Doctor Who - The Television Stories

Doctor Who - The Stories

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The Rescue

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Episodes

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Appreciation

Archives

Notes

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Story Images

Quote of
the Story

Release
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Synopsis

Koquilion and Vicki

Arriving on the planet Dido in the late 25th Century, the time travellers come upon a crashed spaceship from Earth.

Its two occupants are living in fear of a creature called Koquillion, but everything is not as it seems…

Source: BBC DVD

General Information

Season:

Two

Production Code:

Story Number:

Episode Numbers:

52 - 53

Number of Episodes:

Percentage of Episodes Held:

100%

Production Dates:

November - December 1964

Broadcast Started:

02 January 1965

Broadcast Finished:

09 January 1965

Colour Status:

B&W

Studio:

Ealing Television Film Studios and Riverside (Studio 1)

Location:

None

Writer:

David Whitaker

Director:

Christopher Barry

Producer:

Verity Lambert

Associate Producer:

Mervyn Pinfield

Story Editor:

Dennis Spooner

Production Assistant:

David Maloney

Assistant Floor Manager:

Valerie Wilkins

Designer:

Raymond P Cusick

Costume Designer:

Daphne Dare

Make-Up Designer:

Sonia Markham

Cameraman:

Dick Bush

Lighting:

Howard King

Incidental Music:

Tristram Cary

Special Sounds (SFX Editor):

Brian Hodgson

Studio Sounds:

Richard Chubb

Title Sequence:

Bernard Lodge

Title Music:

Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Delia Derbyshire

Number of Doctors:

The Doctor:

William Hartnell (The First Doctor)

Number of Companions:

The Companions:

Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright), William Russell (Ian Chesterton) and Maureen O'Brien (Vicki) (Joins)

Additional Cast:

Ray Barrett (Bennett/Koquillion), Tom Sheridan (Space Captain), John Stuart (Dido native), Colin Hughes (Dido native)

Setting:

Planet Dido (circa 2493)

Villain:

Bennett (Koquillion)

The Episodes

No.	Episodes	Broadcast (UK)	Duration	Viewers (Millions)	In Archive
52	The Powerful Enemy	02 January 1965	26'15"	12.0	16mm telerecording
53	Desperate Measures	09 January 1965	24'36"	13.0	16mm telerecording

Total Duration

51 Minutes

Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions)

12.5

Doctor Who Magazine Poll (1998)	57.39% (Position = 134 out of 159)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2009)	66.07% (Position = 127 out of 200)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2014)	64.07% (Position = 171 out of 241)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2023)	Position = 12 out of 29

Archives

All episodes exist as 16mm telerecordings.

Notes

This story introduces new companion Vicki played by Maureen O'Brien.

This story was originally entitled "Doctor Who and Tanni", which was the original name for the new companion's name before it became Vicki.

The 1973 Radio Times Tenth Anniversary Special called this story "The Powerful Enemy" - as it titled all the early stories by the title of the first episode. Some subsequent listings repeated this error.

This story is the second to only have two episodes. Doctor Who would not feature another two-part story until a decade later with the Fourth Doctor story "The Sontaran Experiment", although the format would become a regular feature in the Fifth Doctor era of the 1980s.

To disguise the fact that Koquillion is in fact Bennett this part was credited to a 'Sydney Wilson' in episode 1. This name was created by using the names of Sydney Newman (the BBC's Head of Drama) and Donald Wilson (the BBC's Head of Serials). This is the first instance of an alias being used, in the credits for a cast member, in order to conceal a plot twist.

"Desperate Measures" was the first Doctor Who episode to break into the top ten listings for most watched programmes of the week.

A novelisation of this story, written by Ian Marter (the actor who played companion Harry Sullivan during the first part of the Fourth Doctor era), was published by Target Books in August 1987, nearly a year after his death. Ian Marter died soon after completing the manuscript, which was subsequently edited (with some new material added) by Nigel Robinson, editor of the Target Books line.

First and Last

The Firsts:

The introduction of new companion Vicki played by Maureen O'Brien.

