The Bureau of Visual Records

    ‘Dance of the Dead’ is considered to be a female orientated episode, and is the only episode in fact to feature a female Supervisor-Number 22. But Number 2 isn’t the first female Number 2, and Number 240 isn’t by any means the first female Observer, yet she is the first to report to Number 2 direct. She also seems very close to Number 2. The day-time Supervisor is a man, as is the doctor-Number 40. A nurse takes care of Dutton when he’s in the Control Room being used as a communications medium, but that’s not the first time a female nurse is used either. You may count in the maid-Number 54, but there have been maids before. So why is ‘Dance of The Dead’ considered to be female orientated? Perhaps because it’s the first time we have actually seen a female Number 2 in charge, as well as a woman Supervisor, not to mention Number 240’s heavy involvement in the episode. Altogether they make an accumulative force. If only the doctor had been played by a woman, such as Patricia Jessel from ‘Checkmate. After all she does appear to be the female counterpart of the male doctor in ‘Dance of the Dead,’ and her appearance as the doctor instead of Duncan McRae would have made the quorum!

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