’ epic. And don’t get me started on the explanation of the time loop that causes the central plot issue in the first place. 

So, yeah, I get why many don’t like this thing. Still.

I love this story.

Its subtle good far outweighs the obvious flaws. Taken as a whole, the very best thing about “Museum” is that it’s a direct answer to “The Aztecs”, a story I feel is massively overrated. Both stories are directly centered on the notion of “changing history”, but only this one gives an answer that would make Christopher Eccleston proud. Here the TARDIS crew is, in the Tenth Doctor’s words, “part of events". There’s no hypocrisy here: there’s a Doctor and his companion proud of influencing others to seize control of their lives. Vicki might as well be Rose. The Doctor and his TARDIS crew are here in full, unapologetic rebellion of the Time Lords. History damn well can and should be altered if helps some kids be better people and it saves our heroes’ hides.

And what better hides they are. “Museum” gives us strong performances by all the regulars. JNT should have been watching this episode before he blamed some of the problem of season 19 on a “crowded TARDIS”. Sorry, no, but a four-person crew works, in the right hands. The companion interaction, along with the solo journeys, are fair, equitable and what’s more, meaningful. I may not have liked the details of the time loop plot, but I certainly enjoyed its effects. A seemingly insoluble problem tends to take people to places they’ve not traveled, and for all its technobabble, the time loop certainly gives us an interesting Barbara, Ian and Vicki.

As for those guest stars, yeah, the script was there for them and the actors—not to mention the costume and make-up departments—blew it. But what we get is nevertheless intriguing to me. See, I guess I read the two groups—the Xerons and the Moroks as equally impotent, both needin’ a good, Doctorly kick up the backside. I like the idea that the status quo is being maintained on inertia more than reasoned action. This is a disused part of the stale, old Morok empire, and the contingent here are very little more than the dregs of the Morok military. They really are about as competent as modern-day museum guards. For me, it’s extremely satisfying that there’s no explanation as to why the Morok Governor is so mean-spirited; it’s been like this for so long he’s actually got no explanation to be as he is.

In a story that is about predestination paradoxes for our heroes, it’s altogether appropriate that the featured characters should be trapped themselves. To get out of their time trap, the TARDIS crew must make the two groups on the planet break out of this feeble (or what some reviewers have called “boring”) stalemate. 

The nature of that status quo appeals to me as an American. I read the whole situation as a loose metaphor for the American Revolution, with the Moroks being the kind of not-so-prime British officers serving in North America, the Xerons being Americans in the 1760s, Vicki being Sam Adams, and the rest of the TARDIS crew being the indecisive-but-ultimately-effective French. Maybe it’s a stretch, and I’m sure it’s not intentional, but that’s just what I saw in the story. Even if the writer didn’t intend that close a level of metaphor, I think the story deserves great credit for two key themes: a revolution ain’t a revolution until action has been taken, and an empire that forgets its history is doomed to fall. 

Most importantly, though, the episode gives an early glimmer of the “modern” Doctor. Gone is the crusty old, “You can’t change history,” Time Lord of season one. In his place is the man who inspires change. “My dear Barbara,” he serenely says as he’s facing death, “You must try and remember that in the short time we’ve been on this planet, we’ve met people, spoken to them, and—who knows?—we might have even influenced them.” 

This is the Doctor I adore, and I don’t mind having to wade through the crap to find him. Good thing Russell T. Davies apparently has a shovel, too.

"We must have changed the future... we must have done!"

The Space Museum is one of those adventures that has a nice set up, but what follows is rather less than expected. The opening episode sets things up nicely rather like an episode of 'The Twilight Zone'. The TARDIS materializes on the planet Xeros, but seem to have jumped a time track and have temporarily become out of synch with normal space-time. As they explore the museum itself, they make a shocking & startling discovery... future versions of themselves encased in glass, and set up as exhibits in the museum itself. Now it is a race against time to prevent the vision they witnessed from coming to pass.

Unfortunately, the episodes that follow don't exactly live up adequately to what the first episode sets up. The remainder of the adventure in itself is alright, but nothing too exciting or anything to give praise about. Not to say that it's bad, just average, and definitely could've been done better. How exactly, I really don't know. I will say that there are some good ideas. 

The idea of a museum in space is definitely an idea worth exploring in science ficition, as a means of seeing what strange and unusual alien items would be put on display. It is something that fuels the imagination beyond the boundaries of what we know and are familiar with on Earth. Setting the story on a planet with a museum on it is still very much in keeping with why the Doctor travels in the first place... not to fight aliens, but to gain knowledge about the universe.

