16) THE CHASE
22 May - 26 June 1965
Average Viewing Figure: 9.4M
Plot
A group of Daleks are order to exterminate, The Doctor and his companions which results in pursuit through space and time
Cast
William Hartnell (The Doctor), William Russell (Ian Chesterton), Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright), Maureen O'Brien (Vicki)
Robert Marsden (Abraham Lincoln) Roger Hammond (Francis Bacon), Vivienne Bennett (Queen Elizabeth I), Hugh Walters (William Shakespeare)
Richard Coe (Television Announcer), Peter Hawkins, David Graham (Dalek Voices)
Robert Jewell, Kevin Manser, John Scott Martin, Gerald Taylor (Daleks), Jack Pitt (Mire Beast), Ian Thompson (Malsan)
Hywel Bennett (Rynian), Al Raymond (Prondyn), Arne Gordon (Guide), Peter Purves (Morton Dill), Dennis Chinnery (Albert C Richardson)
David Blake Kelly (Captain Benjamin Briggs), Patrick Carter (Bosun), Douglas Ditta (Willoughby), Jack Pitt (Cabin Steward)
John Maxim (Frankenstein), Malcolm Rodgers (Count Dracula), Roslyn de Winter (Grey Lady), Edmund Warwick (Robot Doctor Who)
David Graham (Mechonoid Voices), Murphy Grumbar (Mechonoid), Peter Purves (Steven Taylor), Derek Ware (Bus Conductor)
Jack Pitt, John Scott Martin (Mechonoids), Jack Pitt, John Scott Martin, Ken Tyllson (Fungoids)
Uncredited Cast
Brian Proudfoot (Airdian), Barbara Bruce, Kathleen Heath, Sally Sutherland (Stout Tweedy Woman Tourists)
Monique Lewis (Beautiful Woman), Shaun Ryan (Crew Cut Youth), Jim Tyson (Bald Fat Man)
Bill Richards, Terry Leigh, David Pelton, Marc Laurence (Mary Celeste Sailors), Fred Haggerty, Gerry Wain, David Cannon (Sailors)
Marilyn Gothard (Mrs Briggs), Michael Summerford (Dalek/Mechonoid)
David Newman (Double for Ian Chesterton), Barbara Joss (Double for Vicki)
Crew
Terry Nation (Writer), Peter Diamond (Fight Arranger), Ron Grainer (Title Music), Dudley Simpson (Incidental Music)
Charles Parnall (Film Cameraman), Norman Matthews (Film Editor), Daphne Dare (Costume Supervisor)
Sonia Markham (Make-Up Supervisor), Howard King (Lighting), Ray Angel (Sound), Brian Hiles (Sound Supervisor)
David Whitaker (Story Editor), Raymond Cusick, John Wood (Designers), Verity Lambert (Producer), Richard Martin (Director)
Uncredited Crew
Ian Strachan (Assistant Floor Manager), Barbara Cannell (Director's Assistant), Bob Gale (Dresser), Patricia Dove (Make-Up Assistant)
June Gillespie (Props Buyer), Alan Miller, Colin Leslie (Production Assistants), Brian Hiles (Studio Sound)
Dickie Ashman, Mark Lewis (Technical Managers), Trevor Beckett, Piers Young (Floor Assistants), Clive Doig, John Lopes (Vision Mixers)
Clive Gifford (Grams Operator), Delia Derbyshire (Theme Arrangment)
Broadcast
Filming Locations
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Camber Sands, Camber, Sussex
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Ealing Film Studios: Stage 3A/B
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Riverside: Studio 1
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Albert Embankment, London
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Black Lion Gate, Kensington, London
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Hyde Park, Bayswater Road, London
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Houses of Parliament, London
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Piccadilly Circus, London
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Trafalgar Square, London
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White City Underground Station, London
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Regent Street, London
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Ealing Film Studios: Stage 3
Deaths
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Albert C Richardson [possibly killed when he jumps from the Mary Celeste]
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Captain Benjamin Briggs [possibly killed when he jumps from the Mary Celeste]
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Bosun [possibly killed when he jumps from the Mary Celeste]
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Willoughby [possibly killed when he jumps from the Mary Celeste]
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Cabin Steward [possibly killed when he jumps from the Mary Celeste]
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Robot Doctor Who [destroyed during a fight with The Doctor]
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Aridians [exterminated by The Daleks]
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Aridian [eaten by a Mire Beast]
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Mary Celeste Sailors [possibly killed when they jump from the Mary Celeste]
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Dalek [one falls off the Mary Celeste]
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Dalek [one is bashed on the ground by Frankenstein]
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Daleks [killed during a battle with Mechonoids]
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Mechonoids [killed during a battle with Daleks]
Production Days
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13 days between Friday 6 April - Friday 4 June 1965
Production Errors
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During the Tardis scenes in episode one, Barbara clearly invites Vicki to sit down on the chair with the tray and coffee on it, and then berates Vicki for knocking it over. How did Vicki not see what was on the chair anyway?
