Daleks in Manhattan (TV story): Difference between revisions

From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
No edit summary
m (Bot: Cosmetic changes)
 
(315 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox NewTV
{{title dab away}}
|story name= Daleks in Manhattan
{{real world}}
|image=[[File:Daleks in Manhattan.jpg|250px]]
{{ImageLinkTV}}
|series=[[Doctor Who]] -<br/>[[List of Doctor Who television stories|TV Stories]]
{{Infobox Story SMW
|number= [[Series 3 (Doctor Who)|Series 3]]
|image           = Daleks in Manhattan.jpg
|story number = 182a
|series         = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
|doctor= [[Tenth Doctor]]
|season number   = Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)
|companions= [[Martha Jones]]
|series episode number = 4
|enemy= <ul><li>[[Cult of Skaro]]</li><li>[[Pig slave]]s</li><li>[[Diagoras|Mr Diagoras]]</li></ul>
|story number   = 182a
|setting= [[New York City]], [[1930]]
|scripturl      = https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/documents/doctor-who-3-episode-4-daleks-in-manhattan-green-revisions-21112006.pdf
|writer= [[Helen Raynor]]
|doctor         = Tenth Doctor
|director= [[James Strong]]
|companions     = [[Martha Jones|Martha]]
|producer= [[Phil Collinson]]
|enemy           = [[Dalek Sec]]
|broadcast date= 21st April [[2007]]
|setting         = [[New York City]], [[1930]]
|format= 1 45-minute episode
|writer         = Helen Raynor
|production code= 3.4
|director       = [[James Strong]]
|previous story= [[Gridlock]]
|producer       = [[Phil Collinson]]
|next story= [[Evolution of the Daleks]]
|confidential    = A New York Story (CON episode)
|broadcast date = 21 April 2007
|network        = BBC One
|format         = 1x45-minute episode<br/>1st in a two-part story
|production code = 3.4
|prev            = Gridlock (TV story)
|next           = Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)
|made prev      = The Lazarus Experiment (TV story)
|made next      = Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)
|clip = Dalek Hybrid = Human Sacrifice - Doctor Who - Daleks in Manhattan - Series 3 - BBC
|clip2 = A Human Dalek - Doctor Who - Daleks in Manhattan - Series 3 - BBC
|bts = Meet Tallulah - Doctor Who Confidential - BBC
}}
}}
'''Daleks in Manhattan''' was the fourth episode of [[Series 3 (Doctor Who)|Series 3]] of the revived series. The episode marks the reappearance of the [[Cult of Skaro]].
'''''Daleks in Manhattan''''' was the fourth episode of [[Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 3]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.
==Synopsis==
Martha is taken to 1930s New York, just before the Empire State Building had been built. But something is out to change the course of history. Daleks and Pig Slaves alike stalk the streets of Manhattan, as the Cult of Skaro plan their most devious scheme yet. As their plans for evolution escalate out of control, will the Doctor, Martha, and their new friends, Solomon, Frank, Tallulah and Lazlo, be able to stop them, or will Daleks finally take all?
==Plot==
A young man, Laszlo, gives Tallulah, a showgirl, a rosebud before her nightly performance. As she leaves to take the stage, he investigates a sound, and is attacked by a creature that resembles a humanoid pig.


The Doctor and Martha arrive at the [[Statue of Liberty]]. Seeing the uncompleted [[Empire State Building]], the Doctor estimates the date, while Martha finds a newspaper dated [[1st November]] [[1930]]. The Doctor notes the headline 'Hooverville Mystery Deepens' and reads about people going missing. He then takes Martha to Central Park where a [[Hooverville]] is located. Solomon, leader of the Hooverville, tells them that people disappear at night, leaving behind their few possessions. He asks the Doctor why people can build the tallest building in the world but not help the starving people of Hooverville.
It marked the reappearance of the [[Cult of Skaro]] and [[the Doctor]]'s second visit to the [[Empire State Building]].


At the top of the Empire State Building, [[Mr Diagoras]] orders a foreman to speed up construction on the mast. When the foreman refuses, Mr. Diagoras summons one of his 'Masters' to deal with him. [[Dalek Caan]] and two Pig Men emerge from the lift, and Mr. Diagoras tells them that the foreman is disobeying his orders. Dalek Caan has the foreman taken away for 'the final experiment'. He then orders Mr. Diagoras to recruit more 'bodies' for the final experiment.
== Synopsis ==
During the building of the [[Empire State Building]] in [[1930s]] [[New York City]], the [[Cult of Skaro]] continues their attempts to destroy [[human]]ity and reign supreme.


Mr. Diagoras arrives at the Hooverville to recruit workers to clear a collapse in the sewers, offering a dollar a day. Intrigued by an admission that people sometimes fail to return, the Doctor accepts the job. Martha goes with him, along with Solomon and a young man named Frank. Mr. Diagoras sends them half a mile in, but they find no obstruction, just a green lump of alien flesh. The Doctor examines and pockets it. Next they come across a lone [[Pig Slave]]. As the Doctor talks to it, more Pig Slaves arrive, and chase the Doctor and friends through the sewers.
== Plot ==
At the Majestic Theater in Midtown [[Manhattan]] in the early [[1930s]], showgirl [[Tallulah]] is speaking to her boyfriend, [[Laszlo]], one of the theatre's stagehands, before her nightly performance. She promises to come and see Laszlo's mother soon, and in turn, he gives her a [[rose]]bud for good luck. Later during the show, Laszlo is doing work when something runs past the door, oinking. Laszlo follows the sound into a storage room. Suddenly, a [[pig slave]] leaps out of the shadows and runs up to him.


Mr. Diagoras orders the crew working on the Empire State Building to attach strange strips of metal (taken from a Dalek's 'skirt') to the base of the mast, and to complete the task that night. The workers complain about the unsafe conditions, but comply after Diagoras threatens to replace them. After they leave, Dalek Caan discusses the construction with Mr. Diagoras, and mentions that his planet was destroyed in a war, while humans survive across time, building and rebuilding New York City. Mr. Diagoras tells the Dalek that he fought in a war, and that he promised himself he would survive at any cost. Noting that Diagoras is most like them in mentality, [[Dalek Sec]] orders him to the basement, where he is seized for use in their 'final experiment'.
A few days later, the [[Tenth Doctor]] and [[Martha Jones|Martha]] materialise [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] at the base of the [[Statue of Liberty]]'s pedestal, the Doctor having decided to take Martha on a quick detour before taking her home. Seeing the uncompleted [[Empire State Building]], the Doctor estimates the date, while Martha finds a [[newspaper]] dated [[1 November|November 1st]], [[1930]]. The Doctor looks at the newspaper and realises that their small detour is going to be much longer: the headline on the front page is an article about a rash of people vanishing like flies from the [[Hooverville]] community in [[Central Park]].


The Doctor, Martha and Solomon escape the sewers through a manhole, but Frank is captured. The others emerge in the theatre, where Tallulah points a gun at them. She demands to know what they did with Laszlo, who disappeared two weeks earlier. The Doctor gets Tallulah to discard the gun (which was only a prop), and Tallulah tells them about Laszlo's disappearance. The Doctor and Solomon search for equipment the Doctor can use to examine the alien flesh, while Martha and Tallulah compare notes about Laszlo and the Doctor. Solomon confesses that he left Frank behind because he was scared. Solomon then returns to the Hooverville, telling everybody about what happened to Frank, and that they must now fight.
The Doctor and Martha travel to Hooverville to question the residents who live there about the incidents. As they enter, the Doctor explains to Martha the etymology behind the Hoovervilles, named for [[President of America|President]] [[Herbert Hoover]]: when the Stock market crashed on Black Tuesday a year ago, the whole [[United States of America|U.S.]] economy was wiped out overnight. Ordinary stockbrokers and businesspeople lost their jobs, their houses, and everything they possessed, and with nowhere else to go, ended up in shantytowns, like the Hooverville they are in.


