The Dalek Invasion of Earth (TV story)

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You may be looking for 21st century Dalek invasion or an in-universe account of this invasion.

The Dalek Invasion of Earth was the second serial of season 2 of Doctor Who. It's most notable for featuring the first departure of a companion. Carole Ann Ford retired, leaving her character, Susan Foreman, to be with a man. Not only did this lead to children and a number of storylines in other media, it also forced the story to end with an especially meaningful speech between the Doctor and his granddaughter. Perhaps the best-remembered of all of William Hartnell's speeches, it has often been seen in other Doctor Who-related programmes and was memorably used as the prologue to The Five Doctors.

Invasion obviously featured the return of the Daleks, who had proven quite popular when they first appeared in season 1. Nation, again, wrote the script, this time bringing the Daleks to Earth. A number of independently-used publicity shots have survived from this production and famously depict Daleks appearing in exterior shots around famous London landmarks, like Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Battersea Power Station.

This was the first story to be produced at the new Riverside Studios, the production team having moved from Lime Grove Studios. It also saw a quarry used for location filming for the first time.

During recording, as Richard McNeff (Baker) was carrying William Hartnell down the ramp of the Dalek flying saucer, the ramp suddenly collapsed. Hartnell fell on a metal camera stand, landing awkwardly on his spine. Although he was temporarily paralysed, he recovered sufficiently to continue the recording, but it was decided he should have the following week off to recover from the bruised back he had sustained.

The Daleks first started using "exterminate" on a regular basis to refer to the killing of individuals. This furthers their parallels with Nazism, established in their debut. Here they go so far as to refer to the killings as a "final solution", a phrase associated with Nazism. (Prior to this, the Daleks had used the term "exterminated", but it was during the final episode of this serial, "Flashpoint", that the word destined to become the Daleks' catchphrase was uttered for the first time.)

As with The Daleks, this story was adapted into a movie entitled Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. However, it underperformed and so this was the last Doctor Who serial to be adapted for the cinema.

Synopsis

The TARDIS returns to London; however, it's the 22nd century. With bodies in the river, and quiet in the Docklands, the city is a very different place. The Daleks have invaded and it's up to the Doctor to thwart them once again.

Plot

World's End (1)

A man staggers towards the River Thames, wearing ragged clothes and a strange metal helmet. He screams, tears the straps off the helmet, walks into the river, and drowns himself. Near the same spot, the TARDIS materialises. The Doctor cannot see where they have landed, but it appears to have a similar atmosphere to Earth. When they leave the TARDIS it is clear that they have landed in London. Ian and Barbara are delighted they have returned home at last, but it is a curiously silent and deserted London. The Doctor is concerned about the decay they see around them and wonders what year it is, fearing that it is nowhere near Ian and Barbara's time. Susan tries to look over a wall, but she slips and twists her ankle. The force of her fall causes the bridge under which the TARDIS has materialised to collapse, burying the TARDIS and blocking the travellers' access to it.

The Doctor and Ian decide to look around in a nearby warehouse for tools to help unblock the TARDIS door. Barbara remains behind to look after Susan. Exploring an abandoned warehouse, Ian and the Doctor are unaware they are being watched. From a window, Ian spies Battersea Power Station with its chimneys damaged, while the Doctor finds a calendar marked 2164.

Back with the TARDIS, Barbara goes to the river to soak a handkerchief for Susan's ankle, but as she does she sees the body of the man that killed himself earlier. She returns to Susan only to find her gone and a dirty-faced man there instead. The man tells her that they have to get out of there before they get killed and that Susan has been taken by someone called Tyler. He urges her to follow as the sound of automatic fire is heard in the distance.

Meanwhile, in the warehouse, the Doctor and Ian stumble across a corpse wearing the same strange helmet seen earlier. They also find an electronic receiver attached to the helmet and a whip on the body and discover that the man has been stabbed to death. They decide to return to the others. As they do they are shocked to see a flying saucer hovering over the city.

The Doctor and Ian meet an old adversary.

Barbara is still following the man across the ruins of London. Tyler carries Susan down a flight of steps into an empty Underground station as Barbara catches up. Susan and Barbara demand that they find the others, but Tyler says that there is no time. Tyler activates a secret panel and David Campbell emerges from it, telling Tyler that he had a struggle with a Roboman and that they will have to tell Dortmun to change the storehouse. He also reveals that he saw the Doctor and Ian in the warehouse but thought they were enemies. Dortmun, a man in a wheelchair, arrives, and Tyler tells him that a saucer has landed at the heliport. Dortmun says that this time they will be ready for "them". Dortmun is glad to see Susan and Barbara, especially since Barbara can cook. David goes to find the Doctor and Ian whilst Tyler takes Susan and Barbara below. Dortmun stays on watch, armed only with a knife, similar in style to the one that had killed the corpse in the warehouse.

