Ticket to Ride

The Beatles performing "Ticket to Ride." (TV: The Chase)

"Ticket to Ride" was a popular rock and roll song by the Beatles.

The First Doctor, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright and Vicki Pallister watched the Beatles perform the song on TV via the TARDIS' Time-Space Visualiser. Ian danced along to it. (TV: The Chase) According to one account which claimed that the Visualiser was a hoax, the people seen on the Visualiser were not the genuine historical figures but human slaves of the Pursuer-Daleks who were made to re-enact the event as a deception for the Doctor and his companions. (PROSE: Dalek Survival Guide)

In 1872, the Fourth Doctor led the crew of the Tweed in singing "Ticket to Ride." (PROSE: Eye of Heaven)

Behind the scenes

• Licensing issues involving the use of this song were often cited as a reason for The Chase being delayed in its DVD release. The DVD release eventually was announced, but with this song removed from releases outside Region 2.[1]
• The footage used of the Beatles came from a Top of the Pops performance. As the original episode has been deleted, the shots used in the Doctor Who episode is the only known surviving footage of this particular performance, although as noted above the footage has been rendered (officially) inaccessible in many parts of the worlds.
• Originally, Verity Lambert and her team wanted the Beatles to perform the song as old men. Beatles manager Brian Epstein vetoed the idea, offering the Doctor Who production team the Top of the Pops footage instead. (BBC DVD: The Chase)