Dalek Sec states that, to survive, the Daleks must evolve. [[Dalek Thay]] questions the results of the experiment, arguing that merging with humans (an inferior race) is directly against the Dalek philosophy; Dalek Sec counters that, after everything that has happened, there remain millions of Humans but only four Daleks. Dalek Sec intends to sacrifice himself for the survival of the Dalek race, just as Dalek Thay sacrificed the metal from his casing. Dalek Sec opens up his casing and uses his long tentacles to grab Mr. Diagoras. He pulls him closer and envelops him in his own body before dragging him into his casing to begin the 'evolution'.
As the Doctor and Martha are walking in, a fight suddenly breaks out between two men over a loaf of [[bread]]. [[Solomon (Daleks in Manhattan)|Solomon]], the community leader, breaks up the fight by taking the loaf and dividing it in half. He reminds them that thirteen years ago, he fought in [[World War I]], as did many of the others, and he and the others only survived by staying together.


Martha is watching Tallulah's dance number when she notices a Pig Slave watching from the other side of the stage. She tries sneaking behind the dancers to reach him, but he runs away. Noticing that he is more human than pig, she follows him into the prop store, where he disappears down the manhole.
The Doctor and Martha talk to Solomon. He asks the Doctor why people can build the [[Empire State Building]], which will be the tallest building in the world when completed, when there is a Hooverville in midtown Manhattan.


The Doctor studies the alien flesh, and learns its planet of origin: [[Skaro]]. He rushes to find Martha, and hears her scream as she is seized by Pig Slaves. He goes down the manhole after her. Tallulah follows him, despite the Doctor's warning. Moments later, he grabs her and hides as a Dalek glides by. The two then find the Pig Slave that Martha saw: Laszlo, who managed to escape the Dalek lab before his alteration into a Pig Slave was completed.
At the top of the Empire State Building, as construction workers toil to complete work, a [[businessman]] named Mr [[Diagoras]] orders one of his [[Foreman (Daleks in Manhattan)|foremen]] to speed up construction on the roof mast, telling him that there is extra work demanded by his bosses that must be completed by tonight. When the foreman refuses to accelerate the speed of work and threatens a strike, Mr Diagoras tells the man that he should instead complain to the masters himself, and quickly presses the elevator call button. As the elevator comes up, the foreman asks him about his new "masters", but Diagoras is very vague about them, only saying that they are from out of town and beyond the [[human]] imagination.


Back in the Dalek lab, smoke billows from Dalek Sec's casing while he shakes violently. His comrades urge him to cancel the experiment, but he refuses and asks for an injection. [[Dalek Jast]] plunges a syringe containing a "chromatin solution" into his casing.
Before the foreman can figure out what this means, the elevator arrives, containing [[Dalek Caan]] of the Cult of Skaro and two pig slaves. As the foreman backs away in shock, Diagoras tells Caan that the man is refusing to complete the work. Dalek Caan has the foreman taken away for "the final experiment". The pig slaves hustle the foreman into the elevator, and as the elevator doors close, Caan orders Diagoras to recruit more "bodies" for the final experiment.


Martha is thrust in with a parade of captives, including Frank. They are met first by Dalek Caan, and then Dalek Thay who reports that "the Dalekanium is in place." The Daleks use their plunger arms to scan their captives' brains as the Doctor hides nearby and watches. Laszlo explains that the "low intelligence" captives become Pig Slaves, while the "high intelligence" ones are designated for 'the final experiment'. Laszlo urges Tallulah to go back without him. The Doctor joins Martha in the high intelligence group as they proceed towards 'the final experiment'. Tallulah runs through the sewers, but gets lost.
Later that day, the Doctor and Martha are in Solomon's tent, questioning him about the disappearances. Solomon admits that they have been to the [[police]], but the cops have ignored them, not caring whenever another homeless person vanishes.


The captive party reaches the Dalek lab under the Empire State Building, where Dalek Jast attends to Dalek Sec. The Doctor tells Martha to ask what they are doing; he does not want the Daleks to notice him. Martha steps forward and demands to know what is happening. The Daleks tell her she will bear witness to the rebirth of the Dalek race. Dalek Sec's casing opens, and a [[humanoid]] [[Human Dalek|creature]] emerges, with a Dalek mutant-like head and yellow hands, wearing Mr. Diagoras' suit. It flexes its new limbs as the other three Daleks recoil from it. "I am a Human Dalek," it tells them all, "I am your future..."
They are interrupted when a young hobo from [[Tennessee]] named [[Frank (Daleks in Manhattan)|Frank]] comes in to inform them that Diagoras has stopped by. Diagoras addresses the community members, saying he wants to recruit workers to clear a sewer collapse for a dollar a day. Intrigued by Diagoras' admission that people sometimes fail to come back, the Doctor accepts the job. Martha goes with him, along with Solomon and Frank. Mr Diagoras tells them the location is about a half mile in, but they find no obstruction — just a green, pulsating lump of alien flesh. The Doctor examines and pockets it. Further on, they come across a lone pig slave. As the Doctor talks to it, more pig slaves arrive to ambush them and chase the Doctor and friends through the sewers.


==Cast==
[[File:DaleksinManhattanNewYork.jpg|thumb|left|Dalek Cann and Diagoras look over New York City.]]
*[[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[David Tennant]]
Back at the top of the Empire State Building, Mr Diagoras orders the crew working there to attach strange strips of metal to the base of the mast and to complete the task that night. The workers complain about the unsafe conditions but comply. Diagoras warns them that if they do not work, he can replace them in a flash. After they leave, Dalek Caan arrives in the elevator and discusses the construction with Diagoras. Dalek Caan mentions that his planet was destroyed in a great war; he seems somewhat impressed that humans have survived across time, building and rebuilding New York City, though "humankind is weak" as it "shelters from the dark". Diagoras tells the Dalek that he fought in a war, [[World War I]], and he promised himself thereafter that he would survive at any cost. Noting that Diagoras is most like them in mentality, [[Dalek Sec]] orders him to the Cult's laboratory in the [[basement]], where he is seized for use in their "[[Final Experiment|final experiment]]".
*[[Martha Jones]] - [[Freema Agyeman]]
*[[Tallulah]] - [[Miranda Raison]]
*[[Laszlo]] - [[Ryan Carnes]]
*[[Solomon]] - [[Hugh Quarshie]]
*[[Frank (1930)|Frank]] - [[Andrew Garfield]]
*[[Diagoras|Mr Diagoras]] - [[Eric Loren]]
*[[Myrna]] - [[Flik Swann]]
*[[Lois]] - [[Alexis Caley]]
*[[Hooverville Residents|Man #1]] - [[Earl Perkins]]
*[[Hooverville Residents|Man #2]] - [[Peter Brooke]]
*[[Foreman (Daleks in Manhattan)|Foreman]] - [[Ian Porter]]
*[[Worker 1 (Daleks in Manhattan)|Worker #1]] - [[Joe Montana]]
*[[Worker 2 (Daleks in Manhattan)|Worker #2]] - [[Stewart Alexander]]
*[[Dock Worker (Daleks in Manhattan)|Dock Worker]] - [[Mel Taylor]]
*[[Dalek Operator]]s - [[Barnaby Edwards]], [[Nicholas Pegg]], [[Anthony Spargo]], [[David Hankinson]]
*[[Dalek|Dalek Voices]] - [[Nicholas Briggs]]
*[[Pig slave|Hero Pig]] - [[Paul Kasey]]


==Crew==
The Doctor, Martha and Solomon escape the sewers through a manhole, but Frank is captured. The others emerge in the theatre, where Tallulah points a [[firearm|revolver]] at them. She demands to know what they have done with Laszlo, who disappeared two weeks earlier. The Doctor persuades Tallulah to discard the gun, which is only a prop, and Tallulah tells them about Laszlo's disappearance. The Doctor and Solomon search for equipment the Doctor can use to examine the alien flesh, while Martha and Tallulah compare notes about Laszlo and the Doctor. Solomon confesses that he left Frank behind because he was scared. Solomon then returns to Hooverville, telling everybody about what happened to Frank, and that they must now arm themselves.
 
