Review by Craig Byrne
As part of four classic Doctor Who DVD releases that were put out recently (our review of “Underworld” can be found here with other reviews soon to be posted), the 3-disc Region 1 set of The Space Museum and The Chase is definitely one of my favorites. It’s a bit pricey, as it includes three discs, but it’s still a very cool part of Doctor Who history.
Some of that history, sadly, was cut. A Beatles clip from “Top of the Pops,” which if I’m not mistaken only still exists because of Doctor Who, could not be cleared for The Chase, which is a little sad because it helps place the time period the show was made in a very nice way. Don’t let that stop you though – the episode still flows fine; I just think it would have been nice to have included. Apparently it WAS on the British releases.
I have to also get out of the way that The Space Museum, while interesting to see at least to start, is somewhat boring. There’s a reason one of the DVD extras is writer Robert Shearman (Dalek) defending the episode.
With that said… although it’s said to often rank low among fans’ favorite Dalek stories, I actually really like “The Chase.” The Daleks are a bit on the chatty side here, but it’s still one of Doctor Who’s first “epic storylines.” It is also historic because it is (spoiler warning!) when we say goodbye to schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, who had been with the series since the very first episode. At that same time, the show welcomes Steven, a new companion played by Peter Purves. (Though if you watch closely you’ll see Purves in an earlier chapter playing an American tourist!)
There are a lot of fun settings in this, but I also like the locations. There’s a montage showing Ian and Barbara returning “home” that is one of my favorite moments in nearly 50 years of Doctor Who. It’s unfortunate that it had to be paired with The Space Museum and therefore is at a higher price, but I definitely recommend The Chase if you have the money and want to see some great classic Who.
DVD extras are plentiful. The Space Museum has commentary by William Russell (Ian), Maureen O’Brien (Vicki), and writer Glyn Jones with moderation from Peter Purves. There’s also Shearman’s defense of the story and an interview with the granddaughter of First Doctor William Hartnell. Finally, there’s a 14 minute “Holiday for the Doctor” spoof sketch that just seemed to be on the DVD to fill space…. it’s well worth skipping.
The Chase has commentary with Russell, O’Brien, Purves, and director Richard Martin, a visit from the Daleks’ original designer to the new Cardiff studios, a Making Of feature, and a fantastic featurette about the Ian and Barbara characters. If that’s not enough, there’s a Dalek retrospective, a look at prop makers of classic Who, a look at old Doctor Who merchandise, and more. It’s a packed DVD.
Both episodes have the usual fantastic trivia subtitles which always are a treat.
I know I’ve said it before, and I know I’ll hate it in a way since I’ll probably have bought the entire (available) series by the time it comes out, but I really do wish BBC Video would release season sets, as complete as possible. I think it would make someone feel a bit less guilty spending over $35 for ostensibly two stories, if you could get even more stories for around double that. Maybe someday…
One final comment: William Russell, who played Ian Chesterton, may be a bit older than he was in the Doctor Who days, but I will be extremely disappointed if new Doctor Who doesn’t at least try to get him back. He and Carole Ann Ford (Susan) are really the two surviving links to the very first days of Doctor Who, and it’d be a lot easier to explain an aged Ian Chesterton than it would be to bring in an aged Susan. And not just that — to have an older Ian next to a younger looking Doctor like Matt Smith would be fantastic.
Doctor Who: The Space Museum and The Chase is now available on DVD. Order them through KSiteTV and support this site!
