Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

1963, London - Dalekmania sweeps the land, catching hold of the Queen's subjects like nothing had ever before. What could possibly sate their hunger for Daleks? More Daleks!

For those of you just catching up - from 1963 to 1989 (and a couple of false starts thereafter) the BBC ran an immensely popular family program called Doctor Who. The main character is called The Doctor, a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. He travels the universe in the TARDIS, a wondrous spaceship that can go anywhere in time and space - provided that the Doctor can steer it correctly. During his adventures, he and his companion (usually a young human female with weak ankles and good lungs) combat evil and injustice wherever they find it. Key to the longevity of the series - Doctor Who can do what the James Bond movies have done several times. When fatally injured, Time Lords have the ability to regenerate, totally changing their faces and personalities, allowing the ability to swap out the lead roll when the actor wants to leave the series. So there have been several Doctors with different faces (ten, so far), but all of them the same character.

Oh, and the name of the show is Doctor Who. The main character is simply called The Doctor.


The TARDIS materializes in London sometime in the distant future. The city is strangely silent, even the chimes of Big Ben cannot be heard. The Doctor (the crotchety old man one) soon figures out what the problem is: Dalek invaders are now ruling the Earth, and the human population is enslaved hunted and exterminated at every turn. Within short order, Barbra and Susan are rescued by with a local resistance group, while the Doctor and Ian are captured by the Daleks and taken to the Mothership. After a daring raid on the Dalek ship fails, both groups make their way north to Bedford and the Dalek center of operations.

There, they discover a huge mining operation. The Daleks are up to something, but what sinister motive is driving them to mine to the very core of the earth?

Wow - this must be the most ambitious, biggest scope Doctor Who episode to date. I mean invading earth and destroying London? That's an impressive feat with todays technology - let alone doing it 40 years ago on a tiny television sized budget!

Richard Martin really makes an impact with extensive location work. The images of the deserted, war torn London are stark and moody (and probably fresh in the minds of those living in the UK at the time. Large portions of London were still ruined from the Blitz only 12 or 15 years previous). The huge Dalek mining facility in Bedfordshire is just as impressive as London.

Ok, the Daleks' evil scheme - to extract the Earth's core and replace it with an engine - is completely daft, and Terry Nation can get a bit heavy handed with the Daleks = Nazis thing, and there's some padding that could have been trimmed down, but for the most part the writing, acting and production transcends these flaws. Characterization is one of the story's strong points - the resistance group is made up of real people and not just one dimensional stereotypes.


The regulars all fare well here - the Doctor goes missing for an episode again (Hartnell was hurt during the escape from the Dalek ship scene and needed some time to recover), but when he's on screen, he's on his game. Ian gets some nice Save The Earth man-of-action moments, and William Russell really sells it. Barbara also gets some Man-of-Action moments running from the run from the Daleks - she's strong and resourceful in an entirely different way from Ian, and runs totally counter to the weak female who needs a man to protect her that was common in the 60's.

And then there's Susan.

While I can understand why she wanted out of the show - Susan never rose above just a Screamer Companion - the production team gave her one hell of a sendoff. The final scene of the story is important in the Who pantheon, showcasing the first major cast change. But beyond that, it's just genuinely filled with emotion, beautifully written by then story editor David Whitaker.

"One day, I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs, and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine."

And the show would never quite be the same ever again. . . .

THE DVD -
Another wonderful restoration effort by the Restoration Team, the video is very clean and looks fantastic. And we get some updated (and optional) special effects - CG ships and the like- to go with the story this time.

THE EXTRAS -
The extras are all found on disc two (aside from commentary, production subtitles and a couple of trailers). The commentary is uneven, with William Russell, Carole Ann Ford, Verity Lambert (Producer) and Richard Martin (Director) each commentating on various parts of the story. It's good, but doesn't have the same flow and continuity that you would get if you have the same folks for the whole story.

We get a couple of documentaries - one that's an overview of the story, an Now and Then comparing location shoot locations today and back in the 60's, one about Dalek voice acting, and one about the series design. There's a script to screen feature that shows you the layout and camera moves in "real time", some footage shot during a rehearsal. We also get another Blue Peter segment on how to make Dalek cakes (yum!) and a half hour radio program called What ever happened to Susan Forman

Pretty high-quality package, wouldn’t you say?

THE BOTTOM LINE -
At the end of the day, The Dalek Invasion of Earth is one of those overlooked classics. Not as strong as The Talons of Weng-Chiang or Earthshock, it still delivers a strong story, good acting and one of the most emotional moments in the series long run. Two Dalek Plungers up!

OTHER DOCTOR WHO EPISODES ON DVD:

DOCTOR ONE -
* The Beginning * Doctor Who and the Daleks * The Aztecs * The Dalek Invasion of Earth * The Web Planet * The Lost in Time Collection *
DOCTOR TWO -
* Tomb of the Cybermen * The Seeds of Death * The Mind Robber * The Invasion *
DOCTOR THREE -
* Spearhead From Space * The Three Doctors * Carnival of Monsters*
DOCTOR FOUR -
* The Ark in Space * Genesis of the Daleks * The Pyramids of Mars * The Robots of Death * The Talons of Weng-Chiang *
DOCTOR FIVE -
* Earthshock * The Five Doctors * Warriors of the Deep * Resurrection of the Daleks * The Caves of Androzani*
DOCTOR SIX -
* Vengeance on Varos * Revelation of the Daleks*
DOCTOR SEVEN -
* Rememberance of the Daleks * The Television Movie*
THE NEW SERIES -
* Doctor Who - Series One * Doctor Who - Series Two * Torchwood - Series One * Doctor Who - Series Three * The Infinite Quest*


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12