Dalek Sec states that the Daleks must evolve in order to survive; it is the Cult of Skaro's purpose, the very reason they were created by the Emperor, to imagine new ways of survival. [[Dalek Thay]] questions the results of the experiment, arguing that merging with humans, an inferior race, is directly against Dalek philosophy and will render them impure; Dalek Sec counters that after everything that has happened, there remain millions of humans but only four Daleks and that their purity has brought them to extinction. Dalek Sec intends to sacrifice himself for the survival of the Dalek race, just as Dalek Thay sacrificed the metal from his casing. Dalek Sec opens up his casing and uses his long tentacles to grab Mr Diagoras. He pulls him closer and envelops him in his own body before dragging him into his casing to begin the "evolution".
 
Martha is watching Tallulah's dance number when she notices a pig slave watching from the other side of the stage. She tries sneaking behind the dancers to reach him, but ends up interrupting the performance. Tallulah screams upon seeing the pig man, and he runs away. Noticing that he is more human than pig, Martha chases him into the prop storage room, where he disappears down the manhole.
 
The Doctor studies the alien matter he found in the sewer, and identifies the object as "467-989," using this to learn its [[planet]] of origin: [[Skaro]]. He rushes to find Martha and hears her scream as she is seized by pig slaves. He goes down the manhole after her and Tallulah follows him, despite the Doctor's warning. Moments later, he grabs her and hides as [[Dalek Caan]] glides by, causing the Doctor to bitterly remark that once again the Daleks managed to survive while once again he lost what [[Rose Tyler|was dearest to him]]. The two then find the pig slave that Martha saw. It's not just any pig slave: it's Laszlo, who appears to be in a state halfway between that of a pig and a human, having somehow managed to escape the Dalek lab before he could be completely converted.
 
Back in the Dalek lab, smoke billows from Dalek Sec's casing while he shakes violently. [[Dalek Thay]] urges him to halt the experiment, but he refuses and asks for an injection. [[Dalek Jast]] plunges a syringe containing a [[chromatid solution]] into his casing.
 
Meanwhile, in the sewers, Martha is thrust in with a parade of captives taken from Hooverville, including Frank. They are met first by Dalek Caan, and then Dalek Thay who reports that the [[Dalekanium]] is in place and the energy conductor is now complete. Dalek Caan uses his plunger arm to scan their captives' brains as the Doctor hides nearby and watches. Laszlo explains that the "low intelligence" captives become pig slaves, while the "high intelligence" ones are destined to become part of "the final experiment". Laszlo urges Tallulah to go back without him, and the Doctor joins Martha in the high intelligence group as they proceed towards "the final experiment". Tallulah runs back through the sewers but gets lost.
 
[[File:DaleksinManhattanDalekSec.jpg|thumb|right|The Human-Dalek is revealed.]]
The captive party reaches the Daleks' [[Transgenic Laboratory]] under the Empire State Building, where Dalek Jast attends to Dalek Sec. The Doctor tells Martha to ask what they are doing; he does not want the Daleks to notice him. Martha steps forward and demands to know what is happening. Dalek Caan tells her she will bear witness to the rebirth of the Dalek race. Dalek Sec's casing opens, and a [[humanoid]] [[Human-Dalek|creature]] emerges with a Dalek mutant-like head and brown scaly hands, wearing Mr Diagoras' suit. It flexes its new limbs as the other three Daleks recoil from it. "I am a human Dalek," it tells them all, "I am your future..."
 
== Cast ==
* [[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[David Tennant]]
* [[Martha Jones]] - [[Freema Agyeman]]
* [[Tallulah Francis|Tallulah]] - [[Miranda Raison]]
* [[Laszlo]] - [[Ryan Carnes]]
* [[Solomon (Daleks in Manhattan)|Solomon]] - [[Hugh Quarshie]]
* [[Frank (Daleks in Manhattan)|Frank]] - [[Andrew Garfield]]
* [[Diagoras|Mr Diagoras]] - [[Eric Loren]]
* [[Myrna]] - [[Flik Swan]]
* [[Lois Shaw|Lois]] - [[Alexis Caley]]
* [[Zeffrey|Man #1]] - [[Earl Perkins]]
* [[Man 2 (Daleks in Manhattan)|Man #2]] - [[Peter Brooke]]
* [[Foreman (Daleks in Manhattan)|Foreman]] - [[Ian Porter]]
* [[Workers (Daleks in Manhattan)|Worker #1]] - [[Joe Montana]]
* [[Workers (Daleks in Manhattan)|Worker #2]] - [[Stewart Alexander]]
* [[Dock worker (Daleks in Manhattan)|Dock Worker]] - [[Mel Taylor]]
* [[Dalek Operator]]s - [[Barnaby Edwards]], [[Nicholas Pegg]], [[Anthony Spargo]], [[David Hankinson]]
* [[Dalek|Dalek Voices]] - [[Nicholas Briggs]]
* [[Pig slave|Hero Pig]] - [[Paul Kasey]]
 
=== Uncredited cast ===
* [[Hooverville]] residents - [[Christopher Hancock]], [[John Walker (actor)|John Walker]], [[Julian Landau]], [[Claudio Laurini]], [[Justin Walters]], [[Gary Devonish]], [[Adam Banat]], [[David Handford]], [[Gary Greenslade]], [[Mark Gottshalk]], [[John Shepherd]], [[Pete Symonds]], [[Gareth Long]], [[Franco Demarco]], [[Eddie Martin]], [[Sean Saye]]<ref>http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/role.php?code=6090&detail=listing&pg=dwm</ref>
 
