The Space Museum (TV story): Difference between revisions

From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
m (Bot: Cosmetic changes)
 
(412 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox TV|
{{title dab away}}
story name= The Space Museum |
{{real world}}
image=[[Image:The Space Museum.jpg|250px]] |
{{ImageLinkTV}}
series=[[Doctor Who]] -<br/>[[TV stories|TV Stories]] |
{{Infobox Story SMW
number= 15 |
|image                  = The Space Museum.jpg
doctor=[[First Doctor]] |
|novelisation          = The Space Museum (novelisation)
companions= [[Barbara Wright]]<br/>[[Ian Chesterton]]<br/> [[Vicki]] |
|series                 = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
enemy= [[Morok]]s |
|season number          = Season 2 (Doctor Who 1963)|
year= [[Xeros]], post-[[2000]]?|
|season serial number  = 7
writer= [[Glyn Jones]] |
|story number           = 15
director= [[Mervyn Pinfield]] |
|doctor                 = First Doctor
producer= [[Verity Lambert]] |
|companions             = [[Ian Chesterton|Ian]], [[Barbara Wright|Barbara]], [[Vicki Pallister|Vicki]]
broadcast date= [[24th April]] - <br/> [[15th May]] [[1964]] |
|featuring              =
format= 4 25-minute Episodes <br/>[[The Space Museum]] <br/>[[The Dimensions of Time]] <br/>[[The Search]] <br/>[[The Final Phase]] |
|enemy                 = [[Governor]] [[Lobos (The Space Museum)|Lobos]]
production code= [[List of production codes|Q]]|
|setting                = [[Xeros]]
previous story= [[The Crusade (TV story)|The Crusade]]|
|writer                 = Glyn Jones
next story= [[The Chase]]|
|director               = [[Mervyn Pinfield]]
|producer               = [[Verity Lambert]]
|epcount                = 4
|broadcast date         = 24 April - 15 May 1965
|network                = BBC1
|format                 = 4x25-minute episodes
|serial production code = [[List of production codes|Q]]
|prev                  = The Crusade (TV story)
|next                  = The Chase (TV story)
|thwr = 3
|thwr2 = 77|thwr3=182
}}
}}
'''''The Space Museum''''' was the seventh serial of [[Season 2 (Doctor Who 1963)|season 2]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It was the first story to deal with the dimensions of time as well as space and the first to feature [[alternate timeline]]s. While it presented many original science fiction elements, it still retained the elements of a typical story of the era.


'''The Space Museum''' was the seventh story of [[Season 2]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It was the first story to deal with the dimensions of time as well as space.
The story's cliffhanger also presented fans with a preview of the [[Dalek]]s' [[The Chase (TV story)|third appearance]]. Their return was awaited impatiently, a fact that was baited by the appearance of a Dalek shell in part one. This shell was the final appearance of the original Dalek design until ''[[The Magician's Apprentice (TV story)|The Magician's Apprentice]]'' in [[2015 (releases)|2015]]. The Daleks at the end of "The Final Phase" do not have the metal band of their predecessors.


==Synopsis==
== Synopsis ==
''to be added''
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.


==Plot==
Vicki helps the native Xerons obtain arms and revolt against the Moroks. The revolution succeeds and the travellers go on their way, confident that the future has been changed.
The [[TARDIS]] arrives near a vast [[Space Museum]] on the planet [[Xeros]], but has jumped a time-track. The First Doctor, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright and Vicki have a series of bizarre experiences for the time travellers as the venture outside and into the Museum – not least that they see but cannot be seen by the militaristic [[Morok]]s who run the museum, or the servile indigenous [[Xeron]]s who work for them. The museum contains fascinating exhibits, including a [[Dalek]] shell, but the most worrying is the four travellers themselves encased and on display. Quite soon afterward the time track slips back and, though the exhibits of the TARDIS and the four travellers vanish, they still find themselves inside the Museum.


The head of the Moroks, [[Lobos]], is a bored and desperate museum administrator and colony governor, who reflects sourly that the glories of the Morok empire are past. Like Rome, the Empire became decadent and declined. The Moroks have found the TARDIS and now start tracking down the occupants who have, as usual, become separated. The Doctor is the first to be found, but evades their interrogation tactics.
== Plot ==
=== The Space Museum (1) ===
[[File:Mime.jpg|left|thumb|[[First Doctor|The Doctor]] examines the [[The Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] exhibit.]]
The TARDIS materialises on a planet replete with many different specimens of space technology. The Doctor says that they have landed far quicker than he ever has done before. Ian and Barbara notice that they have switched clothes since just before they landed. They had been in their 12th century Crusade clothes. The Doctor explains this away as being mere "time and relativity" and says that their old clothes will be hanging in the wardrobe, which Vicki confirms.


Vicki has meanwhile made contact with the Xerons and, hearing of their enslavement, aids them in their plans to stage a revolution. The Moroks step up their resistance, but it seems luck and cunning are on the side of the Xerons. They attack the Morok armoury and Vicki outwits its controlling computer. With their new weapons the Xerons are able to begin a revolution which slowly takes hold. The Moroks try to use deadly zaphra gas to poison the rebels and seize control of the situation, but this too is a failure.
Following the Doctor's orders, Vicki fetches a glass of water from the [[food machine]]. She is startled by something and drops the drink. As the glass smashes on the floor, it immediately reforms itself and leaps back into her hand. She reports this to the Doctor, who says that all should be explained when they explore the planet they have landed on. He postulates it is a museum because the spacecraft are lined up in chronological order.


Ian has meanwhile freed the Doctor from Lobos, who had begun the process of freezing him and turning him into an exhibit. They find Barbara and Vicki in the Museum’s endless corridors, but are soon all captured together. It looks like the time track prediction of their future as museum exhibits will soon be realised after all.
Once they leave the TARDIS, they find the planet has nothing living on it. Ian also notices that their footprints make no tracks in the dust.


Help comes from the Xeron revolutionaries, who kill Lobos and the other Morok captors. The Xerons then go about destroying the hated Museum as the TARDIS crew slips away. They take with them a time/space visualiser as a souvenir. On the planet [[Skaro]], their departure is noted by the Daleks….
The travellers head towards a large building in the middle of the spacecraft. Once there, they find the doors shut, but they soon open to reveal two men. The travellers hide from the men, but as they pass, Vicki sneezes loudly. To the travellers' surprise, the two men do not seem to hear her. The Doctor says this is inexplicable and begins to explore the building.


==Cast==
As they walk through the many corridors, they are startled by [[Dalek (The Space Museum)|a Dalek]], which they then realise is only a museum piece. As they discuss their previous experiences with Daleks, about which Vicki has only read about, they see two more men coming who are different to the ones they saw previously. They hide but are surprised to see that, although the men seem to be speaking to each other, they are inaudible to the travellers. Ian wonders if they speak at another frequency than humans. The Doctor doubts it but has no other explanations.
* [[First Doctor | The Doctor]] - [[William Hartnell]]
 
As they continue to explore the museum, Vicki discovers that they cannot touch any of the pieces on display. Their hands simply pass through them. The Doctor suggests they are not actually where they think they are. Yet again, the travellers encounter three men who go about their business, unaware of the travellers. This supports the Doctor's theory.
 
Further in the museum, they find the Doctor's TARDIS on display. Barbara, Ian, and Vicki, although confused as to how the ship came to be here, say they think they should leave the planet. The Doctor soon proves this to be impossible. The TARDIS also cannot be touched. The Doctor points out a display case containing the bodies of the four travellers. He says the TARDIS must have jumped a time track when they materialised, thus they temporarily occupy a fourth dimension. This lets them be simultaneously in the cases in one reality and standing, looking at themselves in the fourth dimension.
 