Ian and the Doctor have arrived back at the TARDIS to find the women gone. They decide to wait to see if they return. Ian finds a poster forbidding the dumping of bodies in the river and wonders if it was a plague that has emptied the city. David spots them from a window but he also sees several Robomen converging on their position. The Doctor and Ian find themselves surrounded, but the Robomen only tell them to stop in flat tones. The two try to run for it, but they turn to see, rising from the Thames, a familiar foe... a Dalek.

The Daleks (2)

You may be looking for the Season 1 serial of the same name.

The Dalek asks the Robomen why the humans were allowed so close to the river and why the area was not guarded. They get no answer.

The Dalek flying saucer lands at Chelsea Heliport.

The Dalek orders that the Doctor and Ian be brought to the landing area and warns the Doctor that resistance is useless and that they have already conquered the Earth.

In the resistance base, the humans listen to Dalek propaganda broadcasts demanding their surrender. A young, rather precocious woman called Jenny tends to Susan's ankle while Barbara prepares food. Tyler and Dortmun debate about whether they are capable of attacking the Dalek saucer with the numbers they have. Dortmun shows off a new acid bomb that he has created, which he is confident will shatter the Dalek casings. David returns, reporting the capture of the Doctor and Ian. They have been taken to the heliport at Chelsea.

At the heliport, Ian expresses his confusion, as they saw the Daleks destroyed on Skaro. The Doctor theorises that their encounter on Skaro was a million years from the present — what they are witnessing is the middle period of Dalek history long before their extinction. Ian and the Doctor are joined by two other prisoners. The Dalek guards usher the prisoners into the saucer. One of the other men tries to escape and is swiftly exterminated.

Back in the base, David explains that the Daleks operate on some of their human prisoners and turn them into Robomen, but the transfer operation is unstable and eventually, the Robomen go insane and turn suicidal. The saucer is where the transfer takes place, and he states that once inside the saucer no human has ever returned.

On the saucer, the Doctor and Ian are put in a cell together with another prisoner, Craddock. Ian asks him how the invasion happened. Ten years before, meteorites brought a plague to Earth, splitting the Earth into small communities. Six months later the Dalek saucers landed. Some humans were turned into Robomen; others were destroyed or sent to the mining areas in Bedfordshire. Craddock does not know, however, what the Daleks want out of the ground. The Daleks discuss the imprisoned Doctor and consider him more intelligent than any human they have encountered.

The resistance plans the assault. They debate ways of launching their attack. Barbara suggests using the Robomen helmets as a disguise to get them close enough to use Dortmun's bombs.

Meanwhile, the Doctor attempts to manipulate a device inside the cell, which he suspects to contain a key to the door. Much to Craddock's derision, he judges the box to have some sort of light-activated trigger. He releases the key and reverses the polarity of the force field around the door, setting the trio free. However, as soon as they are free they are recaptured. Ian and Craddock are imprisoned again, but the Doctor is taken away to be robotised. The Doctor is placed on a transfer table as, outside the saucer, the resistance forces gather.

The fake Robomen are questioned by the Daleks as they enter the ship. The Daleks question them and — seconds before they are uncovered — the resistance attack. General confusion prevails and the Robomen get on board the saucer. All Daleks are called to arms; however, the Dalek Commander orders the transfer of the Doctor to go ahead.

Day of Reckoning (3)

Dortmun contemplates the failure of his bombs.

Members of the resistance group overpower a Roboman and successfully free the unconscious Doctor from the machine. They escape from the saucer with the prisoners. Dortmun's bombs, however, are proving ineffective. Dalek blasts and gunfire mix with the chaos of dying men as they scramble away. In the confusion, Barbara is injured and Ian remains behind on the saucer whilst David and Susan are also lost. Tyler is separated from the Doctor. When he returns to base to find Barbara recuperating, he tells Dortmun that he is going to search for survivors of the raid and then leave London. Dortmun wants to go to the Civic Transport Museum, another gathering place, to get supplies so he can continue working on his bombs. Barbara and Jenny agree to go with him.

In the saucer, the Daleks receive an order from Supreme Command to destroy London with firebombs and go to the mining colonies in Bedfordshire. The saucer lifts off, on its way to the mines. Ian emerges from his hiding place, only to bump into a robotised Craddock, who is escorting a prisoner for transfer. Ian struggles with Craddock and takes off Craddock's robo helmet. Whether through accident or by suicide Craddock stumbles against the transfer machinery and is electrocuted. The prisoner introduces himself as Larry — he had stolen aboard the saucer in order to hitch a ride to Bedfordshire to find his brother. They get rid of Craddock's body via a disposal chute.