== Crew ==
{{wales crew
{{wales crew
|1stAD=Peter Bennett
|1stAD=Peter Bennett
Line 74: Line 104:
|Runner2=
|Runner2=
|FloorRunner=Lowri Denman
|FloorRunner=Lowri Denman
|FloorRunner2=Barry Philips
|FloorRunner2=Barry Phillips
|FloorRunner3=
|FloorRunner3=
|LocationManager=Gareth Skelding
|LocationManager=Gareth Skelding
Line 81: Line 111:
|UnitManager=Huw Jones
|UnitManager=Huw Jones
|AssistantUnitManager=
|AssistantUnitManager=
|ProductionManager=
|ProductionManager=Patrick Schweitzer
|ProductionCoOrdinator=Jess van Niekerk
|ProductionCoOrdinator=Jess van Niekerk
|AsstProductionCoOrdinator=
|AsstProductionCoOrdinator=
Line 140: Line 170:
|ProductionBuyer=
|ProductionBuyer=
|SetDecorator=Julian Luxton
|SetDecorator=Julian Luxton
|PropsBuyer=Ben Morris
|PropsBuyer=Ben Morris (crew){{!}}Ben Morris
|StandbyArtDirector=Lee Gammon
|StandbyArtDirector=Lee Gammon
|ASupervisingArtDirector=
|ASupervisingArtDirector=
Line 231: Line 261:
|SoundEditor=Doug Sinclair
|SoundEditor=Doug Sinclair
|SoundEditor2=
|SoundEditor2=
|SoundEffectsEditor=Paul Jefferies
|SoundFXEditor=Paul Jefferies
|ModelUnitSupervisor=
|ModelUnitSupervisor=
|ModelUnitDOP=
|ModelUnitDOP=
Line 268: Line 298:
|RightsExecutive=
|RightsExecutive=
|FinanceManager=Chris Rogers
|FinanceManager=Chris Rogers
|VisualFXProducer=
|VisualFXProducer2=
|VisualFXSupervisor=
|VisualFXSupervisor2=
|Thanks=
|Thanks=
|Thanks2=
|Thanks2=
Line 283: Line 309:
|CrouchEnd=
|CrouchEnd=
|FromIdeaBy=
|FromIdeaBy=
|Character1=Daleks
|Character1=Dalek{{!}}Daleks
|CharCreatedBy1a=Terry Nation
|CharCreatedBy1a=Terry Nation
|CharCreatedBy1b=
|CharCreatedBy1b=
Line 308: Line 334:
|Prosthetics=Millennium FX
|Prosthetics=Millennium FX
|Music=Murray Gold
|Music=Murray Gold
|Editor=Mike Jones
|Editor=Mike Jones (editor)
|ProductionDesigner=Edward Thomas
|ProductionDesigner=Edward Thomas
|DOP=Ernie Vincze BSC
|DOP=Ernie Vincze BSC
|ProductionManager=Patrick Schweitzer
|LineProducer=
|LineProducer=
|AssociateProducer=
|AssociateProducer=
Line 323: Line 348:
|ExecutiveProd3=
|ExecutiveProd3=
|DedicatedTo=
|DedicatedTo=
|Note=With this episode, [[Helen Raynor]] became the first woman to write a [[Dalek]] story.
|Note = With this episode, [[Helen Raynor]] became the first woman to write a [[Dalek]] story.
<!--There are note variables from Note2 to Note20, but these are probably only necessary for the odd case of "The End of Time".  This set of variables are the only ones which aren't automatically linked; it's just a freeform note field.  All Notes mass together in a single paragraph at the end of the table created by this template.  Thus, each individual note should be a full sentence ending with a period, and should have any links enclosed in [[brackets]].
<!--There are note variables from Note2 to Note20, but these are probably only necessary for the odd case of "The End of Time".  This set of variables are the only ones which aren't automatically linked; it's just a freeform note field.  All Notes mass together in a single paragraph at the end of the table created by this template.  Thus, each individual note should be a full sentence ending with a period, and should have any links enclosed in [[brackets]].
--><!--The following credits are generally more "American", and thus almost exclusively limited to the 1996 Paul McGann movie. -->
--><!--The following credits are generally more "American", and thus almost exclusively limited to the 1996 Paul McGann movie. -->
Line 331: Line 356:
|TransportationCoordinator=
|TransportationCoordinator=
|DriverCaptain=
|DriverCaptain=
|FirstAidCraftService=
|FirstAidCraftService
|SoundSupervisor=
|SoundSupervisor=
|AdditionalEditingBy=
|AdditionalEditingBy=
Line 341: Line 366:
}}
}}


==References==
== Worldbuilding ==
*[[Laszlo]] is turned into a [[Pig slave]].
*The [[Cult of Skaro]] are [[Dalek Sec]], [[Dalek Caan]], [[Dalek Thay]] and [[Dalek Jast]].
*Dalek Sec initiates the [[Final Experiment]] with Mr [[Diagoras]] to become a Human Dalek.
*[[Dalekanium]] is the metal that the [[Dalek]]s' casings are made of.
*The Doctor uses his [[Sonic screwdriver]] to identify the Dalek mutant's home planet; [[Skaro]].
*When Tallulah asks Martha if she's ever been on stage before, Martha refers to the events of [[The Shakespeare Code]].
*The scene where [[Solomon]] settles an argument by dividing a loaf of bread is probably a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible Biblical] reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon King Solomon] who settled an argument between two women who claimed the same child was theirs by suggesting the child be divided in two.


==Story notes==
=== Species ===
*The working title for the episode was originally "'''Daleks in New York'''" but was changed due to the fact that it would be easier to say Manhattan.
* Laszlo is turned into a [[pig slave]].
*Miranda Raison's performance of "[[My Angel Put the Devil in Me]]" marked the first time an original song had actually been performed on screen in ''Doctor Who''.
* The [[Cult of Skaro]] are [[Dalek Sec]], [[Dalek Caan]], [[Dalek Thay]] and [[Dalek Jast]].
*Although various [[Dalek Emperor]]s, [[Dalek Supreme]]s, and the [[Dalek]] creator [[Davros]], have appeared over the years, the Daleks of the [[Cult of Skaro]] (Sec, Caan, Jast and Thay) were the first individual recurring Daleks.
* Dalek Sec initiates the [[Final Experiment]] with Mr [[Diagoras]] to become a human Dalek.
* Skarosian life is registered with the [[Fundamental DNA Type|fundamental DNA type]] 467-989.


===Ratings===
=== Technology ===
*6.69 million viewers - BARB final ratings
* The struts attached to the building are made of [[Dalekanium]] which is the metal that [[Dalek]] casings are made of.
*6.3 million viewers - Overnight ratings
* The Doctor uses [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver|his sonic screwdriver]] as a component in a biological tissue scanner to identify the home planet of the mutant tissue as [[Skaro]].
*1.13 million viewers - BBC3 Repeat ratings


===Myths===
=== Culture ===
* Tallulah uses the stereotype of [[Into musical theatre|liking musical theatre]] as a euphemism for [[homosexuality]].
* [[Heidi Chicane]] was originally supposed to perform the song that Tallulah sings.
 
=== Influences ===
 
* Tallulah was an homage to the singer played by [[Jodie Foster]] in ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugsy_Malone Bugsy Malone]'' (1976).
* [[Helen Raynor]] drew inspiration from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Classic_Monsters Universal Horror films], which were at their zenith during the Great Depression. [[Frankenstein (film)|''Frankenstein'']] (1931) was a main inspiration.
* ''[[King Kong]] -'' The Empire State Building's role in the story and Tallulah was inspired by [https://kingkong.fandom.com/wiki/Ann_Darrow Ann Darrow].
* Tallulah and Lazlow's romance was inspired by ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]].''
 