Dennis Spooner's first involvement in the show as Story Editor.

The second episode was the first to break into the top ten listings for most watched programmes of the week.

The first Doctor Who story to have an individual episode watched by more than 13 million viewers. This being the second episode.

The first Doctor Who story to be watched by more than 12 million viewers.

Story Images

Show Text

Barbara and Ian Look Down on the Crashed Spaceship

The Crashed Spaceship

Vicki Talking to the Rescue Ship

Barbara and Vicki Helping Bennett

Bennett

Koquilion

Koquilion and Vicki

Barbara is Attacked

Barbara Defending the Spaceship

The Doctor Confronts Koquilion

Ian and Barbara

Quote of the Story

'We can travel anywhere and everywhere in that old box as you call it. Regardless of space and time. And if you like adventue, my dear, I can promise you an abudance of it.'

The Doctor

Release Information

Format	Title	Release Date (UK)	Code Number	Cover Art	Remarks
VHS	The Rescue and The Romans	September 1994	BBCV 5378	Andrew Skilleter	Double cassette release Released along with "The Romans" The 'next episode' caption deleted from "Desperate Measures"
DVD	The Rescue and The Romans	February 2009	BBCDVD 2698	Photo-montage	Box Set Released along with "The Romans"
Blu-Ray	Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 2 (Limited Edition)	December 2022	BBCBD 0479	Lee Binding	Blu-Ray Limited Edition boxed set containing 9 specially restored stories. Also includes reconstructions for the missing episodes 2 and 4 of "The Crusade" using off-air soundtrack and photographs.
Blu-Ray	Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 2 (Standard Edition)	December 2024	BBCBD 0609	Lee Binding	Blu-Ray Standard Edition boxed set containing 9 specially restored stories. Also includes reconstructions for the missing episodes 2 and 4 of "The Crusade" using off-air soundtrack and photographs.
LP	The Rescue	April 2026		Photo-montage	Original Television Soundtrack Record Store Day Exclusive LP - Narrated by Maureen O’Brien (Vicki)
CD	The Rescue	May 2026		Photo-montage	Original Television Soundtrack Record Store Day Exclusive Audio CD - Narrated by Maureen O’Brien (Vicki)

In Print

Format	Title	Release Date (UK)	Publisher	Author	Cover Art	Remarks
Novel	The Rescue	January 1988	Target No. 124	Ian Marter	Tony Clark	ISBN: 0-426-20308-9 This novelisation was actually completed by Nigel Robinson because Ian Marter died during the writing of the manuscript.
CD	The Rescue	April 2013	Target No. 124	Ian Marter	Tony Clark	Audio version of the Target Novel read by Maureen O'Brien (Vicki)

Doctor Who CMS Magazine (An Adventure in Space and Time)	Issue 11
Doctor Who Weekly	Issue 14 (Released: January 1980)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team	Issue 286 (Released: January 2000)
Doctor Who Magazine - Archive	Issue 325 (Released: January 2003)
Doctor Who Magazine - Article	Issue 541 (Released: September 2019)
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction	Issue 604 (Released: June 2024)

Photo Gallery

The Doctor and Companions

The First Doctor

Barbara Wright

Ian Chesterton

Vicki

On Release

VHS Video Cover

VIDEO

DVD Cover

VIDEO

The Collection Season 2 Limited Edition Blu-Ray Cover

VIDEO

The Collection Season 2 Standard Edition Blu-Ray Cover

VIDEO

Original Television Soundtrack LP Cover

AUDIO

Original Television Soundtrack Audio CD Cover

AUDIO

In Print

Target Book Cover

NOVEL

Target Audio CD Cover

Magazines

Doctor Who CMS Magazine (An Adventure in Space and Time): Issue 11

Doctor Who Weekly: Issue 14

Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 286

Doctor Who Magazine - Archive: Issue 325

Doctor Who Magazine - Article: Issue 541

Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 604

Who's Who

Who Me

Episodes of the
First Doctor

Season 2

References

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