David and Susan hide from Dalek patrols and listen in horror as the sounds of extermination echo around them (at one point, they hear the voice of a man gunned down by the Daleks as he mourns the rest of his family). Susan wishes she could just go back to the TARDIS and get out of here and suggests that she could persuade her grandfather to take David along. David tells her that running away does not solve all problems, and besides, Earth is his planet and he cannot abandon it. Susan thinks about how she has never had a place she could call home. David says that someday she will. Suddenly, they hear a noise. David draws his gun in anticipation of it being a Roboman or possibly a Dalek but finds Baker, carrying the drugged Doctor. Baker says he will be heading for the Cornish coast, but, just as he leaves the others, he is intercepted and exterminated by a Dalek patrol.

On the streets of London, deserted except for Daleks, Jenny, Barbara, and Dortmun avoid the patrols and make it to the museum. There, Dortmun finds his notes and determines the fault was not with the bombs but with the dalekanium casings of the Daleks. He comes up with a new formula for the acid bomb. He wishes that he would have a second opinion and urges Barbara to show the Doctor if they are ever reunited. Barbara tells him he can give it to the Doctor himself, but once she leaves the room, Dortmun leaves his notes behind and goes outside to try the new bombs against the Daleks himself. Rising from his wheelchair he throws a bomb at them as they exterminate him. However, yet again the new bomb fails to make an impact. Barbara and a distraught Jenny make their escape.

The Doctor begins to get feeling back in his legs. Susan tells him that David suggests heading north to meet with a resistance group there, but the Doctor says that they should try to reach the TARDIS, tetchily observing that Susan seems to trust David's word over his. Susan protests that it is simply because David knows this time better. David returns, saying that there are patrols everywhere, and asks the Doctor for his advice as he is the senior member of the party. Somewhat mollified by the gesture of respect, the Doctor "suggests" to David that they make their way north. Susan is pleased.

Hidden in the saucer, Larry tells Ian of his brother Phil's theory that the Daleks are mining to extract the magnetic core of Earth. The saucer finally lands and the Daleks disembark with their new workers and the Roboman guards. Ian and Larry leave through the disposal chute and make for the nearest tunnel. Back in London, two Robomen place a Dalek firebomb near the Doctor, Susan, and David's hiding place, and it begins to tick down.

The End of Tomorrow (4)

The trio discover the firebomb. The shock coupled with the drugs causes the Doctor to pass out, leaving David and Susan to defuse the firebomb on their own. David uses acid from one of Dortmun's bombs to burn through the casing and removes the timing mechanism before it can trigger the explosive. David suggests they leave the Doctor while they search for a way through the sewers out of London. Susan does not like the idea of leaving the Doctor alone, but David says they have no choice and will return to him as soon as they find a route.

Meanwhile, Barbara and Jenny fix up a lorry from the museum in preparation to drive up to Bedfordshire. Jenny is characteristically pessimistic about the exercise, but Barbara convinces her that they are left with no option.

Larry and Ian are moving through the countryside of Bedfordshire which has been decimated with Dalek mining equipment. They spot a group of human slaves pulling a carriage of metal parts towards a mine shaft whilst being whipped. Trying to get under cover, they meet a man called Wells, who thinks they are escaped workers. He tries to cover for them when a Roboman comes to take them for selection to be robotised. The Roboman attacks Wells for going against his orders, but Ian and Larry knock the Roboman out. Wells tells them he was here to meet a man named Ashton, a black marketeer. Ian wants to meet Ashton, hoping he has a way to get him back to London. Wells informs Ian that the Daleks have destroyed the city.

David and Susan encounter Tyler.

In London, Barbara and Jenny ride out of the museum in the lorry, past Dortmun's corpse. They meet a Dalek roadblock, but Barbara crashes the lorry through the Daleks. Their position is reported back to the saucer, which gives orders to intercept them. As they race away they hear a noise and discover it to be a Dalek saucer hovering above them. Jenny and Barbara manage to leap out of the lorry before it is destroyed by the saucer.

David and Susan move through the sewers. They discover a bullet and suspect there might be others down there. They hear a noise behind them. As they wheel around they discover that it is Tyler. Tyler informs them of alligators that have escaped from zoos and now live in the sewers. The trio plough on to find a way to safety. Susan begins to get desolate but David says that one day it will be all over and they can rebuild the planet from the start. Susan finds the idea of a fresh start exciting, and David suggests that she could be a part of the rebuilding. Susan likes this suggestion. They soon lose track of Tyler. In an effort to find him Susan climbs down a ladder which becomes separated from the wall and leaves her hanging over an expanse of water where an alligator waits for her. David soon joins her and fires at the alligator. Tyler joins them and says he has found the Doctor. The trio return to the surface.