== Story notes ==
* The working title for the episode was originally ''Daleks in New York'' but was changed due to the fact that it would be easier to say Manhattan.
* When the camera pans to the Statue of Liberty in the beginning, the song "{{w|Rhapsody in Blue}}", by [[George Gershwin]], can be heard in the background.
* In the very beginning, the song "{{w|Happy Days Are Here Again}}" is played in the background.
* This is the second episode in series 3 to feature a fake gun, a recurring motif that appears at several points in series 3, foreshadowing the gun in ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]''.
* Although various [[Dalek Emperor]]s, [[Dalek Supreme]]s, and the [[Dalek]] creator [[Davros]] have appeared over the years, the Daleks of the [[Cult of Skaro]] (Sec, Caan, Jast and Thay) were the first individual recurring Daleks.
* The cliffhanger of this episode, the appearance of a humanoid Dalek was spoiled when the production team chose to feature an image of it on the cover of that week's ''[[Radio Times]]''.
* Other than the name "The Cult of Skaro", this is the first time that reference to the planet [[Skaro]] had been mentioned on screen in the new series (the last mention on screen was in the 1996 [[Doctor Who (TV story)|TV movie]]).
* This is the first episode of ''Doctor Who'' to use the city of Manhattan in its title, which denotes its setting. The next episode to do the same would be ''[[The Angels Take Manhattan (TV story)|The Angels Take Manhattan]]''.
* This is the first time in the New Series that the Daleks do not elevate or shout "Exterminate."
* [[Russell T Davies]] has suggested that the Daleks' arrival on the Empire State Building in ''[[The Chase (TV story)|The Chase]]'' planted the idea for their eventual influence over its construction.
* [[Steven Moffat]] was initially assigned to the two-parter but pulled out from the episodes, as he was busy with {{wi|Jekyll (TV series)|Jekyll}}. Instead, he offered to write the Doctor-lite episode to make up for the inconvenience to the production team, the result being ''[[Blink (TV story)|Blink]]''.
* [[Helen Raynor]] is the first woman to write a televised Dalek story, and the first woman to write a story for the revived series.
* Some filming for this story was done in New York City for plates of the city, including images of Central Park, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty. However, on the online episode commentary for ''[[Gridlock (TV story)|Gridlock]]'', [[David Tennant]], when asked if he filmed in New York, replied, "I didn't, everybody else did!" All of the scenes with Martha and the Doctor in front of the Statue of Liberty were actually filmed in Wales. The production team found a wall that matched the base of the statue.
* This episode includes the first location filming outside of the United Kingdom since ''Doctor Who'''s return in 2005.
* Originally, much of the action around the speakeasies which proliferated during [[Prohibition]], including having Laszlo involved with the mob. However, [[Russell T Davies|Russell T. Davies]] wanted to avoid the jazz music which would be predominant in such an environment, and so [[Helen Raynor]] came up with the Broadway and Hooverville settings instead.
* [[Russell T Davies|Russell T. Davies]] chose [[Helen Raynor]] to write this two-parter based on the strength of the [[Torchwood (TV series)|''Torchwood'']] episode ''[[Ghost Machine (TV story)|Ghost Machine]],'' which she wrote.
* This is the first time since [[The Daleks (TV story)|the Daleks' debut story]] that one of them has actually considered leaving their shell.
* An opening TARDIS scene, in which Martha convinces the Doctor to take her on one last trip through time was cut. This matched up with the opening moments of the next story to be broadcast, ''[[The Lazarus Experiment (TV story)|The Lazarus Experiment]]'', in which the Doctor finally brings Martha home.
* Mr Diagoras was named for the fifth century BC Greek poet, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagoras_of_Melos Diagoras the Atheist].
* Towards the beginning of the episode, the character Solomon breaks a piece of bread in half for the two men fighting over it. This is analogous to the biblical story of Solomon threatening to cut a baby in half for two women both claiming it.
* Solomon called $1.00 a day slave wages. For perspective, the fortunate few who worked building the Empire State Building earned $2.00 an hour for tradesmen like masons and steel workers and $1.00 an hour for unskilled laborers.
* It was discovered at the last minute that no hands had been ordered for [[Eric Loren]]'s costume as the hybrid Sec, and so the actor was given a pair of black gloves to wear for the scenes in which Diagoras is absorbed by Sec. Subsequently, however, it was realised that the panic was all for naught: the hands had been fabricated after all.
* [[Helen Raynor]] had originally envisioned the TARDIS materialising on the roof of a [[Broadway]] theatre, but amended this to the base of the Statue of Liberty.
* The story came about when [[Russell T Davies]] noted that the previous two seasons had Daleks appearing the future, the far-future and the present day and thus wanted to put them in the past, as stories like ''[[The Evil of the Daleks (TV story)|The Evil of the Daleks]]'' had done.
* [[Russell T Davies]] wanted to focus on the fact that the Daleks were genetically engineered, which he imagined would make them skilled in the discipline.
* The pig men were originally the results of experimentation on kidnapped sailors; [[Russell T Davies]] hoped that the Cardiff Docks could be made to look like their Gotham equivalents. The docks were dropped from the story because their distance from the [[Broadway]] theatre district made the plot's logistics unnecessarily complicated.
* [[Helen Raynor]] was able to draw upon her own experiences for the theatre storyline, having been a theatre director for almost ten years before joining the BBC.
* [[Helen Raynor]]'s duties as script editor were reduced so she could write her script.
* Originally, a starting point for the Doctor's investigation was the theft of pigs from ships' cargo, and reports of lights moving under the water which would turn out to be the Daleks.
* At one point, a major set piece saw Tallulah discover a cage full of the remnants of the Daleks' failed genetic experiments, but this was deemed too expensive to realise.
* There was originally a damaged Dalek who had been modified to be steam-powered, since it took the focus away from the genetic manipulations at the heart of the tale.
* No new Dalek casings would be required, since the story involved the same four members of the Cult of Skaro previously introduced in ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]].''
* One of [[James Strong]]'s goals was to achieve a convincing realisation of 1930 New York City. When he learned that ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'' was planning to fly [[Helen Raynor]] to the Big Apple for an on-location interview segment, he suggested to [[Phil Collinson]] that a skeleton film crew could join them to record footage for the Dalek story itself.
* To add to the setting's believability, [[James Strong]] sought actors who spoke with a natural American accent.
* Filming in Bute Park was hampered by cold and wet weather, leaving [[David Tennant]] struggling with his voice.
 
=== Ratings ===
* 6.69 million viewers - BARB final ratings<ref>[http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/info.php?detail=ratings&start=100&type=date&order= Doctor Who - consolidated ratings]</ref>
* 6.3 million viewers - Overnight ratings
* 1.13 million viewers - BBC3 Repeat ratings
 
=== Myths ===
* Several rumours about an art deco Dalek appearing in this episode or the next part were proposed when names were revealed of series three episodes. No such Dalek appeared.
* Several rumours about an art deco Dalek appearing in this episode or the next part were proposed when names were revealed of series three episodes. No such Dalek appeared.
* Another rumour was that Mr Diagoras, when in completely human form, was Dalek Sec. This was due to pictures of him standing next to three other Dalek-aware humans, who resembled the Cult of Skaro.
* Another rumour was that Mr Diagoras when in completely human form, was Dalek Sec. This was due to pictures of him standing next to three other Dalek-aware humans, who resembled the Cult of Skaro.


===Filming locations===
=== Filming locations ===
* Some location filming in New York.
* Some location filming in New York.
* Bute Park, [[Cardiff]].
* Bute Park, [[Cardiff]].


===Production errors===
=== Production errors ===
{{discontinuity}}
{{discontinuity}}
*Some of the buildings seen were not built until the [[1990s]].
* There is a point where a Dalek is looking at Mr Diagoras and his eyestalk is moving up and down, but when it cuts to the view from the Dalek, it is still.
*There is a point where a Dalek is looking at Mr. Diagoras and his eyestalk is moving up and down but when it cuts to the view from the Dalek, it is still.
* Throughout the episode, Thay, Jast and Caan's recognition codes switch.
*When Diagaros is seen being merged he has gloves on but when he becomes a hybrid the gloves are gone.
* As Diagoras walks into the lab, he removes his gloves. When the shot changes, he removes his right glove a second time.
*The [[Statue of Liberty]] is shown with an opaque gold-plated torch. That version of the torch was not installed until 1986, before which it was constructed of a metal framework with illuminated glass windows.
* When Diagoras is seen being merged he has gloves on but when he becomes a hybrid the gloves are gone.
 
* In the shot where the three Daleks back away from the newly emerged Human Dalek, the eyestalk of Dalek Sec is moving - even though the casing is now empty.
==Continuity==
*The Cult of Skaro last appeared in [[DW]]: ''[[Doomsday]]''.
*This is the first time that [[Skaro]] had been mentioned on screen in the new series (the last mention on screen was in [[DW]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]''). The Cult of Skaro, of course, was mentioned in Doomsday, but Skaro was not explicitly stated as being the Dalek's home planet until this story.
*This is the first time since [[The Daleks|the Daleks' debut story]] that one of them has actually considered leaving their shells.


