Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)

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Remembrance of the Daleks was the first serial of season 25 of Doctor Who. The story's setting brought the Doctor back to 76 Totter's Lane in the year 1963, where the series began in An Unearthly Child.

It was notable for a marked change in character for the Seventh Doctor, who had previously maintained a jolly and comedic demeanour. Here, a Machiavellian side to his personality was brought to light, beneath the lighthearted exterior, and he began to reveal a manipulative nature that persisted into the rest of his era.

Clues were also given that the Doctor had a secret past on Gallifrey, the first glimpse of the so-called Cartmel Masterplan.

Like The Talons of Weng-Chiang, some members of its guest cast were deemed interesting enough to justify the creation of a Big Finish audio series. In 2012, Counter-Measures continued the adventures of the serial's Group Captain Gilmore, Professor Jensen and Allison Williams.

Remembrance was the final televised appearance of the Daleks and Davros until the BBC Wales revival, although both would frequently recur in other media. It continued a narrative of chronological confrontations between the Doctor and Davros that had begun in Genesis of the Daleks, and included Destiny, Resurrection, and Revelation of the Daleks. It also concluded the Dalek Civil War story arc, which had previously spanned throughout Resurrection and Revelation.

At the time of broadcast, it unambiguously showed the onscreen destruction of the Dalek homeworld, Skaro. This act was largely forgotten by future Doctor Who writers; it was shown in the Doctor Who TV movie and in the BBC Wales episodes Asylum of the Daleks, The Magician's Apprentice, and The Witch's Familiar, along with the adventure game City of the Daleks, which was executive produced by Doctor Who series 5 and 6 executive producers Steven Moffat, Piers Wenger, and Beth Willis, and written by Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures television writer Phil Ford. Writer John Peel proposed a story called War of the Daleks, where Skaro would later be saved from destruction during the planned 27th season of the series. An explanation for Skaro's continued existence is given in The Witch's Familiar, as Davros explains that the planet has been reconstructed.

Peel later adapted the unmade episode into an Eighth Doctor Adventures novel which showed that the planet destroyed at the end of Remembrance was Antalin, a decoy passed off as the real Skaro. Daleks in Manhattan, which was produced after the TV movie and before City, suggested a "great war" destroyed Skaro, apparently referring to the BBC Wales series' Last Great Time War which wiped out much of the Dalek race.

Synopsis

London, 1963: The Doctor returns to the place where it all began — alongside his latest companion, Ace, with unfinished business.

The Doctor and Ace arrive at Coal Hill School where Ace's ghetto blaster seem to attract attention from a young girl.

Not for the first time, unusual events are unfolding at Coal Hill School. At 76 Totter's Lane, the Doctor discovers that his oldest foes — the Daleks — are on the trail of stolen Time Lord technology that he left on Earth long ago. The Daleks are planning to perfect their own time-travel capability, in order to unleash themselves across the whole of time and space.

The Doctor, with the help of the local military, must stop his oldest enemies from stealing Gallifreyan secrets, but the lines between allies and enemies are tested to the limit, and the Doctor and Ace must trust no-one in order to survive.

As two opposing Dalek factions meet in an explosive confrontation, the fate of the whole cosmos hangs in the balance...

Plot

Part 1

The Seventh Doctor and his companion, Ace have landed the TARDIS in London, 1963, where they are noticed by a young girl at Coal Hill School, presumably due to Ace's ghetto blaster. Outside the school, there is a black van with no mark which the Doctor decides to examine, but Ace is more interested in going to a cafe. Investigating the school playground, the Doctor finds some strange scorch marks on the asphalt, unaware of the girl watching him. The Doctor returns to the van and enters, much to the surprise of the van's occupant, Professor Rachel Jensen. Before she can know who the Doctor is, she gets a call from her superior.

In the cafe, Ace meets a young man named Mike Smith who helps her when she finds out that the money that the Doctor gave her is pre-decimal. On the way back to Rachel Jensen's van, Ace finds out that Mike is actually a Sergeant and that the Group Captain has encountered some trouble at Totter's Lane.