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Before being exterminated by a Dalek, an Aridian can be seen throwing himself onto a rock to prepare for his cue to fall to the studio floor
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When a Dalek falls off the Mary Celeste, there is clearly nothing inside the casing. However it was previously confirmed that all Daleks have a creature inside of them
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When the Tardis lands in the Haunted House, an candelabra disappears inside the ship. However the following high angle shot shows that the candelabra has moved a few inches
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As The Doctor and Ian descend the stairs to where Frankenstein's monsters lies, a camera operator can be seen standing at the top of the stairs
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The final shot of the Haunted House clearly states is cost $10 to enter. However, the Haunted House is in Ghana, and the currency of Ghana is the Ghanaian Cedi
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It is never explained how one Dalek got up onto the upper level of the Mary Celeste, when they can't climb stairs - stairs are a Dalek's worst enemy after all.
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A Dalek can be seen behind the bars of Frankenstein's laboratory set, before the Daleks have arrived - its still there when attacked by Frankenstein's Monster
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Vicki claims that she is afraid of heights during episode six, however she is clearly staring down at the streets below from an observation deck at the Empire State Building
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You would think that the Dalek execution squad would leave at least one Dalek to guard the ship, instead of leaving it open and unguarded so anyone can just wonder in
Working Titles
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The Pursuers
Verdict
The Chase is a similar idea to The Key of Marinus, no, wait a minute, scratch that, reverse it, it’s a direct copy. The serial only succeeds in emphasising just how boring the jumping-around-between-various-locations in quick succession becomes when watching all six episodes in one sitting, and how long winded it can be when watching episodes week by week.
The Chase is a mixture of greatness and frustration. There is a sense of fun from the four regulars, and the Dalek vs. Mechonoid battle scene (another failed attempt to cash in on a new Doctor Who monster) is decent for 1960s standards, but everything else is dumbed down where the plot becomes a mockery of what made The Daleks so special in the first place. Perhaps Terry Nation never believed his creations would remain as popular for long as they did. The direction is muddled and confused, with a list of seemingly endless production errors which suggest a rushed and poorly directed production. The writing is poor and somewhat juvenile and amateurish, going back and forth between serious hard-hitting drama, slapstick comedy, woe-is-me soap opera acting and hammy monster movie acting. Whether it was a lack of discipline from Dennis Spooner, or enthusiasm from Terry Nation doesn’t excuse how lazy the plot gets. There is clearly effort from time to time to create something memorable (the use of stock footage of New York, cutting between model shots and footage from studio recordings etc.) but again why not concentrate on one setting for the entire story? Why Terry Nation?
This is the Daleks’ worst showing, in terms of being a menace and threat, becoming the laughing stock for most of the story, instead of the run-and-hide-behind-the-sofa menaces children fell in love with following their introduction. The departure of Ian and Barbara is hard hitting, and marks the first major change for the show, and fans can only agree when The Doctor says ‘I shall miss them. Yes, I shall miss them’. Steven Taylor meanwhile shows promise, the show’s first companion not to officially join The Doctor through a request or invite.
As a whole, The Chase has aged terribly, but is memorable, nonetheless. The serial will always be a guilt-pleasure and does make for some light hearted entertainment, but deeply flawed on a number of levels. If you’re looking for something which doesn’t require a lot of attention, this one will satisfy. If you’re looking for a solid, well-structured, intellectually stimulating adventure then take a ‘Flight through Eternity’ and look elsewhere. **