==[[Tenth Doctor - Timeline|Timeline]]==
== Continuity ==
*This story takes place after [[DW]]: ''[[Gridlock]]''
* The [[Cult of Skaro]] came to New York in 1930 after their emergency [[temporal shift]] to escape the [[Battle of Canary Wharf]] in [[2007]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'')
*This story takes place before [[DW]]: ''[[Evolution of the Daleks]]''
* [[Martha Jones|Martha]] recognises the name "Dalek" upon hearing one of the Daleks identify their species. She was told about the Daleks by the [[Tenth Doctor]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Gridlock (TV story)|Gridlock]]'')
* Martha recalls her and the Doctor's recent adventure in New New York, commenting she had always wanted to visit New York, but not the "new, new, new, new, new one." ([[TV]]: ''[[Gridlock (TV story)|Gridlock]]'')
* Daleks briefly landed on the Empire State Building at a later point in history while chasing the [[First Doctor]] through space and time. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Chase (TV story)|The Chase]]'')
* The Daleks previously tried to harness the [[Human Factor]], causing the Daleks involved to become more human than anticipated. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Evil of the Daleks (TV story)|The Evil of the Daleks]]'')
* When Tallulah asks Martha if she's ever been on stage before, Martha mentions [[Shakespeare]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Shakespeare Code (TV story)|The Shakespeare Code]]'')
* [[Dalek Sec]] evolves himself similar to the [[Dalek Scientific Division|Dalek Scientists]]' desire to create Daleks in humanoid form on [[Asteroid Theta 12]] before being found out by the [[Dalek Fleet]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[A Thing of Guile (audio story)|A Thing of Guile]]'')
* Skaro was destroyed in a "great war". The Doctor destroyed Skaro in his [[Seventh Doctor|seventh incarnation]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'')


==Home video releases==
== Home video releases ==
[[Image:Bbcdvd-s3-v2.jpg|thumb|120px|Series 3 Volume 2 DVD Cover]]
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
*This episode was released alongside [[Evolution of the Daleks]], [[The Lazarus Experiment]] and [[42]].
File:The Complete David Tennant Years Region 1 US DVD cover.jpg|The Complete David Tennant Years DVD<br />Region 1 US cover
*It is also part of the Series 3 DVD boxset.
File:Series-3-boxset.jpg|The Complete [[Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series Three]] DVD box-set
File:Bbcdvd-s3-v2.jpg|thumb|Series 3 Volume 2 DVD Cover
File:Bbcdvd-thedalekcollection.jpg|The [[Dalek]] Collection DVD box-set
File:Bbcdvd-series1234.jpg|thumb|''Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Four'' DVD box-set
File:Bbcdvd-series1234567.jpg|thumb|''Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Seven'' DVD box-set
</gallery>


==See also==
* This episode was released with ''[[Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)|Evolution of the Daleks]], [[The Lazarus Experiment (TV story)|The Lazarus Experiment]]'' and ''[[42 (TV story)|42]]'' on the Series 3 Volume 2 DVD.
*[[DW]]: ''[[The Chase]]''
* It is also part of the Series 3 DVD box set.
*[[DW]]: ''[[Genesis of the Daleks]]''
* This episode and ''[[Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)|Evolution of the Daleks]]'', were the focus of the Series 3 Volume 2 front cover.
*[[DW]]: ''[[Revelation of the Daleks]]''


==External links==
== External links ==
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2007/304.shtml BBC Website - '''Daleks in Manhattan''' Episode Guide]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2007/304.shtml BBC Website - '''Daleks in Manhattan''' Episode Guide]
*{{dwrefguide|who_tv26.htm|Daleks in Manhattan}}
{{dwrefguide|who_tv26.htm|Daleks in Manhattan}}
*{{whoniverse|s3_04.php|Daleks in Manhattan}}
* {{whoniverse|s03_04|Daleks in Manhattan}}
*{{briefhistory|serials/2007de.html|Daleks in Manhattan}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/2007de.html|Daleks in Manhattan}}
*{{locguide|daleksinmanhattan|Daleks in Manhattan}}
* {{locguide|daleksinmanhattan|Daleks in Manhattan}}
{{Series 3}}
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
{{DWTV}}
{{Dalek stories}}
{{Dalek stories}}
[[Category:Tenth Doctor episodes]]
{{TitleSort}}
[[it:Daleks in Manhattan (TV)]]
 
[[Category:Doctor Who (2005) television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in New York City]]
[[Category:Stories set in New York City]]
[[Category:Dalek episodes]]
[[Category:Dalek television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1930]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1930]]
[[Category:2007 television stories]]
[[Category:2007 television stories]]
[[Category:Pseudohistorical serials]]
[[Category:Series 3 (Doctor Who) stories]]

Latest revision as of 19:17, 3 November 2024

RealWorld.png

Daleks in Manhattan was the fourth episode of series 3 of Doctor Who.

It marked the reappearance of the Cult of Skaro and the Doctor's second visit to the Empire State Building.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

During the building of the Empire State Building in 1930s New York City, the Cult of Skaro continues their attempts to destroy humanity and reign supreme.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

At the Majestic Theater in Midtown Manhattan in the early 1930s, showgirl Tallulah is speaking to her boyfriend, Laszlo, one of the theatre's stagehands, before her nightly performance. She promises to come and see Laszlo's mother soon, and in turn, he gives her a rosebud for good luck. Later during the show, Laszlo is doing work when something runs past the door, oinking. Laszlo follows the sound into a storage room. Suddenly, a pig slave leaps out of the shadows and runs up to him.

A few days later, the Tenth Doctor and Martha materialise the TARDIS at the base of the Statue of Liberty's pedestal, the Doctor having decided to take Martha on a quick detour before taking her home. Seeing the uncompleted Empire State Building, the Doctor estimates the date, while Martha finds a newspaper dated November 1st, 1930. The Doctor looks at the newspaper and realises that their small detour is going to be much longer: the headline on the front page is an article about a rash of people vanishing like flies from the Hooverville community in Central Park.

The Doctor and Martha travel to Hooverville to question the residents who live there about the incidents. As they enter, the Doctor explains to Martha the etymology behind the Hoovervilles, named for President Herbert Hoover: when the Stock market crashed on Black Tuesday a year ago, the whole U.S. economy was wiped out overnight. Ordinary stockbrokers and businesspeople lost their jobs, their houses, and everything they possessed, and with nowhere else to go, ended up in shantytowns, like the Hooverville they are in.

As the Doctor and Martha are walking in, a fight suddenly breaks out between two men over a loaf of bread. Solomon, the community leader, breaks up the fight by taking the loaf and dividing it in half. He reminds them that thirteen years ago, he fought in World War I, as did many of the others, and he and the others only survived by staying together.

The Doctor and Martha talk to Solomon. He asks the Doctor why people can build the Empire State Building, which will be the tallest building in the world when completed, when there is a Hooverville in midtown Manhattan.

At the top of the Empire State Building, as construction workers toil to complete work, a businessman named Mr Diagoras orders one of his foremen to speed up construction on the roof mast, telling him that there is extra work demanded by his bosses that must be completed by tonight. When the foreman refuses to accelerate the speed of work and threatens a strike, Mr Diagoras tells the man that he should instead complain to the masters himself, and quickly presses the elevator call button. As the elevator comes up, the foreman asks him about his new "masters", but Diagoras is very vague about them, only saying that they are from out of town and beyond the human imagination.

Before the foreman can figure out what this means, the elevator arrives, containing Dalek Caan of the Cult of Skaro and two pig slaves. As the foreman backs away in shock, Diagoras tells Caan that the man is refusing to complete the work. Dalek Caan has the foreman taken away for "the final experiment". The pig slaves hustle the foreman into the elevator, and as the elevator doors close, Caan orders Diagoras to recruit more "bodies" for the final experiment.

Later that day, the Doctor and Martha are in Solomon's tent, questioning him about the disappearances. Solomon admits that they have been to the police, but the cops have ignored them, not caring whenever another homeless person vanishes.

They are interrupted when a young hobo from Tennessee named Frank comes in to inform them that Diagoras has stopped by. Diagoras addresses the community members, saying he wants to recruit workers to clear a sewer collapse for a dollar a day. Intrigued by Diagoras' admission that people sometimes fail to come back, the Doctor accepts the job. Martha goes with him, along with Solomon and Frank. Mr Diagoras tells them the location is about a half mile in, but they find no obstruction — just a green, pulsating lump of alien flesh. The Doctor examines and pockets it. Further on, they come across a lone pig slave. As the Doctor talks to it, more pig slaves arrive to ambush them and chase the Doctor and friends through the sewers.

Dalek Cann and Diagoras look over New York City.