At Totter's Lane, Group Captain Gilmore and his men have had one of their soldiers, Matthews, killed by an unknown force. The Doctor inspects the body, and determines he was killed by some kind of energy weapon. As two soldiers begin to take Matthews' body away, the unseen force that killed him also shoots and kills another soldier. Certain that they are dealing with a Dalek, the Doctor tries to tell Gilmore to retreat, but Gilmore refuses. Mike and Ace appear to help with the situation. When Mike attempts to radio for more help, the unseen force fires at Mike, just narrowly missing him. Gilmore then orders three rocket propelled grenades to be fired where the unseen force is hiding. Even though Gilmore tries to assure the Doctor by saying nothing remotely human could survive that explosion, the Doctor states that is the point; that thing in there isn’t even remotely human.

The unseen force then finally reveals itself; it is indeed a Dalek; a Renegade Dalek. As the soldiers fire at the Dalek, the Doctor borrows some of Ace’s Nitro-9 and distracts the Dalek. The Doctor lures the Dalek into the path of the lit Nitro-9, which explodes and destroys the Dalek. The army then order the destroyed Dalek casing to be covered in tarp and transported.

The Doctor and Ace borrow the black van to drive back to the school. Along the way, the Doctor explains that he has unfinished business: the Hand of Omega, an all-powerful, ancient relic of the Time Lord civilisation that the Doctor hid on Earth during a visit to 1963 in his first incarnation.

Unfortunately, the Daleks have also heard about the Hand of Omega, and are trying to find it before the Doctor does. To complicate matters, there are two rival factions of Daleks at work — the Daleks are currently in the midst of a civil war between those who accept and those who reject the leadership of their creator, Davros. Each side wants the Hand for itself.

The Doctor and Ace investigate Coal Hill School, where the Imperial Daleks have set up an outpost. The Renegade Faction, however, have their base in a warehouse where a Battle computer is and where Mr Ratcliffe and his group of fascists called 'The Association' work for the Renegade faction. The Doctor and Ace investigate inside Coal Hill, and locate the transmat, which is used to teleport Imperial Daleks into the school. After changing the transmat’s controls to prevent an Imperial Dalek from transmitting into the school, Ace states something this important must be guarded. As the Doctor realises this, an Imperial Dalek appears and orders the Doctor and Ace to halt. They run upstairs, but the Imperial-Dalek-controlled Headmaster of Coal Hill School knocks Ace out, and traps the Doctor in the basement with the Dalek. As the Doctor screams to be let out, the Dalek flies up the stairs, recognises the Doctor as an enemy of the Daleks and prepares to exterminate him.

A Dalek ascends the stairs to attack the Doctor.

Part 2

The Doctor manages to escape thanks to Ace waking up in time. They escape the school, as the Imperial Dalek arrives and demands to the Headmaster that the transmat must be fixed. The Doctor and Ace find the army, and after informing them that the Imperial Daleks have set up base in the school, Mike leaves after receiving a phone call.

The Doctor and Ace head back to the school, and are promptly fired upon by the Imperial Dalek. Ace quickly destroys the Dalek with an RPG she found at the army’s truck. The army then close in and take the school.

Whilst the Imperial Daleks are watching from their Mothership, the Renegade Daleks dispatch Ratcliffe and his men to retrieve the Hand Of Omega. Ratcliffe receives information from their informant about the school. This informant is revealed to be Mike.

Mike is found and interrogated by the Imperial-Dalek-controlled Headmaster of Coal Hill School in the graveyard. But Mike is not without his reflexes, and subdues the Headmaster — forcing the Imperial Daleks to terminate their agent.

The Doctor finds the Hand of Omega and has it follow him to a cemetery where he buries it with the help of a blind priest. The Doctor later gifts Ace a baseball bat imbued with the Hand of Omega’s power; but tells her to remain at the boarding house owned by Mike’s mother. Rachel, Captain Gilmore and the army make a plan to fight the Daleks. The Doctor makes a sonic device that can scramble the Daleks.

Ace gets bored of being cooped up in the boarding house and heads out to the school on her own so she can retrieve her ghetto blaster. Mike phones his mother to discover Ace is no longer there. The Doctor and company immediately go to try and find her. Ace arrives at the school, and is promptly chased by an Imperial Dalek, before Ace is able to blind it by destroying its eyestalk with the baseball bat. Ace attempts to escape but is promptly cornered by three more Daleks who all circle her and prepare to exterminate her.

Part 3

The Doctor shows up in the nick of time with the sonic device that disorientates and scrambles the Daleks, allowing the military to destroy them with plastic explosives. After destroying the Imperial Daleks' transmat to prevent more Daleks from beaming to Earth, the Doctor and the others regroup in the café.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ratcliffe finds the Hand of Omega in the cemetery. Although he and his men haul it out of the cemetery, the Imperial Daleks aboard the Mother-ship detect this. A Dalek calls the Emperor Dalek to assess the situation. Upon the Hand of Omega arriving at the junkyard, Ratcliffe is betrayed by the Renegade Daleks, and his men are gunned down by the Renegade Supreme Dalek. Ratcliffe himself is held hostage.