The Doctor suggests that the only course of events is to wait at the museum until they return to the real reality. He suggests that what they are seeing in front of them is merely a possibility of the future and it can be changed. He notes that the versions of them in the display cases are wearing the same clothes as they are wearing now, so it is only a matter of time before the two realities merge again. No sooner does he say this than Barbara has a strange feeling. Time seems to rewind and two men discover the TARDIS. At the same time, the display cases disappear. The Doctor announces, "We have arrived."
 
=== The Dimensions of Time (2) ===
[[File:The mutant is revealed.jpg|right|thumb|The Doctor emerges from hiding.]]
The museum's curator, [[Lobos (The Space Museum)|Lobos]], receives news of the alien ship that has landed on his planet. Although concerned, he is also pleased to have his day's monotony broken by an intruder. He orders his men to find the visitors before the rebels find them. However, he is too late — three rebels have already heard about the travellers and intend to intercept them before Lobos' men. They will befriend them and overthrow the oppressive rule that Lobos, a representative of the Moroks, holds over them.
 
Meanwhile, in the museum, the travellers have taken a gun from the exhibition to bluff their way out of the museum. The four friends discuss how best to avoid the future that they saw in the fourth dimension. It is suggested that they do the opposite of what they would normally do, but they decide to try to escape. If they escape, then they will never be captured in the first place.
 
They begin to navigate the labyrinthine corridors, searching for an escape. As they make their way through the corridors, they are pursued by the rebels, who decide that to avoid startling the travellers, they will capture one of them and explain their situation. It is not long before the opportunity shows itself. As the travellers walk through the corridors, the Doctor is distracted by an exhibit and falls behind his friends. The rebels grab him and carry him away through a door without the others seeing. He plays dead and the rebels decide to split up. One of the rebels, [[Dako]], elects to stay and watch the Doctor while the others go to track the other travellers.
 
The remaining travellers, now aware of the Doctor's disappearance, argue how best to find him and save themselves from their possible future. They decide it is best to push on for the exit.
 
The two rebels return to discover that Dako has been tied up and gagged. They question him about what happened, but he has no memory after being knocked unconscious. They go to seek the Doctor, who they assume escaped back into the museum. However, he is hiding in the hollowed out Dalek shell. When he escapes, he is accosted yet again, but this time by the Moroks.
 
Barbara, Ian, and Vicki, now tired and cranky, decide to use yarn to ensure that they are not repeating their paths. They unravel Barbara's cardigan to do this. The rebels find the yarn and decide to follow it. Eventually, they find the exit. As they pull back the doors they see that the TARDIS has been captured.
 
The Doctor finds himself in a room with only a chair. As he sits on it, bars lock him in place. A wall slides up to reveal Lobos. He explains that the museum is a homage to the great history of the Moroks and it is silent because the Moroks are now peace-loving creatures. Lobos asks the Doctor with whom he came here. The Doctor refuses to say, but Lobos somehow knows anyway. He explains that the Doctor's chair allows his thoughts to be shown on a video screen on his desk. When Lobos continues to question the Doctor on how he came here and where he is from, the Doctor uses the strength of his brain to confuse and misdirect Lobos. Lobos tires of this and summons his guards to take the Doctor to the Preparation Room. He will become an exhibit, causing an image of the Doctor on display to appear.
 
=== The Search (3) ===
[[File:Ian steps up.jpg|left|thumb|Ian confronts a [[Morok]].]]
Barbara, Ian and Vicki look on as the Moroks decide to try to force their way into the TARDIS. One of the Morok soldiers is sent to fetch cutting equipment. As the humans discuss what they should do, a Morok finds them and holds them at gunpoint.
 
Ian decides that if they are to be put in the exhibition cases in the future, the Morok soldiers must have been told not to kill them. The gun must be a deterrent, not a threat. Ian calls the soldier's bluff and overpowers him. The other Moroks overhear the scuffle and rush to try to catch the travellers, but in the panic, the humans flee in different directions. Barbara hides behind a stack of boxes. The Moroks leave without seeing her, but she finds they have locked the door, trapping her.
 
Vicki escapes from the Moroks another way and gets captured — not by the Moroks but by the rebel faction. At first, she is terrified of her captors, especially when she hears that they captured the Doctor, but the rebels insist they wish her no harm. This is proved when they send one of their number, Dako, to find Barbara.
 
Ian elects to hide behind the TARDIS. He overhears a conversation between a Morok guard and Lobos over instructions to guard the TARDIS while the rest of the army track down the "aliens". Using a stone to distract the guard, Ian overpowers him and holds him at gunpoint. He orders the guard to take him to where the Doctor is being held. The guard informs him that it will be too late for the Doctor, but Ian insists.
 
Lobos is tired of the aggravation from high command, what with the aliens running loose on his planet and the ever-growing number of Xeron rebels on his base. He elects to flood his museum with Zaphra gas. This paralyses anyone who inhales it, making all the Moroks' enemies easy pickings.
 
Dako finds the room in which Barbara is hiding but is almost knocked unconscious by a terrified Barbara. He says her name; this calms her. Dako explains that his race is called the Xerons and that they are the original occupants of this planet, but the war-loving Moroks took over their planet to establish their museum. The Moroks swept away the Xeron civilisation and killed all the Xeron people except the children, whom they enslaved. These are the Xerons that now live underground in the museum. The conversation is interrupted by the Zaphra gas that floods into the room. Barbara and Dako try to escape before falling under the gas' paralytic effects.
 
Vicki is also being given a lesson on Xeron history. The Xerons admit that whilst they are more numerous, they do not have the artillery to overpower the Moroks. Vicki asks if there is an armoury that they can raid. The Xerons say that there is, but it is protected by a lock with a lie detector. Unless you answer a series of questions truthfully, you cannot enter. Vicki asks to be taken to this machine, and the Xerons willingly oblige, happy to have an addition to their revolutionary force.
 
Meanwhile, Ian and the Morok guard have arrived at the Preparation Room where the Doctor is being held. The guard suggests waiting until it isn't as busy to enter. Ian agrees. They are soon interrupted by Lobos. Ian hides while the Moroks talk. Ian learns that his friends have not been captured but gas will be used on them. They hide until the Preparation Room may be more accessible.
 
[[Sita]], [[Tor (The Space Museum)|Tor]] and Vicki arrive at the armoury. Vicki listens to the questions that the complex telekinetic lock asks. As soon as she has heard the full cycle, she takes off the front of the machine and tinkers with its workings. She gets the machine to ask her the questions again. When asked what her name is, she responds with "Vicki", and when asked what the guns are to be used for, she responds "revolution". To the surprise of the Xerons, the doors open. While the Xerons begin arming themselves Vicki explains that she wired the machine to accept any truthful answer, not just the ones that the Moroks were looking for.
 
Lobos is interrupted by Ian, who has gained access to the Preparation Room. Ian holds Lobos at gunpoint and demands to see the Doctor. Lobos obliges, saying there is no point. Ian stops in his tracks, shocked at the state the Doctor is in.
 
=== The Final Phase (4) ===
{{you may|The Final Phase (audio story)|n1=the audio story}}
[[File:Xeron.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Xeron]]s take action.]]
Ian finds the Doctor attached to a device, unconscious. He demands that Lobos reverse whatever it is that the machine has done to the Doctor. Lobos says the Doctor is as good as dead and it would be impossible to revive him. It has never been done before. Ian forces Lobos at gunpoint to try anyway.
 
