 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.
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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.
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(Position = 134 out of 159)
(Position = 127 out of 200)
(Position = 171 out of 241)
