"Mission to the Unknown" is the second serial of the third season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by Terry Nation and directed by Derek Martinus, the single episode was broadcast on BBC1 on 9 October 1965. The only standalone regular episode of the show's original run, it serves as an introduction to the 12-part story The Daleks' Master Plan. It is notable for the complete absence of the regular cast and the TARDIS; it is the only serial in the show's history not to feature the Doctor at all. The story focuses on Space Security Agent Marc Cory (Edward de Souza) and his attempts to warn Earth of the Daleks' plan to take over the Solar System.
After the show's second production block was granted an additional episode, outgoing story editor Dennis Spooner commissioned Nation to write an extra episode as a cutaway to set up The Daleks' Master Plan. Nation wrote the episode while considering a Dalek-focused spin-off; he used film character James Bond as inspiration for Marc Cory. "Mission to the Unknown" was produced by the same team as its predecessor, Galaxy 4, in a five-week period that concluded the show's second production block; the two serials were held back to open the third season. Failing health prevented original director Mervyn Pinfield from continuing, replaced by Martinus. Production took place at the Television Centre in August 1965.
"Mission to the Unknown" received 8.3 million viewers, a drop from the previous serial. Contemporary and retrospective reviews were generally positive, with praise for the script and direction, though some viewers were confused that the following serial did not immediately continue the narrative. The videotapes of the episode were wiped by the BBC in July 1974, and it remains missing with no remaining footage. Usually alongside The Daleks' Master Plan, "Mission to the Unknown" received print and audiobook adaptations, with off-air recordings used to construct the latter. In 2019, director Andrew Ireland and University of Central Lancashire students recreated the episode in live-action, replicating the 1960s production values.
Plot
On the planet Kembel, Marc Cory and Gordon Lowery of UN Deep Space Force Group 1 are attempting to repair their spacecraft to reach their rendezvous, when they are attacked by the third crew member, Jeff Garvey, who is in a violent state of mind on awaking in the jungle. Cory shoots Garvey dead when he is about to fire on Lowery. Bringing Lowery into the spacecraft for debriefing, Cory explains himself to be a Space Security agent assigned to investigate a possible Dalek base for a galactic invasion; a Varga plant confirms their presence. Outside, Garvey's body mutates into a Varga. In the Dalek base, the Dalek Supreme is informed that representatives from seven planets will soon arrive, and sends a Dalek patrol to destroy Cory and Lowery.
Cory stands guard against the slow-moving Varga plants whilst Lowery finishes constructing a rescue beacon. They see a gigantic spaceship fly above them, and Cory deduces the Daleks are planning something with another galactic power. As Lowery is about to record a message, Cory notices something moving in the jungle. Lowery and Cory flee as the Dalek patrol arrives and destroys their ship. In the Dalek base, the representatives from seven galaxies have gathered in a conference room. The Dalek Supreme assures representative Malpha that the human intruders will be dealt with. Cory is compelled to kill Lowery on discovering he is infected by a Varga plant, then records a message, only to be surrounded by the Daleks and exterminated. The taped message lies unregarded in the undergrowth. At the Dalek base, the representatives approve an alliance, agreeing with the Daleks' plan to take over the Solar System.
Production
Conception and writing
In October 1964, BBC Head of Drama and Doctor Who co-creator Sydney Newman granted the show's producer Verity Lambert an additional episode in the second production block, to compensate for the second season's premiere Planet of Giants—the penultimate serial of the first production block—being cut from four episodes to three. As most stories were structured as four or six parts, this extra episode failed to fit with the regular schedule. Outgoing story editor Dennis Spooner commissioned Terry Nation—creator of the Daleks and the writer of all the Dalek serials to date: the first season's The Daleks (1963–1964) and second season's The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964) and The Chase (1965)—to co-write the third season's The Daleks' Master Plan (1965–1966). It was decided the extra episode would be used as a cutaway to set up the 12-part Dalek story. By April 1965, Donald Tosh was in the process of replacing Spooner as story editor.
The episode was produced by the same team as the previous serial, Galaxy 4; they were the last to be filmed in the show's second production block, but were held back from transmission in order to open its third season in September. Mervyn Pinfield—an experienced BBC figure who had acted as the show's associate producer from its origins until January 1965—was originally assigned to direct both serials, but his failing health prevented him from doing so, and Lambert brought in Derek Martinus to direct the five episodes. The young Martinus had recently completed the BBC's internal directors' course and had no previous experience leading a television production. Having seen few episodes of Doctor Who, Martinus reviewed the films of some of the previous stories with Lambert; he found them disappointing, which shocked Lambert, and said he wanted to aim for higher standards. Although Lambert was credited as producer of "Mission to the Unknown"—the final story for which she was credited—her role had essentially been replaced by John Wiles.
Terry Nation was commissioned to write the episode on 25 February 1965; he delivered the script by 14 May, having been writing for The Saint at the time. He approached the episode as a technical problem, requiring a small cast and self-contained narrative. The success of the Daleks—particularly due to their imminent American debut in the film Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965)—led Nation to consider the viability of a Dalek-focused spin-off. In writing "Mission to the Unknown", he realised such a story would need a hero and hence wrote Marc Cory as a "space-age Bond", inspired by the recent release of Goldfinger (1964). The episode was originally set on the planet Varga, home of the Varga plants, but this was renamed Kemble (later spelled Kembel) during script revisions for The Daleks' Master Plan. The episode's draft script was titled "Dalek Cutaway", while the rehearsal script bore the title "Mission to the Unknown"; these names were alternated and combined in internal documentation, and the final title has been the subject of debate.
Casting and filming
thumb|right|upright=1.2|For the design of the Daleks' conference room, [[Raymond Cusick was inspired by the Nuremberg rallies.|alt=A distant photograph of a Nazi rally, with large crowds on either side of a long empty stretch with Nazi flags at the end.]]
"Mission to the Unknown" is unique in that it does not feature any of the main cast or the TARDIS—the only serial in the show's history not to feature the Doctor at all—a decision made partly to save money on their fees. Despite not appearing in the episode, William Hartnell was still credited for portraying the Doctor per his contract, while Maureen O'Brien and Peter Purves (as Vicki and Steven Taylor, respectively) received credits in Radio Times but not the episode itself. Jeremy Young, who was cast as Gordon Lowery, had previously appeared as Kal in the first Doctor Who serial, An Unearthly Child; he was excited to work with Hartnell again but disappointed when he discovered his absence. Robert Cartland, who portrayed Malpha,