My Top Twenty Favourite
Doctor Who Stories
The Daleks
"The Daleks" is the first Dalek story and only the second Doctor Who story ever made. The story goes that writer Terry Nation was Tony Hancock's joke writer at the time he was approached to write for a new series called "Doctor Who". He was apparently insulted at being asked to work on "children's television" and dismissed the idea. A few weeks later, he had a big row with Hancock and left his employ. Realising he was out of work, he took up the offer to write a "Doctor Who" and penned his seven-part serial in a week.
Forty years after its first broadcast, "The Daleks" remains one of the best Dalek stories and one of the best Doctor Who stories. The only other contender for the title of best Dalek story is "The Evil of the Daleks".
"The Daleks" is a gripping piece of television drama, both tense and atmospheric. The scenes inside the Dalek city are truly claustrophobic. The sets were apparently constructed for the convenience of the Dalek operators so all the doorways are just large enough for the Daleks to fit through - meaning the humans have to bend down to pass through. Whether this came about by accident or deliberately, it adds a totally alien feel to the Dalek city which heightens the drama.
All too often in Doctor Who, a good story is let down by poor special effects. As the years went by, the Doctor Who production team became more ambitious and the deficiencies in BBC effects became more obvious. In 1963, special effects were limited to a few bangs and flashes, fades and negatives. "The Daleks" is a story driven by character and plot and does not need to rely on effects.
"The Daleks" tells the story of the Doctor's first trip to the planet Skaro and explores the dilemma of the Thal people who are opposed to war but who will be wiped out by the Daleks if they do not defend themselves. This moral dilemma reaches its peak in episode five when Ian demonstrates to the Thals that they do have the will to fight.
As an early example of Doctor Who, we see a more selfish and even malevolent portrayal of the First Doctor than seen in later stories. It is the Doctor's own selfishness in pretending that his TARDIS has broken down that leads to the travellers' emprisonment inside the Dalek city.
At seven episodes, this story is an epic but every moment from the fascinating opening scenes inside the TARDIS involving the food machine and the fault locator to the ship's departure from Skaro are totally absorbing. This is one of the greats of Doctor Who and possibly my all-time favourite story.