Death to the Daleks (TV story): Difference between revisions

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{{Quote|They're only half robots, Sarah. Inside each of those shells is a living, bubbling lump of hate|Third Doctor}}
{{title dab away}}
{{Infobox ClassicTV|
{{real world}}
story name= Death to the Daleks|
{{ImageLinkTV}}
image= [[Image: BellalAndTheCity.jpg |250px]]|
{{Infobox Story SMW
series=[[Doctor Who]] -<br/>[[TV stories|TV Stories]] |
|image = BellalAndTheCity.jpg  
number= [[Season 11]] |
|series=[[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
story number= 72|
|season number = Season 11 (Doctor Who 1963)|
doctor=[[Third Doctor]] |
|season serial number = 3
companions= [[Sarah Jane Smith]]|
|story number = 72
enemy= [[Dalek|The Daleks]]|
|doctor = Third Doctor  
year= [[Exxilon]]|
|companions= [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]]
writer= [[Terry Nation]] |
|featuring = [[Bellal]]
director= [[Michael Briant]] |
|enemy= [[Dalek leader (Death to the Daleks)|Dalek leader]]
producer= [[Barry Letts]] |
|setting = [[Exxilon]], [[far future]]
broadcast date= [[23rd February]] - [[16th March]] [[1974]]|
|writer = Terry Nation
format= 4 25-minute episodes |
|director= [[Michael E. Briant|Michael Briant]]
production code= [[List of production codes|XXX]]|
|producer = [[Barry Letts]]
previous story= [[Invasion of the Dinosaurs]]|
|novelisation = Death to the Daleks (novelisation)
next story= [[The Monster of Peladon]] }}
|epcount = 4
: ''For the [[Big Finish]] audio drama of this same name, see [["Death to the Daleks!"]].''
|broadcast date= 23 February - 16 March 1974
|network = BBC1
|format = 4x25-minute episodes  
|serial production code= [[List of production codes|XXX]]
|prev = Invasion of the Dinosaurs (TV story)
|next = The Monster of Peladon (TV story)
|bts = Exclusive First Look Stunt Sequence - Doctor Who Death to the Daleks - BBC
|thwr = 123
}}{{you may|"Death to the Daleks!" (audio story)|"Death to the Daleks!" (comic story)|n1=the audio story|n2=the comicification of a scene from said story}}
'''''Death to the Daleks''''' was the third serial of [[Season 11 (Doctor Who 1963)|season 11]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It was the first time Sarah Jane was on a [[planet]] other than [[Earth]] and the first time she encountered the [[Dalek]]s.


==Synopsis==
== Synopsis ==
An energy drain makes uneasy allies of the [[Third Doctor|Doctor]], [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]], a Marine Space Corps expedition, and a squadron of [[Dalek]]s; all are trapped on the planet [[Exxilon]] with its hostile natives. The key to escape lies at the heart of a powerful and mysterious lost city, but only after a series of deadly traps.
An energy drain traps the [[Third Doctor]] and [[Sarah Jane Smith]] on the planet [[Exxilon]] with its hostile natives, causing the travellers to make an uneasy alliance with a [[Marine Space Corps]] expedition and a squadron of [[Dalek]]s. The key to escape for all of them lies at the heart of a powerful and mysterious lost city, but only if they can navigate a series of deadly traps.


==Plot==
== Plot ==
The [[Third Doctor|Doctor]] and [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]] are en route to [[Florana]] for a vacation when the [[TARDIS]] suffers a series of power failures. An unknown force somewhere on the nearby planet [[Exxilon]] is causing the energy drain, and they barely manage to land on the arid planet in order to find the source. The Doctor and Sarah are pursued by the primitive, xenophobic natives and separated. Sarah discovers an enormous city, pulsing with energy, but is captured by the Exxilons. They consider her presence near their sacred city to be an abomination, and prepare her for sacrifice.  
=== Part one ===
On the rocky surface of an alien planet one night, a blue-uniformed [[Jack (Death to the Daleks)|spaceman]] is carrying out an investigation. Suddenly, he is struck in the chest by an arrow, collapses and tumbles down a slope into a lake.
[[File:DeathtoDaleks-1 Doctor Sarah TARDIS console explode.jpeg|thumb|left|The TARDIS console explodes as it encounters the beacon's energy.]]
The [[Third Doctor]] and [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]] are en route to [[Florana]] for a holiday when [[the Doctor's TARDIS]] suffers a series of power failures. An unknown force somewhere on the nearby planet [[Exxilon]] is causing the energy drain. They are barely able to land on the arid planet. The Doctor and Sarah exit the TARDIS, but Sarah goes back to change clothes from the swimsuit she is wearing. The Doctor, exploring, is pursued and captured by the primitive, xenophobic natives.


The Doctor, meanwhile, encounters a [[Marine Space Corps]] expedition whose ship has also crashlanded due to the power drain. They are in search of the rare mineral [[Parrinium]], found only on Exxilon, which is desperately needed to cure a galactic plague. Another ship lands nearby. The Marines initially mistake it for a rescue vessel, but a squad of [[Dalek]]s emerge, guns at the ready.
Sarah searches unsuccessfully for the Doctor, finding his lamp covered in [[blood]]. She goes back to the Tardis where she defends against the native [[Exxilon (species)|Exxilons]] who have broken into the ship. She is chased by the Exxilons, escaping briefly to an [[Great City of the Exxilons|enormous city]] that pulses with energy. She is captured by the Exxilons, who consider her presence near their sacred city an abomination. They prepare her for [[sacrifice]].


[[Image:ExxilonsDestroyDalek.jpg|left|thumb|A Dalek is destroyed by the Exxilons]]The energy drain, fortunately, has disabled the Daleks' weaponry. They also are seeking Parrinium, as their own worlds are falling victim to the plague (so they say). The Doctor, the Marines, and the Daleks form an uneasy alliance to find the source of the energy so they can escape, but they are all captured by the Exxilons. The Doctor saves Sarah from sacrifice, but is recaptured and is himself sentenced to die. They are rescued by [[Bellal]], a friendly Exxilon, who explains how their civilization had once been very technologically advanced. Thousands of years ago they built the enormous city, one of the 700 [[Wonders of the Universe]], which became sentient and drove them out. The Doctor realizes that they must infiltrate the city to deactivate the energy drain.
Meanwhile, dawn comes, and the Doctor encounters a [[Marine Space Corps]] expedition whose ship has also crash-landed because of the power drain. The team — Lieutenant [[Dan Galloway]], Lieutenant [[Peter Hamilton]], Captain [[Richard Railton]], and civilian geologist [[Jill Tarrant]] — are in search of the rare mineral [[parrinium]], which can be found in large quantities on Exxilon and is needed desperately to cure a galactic plague. Along with Commander Stewart, who is badly wounded after a previous Exxilon attack, they are the only survivors of their expedition; another member named Jack, whom Railton and Galloway were searching for, has disappeared without trace, but they don't know that he has been killed by the Exxilons. Another ship lands nearby. The Marines initially believe it to be a rescue vessel, but to their dismay a squad of [[Dalek]]s emerge, guns at the ready. The Dalek leader gives the order for the Doctor and the humans to be exterminated...


The Daleks, meanwhile, replace their electronic weaponry with mechanical projectile weapons and soon seize control of the Exxilons, forcing them into slavery to mine the Parrinium for them. An enormous metallic snake-like creature&nbsp;occasionally emerges from the caves to pick off a stray Dalek.
=== Part two ===
[[File:ExxilonsDestroyDalek.jpg|left|thumb|A Dalek is destroyed by the Exxilons.]]
The energy drain has disabled the Daleks' energy-based weaponry, much to the Doctor's glee and he taunts them. They are also seeking parrinium; their own worlds are falling victim to the plague — or so they say. What they ''don't'' say is that there are several more Daleks hidden on their ship. The Doctor, the Marines and the Daleks are forced into an uneasy alliance to find the source of the energy drain so they can escape. However, they are all captured by the Exxilons in a skirmish that ends with the death of Captain Railton and the self-destruction of one of the Daleks. The Doctor saves Sarah from sacrifice but is recaptured and is himself sentenced to die for assault on the High Priest.