In Bedfordshire, Larry and Ian stumble across a hideous creature and dive into a shack for safety. They discover Ashton, who is pointing a gun at them. Ashton is unsympathetic to the men's plight and refuses to take Ian with him to London. He is on the brink of forcing them out the door towards the creature, which he informs them is a Slyther, a guard dog for the Daleks. Just in time Wells comes in and presents Ashton with an item of jewellery in exchange for the food he has smuggled in and in order to smuggle Ian out. He agrees. However, the Slyther breaks through the window of the cabin and attacks and kills Ashton. Ian and Larry escape but come across a sheer drop as they are pursued by the monstrous Slyther.

The Waking Ally (5)

Barbara and Jenny shelter in a hovel.

The two try to run but are cut off by the Slyther. They elect to jump into a mining bucket suspended over the pit, and although the Slyther tries to jump after them, Ian hits it with a rock and causes it to fall to its death. They decide to hide out in the bucket in order to ensure that anyone that may have been alerted by the Slyther loses interest. Before Ian and Larry can climb out of the bucket, it starts to descend.

In London, Robomen pursue the Doctor and his party back into the sewers. Tyler and David lay an ambush and manage to subdue them. The Doctor stops short of killing the Robomen, saying that he only kills beings if they pose an immediate threat to him.

On the road to Bedfordshire and forced to continue their journey on foot, Jenny and Barbara find a hovel in the countryside with two seemingly unhinged women, seeking shelter from a storm. The women are left alone by the Daleks because they make clothes for the slave workers in exchange for food. Barbara offers them food in exchange for staying the night. The older woman whispers something to the younger one, who rushes off quickly, stating to Barbara and Jenny that she needs to deliver clothes.

Ian and Larry finally reach the bottom of the shaft and jump down the last twelve feet before the bucket tips over. Larry injures his knee as he falls, but Ian is unscathed.

Back in the house, the woman returns to reveal that she has been sent to get the Daleks, who take Barbara and Jenny as prisoner. The two women receive food for their betrayal.

Back in the mine, Ian wonders why the shaft contains only equipment made for shifting rocks and not processing ore. Larry repeats his brother's theory that the Daleks are after the Earth's core. They are interrupted by a working party led by a Roboman. They initially try to hide but Wells informs them that they will be seen. Their only option is to try to blend in with a working party. They are confronted by a Roboman — Larry's brother Phil. Larry pleads with Phil, trying to make him remember who he is, but Phil prepares to shoot them, saying that they are runaways. Larry tells Ian to run as Phil fires his machine gun, mortally wounding Larry as Larry tries to strangle him. Both die, with Phil's humanity appearing to return in his dying moments; his last word being a strangled, "Larry..." Alarms sound as the workers seize their chance for freedom.

In the countryside, Susan and David flirt and wrestle before they unexpectedly kiss. They are interrupted by the Doctor and Tyler. The Doctor has deduced the reasons why the Daleks are here — something deep beneath the Earth, tampering with the forces of creation. Tyler is sceptical but says that it is the only explanation as it is the only thing unique to Earth.

Ian makes his way deeper into the mine, noticing Jenny and Barbara, who have joined a working party. Jenny is in despair, but Barbara says they must find the control room, as that is what the Doctor would do. Ian keeps hidden but tells Wells to pass word to Barbara that he is here. Before he can do this, Barbara comes up with a plan to get herself to the control room. She tells the Daleks that the rebels are planning an attack and shows them Dortmun's notes as proof of this. She asks to speak to someone in authority, and they agree to take her to the commanding Dalek.

Meanwhile, the Daleks report to the commanding Dalek that they have almost reached the outer crust of the core. All that remains is to set up the penetration explosive. Once the core is removed, they will replace it with a power system that will allow the Daleks to pilot the planet anywhere in the universe.

As this plan is revealed to the Daleks through a PA system, Ian uses a small shell as a hiding place. Little does he know that this is the penetration explosive. He is sealed in and moved towards the drop zone as he helplessly surveys the wires around him.

Flashpoint (6)

Ian disconnects some wires inside the casing, stopping its descent. The Robomen start pulling it back up the shaft, while Ian opens a panel at the bottom of the casing and climbs out using the rope that runs through the shell. A Dalek spots him, however, and severs the rope, causing Ian to slide down the shaft and fall against a door at the bottom of the pit.