Meanwhile, Tor marshals the Xeron revolution. He orders his newly armed platoon to attack the barracks. As they do, Vicki says she wants to help find her friends. After arguing briefly, Tor agrees but sends Sita to protect her.
 
Back in the preparation room, Lobos has defied the odds and has resurrected the Doctor. The only side effect that the Doctor displays is a bit of [[rheumatism]] from the extreme cold to which he was subjected. As the Doctor and Ian discuss their next move, a group of Moroks silently ambush them, knocking Ian unconscious. Once Lobos has imprisoned the two men, he tries to call the barracks to muster more men to find the rest of the aliens. There is no answer.
 
Outside where a Morok soldier guards the TARDIS, the doors to the museum spring open to reveal Barbara and Dako. Barbara has carried Dako to safety after he collapsed from the Zaphra gas. The guard pulls his gun on them when a shot rings out and he falls. Barbara and Dako turn to see Vicki and Sita, who is holding a gun. Sita tells Dako about the revolution. Barbara and Vicki decide to join them, hoping they will find the Doctor and Ian on the way. Whilst they talk, another Morok soldier appears. He shoots Dako and Sita and takes Barbara and Vicki prisoner. The soldier returns Dako and Sita's guns to Lobos. Lobos says it is from the armoury and worries he cannot contact his soldiers there either.
 
The four travellers are reunited, locked in the Preparation Room. In an effort to render their possible future redundant, Ian destroys the machine that turns them into exhibits. However, the Doctor speculates that there are many more on the planet. Ian and Barbara seem resigned that there is no escaping the future they saw, but Vicki and the Doctor say that ever since they touched down on Xeron they have been altering and affecting the course of events — although they can't alter their own chain of events while imprisoned, they may have made an impression on others, who will do it for them.
 
Outside, the Xerons overpower the Moroks in the battle for Xeron. The Xeron rebels include Sita and Dako, who were only paralysed by the blast from the Morok soldier. Tor finds them and demands to know what happened to Vicki. Sita says that they were taken to the Preparation Room. Tor and his men go after her.
 
Outside the Preparation Room, Lobos receives news that defeat is inevitable. He decides to flee the planet and orders the killing of his prisoners. Just as the travellers are about to be killed, Tor and the rebels burst through the door and kill Lobos, freeing the Doctor and his companions.
 
Later, reunited with his TARDIS, the Doctor explains to Ian and Barbara the problem he had with his TARDIS was all down to a small part that hadn't quite clicked into place — this meant that they had been wandering around Xeron for a while before it clicked back into place and re-landed again, resetting time.
 
The Xerons have given the Doctor a [[Time-Space Visualiser]] as a souvenir before they dismantle the museum. He tells his friends that he will be able to get it working again but leaves its actual use a mystery to them. Vicki bids goodbye to Tor and enters the TARDIS, which dematerialises.
 
On a distant planet (whether this is [[Skaro]] or not is unclear), a Dalek enters a control room in response to an alarm call. It informs another Dalek via a communications panel that their "greatest enemies" have left Xeros. The response from the Dalek at the other end is that the Daleks' own time machine will soon be [[The Chase (TV story)|in pursuit]] and their enemies will soon be exterminated...
 
== Cast ==
* [[First Doctor|Dr. Who]] - [[William Hartnell]]
* [[Ian Chesterton]] - [[William Russell]]
* [[Ian Chesterton]] - [[William Russell]]
* [[Barbara Wright]] - [[Jacqueline Hill]]
* [[Barbara Wright]] - [[Jacqueline Hill]]
* [[Vicki]] - [[Maureen O'Brien]]
* [[Vicki Pallister|Vicki]] - [[Maureen O'Brien]]
* [[Sita]] - [[Peter Sanders]]
* [[Sita]] - [[Peter Sanders]]
* [[Dako]] - [[Peter Craze]]
* [[Dako]] - [[Peter Craze]]
* [[Third Xeron]] - [[Bill Starkey]]
* [[Lobos (The Space Museum)|Lobos]] - [[Richard Shaw]]
* [[Lobos]] - [[Richard Shaw]]
* [[Tor (The Space Museum)|Tor]] - [[Jeremy Bulloch]]
* [[Tor (The Space Museum)|Tor]] - [[Jeremy Bulloch]]
* [[Morok Messenger]] - [[Salvin Stewart]]
* [[Morok messenger|Morok Messenger]] - [[Salvin Stewart]]
* [[Morok Technician]] - [[Peter Diamond]]
* [[Morok technician|Morok Technician]] - [[Peter Diamond]]
* [[Morok Guard]] - [[Lawrence Dean]]
* [[Morok guard 1|Morok Guard]] - [[Lawrence Dean]] ''(not credited in ''Radio Times'')''
* [[Morok Guard]] - [[Peter Diamond]]
* [[Morok guard 2|Morok Guard]] - [[Peter Diamond]]
* [[Morok Guard]] - [[Ken Norris]]
* [[Morok guard 3|Morok Guard]] - [[Ken Norris]] ''(not credited in ''Radio Times'')''
* [[Morok Guard]] - [[Salvin Stewart]]
* [[Morok guard 4|Morok Guard]] - [[Salvin Stewart]]
* [[Morok Commander]] - [[Ivor Salter]]
* [[Morok commander|Morok Commander]] - [[Ivor Salter]]
* [[Xeron]] - [[Michael Gordon]]
* [[Xeron]] - [[Michael Gordon]] ''(not credited in ''Radio Times'')''
* [[Xeron]] - [[Edward Granville]]
* [[Xeron]] - [[Edward Granville]] ''(not credited in ''Radio Times'')''
* [[Xeron]] - [[Bill Starkey]]
* [[Xeron]] - [[Bill Starkey]] ''(not credited in ''Radio Times'')''
* [[Xeron]] - [[David Walliscroft]]
* [[Xeron]] - [[David Wolliscroft]] ''(not credited in ''Radio Times'')''
* [[Morok Guard]] - [[Billy Cornelius]]
* [[Morok guard 5|Morok Guard]] - [[Billy Cornelius]]
* [[Dalek|Dalek Voice]] - [[Peter Hawkins]]
* [[Dalek|Dalek Voice]] - [[Peter Hawkins]]
* [[Dalek|Dalek Machine Operator]] - [[Murphy Grumbar]]
* [[Dalek|Dalek Machine operated by]] - [[Murphy Grumbar]]
* Extra - [[Brian Proudfoot]]
==Strange happenings==
Happening 1# Vicki's Glass Of Water:
In This Scene Vicki Drops A Glass Of Water And It Comes Together Again In Her Hands!
[[Image:Movie-5.png]]
[[Image:Movie-11.png]]
[[Image:Movie.png]]
[[Image:Movie-1.png]]
[[Image:Movie-2.png]]
[[Image:Movie-3.png]]
[[Image:Movie-4.png]]


==Crew==
=== Uncredited cast ===
* Double for Dr. Who - [[Brian Proudfoot]] ([[DWM 316]])
* Armoury Computer voice / Relief Guard voice / B Division Commander voice / K Division Commander voice - [[Salvin Stewart]] (DWM 316)
 