The Doctor and Bellal enter the city and undergo a series of potentially deadly traps and tests with the Daleks in hot pursuit. They reach the center of the city where the Doctor interfaces with the city's 'brain,' causing the equivalent of a nervous breakdown. A Dalek bomb destroys the source of the energy drain, and the city begins to crumble.
Back at their ship, the remaining Daleks replace their electronic weaponry with mechanical projectile weapons (which they test on a model [[police box]]) and quickly master the Exxilons. In the confusion, the Doctor and Sarah flee down a nearby tunnel. The Daleks then "negotiate" a deal with the High Priest, which forces the natives to mine the parrinium. In return, members of the Space Corps are in charge of wiping out a renegade group of Exxilons. The deal also states the Doctor and Sarah will be returned to the Exxilons — dead or alive. Peter and Jill protest, but Galloway (who has taken charge despite the last wishes of expedition commander Stewart) insists it's the only way if they want the parrinium.


The Daleks, having amassed enough Parrinium to hold the galaxy to ransom, leave in their spaceship and prepare a plague bomb to wipe out life on Exxilon. However, one of the Marines who had previously hid on board prior to launch sacrifices his life to destroy the Dalek ship with a bomb. Sarah and Jill Tarrant, the Marines' scientific advisor, had previously replaced the Daleks' Parrinium with bags of sand.&nbsp; The Marines await the arrival of a rescue ship to bring the much-needed plague cure to the afflicted planets. The Doctor bemoans the city's destruction, as it leaves the Universe with only 699 Wonders.
In the tunnel, Sarah realises that the sacrificial ritual had been meant to end with them being sent down the tunnel — something in here was meant to complete the sacrifice. Both realise that this is probably the source of the strange roars they hear echoing in the tunnel. Sarah also wonders how the Daleks were able to move if they were [[robot]]s (and thus electronic); the Doctor explains that Daleks move by [[psychokinetic]] power (and are thus unaffected by the power drain). At a junction, the Doctor has Sarah wait whilst he has a look down the other tunnels for a way out. While she waits she is frightened by the appearance of another Exxilon.


==Cast==
In the new tunnel, the Doctor is about to head back when an enormous, metallic, snake-like creature rears up to strike at him.
*[[Third Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Jon Pertwee]]
*[[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
*[[Dan Galloway]] - [[Duncan Lamont]]
*[[Richard Railton]] - [[John Abineri]]
*Commander [[Stewart (Death to the Daleks)|Stewart]] - [[Neil Seiler]]
*[[Peter Hamilton (Death to the Daleks)|Peter Hamilton]] - [[Julian Fox]]
*[[Jill Tarrant]] - [[Joy Harrison]]
*[[High Priest (Death to the Daleks)|High Priest]] - [[Mostyn Evans]]
*[[Bellal]] - [[Arnold Yarrow]]
*[[Gotal]] - [[Roy Heymann]]
*[[Dalek]] Voices - [[Michael Wisher]]
*[[Dalek Operator]]s - [[John Scott Martin]], [[Murphy Grumbar]], [[Cy Town]]


==Crew==
=== Part three ===
*[[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Richard Leyland]]
[[File:Daleks_Exxilon_city.jpg|thumb|right|The Daleks pursue the Doctor into the city.]]
*[[Costumes]] - [[L. Rowland Warne]]
The Doctor ducks out of the root's way, but he can't do it forever.
*[[Designer]] - [[Colin Green]]
*[[Fight Arranger]] - [[Terry Walsh]]
*[[Film Cameraman]] - [[Bill Matthews]]
*[[Film Editor]] - [[Bob Rymer]]
*[[Incidental Music]] - [[Carey Blyton]]
*[[Make-Up]] - [[Magdalen Gaffney]], [[Cynthia Goodwin]]
*Masks - [[John Friedlander]]
*Music - [[London Saxophone Quartet]]
*[[Producer]] - [[Barry Letts]]
*[[Production Assistant]] - [[Chris D'Oyly-John]]
*[[Script Editor]] - [[Terrance Dicks]]
*[[Special Sounds]] - [[Dick Mills]]
*[[Studio Lighting]] - [[Derek Slee]]
*[[Studio Sound]] - [[Richard Chubb]]
*[[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
*[[Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
*[[Visual Effects]] - [[Jim Ward]]


==References==
At the junction, a terrified Sarah is reassured by the Exxilon, who introduces himself as [[Bellal]]. Along with another Exxilon, [[Gotal]], they conceal Sarah from pursuing Daleks, who head down both tunnels after the Doctor. In the tunnel the Doctor is in, the Dalek comes across the root probe and is destroyed, allowing the Doctor to escape and reunite with a very relieved Sarah.
*The Doctor was intending to take Sarah to the planet [[Florana]] which has effervescent water.
*[[Parrinium]] is a chemical that is rare on [[Earth]] but is as common as [[table salt]] on [[Exxilon]].
*It's also the cure for the space plague, which was caused by the Daleks' 'plague missiles'.


As they are guided away, Bellal explains to the Doctor and Sarah about Exxilon. Their civilisation was once very technologically advanced, including space travel. Thousands of years ago, the Exxilons built the enormous city, one of the Seven Hundred [[Wonders of the Universe]]. It became sentient and drove them out, and the Exxilons gradually degenerated into their current primitive society which worships the thing that destroyed them. Bellal and Gotal are from another, much smaller faction which wishes to destroy the City. After Bellal draws several of the images he has seen on the city walls, the Doctor realises that the advanced Exxilons had been to [[Peru]] on [[Earth]]. The Doctor decides they must infiltrate the city to deactivate the energy drain. Before leaving, with Bellal as his guide, the Doctor tells Sarah to make sure the Marines are ready for take-off when the beacon is disabled, because the Daleks will destroy the MSC ship once full power is restored. The Doctor also tells Sarah that if he should fail to return from the city, she must go with the Marines back to Earth.


==Story Notes==
On the surface, the deal between the Daleks and the human is fast becoming uneasy. The Daleks are upset that the Exxilons are not mining fast enough, much to Galloway's distaste. After another root comes to the surface through a body of water and kills an Exxilon and a Dalek, the Daleks are forced to move the mining operation to another location, as the Exxilons are refusing to go back to work otherwise.
*This story had the working titles of; '''The Exilons''', '''The Exxilons'''
*This story originally ''did not'' feature the Daleks, but they were included because of [[Barry Letts]]' and [[Terrance Dicks]]' desire to cash in on the Daleks' popularity.
* This story marks the first time the Daleks' weapons do not function on screen. The Daleks are later seen to be able to modify their casings relatively quickly, replacing their energy weapons with slug-throwing [[firearm|rifles]].
* The Daleks in this story are destroyed in quite simple ways.
*The Daleks target practice with miniature [[police box|Police Boxes]].
*Many of the Dalek casings utilised for this story dated from the 1960s (due to the unsatisfactory quality of the casings produced for [[DW]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks]]'').
*The cliffhanger to Part Three - the Doctor and Bellal walking towards a patterned area on the floor, only for the Doctor to say "Stop - don't move!" - was not originally going to be the cliffhanger. The original cliffhanger was going to be at the scene where the Doctor is trying to deduce the answer to the logic test concerning symbols, when two Daleks appear. Specifically, the cliffhanger would have hinged on the zoom towards the Dalek's gun. This was changed, however, for timing reasons.
*Episode 1 was at one point wiped from the BBC archives, but later a copy was found to restore the serial; this is the latest known episode of ''Doctor Who'' to be, for a time at least, considered lost.
*Clips from this story were used in part 5 of the 2001 documentary series [http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0280310/ "SF:UK"].