Back at the top of the Empire State Building, Mr Diagoras orders the crew working there to attach strange strips of metal to the base of the mast and to complete the task that night. The workers complain about the unsafe conditions but comply. Diagoras warns them that if they do not work, he can replace them in a flash. After they leave, Dalek Caan arrives in the elevator and discusses the construction with Diagoras. Dalek Caan mentions that his planet was destroyed in a great war; he seems somewhat impressed that humans have survived across time, building and rebuilding New York City, though "humankind is weak" as it "shelters from the dark". Diagoras tells the Dalek that he fought in a war, World War I, and he promised himself thereafter that he would survive at any cost. Noting that Diagoras is most like them in mentality, Dalek Sec orders him to the Cult's laboratory in the basement, where he is seized for use in their "final experiment".

The Doctor, Martha and Solomon escape the sewers through a manhole, but Frank is captured. The others emerge in the theatre, where Tallulah points a revolver at them. She demands to know what they have done with Laszlo, who disappeared two weeks earlier. The Doctor persuades Tallulah to discard the gun, which is only a prop, and Tallulah tells them about Laszlo's disappearance. The Doctor and Solomon search for equipment the Doctor can use to examine the alien flesh, while Martha and Tallulah compare notes about Laszlo and the Doctor. Solomon confesses that he left Frank behind because he was scared. Solomon then returns to Hooverville, telling everybody about what happened to Frank, and that they must now arm themselves.

Dalek Sec states that the Daleks must evolve in order to survive; it is the Cult of Skaro's purpose, the very reason they were created by the Emperor, to imagine new ways of survival. Dalek Thay questions the results of the experiment, arguing that merging with humans, an inferior race, is directly against Dalek philosophy and will render them impure; Dalek Sec counters that after everything that has happened, there remain millions of humans but only four Daleks and that their purity has brought them to extinction. Dalek Sec intends to sacrifice himself for the survival of the Dalek race, just as Dalek Thay sacrificed the metal from his casing. Dalek Sec opens up his casing and uses his long tentacles to grab Mr Diagoras. He pulls him closer and envelops him in his own body before dragging him into his casing to begin the "evolution".

Martha is watching Tallulah's dance number when she notices a pig slave watching from the other side of the stage. She tries sneaking behind the dancers to reach him, but ends up interrupting the performance. Tallulah screams upon seeing the pig man, and he runs away. Noticing that he is more human than pig, Martha chases him into the prop storage room, where he disappears down the manhole.

The Doctor studies the alien matter he found in the sewer, and identifies the object as "467-989," using this to learn its planet of origin: Skaro. He rushes to find Martha and hears her scream as she is seized by pig slaves. He goes down the manhole after her and Tallulah follows him, despite the Doctor's warning. Moments later, he grabs her and hides as Dalek Caan glides by, causing the Doctor to bitterly remark that once again the Daleks managed to survive while once again he lost what was dearest to him. The two then find the pig slave that Martha saw. It's not just any pig slave: it's Laszlo, who appears to be in a state halfway between that of a pig and a human, having somehow managed to escape the Dalek lab before he could be completely converted.

Back in the Dalek lab, smoke billows from Dalek Sec's casing while he shakes violently. Dalek Thay urges him to halt the experiment, but he refuses and asks for an injection. Dalek Jast plunges a syringe containing a chromatid solution into his casing.

Meanwhile, in the sewers, Martha is thrust in with a parade of captives taken from Hooverville, including Frank. They are met first by Dalek Caan, and then Dalek Thay who reports that the Dalekanium is in place and the energy conductor is now complete. Dalek Caan uses his plunger arm to scan their captives' brains as the Doctor hides nearby and watches. Laszlo explains that the "low intelligence" captives become pig slaves, while the "high intelligence" ones are destined to become part of "the final experiment". Laszlo urges Tallulah to go back without him, and the Doctor joins Martha in the high intelligence group as they proceed towards "the final experiment". Tallulah runs back through the sewers but gets lost.

The Human-Dalek is revealed.

The captive party reaches the Daleks' Transgenic Laboratory under the Empire State Building, where Dalek Jast attends to Dalek Sec. The Doctor tells Martha to ask what they are doing; he does not want the Daleks to notice him. Martha steps forward and demands to know what is happening. Dalek Caan tells her she will bear witness to the rebirth of the Dalek race. Dalek Sec's casing opens, and a humanoid creature emerges with a Dalek mutant-like head and brown scaly hands, wearing Mr Diagoras' suit. It flexes its new limbs as the other three Daleks recoil from it. "I am a human Dalek," it tells them all, "I am your future..."

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

General production staff

Script department

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics

Movement

Casting

General post-production staff

Special and visual effects

Sound



Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.
          

With this episode, Helen Raynor became the first woman to write a Dalek story.


Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Species[[edit] | [edit source]]

Technology[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The struts attached to the building are made of Dalekanium which is the metal that Dalek casings are made of.
  • The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver as a component in a biological tissue scanner to identify the home planet of the mutant tissue as Skaro.

Culture[[edit] | [edit source]]

Influences[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

  • The working title for the episode was originally Daleks in New York but was changed due to the fact that it would be easier to say Manhattan.
  • When the camera pans to the Statue of Liberty in the beginning, the song "Rhapsody in Blue", by George Gershwin, can be heard in the background.
  • In the very beginning, the song "Happy Days Are Here Again" is played in the background.
  • This is the second episode in series 3 to feature a fake gun, a recurring motif that appears at several points in series 3, foreshadowing the gun in Last of the Time Lords.
  • Although various Dalek Emperors, Dalek Supremes, and the Dalek creator Davros have appeared over the years, the Daleks of the Cult of Skaro (Sec, Caan, Jast and Thay) were the first individual recurring Daleks.
  • The cliffhanger of this episode, the appearance of a humanoid Dalek was spoiled when the production team chose to feature an image of it on the cover of that week's Radio Times.
  • Other than the name "The Cult of Skaro", this is the first time that reference to the planet Skaro had been mentioned on screen in the new series (the last mention on screen was in the 1996 TV movie).
  • This is the first episode of Doctor Who to use the city of Manhattan in its title, which denotes its setting. The next episode to do the same would be The Angels Take Manhattan.
  • This is the first time in the New Series that the Daleks do not elevate or shout "Exterminate."
  • Russell T Davies has suggested that the Daleks' arrival on the Empire State Building in The Chase planted the idea for their eventual influence over its construction.
  • Steven Moffat was initially assigned to the two-parter but pulled out from the episodes, as he was busy with Jekyll. Instead, he offered to write the Doctor-lite episode to make up for the inconvenience to the production team, the result being Blink.
  • Helen Raynor is the first woman to write a televised Dalek story, and the first woman to write a story for the revived series.
  • Some filming for this story was done in New York City for plates of the city, including images of Central Park, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty. However, on the online episode commentary for Gridlock, David Tennant, when asked if he filmed in New York, replied, "I didn't, everybody else did!" All of the scenes with Martha and the Doctor in front of the Statue of Liberty were actually filmed in Wales. The production team found a wall that matched the base of the statue.
  • This episode includes the first location filming outside of the United Kingdom since Doctor Who's return in 2005.
  • Originally, much of the action around the speakeasies which proliferated during Prohibition, including having Laszlo involved with the mob. However, Russell T. Davies wanted to avoid the jazz music which would be predominant in such an environment, and so Helen Raynor came up with the Broadway and Hooverville settings instead.
  • Russell T. Davies chose Helen Raynor to write this two-parter based on the strength of the Torchwood episode Ghost Machine, which she wrote.
  • This is the first time since the Daleks' debut story that one of them has actually considered leaving their shell.
  • An opening TARDIS scene, in which Martha convinces the Doctor to take her on one last trip through time was cut. This matched up with the opening moments of the next story to be broadcast, The Lazarus Experiment, in which the Doctor finally brings Martha home.
  • Mr Diagoras was named for the fifth century BC Greek poet, Diagoras the Atheist.
  • Towards the beginning of the episode, the character Solomon breaks a piece of bread in half for the two men fighting over it. This is analogous to the biblical story of Solomon threatening to cut a baby in half for two women both claiming it.
  • Solomon called $1.00 a day slave wages. For perspective, the fortunate few who worked building the Empire State Building earned $2.00 an hour for tradesmen like masons and steel workers and $1.00 an hour for unskilled laborers.
  • It was discovered at the last minute that no hands had been ordered for Eric Loren's costume as the hybrid Sec, and so the actor was given a pair of black gloves to wear for the scenes in which Diagoras is absorbed by Sec. Subsequently, however, it was realised that the panic was all for naught: the hands had been fabricated after all.
  • Helen Raynor had originally envisioned the TARDIS materialising on the roof of a Broadway theatre, but amended this to the base of the Statue of Liberty.
  • The story came about when Russell T Davies noted that the previous two seasons had Daleks appearing the future, the far-future and the present day and thus wanted to put them in the past, as stories like The Evil of the Daleks had done.
  • Russell T Davies wanted to focus on the fact that the Daleks were genetically engineered, which he imagined would make them skilled in the discipline.
  • The pig men were originally the results of experimentation on kidnapped sailors; Russell T Davies hoped that the Cardiff Docks could be made to look like their Gotham equivalents. The docks were dropped from the story because their distance from the Broadway theatre district made the plot's logistics unnecessarily complicated.
  • Helen Raynor was able to draw upon her own experiences for the theatre storyline, having been a theatre director for almost ten years before joining the BBC.
  • Helen Raynor's duties as script editor were reduced so she could write her script.
  • Originally, a starting point for the Doctor's investigation was the theft of pigs from ships' cargo, and reports of lights moving under the water which would turn out to be the Daleks.
  • At one point, a major set piece saw Tallulah discover a cage full of the remnants of the Daleks' failed genetic experiments, but this was deemed too expensive to realise.
  • There was originally a damaged Dalek who had been modified to be steam-powered, since it took the focus away from the genetic manipulations at the heart of the tale.
  • No new Dalek casings would be required, since the story involved the same four members of the Cult of Skaro previously introduced in Doomsday.
  • One of James Strong's goals was to achieve a convincing realisation of 1930 New York City. When he learned that Doctor Who Confidential was planning to fly Helen Raynor to the Big Apple for an on-location interview segment, he suggested to Phil Collinson that a skeleton film crew could join them to record footage for the Dalek story itself.
  • To add to the setting's believability, James Strong sought actors who spoke with a natural American accent.
  • Filming in Bute Park was hampered by cold and wet weather, leaving David Tennant struggling with his voice.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • 6.69 million viewers - BARB final ratings[2]
  • 6.3 million viewers - Overnight ratings
  • 1.13 million viewers - BBC3 Repeat ratings