== Crew ==
* [[Writer]] - [[Glyn Jones]]
* [[Writer]] - [[Glyn Jones]]
* [[Director]] - [[Mervyn Pinfield]]
* [[Director (crew)|Director]] - [[Mervyn Pinfield]]
* [[Producer]] - [[Verity Lambert]]
* [[Producer]] - [[Verity Lambert]]
* [[Script Editor]] - [[Dennis Spooner]]
* [[Script Editor]] - [[Dennis Spooner]]
* [[Designer]] - [[Spencer Chapman]]
* [[Designer (crew)|Designer]] - [[Spencer Chapman]]
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Caroline Walmsley]]
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Caroline Walmsley]]
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[John Tait]]
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[John Tait]]
* [[Costumes]] - [[Daphne Dare]]
* [[Costumes]] - [[Daphne Dare]]
* [[Costumes]] - [[Tony Pearce]]
* [[Fight Arranger]] - [[Peter Diamond]]
* [[Fight Arranger]] - [[Peter Diamond]]
* [[Make-Up]] - [[Sonia Markham]]
* [[Make-Up]] - [[Sonia Markham]]
* [[Production Assistant]] - [[Snowy White]]
* [[Special Sound]] - [[Brian Hodgson]]
* [[Special Sound]] - [[Brian Hodgson]]
* [[Studio Lighting]] - [[Howard King]]
* [[Studio Lighting|Lighting]] - [[Howard King]]
* [[Studio Sound]] - [[George Prince]]
* [[Studio Sound|Sound]] - [[Ray Angel]]
* [[Studio Sound]] - [[Ray Angel]]
* [[Doctor Who theme|Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
* [[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
* [[Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]


==References==
=== Uncredited crew ===
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Caroline Walmsley]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Space Museum'')
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[John Tait]]<ref name="BBC Official Site">[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/spacemuseum/detail.shtml BBC Official Site]</ref>
* [[Costumes]] - [[Tony Pearce]]<ref name="BBC Official Site">[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/spacemuseum/detail.shtml BBC Official Site]</ref>
* [[Production Assistant]] - [[Snowy White]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Space Museum'')
* [[Studio Sound]] - [[George Prince]] (Prince provided the sound for the first episode, "The Space Museum"; while Ray Angel worked on the remaining three episodes<ref>[[TCH 5]]</ref>)
* [[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]<ref name="BBC Official Site">[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/spacemuseum/detail.shtml BBC Official Site]</ref>
* [[Floor assistant]] - [[Trevor Beckett]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Space Museum'')
* [[Vision mixer]] - [[Clive Doig]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Space Museum'')
* [[Grams operator|Grams]] - [[Clive Gifford]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Space Museum'')
* [[Studio lighting assistant|Lighting Assistant]] - [[Dickie Ashman]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Space Museum'')
 
== Worldbuilding ==
* The Doctor claims he was with [[James Watt]] when he discovered steam power.
* The Doctor claims he was with [[James Watt]] when he discovered steam power.
* The Moroks were from [[Morok (planet)|Morok]].
* The Moroks used a paralytic called [[Zaphra gas]] during the creation of their empire.
* The [[Space Museum|museum]] has a [[Dalek]] as an exhibit, with a sign confirming it comes from [[Skaro]].
* Vicki states that "[[time]], like [[space]], although a [[dimension]] in itself, also has dimensions of its own".
* The Doctor calls up images of a [[penny-farthing]], [[walrus]]es and himself in a [[Victorian era]] bathing suit.
* The Doctor claims his brain works "at the speed of a mechanical [[computer]]."
== Story notes ==
* All episodes exist as [[16mm telerecordings]].
* Only the third episode, "The Search", was found to be retained as a positive film print by the [[BBC Film and Videotape Library]] when it was audited in 1978.
* Negative film prints of all four episodes have been found.
* A better quality print of the first episode, "The Space Museum", was returned to the BBC in 1981.
* The working titles of the first and fourth episodes, "The Space Museum" and "The Final Phase", were "The Four Dimensions of Time" and "Zone Seven" respectively.
* [[William Hartnell]] does not appear in "The Search" except in the reprise from the previous episode, "The Dimensions of Time", as he was on holiday during the week it was recorded.
* Of all the [[William Hartnell]] stories with individual episode titles, this is the only one for which only one overall story title has ever been used. See also [[Disputed story titles]].
* It was during the production of this story that [[Jacqueline Hill]] decided that she was leaving the series.
* This is the only story [[Mervyn Pinfield]] directed entirely by himself.
* [[Glyn Jones]] was later dismayed by [[Dennis Spooner]]'s editing of his scripts, which excised much of the humorous content. Spooner felt that such material was inappropriate in what he envisioned as a high-concept science-fiction story.
* The first episode, "The Space Museum", begins with a brief reprise of the final scene of ''[[The Crusade (TV story)|The Crusade]]''. This clip is currently the only surviving 16mm black-and-white film footage from that story's final episode, "The Warlords".
* [[Richard Shaw]], who spoke with a Cockney accent, was cast as Governor [[Lobos (The Space Museum)|Lobos]] but was asked to deliver his lines in "BBC English". His accent slips only once when he bellows at a Morok underling to use "maximum securi'ee!"
* The incidental music was all from stock recordings rather than being specially composed for the story.
* In a nice piece of internal continuity, [[William Russell]] starts gently banging his fists together as he leaves the TARDIS interior set and carries this through to the next scene, following a recording break, as he emerges from the police box onto the Xeros surface set; this gives the effect of a continuous piece of action and helps maintain the illusion that the TARDIS interior really is inside the police box shell.
* [[Salvin Stewart]] (Morok Messenger/Morok Guard) also provided the voice of the armoury computer in "The Final Phase", for which he remained uncredited both on-screen and in ''Radio Times''.
* This was one of the stories selected to be shown as part of [[BSB's Doctor Who Weekend]] in September 1990.
* [[Glyn Jones]] later starred as [[Krans]] in ''[[The Sontaran Experiment (TV story)|The Sontaran Experiment]]'' nearly a decade later, making him one of five individuals to have both written for and acted in ''Doctor Who'' (the others being [[Victor Pemberton]], [[Derrick Sherwin]], [[Mark Gatiss]], and [[Toby Whithouse]]).
* The first episode, "The Space Museum", features a rare use (for the 1960s) of a filmed insert of an interior location, specifically a room in the TARDIS, due to the need to show a special effect — namely Vicki dropping a glass and the glass reassembling itself — that at the time could not be rendered on videotape. The switch from video to film was rendered unnoticeable in the filmed recordings of the serial that were circulated after its UK broadcast and when the story was recovered in the 1980s but is once again quite noticeable following the serial's vidFIRE remastering for DVD release in 2010.
* Several of the story's guest cast members are credited on-screen but not in ''Radio Times'', presumably due to lack of space for those particular issues: Bill Starkey (Third Xeron) for the first episode, "The Space Museum"; Lawrence Dean and Ken Norris (Morok Guards) for all four episodes; and Michael Gordon, Edward Granville, David Wolliscroft and Bill Starkey (Xerons) for "The Search" and "The Final Phase".
* The four episodes were produced at the same time that the feature film ''[[Dr. Who and the Daleks (theatrical film)|Dr. Who and the Daleks]]'' was in production.
* This story was ranked as ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' readers' least favourite [[First Doctor]] story in their [[2009]] and [[2014]] polls. In the other two polls, it was voted second-last. ([[DWM 589]])
* Moroks was a play on “moronic”, with Lobos' name suggested by the word “lobotomy”.
* The Xerons were originally called Tharls, drawing on an archaic term for a slave or servant from which the modern “thrall” was derived.
* The cause of the time distortion was originally a machine in the Morok processing room, rather than an issue with a TARDIS component.
* It was decided early on that the serial would be a budget-saving exercise since ''[[The Web Planet (TV story)|The Web Planet]]'' had proved very costly. [[Mervyn Pinfield]] was brought in to direct, as his knowledge and expertise would help bring costs down.
* Just before filming began, [[Dennis Spooner]] carried out further rewrites to the last episode, including ending it with a lead-in to ''[[The Chase (TV story)|The Chase]]''.
* The actors playing the Moroks wore fake eyebrows, as well as having their own eyebrows hidden by makeup. The fake eyebrows were not easy to work with, as they kept falling off.
=== Ratings ===
* "The Space Museum" - 10.5 million viewers
* "The Dimensions of Time" - 9.2 million viewers
* "The Search" - 8.5 million viewers
* "The Final Phase" - 8.5 million viewers
=== Myths ===
* This was a low budget story due to the high cost of some of the other stories this season. ''(The story had a similar budget and cost about the same to make as the other four-part stories at the time.)''
=== Filming locations ===
* [[Ealing Television Film Studios]]
=== Production errors ===
{{discontinuity}}
* When the main characters exit the TARDIS, their shadows can be seen across the mountains in the distance.
* After the travellers establish that they can't touch any of the exhibits, they hide behind a statue; as they do so, they bump into it and cause it to wobble.
== Continuity ==
* The Doctor fixes the [[Time-Space Visualiser]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Chase (TV story)|The Chase]]'') and uses it again. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Fourth Wall (audio story)|The Fourth Wall]]'', ''[[The One Doctor (audio story)|The One Doctor]]'') The [[Faction Paradox]] use a similar device to show [[Fitz Kreiner|Fitz]] his future. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Ancestor Cell (novel)|The Ancestor Cell]]'')
* The TARDIS will jump its own [[time track]] again. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Festival of Death (novel)|Festival of Death]]'', ''[[Prisoner of the Daleks (novel)|Prisoner of the Daleks]]'') The [[Eleventh Doctor]] also thinks at first that this may have occurred again when he, Amy and Rory start switching between two dreams that each seem real, but is proven incorrect. ([[TV]]: ''[[Amy's Choice (TV story)|Amy's Choice]]'')
* {{Champion}} was once an adviser to the [[Morok]]s. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[No Future (novel)|No Future]]'')
* The Doctor would later visit other "space museums". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Seeds of Death (TV story)|The Seeds of Death]]'', ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'', ''[[The Time of Angels (TV story)|The Time of Angels]]'')