===Ratings===
The Daleks decide on a two-pronged plan to restore power: two Daleks are sent to infiltrate the city and hopefully destroy the controls (and thus restore power), while Hamilton and Galloway are made to scale the city walls to plant [[bomb]]s on a beacon at its summit to blow it up.
*Part 1 - 8.1 million viewers
*Part 2 - 9.5 million viewers
*Part 3 - 10.5 million viewers
*Part 4 - 9.5 million viewers


===Myths===
The Doctor and Bellal arrive at the city and the Doctor works out how to get in — a non-matching symbol. With the Daleks in hot pursuit, they get in and face their next test in a room with several skeletons — evidence of their fate if they are unable to pass the next test. The Doctor traces a maze pattern without error, opening the next door just before the Daleks enter the first room. The Doctor and Bellal come to an area in a corridor where the floor is marked with a red and white geometric pattern. Suddenly, the Doctor pulls Bellal up sharply and warns, "Stop, don't move!"
''to be added''


===Filming Locations===
=== Part four ===
*Hanson's Aggregates Sand Pit, Puddletown Road, Gallows Hill, Dorset
The pattern is an electrified trap, but the Doctor is able to negotiate it with [[The Doctor's sonic screwdriver|his sonic screwdriver]]. The 7000-volt electrical charge causes only minor damage to the Daleks. The next two tests are of the mind — the Doctor has to use his sonic screwdriver to stop Bellal killing him — and of their sanity. They manage to survive after the Doctor denies the reality of the mind-warping illusions. This opens the final area — the city's control centre, where the Doctor promptly starts tinkering with the city's "brain". It responds by triggering the creation of two humanoid "[[Exxilon antibody|antibodies]]" to destroy the intruders; the Doctor orders Bellal to let him know when the anti-bodies are complete while he keeps working.
*[[BBC Television Centre]] (Studio TC4), Shepherd's Bush, [[London]]


===Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors===
At the mining camp, Sarah finds Jill Tarrant, and the pair hatch a plan to replace the Daleks' parrinium sacks with sand-filled ones, whilst the real parrinium sacks are moved to the Earth spaceship. As dawn breaks, a Dalek guard finds that Jill has escaped and promptly self-destructs for failing in its duty, its voice rising to a maniacal pitch and then slurring away as it dies.
*What happened to the Exxilon in the TARDIS after Sarah knocks it out? ''There is no reason to assume it would have stayed in there once it regained consciousness.''
*A Dalek is killed by the freezing lake, but it apparently has no effect on humanoid tissue. ''The Dalek also fell off a cliff prior to hitting the lake.  The freezing lake may only affect the machine elements of the Dalek, including the Dalek's life support system.''
*How did the Daleks complete the puzzles in the city, which are mostly touch based, when touching is supposedly the one thing a Dalek can't do? ''Daleks do come with attachments just for these situations, or perhaps got one of the Exxilons to do it for them''
*How does the Dalek voice synthesizer and flashing dome lights operate with the power drain in effect? The same psycho-kinetic power they use to move also?
*Four Daleks exit the ship at the end of part one - and all agree to go with the Humans. But later, when they are attacked by the Exillons, they blow up one and take two to the prison - what happened to the fourth? It returned to the Dalek's ship and reported what had happened.
*Effervescent water - as described at the start of the first episode - would not give the illusion of additional buoyancy to a swimmer as The Doctor claims. For the bubbles to rise they would need to be less dense than water, and their presence would therefore reduce the overall density of the liquid. This would make Sarah Jane more likely to sink, not more likely to float. ''(Depending on the nature of the effervescence, the pressure of the gas bubbles rising would be enough to support a swimmer.)''


==Continuity==
On the city exterior, Hamilton and Galloway have finally reached the summit and plant one of the two Dalek bombs on the beacon. Galloway, however, insists on keeping the second bomb, pointing out that the Dalek guard at the base won't be able to see them keeping it and one bomb will be enough to destroy the beacon. They start to descend.
*In [[NA]]: ''[[The Left-Handed Hummingbird]]'' an Exxilon craft is seen.
*In [[DW]]: ''[[Pyramids of Mars]]'' Sarah compares the puzzles on Mars to the Exxilon city.
*This is Sarah Jane's first encounter with the Daleks. She would face them again in [[DW]]: ''[[Genesis of the Daleks]]'' and, decades later, in [[DW]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth]]'' / ''[[Journey's End]]''.
*In this story it is established that Daleks move by telekinesis, presumably a recent development. In previous stories they relied on electricity ([[DW]]: ''[[The Daleks]]'', [[DW]]: ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'', [[DW]]: ''[[The Power of the Daleks]]''). That is how the Daleks can operate on Exillon. However, the fact that they cannot operate their energy weapons suggests that they are still reliant on external sources of energy. It is not known if this is still static electricity. The Daleks do adapt at times in their history to use other sources of energy, such as that from the Time Vortex [[DW]]: ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]], [[DW]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts]]''


==DVD and Video Releases==
The Doctor has almost finished with his interference with the city's "brain" when the antibodies attack him and Bellal. Fortunately, the pursuing Daleks arrive and promptly fire on the creatures, causing them to turn their attention to the Daleks. The fight causes a lot of damage in the control room, and that — plus the Doctor's tinkering — causes the city to start to die; the Doctor and Bellal escape.
Death to the Daleks was released on VHS in [[1987]] in the omnibus format.


It was later released in 1995 in the episodic format.
The Dalek bomb goes off, and power is restored. As the Doctor and Bellal escape, they join up with the other humans, only to find that the Daleks are not only about to leave, but that they really were behind the plague. As soon as their ship is in orbit, the Daleks will drop a plague bomb to wipe out life on Exxilon and prevent anyone else from coming to the planet to get more parrinium, while the large quantity they mined will allow them to hold the galaxy to ransom.


==Novelisation==
However, Galloway, who hid on board before the launch while loading the parrinium, sacrifices his life to destroy the Dalek ship with his stolen bomb. Sarah and Jill then reveal that they had replaced the Daleks' parrinium with bags of sand, and that the real stuff is on their ship. Jill and Peter will now await the arrival of a rescue ship to bring the much-needed plague cure to the afflicted planets.
[[Image:Death To The Daleks novel.jpg|right|75px]]
: ''Main article: [[Death to the Daleks (novelisation)]]''


*Novelised as ''[[Death to the Daleks (novelisation)|Death to the Daleks]]'' in [[1978]] by [[Terrance Dicks]].
Everyone turns to look at the city as it melts away, screaming as it is destroyed. The Doctor bemoans the city's destruction — now the universe has only six hundred and ninety-nine wonders.
*The novelisation refers to the replacement Dalek weapons as [[firearm|"machine guns"]] (i.e., fully automatic slug-throwers), despite the on-screen weapons appearing to function as semi-automatics.


==External Links==
== Cast ==
*{{bbcepguideclassic|deathtodaleks/|Death to the Daleks}}
* [[Third Doctor|Doctor Who]] - [[Jon Pertwee]]
*{{dwrefguide|who_3x.htm|Death to the Daleks}}
* [[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
*{{briefhistory|serials/xxx.html|Death to the Daleks}}
* [[Dan Galloway]] - [[Duncan Lamont]]
*{{locguide|deathtothedaleks|Death to the Daleks}}
* [[Richard Railton]] - [[John Abineri]]
* Commander [[Stewart (Death to the Daleks)|Stewart]] - [[Neil Seiler]]
* [[Peter Hamilton]] - [[Julian Fox]]
* [[Jill Tarrant]] - [[Joy Harrison]]
* [[High Priest (Death to the Daleks)|High Priest]] - [[Mostyn Evans]]
* [[Bellal]] - [[Arnold Yarrow]]
* [[Gotal]] - [[Roy Heymann]]
* [[Dalek]] Voices - [[Michael Wisher]]
* [[Dalek Operator]]s - [[John Scott Martin]], [[Murphy Grumbar]], [[Cy Town]]


{{season 11}}
=== Uncredited cast ===
* [[Exxilon antibody|Zombies]] - [[Terry Walsh]], [[Steven Ismay]] (uncredited on-screen for part four, but credited in ''Radio Times'')
* [[Jack (Death to the Daleks)|Spaceman]] - [[Terry Walsh]] (uncredited on-screen for part one, but credited in ''Radio Times'')
* [[Exxilon (species)|Exxilons]] - [[Steven Ismay]], [[Max Faulkner]], [[Marc Boyle]], [[Roy Pearce]], [[Terence Denville]], [[Derek Chafer]], [[Leslie Bates]], [[Nigel Winder]], [[David Rolfe]], [[Bob Blaine]], [[Dennis Plenty]], [[Terry Sartain]], [[Mike Reynel]], [[Terry Walsh]] ([[DWM 278]])
* Exxilon messenger - [[Tex Fuller]] ([[DWM 278]])
* [[Jebal]] - [[Roy Heymann]] ([[DWM 278]])
* Burning Exxilon - [[Terry Walsh]] ([[DWM 278]])
 