Ace travels with the Doctor to locate the location of the Renegade Daleks’ HQ. They find it, and the Doctor shows Ace the Battle Computer. He tells her that if the Daleks are over-reliant on rationality and logic, the solution would be to get a young, imaginative child to enslave to the battle computer. The Doctor tinkers with the Time Controller to 'manipulate the enemy'.

His plan works, but with consequences; the Renegade Daleks return to the base to find the Time Controller has been disabled. The Doctor and Ace flee, pursued by Renegade Daleks. Several soldiers attempt to hold off the Daleks, but are promptly exterminated. After making their way back into the school, Mike wonders aloud why the Daleks want the Hand of Omega, however he realises that he is not meant to know that. When asked how he knows this, he says Ace told him. Realising that Mike is an informant for the Renegade Daleks, she outs him as the informant, and has to be held back from attacking him. Mike attempts to reason with Gilmore, saying he was unaware that it was the Daleks he was giving information to, but Gilmore arrests Mike for treason.

The Renegade Daleks are informed of the Imperial Daleks' shuttle approaching the area and return to protect the Hand of Omega. The Doctor states that the Daleks will not land their shuttle in the playground, as it is too far from the action, only to be cut off by the shuttle landing on the playground.

Part 4

The shuttle lands on the playground, and several Imperial Daleks pour out. The Supreme Dalek, via the Battle Computer, orders the Renegade Daleks to withdraw and defend the Hand of Omega from the enemy. After Imperial Daleks are sent out to retrieve the Hand of Omega, the Doctor, Ace and the soldiers plan to invade the Imperial Dalek Shuttle. Mike Smith tries to justify himself to Ace that he just wanted to do Mr. Ratcliffe a favour in keeping the outsiders out, but Ace refuses to listen, as she is hurt by her betrayal. Upon finding out that the Imperials have control of the planet Skaro, the Doctor disables the massive ground defence and gets out of the Assault Shuttle with the team.

Several Imperial Daleks scout the streets and are promptly fired on by Renegade Daleks. The Imperial Daleks promptly retreat after one is destroyed. The Emperor Dalek orders the deployment of the Special Weapons Dalek. Guided by several Imperial Daleks, the Special Weapons Dalek destroys two Renegade Daleks with a single powerful blast.

Smith escapes to the Renegade base, finding Ratcliffe a prisoner. The repaired time controller powers up, enabling the Renegades' escape. The Supreme Dalek orders the extermination of Mike and Ratcliffe, but the base is attacked by the Imperials, who overwhelm their few remaining opponents with the help of the Special Weapons Dalek. Ratcliffe and Mike flee with the Time Controller, and the Supreme Dalek orders the controlled girl to recover it. Using her Dalek-augmented abilities, she kills Ratcliffe and pursues Smith. The victorious Imperials return to the shuttle with the Hand of Omega. Meanwhile, the Doctor tells Ace to follow Smith.

The Imperial Emperor is informed of the recovery of the Hand of Omega. Soon after, the Doctor contacts him and demands the surrender of the Hand. The Emperor reveals himself as Davros. He declares his scheme to use the Hand on Skaro's sun, granting the Imperial Daleks the power to overthrow the Time Lords. The Doctor insults Davros and his Daleks, angering Davros to the point that he activates the Hand of Omega. The Doctor begs for Davros to not use the Hand of Omega, only for Davros to gloat at the Doctor’s emotions. He fires the Hand of Omega.

Skaro is destroyed.

It turns out that the Doctor booby-trapped the Hand: It creates a supernova, obliterating the Daleks' homeworld Skaro. The Hand smashes back into the Imperial Mothership, but not before Davros begs for pity. Before the mothership is destroyed, Davros escapes in an escape pod. The Doctor declares that the Hand is travelling back to Gallifrey.

Ace is captured by Smith, who is still holding the Time Controller. The girl tracks him down and kills him before turning her attention to Ace. The Doctor seeks out the Supreme Dalek, telling it that it is the last Dalek on Earth. Convinced of its absolute defeat, it kills itself, breaking the link with the controlled girl who screams as this happens. The girl then breaks down in tears and Ace comforts her.

