Customer Reviews

Doctor Who: Galaxy 4 (BBC TV Soundtrack)

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Galaxy Four is one of those reasons I periodically curse the BBC.

I first heard the audio track of this story back in the late 80's, when audios of the missing stories first started surfacing in fan circles. The Galaxy Four copy I managed to get was rather hard to listen to and prone to distortion, as much due to the poor general quality of the recording as the fact that it was an nth generation copy from the original. The story was difficult to follow; there were large spaces devoid of conversation (with only the odd sound and the even odder strange electronic noise to punctuate it), and even with conversations there was only so much one could understand without having to resort to visual representation of some kind. Yet, somehow, through all the hissing, static, and ambiguity, it became obvious that a fairly interesting and quick-paced story was there lurking frustratingly just out of reach. Listening to the soundtrack alone was giving it inadequate justice.

Now, more than ten years later and some thirty-five years since its initial broadcast (and twenty-three years after it was wiped from the Archives), the BBC Radio Collection has issued a two CD set of the audio portion of this story, complete with linking material by Peter Purves (who played Steven Taylor in the original). Aside from the tantalizing snippet from episode one that has come down to us, this is likely to be the closest any of us will ever come to the original story in all its glory.

Galaxy Four is one of those tales that is actually pretty simple and straight-forward, unfettered with needless subplots and complications. So much so, as a matter of fact, that I suspect in a later era it would have been a three- or even two-parter. The Doctor and company (in this case, Steven Taylor and Vicki) land on a planet that is evidently about to explode. On the planet are two crashed spaceships, one manned by the humanoid Drahvins, the other by the mysterious Rills. Neither ship can leave due to the damage each has inflicted on the other. The Doctor must try to navigate a treacherous path between the two, and hopefully find a way to get each side to help the other to escape.

This is a story of appearances and first impressions. The Drahvin, a race of beautiful women (evidently cloned, which means that this is one of the earliest SF stories of any kind to deal with this concept), may not be as peaceable and helpless as they seem, nor the Rill as malevolent and evil as the Dravhins claim. Appearances can be deceptive, and just because someone carries a pretty face does not mean they are your friend, nor does repulsive alieness automatically denote an enemy. It is a person's actions, not their mien, that count. What is on the inside is much more important than the out.

William Hartnell is as cantankerous as ever as the Doctor; you can't help but like him, even when he's being condescending towards you. Maureen O'Brien's Vicki is adequate as the traditional female companion in semi-distress; no great character revelations here, but at least she only has to scream once. Peter Purves' Steven Taylor, on the other hand, plays a major role in the events of the story, at one point acting almost as the decisive man of action. Steven Taylor is, in my opinion, one of the most overlooked companions ever (exacerbated by the fact that large swathes of his tenure no longer survive), and it is nice to see that he is at last starting to get some of his due. Stephanie Bidmead is good as the ambiguous Maaga, leader of the Drahvin; one does wish that this character or her cloned sister had made another appearance in the series, but alas that was not to be the case. William Emms script is crisp and fast-paced and keeps the listener wanting to hear more, although there are one or two minor points that I thought ill-conceived or not thought-out properly (why is Maaga still obsessed with using the Rill spaceship to escape, when she finds that the Doctor and friends have a spaceship of their own? I can think of a few reasons, but none are adequately explained in the story). The acting itself is all around decent and only slightly campy.

As for the linking material provided in Peter Purves' narration, it does serve to hold the story together, much more satisfying than the unnarrated cassette tape I remember listening to in my car. But make no mistake, this is not a Big Finish production; this story was originally produced as a visual presentation, and this fact is constantly apparent as you listen. There are a couple of points that probably could have used additional narration, and when we finally do get to the Rills practically no description of any kind is provided for them -- their robotic Chumley servants actually get more description than their masters -- and in my opinion, this is probably the single greatest problem with this edition. But these are minor complaints at best. Overall, the story is presented well, and is a fun if nostalgic trip back to the early years of the series.

Highly recommended.

When the (first) Doctor, Vicki and Steven Taylor arrive on a seemingly lifeless planet, they are surprised to be taken prisoner by a robot. Stranger things happen when the trio is rescued by a pair of beautiful, if unintelligent female warriors. The women are led by a woman named Maaga who explain that there are two spaceships stranded on this dying planet, and that the others are the ugly and evil Rills. However, things are not always what they appear, and when the Doctor starts to get to the bottom of things, he finds that in this case looks are definitely deceiving.

Overall, I really enjoyed hearing this "missing episode." You see, this episode originally aired in 1965, but was later destroyed by the BBC, so it is gone, never to be seen again. This audiobook contains the soundtrack of the original episode, with linking narration, to make it an enjoyable listening experience.

So, I must say that I think that this is a smashing listening experience, and I do not hesitate to recommend it to all my fellow Who-ites!

The BBC, in the days before home video, decided that some of its programs were no longer required in its archives. In a somewhat unsystematic purging, many classics were consigned to the flames, including several Doctor Who stories. Fortunately, some fans of the series had made their own audio recordings, and these (following a thorough re-mastering by the BBC) are being released.

'Galaxy 4' is one of these releases. The first story of Doctor Who's third season, it is largely a parable of not judging by appearances. The TARDIS lands on a desert planet, and the crew are almost immediately captured by a robot called, by Vicki, a Chumbly. They are rescued but captured by the beautiful Drahvins, a race of female clones.