== Crew ==
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Richard Leyland]]
* [[Costumes]] - [[L. Rowland Warne]]
* [[Designer (crew)|Designer]] - [[Colin Green]]
* [[Fight Arranger]] - [[Terry Walsh]]
* [[Film Cameraman]] - [[Bill Matthews (film cameraman)|Bill Matthews]]
* [[Film Editor]] - [[Bob Rymer]]
* [[Film sound|Film Sound]] - [[Bill Chesneau]]
* [[Incidental Music]] - [[Carey Blyton]]
* [[Make-Up]] - [[Magdalen Gaffney]], [[Cynthia Goodwin]]
* Masks - [[John Friedlander]]
* Music - [[London Saxophone Quartet]]
* [[Producer]] - [[Barry Letts]]
* [[Production Assistant]] - [[Chris D'Oyly-John]]
* [[Script Editor]] - [[Terrance Dicks]]
* [[Special Sounds]] - [[Dick Mills]]
* [[Studio Lighting]] - [[Derek Slee]]
* [[Studio Sound]] - [[Richard Chubb]]
* [[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
* [[Doctor Who theme|Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
* [[Visual Effects]] - [[Jim Ward]]
 
=== Uncredited crew ===
* [[Facilities assistant|Facilities Assistant]] - [[Jennie Betts]] ([[INFO]]: ''Death to the Daleks'')
* [[Visual effects assistant|Visual Effects Assistants]] - [[Mat Irvine]], [[Peter Pegrum]], [[Colin Mapson]] ([[INFO]]: ''Death to the Daleks'')
* Location Make-Up - [[Cynthia Goodwin]] ([[INFO]]: ''Death to the Daleks'')
* [[Grip]]s - [[Alan Woods]] ([[INFO]]: ''Death to the Daleks'')
* [[Vision mixer|Vision Mixer]] - [[Nick Lake]] ([[INFO]]: ''Death to the Daleks'')
* [[Props buyer|Props Buyer]] - [[John Stevens]] ([[INFO]]: ''Death to the Daleks'')
* [[Production secretary|Production Secretary]] - [[Sarah Newman]] ([[INFO]]: ''Death to the Daleks'')
* [[Director's assistant|Director's Assistant]] - [[Margaret Lewty]] ([[INFO]]: ''Death to the Daleks'')
* Assistant [[Film sound|Film Sound]] Recordists - [[Clive Derbyshire]], [[Chris Lovelock]] ([[INFO]]: ''Death to the Daleks'')
* [[Film lighting|Film Lighting]] - [[Dave Smith]] ([[INFO]]: ''Death to the Daleks'')
* Assistant [[Film cameraman|Film Cameramen]] - [[Martin Patmore]], [[Ian Pugsley]] ([[INFO]]: ''Death to the Daleks'')
* [[Technical manager|Technical Manager]] - [[Eric Wallis]] ([[INFO]]: ''Death to the Daleks'')
* [[Grams operator|Grams Operator]] - [[Gordon Phillipson]] ([[INFO]]: ''Death to the Daleks'')
 
== Worldbuilding ==
=== Elements ===
* Parrinium is as common as [[salt]] on Exxilon and is the cure for the [[space plague]].
 
=== Medicine ===
* [[Sulphagen tablet]]s are pain killers.
 
=== Songs ===
* The Doctor sings "[[I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside]]".
 
== Story notes ==
* This story had the working title of ''Dalek Story'', although this was never intended to be an actual title. The title it was given was simply created up on the spot by incoming script editor [[Robert Holmes]] which many people believe that he came up with it due to his hatred of the Daleks. . On the ''Doctor Who Sound Effects'' LP the title was given as “''Doctor Who and the Exxilons''”. This is because [[Dick Mills]], who compiled the record, couldn’t remember the titles so made some up.
* This story originally did not feature the Daleks, which were included because [[Barry Letts]] and [[Terrance Dicks]] wanted to cash in on their popularity.
* This story marks the first time the Daleks' weapons do not function on-screen. The Daleks can modify their casings relatively quickly, replacing their energy weapons with slug-throwing [[firearm|rifles]].
* This is the last Dalek story where the Daleks' weapons are not a variant of the Dalek ray.
* The Daleks target practice with their new projectile weaponry aboard their spaceship using a miniature [[police box]].
* This is the last Third Doctor story to feature the TARDIS console room and the last story to feature it until ''[[Planet of Evil (TV story)|Planet of Evil]]''. This is also the first story to feature Sarah Jane inside the console room on-screen as well as the only story in which she is shown inside the TARDIS console room with the Third Doctor.
* The story shows for the first and only time what illuminates the TARDIS console room: small hexagonal lights set high on the walls, which fade as the TARDIS is drained of its power.
* Many of the Dalek casings used for this story dated from the 1960s (due to the unsatisfactory quality of the casings produced for ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'').
* The cliffhanger to part three — the Doctor and Bellal walking towards a red and white geometric-patterned area on the floor, only for the Doctor to say, "Stop, don't move!" — was not originally going to be the cliffhanger. The original cliffhanger was going to be at the scene where the Doctor is trying to [[deduce]] the answer to the logic test concerning symbols, when two Daleks appear. Specifically, the cliffhanger would have hinged on the zoom towards the Dalek's gun. This was changed, however, for timing reasons.
* The original 625 line PAL colour videotape of part one was later somehow lost from the BBC Archives, but a replacement copy was later found to complete the serial. This is the latest known episode of ''Doctor Who'', for a time at least, for which no copy existed in any format; not even a 16mm black-and-white film telerecording.
* Clips from this story were used in part 5 of the 2001 documentary series [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280310/ "SF:UK"].
* ''Radio Times'' credits [[Duncan Lamont]] (Dan Galloway), [[John Abineri]] (Richard Railton) and [[Julian Fox]] (Peter Hamilton) as "Lt. Dan Galloway", "Capt. Richard Railton" and "Lt. Peter Hamilton".
* The surname of [[Murphy Grumbar]] (Dalek Operator) is misspelled as "Grunbar" on all four episodes, but is spelled correctly in ''Radio Times''.
* [[Terry Walsh]] (Spaceman) was uncredited on-screen for part one, but was credited in ''Radio Times''.
* The humanoid antibodies, created by the City's "brain" to destroy the Doctor and Bellal in part four, were played by Terry Walsh and Steven Ismay, who were uncredited on-screen but credited as "Zombies" in ''[[Radio Times]]''.
* The Exxilon masks were designed by costume designer [[L. Rowland Warne]], and created by visual effects sculptor [[John Friedlander]]. Special credits, "Masks by" and "Masks designed by", appeared on the closing titles and in the ''Radio Times'' programme listings for parts one and four for Friedlander and Warne respectively.
* This was the final televised Dalek story not to feature their creator [[Davros]] or use the traditional "of the Daleks" naming convention until ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'' in 2005.
* The floor pattern trap resembles the chessboard trap used inside the [[Tomb of Rassilon]] in ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]''.
* The arrowhead insignia the Marine Space Corps wears is similar to both the insignia of ''[[Star Trek (franchise)|Star Trek's]]'' Starfleet (from which it is rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise) and the villainous Federation of [[Terry Nation]]'s later project ''[[Blake's 7 (series)|Blake's 7]]'' (from which it is rotated 180 degrees).
* ''[[starwars:Star Wars: Behind the Magic|Behind the Magic]]'' showed an "early blaster prototype" reusing one of the Daleks' ballistic weapons from this story. The riffle was a Beretta M38A and the muffle was the fin of a world war II mortar.<ref>[https://herocollector.com/en-gb/Article/the-weekly-dalek-54 Prop study] by [[Gavin Rymill]]</ref> The muffle was later reused for [[starwars:Ponda Baba|Ponda Baba]]'s custom [[starwars:DL-21 blaster pistol|DL-21 blaster pistol]] prop which itself was reused for a Hoth trooper in ''[[starwars:Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back|Empire Strikes Back]]''.
* [[Paddy Russell]] was initially asked to direct the story but turned the request down, saying that she had no interest in directing a story about the Daleks or any other "tin can robots". She instead agreed to direct ''[[Invasion of the Dinosaurs (TV story)|Invasion of the Dinosaurs]]'', the previous story in Season 11's transmission order.
* ''[[A History of the Universe (reference book)|A History of the Universe]]'', ''[[aHistory]]'' and ''[[The Dalek Handbook]]'' arbitrarily date this story to [[2600]], as it takes place after the [[Dalek Wars]]. ''[[The Secret Lives of Monsters (short story)|The Secret Lives of Monsters]]'' framed the story as taking place at the end of the [[Third Dalek War]]. Both ''[[The Whoniverse (novel)|The Whoniverse]]'' and ''[[The Dalek Protocol (audio story)|The Dalek Protocol]]'', however, place it in the [[41st century|same era]] as ''[[The Daleks' Master Plan (TV story)|The Daleks' Master Plan]]''.
* [[Michael E. Briant]] felt this was the least interesting serial he worked on, that the story had nothing to hang on to and he didn't really know what the story was about.
* Exxilon was originally a jungle planet, but this was changed to a desolate, rocky world as a jungle setting had already featured in [[Season 10 (Doctor Who 1963)|season 10]]'s ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]].''
* The Exxilon city's energy-draining properties derive from scheduled power-cuts occurring throughout the early 1970s
* Originally, the Daleks escaped with the cure, but the humans worked with the Exxilons to set them back on the path to advancement and were given more of the cure in return
* Jill Tarrant was originally conceived as the equivalent of an "Israeli girl soldier".
* [[Terry Nation]] conceived the Exxilons as being bat-like, and the subterranean Exxilon Gotal was originally called Jebal.
* [[Michael E. Briant]] had to rearrange his shooting schedule when [[Jon Pertwee]]'s arrival was delayed by a severe attack of his chronic back pain.
* [[Elisabeth Sladen]] injured her ankle while running on the muddy ground; fortunately, she had largely completed her location material. 
* [[Michael E. Briant]] had silver-coloured Daleks, as he wanted to recapture how they looked during the 1960s in black-and-white. 
* This was the first story that [[Robert Holmes]] oversaw, as he was shadowing [[Terrance Dicks]] as script editor.
* [[Nicholas Briggs]] proclaimed himself "the World's Greatest ''Death to the Daleks'' Fan". ([[VOR 72]]) He [[Writer|wrote]] and [[Director (crew)|directed]] both ''[[The Exxilons (audio story)|The Exxilons]]'' and ''[[The Dalek Protocol (audio story)|The Dalek Protocol]]'', a prequel and a sequel respectively, in [[2015 (releases)|2015]] and [[2021 (releases)|2021]] for [[Big Finish Productions]]. The latter story gave Briggs the chance to voice [[Bellal]], which he called "a dream come true". ([[BFX]]: ''The Dalek Protocol'').
* No new Daleks were constructed for the serial. [[Michael E. Briant]] made use of the three surviving 1960s-era casings, bolstered by a trio of lesser-quality “goon” Daleks built for ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]''. Briant decided to repaint all six casings in a silver-and-black livery. He felt this echo of the Daleks' original black-and-white appearance was more effective than the more colourful paint schemes employed over the last two years.
* [[Terrance Dicks]] suggested a narrative involving an intergalactic quest to find the cure for a space plague, and an advanced society which had reverted to barbarism. He wanted the Daleks to be less of a focus than in ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'', and he also asked [[Terry Nation]] to develop a more compelling female character than [[Rebec]].
* The word Exxilon was inspired by the healing “elixir”.
 