At that point, Barbara and Jenny are escorted into the Dalek control room. The Chief Dalek orders that all humans be moved to the lower galleries to be exterminated in the final blast. The Daleks relay the orders to the Robomen through a microphone, which Barbara notices. Barbara suspects that the Robomen get all their orders solely from the microphone and that if they were able to get to it they could override the Daleks orders. The Chief Dalek interrogates Barbara, and she tries to stall by telling them of an elaborate mutiny that involves Red Indians, the Boston Tea Party, Robert E. Lee and Hannibal, panicking the Daleks momentarily. She tries to use the microphone, but she is caught and recaptured. She and Jenny are immobilised with clamps around their necks to await destruction when the bomb explodes.

Outside, the Doctor tells Susan and David to destroy an aerial on the far side of the mine with Dortmun's bombs whilst he and Tyler will go into the mine itself.

Ian opens the door against which he has found himself and finds himself in the lower gallery. He discovers the Robomen and the human slaves hauling timber and hides. When they leave, he puts some of the spars into the bomb shaft, where it props the door open for him as well as blocks the path of the bomb. The Daleks are unaware of this, however, and evacuate.

The Doctor neutralises the warning system. He and Tyler make their way into the control room, where they free Jenny and Barbara. He explains that David and Susan's mission will immobilise the Daleks. The Doctor tries to use the Dalek's scanners, but just as he gets David and Susan on the screen the Daleks come back sensing interference with their machinery. As the Daleks move towards a defiant Doctor, David and Susan succeed and the Daleks stop in their tracks. Barbara and the Doctor use the microphone to tell the Robomen to turn against the Daleks. Human workers and Robomen break into open revolt and stream out of the mine.

Ian is reunited with the others. From where the bomb has stopped, it will not succeed in penetrating the crust but will still produce a gigantic explosion. As they reach higher ground, the bomb explodes, making the ground around the mine collapse and cause an entirely new phenomenon — a volcanic eruption in England. The Dalek saucer is caught in the upward thrust of the explosion. The invasion is over.

Susan is locked out of the TARDIS by her grandfather.

Back in London, the resistance helps the Doctor uncover the TARDIS as the chimes of Big Ben herald a new beginning for mankind. Susan is saddened at the prospect of leaving, and the Doctor seems to sense this. He goes into the TARDIS while Susan goes to say goodbye to David. Barbara takes Ian back into the TARDIS so they can leave Susan and David alone. David tells Susan that he loves her and asks her to stay and marry him, offering her the place and identity she has been yearning for. Susan admits she loves him too, but she also needs to look after her grandfather, and she begs him not to make her choose between them. The Doctor, suspecting this all along and having heard Susan's pleas, makes Susan's choice for her. He double-locks the doors of the TARDIS, preventing Susan from entering. He tells a distraught Susan through the scanner that she will always be his grandchild, but she is a woman now, and he wants her to have a home; David will take care of her. Saying one last goodbye and saying he will one day return, he makes the TARDIS dematerialise. Susan looks forlornly around the empty space where the TARDIS used to be, fingering the TARDIS key on the chain around her neck. David reaches his hand out to her and she takes it, dropping the key onto the ground and walking away.

