N.B. there might (or might not) be spoilers in this article!

Like David Whitaker’s previous two-parter The Edge of Destruction, this story serves a particular dramatic function.

“But its huge! And, well, the outside is just, well …”

Vicki, Desperate Measures

Whereas that earlier serial helped to shape the dynamic of the original TARDIS crew, The Rescue has the task of introducing a new companion: Vicki (not short for Victoria!), meaning it too is more of a character piece than anything else.

Ultimately though, it’s great just to see that sense of wonder as someone new enters the TARDIS. Although a new companion’s reaction to the TARDIS would become something of a rite of passage for the show in subsequent years, this was the first time it had happened since the first episode, where Ian and Barbara’s reaction was also our introduction to it all.

As such, The Rescue holds an important place in Doctor Who history and, to its credit, it does its job with admirable simplicity.