=== Ratings ===
* Part one - 8.1 million viewers
* Part two - 9.5 million viewers
* Part three - 10.5 million viewers
* Part four - 9.5 million viewers
 
=== Myths ===
* The spaceman seen on the surface of the planet at the start of the story is killed by an Exxilon spear. ''(Although some of the Exxilons in the story are seen to be armed with spears, others have bows and arrows — and it's definitely an arrow that finishes off the spaceman.)''
* In part one when the TARDIS is drained of its power, and the Doctor attempts to enable the reserve power, he says "Not sure, I'll switch on the emergency, Liz", referring to [[Elisabeth Sladen]]. ''(The line is actually "Not sure, I'll switch on the emergency units".)''
* The TARDIS is shrunken down, due to the energy drainage. ''(The only reason this is rumoured is because the DVD trailer depicts the TARDIS console room energy drainage scene, followed by the Daleks testing their new weaponry on the miniature TARDIS, leading fans to believe this.)''
 
=== Filming locations ===
* Hanson's Aggregates Sand Pit, Puddletown Road, Gallows Hill, Dorset
* [[BBC Television Centre]] (Studio TC4), Shepherd's Bush, [[London]]
 
=== Production errors ===
{{discontinuity}}
* When Galloway attacks the Doctor in part one and they struggle before hitting the ground, it is apparent that the Doctor is actually just a stunt double in a wig.
* Near the end of part one when the Doctor and the Earth expedition first see what they believe is a relief ship, Railton is looking in a different direction to the rest of the group.
* In part two, when the Daleks interrupt the sacrifice, a close-up shot of a Dalek's weapon is in black-and-white.
* When the "root" beneath the city destroys the Dalek in the far shots it has white speech globes and when zoomed in it has orange. The other Dalek in the tunnels has the default white lights.
* The wires holding up the city "roots" are clearly visible, especially in the location filming.
* At the mining area in part three, the Dalek that responds to Galloway's protests about their agreement by repeating "You will obey!" is seen at one point as it moves away to have its sucker arm and gun on the sides opposite to their usual positions.
* In part four, immediately after the sanity test, the Doctor can be seen brushing his hair, with a reflection in the foreground echoing his movements, despite there being no mirrors in the room.
* Also immediately after the test, actor Arnold Yarrow's eyes are visible behind Bellal's mask as the Doctor helps him up, then again as they walk into the next room.
* When the Doctor asks Bellal if he needs five piastres, the coin he throws is clearly a 1 pence coin.
* When the Dalek bomb detonates atop the Exxilon city in part four, the blue sky backdrop placed behind the model city in the wide shot is noticeably sagging in the top right corner.
 
== Continuity ==
* The Daleks who escaped defeat here were imprisoned on the [[Dalek Asylum]] in a special ward with other survivors of encounters with the Doctor. ([[TV]]: ''[[Asylum of the Daleks (TV story)|Asylum of the Daleks]]'')
* In [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Left-Handed Hummingbird (novel)|The Left-Handed Hummingbird]]'' an Exxilon craft is seen.
* Sarah later compares the puzzles on [[Mars]] to the Exxilon City. ([[TV]]: ''[[Pyramids of Mars (TV story)|Pyramids of Mars]]'')
* This is Sarah Jane's first encounter with the Daleks. She later witnessed their [[Creation of the Daleks|creation]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]'') and, decades later, encountered them again as they invaded [[Earth]] in [[2009]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'' / ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'')
* The Daleks here move by telekinesis. In previous encounters, they relied on electricity. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Daleks (TV story)|The Daleks]]'', ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth (TV story)|The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'', ''[[The Power of the Daleks (TV story)|The Power of the Daleks]]'') The Daleks eventually adapt to other sources of energy, such as the Time Vortex. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'', ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'')
* Prior to their destruction by the Great City, the Exxilons sent teams to other inhabited worlds where they would construct great beacons on their surface that would drain the mental energy of the natives and send it back to the Great City. During his [[Fourth Doctor|fourth incarnation]], the Doctor, [[Leela]] and [[K9 Mark I|K9]] would encounter such a team on [[E9874]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Exxilons (audio story)|The Exxilons]]'')
 
== Home video and audio releases ==
=== DVD release ===
The restored serial was released on DVD on [[18 June (releases)|18 June]] [[2012 (releases)|2012]].
 
