Last updated 30 October 2022

Doctor Who: Galaxy 4

Galaxy 4

Story Number: 18 (T)
No of Episodes: 4




Writer: William Emms
Director: Derek Martinus
Producer: Verity Lambert

Starring: William Hartnell, Maureen O'Brien, Peter Purves, Stephanie Bidmead


BBC One (United Kingdom):
First Broadcast: Saturday 11th September 1965 - Saturday 2nd October 1965
Running Time: 1 hour, 36 minutes, 18 seconds

Average Audience: 9.93 Million   Average AI: 54




The Doctor, Vicki and Steven arrive on an arid planet in Galaxy 4, where they meet the occupants of two crashed spaceships: the beautiful Drahvins and the hideous Rills (Bill Lodge, Brian Madge, Peter Holmes, David Brewster, voiced by Robert Cartland). Confounding expectations, the latter prove to be friendly, compassionate explorers while the former are a group of mindless cloned soldiers (Marina Martin, Susanna Carroll, Lyn Ashley) terrorised by a warlike matriarch, Maaga (Stephanie Bidmead). 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 names Chumblies (Jimmy Kaye, Angelo Muscat, William Shearer, Pepi Poupee, Tommy Reynolds) - 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.

Synopsis from Doctor Who: The First Doctor Handbook by David J. Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker, reprinted with permission; further reproduction is not permitted. Available from Telos

Associated Products