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The Rescue
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Synopsis


Koquilion and Vicki
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: L
Story Number: 11
Episode Numbers:52 - 53
Number of Episodes: 2
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: 1
The Doctor: William Hartnell (The First Doctor)
Number of Companions: 3The 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
52The Powerful Enemy02 January 196526'15"12.016mm telerecording
53Desperate Measures09 January 196524'36"13.016mm 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% Higher (Position = 127 out of 200)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2014)64.07% Lower (Position = 171 out of 241)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2023) Position = 12 out of 29


Archives


 All episodes exist as 16mm telerecordings.



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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.


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The Plot

WARNING: May Contain SpoilersHide Text
Barbara and Ian Look Down on the Crashed Spaceship
Barbara and Ian Look Down on the Crashed Spaceship

With The Doctor, Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton still feeling the effects of leaving Susan behind in 22nd-century London the TARDIS materialises on a planet. The Doctor eventually recognises as Dido, a world he has visited before.

The three time travellers soon spot in the distance a crashed spaceship from Earth. Inside they discover it has two occupants - a paralysed man named Bennett and a young girl called Vicki. Both of whom are waiting for a rescue ship that is due to arrive in three days time.

They also learn that Vicki and Bennett have been living in fear of a bipedal creature called Koquillion - which Bennett claims is a native of the planet whose people have apparently killed the other members of the human expedition. He and Vicki are the only remaining members of the spaceship. They have only been spared so far as they have not left the safety the spaceship.

The Crashed Spaceship
The Crashed Spaceship

A little while later, while looking around Koquillion attacks the time travellers by pushing Barbara over a cliff and temporarily trapping Ian and The Doctor. Vicki though finds Barbara injured and helps her back to the spaceship. While recovering Barbara realises that Vicki is evidently very lonely, having befriended an indigenous Sand Beast for company.

Then on hearing a disturbance outside Barbara mistakes the Sand Beast as a threat and kills it. Vicki is distraught and so when Ian and The Doctor return to the spaceship they find tempers are fraught between them.

Vicki Talking to the Rescue Ship
Vicki Talking to the Rescue Ship

The Doctor tries to attract Bennett’s attention but is unable to get him to leave his room. The Doctor therefore decides to enter Bennett's room. Inside he finds things are not as they seem. The supposedly crippled Bennett is missing, and a tape recorder hides his absence.

The Doctor also finds a trap door in the floor of Bennett's room and follows it to a temple carved from rock where The Doctor deduces that Koquillion is in fact Bennett in disguise.

Bennett reveals he killed a crewmember on board the spaceship and was arrested, but the spaceship crashed before the crime could be radioed to Earth. It was he who killed the crash survivors, including Vicki's father, in order to conceal the murder he had committed on the spaceship. He has also killed the natives of Dido to cover his crime and has been using the Koquillion alias so that Vicki would back up his story.

Barbara and Vicki Helping Bennett
Barbara and Vicki Helping Bennett

When The Doctor confronts Bennett about this he tries to kill The Doctor. However, two surviving native Didonians - whom Bennett thought he had completely wiped out - appear and force Bennett to fall to his death from a high rock ledge.

On discovering that Vicki's father was amongst the murdered crewmen, and that consequently she is now an orphan, The Doctor offers her a place aboard the TARDIS. The Doctor’s offers this invitation because Vicki also reminds him of his 'granddaughter', Susan who had recently left the TARDIS. With nothing left for her on Dido, Vicki grateful accepts his offer and so she is welcomed aboard the TARDIS.

 
Bennett
Bennett
Koquilion
Koquilion
Koquilion and Vicki
Koquilion and Vicki
Koquilion and Vicki
Koquilion and Vicki
 
Barbara is Attacked
Barbara is Attacked
Barbara Defending the Spaceship
Barbara Defending the Spaceship
The Doctor Confronts Koquilion
The Doctor Confronts Koquilion
Ian and Barbara
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



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Release Information

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)Code NumberCover ArtRemarks
Video
VHS
The Rescue and The RomansSeptember 1994BBCV 5378Andrew SkilleterDouble cassette release Released along with "The Romans" The 'next episode' caption deleted from "Desperate Measures"
Video
DVD
The Rescue and The RomansFebruary 2009BBCDVD 2698Photo-montageBox Set Released along with "The Romans"
Video
Blu-Ray
Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 2 (Limited Edition)December 2022BBCBD 0479Photo-montageBlu-Ray Limited Edition boxed set containing 9 specially restored stories


In Print

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)PublisherAuthorCover ArtRemarks
Novel
Novel
The RescueJanuary 1988Target No. 124Ian MarterTony ClarkISBN: 0-426-20308-9
This novelisation was actually completed by Nigel Robinson because Ian Marter died during the writing of the manuscript.
CD
CD
The RescueApril 2013Target No. 124Ian MarterTony ClarkAudio 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 WeeklyIssue 14 (Released: January 1980)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time TeamIssue 286 (Released: January 2000)
Doctor Who Magazine - ArchiveIssue 325 (Released: January 2003)
Doctor Who Magazine - ArticleIssue 541 (Released: September 2019)

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Photo Gallery


The Doctor and Companions

 
William Hartnell
The First Doctor

   

Jacqueline Hill
Barbara Wright
William Russell
Ian Chesterton
Maureen O'Brien
Vicki
   




On Release

VHS Video Cover
VHS Video Cover

BBC
VIDEO
DVD Cover
DVD Cover

BBC
VIDEO
The Collection Season 2 Limited Edition Blu-Ray Cover
The Collection Season 2 Limited Edition Blu-Ray Cover

BBC
VIDEO
   


In Print

Target Book Cover
Target Book Cover

Target
NOVEL
 
Target Audio CD Cover
Target Audio CD Cover

BBC
CD
   


Magazines

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

CMS
Doctor Who Weekly: Issue 14
Doctor Who Weekly: Issue 14

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 286
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 286

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Archive: Issue 325
Doctor Who Magazine - Archive: Issue 325

Marvel Comics
   
Doctor Who Magazine - Article: Issue 541
Doctor Who Magazine - Article: Issue 541

Marvel Comics


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