Smith has been denied a military funeral, and only six mourners attend the service: Mrs. Smith, Gilmore, Rachel, Allison, and Mike's uncle and aunt. Ace wonders if what the Doctor did was good. "Time will tell," the Doctor replies. '"It always does."

Cast

Uncredited cast

Crew

References

Individuals

Ace

Daleks

  • The Imperial Daleks have access to teleportation technology.
  • The Doctor states that the Imperial Daleks could obliterate Earth, but would act with caution and not just blatantly damage the timeline.
  • Both Dalek factions have time corridor technology.

Foods and beverages

  • Much tea is consumed, both in the cafe by the Doctor and Ace and by the military.
  • Ace orders "four bacon sandwiches and a cup of coffee" whilst in the cafe.

Time Lords

  • The Doctor states he has nine hundred years' experience with alien technology and also describes himself as "the Doctor, President-elect of the High Council of Time Lords. Keeper of the legacy of Rassilon, Defender of the Laws of Time, Protector of Gallifrey."
  • The Doctor tells Ace the story of Omega, and how he and Rassilon founded Time Lord society. He momentarily slips when talking about the prototype of the Hand of Omega, implying his presence at its creation.

Weapons

  • The Doctor uses the Hand of Omega to charge Ace's baseball bat with energy.
  • Ace uses an anti-tank rocket (ATR) to destroy an Imperial Dalek.

