Much like with An Unearthly Child, The Daleks will forever stand as an iconic serial in the annals of the show’s history, setting Doctor Who on the road to 51 years of (mostly) success and kicking off the era of Dalekmania.
There can be little doubt that writer Terry Nation must share some of the credit for the Daleks with Raymond Cusick, Brain Hodgson, David Whitaker, Christopher Barry and Richard Martin, the script combining in perfect fashion with the iconic design and voice of the creatures, creating the perfect storm that would propel the Skaro pepper pots into the nation’s consciousness. Yet it wasn’t simply the creatures unique look and sound that was vital, the script had to be something special and Nation certainly delivers.
The Daleks represent oppression and war
The Daleks is very much of it’s time, both in terms of storyline and production, bringing forth Cold War fears of nuclear desolation and still remembered fears of the evils of fascism to create a cautionary modern fable, warning of the eventualities of war and race politics. In The Daleks, Nation crafts a tale that speaks in broad strokes, the Thals are representative of peace and oppressed peoples, the titular Daleks of the oppressive and war. We see the beauty of the pacifist Thals and the horror of the Doctor and Ian upon seeing the true form of the Dalek, the personification of the war machine and fascism as monster. There are also clear echoes of the ongoing Cold War between the West and the USSR here, just one year removed from the Cuban Missile Crisis, the closest the world had yet come to nuclear annihilation.
The Daleks as one uniform collective are symbolic of the stereotypical image of Communism, the Thals the democratic and liberal West, the very real “shadow of the bomb” fears played out in the nightmare scenario as radiation destroys life, civilisation and any shred of “humanity” the Daleks may have once had. Here is the true power of the Daleks, the very real fears of an entire generation made real, from the ongoing threat of annihilation to that chilling word heard in such a terrible way during the Second World War, “exterminate” brought very real world images into the minds eye.
The classic cliffhanger to Episode One
Director Richard Martin believed Terry Nation to be a good ideas man as opposed to a good scriptwriter, a belief that many have shared in years since, and The Daleks is a story centered around good ideas. From the TARDIS’ food machine, to the characterisation of the Doctor in the Initial stages, from the obvious central concept to the political commentary, there is genuine sci-fi quality here. Despite the concepts however, the story relies greatly on scenario and incidence, leaving out much in the way of detail as to the story’s background and character’s motivations, particularly as pertains to the Thals and Daleks, being merely told that the Daleks dislike the unlike, their racism given no depth. These broad strokes are typical of Nation, leaving much to the imagination as designer Ray Cusick would attest on the DVD for this story, the writer having a tendency for characters to enter “white featureless rooms,” and leave the rest to the design team’s creativity.
With seven episodes to play with, Terry Nation has ample opportunity to flesh out our regulars introduced in An Unearthly Child and in honesty, as DWW readers indicated in feedback on the story, it is perhaps one episode too many, the story’s slow pace dragging with excess padding between the key scenes and action sequences. Here David Whitaker’s superb script editing and assistance to Nation proves invaluable, ensuring continuity and growth of character between the series debut and the impending Edge of Destruction, Nation never a writer to adhere to other stories around his own or established characterisation, struggling somewhat in creating naturalistic dialogue. It is Whitaker who ensures that our leads are developed and grow beyond our opening story, providing some sparkling dialogue to combine with Nation’s central themes and plotting, going on to produce his quite wonderful novelisation of the story the following year.
Ian takes a central role in The Daleks
William Hartnell gives one of his finest performances as the Doctor here, the viewer still unsure as to whether he is “a good man” as he would ask Clara many years later. He is willing to endanger everyone aboard the TARDIS for his own curiosity, yet his experiences in 100,000 BC and here on Skaro begin to subtlety change him as well. We see his first reaction to the pure evil of the Daleks and determination to stand and fight, showing weakness both in character and physicality while at the same time showing the haughty and even arrogant authority of a leader, of a man used to being obeyed by Susan and in later canon, the attitude that was maybe imbued in him on Gallifrey. Steven Moffat would later canonise this moment as a turning point in the Doctor’s life and as he is faced with pure evil for the first time, it is here that we know that yes, he is a good man, despite his many flaws.
