The
Evil
of the
Daleks
Classic is an overused epithet and is often applied to things which are simply old. "The Evil of the Daleks" is one of very many Doctor Who stories which have been described as such. In my opinion, it is one of the very few which deserve the status.
Murder, intrigue, a nineteenth century country house, the Doctor's first return visit to Skaro, and Daleks more evil and chilling than ever before make for a perfect closing story to the momentous fourth season of Doctor Who which had seen William Hartnell transform into Patrick Troughton. It is no wonder that this epic serial was chosen as the first ever full Dr. Who story to be repeated after the end of the following season.
David Whitaker's scripts for the seven-part story are superly written, with drama, excitement and a true sense of impending doom apparent at every moment. The action moves from the setting of the previous story, "The Faceless Ones", at London airport in July 1966 when the TARDIS is stolen, and then to amateur scientist Theodore Maxtible's home in 1866 and finally to Skaro where the Doctor does battle with the Daleks for the final time.
Well, that was the intention. Terry Nation was off to America to give his Daleks their own series and "The Evil of the Daleks" was to be their final appearance in Doctor Who, Emperor Dalek and all. But the television series never happened and the Daleks did return, a whole five years later, and in colour.
The Daleks force the Doctor into helping them create the "human factor", a concoction of human emotions and reactions recorded in tests of endurance and intelligence which Jamie is made to undertake.
But those cunning tin machines have other plans and have tricked the Doctor into discovering the "Dalek factor", the exact opposite of the human factor. The Daleks possess the TARDIS and want the Doctor to infect the inhabitants of earth throughout its entire history to turn them into killing machines.
Wonderful scripts, excellent performances by the cast, which includes an early appearance of Windsor Davies, and Dalek voices at their very finest, "The Evil of the Daleks" has been one of my all-time Doctor Who favourites since I heard the soundtrack on BBC cassette when it was released for the first time in 1993. It is so very sad that only Episode Two survives as a film print in the BBC Archives. The Daleks really were destroyed - but by nothing other than BBC short-sightedness!