Planets

Literature

Story notes

  • Terry Molloy was credited by the pseudonym of "Roy Tromelly" for part three to preserve the surprise of Davros' return in part four. To further avoid spoiling the surprise, Molloy was left uncredited in Radio Times for the final episode.
  • This story had a working title of Nemesis of the Doctor.
  • Roy Skelton is credited as "Voices" for parts one to three, and as "Dalek Voices" for part four.
  • Royce Mills and Brian Miller are credited as "Voices" for parts two and three, and as "Dalek Voices" for part four.
  • The Radio Times programme listing for part one was accompanied by a black-and-white publicity shot of the Doctor and Ace in an open alley doorway with the accompanying caption: "Behind the times? The ever-fashionable Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and Ace (Sophie Aldred) take a leap back to the swinging 60s to meet an old enemy... / BBC1, 7.35 p.m. Doctor Who". For part three, the programme listing was accompanied by a black-and-white photograph of Ratcliffe standing with his hands raised before a foreground Renegade Dalek with the accompanying caption reading: "Exterminate... Exterminate... Will Ratcliffe (George Sewell) die at the nozzle of a Dalek? / BBC1, 7.35 p.m. Doctor Who".
  • This is the first instance of a Dalek levitating up a staircase on screen. However, Davros appears to have the power of flight in Revelation of the Daleks, achieved with the same special effect. In The Chase, a Dalek is seen to elevate from sand and it is implied they can move between the decks of the Marie Celeste.
  • This was the first story to be broadcast with NICAM stereo sound, and thus the first to be mixed for more than one audio channel.
  • This is the first instance of a "skeleton effect" caused by Dalek weapons. This effect would be used in every subsequent Dalek story to date.
  • The teaser sequence includes clips from famous speeches including those of John F. Kennedy, Charles de Gaulle, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Martin Luther King. It had been originally been hoped to use a clip from a speech by Queen Elizabeth II when opening the Commonwealth Telephone Cable Link on 2 December 1963, but when the production team contacted Buckingham Palace for permission to include the material, this was denied; allegedly, the Queen did not wish to be quoted on a fictional television programme. However, the Palace did give permission — albeit reluctantly — for the Duke of Edinburgh to be included in the sequence.
  • This is the first televised story to show the full interior of a Dalek. An Imperial Dalek drone's inner workings are visible while attempting to materialise in the basement of Coal Hill School.
  • This marks possibly the first time that Doctor Who has referred to itself as a series within the context of the show. Interestingly, Bernard Quatermass and the British Rocket Group are both mentioned by a worried Rachel and Allison. However, it's unclear in the context of the show whether it's a pop culture or intertextual reference.
  • The original script called for the Doctor to destroy the Imperial Dalek that ambushes him and Ace in the school with the anti-tank rocket and to attack the Supreme Dalek with a "Finger of Omega". These instances were altered after Sylvester McCoy cited the Doctor's dislike of weapons.
  • This was the third time that the Daleks appeared in a season opener. Day of the Daleks opened Season 9 and Destiny of the Daleks opened season 17.
  • This story marks the final appearance in the televised series of Michael Sheard and Peter Halliday, both of whom had appeared in numerous Doctor Who stories over the years.
  • In the original script, the Special Weapons Dalek was developed by the Renegade Daleks to counteract their Imperial counterpart's flying battle platform. Originally, the Special Weapons Dalek lacked the increased firepower but instead had the ability to fire around corners. Both concepts were dramatically altered with the mobile platform removed due to cost.
  • Russell T Davies has stated in the Doctor Who Annual 2006 that the destruction of Skaro in this story is one of the first acts of the Time War, alongside the abortive efforts of Genesis of the Daleks, the planned assassination of the High Council in Resurrection of the Daleks and the invasion of Gallifrey in The Apocalypse Element.
  • The usual coasters underneath the Dalek props' skirting were replaced by large balls of the type used on garden barrows. This allowed them to move over coarse surfaces outside studio sets.
  • In part two, the Imperial Daleks telepathically order the Headmaster to apprehend and interrogate Mike for the location of the Renegade Dalek base. Prior to transmission, a Dalek voice was heard directing the Headmaster. In the broadcast version, all Dalek lines in the scene were omitted to keep with the continuity of the Headmaster's previous encounter with the Doctor and Ace. Originally, when Mike overpowered the Headmaster, the Dalek voice indicated their agent would be terminated as a security risk — which explains the Headmaster's soft, frightened "No" before he collapses and dies.
    • The Daleks telepathically talking to Parsons didn't appear in the initial DVD release, although they did appear in the serial when it was released on DVD Files. However, they didn't show up on the subtitles.
  • This story was aired on BBC America along with The Doctors Revisited - The Seventh Doctor. It was also edited into an omnibus format, with the cuts to the credits between cliffhangers removed.
    • With regard to the omnibus editing, the videotape recordings were produced in a way that made the editing out of the credits jarring. A few notes of the Keff McCulloch theme remain audible between the cuts to black. Another complication was presented within the first episode, displaying the words "PART ONE" superimposed over filmed material crucial to the episode. Although it is possible to digitally edit out the words, the process is notoriously time-intensive and delicate, requiring editors to edit each separate frame of film that contains the lettering. For simplicity's sake, it was ignored and left intact upon rebroadcast.
    • For an as yet unknown reason, unlike the other stories that accompanied the Revisited specials, it was not shown when the special aired in the United Kingdom later in the year on 2 November on the Watch channel. Instead, Battlefield was shown in its place.
  • Ace's act of damaging the Imperial Dalek with a baseball bat would stay with Sophie Aldred as one of her most favourite scenes to film in the series, both personally and among the public.
  • When the Doctor gives Ace her baseball bat, script pages are visible sticking out of the left pocket on his jacket. According to Sylvester McCoy on the audio commentary, he always carried "Scenes To Do" in the left-hand pocket and "Scenes Done" in the right.