Yet while the Doctor’s manoeuvring into the leadership role of the group is essentially confirmed as he adjusts to the new dynamic, beginning in An Unearthly Child, it is Ian again who takes centre stage here as he shows the alternative to the Doctor, showing the unique traits that each member of the crew brings to the team. As the Doctor’s action man and “muscle” there was a danger that in the hands of a lesser actor, Ian could have become something unlikable, a stereotypical action hero. Yet William Russell’s Ian is portrayed with warmth and civility, he has a subtle genuine outlook, a protective and fatherly attitude amongst the group that doesn’t descend into chauvinism, his bravery not played to impress others or the audience, merely what is necessary to survive, something of an uncomfortable parallel with the beliefs and motivations of the Daleks even.
Meeting the Daleks
Barbera meanwhile is perhaps the most underused of our regular characters, continuing in her reluctance to be a part of the TARDIS crew yet growing in acceptance, her mother role amongst the TARDIS family on display with Susan. Susan for her part shows both more metal than in her debut her but also something of her youth, the other three feeling protective over her as she shows the rebellion and irresponsibility of her age, perhaps feeling a need to prove her worth amongst the adult crew, yet her performance showing her motivations being from a genuine place. With the TARDIS crew establishing itself, their roles developing, there is much material to share and Whitaker ensures all are well served in The Daleks, with strong and growing characterisation throughout.
The visualisation and direction of the serial is superb, both Barry and Martin delivering a story that lives long in the memory. From the image of that first look at the Dalek city to the paranoid desolation of the petrified forest and the Daleks themselves, the serial tense and thrilling in equal measure, particularly as our travellers are beset by sickness and in the story’s resolution. Despite the serial and Doctor Who‘s limitations at the time, there is real innovation here through some creative modelling, special effects and direction, Christopher Barry setting out his stall early as one of the show’s true greats as a director and the rookie Richard Martin as one if it’s most underrated. The Daleks is a story full of legendary imagery and sounds, Tristram Cary delivering his most iconic soundtrack to add the icing to the already very rich cake, the Radiophonic Workshop and Brian Hodgson adding cherries with iconic sounds that are both typically 1960s and yet timeless. From the hum of the Dalek city to the screech of the voice, the whoosh of the doors and the blast of the Dalek gun, the sounds of the Daleks are as instantly recognisable as anything seen on the screen.
A collective effort amongst arguably the most talented production team Doctor Who ever assembled, The Daleks is a classic of both Doctor Who and television science fiction, to say it is iconic may even be an understatement. From it’s fantastic soundtrack to the design of the Dalek creature, from the sparkling dialogue to the core concepts and contemporary statement, The Daleks is the perfect coming together of a series of elements, a coming together that created a phenomenon and the second foundation upon which 51 years of history is built following An Unearthly Child. While the story may be one episode too long and lack some of the depth of later serials, The Daleks isn’t a psychological study but a morality play, a cautionary tale of the dangers of extremism and nuclear conflict, of the need to confront evil, yet being aware of what such entails. It is a tale with something to say, wonderful performances from the leads, excellent core concepts and a thoroughly nasty villain to boot, what more can you ask for. Sublime.
This article is the sixth in our “Story by Story” series running all this week celebrating The Daleks. Starting tomorrow DWW begins our celebration of The Edge of Destruction, running Nov 3 – 9. We welcome all submissions and pitches on the theme throughout the week at [email protected]
In future weeks we shall be celebrating Marco Polo (Nov 10 – 16), The Keys of Marinus (Nov 17 – 23), The Aztecs (Nov 24 – 30), The Sensorites (Dec 1 – 7) and The Reign of Terror (Dec 8 – 14).
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