Cast : The Doctor : William Hartnell
Susan : Carol Ann Ford
Ian : William Russell
Barbara : Jacqueline Hill
Temmosus : Alan Wheatley
Alydon : John Lee
Dyoni : Virginia Wetherell
Ganatus : Philip Bond
Antodus : Marcus Hammond
Elyon : Gerald Curtis
Kristas : Jonathon Crane
Dalek Voices : Peter Hawkins & David Graham
Episodes :
1) “The Dead Planet”
2) “The Survivors”
3) “The Escape”
4) “The Ambush”
5) “The Expedition”
6) “The Ordeal”
7) “The Rescue”
Plot : The Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara, land the Tardis on a strange dead alien world; which has petrified animals and forests. They see a bright shiny futuristic city in the distance and decide to investigate.
The quartet are sure they are being followed – in the forest and that someone (or something), is watching them; from the city.
Whats good : Has a really effective ‘closed in’ claustrophobic quality, due to the camera work. Especially, in the lead up to the first meeting with the Daleks. The Daleks first appearance. The Dalek city (model).
Whats bad : The Thal’s look like blonde catwalk models, rather than mutated people. They should have gone more bold, with the Thal makeup.
Review With Spoilers : The Daleks is the second serial of season 1. It is the first time, that the Doctor crosses paths with the Daleks (not including the later conceived time-line crossover and origin story of Fourth Doctor – Tom Baker’s Genesis Of The Daleks).
The close quarter filming angles – and electronica SFX, help build a tense and realised claustrophobic feel. Especially, once the quartet get to and begin exploring the Dalek city.
We also get the iconic moment of the Dalek’s first appearance, when a lost Barbara is harrassed by a sink plunger; from the Dalek’s own viewpoint.
These Daleks, though; for now, are confined to running around on static electric floor-panels, within their city. Unable to leave, at least until later adventures have them moving beyond and invading other worlds.
All of the events that transpire here, blame-wise – can be laid at the Doctor’s feet. By (selfishly) pretending that the Tardis requires a resupply of mercury, as a ruse to persuade the others – to go have a closer look at the Dalek city and risk their lives.
Later on, Ian is put in charge of the replacement Tardis component and accidentally drops it during the escape from the city. The quartet have to return once again but this time they take a group of Thals with them, in an attempted revolution.
“The only interest we have in the Thals, is their TOTAL EXTERMINATION!” Dalek.
Talking of the Thals, they are all 6-foot tall blond, green skinned and attractive young actors. I suppose that this was supposed to be a twist on the fact that before we met them, the Daleks referred to the Thals as “mutants”. Which made us expect them to be alot more mutated and scarier-looking; than they infact turned out to be.
They should have gone all in and made the Thals more weird-looking, to show the harsh desert conditions and living within the high-levels of radiation; on planet Skaro.
It does make one wonder though, what is actually inside the Dalek shells, if the Daleks consider that the Thals themselves are grossly mutated. The Doctor and Ian find out, after they remove the insides of a disabled Dalek, using a blanket but all we get to see is a weird green hand (or claw) poking out of the wrapped blanket.
They remade The Daleks into a big-budget colour feature-film, the same year; called Doctor Who & The Daleks – starring Peter Cushing, as the Doctor. It used almost exactly the same script and setup, as the television serial but none of the TV actors here; featured.
Overall though, the simple and claustrophobic appeal of The Daleks is left intact. Simply because it takes time to build-up, to a slow and suspenseful conclusion. It forms a neat less-is-more counterpoint to the much more big-budget and colourful unrelated movie production.