Myths[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Several rumours about an art deco Dalek appearing in this episode or the next part were proposed when names were revealed of series three episodes. No such Dalek appeared.
  • Another rumour was that Mr Diagoras when in completely human form, was Dalek Sec. This was due to pictures of him standing next to three other Dalek-aware humans, who resembled the Cult of Skaro.

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

  • Some location filming in New York.
  • Bute Park, Cardiff.

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.
  • There is a point where a Dalek is looking at Mr Diagoras and his eyestalk is moving up and down, but when it cuts to the view from the Dalek, it is still.
  • Throughout the episode, Thay, Jast and Caan's recognition codes switch.
  • As Diagoras walks into the lab, he removes his gloves. When the shot changes, he removes his right glove a second time.
  • When Diagoras is seen being merged he has gloves on but when he becomes a hybrid the gloves are gone.
  • In the shot where the three Daleks back away from the newly emerged Human Dalek, the eyestalk of Dalek Sec is moving - even though the casing is now empty.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

  • The Complete David Tennant Years DVD Region 1 US cover

    The Complete David Tennant Years DVD
    Region 1 US cover

  • The Complete Series Three DVD box-set

    The Complete Series Three DVD box-set

  • Series 3 Volume 2 DVD Cover

    Series 3 Volume 2 DVD Cover

  • The Dalek Collection DVD box-set

    The Dalek Collection DVD box-set

  • Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Four DVD box-set

    Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Four DVD box-set

  • Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Seven DVD box-set

    Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Seven DVD box-set

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

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/role.php?code=6090&detail=listing&pg=dwm
  2. ↑ Doctor Who - consolidated ratings
v • e
Doctor Who television stories
 
Seasons 1-4: William Hartnell
Season 1: 1963-1964
Season 2: 1964-1965
Season 3: 1965-1966
Season 4: 1966
 
Seasons 4-6: Patrick Troughton
Season 4: 1966-1967
Season 5: 1967-1968
Season 6: 1968-1969
 
Seasons 7-11: Jon Pertwee
Season 7: 1970
Season 8: 1971
Season 9: 1972
Season 10: 1972-1973
Season 11: 1973-1974
 
Seasons 12-18: Tom Baker
Season 12: 1974-1975
Season 13: 1975-1976
Season 14: 1976-1977
Season 15: 1977-1978
Season 16: 1978-1979
Season 17: 1979-1980
Season 18: 1980-1981
 
Seasons 19-21: Peter Davison
Season 19: 1982
Season 20: 1983
Children in Need 1983
Season 21: 1984
 
Seasons 21-23: Colin Baker
Season 21: 1984
Season 22: 1985
Season 23: 1986
 
Seasons 24-26: Sylvester McCoy
Season 24: 1987
Season 25: 1988-1989
Season 26: 1989
 
TV Movie & 2013 specials: Paul McGann
TV Movie: 1996
Specials: 2013
Minisodes
 
Series 1: Christopher Eccleston
Series 1: 2005
Regular episodes
 
Series 2-4: David Tennant
Series 2: 2005-2006
Minisode
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Series 3: 2006-2007
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Animated special
Series 4: 2007-2010
Minisode
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Minisodes
Animated special
Seasonal specials
 
Series 5-2013 specials: Matt Smith
Series 5: 2010
Regular episodes
Series 6: 2010-2011
Christmas Special
Minisodes
Regular episodes
(Part 1: Apr 2011)
Regular episodes
(Part 2: Aug 2011)
Minisode
Series 7: 2011-2013
Christmas Special
Minisodes
Regular episodes
(Part 1: 2012)
Minisode
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
(Part 2: 2013)
Specials: 2013
 
Series 8-10: Peter Capaldi
Series 8: 2014
Regular episodes
Series 9: 2014-2015
Christmas Special
Minisode
Regular episodes
Christmas Special
Series 10: 2016-2017
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Christmas Special
 
Series 11-13: Jodie Whittaker
Series 11: 2018-2019
Regular episodes
New Year Special
Series 12: 2020-2021
Regular episodes
New Year Special
Series 13: 2021
Minisodes
Regular episodes
Seasonal specials
 
60th Anniversary Specials: David Tennant
Specials: 2023
Minisodes
60th Anniversary Specials
 
Season 1 (2023)-present: Ncuti Gatwa
Season 1: 2023-2024
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
v • e
Dalek television stories
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.
First Doctor era
Dr. Who films
Second Doctor era
Third Doctor era
Fourth Doctor era
Fifth Doctor era
Sixth Doctor era
Seventh Doctor era
The "Wilderness Years"
Ninth Doctor era
Tenth Doctor era
Eleventh Doctor era
Twelfth Doctor era
Thirteenth Doctor era
Fourteenth Doctor era
Fifteenth Doctor era
Because of the ubiquity of this race, no attempt will be made here to list every appearance in every medium. Instead, we focus on televised appearances here, and invite you to explore a complete list of appearances elsewhere.
Retrieved from "https://tardis.wiki/w/index.php?title=Daleks_in_Manhattan_(TV_story)&oldid=3889115"