Literature Review
The serial opens with ‘The Dead Planet’, which, when returned to its original context as the 5th episode in an ongoing series, functions as a kind of bridge between the danger our intrepid heroes have just escaped from and the new danger they are about to encounter. There is quite a lot going on here, once you have divorced yourself from expectations of Daleks to focus on what the episode is actually about, which is the characters. Landing on a strange new world following their escape from a tribe of savages in the previous episode, ‘The Fire-maker’, this is first opportunity the travellers have had to re-group and take stock since their fateful first encounter in Foreman’s Scrap Yard, back in ‘An Unearthly Child’, and the episode therefore revolves around their reactions to everything they have been through over the last four episodes, and the way they relate to one another in the wake of that experience. We also learn a bit about the basic facts of life aboard the TARDIS, ponder the mystery of the strange dead planet our protagonists have landed on, and witness an explosive confrontation between Ian and the Doctor as the tension between them finally comes to a head, followed by the Doctor’s blatant sabotage of his own ship purely to get his own way. There is also time to explore a mysterious, deserted alien city before the episode finally concludes with our very first ever glimpse of a Dalek, advancing toward a trapped Barbara.
Episode two is titled ‘The Survivors’, and although we meet the Daleks for the first time here, they are still not what the episode is all about. Again, this episode tells a story that is all about the characters, as they fall ill as a result of exposure to radiation and are captured by the Daleks, their weakened state leaving them absolutely helpless. Here we see the proud Doctor brought to his knees as he realises the potentially deadly consequences of his hubris, and we see him rally to face down the Daleks, his first ever confrontation with them, before being overwhelmed by his crippling radiation sickness. We see Ian, the action hero of the team, forced to deal with temporary paralysis after being shot by the Daleks – which he does not take well, since he identifies strongly as the protector of the group and struggles to come to terms with being physically unable to carry out that role. And we see sweet, timid little Susan forced to step beyond what she believes she is capable of to venture out on a dangerous solo mission when she is the last man standing, overcoming her fear to accomplish that task. In terms of character development, it’s all great stuff.
In episode three, ‘The Escape’, Susan makes contact with a Thal named Alydon, immediately falls in lust with him, and learns a lot of backstory which she then shares with the rest of the captive TARDIS travellers on her return to the Dalek city. Buoyed with confidence by the success of her mission, her trusting nature allows the Daleks to manipulate her into setting a trap for her new friends, while the Thals’ equally trusting nature sees them fall for that trap. A fair amount of time in this episode is spent introducing the Thals – the dynamics of their community and the various personalities in play, their peaceful nature and hopes for the future – while back in the Dalek city, the Doctor and his companions work together to devise a daring escape from their prison, with all four characters allowed to make valuable contributions to that effort, pulling together to function as a true team.
Episode four, ‘The Ambush’, is another of those bridging episodes, linking the two halves of the main story plot. In this episode the TARDIS travellers complete their perilous escape but are unable to prevent the Thals from walking into the ambush laid for them by the Daleks, although Ian gets there just in time to shout a warning that prevents even more loss of life. Again, every character has the opportunity to voice their very distinct opinions along the way, helping to develop their personalities and respective outlooks, while the dynamics within the group are also beginning to settle down now, their shared adventures bringing them closer together. This would be the natural end of the story, and indeed the travellers are all set to return to the TARDIS and leave, but then they realise that a crucial part from the TARDIS has been confiscated by the Daleks and must be retrieved before they can take off. This is another consequence of the Doctor’s deliberate sabotage of his own ship, and so the second half of the plot is set in motion.
In episode five, ‘The Expedition’, tempers fray as the travellers face up to their situation: trapped on Skaro unless they can persuade the Thals to help them fight the Daleks to retrieve the lost fluid link. Perhaps rather surprisingly, it is Barbara and the Doctor who argue most vehemently in favour of recruiting the Thals for battle, while Ian is reluctant to ask anyone to risk their life on his behalf. This heated moral debate eats up a lot of screen-time that would not be possible in a story restricted to just 45 minutes, but here is just another example of the rich character exploration and development that runs through the heart of this serial, which has both the time and the space to explore such issues in depth. Although Barbara and the Doctor are the ones insisting that the Thals be made to help them, it is Ian, the voice of reason, they expect to achieve this for them, and it is Ian who finally goads the pacifist aliens into realising that some things are worth fighting for. After her quarrel with Ian, Barbara strikes up a friendship with a Thal named Ganatus, while Alydon wrestles with his conscience before finally deciding to help the TARDIS travellers. They divide into two groups to attack the Dalek city in a pincer movement, but disaster strikes when a member of Ian and Barbara’s team is attacked by a swamp monster. Meanwhile down in the city, the Daleks realise that falling radiation levels are a threat to their survival, since they are physically dependent on radiation for their survival, and they make plans to explode a neutron bomb that will wipe out all other life forms on the planet.