Anyway, I must say that the Moroks aren't all that convincing as villains and the army of young Xerons just didn't seem too convincing as an oppressed people hoping to start a revolution. Although I do theorize that the reason most of Xerons are shown as young men is some sort of allegory on teenage rebellion against the oppression of adult authority. 

Each of the regular cast members do well with the material, but the person that really gets to shine the most is Maureen O'Brien as Vicki. She shows herself to be enthusiastic and a real go-getter. You can clearly see at certain points that she'd rather be doing something constructive and meaningful rather than stand around arguing and asking a whole stream of pointless questions (much like what Ian and Barbara were doing). Vicki simpathizes with the Xerons and it is she that helps to instigate the means by which future events are altered; by helping the Xerons with their revolution by reprogramming the computer system which allows access to the armory. 

The overall running theme is the idea of whether or not fate or destiny can be changed. It is something they all grapple with in the course of events, always with a certain about of doubt hanging over them as to whether the actions they take are the ones that will change their future or lead them down the very path that takes them to the very vision they witnessed at the start of the 4-part serial. 

All in all, there are some nice ideas, but they don't sustain themselves all that well. However, the adventure that would follow would be something that would start a chain reaction of changes that would ultimately ensure the show's longevity and ensure that nothing would ever be the same again.

How depressing. Ten million years from now, mankind will be led by a leering old man and every man, woman, and child will choose to wear stringy togas as the new fashion. 

"The Ark" is inconsequential and (at times) silly. The monoids look ridiculous with their Davy Jones-style haircuts (Obviously put there at the last minute by a worried costumer. Imagine how rude they'd look without the wig.). Tristam Cary's score from "The Daleks" is used for the umpteenth time. And why does mankind travel 700 years just to colonise one planet? Let's not get too picky. Surely there are more than a few habitable planets along the way? 

One bright spot stands out amongst all these sore points - Dodo, the Doctor's new companion. Ah, Dodo, when you sneezed and indignantly told the Doctor, "Me nose is runnin'!" you stole my heart forever...

“The Celestial Toymaker” is one of the first Doctor’s most recognised stories, a curious feat considering that William Hartnell is hardly in it and that only one out of the four episodes exists today. Perhaps this story is so well remembered because it is well and truly “out there”; a highly experimental “sideways” story which seems to have paid off. Michael Gough has to be given a tremendous amount of credit for his fantastic performance as the Toymaker. He spends half the story playing a game against a silent, disembodied hand and yet he still manages to impress!

However, despite the imagination of the story and the brilliance of the Toymaker himself, I don’t think that this serial quite deserves its lofty reputation. The ‘Trilogic Game’ (which so much of the story revolves around) completely lacks suspense; as the audience is ignorant of the rules the only suspense comes from how few moves are left, meaning that Steven and Dodo’s race against time to win the Toymaker’s games (and thus get the TARDIS back) has to really hold the audience’s attention, and in my case at least, it doesn’t. On the whole, with the notable exceptions of “The Myth Makers” and “The Daleks’ Master Plan” I am not a fan of Season Four, and this has a lot to do with the Doctor’s rather dull and predictable companions. Steven may have his moments, but at heart he’s just a rather generic male character merely thrown into the mix to handle the physical side of things; not a patch on the far more interesting Ian Chesterton. As for Dodo, she’s just plain stupid. Time after time in this story she falls for the Toymaker’s tricks, befriending his minions and almost getting herself killed in the process. Nevertheless, some of the games are entertaining to watch – particularly the game against Peter Stephens’ grotesquely superb ‘schoolboy’ Cyril in “The Final Test”, the serial’s orphaned episode.

“…then your battle will never end?”

All things considered, “The Celestial Toymaker” was ahead of its time and even as it exists today (as three audio-only episodes and one complete episode) is still an enjoyable piece of entertainment. With more involvement from William Hartnell (who goes missing part way through episode one and doesn’t show up until six minutes into “The Final Test”) it could have been so much better; if his sparring with the Toymaker in the final episode could have been spread across the whole story it would have really given the early episodes that little bit of steel that they are lacking. At least the resolution of the serial is brilliantly executed, in a way mirroring Rassilon’s riddle in “The Five Doctors” – “To win is to lose, and he who wins shall lose” – perhaps explaining why only the first Doctor knew what to do in that story! The sequel that never materialised (at least on TV) is also wonderfully set up; it is a real tragedy that we never got to see Michael Gough vs Colin Baker…

I stated previously that there is only one Hartnell Doctor Who story that I really don't like. 'The Space Museum' is it. Before I lay into however, I'll consider its good points. 