===== Special Features =====
* Commentary with actor [[Julian Fox]] ([[Peter Hamilton]]), [[Dalek]] operator [[Cy Town]], director [[Michael E. Briant]], assistant floor manager [[Richard Leyland]], costume designer [[L. Rowland Warne]] and special sounds maestro [[Dick Mills]]. Moderated by [[Toby Hadoke]].
* ''[[Beneath the City of the Exxilons (documentary)|Beneath the City of the Exxilons]]'' - Cast and crew look back on the making of this story. With actor [[Arnold Yarrow]], Julian Fox, Michael E. Briant, Richard Leyland, L. Rowland Warne and fan and Dalek voice actor [[Nicholas Briggs|Nick Briggs]].
* ''Studio Recording'' - A rare glimpse into the production of a [[Third Doctor]] story
* ''[[Doctor Who Stories: Dalek Men (documentary)|Doctor Who Stories - Dalek Men]]'' - Dalek operators [[John Scott Martin]] and [[Nicholas Evans]] recall their time on the show, in these interviews originally shot for 2003's ''[[The Story of Doctor Who]]''
* ''[[On the Set of Dr Who and the Daleks (documentary)|On the Set of Dr Who and the Daleks]]'' - Behind the scenes on [[Dr. Who and the Daleks (theatrical film)|the first Dalek film in 1965]]
* ''[[Radio Times]]'' Listings (DVD-ROM)
* Production Information Subtitles
* Photo Gallery
* Isolated Score - [[Carey Blyton]]'s score is available on a separate music track
* Coming Soon Trailer - ''[[The Krotons (TV story)|The Krotons]]''
* [[Easter Egg]]: Clean 1973 title sequence & closing credits. To access this hidden feature, press right at Photo Gallery on the Special Features menu to reveal a hidden ''[[Doctor Who]]'' logo.
 
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
File:DeathtotheDaleksDVDRegion2.jpg|Region 2 UK DVD cover
File:Death to the daleks.jpg|Region 1 US DVD cover
File:Death to the daleks australia dvd.jpg|Region 4 Aus DVD cover
</gallery>
 
=== Digital releases ===
This story is available:
* for streaming through [[BritBox]] (Canada and US) as part of Season 11 of ''Classic Doctor Who''.
 
=== VHS release ===
''Death to the Daleks'' was released on VHS in July [[1987 (releases)|1987]] in the [[omnibus]] format, with part one being a 525 line NTSC conversion as no 625 line PAL colour videotape of the story was known to exist at the time.
 
The story was later released in February [[1995]] in episodic format for the UK, Australia, and the US, with part one taken from the newly recovered 625 line PAL colour videotape. Although the sleeve bore a yellow "COMPLETE & UNEDITED" flash, the release contained a couple of small edits in part two: namely, the removal of the Doctor's line "Myself, chiefly" in answer to Sarah's question "Who are you kidding?"; and the beginning of the scene towards the end of the episode where Sarah first encounters Bellal, where the close-up of Bellal has been removed. This was because BBC Video had mistakenly used an Australian-censored version of the episode.
 
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
Death to the daleks vhs omnibus edition.jpg|1985 VHS cover
Death to the daleks complete and unedited.jpg|1995 VHS cover
</gallery>
 
== External links ==
* {{bbcepguideclassic|deathtodaleks/|Death to the Daleks}}
* {{radiotimes|2010-03-13/death-to-the-daleks|Death to the Daleks}}
{{dwcast}}
{{dwrefguide|who_3x.htm|Death to the Daleks}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/xxx.html|Death to the Daleks}}
* {{locguide|deathtothedaleks|Death to the Daleks}}
 
== Footnotes ==
{{Reflist}}
{{DWTV}}
{{Dalek stories}}
{{Dalek stories}}
{{TV stub}}
{{TitleSort}}
[[Category:Third Doctor episodes]]
[[es:Death to the Daleks]]
[[Category:Sarah Jane Smith episodes]]
[[ru:Смерть далекам]]
[[Category:Dalek episodes]]
 
[[Category:1974 television stories]]
[[Category:Doctor Who (1963) television stories]]
[[Category:Dalek television stories]]
[[Category:Season 11 stories]]
[[Category:Television stories set in Mutter's Spiral]]
[[Category:Four part serials]]

Latest revision as of 19:24, 3 November 2024

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Death to the Daleks was the third serial of season 11 of Doctor Who. It was the first time Sarah Jane was on a planet other than Earth and the first time she encountered the Daleks.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

An energy drain traps the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith on the planet Exxilon with its hostile natives, causing the travellers to make an uneasy alliance with a Marine Space Corps expedition and a squadron of Daleks. The key to escape for all of them lies at the heart of a powerful and mysterious lost city, but only if they can navigate a series of deadly traps.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Part one[[edit] | [edit source]]

On the rocky surface of an alien planet one night, a blue-uniformed spaceman is carrying out an investigation. Suddenly, he is struck in the chest by an arrow, collapses and tumbles down a slope into a lake.

The TARDIS console explodes as it encounters the beacon's energy.

The Third Doctor and Sarah are en route to Florana for a holiday when the Doctor's TARDIS suffers a series of power failures. An unknown force somewhere on the nearby planet Exxilon is causing the energy drain. They are barely able to land on the arid planet. The Doctor and Sarah exit the TARDIS, but Sarah goes back to change clothes from the swimsuit she is wearing. The Doctor, exploring, is pursued and captured by the primitive, xenophobic natives.

Sarah searches unsuccessfully for the Doctor, finding his lamp covered in blood. She goes back to the Tardis where she defends against the native Exxilons who have broken into the ship. She is chased by the Exxilons, escaping briefly to an enormous city that pulses with energy. She is captured by the Exxilons, who consider her presence near their sacred city an abomination. They prepare her for sacrifice.

Meanwhile, dawn comes, and the Doctor encounters a Marine Space Corps expedition whose ship has also crash-landed because of the power drain. The team — Lieutenant Dan Galloway, Lieutenant Peter Hamilton, Captain Richard Railton, and civilian geologist Jill Tarrant — are in search of the rare mineral parrinium, which can be found in large quantities on Exxilon and is needed desperately to cure a galactic plague. Along with Commander Stewart, who is badly wounded after a previous Exxilon attack, they are the only survivors of their expedition; another member named Jack, whom Railton and Galloway were searching for, has disappeared without trace, but they don't know that he has been killed by the Exxilons. Another ship lands nearby. The Marines initially believe it to be a rescue vessel, but to their dismay a squad of Daleks emerge, guns at the ready. The Dalek leader gives the order for the Doctor and the humans to be exterminated...

Part two[[edit] | [edit source]]

A Dalek is destroyed by the Exxilons.

The energy drain has disabled the Daleks' energy-based weaponry, much to the Doctor's glee and he taunts them. They are also seeking parrinium; their own worlds are falling victim to the plague — or so they say. What they don't say is that there are several more Daleks hidden on their ship. The Doctor, the Marines and the Daleks are forced into an uneasy alliance to find the source of the energy drain so they can escape. However, they are all captured by the Exxilons in a skirmish that ends with the death of Captain Railton and the self-destruction of one of the Daleks. The Doctor saves Sarah from sacrifice but is recaptured and is himself sentenced to die for assault on the High Priest.

Back at their ship, the remaining Daleks replace their electronic weaponry with mechanical projectile weapons (which they test on a model police box) and quickly master the Exxilons. In the confusion, the Doctor and Sarah flee down a nearby tunnel. The Daleks then "negotiate" a deal with the High Priest, which forces the natives to mine the parrinium. In return, members of the Space Corps are in charge of wiping out a renegade group of Exxilons. The deal also states the Doctor and Sarah will be returned to the Exxilons — dead or alive. Peter and Jill protest, but Galloway (who has taken charge despite the last wishes of expedition commander Stewart) insists it's the only way if they want the parrinium.

In the tunnel, Sarah realises that the sacrificial ritual had been meant to end with them being sent down the tunnel — something in here was meant to complete the sacrifice. Both realise that this is probably the source of the strange roars they hear echoing in the tunnel. Sarah also wonders how the Daleks were able to move if they were robots (and thus electronic); the Doctor explains that Daleks move by psychokinetic power (and are thus unaffected by the power drain). At a junction, the Doctor has Sarah wait whilst he has a look down the other tunnels for a way out. While she waits she is frightened by the appearance of another Exxilon.

