Serial R: The Chase (The Pursuers)

I'm really behind on these - I'm writing my part of this review immediately before posting. As a result, it's not as polished as I would like. Still, this is my son's DVD, so let's give him his say first:

Isaac's Corner
Another one of mine. The Chase! This is one of my favourite first Doctor serials, having both the Daleks and the Mechanoids (Mechanoids are one of the things i want them to resurrect in the new series). I love it that on the Mary Celeste it's the one time the Daleks aren't trying to kill people and actually want information from them. But the humans ran away and jumped over board whenever the Daleks came near. So there's a lesson for you: if you become machines designed for killing you won't get much help from people. Great story-line, very funny. Very, very, good. 9.75/10

* * *

I am really glad he enjoys it so much, although I can't agree regarding its quality (except for the last 10% or so). But that's one of the wonderful things about the show, that every serial has its champions and almost everyone can find some story to love.

The Chase has always been in the background of my revised interest in Doctor Who. The first issue of Doctor Who Magazine I read was #390, the one with Kylie and a Dalek on the front - and inside was a "Fact of Fiction" article about The Chase which sparked nostalgia because of my past experience of Mechanoids. That magazine, given to me by some friends for Christmas 2007, marks the point where people outside my immediate family noticed I was a fan again - for the first time since the 1970s. (Or was it the '80s? No, definitely the '70s.</UNIT-Dating>) On my next birthday I was given the Davros box set (which included the Big Finish audios featuring him), and the following year Isaac and I clubbed together to get a copy of The Dalek World.

I can't remember whether Isaac had heard The Juggernauts before then. Either way, the combination of comic story and audio got him interested in Mechanoids, so that when the DVD was released in 2010 he decided to buy it. I wasn't complaining!

Actually, the links continue to this day. Just before I started watching the serial as part of this marathon I listened to another Big Finish story for the first time. I won't say which one because of spoilers, but it features a character who stowed away on the DARDIS and then secretly entered the TARDIS sometime during The Chase - kind of a mirror to Vicki's time machine swap in Journey into Terror.

The experiment with Daleks and broad comedy in this serial was not a great success. Terry Nation actually forbade them from being portrayed as figures of fun after this.

There are few extras on the DVD. I've mentioned the commentary, which is much better than the one for The Space Museum; I don't do production notes, and the only documentary is a short film of a visit designer Ray Cusick made to the Cardiff studios - which was mostly noteworthy because of how much more interested the new designers were in him than he was in them. And speaking of Cusick:

Raymond Cusick, 1928-2013
Normally I'd take a look at someone with a connection to the show on the occasion of their final story in the marathon, but because of Cusick's recent death I wanted to say something now. Obviously he's most famous for his Dalek design, which is wonderful in its surprising effectiveness. Of almost equal fame is the way he was royally shafted in terms of payment: Nation became rich (and the BBC still have to negotiate with his estate when they want to use the Daleks), while Cusick got a bonus of about £100. Oh, and a Blue Peter badge. Rankled, he left the program in 1966, partway through the next Dalek serial, having acted as production designer on 42 episodes in just over two years. Afterwards he stayed with the BBC and worked on many other shows, including The Duchess of Duke Street, though his passion was the military history of the Napoleonic era.

For me, in this marathon, his design work has often been instrumental in helping me become immersed in a story; more broadly, his Dalek design is one of the key elements that mean the show is still around today.

Rating:
It's hard to choose a single rating for a serial that is all over the place, like this one. Sadly I can't really overlook its flaws despite its moments of brilliance.

Mine: 4/10.
DWM Mighty 200: 60.17%, 157th.
2012 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 6.08, 170th out of 234.

Next Time:
A brief aside about something found in my late father-in-law's garage.