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

Cast

Uncredited cast

Crew

Uncredited crew

Worldbuilding

Influences

Story notes

  • Working titles for this story were Daleks Threaten Earth, The Invaders, The Daleks (II), The Return of the Daleks, and The Daleks in Europe. Working titles for the fourth and sixth episodes were "The Abyss" and "Earth Rebels" respectively.
  • This story saw the first departure of an original cast member. This was Carole Ann Ford's last regular appearance as Susan. Ford reprised her role as Susan in The Five Doctors and briefly in Dimensions in Time.
  • Susan's departure was written by David Whitaker and not Terry Nation.
  • The four original Dalek casings constructed for The Daleks were used again in this serial. Two of these had to be borrowed back from Barnardo's children's home in Stepney, to which they had been donated following the broadcast of the original serial. Two new Daleks were also constructed.
  • All episodes exist as 16mm telerecordings.
  • Richard Martin considered this to be the best of the first three Dalek serials.
  • David Campbell's last name was originally Sonheim, then Archer. Baker was originally named Roger Krish, while Larry Madison's first name was initially Robbie.
  • This story introduced the Dalek ranking system and different variations of Daleks with the appearance of the Supreme Controller and Saucer Commander.
  • The setting moved forward by a century and so references to the original Dalek attack occurring in 1980 were deleted.
  • In the original script, David and Susan were menaced by mutated humans in the sewers instead of crocodiles.
  • The original climax saw the Daleks attempt to kill all their slaves by trapping them in the mines, which would be deluged with lava when the bombs exploded.
  • Originally, three old women lived in the shanty in the woods, rather than the degenerate mother and daughter.
  • The Robomen were conceived as wearing only a small disc on their temple, with wires snaking into the hair.
  • "The Waking Ally" was also held by the BBC in 35mm in 1978.
  • Negative film prints of all episodes were recovered by the BBC in 1978.
  • Arabic prints of "World's End", "The Daleks", "The End of Tomorrow" and "Flashpoint" are all held by the BBC.
  • In the audio story The Mutant Phase, the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa encounter an alternative timeline which shares some events with this story.
  • The novel Venusian Lullaby follows directly on from this story.
  • Robert Aldous was a late addition to the cast and so was uncredited on-screen for "World's End", though he was credited as "An insurgent" in Radio Times.
  • Robert Jewell is credited as "Dalek Operator" for "World's End" and collectively with the other operators as "Dalek Machines operated by:" for "The Daleks" to "Flashpoint".
  • Peter Badger (Roboman) also played Phil Madison in the story's fifth episode, "The Waking Ally", but received only a collective credit alongside Martyn Huntley as "Robomen" both on-screen and in Radio Times for all six episodes.
  • The suicidal Roboman seen at the start of "World's End" — who takes his own life by walking straight into the River Thames and drowning himself — was played by stunt performer Peter Diamond, who remained uncredited both on-screen and in Radio Times. (REF: The Doctor Who Production Guide Volume Three: Cast and Crew)
  • This story was filmed along with Planet of Giants as part of the first series' block of stories.
  • William Hartnell does not appear in "The End of Tomorrow" due to a back injury, although his stand-in Edmund Warwick does.
  • This was David Whitaker's final story as story editor.
  • Having originally written a tale of the Indian mutiny for the show, Terry Nation still had the country on his mind when writing this story. The mutiny is mentioned in "Flashpoint" and the original script had a fourteen-year-old English girl of Indian descent named Saida (played by Pamela Franklin), who was to be revealed to be Dortmun's daughter after his death. She would stowaway aboard the TARDIS at the end of the story. Saida eventually became Jenny and the importance of the role decreased.
  • The character of Jenny was originally intended to be Susan's replacement although this was halted over uncertainty about the future of the series.
  • Footage of the Doctor's farewell speech to Susan from the end of "Flashpoint" ("One day, I shall come back — yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs, and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine.") was used as an introduction to The Five Doctors.
    • The speech also appears in the docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time on two occasions. The first is a recreation of the filming of the scene, featuring David Bradley portraying William Hartnell in his role as the Doctor (a reproduction of this scene, shot on video camera, is available as a bonus feature on the home video release of the film). The second occurs at the end of the film, as a camera pans towards a studio monitor displaying the actual footage from the episode of Hartnell as the Doctor delivering the speech. This usage is unique in that it begins at a much earlier point in the dialogue, with the Doctor talking about Susan finding her own roots, and the camera arrives at the monitor showing Hartnell/the Doctor in the TARDIS as he reaches the "one day, I shall come back..." part of the speech.
  • The name of the first episode is a pun based on the fact the TARDIS lands at World's End, in Chelsea.
  • The Doctor's final speech to Susan ("Just go forward in all your beliefs...") is quoted verbatim in The Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse, the 13th and final episode of the US science fiction series The Middleman in 2008. Due to the show's cancellation by ABC Family, however, the episode was never actually filmed. Instead, the show's cast performed the episode live during the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con in July 2009. A comic book adaptation of the episode was released by Viper Comics in August 2009.
  • The Eighth Doctor visits Susan in An Earthly Child, 20 years after leaving her on Earth. In this time, Susan has married David Campbell and has a son, the Doctor's great-grandson, Alex. In Legacy of the Daleks, Susan tells her grandfather that the last time she saw him was in the Tomb of Rassilon during his fifth incarnation. (TV: The Five Doctors)
  • The final Dalek-spoken lines in this story (spoken during the point-of-view scene of a Dalek approaching a defiant Doctor in "Flashpoint") are ring-modulated considerably differently than before; this new effect would be used for the Dalek voices for the remainder of the series.
  • Several London landmarks are marked with Dalek code or "graffiti". This effect was produced by using electrical tape so that it could be taken down after filming.
  • Several signs read "VETOED" throughout the serial. Supposedly part of the resistance code, this was actually a joke from the production designers, in particular Spencer Chapman. If sets were too ambitious, then the designs would be stamped with the word "VETOED" and handed back to the designers.
  • Carole Ann Ford cried real tears filming Susan's departure.
  • Wells' role was originally much smaller — he was freed from the Dalek shuttle by Ian and left to tend to other escapees. According to Nicholas Smith on a documentary accompanying the serial's DVD release, he talked Richard Martin into letting him lead the miners' revolution in episodes five and six.
  • Ann Davies found William Hartnell quite intimidating and kept her distance from him.
  • Jean Conroy, who played one of the women in the woods in the fifth episode, died in a street accident on 14 November 1964; the episode was broadcast posthumously.
  • The production crew anticipated the final episode to be one of the most technically complex. The recording suffered some camera and sound issues, causing William Hartnell to stumble some speeches. Hartnell omitted two lines from the Doctor's closing speech to Susan. The two lines omitted by Hartnell include one earlier in the speech: "Work hard both of you. Be gentle with her David and show her that life on Earth with love and understanding can be a great adventure." The second line was meant to end the speech: "And remember love is the most precious jewel of all."
  • Hammersmith Bridge was chosen as a location because it provided easy access to a hospital in case any performers swallowed river water; a taxi remained on standby.
  • Dalek operator Robert Jewell could not gain enough traction to move his Dalek out of the river; the prop was attached to a cable to help.
  • Carole Ann Ford recorded footage of the cast between camera rehearsals on her personal 8 mm film camera.
  • Ann Davies agreed to dye her dark hair blonde so that she would be more easily distinguished from Carole Ann Ford, but would not do so until after the location dates. Consequently, Davies would hide her hair under a balaclava during pre-filmed material.
  • While filming at Trafalgar Square, Spencer Chapman raised the ire of the police when he used blanco to put Dalek markings on some of the monuments.
  • The Daleks' Master Plan, GodEngine, Lucifer Rising and The Mutant Phase date the Dalek invasion to 2157. The TV story itself is set 10 years later, setting this story in 2167. The Doctor believes that The Daleks was "a million years" in the future, and that Invasion is "about the middle history of the Daleks." However, in the novelisation, this is changed, and the Doctor theorises that their defeat in Daleks may not have been complete, that the Daleks have "tremendous powers of survival," or that there may have been other colonies on other parts of Skaro. He also notes "they’ve evolved too," implying Daleks comes before Invasion.
  • This story was ranked as Doctor Who Magazine readers' favourite First Doctor story in their 2023 poll, replacing the only previous victor, The Daleks. (DWM 589)