In the new tunnel, the Doctor is about to head back when an enormous, metallic, snake-like creature rears up to strike at him.

Part three[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Daleks pursue the Doctor into the city.

The Doctor ducks out of the root's way, but he can't do it forever.

At the junction, a terrified Sarah is reassured by the Exxilon, who introduces himself as Bellal. Along with another Exxilon, Gotal, they conceal Sarah from pursuing Daleks, who head down both tunnels after the Doctor. In the tunnel the Doctor is in, the Dalek comes across the root probe and is destroyed, allowing the Doctor to escape and reunite with a very relieved Sarah.

As they are guided away, Bellal explains to the Doctor and Sarah about Exxilon. Their civilisation was once very technologically advanced, including space travel. Thousands of years ago, the Exxilons built the enormous city, one of the Seven Hundred Wonders of the Universe. It became sentient and drove them out, and the Exxilons gradually degenerated into their current primitive society which worships the thing that destroyed them. Bellal and Gotal are from another, much smaller faction which wishes to destroy the City. After Bellal draws several of the images he has seen on the city walls, the Doctor realises that the advanced Exxilons had been to Peru on Earth. The Doctor decides they must infiltrate the city to deactivate the energy drain. Before leaving, with Bellal as his guide, the Doctor tells Sarah to make sure the Marines are ready for take-off when the beacon is disabled, because the Daleks will destroy the MSC ship once full power is restored. The Doctor also tells Sarah that if he should fail to return from the city, she must go with the Marines back to Earth.

On the surface, the deal between the Daleks and the human is fast becoming uneasy. The Daleks are upset that the Exxilons are not mining fast enough, much to Galloway's distaste. After another root comes to the surface through a body of water and kills an Exxilon and a Dalek, the Daleks are forced to move the mining operation to another location, as the Exxilons are refusing to go back to work otherwise.

The Daleks decide on a two-pronged plan to restore power: two Daleks are sent to infiltrate the city and hopefully destroy the controls (and thus restore power), while Hamilton and Galloway are made to scale the city walls to plant bombs on a beacon at its summit to blow it up.

The Doctor and Bellal arrive at the city and the Doctor works out how to get in — a non-matching symbol. With the Daleks in hot pursuit, they get in and face their next test in a room with several skeletons — evidence of their fate if they are unable to pass the next test. The Doctor traces a maze pattern without error, opening the next door just before the Daleks enter the first room. The Doctor and Bellal come to an area in a corridor where the floor is marked with a red and white geometric pattern. Suddenly, the Doctor pulls Bellal up sharply and warns, "Stop, don't move!"

Part four[[edit] | [edit source]]

The pattern is an electrified trap, but the Doctor is able to negotiate it with his sonic screwdriver. The 7000-volt electrical charge causes only minor damage to the Daleks. The next two tests are of the mind — the Doctor has to use his sonic screwdriver to stop Bellal killing him — and of their sanity. They manage to survive after the Doctor denies the reality of the mind-warping illusions. This opens the final area — the city's control centre, where the Doctor promptly starts tinkering with the city's "brain". It responds by triggering the creation of two humanoid "antibodies" to destroy the intruders; the Doctor orders Bellal to let him know when the anti-bodies are complete while he keeps working.

At the mining camp, Sarah finds Jill Tarrant, and the pair hatch a plan to replace the Daleks' parrinium sacks with sand-filled ones, whilst the real parrinium sacks are moved to the Earth spaceship. As dawn breaks, a Dalek guard finds that Jill has escaped and promptly self-destructs for failing in its duty, its voice rising to a maniacal pitch and then slurring away as it dies.

On the city exterior, Hamilton and Galloway have finally reached the summit and plant one of the two Dalek bombs on the beacon. Galloway, however, insists on keeping the second bomb, pointing out that the Dalek guard at the base won't be able to see them keeping it and one bomb will be enough to destroy the beacon. They start to descend.

The Doctor has almost finished with his interference with the city's "brain" when the antibodies attack him and Bellal. Fortunately, the pursuing Daleks arrive and promptly fire on the creatures, causing them to turn their attention to the Daleks. The fight causes a lot of damage in the control room, and that — plus the Doctor's tinkering — causes the city to start to die; the Doctor and Bellal escape.

The Dalek bomb goes off, and power is restored. As the Doctor and Bellal escape, they join up with the other humans, only to find that the Daleks are not only about to leave, but that they really were behind the plague. As soon as their ship is in orbit, the Daleks will drop a plague bomb to wipe out life on Exxilon and prevent anyone else from coming to the planet to get more parrinium, while the large quantity they mined will allow them to hold the galaxy to ransom.

However, Galloway, who hid on board before the launch while loading the parrinium, sacrifices his life to destroy the Dalek ship with his stolen bomb. Sarah and Jill then reveal that they had replaced the Daleks' parrinium with bags of sand, and that the real stuff is on their ship. Jill and Peter will now await the arrival of a rescue ship to bring the much-needed plague cure to the afflicted planets.

Everyone turns to look at the city as it melts away, screaming as it is destroyed. The Doctor bemoans the city's destruction — now the universe has only six hundred and ninety-nine wonders.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Elements[[edit] | [edit source]]

Medicine[[edit] | [edit source]]

Songs[[edit] | [edit source]]

