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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
No Doctor Who collection is complete without this rarely seen, vintage 1966 episode of the venerable British series's third season, and starring William Hartnell, the first incarnation of the cosmos-hopping Time Lord. But even if you are a recent initiate into the Who universe, you will find this episode contagious.
The TARDIS, an interplanetary time machine that on the outside resembles a police call box, lands Doctor Who and his companions, the chirpy Dodo and forthright Steven, on a spacecraft called the Ark. They learn that Earth is about to plunge into the sun. The Ark contains all human, plant, and animal life and is bound for the planet Refusis. But Dodo has a cold, against which the Ark's Guardians and the slave race called Monoids have no immunity.
The Doctor is able to overcome the Guardians' fears and suspicions and finds an antidote. The TARDIS is allowed to take off, but it returns, seemingly seconds later. Actually 700 years have passed. The time-traveling trio is stunned to discover that a mutant strain of the fever has led to an evolutionary shift--the Guardians are now the slaves and the Monoids rule.
The Ark is disarmingly stagey (some of the actors step on each other's lines and others stumble over their dialogue), but it is a precious relic from television's longest-running sci-fi series, and one for which its devoted fans will gladly make time. --Donald Liebenson
Product Description
New to DVD! Digitally remastered Doctor Who classics The Ark! The TARDIS arrives some ten million years in the future on a giant spaceship carrying all the Earth's surviving plant, animal and human life (much of it miniaturised and in suspended animation) on a 700 year voyage to a new home on the planet Refusis II. Dodo is suffering from a cold - an unknown affliction in this era - and as the human Guardians of the ship and their servant race the Monoids have no resistance, a plague breaks out. The Guardians place the travellers on trial and Steven is forced to defend them against allegations that they spread the disease deliberately. Fortunately, the Doctor finds a cure. The TARDIS leaves the spaceship, which Dodo has nicknamed the Ark, only to arrive back there as it is approaching the end of its voyage. Partly as a result of the earlier plague, the Monoids have now grown strong and enslaved the humans
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By DJ PHILLY B?
Format:DVD
Even if The Ark doesn't quite fulfil its promise of delivering on the deeper themes at work, it's still entertaining, and what's more, is one of the best realised stories of the third season. Of course, this tale would be outstripped by its more popular stablemate "The Ark In Space", with its similar ideas of Earthlings escaping disaster. But despite this, The Ark is a clever little tale that manages to be boosted by its presentation and (for the time) swanky production values.
1 disc, 97 minutes, 4 episodes, full frame video, English mono audio, English subtitles, $24.98 SRP
Extras:
Audio Commentary with Peter Purves ("Steven") and Michael Imison (director)
"All's Wells That Ends Wells" - A feature on the influence of writer H.G. Wells on the series
"One Hit Wonder" - On what makes a successful monster
"Riverside Story" - Touring old production haunt Riverside Studios
Photo Gallery
PDF materials: Radio Times Listings
Production Notes Subtitle Option
1 disc, 97 minutes, 4 episodes, full frame video, English mono audio, English subtitles, $24.98 SRP
Extras:
Audio Commentary with Peter Purves ("Steven") and Michael Imison (director)
"All's Wells That Ends Wells" - A feature on the influence of writer H.G. Wells on the series
"One Hit Wonder" - On what makes a successful monster
"Riverside Story" - Touring old production haunt Riverside Studios
Photo Gallery
PDF materials: Radio Times Listings
Production Notes Subtitle Option
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:VHS Tape
The idea of having this story take place over 700 years (or whatever it was) was a clever idea. It really demonstrated how much the Doctor interferes. (The Valeyard should have used this story for his evidence against the Doctor!)
I really liked the invisible people as well. It was entertaining, witty, and a wonderful buy.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
(Note: Warning! Spoilers ahead!)"The Ark" is one of three stories remaining from William Hartnell's third season in Doctor Who. And I must admit it is one of his weakest. Thin on story, especially in the first two episodes, this tale gives us a view of Humanity in the very far future. Millions of years on, in fact. A long time after man has conquered space, the remnants of Earth's native sons are on a huge space craft inhabited by all forms of remaining life on Earth, who flee from the planet's imminent destruction, to colonize a planet they have never even set foot upon.
The Doctor and company arrive with new companion Dodo (picked up in the final moments of the previous story "The Massacre"), who has an illness unknown to Human science of the 57th Segment of Time, the common cold. The illness quickly spreads throughout the population of both Humans and their friendly servants, the alien Monoids, killing a number of both species. After some debate as to whether the TARDIS crew have brought the illness on purpose or not, the Doctor is finally allowed to search for a cure, using Steven (who has also somehow attracted the illness which he should already have an immunity to!) as a guinee pig.