==Story Notes==
== Home video and audio releases ==
* All episodes exist in [[16mm telerecordings]]
=== DVD releases ===
* Episode 3 was held in the [[Film & TV Library]] when it was audited in 1978
This story was first released on DVD in the [[UK]] on [[1 March (releases)|1 March]] [[2010 (releases)|2010]] as part of a boxset with ''[[The Chase (TV story)|The Chase]]''. The one disc set includes a [http://www.purpleville.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/rtwebsite/SpaceMuseumChaseDVD.htm restored version] of the story, as well as the following special features:
* Negative Film Prints of all 4 episodes have been found
* Commentary by [[William Russell]] ([[Ian Chesterton|Ian]]), [[Maureen O'Brien]] ([[Vicki Pallister|Vicki]]), and writer [[Glyn Jones]], moderated by [[Peter Purves]]
* A clearer print of episode 1 was returned to the BBC in 1981
* ''[[Defending the Museum (documentary)|Defending the Museum]]'' - New series ''[[Doctor Who]]'' writer [[Robert Shearman]] provides a personal and robust defense of this often overlooked story
* The episodes of this story went by different titles during the production stage. Episode 1 was originally known as '''The Four Dimensions of Time''' and Episode 4 was originally known as '''Zone Seven'''.
* ''[[My Grandfather, the Doctor (documentary)|My Grandfather, the Doctor]]'' - [[Jessica Carney]] talks about the career of her grandfather, [[William Hartnell]]
* William Hartnell does not appear in Episode 3.
* ''A Holiday For The Doctor'' - Spoof comedy recreation of 1960s ''Doctor Who'', starring Christopher Green as actress Ida Barr
* Of all the William Hartnell stories with individual episode titles, this is the only one for which only one overall story title has ever been used. See also [[Disputed story titles]].  
* ''[[Radio Times]]'' Billings (PDF DVD-ROM - PC/Mac)
* Episode 1 begins with a brief reprise of The Crusade episode 4, which is currently the only surviving film footage of that episode
* Production Information Subtitles
* Features a guest appearance by [[Jeremy Bulloch]] who is better known for his appearance as [[w:c:starwars:Boba Fett|Boba Fett]] in [[w:c:starwars:Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back|The Empire Strikes Back]] and [[w:c:starwars:Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi|Return of the Jedi]]
* Photo Gallery
* [[Richard Shaw]], who spoke with a Cockney accent, was cast as Governor [[Lobos]], but was asked to deliver his lines with a BBC accent. His accent slips only once, when he bellows at an underling use "maximum securi'ee!" He later appeared as [[Cross]] in [[Frontier in Space]] with his own accent
* Coming Soon Trailer - ''[[Myths and Legends (DVD box set)|Myths and Legends]]''
* The incidental music was all from stock recordings rather than being specially composed for the story


===Ratings===
Editing for the DVD release was completed by the [[Doctor Who Restoration Team]].
* The Space Museum - 10.5m viewers
* The Dimensions of Time - 9.2m viewers
* The Search - 8.5m viewers
* The Final Phase - 8.5m viewers


===Myths===
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
* This was a low budget due to the high cost of some of the other stories this season ''(The story had a similar budget and cost about the same to make as the other 4 part stories at the time)''
File:Bbcdvd-thespacemuseum.jpg|Region 2 UK cover
File:The-space-museum-AUS.jpg|Region 4 Australia cover
File:Bbcdvd-thespacemuseumthechase.jpg|The Space Museum/The Chase Region 2 Boxset
The Space Museum and The Chase.jpg|The Space Museum/The Chase Region 4 Boxset
Space museum chase us dvd.jpg|The Space Museum/The Chase Region 1 US cover
</gallery>


===Location Filming===
=== Blu-ray releases ===
''to be added''
The story was released on Blu-ray in the UK on [[5 December (releases)|5 December]] [[2022 (releases)|2022]], as part of the box set ''[[The Collection]]: [[Season 2 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season Two]]''.


===Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors===
=== Digital releases ===
* When they exit the TARDIS, the main characters cast shadows across the mountains in the distance
This story is available:
* for streaming through [[BritBox]] ([[US]]) as part of Season 2 of ''Classic Doctor Who''.


==Continuity==
=== VHS releases ===
* The Doctor manages to fix the Time/Space Visualiser in [[The Chase]] and uses it again in ''[[BFA]]:'' [[The One Doctor]].
''The Space Museum'' was released on VHS together with the surviving episodes of ''[[The Crusade (TV story)|The Crusade]]''.
* The [[Faction Paradox]] use a similar device in ''[[EDA]]:'' [[The Ancestor Cell]] to show [[Fitz Kreiner|Fitz]] his future.
* A device like the Time/Space Visualiser is seen in ''[[TN]]:''[[Ghost Ship]].
* The TARDIS jumps its own time track again in ''[[PDA]]:'' [[Festival of Death]].
* In ''[[NA]]:'' [[No Future]] it is revealed that the [[Meddling Monk|Monk]] was once an adviser to the [[Morok]]s.


