The Chase [4.1]

In this, the first Dr Who story ever to feature multiple planets and multiple time-zones, the Daleks are hunting down the TARDIS crew. As the Doctor and his companions visit one spot after another, looking for a battleground, the Daleks are drawing in ever closer. 

Their journey begins on the desert planet Aridius, populated by carnivorous Mire Beasts and rather feeble fish people. From there, our intrepid heroes touch down on the top of the Empire State building, on the Mary Celeste sailing ship, inside a strangely lethal haunted house fairground attraction and finally on the planet Mechanus, populated by rotund robotic Mechanoids and a maniac with a teddybear. 

The Majesty 

I have to confess to some bias. This was one of my VHS videos of Dr Who as a youngling and will always have a special place in my heart. I am therefore gazing at it with the fond, enraptured expression of a doting parent who sees beneath the dribbly nose and the vomit stains to their darling infant child. 

So with that caveat, there are several things I think work really well in this story. First is the interaction between the main characters. Especially the banter back and forth in Episode One demonstrates clearly just how much they have become a ‘family’ by this point. Second, I really appreciate the music. It’s a strange sort of upbeat lounge jazz that doesn’t remotely add to the tension or drama of the piece but is very memorable and can even by hummed along to, which is more than can be said for any other music so far. Third, the comedy (although a bit of a hit or a miss) can sometimes hit the funny spot. I may be in a minority, but I find the New York scene pretty amusing. It’s the little details, like the posh lady struggling to get her camera strap over the enormous feather in her hat. Fourth, some of the plot points, like Vicki stowing aboard the Dalek time machine, or the Daleks creating a replica robot Doctor, are very dramatic. Fifth, the great send-off of Barbara and Ian at the end of the story is, for me, one of the highlights of the second season. There will never be another Ian and Barbara, and few companions will get such a heartfelt goodbye in the history of the show. 

The Misery 

Even with my fond appreciation of this story, there are some things that don’t work at all. Sending up the Daleks as being parody villains was a really bad choice for the overall direction of the show, though maybe it seemed like a good idea at the time. Meanwhile, the whole format of The Chase left some obvious questions: Why did the Daleks, in their time machine, arrive after the Doctor? Why not choose to land half an hour before him and be there to meet him? Why did the Doctor and his crew ever leave the TARDIS, knowing that they are safe if they stay inside? 

Apart from the plot holes, we have so many production errors it is jaw-dropping, ranging from the robot doctor looking like a totally different man (some of the time) to massive shadows being continually thrown over the backdrop paintings of supposedly distant mountains. The pacing is always stop-starting and Vicki gets on my nerves with her hysterical screaming at every opportunity. 

Magical Moments 

• Vicki annoys everybody (including me) by whistling tunelessly. Even the Doctor loses his temper with her: "Stop that whistling." 
• After a couple of pointless little mini-scenes with Abraham Lincoln and Elizabeth I, we are treated to a sequence with the Beatles playing on Top of the Pops. It's barmy, it’s fun, and Ian's dancing, once seen, can never be unseen. 
• The Doctor and Barbara are sunning themselves in the Aridian desert. The Doctor is singing, with only a modicum more sense of tune than Vicki displayed earlier. “Doctor", cries Barbara, hearing something, "what's that awful noise?" "I beg your pardon!", splutters the Doctor, "that's no way to talk about my singing! I could charm the nightingales from the trees!" 
• The Daleks plan to hunt down the time machine. “TARDIS”, they sing, like a cacophonic barbershop quartet stuck on repeat... “TARDIS, TARDIS, TARDIS, TARDIS”. "Doctor", cries Barbara, "they said TARDIS!" It's always good to have someone stating the utterly obvious... 
• "Don't just stand there and scream, you little fool! Run!" Ian says what I am thinking. 
• A rather rubbery mire beast ‘eats’ an Aridian by basically walking over it. Meanwhile, the Doctor isn’t trying to help, but hobbling away as fast as he can. 
• Ian asks for Barbara's cardigan and the Doctors coat. "My dear boy, we're trying to defeat the Daleks, not start a jumble sale!" 
• There is one particularly stupid Dalek around. When asked the time, he hesitates, making little ‘Er’ and ‘Um’ noises for a good ten seconds. He does the same sort of thing again later, and the commands always have to be given to him twice. I’m not sure if it was deliberate, given the amount of other mistakes in this story... 
• The mere sight of the Daleks on the Mary Celeste is enough to send everyone jumping into the sea in terror. Even a nursing mother with her infant in her arms leaps hopelessly over the side... Are they really that frightening? The guy in New York didn’t think so. 
• Some idiot Dalek, probably the brother of the stammerer, belly-flops off the edge of the ship with a scream. Did he not notice that he had run out of deck? 
• By the time Frankensteins monster has started to creak slowly out of the bed, the Doctor has already legged it up the stairs. He's clearly had the fright of his life! 
• The robot doctor fights the genuine article while Ian, Barbara and Vicki look on in confusion. Despite lacking in both development and execution, it's a grand moment! 
• The Dalek war cry is very poetic: Align and Advance! Advance and Attack! Attack and Destroy! Destroy and Rejoice!" 
• One of the first scenes we have of the rotund Mechanoids is two of them meeting in a narrow corridor. They bump into each other, try going one way and then another, flapping their appendages uselessly. It's not a great first impression considering they were being touted as the New Daleks! 
• Steven, the buffoon that he is, drops the rope lowering Vicki down the side of the skyscraper. Instead, he rushes back into a burning building to rescue his teddy bear. Meanwhile, Ian tries to help by grabbing Barbara by the trousers, almost pulling them off in the process... 
• The showdown battle between the Daleks and the Mechanoids is pretty epic. Almost makes their inclusion worthwhile!
• And of course, the classic line: "You'll end up as two cinders wandering around in Spain... er, in space!" 

In Summary 

It’s a classic case of being ‘so bad it’s good’. The Chase is one of these shows that stands up to endless re-watching simply because it’s so unintentionally hilarious. Not only that, but it’s got an emotional heart to it, being the swansong for Ian and Barbara – the original companions and up there with the very best. 

Overall: 4.1