Doctor Who: Edge of Destruction (1964)

Dates of Original Broadcast: 8 February 1964 - 15 February 1964
Number of Episodes: 2
Average Episode Running Times: 23 mins
Format: black and white
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Company: BBC
Production: Verity Lambert
Associate Producer: Mervyn Pinfield

SCRIPT
Script: David Whitaker

DIRECTION
Director: Richard Martin, Frank Cox

PHOTOGRAPHY
Studio Lighting: Dennis Channon

MUSIC
Incidental Music: stock

SOUND
Studio Sound: Jack Brummitt

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up: Ann Ferriggi
Costumes: Daphne Dare

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Designer: Raymond Cusick

OTHER CREW
Production Assistant: Tony Lightley
Assistant Floor Manager: Jeremy Hare

CAST
EPISODES 1 and 2: The Edge of Destruction/The Brink of Disaster
William Hartnell (Dr Who)
Carole Ann Ford (Susan Foreman)
William Russell (Ian Chesterton)
Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright)

EPISODES

1. The Edge Of Destruction (8 February 1964)
2. The Brink Of Disaster (15 February 1964)

PLOT SUMMARY

The time travellers find that the TARDIS has suddenly lost power and that they can't remember what has happened to them. As they struggle to regain control of the ship, they are beset by strange hallucinatory visions (clocks melt, bizarre images appear on the scanner, the doors open and close on their own). With less than 10 minutes to go before total destruction, relationships among the crew reach breaking point.

A curious and very effective 'bottle' show that filled in a lot of detail on the relationship between the four leads. The sudden emergence of cattiness and in-fighting between the TARDIS crew was unexpected and showed from the outset that the show was going to be rather different to the usual run-of-the-mill SF adventure. The direction by Richard Martin and Frank Cox is suitably claustrophobic.

UK
Television Distributor: BBC
Video Distributor: BBC Video (BBCV 6877)

1964
January
17: UK - studio recording in Lime Grove Studio D, London
24: UK - studio recording in Lime Grove Studio D, London

February
8: UK - 1. The Edge Of Destruction first television broadcast (on BBC1)
15: UK - 2. The Brink Of Disaster first television broadcast (on BBC1)

2000
May
2: UK - video release (BBC (BBCV 6877))

Inside The Spaceship
Beyond The Sun

SEE ALSO
The Time Machine (1960)

BOOKS

Doctor Who: A Celebration p.171
note

Doctor Who: The Handbook: The First Doctor pp.63-65
credits, synopsis, review (by David J. Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker)

Doctor Who: The Television Companion pp.16-18
credits, review (by David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker), synopsis

MAGAZINES

Doctor Who Monthly Autumn Special 1987 p.40

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

aliens, time travel

Last Updated: 8 September, 2009