The planet has "four hundred dawns" before it explodes. The Drahvins demand the aid of the TARDIS crew in eliminating their foes, the Rills, and capturing the Rills' functioning spaceship. The Rills are hidden in their spaceship while their robots, the Chumblies, carry out their work. The Drahvins say they are hideous.

Captured by one side or the other of the conflict at various points, the Doctor and his companions discover that the "four hundred dawn" estimate is vastly overstated...

In some respects, 'Galaxy 4' is an odd choice to release on CD. The comparison of the physical appearance of the Drahvins and the Rills is not possible, and indeed the Rills are largely undescribed. The linking narrative, read by Peter Purves who plays the Doctor's companion Steven, does its job and listeners should have no problem in following the fairly simple story. However, it is neither important to the series as a whole or a particularly outstanding example of Doctor Who in 1965, so probably one for the Doctor Who fans rather than the casual listener.

Two classic episodes of Doctor Who starring William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton have surfaced from a village fete

This story comes from a December 11th, 2011 news release:

It is a feat of time travel of which the Doctor would be proud. Two classic episodes of Doctor Who that were thought to have been lost for ever have been returned to the BBC.

The two episodes from 1965 and 1967, which star William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton, have been unearthed three decades after they were unsuspectingly purchased at a village fete.

More than 100 instalments of the BBC1 show are still missing because the BBC did not start routinely archiving its shows until 1978.

The discovery of the "lost" two episodes was revealed at the Missing Believed Wiped event at the British Film Institute on Sunday.

Airlock, the second of a four-part story called Galaxy Four, was originally broadcast in 1965.

The doctor, played by Hartnell, is joined by Peter Purves and Maureen O'Brien in a story about a race of cloned females, the Drahvins, which also features an appearance by tiny robots called the Chumblies.

The second rediscovered episode was part of The Underwater Menace, aired in 1967. It features Troughton in his third appearance as the doctor doing battle with a mad scientist attempting to restore Atlantis.

The episodes were found in the private collection of former TV engineer Terry Burnett, who bought them at a school fete in Hampshire in the 1980s but did not realise they were officially "lost".

Other missing gems discovered at the BFI event included a comedy sketch starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore and a Dennis Potter play, Emergency Ward 9.

Doctor Who writer and actor Mark Gatiss said: "Christmas has come early for Doctor Who fans everywhere. It's always wonderful when a missing episode turns up but it's been years since the last one so to have two is just brilliant.

"Add to that a proper bit of action from the legendary Chumblies (and the horrifying Rills!) plus the utterly mesmeric Patrick Troughton on great form. Well, what more could we all ask for?"

The copies of the missing episodes are understood to have originated from Australian TV channel ABC.

They will be released on DVD next year

I used to have this episode on an old Beta video tape but it deteriorated. I saw it as a child and loved this episode.

I purchased the CD just for comparison.

The sounds effects are different....and a couple of lines are missing from the 3rd episode.

The Chumbleys made comical and cute noises at times....and the character Vicki always had this amused appreciation of the little Chumbley robots which is missing in the CD version.

Also there was a scene where the Amazon-like warriors stated that they ate the males of their species and some parts were considered delicacies...it's all changed...as a kid I always wondered what parts?

Sad that they lost the real vision because it is a great plot.

Tom Wynn
Australia

I actually recall watching Galaxy 4 when I was about 11 years old and still have many visual memories. A pity we can't connect a camcorder to my brain and extract them. It made a strong impression, as did the following episode with the Varga plants. It was pleasing to listen to the soundtrack and also recently see the surviving 6 minutes of episode 1. The Drava and their spacecraft were exactly as I remembered them, so I am optimistic my other recollections of these episodes is accurate. But, as I said, unless a way is found to get them on to a DVD, sadly, there they must stay.

Doctor and the gang, Steven and Vicki, land on a planet that is DOOMED to blow up. That would seem like a simple story, but wait, there's MORE! Two ships have landed, well, crashed onto the planet and both have crews who know they are doomed. One is crewed by female warriors, called Drahvins, who barely seem able to tie their own shoes yet they plan to rule the universe. Or something like that.
The second ship is manned by a crew of aliens Rills who in fact have tried to help the Drahvins many times but have gotten attacked for their trouble. The story, meant to show that beauty can hide evil and that judging by appearances is wrong, ends up showing that beauty seems to equal stupidity.
Narrated by Peter Purves, who played Steven, the story seems lame but, on the other hand, the Rills seem like a truly alien race, which are few and far between within the Doctor Who universe. Even the Drahvinas, while just women with some alien features, dots for eyebrows, are shown as having a interesting, if somewhat, one-sided culture. It would have been nice if a few clips survived but maybe it is for the better. Seeing what was happening may have made it even more lame.
Still, I enjoyed it, even if a tad outdated. Get it used.

"Galaxy 4" is another of the additions to the wonderful pool of Doctor Who missing stories that are now being transcribed into audio books. Although it is a rare treat for Doctor Who fans to obtain these episodes which haven't been heard for thirty-five years, "Galaxy 4" is not one of the best new additions to the Doctor Who library. The storyline is fairly straightforward with little surprises. The main action seems to be talking and moving from one spaceship to the other one. There are only two characters other than the main crew of the TARDIS, and they are both one-dimensional. Much of the story seems to be filler and fluff with nothing extraordinary. As with all the other new reconstructed episodes on CD, "Galaxy 4" is easy to understand. The forty-year-old episode's track has been cleaned up and updated. There is almost no straining to make sense of dialogue. Peter Purves satisfactorily and efficiently narrates the story. Although the quality of the CD is excellent, the content of the story leaves a lot to be desired.