Ratings

  • "World's End" - 11.4 million viewers
  • "The Daleks" - 12.4 million viewers
  • "Day of Reckoning" - 11.9 million viewers
  • "The End of Tomorrow" - 11.9 million viewers
  • "The Waking Ally" - 11.4 million viewers
  • "Flashpoint" - 12.4 million viewers

Myths

  • The story is set in 2164. (Although the Doctor and Ian find a calendar dated 2164 in a desk drawer in a warehouse, there is no indication how long the calendar has been there. The Doctor comments shortly before finding the calendar that the warehouse has a musty smell, saying, "This place hasn't been used in years." It is also very unlikely that calendars would still have been printed after the Daleks invaded.)
  • The Daleks are defeated as they are susceptible to the Earth's magnetic forces. (They are defeated by the explosion at the mine. The idea of the Daleks being susceptible to magnetic forces is a concept from the movie Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.).
  • Many fans believe the Saucer Commander in this story wasn't black and silver. They believe it was red and silver. (This was a mistake made by Stuart Evans, in his painting guide for Sevans Dalek Models.)
  • The prop used for the Black Dalek was actually a prototype prop that was deemed unsuitable for the first story, which is why it looks so shoddy. (The term is a complete misnomer and the Black Dalek was in The Daleks. The reason it looks so shoddy is because both this Dalek and another had been donated to a Dr. Barnados orphanage, and had been borrowed back by the BBC to swell their limited Dalek army. Due to this Dalek having been painted black, a replacement standard silver Dalek was returned to Barnados alongside the other that had been borrowed by the BBC.)
  • Four new props were built for this story. (Only two were built.)

Filming locations

  • Riverside Studio 1, Hammersmith, London
  • Ealing Studios
  • Kew Railway Bridge (TARDIS lands)
  • St Katherine's Dock, London, (DEMOLISHED) (Doctor and Ian walking to warehouses)
  • Battersea Power Station, London, (Doctor and Ian view from over Thames)
  • Woodlane Central Station, London (DEMOLISHED) (Barbara led through ruins to rebel base)
  • Irongate & St Kathrine's Wharves, London (Robomen walk along decks)
  • Queen's Wharf, London (Dalek appears from the water)
  • Albert Embankment, London (Dalek stalks Barbara, Jenny and Dortmun)
  • Westminster Bridge, London (Barbara, Jenny and Dortmun cross bridge)
  • Parliament Street / Whitehall, London (Barbra, Jenny and Dorrmun run across London)
  • Trafalgar Square, London (Daleks invade)
  • Royal Albert Hall and Memorial, London (Daleks invade)
  • Engineers Way, London (DEMOLISHED) (Dortmun sacrifices himself to test bomb)
  • Third Way, London (Barbara and Jenny driving truck)
  • John Hole's Quarry, Kent (Minepit area)