==DVD, Video and Other Releases==
::[[UK]] Release: [[July (releases)|July]] [[1999 (releases)|1999]] / [[US]] Release: [[January (releases)|January]] [[2000 (releases)|2000]]
* The Space Museum was released on VHS together with the surviving episodes of The Crusade.
::PAL - [[BBC Video]] BBCV6805
:: [[UK]] Release: [[July]] [[1999]] / [[US]] Release: [[January]] [[2000]]
::NTSC - [[CBS/FOX Video]] 2000020
:: PAL - [[BBC Video]] BBCV6805
::NTSC - [[Warner Video]] E1399
:: NTSC - [[CBS/FOX Video]] 2000020
:: NTSC - [[Warner Video]] E1399


==Target Novelisations==
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
''to be added''
928-Doctor-Who-The-Crusade-and-The-Space-Museum-UK-VHS.jpg|VHS box set cover
The chase the space museum vhs.jpg|UK VHS Cover
</gallery>


==See also==
=== Audio releases ===
* [[Festival of Death]]
* This story was released on CD by BBC Audio in [[May (releases)|May]] [[2009 (releases)|2009]] with linking narration and a bonus interview with [[Maureen O'Brien]].
* This story was re-released in September 2013 as part of the box set ''[[The TV Episodes - Collection Six]]''.


<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
The Space Museum CD Soundtrack.jpg|CD release
Lost TV Eps coll6 cover.jpg|The TV Episodes - Collection Six
</gallery>


==External Links==
== Footnotes ==
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/spacemuseum/ BBC Episode Guide Page for '''The Space Museum''' with video clips]
{{reflist}}
* [http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_q.htm Detailed '''The Space Museum''' synopsis at the Doctor Who Reference Guide]
* [http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/q.html A Brief History of Time (Travel) entry for '''The Space Museum''']
* [http://www.gallifreyone.com/episode.php?id=q Outpost Gallifrey entry for '''The Space Museum''']
*[http://www.eofftv.com/episodes/d/doctor_who/1st_doctor/space_museum_main.htm '''The Space Museum''' entry in Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film and Television]


{{Wikipedia|The_Space_Museum}}
== External links ==
* {{bbcepguideclassic|spacemuseum/|The Space Museum}} (with video clips)
* {{radiotimes|2009-01-06/the-space-museum|The Space Museum}}
{{dwcast}}
{{dwrefguide|who_q.htm|The Space Museum}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/q.html|The Space Museum}}
* [http://www.eofftv.com/episodes/d/doctor_who/1st_doctor/space_museum_main.htm '''The Space Museum''' entry in Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film and Television]
{{DWTV}}
{{TitleSort}}
[[he:מוזיאון החלל]]
[[ru:Космический музей]]


[[Category:First Doctor episodes|Space Museum]]
[[Category:Doctor Who (1963) television stories]]
[[Category:Stories with unknown or disputed dates|Space Museum]]
[[Category:1965 television stories]]
[[Category:1965 television stories|Space Museum]]
[[Category:Season 2 stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in alternate timelines]]
[[Category:Four part serials]]
[[Category:Morok stories]]
[[Category:Dalek television stories]]

Latest revision as of 20:00, 3 November 2024

RealWorld.png

The Space Museum was the seventh serial of season 2 of Doctor Who. It was the first story to deal with the dimensions of time as well as space and the first to feature alternate timelines. While it presented many original science fiction elements, it still retained the elements of a typical story of the era.

The story's cliffhanger also presented fans with a preview of the Daleks' third appearance. Their return was awaited impatiently, a fact that was baited by the appearance of a Dalek shell in part one. This shell was the final appearance of the original Dalek design until The Magician's Apprentice in 2015. The Daleks at the end of "The Final Phase" do not have the metal band of their predecessors.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

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.

Vicki helps the native Xerons obtain arms and revolt against the Moroks. The revolution succeeds and the travellers go on their way, confident that the future has been changed.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Space Museum (1)[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor examines the TARDIS exhibit.

The TARDIS materialises on a planet replete with many different specimens of space technology. The Doctor says that they have landed far quicker than he ever has done before. Ian and Barbara notice that they have switched clothes since just before they landed. They had been in their 12th century Crusade clothes. The Doctor explains this away as being mere "time and relativity" and says that their old clothes will be hanging in the wardrobe, which Vicki confirms.

Following the Doctor's orders, Vicki fetches a glass of water from the food machine. She is startled by something and drops the drink. As the glass smashes on the floor, it immediately reforms itself and leaps back into her hand. She reports this to the Doctor, who says that all should be explained when they explore the planet they have landed on. He postulates it is a museum because the spacecraft are lined up in chronological order.

Once they leave the TARDIS, they find the planet has nothing living on it. Ian also notices that their footprints make no tracks in the dust.

The travellers head towards a large building in the middle of the spacecraft. Once there, they find the doors shut, but they soon open to reveal two men. The travellers hide from the men, but as they pass, Vicki sneezes loudly. To the travellers' surprise, the two men do not seem to hear her. The Doctor says this is inexplicable and begins to explore the building.

As they walk through the many corridors, they are startled by a Dalek, which they then realise is only a museum piece. As they discuss their previous experiences with Daleks, about which Vicki has only read about, they see two more men coming who are different to the ones they saw previously. They hide but are surprised to see that, although the men seem to be speaking to each other, they are inaudible to the travellers. Ian wonders if they speak at another frequency than humans. The Doctor doubts it but has no other explanations.

As they continue to explore the museum, Vicki discovers that they cannot touch any of the pieces on display. Their hands simply pass through them. The Doctor suggests they are not actually where they think they are. Yet again, the travellers encounter three men who go about their business, unaware of the travellers. This supports the Doctor's theory.

Further in the museum, they find the Doctor's TARDIS on display. Barbara, Ian, and Vicki, although confused as to how the ship came to be here, say they think they should leave the planet. The Doctor soon proves this to be impossible. The TARDIS also cannot be touched. The Doctor points out a display case containing the bodies of the four travellers. He says the TARDIS must have jumped a time track when they materialised, thus they temporarily occupy a fourth dimension. This lets them be simultaneously in the cases in one reality and standing, looking at themselves in the fourth dimension.

The Doctor suggests that the only course of events is to wait at the museum until they return to the real reality. He suggests that what they are seeing in front of them is merely a possibility of the future and it can be changed. He notes that the versions of them in the display cases are wearing the same clothes as they are wearing now, so it is only a matter of time before the two realities merge again. No sooner does he say this than Barbara has a strange feeling. Time seems to rewind and two men discover the TARDIS. At the same time, the display cases disappear. The Doctor announces, "We have arrived."

The Dimensions of Time (2)[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor emerges from hiding.

The museum's curator, Lobos, receives news of the alien ship that has landed on his planet. Although concerned, he is also pleased to have his day's monotony broken by an intruder. He orders his men to find the visitors before the rebels find them. However, he is too late — three rebels have already heard about the travellers and intend to intercept them before Lobos' men. They will befriend them and overthrow the oppressive rule that Lobos, a representative of the Moroks, holds over them.

Meanwhile, in the museum, the travellers have taken a gun from the exhibition to bluff their way out of the museum. The four friends discuss how best to avoid the future that they saw in the fourth dimension. It is suggested that they do the opposite of what they would normally do, but they decide to try to escape. If they escape, then they will never be captured in the first place.

