The Ark (Doctor Who)

''The Ark'' is the sixth serial of the third season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Written by Paul Erickson and Lesley Scott and directed by Michael Imison, it was broadcast on BBC1 in four weekly parts from 5 to 26 March 1966. In the serial, the First Doctor (William Hartnell) and his travelling companions, Steven Taylor (Peter Purves) and Dodo Chaplet (Jackie Lane), arrive on a generation ship as it begins a 700-year voyage fleeing Earth's imminent destruction. They return at the end of its voyage to discover the humans have become subservient to their slave race, the Monoids.

Producer John Wiles conceived of the spaceship, and story editor Donald Tosh developed a storyline with Erickson, who wrote the scripts. Erickson later requested that Scott, his then-partner, be co-credited; she was the first woman to receive a writing credit on ''Doctor Who''. Imison wanted ''The Ark'' to be impressive; its expenses drew budget from other serials. Filming took place at Riverside Studios from February to March 1966. It was Wiles's last credited work on the series, and Dodo's first journey as a companion to the Doctor.

''The Ark'' received an average of 6.4 million viewers across the four episodes, marking the first time the programme failed to chart in the weekly top 100 since the first episode in 1963, though it gradually increased. Contemporary and retrospective reviews were generally positive, with praise for the direction, design, and effects, though the design of the Monoids received some criticism. The story was novelised by Erickson in 1986, and the serial was released on VHS, DVD, and as an audiobook. Provided by Wikipedia