Well, of course the Doctor finds the cure and saves the day. The TARDIS dematerializes and then suddenly RE-materializes in the exact same spot, only 700 years later. Things on the Ark have changed significantly, as now the Monoids have become the masters, enslaving Humanity as the Ark approaches the long sought planet for colonizing. The Doctor and crew must find a way to free the Humans from the Monoids, and prevent the extinction of man.
... Read more ›3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The BBC is atoning for past sins (destroying so many Doctor Who episodes) by providing first-rate restorations of those surviving. The Ark looks good and includes a multitude of special features which illuminate the history and the making of the early Hartnell episodes. Highly recommended.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:VHS Tape
When I first viewed "The Ark" on a PBS station, I really didn't enjoy it much. But after purchasing the video, "The Ark" has amtured into a satisfying Hartnell outing. Dodo and Steven are a little silly sometimes, as the same with the guests(nice to see Michael Sheard). The Monoids aren't that bad, except the design in their feet or legs. And the Guardians' uniforms leave very little for the imagination. Although, the design is incredible for this era. Many different animals can be found in the forest section of the Ark(including an elephant!). The effects are pretty good. And the idea of returning to the Ark 700 years later is wonderful. It's nice to see a story set so far into the future(at least 10 miliion years), actually showing the earth being destroyed. Thumbs up!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
I always like watching the old Black & White episodes becuase it reminds me of when I was in High School, and first started watching Dr. Who-my parents tryed to stop me from watching it but I snuck an old portable B&W TV into an attic room and watched the old episodes. I liked this story except for a few things. First of all, as is the case with many early episodes, things have names that are too obvious. The planet they are escaping to is called Refusis (as in refuse) and the one eyed creatures are called monoids. The other problem I have is Dodo. She is just not a very good companion. Still the story held my attention and brought back fond memories of nights spent in an unair-conditioned room defing my parents to watch my favorite show.
By Sandra Gass
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
We always wonder what is going to happen in the future of earth. Doctor Who handles it in a wonderful way
By Megan
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This product came to me in good shape. I LOVE Doctor Who and bought this to get more of a feel for the classics. While the story was somewhat intriguing, and while Steven Tyler is impeccably handsome and charismatic, it has its many moments. The sets were horrendous and the monsters are SO STUPID. Lol. I love the behind the scenes stuff, though! I would recommend for the bonus stuff, not for the episode itself.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Who
It doesn't have the high-tech effects of the new series, but this showed what classic Who could do on a budget in the 1960s. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tak Keung Hui
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best of William Hartnell
A low budget leads to a 'bottle' story set in an space-faring ark. The writers and the actors all seem to be on holiday here, so it's not the best of the First Doctor stories.
Published 3 months ago by Andrew Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Doctor must help save a group of humans and aliens from destroying...
IN the William Hartnell era of Doctor with the episode entitled "The Ark". The Doctor, Dodo and Steven have landed on a spaceship traveling to a distant start that will take them... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Jacob
3.0 out of 5 stars
Buy this average story from the William Hartnell years for the Special...
"The Ark" was a workmanlike production from the middle of William Hartnell's third season as the Doctor, perhaps a bit more expansive than most because it was taped at the more... Read more
Published 22 months ago by buckbooks
2.0 out of 5 stars
So lost...
...and it's not really anyone's fault. The only story you can purchase before this one is story 17, which leaves a whole season of information out. Like where is Vicki? Read more
Published 22 months ago by S. Molina
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful story!
The Ark is one of those stories I have a soft place for. Sure, the aliens look a tad weird. Yes, the lines could have been better. Read more
Published on April 17, 2011 by Michael Valdivielso
2.0 out of 5 stars
Rough around the Edges
As much as I like Doctor Who and William Hartnell, I still try to give my honest impression of the quality of the story. Unfortunately this one is not too gripping. Read more
Published on May 26, 2007 by John Kane
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent classic Hartnell adventure
This video was actually the first William Hartnell tape that I managed to get my hands on when I started collecting the Doctor Who videos, I waited a long while before actually... Read more
Published on September 4, 2002 by "tman3001"
5.0 out of 5 stars
No warp drive here. Only impulse power.
This story was originally broadcast between March 5 and March 26 1966, and it addresses an issue raised on a number of occasions by a few science fiction writers, that of... Read more
Published on July 2, 2002 by Junglies
