The Rescue (Doctor Who)

011 – The Rescue
Doctor Who serial
The design of Koquillion was inspired by a close-up of a fly.[1]
Cast
Doctor William Hartnell – First Doctor
Companions William Russell – Ian Chesterton Jacqueline Hill – Barbara Wright Maureen O'Brien – Vicki
Guest Ray Barrett – Bennett / Koquillion[a] Tom Sheridan – Space Captain / Sand Beast[b] John Stuart, Colin Hughes – Didonians (uncredited)[2]
Production
Directed by	Christopher Barry
Written by	David Whitaker
Script editor	Dennis Spooner (uncredited)[4]
Produced by	Verity Lambert
Music by	Tristram Cary[c]
Production code	L
Series	Season 2
Running time	2 episodes, 25 minutes each
First broadcast	2 January 1965 (1965-01-02)
Last broadcast	9 January 1965 (1965-01-09)
Chronology
← Preceded by The Dalek Invasion of Earth Followed by → The Romans
List of episodes (1963–1989)

The Rescue is the third serial of the second season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by outgoing story editor David Whitaker and directed by Christopher Barry, the serial was broadcast on BBC1 in two weekly parts on 2 January and 9 January 1965. In the serial, the time travellers the First Doctor (William Hartnell), Ian Chesterton (William Russell), and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) befriend Vicki (Maureen O'Brien), an orphan girl marooned on the planet Dido who is being threatened by an apparent native of Dido called Koquillion (Ray Barrett) while awaiting rescue.

The Rescue was written as a short vehicle to introduce Vicki as the new companion, replacing the Doctor's granddaughter, Susan. Vicki underwent several name changes throughout production. The serial was produced in a six-episode block with the following, The Romans, and was the first story produced in Doctor Who's second production block. For the score, Barry reused the work of Tristram Cary from his previous serial, The Daleks. The Rescue maintained the high viewership of the previous serial, with 12 and 13 million viewers. Reviews were generally positive, with praise for the performances and dialogue, despite some criticism of the simple plot and obvious resolution. The serial was later novelised and released on VHS and DVD.

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