  • In the rehearsal script, a near-retired Gilmore referred to his group as the Special Incursions Counter-Measures Unit and that the Army wished to take over. He said they had "some bright boy, Captain Tunbridge-Steward or something, [who had] worked for the SOE during the war," lined up for the role of commander. If included in the final episode, this would have contradicted a large number of older UNIT and Brigadier stories. (DWM 464)
  • The Doctor is seen reading the book Doctor in the House. This was a running gag developed by Sylvester McCoy. Each time the Doctor pulls out a book to read, it has the word "Doctor" somewhere in the title. (Source: DVD audio commentary)
  • Michael Sheard was chosen to play the headmaster as he would be familiar to children. Sheard had to be released from his work on Grange Hill to participate; Peter Tilbury was briefly considered for the role if Sheard could not make it.
  • Andrew Cartmel was particularly proud of the scene where Ace finds a NO COLOUREDS sign. When it was screened to the BBC Head of Drama, he rewound the tape because the Head of Drama had missed the sequence due to a phone call. The Head of Drama felt that Ace should have torn the sign down, and Cartmel agreed it was a missed opportunity. Andrew Morgan wanted to cut the scene, but Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred argued that it was the essence of the story, as it was about racism.
  • Sylvester McCoy ad-libbed the Doctor nicknaming Gilmore "Chunky" — this was Simon Williams' nickname for his prop revolver.
  • Ratcliffe was originally called Gummer. However, there was a cabinet minister in Margaret Thatcher's government with the same name, so it was changed. It was also considered too similar to Gilmore.
  • Sylvester McCoy wanted to perform the stunt where the Doctor slides down a wire with his umbrella, but he wasn't allowed to.
  • Sylvester McCoy's favourite scenes is the one in the cafe where the Doctor weighs on the decisions he must make and Ace finding the NO COLOUREDS sign.
  • Sophie Aldred did many of her own stunts, bonding with the new stunt coordinator, Tip Tipping. She found the experience "terrifying" at first. She was also trained in firing guns for the scene where she shoots a Dalek.
  • Tom Adams, Nicholas Ball, Tom Chadbon, Michael Cochrane, Lewis Collins, Del Henney, Ian Ogilvy, Tim Pigott-Smith, Neil Stacy, Simon Ward and James Warwick were considered for the role of Captain Gilmore.
  • Joss Ackland, George Baker, Keith Barron, Steven Berkoff, John Carson, Kenneth Colley, Kenneth Cope, Peter Gilmore, Del Henney, Bernard Hill, Glyn Houston, Stratford Johns, Ronald Lacey, T. P. McKenna, David Warner and Frank Windsor were considered for the role of Ratcliffe.
  • Sophie Aldred and Karen Gledhil were awed to work with Simon Williams, having been fans of Upstairs, Downstairs.
  • John Leeson was asked to make his voice sound like Davros', to trick viewers into thinking the computer was Davros, and watched past episodes for reference.
  • Mark McGann was originally considered for Mike Smith. His brother Paul would later play the Eighth Doctor.
  • Filming at the Kew Bridge Steam Museum in Brentford was occasionally interrupted by a radio traffic news helicopter circling overhead.
  • The cemetery filming was attended by some fans who came to watch.
  • The three Renegade Daleks were reused props from the 1960s.
  • For the levitating Dalek, a scaffolding was built over the stairs, and the Dalek prop was placed in a tray that was hoisted up by a rail-mounted trolley.
  • The Imperial Daleks were built with bigger wheels that would roll easier on location.
  • Ben Aaronovitch expected the Dalek ship to be cheap-looking and achieved with colour-separation overlay, and was surprised when a model ship was constructed and "landed" with the help of a crane.
  • For the final battle sequence between the Renegade and Imperial Daleks, the BBC Effects Department's pyrotechnics were so loud and the explosions so realistic that the London Fire Brigade was dispatched to the scene by local residents who feared that an IRA bomb had gone off. Sylvester McCoy recalled that after the first explosions, a number of car alarms in the neighbourhood went off, and the emergency services drivers were surprised when they arrived to see Daleks coming at them from out of the smoke.
  • The junkyard gate was part of ITV's storage facility, and the pyrotechnics not only destroyed it for the effect of the Special Weapons Dalek blowing it up, but also smashed windows in the nearby building.
  • A thermal imaging camera was used for Dalek perspective shots.
  • In one of the classrooms, Ace picks up a book on the French Revolution just as Susan had in An Unearthly Child. Sophie Aldred studied the scene to try to mimic Carole Ann Ford's stature.
  • The inability of Daleks to climb stairs was an urban myth and a joke, with the Doctor even joking about it in Destiny of the Daleks. Remembrance was intended to put it to rest, though Andrew Cartmel noted that the joke was still prevalent.
  • Ben Aaronovitch felt that destroying Skaro at the end seemed like a logical conclusion, but he noted that it might not be the best decision in the long run.
  • Ben Aaronovitch considered making use of other elements of Dalek continuity — including the Thals and the Ogrons — but eventually rejected these for fear of over-complicating the story.
  • In the original script, the two Dalek factions were the "Red Daleks" led by the Emperor Dalek and the "Blue Daleks" led by the Black Dalek (also called the Dalek Supreme).
  • Ben Aaronovitch had overwritten his scripts for this serial and thus, several subplots were eliminated. These included a threatened nuclear strike on London, a dangerous trip from Totter's Lane to Coal Hill School for the Doctor and Ace, and Harry's extermination by the Daleks.
  • Rachel's surname was originally Israel instead of Jensen.
  • Andrew Cartmel watched previous Dalek stories for research and felt that only Destiny of the Daleks made the creatures look menacing. He decided to use similar shots and shared his ideas with Andrew Morgan - shoot low and lots of ceilings. He also told Ben Aaronovitch that there must be no capturing and no corridors.
  • According to Andrew Cartmel, the superstitious Andrew Morgan was alarmed to learn that the street location for Coal Hill School was called Macbeth Street.
  • Observing that Terry Nation had always intended the Daleks to be a metaphor for the Nazis, Ben Aaronovitch drew upon the burgeoning racist and fascist sentiment in early-Sixties England; he was keen that his story not present an overly romanticised depiction of the period.
  • While filming the scene where Ace attacks the Dalek, Sophie Aldred, sensitive to cigarette smoke, asked John Nathan-Turner if he would stop smoking for the next take. He obliviously lit up another one and blanked her. While looking at her on the monitor, he said, "Find the camera, you dizzy cow". He also objected to her adding badges to her jacket, as it caused continuity problems.

