A bit of a weird story this one, it has a lot going for and against it.

On the plus side, there is the very unusual first episode where for once Time seems to be the prominent issue. The ending where the regulars are seen to be in the exhibit sets up the rest of the story nicely. I also love the scenes where The Doctor turns the Moroks mind reading equipment against them and portrays false image on the monitor. The last scene also sets up the next story quite nicely as well.

However, on the downside, I feel the story falls away after the first episode despite the setup and it soon becomes clear not a lot of money was spent on it as the producers tried to balance the books after The Web Planet. This is one of the few stories I feel Hartnell's absence is sorely missed and the third episode is a bit of a drag. And sorry, CHJ, despite Vicki leading the revolution, she is so annoying by this stage, I wish she had ended up in one of the exhibits!

I loved the scene of them spotting the dalek and hartnell inside one.

The thing I remember most about this story is the close up on Hartnell at the end of one of the episodes, there is a slightly jerky (if memory serves) close up of him. Possibly episode one. However, I think this is a classic case of episode one being really good and the rest of the story being dull, boring and going through the motions. One of the few stories where it is a relief to get it over with.
As I say I love them finding the Dalek and all the relics etc.. in the Museum and it it initially seems quite suspenseful and you are interested in what is going on in the place. But it just doesn't deliver, it is a stale run around from the start of episode two onwards for me.
The Moroks are borish and dull I find. The overturning of their control is long winded I refused to care, and just wanted the TARDIS crew to get in the TARDIS and it to be over. Yeah what I am saying is the plot is mundane and predictable.
Vicki was annoying in this one folks I agree, I just didn't care. So overall not my favourite as you can gather.

I love the scene where The Doctor hides inside The Dalek and then pretends to be one. He gives out one of those infamous chuckles and that's when I like the First Doctor the most.

Also agree about the Moroks. There is a brilliant description in the First Doctor Handbook which sums them up perfectly:

Morok Governor Lobos principal trait is his boredom with life on Xeros, a sentiment with which the viewer can sympathise.

A brilliant summing up which really is true. The Moroks really do seem so unbothered with their life that they are careless and complacent.

If Vicki was annoying in this one I never noticed it cos she was the only one trying to relieve the boredom and get those Xeron pansies to do something! I was quite grateful for Vicki's presence in this one actually.

not a great story but I don't think it's as bad as some claim.

I'm having a lot of fun watching these Hartnell stories for the first time.

I watched this yesterday I thought a great premise is set up in Episode 1 but I wasn’t sure what to make of the rest of it. so rewatched again this morning.


Sometimes I think you have to give a story a chance to grow on you and I think this is one of them. I ended up liking this story despite its faults.
There are lots of little things I like about this story

Episode 1 – It’s really spooky to see the Tardis crew all frozen and unlike the first episode of the Web Planet, it’s great to see Hartnell leading with the mystery who quickly deduces they have jumped a time track. The premise is a fantastic one and I like the fade outs direction the director uses over the story.

Episode 2 –The doctor’s interrogation by Lobos is an interesting back and forth. I really enjoyed that. I wish we could have had a lot more of that discussion as the actors were playing off each other and Hartnell came across as very much the wise Time Lord who has seen it all and is a match for the governor. I love it when you see the intelligence coming through, The doctor isn't a 'mad man in a box' or an 'idiot with a box' here. He is the smartest alien in the room.

Episode 3 – Ian’s action scenes fighting the Morok outside the Tardis I think and the confrontation with the Morok guard who ambushes them with a gun. William Russell played that scene really nicely. Loved his delivery.

Episode 4- The 5 seconds of the Xerons revolution shooting Moloks peps the episode up a bit ( is it bad to say that ? ) Did I mention that I love Jacque Hill ? She brings an elegance to Barbara every time and I love the way she calms the Doctor down when he is dressing down Ian about the Time Space Visualiser and just her general demeanour …… oh and the Daleks are back. Oooohh I didn’t see that coming.

Things that could have been better
. The Xerons are harmless enough and a bit too dopy. I noticed that Michael Craze’s younger brother Peter played Dako and I can see the resemblance.

Why would Lobos tell the Doctor about the mind imaging machine when interrogating him. Wouldn’t it have been more effective to keep it secret, for the Doctor to wonder how he knew and for us ?

I really liked the time dimension element and the discussion about whether what they do will make a difference but then Ian, Barbara and Vicki start bickering about what to do after the Doctor is captured. I can understand their worry but it honestly brought unnecessary elements into the story. There was too much moaning about being tired and endless corridors which didn’t create the tension the story could have had.

I read that this story is meant to be comedic or a satire of Doctor Who itself ( The exhibit of the Dalek being a commentary on the popularity of the show ) but that the writer had lots of his comedy lines taken out by the script editor ( cant remember his name right now) . But I can’t see it myself as a comedy or a satire. It doesn't succeed one or the other. From my modern perspective the first episode has such a great mystery and the incidental music suggests it should be a dark adventure but it lacks pace.
But then if you look at it from a 1964 view this was season 2 of a new series just becoming successful and It feels like the writing team are experimenting with different ideas over the last few stories and this story whilst not a classic is trying to be different.


. I liked Vicki’s drive in this one pushing the Xerons to create a revolution. She is actually quite bright at times for her supposed age.


The Doctor inside a dalek ‘ I fooled them all. I am the Master’ and Ian playing cowboys and Indians with the gun( ha-ha that was funny ).

The whole indolence of the Morok’s wasn’t very well put across. Yes they were remembering past glories and slightly incompetent and bored being on the planet but to have the supporting casts act bored is a bit unforgivable

He also appeared in The War Games and Nightmare Of Eden

Tor, the leaders of the Xerons was played by Jeremy "Boba Fett" Bulloch

Lady of Traken says that the Xerons are" harmless enough". That pretty much sums up the whole story for me.

There's a fascinating premise presented to us in episode one, the alternate time tracks that one could possibly travel along.... a premise that is all but abandoned in the rest of the story when it turns into a dull and rather pointless run around. It's just not that interesting, the writing and direction is very flat, the acting is variable, and the characters are insipid.

Incidentally, does anyone else get a sort of Timelash feel from The Space Museum?
It's not utterly awful, (Timelash does approach this at times, yet Paul Darrow's extraordinary performance (and what a performance it is) always holds my attention), there are elements which work rather welI, but it's all a bit bland. The Space Museum is always watchable though, thanks mainly to the four leads, but the Xerons are very hard to engage with, never mind the Moroks...

Yup, harmless enough sums it up nicely.

The first episode is utterly fantastic - very reminiscent of a Moff wibbly-wobbly episode today.

The problem is that then parts 2-4 happen, which is unfortunate.

...here's The Sex Pistols.

I've always been a lover of The Space Museum (frankly, I think Season 2 is well near perfect). It felt like something straight out of a 1960's science fiction comic, but it was glowing with the kind of feeling of wonder and adventure that Hartnell's era always did better than the others.