Episode One is suitably intriguing thanks to the gimmick of the TARDIS "jumping a time track". From the start it creates an air of mystery, with the TARDIS crew's clothes changing, the broken glass leaping back into Vicki's hand, and the lack of footprints. The discovery by the Doctor and his friends of their future selves preserved as exhibits is memorably creepy, and the surreal cliffhanger as they "arrive" for real is well executed. As usual, the regulars are excellent, with great banter between Ian and the Doctor in episode one, the Doctor's amusing interrogation by Lobos in episode two, and for the first time a decent role for Vicki as, separated from the Doctor for the first time since she joined the TARDIS, she leads a revolution by the Xerons. Oh, and I love the scene in which the Doctor hides in the Dalek casing. The fact that they are constantly trying to avoid their grim future fate makes Ian and Barbara in particular more anxious than they usually are, especially in contrast to the optimistic Vicki, and Russell plays Ian at his most resourceful, as he out-fights Moroks and saves the Doctor from the Museum. The Moroks themselves, while basically being Star Trek-like humanoids with silly hair, are an interesting idea, in that they represent an empire in decline – Lobos is clearly bored out of his mind, whereas his soldiers are utterly unenthusiastic about their work, and thus incompetent. This makes a change from a powerful enemy force in the midst of conquest, such as the Daleks or the forces of the Animus. Lobos isn't actually bored throughout – watch him when he is demonstrating the mind scanner, or applying himself to the task of reversing the Doctor's frozen condition. He becomes far more animated as he clearly takes delight in the application of science, almost like an immoral version of the Doctor. There's also a surprisingly realistic fight scene in which a Morok is knocked down hard and fast without the usual lengthy exchange of fisticuffs. Unfortunately, these good points do not outweigh the bad ones.

Whilst the gimmick of episode one makes for an interesting opening episode, the explanation is pure technobabble and doesn't stand up to scrutiny – I'm fairly sure that the way in which time catches up with the Doctor and his companions means that part of their past remains missing. Furthermore, the line about time being a dimension but having dimensions of its own is pure gibberish, which is unusual in a series that during this era still slips in the occasional science and history lessons. Then there is the supporting cast – the Moroks are all badly acted, constantly giving the impression (supported by the novelisation) that their lines are supposed to be a lot wittier than they actually are, but are badly delivered. Richards Shaw as Lobos is the sole Morok actor who gives a faint hint that he can actually act, but unfortunately he seems to have decided not to. His deputy is particularly bad, although with lines like "have an arms fallen into Xeron hands" he's probably fighting an uphill battle. The Xerons are even worse – despite the frantic acting of Jeremy "Boba Fett" Bulloch as Tor, the Xerons succeed in taking the crown of most boring aliens to appear in Doctor Who from the Didonians. Showing that they are aliens by moving their eyebrows upwards probably seemed like a good money-saving idea at the time. As characters, they are immensely boring. Other lowlights include the zaphra gas, which is supposedly extremely harmful, but from the effects of which Barbara and Darko recover instantaneously on getting outside, despite having just been coughing themselves raw moments before. Then we have the universe's worst security system, which can be easily reprogrammed to allow entry to the armoury. Which of course is full of "ray guns", a phrase that sounds incredibly bad regardless of whoever says it. Even "phasers" would be better. The sets too are uninspired with the Museum interiors looking especially drab and being filled with "exhibits" that look suspiciously like any old leftovers from the BBC prop department. And the museum itself must be a TARDIS, since it is clearly bigger on the inside. The incidental music, recycled to great effect in 'Tomb of the Cybermen', seems melodramatic and over-the-top here, with sinister booming riffs accompanying tame fight sequences and footage of the regulars sneaking around the museum. It's almost impossible for a four-part Doctor Who story to feel padded, and yet 'The Space Museum' manages it. 

So overall, whilst 'The Space Museum' has a few good points, it is disappointing overall. It picks up at the end with the appearance of a Dalek, strangely foreshadowed earlier on by Ian wondering if they will ever meet the Daleks again. The cliffhanger ending, in which the Daleks reveal that they have a time machine, is suitably gripping and promises an epic and deadly struggle between the Doctor and his most dangerous foes. Ironic really…

After the first groundbreaking Dalek story and its even better sequel, “The Chase” is widely regarded as something of an embarrassment by fans. Aptly named, this six-parter is literally a chase across time and space, an execution squad of Daleks hot on the heels of the four time travellers. A much more light-hearted affair than its predecessors, “The Chase” does still have many moments of dramatic tension, and in a way this is where the story falls down. “The Chase” is neither an out and out comedy nor a serious drama; the story just can’t make its mind up, and almost inevitably it flops. That said, I certainly do not dislike “The Chase.” Somehow, someway, this six-part adventure has its charm…

There are a lot of fantastic elements in the story, some of which are groundbreaking considering when it was produced. The retro-look ‘Space-Time Visualiser’ is one such example; a lovely little device that allows the Doctor and his companions to view any event in history. The Beatles even make an appearance on it where they play “Ticket To Ride” when Vicki tunes in to Top of the Pops! Terry Nation uses this device both to fulfil part of the programme’s education remit by showing certain historic events (the Gettysburg Address and the Court of Queen Elizabeth I, for example) and to set up his plot by having the time traveler's watch the Daleks’ hatching their dastardly plot. 

