Galaxy 4

Information

Writer: William Emms
Director: Derek Martinus, Mervyn Pinfield (uncredited)
Script Editor: Donald Tosh
Producer: Verity Lambert
Executive Producer(s): None

Originally Broadcast: 11th September - 2nd October 1965
Episodes: 4
Duration: 25 mins each episode
Production Code: T
Series: 3
Story Number: 18
Enemy: Maaga, Drahvins
Setting: Unknown

Synopsis

The Doctor, Vicki and Steven arrive on an arid planet where they meet the occupants of two crashed spaceships: the beautiful Drahvins and the hideous Rills. The latter prove to be friendly, compassionate explorers while the former are a group of mindless cloned soldiers terrorised by a warlike matriarch, Maaga.

Both ships were damaged when the Drahvins precipitated a confrontation in space, but whereas the Rills' is almost ready to take off again (having been repaired by their robot drones, which Vicki nicknames 'Chumblies'), the Drahvins' is irreparable. When the planet is discovered to be on the point of disintegration, Maaga tries to force the time travellers to help her steal the Rills' ship. Instead, the Doctor allows the Rills to draw power from the TARDIS in order to refuel and escape, leaving the Drahvins to their fate.

Cast

The Doctor - William Hartnell

Steven Taylor - Peter Purves

Vicki - Maureen O'Brien

Maaga - Stephanie Bidmead

Drahvin One - Marina Martin

Drahvin Two - Susanna Carol

Drahvin Three - Lyn Ashley

Chumblies - Jimmy Kaye

Chumblies - William Shearer

Chumblies - Angelo Muscat

Chumblies - Pepe Poupee

Rill Voice - Robert Cartland

Chumblies - Tommy Reynolds

Garvey - Barry Jackson

Rills - David Brewster, Peter Holmes, Brian Madge, Bill McAllister (all uncredited)

Story Notes

• The working title for this story was The Chumblies.
• All 4 episodes of this story have been lost, with only very limited material being held in the BBC archive.
• 6 minutes worth of footage exists from "Four Hundred Dawns".
• This story was nearly saved by negotiations for the story to be screened at a convention
• The surviving clips come from a number of sources including a "Lively Arts" documentary "Whose Doctor Who"
• The soundtrack for the serial is intact and has been released commercially, with linking narration provided by Peter Purves
• The BBC partly own the rights to the Drahvins as they were jointly credited to William Emms and Verity Lambert.

Preceded by: The Time Meddler - Followed by: Mission to the Unknown