Ratings

  • Part one - 5.5 million viewers
  • Part two - 5.8 million viewers
  • Part three - 5.1 million viewers
  • Part four - 5.0 million viewers

Myths

  • (Formerly appearing in many places on this very page.) There is nothing to indicate that the episode takes place in November 1963. (At one point, a calendar indicating this very thing is clearly seen. However, it's true that the weather and the timing of nightfall in part three don't jibe with this. However, in the Special Edition DVD featurette on the making of the story, writer Ben Aaronovitch acknowledges that it was intended to be November, but that the timing of daylight was wrong for that time of year.)
  • The Doctor tells Davros that he is "far more than a Time Lord". (This occurs but in a deleted scene. However, this line may have been included in either the PBS or YTV Canada broadcast of the story, as some fans recall seeing this scene long before it was ever released to DVD. However, this may also have been due to the scene's appearance in the 1993 documentary More than 30 Years in the TARDIS.)
  • Andrew Morgan wanted to improve upon his last effort, Time and the Rani. Feeling that the script was worth it, extra money was put into the production. However, production on the serial went over-budget by £13,000, and as a result Morgan was barred from directing for the programme again. (Despite the claims, research by Richard Bignell has shown lack of evidence or documentation for any such action being taken or policy existing for barring over-budget directors. Additionally, previous overspending directors on the show had later returned to direct further stories, and Philip Hinchcliffe has indicated that he was unaware of any such policy existing.)

Filming locations

  • Theed Street, Southwark, London (Final confrontation with the Supreme Dalek)
  • Wootton Street, Southwark, London (Imperial and Renegade Dalek battle)
  • Braybrook Street, East Acton, London (Some of the conversation between the Doctor and Ace driving)
  • Wulfstan Street, East Acton, London (Some of the conversation between the Doctor and Ace driving)
  • TAVC, Horn Lane, Acton, London
  • Macbeth Centre, Macbeth Street, Hammersmith, London (Landing site of Imperial Dalek shuttlecraft)
  • Windmill Walk, Southwark, London (Ace and the Doctor running away from Ratcliffe's yard)
  • Kew Bridge Steam Museum, Brentford, Middlesex (Foreman's Yard)
  • Old Oak Common Lane, East Acton, London
  • Willesden Lane Cemetery, Willesden, London
  • John Nodes Funeral Service, 181 Ladbroke Grove, London
  • Macbeth Street, Hammersmith, London
  • BBC Television Centre (TC8), Shepherd's Bush, London