Story notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • This story had the working title of Dalek Story, although this was never intended to be an actual title. The title it was given was simply created up on the spot by incoming script editor Robert Holmes which many people believe that he came up with it due to his hatred of the Daleks. . On the Doctor Who Sound Effects LP the title was given as “Doctor Who and the Exxilons”. This is because Dick Mills, who compiled the record, couldn’t remember the titles so made some up.
  • This story originally did not feature the Daleks, which were included because Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks wanted to cash in on their popularity.
  • This story marks the first time the Daleks' weapons do not function on-screen. The Daleks can modify their casings relatively quickly, replacing their energy weapons with slug-throwing rifles.
  • This is the last Dalek story where the Daleks' weapons are not a variant of the Dalek ray.
  • The Daleks target practice with their new projectile weaponry aboard their spaceship using a miniature police box.
  • This is the last Third Doctor story to feature the TARDIS console room and the last story to feature it until Planet of Evil. This is also the first story to feature Sarah Jane inside the console room on-screen as well as the only story in which she is shown inside the TARDIS console room with the Third Doctor.
  • The story shows for the first and only time what illuminates the TARDIS console room: small hexagonal lights set high on the walls, which fade as the TARDIS is drained of its power.
  • Many of the Dalek casings used for this story dated from the 1960s (due to the unsatisfactory quality of the casings produced for Planet of the Daleks).
  • The cliffhanger to part three — the Doctor and Bellal walking towards a red and white geometric-patterned area on the floor, only for the Doctor to say, "Stop, don't move!" — was not originally going to be the cliffhanger. The original cliffhanger was going to be at the scene where the Doctor is trying to deduce the answer to the logic test concerning symbols, when two Daleks appear. Specifically, the cliffhanger would have hinged on the zoom towards the Dalek's gun. This was changed, however, for timing reasons.
  • The original 625 line PAL colour videotape of part one was later somehow lost from the BBC Archives, but a replacement copy was later found to complete the serial. This is the latest known episode of Doctor Who, for a time at least, for which no copy existed in any format; not even a 16mm black-and-white film telerecording.
  • Clips from this story were used in part 5 of the 2001 documentary series "SF:UK".
  • Radio Times credits Duncan Lamont (Dan Galloway), John Abineri (Richard Railton) and Julian Fox (Peter Hamilton) as "Lt. Dan Galloway", "Capt. Richard Railton" and "Lt. Peter Hamilton".
  • The surname of Murphy Grumbar (Dalek Operator) is misspelled as "Grunbar" on all four episodes, but is spelled correctly in Radio Times.
  • Terry Walsh (Spaceman) was uncredited on-screen for part one, but was credited in Radio Times.
  • The humanoid antibodies, created by the City's "brain" to destroy the Doctor and Bellal in part four, were played by Terry Walsh and Steven Ismay, who were uncredited on-screen but credited as "Zombies" in Radio Times.
  • The Exxilon masks were designed by costume designer L. Rowland Warne, and created by visual effects sculptor John Friedlander. Special credits, "Masks by" and "Masks designed by", appeared on the closing titles and in the Radio Times programme listings for parts one and four for Friedlander and Warne respectively.
  • This was the final televised Dalek story not to feature their creator Davros or use the traditional "of the Daleks" naming convention until Dalek in 2005.
  • The floor pattern trap resembles the chessboard trap used inside the Tomb of Rassilon in The Five Doctors.
  • The arrowhead insignia the Marine Space Corps wears is similar to both the insignia of Star Trek's Starfleet (from which it is rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise) and the villainous Federation of Terry Nation's later project Blake's 7 (from which it is rotated 180 degrees).
  • Behind the Magic showed an "early blaster prototype" reusing one of the Daleks' ballistic weapons from this story. The riffle was a Beretta M38A and the muffle was the fin of a world war II mortar.[1] The muffle was later reused for Ponda Baba's custom DL-21 blaster pistol prop which itself was reused for a Hoth trooper in Empire Strikes Back.
  • Paddy Russell was initially asked to direct the story but turned the request down, saying that she had no interest in directing a story about the Daleks or any other "tin can robots". She instead agreed to direct Invasion of the Dinosaurs, the previous story in Season 11's transmission order.
  • A History of the Universe, aHistory and The Dalek Handbook arbitrarily date this story to 2600, as it takes place after the Dalek Wars. The Secret Lives of Monsters framed the story as taking place at the end of the Third Dalek War. Both The Whoniverse and The Dalek Protocol, however, place it in the same era as The Daleks' Master Plan.
  • Michael E. Briant felt this was the least interesting serial he worked on, that the story had nothing to hang on to and he didn't really know what the story was about.
  • Exxilon was originally a jungle planet, but this was changed to a desolate, rocky world as a jungle setting had already featured in season 10's Planet of the Daleks.
  • The Exxilon city's energy-draining properties derive from scheduled power-cuts occurring throughout the early 1970s
  • Originally, the Daleks escaped with the cure, but the humans worked with the Exxilons to set them back on the path to advancement and were given more of the cure in return
  • Jill Tarrant was originally conceived as the equivalent of an "Israeli girl soldier".
  • Terry Nation conceived the Exxilons as being bat-like, and the subterranean Exxilon Gotal was originally called Jebal.
  • Michael E. Briant had to rearrange his shooting schedule when Jon Pertwee's arrival was delayed by a severe attack of his chronic back pain.
  • Elisabeth Sladen injured her ankle while running on the muddy ground; fortunately, she had largely completed her location material. 
  • Michael E. Briant had silver-coloured Daleks, as he wanted to recapture how they looked during the 1960s in black-and-white. 
  • This was the first story that Robert Holmes oversaw, as he was shadowing Terrance Dicks as script editor.
  • Nicholas Briggs proclaimed himself "the World's Greatest Death to the Daleks Fan". (VOR 72) He wrote and directed both The Exxilons and The Dalek Protocol, a prequel and a sequel respectively, in 2015 and 2021 for Big Finish Productions. The latter story gave Briggs the chance to voice Bellal, which he called "a dream come true". (BFX: The Dalek Protocol).
  • No new Daleks were constructed for the serial. Michael E. Briant made use of the three surviving 1960s-era casings, bolstered by a trio of lesser-quality “goon” Daleks built for Planet of the Daleks. Briant decided to repaint all six casings in a silver-and-black livery. He felt this echo of the Daleks' original black-and-white appearance was more effective than the more colourful paint schemes employed over the last two years.
  • Terrance Dicks suggested a narrative involving an intergalactic quest to find the cure for a space plague, and an advanced society which had reverted to barbarism. He wanted the Daleks to be less of a focus than in Planet of the Daleks, and he also asked Terry Nation to develop a more compelling female character than Rebec.
  • The word Exxilon was inspired by the healing “elixir”.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Part one - 8.1 million viewers
  • Part two - 9.5 million viewers
  • Part three - 10.5 million viewers
  • Part four - 9.5 million viewers

Myths[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The spaceman seen on the surface of the planet at the start of the story is killed by an Exxilon spear. (Although some of the Exxilons in the story are seen to be armed with spears, others have bows and arrows — and it's definitely an arrow that finishes off the spaceman.)
  • In part one when the TARDIS is drained of its power, and the Doctor attempts to enable the reserve power, he says "Not sure, I'll switch on the emergency, Liz", referring to Elisabeth Sladen. (The line is actually "Not sure, I'll switch on the emergency units".)
  • The TARDIS is shrunken down, due to the energy drainage. (The only reason this is rumoured is because the DVD trailer depicts the TARDIS console room energy drainage scene, followed by the Daleks testing their new weaponry on the miniature TARDIS, leading fans to believe this.)

Filming locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

Production errors[[edit] | [edit source]]

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
  • When Galloway attacks the Doctor in part one and they struggle before hitting the ground, it is apparent that the Doctor is actually just a stunt double in a wig.
  • Near the end of part one when the Doctor and the Earth expedition first see what they believe is a relief ship, Railton is looking in a different direction to the rest of the group.
  • In part two, when the Daleks interrupt the sacrifice, a close-up shot of a Dalek's weapon is in black-and-white.
  • When the "root" beneath the city destroys the Dalek in the far shots it has white speech globes and when zoomed in it has orange. The other Dalek in the tunnels has the default white lights.
  • The wires holding up the city "roots" are clearly visible, especially in the location filming.
  • At the mining area in part three, the Dalek that responds to Galloway's protests about their agreement by repeating "You will obey!" is seen at one point as it moves away to have its sucker arm and gun on the sides opposite to their usual positions.
  • In part four, immediately after the sanity test, the Doctor can be seen brushing his hair, with a reflection in the foreground echoing his movements, despite there being no mirrors in the room.
  • Also immediately after the test, actor Arnold Yarrow's eyes are visible behind Bellal's mask as the Doctor helps him up, then again as they walk into the next room.
  • When the Doctor asks Bellal if he needs five piastres, the coin he throws is clearly a 1 pence coin.
  • When the Dalek bomb detonates atop the Exxilon city in part four, the blue sky backdrop placed behind the model city in the wide shot is noticeably sagging in the top right corner.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Home video and audio releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

DVD release[[edit] | [edit source]]

The restored serial was released on DVD on 18 June 2012.

Special Features[[edit] | [edit source]]
  • Region 2 UK DVD cover

    Region 2 UK DVD cover

  • Region 1 US DVD cover

    Region 1 US DVD cover

  • Region 4 Aus DVD cover

    Region 4 Aus DVD cover

Digital releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

This story is available:

  • for streaming through BritBox (Canada and US) as part of Season 11 of Classic Doctor Who.

VHS release[[edit] | [edit source]]

Death to the Daleks was released on VHS in July 1987 in the omnibus format, with part one being a 525 line NTSC conversion as no 625 line PAL colour videotape of the story was known to exist at the time.

The story was later released in February 1995 in episodic format for the UK, Australia, and the US, with part one taken from the newly recovered 625 line PAL colour videotape. Although the sleeve bore a yellow "COMPLETE & UNEDITED" flash, the release contained a couple of small edits in part two: namely, the removal of the Doctor's line "Myself, chiefly" in answer to Sarah's question "Who are you kidding?"; and the beginning of the scene towards the end of the episode where Sarah first encounters Bellal, where the close-up of Bellal has been removed. This was because BBC Video had mistakenly used an Australian-censored version of the episode.

  • 1985 VHS cover

    1985 VHS cover

  • 1995 VHS cover

    1995 VHS cover

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ Prop study by Gavin Rymill
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For the purposes of this list, a "Dalek story" is one in which one living, authentic Dalek plays a part within the confines of the story, outside of flashbacks to previous stories and cliffhangers that lead into the following story. For this reason, stories such as The Space Museum are not counted due to the Daleks' appearance being defined by their importance to following stories, while stories such as The Wheel in Space and The Waters of Mars are absent due to the Daleks' only contribution being references to past Dalek stories. Stories like The Wedding of River Song, Hell Bent, Once, Upon Time and The Vanquishers are also not included due to the Daleks' appearance being restricted to a single scene of no consequence to the plot of the story, while the TV movie is also absent due to the Daleks only being heard from off-screen.
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