They begin to navigate the labyrinthine corridors, searching for an escape. As they make their way through the corridors, they are pursued by the rebels, who decide that to avoid startling the travellers, they will capture one of them and explain their situation. It is not long before the opportunity shows itself. As the travellers walk through the corridors, the Doctor is distracted by an exhibit and falls behind his friends. The rebels grab him and carry him away through a door without the others seeing. He plays dead and the rebels decide to split up. One of the rebels, Dako, elects to stay and watch the Doctor while the others go to track the other travellers.

The remaining travellers, now aware of the Doctor's disappearance, argue how best to find him and save themselves from their possible future. They decide it is best to push on for the exit.

The two rebels return to discover that Dako has been tied up and gagged. They question him about what happened, but he has no memory after being knocked unconscious. They go to seek the Doctor, who they assume escaped back into the museum. However, he is hiding in the hollowed out Dalek shell. When he escapes, he is accosted yet again, but this time by the Moroks.

Barbara, Ian, and Vicki, now tired and cranky, decide to use yarn to ensure that they are not repeating their paths. They unravel Barbara's cardigan to do this. The rebels find the yarn and decide to follow it. Eventually, they find the exit. As they pull back the doors they see that the TARDIS has been captured.

The Doctor finds himself in a room with only a chair. As he sits on it, bars lock him in place. A wall slides up to reveal Lobos. He explains that the museum is a homage to the great history of the Moroks and it is silent because the Moroks are now peace-loving creatures. Lobos asks the Doctor with whom he came here. The Doctor refuses to say, but Lobos somehow knows anyway. He explains that the Doctor's chair allows his thoughts to be shown on a video screen on his desk. When Lobos continues to question the Doctor on how he came here and where he is from, the Doctor uses the strength of his brain to confuse and misdirect Lobos. Lobos tires of this and summons his guards to take the Doctor to the Preparation Room. He will become an exhibit, causing an image of the Doctor on display to appear.

The Search (3)[[edit] | [edit source]]

Ian confronts a Morok.

Barbara, Ian and Vicki look on as the Moroks decide to try to force their way into the TARDIS. One of the Morok soldiers is sent to fetch cutting equipment. As the humans discuss what they should do, a Morok finds them and holds them at gunpoint.

Ian decides that if they are to be put in the exhibition cases in the future, the Morok soldiers must have been told not to kill them. The gun must be a deterrent, not a threat. Ian calls the soldier's bluff and overpowers him. The other Moroks overhear the scuffle and rush to try to catch the travellers, but in the panic, the humans flee in different directions. Barbara hides behind a stack of boxes. The Moroks leave without seeing her, but she finds they have locked the door, trapping her.

Vicki escapes from the Moroks another way and gets captured — not by the Moroks but by the rebel faction. At first, she is terrified of her captors, especially when she hears that they captured the Doctor, but the rebels insist they wish her no harm. This is proved when they send one of their number, Dako, to find Barbara.

Ian elects to hide behind the TARDIS. He overhears a conversation between a Morok guard and Lobos over instructions to guard the TARDIS while the rest of the army track down the "aliens". Using a stone to distract the guard, Ian overpowers him and holds him at gunpoint. He orders the guard to take him to where the Doctor is being held. The guard informs him that it will be too late for the Doctor, but Ian insists.

Lobos is tired of the aggravation from high command, what with the aliens running loose on his planet and the ever-growing number of Xeron rebels on his base. He elects to flood his museum with Zaphra gas. This paralyses anyone who inhales it, making all the Moroks' enemies easy pickings.

Dako finds the room in which Barbara is hiding but is almost knocked unconscious by a terrified Barbara. He says her name; this calms her. Dako explains that his race is called the Xerons and that they are the original occupants of this planet, but the war-loving Moroks took over their planet to establish their museum. The Moroks swept away the Xeron civilisation and killed all the Xeron people except the children, whom they enslaved. These are the Xerons that now live underground in the museum. The conversation is interrupted by the Zaphra gas that floods into the room. Barbara and Dako try to escape before falling under the gas' paralytic effects.

Vicki is also being given a lesson on Xeron history. The Xerons admit that whilst they are more numerous, they do not have the artillery to overpower the Moroks. Vicki asks if there is an armoury that they can raid. The Xerons say that there is, but it is protected by a lock with a lie detector. Unless you answer a series of questions truthfully, you cannot enter. Vicki asks to be taken to this machine, and the Xerons willingly oblige, happy to have an addition to their revolutionary force.

Meanwhile, Ian and the Morok guard have arrived at the Preparation Room where the Doctor is being held. The guard suggests waiting until it isn't as busy to enter. Ian agrees. They are soon interrupted by Lobos. Ian hides while the Moroks talk. Ian learns that his friends have not been captured but gas will be used on them. They hide until the Preparation Room may be more accessible.

Sita, Tor and Vicki arrive at the armoury. Vicki listens to the questions that the complex telekinetic lock asks. As soon as she has heard the full cycle, she takes off the front of the machine and tinkers with its workings. She gets the machine to ask her the questions again. When asked what her name is, she responds with "Vicki", and when asked what the guns are to be used for, she responds "revolution". To the surprise of the Xerons, the doors open. While the Xerons begin arming themselves Vicki explains that she wired the machine to accept any truthful answer, not just the ones that the Moroks were looking for.

Lobos is interrupted by Ian, who has gained access to the Preparation Room. Ian holds Lobos at gunpoint and demands to see the Doctor. Lobos obliges, saying there is no point. Ian stops in his tracks, shocked at the state the Doctor is in.

The Final Phase (4)[[edit] | [edit source]]

You may be looking for the audio story.
The Xerons take action.

Ian finds the Doctor attached to a device, unconscious. He demands that Lobos reverse whatever it is that the machine has done to the Doctor. Lobos says the Doctor is as good as dead and it would be impossible to revive him. It has never been done before. Ian forces Lobos at gunpoint to try anyway.

Meanwhile, Tor marshals the Xeron revolution. He orders his newly armed platoon to attack the barracks. As they do, Vicki says she wants to help find her friends. After arguing briefly, Tor agrees but sends Sita to protect her.

Back in the preparation room, Lobos has defied the odds and has resurrected the Doctor. The only side effect that the Doctor displays is a bit of rheumatism from the extreme cold to which he was subjected. As the Doctor and Ian discuss their next move, a group of Moroks silently ambush them, knocking Ian unconscious. Once Lobos has imprisoned the two men, he tries to call the barracks to muster more men to find the rest of the aliens. There is no answer.

Outside where a Morok soldier guards the TARDIS, the doors to the museum spring open to reveal Barbara and Dako. Barbara has carried Dako to safety after he collapsed from the Zaphra gas. The guard pulls his gun on them when a shot rings out and he falls. Barbara and Dako turn to see Vicki and Sita, who is holding a gun. Sita tells Dako about the revolution. Barbara and Vicki decide to join them, hoping they will find the Doctor and Ian on the way. Whilst they talk, another Morok soldier appears. He shoots Dako and Sita and takes Barbara and Vicki prisoner. The soldier returns Dako and Sita's guns to Lobos. Lobos says it is from the armoury and worries he cannot contact his soldiers there either.

The four travellers are reunited, locked in the Preparation Room. In an effort to render their possible future redundant, Ian destroys the machine that turns them into exhibits. However, the Doctor speculates that there are many more on the planet. Ian and Barbara seem resigned that there is no escaping the future they saw, but Vicki and the Doctor say that ever since they touched down on Xeron they have been altering and affecting the course of events — although they can't alter their own chain of events while imprisoned, they may have made an impression on others, who will do it for them.