Interestingly, “The Chase” marks a significant development in the evolution of the Daleks. By this story, these Daleks no longer need the ‘satellite dishes’ attached to them when outside their city, and even more importantly they demonstrate that they have mastered time corridor technology, which the Doctor would later describe as “very crude and nasty.” This is the first time in the entire series that anyone other than the Doctor demonstrates time travel capability, and it is an idea that is revisited not only in the next story, “The Time Meddler,” but also throughout the history of the show, eventually culminating in the fabled ‘Time War’ just prior to the start of the new series.

The story itself gets bogged down on Aridius for what feels like an eternity before the proper ‘Chase’ begins. The Daleks then pursue our heroes to the top of the Empire State Building in the mid-1960’s, where Peter Purves makes his first Doctor Who appearance – not as Steven Taylor but as Morton Dill, a quite comical slack-jawed yokel. The TARDIS then lands on the Mary Celeste, whose crew leap into the sea at the sight of the Daleks! Next, the TARDIS lands in what seems to a haunted house full of the likes of Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster. Nation really takes the opportunity to gently mock the series here, having the Doctor dramatically postulate that they have landed in a place outside time, somewhere inside the collective human unconsciousness where spectres and monsters and vampires live… In truth, they’ve just materialised in a robotic amusement park! These are the parts of “The Chase” that I found quite endearing; the parts of the story that are a no-excuses comedic romp across space and time, scored with what sounds like music from a Carry On film!

However, it isn’t long before “The Chase” starts to get a little bit heavier, and still played against the backdrop of a ludicrously jolly soundtrack it just doesn’t work well at all. Vicki is temporarily separated from the TARDIS crew when the TARDIS dematerialises, the Doctor having mistakenly thought that she was on board. Worse, the Daleks create the first (in the entire series) Dalek Duplicate. What could have been a fascinating plot development is ruined by sloppy production. I’m not having a dig at the general production standards of the time, which as everybody knows were notoriously dubious, yet still remarkable considering the time and the budget that they had available. Instead, I’m criticising the idea behind how the production team realised the two Doctors. For example, sometimes William Hartnell plays both the Doctor and the duplicate Doctor. At other times, Edmund Warwick instead plays the duplicate which quickly gets extremely confusing. In my book, Edmund Warwick should have either always played the duplicate (in which case the audience would know he was the duplicate) or they should have come up with a way to allow Bill Hartnell to play both parts. And why on earth was that episode called “The Death of Doctor Who”? The Doctor doesn’t die! It’s a complete no-brainer, unless the term ‘Doctor Who’ is being used as a reference to the ‘fictional’ duplicate much in the same way Steve Lyons uses the term in his novels to refer to the ‘fictional’ Doctor. Somehow I doubt it, though.

The final episode of “The Chase” is a tremendous improvement. The eponymous “Planet of Decision” is Mechanus, a wonderfully realised planet that was originally intended to be turned into a human colony world but was actually abandoned. The Mechanoids (custom-built robots who were sent there to prepare the world for the human settlers that never came) now rule the planet. Here the Doctor and his companions meet Steven Taylor (Peter Purves pulling a double-header) the survivor of a spaceship crash who has been a prisoner of the Mechanoids for years. As the Daleks and the Mechanoids destroy one another (kind of ironic considering the events of the much later Big Finish audio drama, “The Juggernauts”) the time travellers escape, Steven stowing away above the TARDIS whilst Ian and Barbara uses the Daleks’ abandoned time machine to return to their home time and place.

The departure of the last of the Doctor’s original companions is superbly handled by Nation. The Doctor is furious with them, ranting and raving, obviously not wanting them to leave his company. I particularly liked how the departure was handled almost as an afterthought; throughout the story there is no clue that they may be leaving (and if you think about it, why would there be?) and this makes it extremely effective as suddenly they seize their one chance to get home and leave their life of adventure behind. In the blink of an eye, they’re gone forever.

A cheesy montage featuring a jubilant Ian and Barbara in London rounds off one of the strangest, and ironically one of the most important, of the early Doctor Who serials. “The Chase” remains to this day an enjoyable story to watch, however it is one that could have been so, so much better were it not for its indecisive tone and a cardboard TARDIS!