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 dead Roboman in the warehouse is repeatedly seen moving.
  • Two studio technicians are visible outside the Dalek saucer in "The Daleks".
  • When the Daleks are in Trafalgar Square, a van can be clearly seen to drive past in the background. (For the DVD release, the vehicle has been digitally erased.)
  • Craddock's Roboman helmet falls apart as Ian and Larry attack him.
  • Boom mic shadows are visible in "Day of Reckoning" and "Flashpoint".
  • After taking Barbara and Jenny prisoner, the Dalek that takes them across the control room of the Dalek saucer can be seen bumping into the Black Dalek.
  • In "The End of Tomorrow" when Ashton first appears, the interior of the shed is seen to have a window — something not seen on the exterior.
  • While Barbara is bluffing the Dalek Supreme with the fake "historic" attack, Jenny is clearly miming doing damage to the controls.
  • In " Flashpoint", Barbara and Jenny hold their neck manacles in place.
  • In "World's End", some of the TARDIS prop's window panes have fallen out of place and are visibly caving in.
  • When Wells leads the prisoners to storm the Dalek Control Room in "Flashpoint", the bridge set can be seen in the background.
  • The dial on the front of the firebomb changes position between scenes.
  • When the group of rebels led by Baker is ordered to stop by a Dalek, a boom microphone appears in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen and pulls away, but not before being lit up by a spotlight.
  • The rocks on the edge of the crater wobble as the Doctor and Tyler climb down them.
  • After the fight sequence in "The Waking Ally" (according to the DVD release's info text), one of the cameras fails to reach its position on time.
  • In "World's End", shortly after David sights the Robomen, 2 specks (probably people) can just barely be seen walking on the roof of a building on the other side of the river.

Continuity

Motion picture adaptation

The story was adapted for the 1966 movie Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. starring Peter Cushing. It was the second and, to date, final film to be based upon episodes of the televised series. Numerous changes were made to characters and story for the film, and a key plot element — Susan leaving the Doctor — is eliminated entirely.

Home video and audio releases

DVD releases

This story was released as Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth in a two-disc set.

Released:

PAL - BBC DVD BBC1156
NTSC - Warner Video E1813

Special Features:

Rear Credits:

Notes

  • Editing for the DVD release was completed by the Doctor Who Restoration Team.
  • Disc Two begins with an additional, unique anti-piracy message in which two Daleks instruct the viewer not to divulge or copy the information present on the disc under threat of extermination.
  • Region 2

    Region 2

  • Region 1

    Region 1

  • Region 4

    Region 4

  • Region 4 slipcase

    Region 4 slipcase

Altered CGI effects:

  • The original model shot of Battersea Power Station

    The original model shot of Battersea Power Station

  • The new CGI created Battersea

    The new CGI created Battersea

  • The original Dalek saucer model

    The original Dalek saucer model

  • The new CGI saucer

    The new CGI saucer

  • Saucer 3.jpg

Blu-ray releases

The story was released on Blu-ray in the UK on 5 December 2022, as part of the box set The Collection: Season Two.

Digital releases

This story is available:

  • in iTunes stores (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, UK and US) as part of the Doctor Who: The Classic Series collection Doctor Who: The Best of The First Doctor, which additionally includes the stories An Unearthly Child and The Aztecs;
  • on Amazon Video (UK) as Season 10 of Doctor Who (Classic) series;
  • for streaming through BritBox (US) as part of Season 2 of Classic Doctor Who.
    • Best of First Doctor collection iTunes cover

      Best of First Doctor collection iTunes cover

    VHS release

    In the United Kingdom, this story was released as Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth in a two-tape set consisting of two separate cassette cases held together by a plastic band. In the US, it was still a two-tape set, but it was released in a single, oversized cover.

    Released:

    PAL - BBC Video BBCV4353
    NTSC - CBS/FOX Video 5947
    NTSC - Warner Video E1202

    Notes: The "Next Episode" caption has been removed from "Flashpoint".

    • UK part 1 cover

      UK part 1 cover

    • UK part 2 cover

      UK part 2 cover

    • US cover (both parts)

      US cover (both parts)

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ https://guide.doctorwhonews.net/person.php?name=KentonMoore
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 BBC Official Site
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    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.
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