Episode six is titled ‘The Ordeal’, and an ordeal it certainly is for Ian and Barbara’s team, as they struggle their way through a dank, dangerous cave system trying to reach the Dalek city in time to coordinate their stealth attack from the rear with the frontal assault being planned by the Doctor and Alydon. Along the way, Barbara grows ever closer to the Thal Ganatus, who flirts outrageously, teases her about her relationship with Ian, and squabbles with his timid brother Antodus, who wants to give up and go home, before disaster strikes again when Antodus falls down a chasm and almost takes Ian with him. The Doctor and Susan’s team, meanwhile, are into the first phase of their plan of attack, sabotaging as many of the Dalek spy cameras and scanners as they can find. The Doctor is in his element, absolutely loving the opportunity to demonstrate his guile and ingenuity – but further disaster strikes when he and Susan are re-captured by the Daleks, who are now planning to flood the atmosphere with radiation from their nuclear power plants, rather than take the time to build a neutron bomb.
The serial concludes with ‘The Rescue’, which sees the captive Doctor pouring all his powers of persuasion into a vain attempt to convince the Daleks to call off their plans to poison the whole world with radiation, while down in the caves Ian and Barbara’s team are at rock bottom following the death of Antodus, but rally when they realise they have found a way through into the city. They arrive just in time to join forces with Alydon’s team, the multi-pronged attack throwing the Daleks into confusion. After a final battle that is about as epic as a sound stage, 1963 special effects, seven Dalek models and about five guest actors can achieve, the Thals emerge triumphant and the Doctor retrieves the lost fluid link, which means he and his companions can leave Skaro at last. It is a tense, busy, active episode that nonetheless finds time to let the characters react to ongoing events – there are some really good, strong character moments here, from Ganatus’s grief at the loss of his brother to the Doctor’s horror at the genocidal plans of the Daleks to the celebrations that come in the wake of victory. The Doctor also finds time to exchange a bit of philosophy with Alydon and drop a few tantalising hints about his mysterious past, a really lovely little exchange, while this episode also sees the very first kiss on Doctor Who, when Barbara gives Ganatus a goodbye snog!
Overall, it’s a long story that moves quite slowly, there’s no getting away from that. There is also no getting away from the limitations of 1963/4 low budget television production, but those have been discussed at length elsewhere, so all I want to say about them here is that of course they exist and this serial suffers for them, but that they aren’t the end of the world. It really doesn’t matter that this dialogue-heavy serial was produced on a sound stage with shaky set dressing and static cameras, because the actors bring the material to life anyway and our imaginations are surely flexible enough to fill in the gaps for us, just as they would if we were reading a book or watching a stage play. We don’t need to be spoon-fed every detail in high-definition 3D to be able to believe in this alien world, to understand the dilemmas faced by the characters, or to enjoy the evolving inter-personal relationships on display here. Doctor Who has always been an ambitious show, stretching the limits of what was technically possible to achieve at any given time. The producers and directors of the 1960s-70s did wonders with the resources available to them, their work was often cutting edge at the time, and, however crude the results may appear to our modern sensibilities, they should be applauded for their efforts rather than derided simply because we could do better today. Technology, cinematography and acting/directorial styles have evolved rapidly over the intervening half-century, but without the experiments of industry pioneers back then, we would not have some of the special effects we take for granted today. Despite being primitive, these 1960s adventures are eminently watchable and entirely enjoyable even today, and when each episode of The Daleks is viewed on its own terms as a 25-minute instalment of an ongoing story, when you focus on the characters and their journey instead of on the endgame and are willing to forgive the theatrical acting styles and shaky sets, it is a story stuffed full of adorable and meaningful character moments that I absolutely love.
Writer – Terry Nation
Director – Christopher Barry / Richard Martin
Script editor – David Whitaker
Producer – Verity Lambert / Mervyn Pinfield
Aired – 21 December 1963 – 1 February 1964