Production errors

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.
  • The gates to the junkyard bear the label "I.M FORMAN", as a nod to the junkyard seen in TV: An Unearthly Child. However, the junkyard gate is labelled "I.M Foreman" here. Though this was later retconned by a couple of books, it was nevertheless a genuine production error, as admitted on the DVD release's production notes extra feature. According to the production notes on the DVD release, the sign had already been corrected once on the day of shooting, as it was originally painted as L.M. rather than I.M., but no one evidently noticed the surname error. (For details of the retcon, see the discontinuity discussion.)
  • At the end of part one, the Imperial Dalek is shown to have a wire on its left side in the front shot.
  • Although set in 1963, then contemporary houses and a red London bus are visible in the background during the struggle between Mike and the Headmaster at the cemetery.
  • In part two, during the scene in the undertaker's, Ace's baseball bat appears to suddenly switch from the Doctor's left hand to his right. The error is remarked upon by both Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred on the DVD commentary of this story. Similarly, in another scene, the first soldier to be exterminated on-screen has a gun in his left hand then it switches to his right hand when he gets exterminated.
  • At another point in part two, when the Renegade Daleks move onto the streets, in a close-up shot, you can see the section between the head and middle section coming off.
  • When Ace ducks under the table after damaging the Imperial Dalek with the baseball bat, a director can be vaguely heard saying the next lines for the Dalek operator in the background.
  • At one point, a continuity announcement on a television in the background establishes the time as 17:15. Given that the episode is implied to be set in November in London, that should make it dark outside. However, it is not only light but the Doctor subsequently asks people out to lunch. While a convoluted narrative extrapolation might be possible, the simplest reading is that the continuity supervisor, among others, dropped the ball.
  • At the start of part three, Mike sticks some C4 on the Dalek to the left, but it is the one on the right that explodes first.
  • When Mike Smith enters the backyard with a message for Ratcliffe in part four, the back wall has graffiti with the number '87' on it, revealing that the episode was filmed in the '80s while supposed to be taking place in the '60s. Sophie Aldred points this out on the DVD audio commentary.
  • Near the end of part four when the Girl knocks Mike back against the stairs, they can clearly be seen to move away from the wall, revealing the plain grey backing of the set wall. Also, Mike's body clearly comes to rest on the stairs, but he is later shown to be on the floor in front of the stairs.
  • The gate of Ratcliffe's yard is clearly a rather ill-fitted prop. When the gate opens, the path of its swing does not match the groove in the floor. This is most clearly seen when Mike Smith is sneaking into the yard.
  • Just after the gate is destroyed, one of the Imperial Daleks is briefly shown to have lost a few hemispheres to the blast. In the very next shot, however, no damage is shown.

Continuity

Home video and audio releases

DVD releases

Released as Doctor Who: Remembrance of the Daleks, this was the second release of 2001 and the first to feature the Seventh Doctor. It features a different image of Sylvester McCoy on the cover to later releases (in common with The Robots of Death, The Caves of Androzani and Vengeance on Varos, the first stories released for the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Doctors).

It was released:

First Release:

PAL - BBC DVD BBCDVD1040

Contents:

  • Deleted Scenes/Out-takes
  • Multi-Angle Sequences
  • Trailers
  • Music-only Option
  • Photo Gallery
  • Production Subtitles
  • Commentary: Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred

Rear Credits:

Notes:

  • An error was made and the Region 2 DVD is missing some SFX from certain shots.
  • The Australia/NZ release is in NTSC format, not the standard PAL format, due to an inability to clear the music and the SFX problem which had been corrected for the US DVD.
  • Region 2 DVD Cover

    Region 2 DVD Cover

  • Region 1 DVD Cover

    Region 1 DVD Cover

  • Rem.jpg

    Region 2 Special Edition

Second Release:

This second release was as part of the Davros box set (along with Genesis of the Daleks, Destiny of the Daleks, Resurrection of the Daleks and Revelation of the Daleks). The SFX errors and the Multi-Angle feature in the first release were corrected, the Photo Gallery revised and expanded, and the following additions made to the DVD package:

  • 5.1 Dolby Remix
  • Back to School Documentary - Cast and crew talk about the making of the story
  • Remembrances Documentary - Cast and crew talk about the influences and references to other adventures
  • Easter Egg - Go to the first Special Features menu, scroll down to 'Remembrances', click left for a logo that leads to an out-take of Sophie Aldred preparing one of her intros for the Deleted Scenes.

Notes:

  • Region 2 Special Edition Cover

    Region 2 Special Edition Cover

North American release

The use of a Beatles song created problems when it came to issuing the story to DVD Region 1 (North America). In November 2007, BBC Video announced a March 2008 release for the story, but in December 2007 this was cancelled, with licensing issues cited as the reason.

In November 2009, two years later, BBC Video announced that Remembrance of the Daleks was finally released to DVD in North America on 2 March 2010. The release, dubbed a Special Edition, included the bonus content included in the UK release of the Special Edition and substituted another recording of the Beatles song in place of the original recording.[1]

  • Region 1 Special Edition Cover

    Region 1 Special Edition Cover

VHS releases

This story was released as Doctor Who: Remembrance of the Daleks.

It was released:

First Release:

PAL - BBC Video BBCV5005
NTSC - Warner Video E1145

Notes: This story was released in a special edition Dalek Tin along with The Chase and a book entitled Daleks: A Brief History. The US release featured no book or tin, with both stories packaged in one box without individual artwork.

  • 7h-video.jpg
  • 7h-video2.jpg
  • 7h-video3.jpg

Second Release:

  • UK September 2001
PAL - BBC Video BBCV7255

Notes: W H Smith exclusive as part of the The Davros Collection box set in the early 2000s.

External links

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