Outside, the Xerons overpower the Moroks in the battle for Xeron. The Xeron rebels include Sita and Dako, who were only paralysed by the blast from the Morok soldier. Tor finds them and demands to know what happened to Vicki. Sita says that they were taken to the Preparation Room. Tor and his men go after her.

Outside the Preparation Room, Lobos receives news that defeat is inevitable. He decides to flee the planet and orders the killing of his prisoners. Just as the travellers are about to be killed, Tor and the rebels burst through the door and kill Lobos, freeing the Doctor and his companions.

Later, reunited with his TARDIS, the Doctor explains to Ian and Barbara the problem he had with his TARDIS was all down to a small part that hadn't quite clicked into place — this meant that they had been wandering around Xeron for a while before it clicked back into place and re-landed again, resetting time.

The Xerons have given the Doctor a Time-Space Visualiser as a souvenir before they dismantle the museum. He tells his friends that he will be able to get it working again but leaves its actual use a mystery to them. Vicki bids goodbye to Tor and enters the TARDIS, which dematerialises.

On a distant planet (whether this is Skaro or not is unclear), a Dalek enters a control room in response to an alarm call. It informs another Dalek via a communications panel that their "greatest enemies" have left Xeros. The response from the Dalek at the other end is that the Daleks' own time machine will soon be in pursuit and their enemies will soon be exterminated...

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Doctor claims he was with James Watt when he discovered steam power.
  • The Moroks were from Morok.
  • The Moroks used a paralytic called Zaphra gas during the creation of their empire.
  • The museum has a Dalek as an exhibit, with a sign confirming it comes from Skaro.
  • Vicki states that "time, like space, although a dimension in itself, also has dimensions of its own".
  • The Doctor calls up images of a penny-farthing, walruses and himself in a Victorian era bathing suit.
  • The Doctor claims his brain works "at the speed of a mechanical computer."

Story notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • All episodes exist as 16mm telerecordings.
  • Only the third episode, "The Search", was found to be retained as a positive film print by the BBC Film and Videotape Library when it was audited in 1978.
  • Negative film prints of all four episodes have been found.
  • A better quality print of the first episode, "The Space Museum", was returned to the BBC in 1981.
  • The working titles of the first and fourth episodes, "The Space Museum" and "The Final Phase", were "The Four Dimensions of Time" and "Zone Seven" respectively.
  • William Hartnell does not appear in "The Search" except in the reprise from the previous episode, "The Dimensions of Time", as he was on holiday during the week it was recorded.
  • Of all the William Hartnell stories with individual episode titles, this is the only one for which only one overall story title has ever been used. See also Disputed story titles.
  • It was during the production of this story that Jacqueline Hill decided that she was leaving the series.
  • This is the only story Mervyn Pinfield directed entirely by himself.
  • Glyn Jones was later dismayed by Dennis Spooner's editing of his scripts, which excised much of the humorous content. Spooner felt that such material was inappropriate in what he envisioned as a high-concept science-fiction story.
  • The first episode, "The Space Museum", begins with a brief reprise of the final scene of The Crusade. This clip is currently the only surviving 16mm black-and-white film footage from that story's final episode, "The Warlords".
  • Richard Shaw, who spoke with a Cockney accent, was cast as Governor Lobos but was asked to deliver his lines in "BBC English". His accent slips only once when he bellows at a Morok underling to use "maximum securi'ee!"
  • The incidental music was all from stock recordings rather than being specially composed for the story.
  • In a nice piece of internal continuity, William Russell starts gently banging his fists together as he leaves the TARDIS interior set and carries this through to the next scene, following a recording break, as he emerges from the police box onto the Xeros surface set; this gives the effect of a continuous piece of action and helps maintain the illusion that the TARDIS interior really is inside the police box shell.
  • Salvin Stewart (Morok Messenger/Morok Guard) also provided the voice of the armoury computer in "The Final Phase", for which he remained uncredited both on-screen and in Radio Times.
  • This was one of the stories selected to be shown as part of BSB's Doctor Who Weekend in September 1990.
  • Glyn Jones later starred as Krans in The Sontaran Experiment nearly a decade later, making him one of five individuals to have both written for and acted in Doctor Who (the others being Victor PembertonDerrick SherwinMark Gatiss, and Toby Whithouse).
  • The first episode, "The Space Museum", features a rare use (for the 1960s) of a filmed insert of an interior location, specifically a room in the TARDIS, due to the need to show a special effect — namely Vicki dropping a glass and the glass reassembling itself — that at the time could not be rendered on videotape. The switch from video to film was rendered unnoticeable in the filmed recordings of the serial that were circulated after its UK broadcast and when the story was recovered in the 1980s but is once again quite noticeable following the serial's vidFIRE remastering for DVD release in 2010.
  • Several of the story's guest cast members are credited on-screen but not in Radio Times, presumably due to lack of space for those particular issues: Bill Starkey (Third Xeron) for the first episode, "The Space Museum"; Lawrence Dean and Ken Norris (Morok Guards) for all four episodes; and Michael Gordon, Edward Granville, David Wolliscroft and Bill Starkey (Xerons) for "The Search" and "The Final Phase".
  • The four episodes were produced at the same time that the feature film Dr. Who and the Daleks was in production.
  • This story was ranked as Doctor Who Magazine readers' least favourite First Doctor story in their 2009 and 2014 polls. In the other two polls, it was voted second-last. (DWM 589)
  • Moroks was a play on “moronic”, with Lobos' name suggested by the word “lobotomy”.
  • The Xerons were originally called Tharls, drawing on an archaic term for a slave or servant from which the modern “thrall” was derived.
  • The cause of the time distortion was originally a machine in the Morok processing room, rather than an issue with a TARDIS component.
  • It was decided early on that the serial would be a budget-saving exercise since The Web Planet had proved very costly. Mervyn Pinfield was brought in to direct, as his knowledge and expertise would help bring costs down.
  • Just before filming began, Dennis Spooner carried out further rewrites to the last episode, including ending it with a lead-in to The Chase.
  • The actors playing the Moroks wore fake eyebrows, as well as having their own eyebrows hidden by makeup. The fake eyebrows were not easy to work with, as they kept falling off.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • "The Space Museum" - 10.5 million viewers
  • "The Dimensions of Time" - 9.2 million viewers
  • "The Search" - 8.5 million viewers
  • "The Final Phase" - 8.5 million viewers

Myths[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • This was a low budget story due to the high cost of some of the other stories this season. (The story had a similar budget and cost about the same to make as the other four-part stories at the time.)

Filming locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

Production errors[[edit] | [edit source]]

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
  • When the main characters exit the TARDIS, their shadows can be seen across the mountains in the distance.
  • After the travellers establish that they can't touch any of the exhibits, they hide behind a statue; as they do so, they bump into it and cause it to wobble.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Home video and audio releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

DVD releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

This story was first released on DVD in the UK on 1 March 2010 as part of a boxset with The Chase. The one disc set includes a restored version of the story, as well as the following special features:

Editing for the DVD release was completed by the Doctor Who Restoration Team.

Blu-ray releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

The story was released on Blu-ray in the UK on 5 December 2022, as part of the box set The Collection: Season Two.

Digital releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

This story is available:

  • for streaming through BritBox (US) as part of Season 2 of Classic Doctor Who.

VHS releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Space Museum was released on VHS together with the surviving episodes of The Crusade.

UK Release: July 1999 / US Release: January 2000
PAL - BBC Video BBCV6805
NTSC - CBS/FOX Video 2000020
NTSC - Warner Video E1399

Audio releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]