The Power of the Daleks (audio story)

The Power of the Daleks was released on cassette on 2 August 1993 with linking narration by Tom Baker. Unique to this release, Baker provided the narration as the Fourth Doctor, simply remembering the events of The Power of the Daleks throughout.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Fourth Doctor tells the story of the adventure immediately succeeding his first regeneration...

Regeneration is both a blessing and a scourge to Time Lords.
Time Lords have thirteen lives.
The Doctor describes the appearance of his first incarnation as a "distinguished, white-haired gentleman" and his second as "not what I would have wished for myself".
The Doctor considers his past self's clothing to be unacceptable for a Time Lord.
The Second Doctor is briefly able to see his predecessor in a mirror through a trick of Gallifreyan optics.
The Fourth Doctor considers himself to have good looks.
The First Doctor "loathed" the recorder.
The Doctor notes he was very irresponsible in "those days".
When knocked unconscious, the pain was as sharp as a Terileptil's hunting knife.
The Second Doctor notes the Governor's office was full of fascinating architectural detail.
The Second Doctor hoped the diary would jog his memory of the activities of his former incarnation.
The piece of metal the Second Doctor found in the TARDIS chest was Dalekanium.
Ben and Polly were made aware about the Daleks from the First Doctor.
The Second Doctor instructs Ben, "When I say run, run like a rabbit."

There are a number of references to concepts that did not exist at the time of the original broadcast in 1966 such as Gallifrey being mentioned by name, the concept of Time Lords having thirteen lives and the existence of Terileptils. The mention of Terileptils are especially of note as they first appeared in The Visitation in the Fifth Doctor era, after the Fourth Doctor's original run on television had finished.
The Baker narration was not used for future releases of the serial as the master tapes had been erased.
Despite the varying quality of the audio, it was subsequently released on the Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray release of The Power of the Daleks, in addition to a further audio recording with Anneke Wills on narrating duties. The latter was played along with telesnaps and surviving footage.

Regeneration plays havoc with the memory. (TV: Castrovalva, Time and the Rani, Doctor Who, Deep Breath, The Woman Who Fell to Earth)
The Second Doctor refers Saladin. (TV: The Crusade)
The Second Doctor refers to an encounter with Marco Polo. (TV: Marco Polo)
Ben and Polly recalls the First Doctor stating that his body was wearing thin. (TV: The Tenth Planet)
The Daleks once again rely on static electricity. (TV: The Daleks)