4 episodes
Aired between 23rd February 1974 and 16th March 1974
Written by Terry Nation
Produced by Barry Letts
Directed by Michael Briant
Synopsis
On a distant, rocky planet, a man in a blue space-age uniform flees from some unseen enemy, only to be shot by an arrow and die.
Elsewhere in time and space, the Doctor is making good on his proposal to take Sarah Jane to the planet of Florana.
Unfortunately though, the TARDIS begins to loose power and sets down shortly before everything switches off. The Doctor tries to set up the backup generators, and the emergency energy supplies, but they all blink out, dead.
The only source of light they have is a single oil lamp.
The Doctor cranks the door open manually and goes outside to look around. They find they are on a barren, rocky planet, but see some kind of weather worn humanoid statues that pique the Doctor's curiosity. He goes for a look around whilst Sarah, whose dressed in a bikini ready for her holiday on Florana, goes back into the TARDIS to put something a bit warmer on.
As the Doctor explores, he is followed by strange stone-like creatures. The humanoid creatures attack him, overpowerin him and taking him prisoner. Sarah Jane comes back and looks for the Doctor but finds only the abandoned oil lamp with blood smeared on it. She sees one of the stone creatures and races back to the TARDIS, only to find that she's trapped herself inside the console room with one! She smacks it on the back of the head with the door crank, then opens the door again and flees into the night, terrified.
Dawn arrives and the Doctor manages to find an opportunity to beat up his captors. He frees himself and runs off into the wastes.
She naturally investigates the city and is captured by the stone creatures. They take her back to their base and prepare to sacrifice her.
Out in the wastes, the Doctor is being pursued by the stone creatures. He goes into the mountainous terrain and discovers a booby trap that releases a rockfall. Suddenly, he's attacked by a man in a blue space-age uniform before one of his colleagues commands him to stop.
It turns out the men are Space-marines. Their names are Galloway and Peter Hamilton. They take the Doctor back to their camp and explain that they are a small group. There's also a Captain Richard Railton and a civilian Geologist called Jill Tarrant.
They explain that the stone-like creatures are called Exxilons and they're a primitive but religious race. They're cowardly in the day and can be easy enough to deal with unless you go near their city which they consider a cardinal sin and sacrifice all who trespass there. Having said that, their commanding officer has been badly wounded by a surprise night assault by Exxilons. Understandably the Doctor is anxious that Sarah Jane might have gone to the city and wants to find her.
The marines move on to explain that the planet somehow drains power of any ship passing nearby. They tell the Doctor they came here because they need a mineral called Parrinium that could cure humanity of a great plague that's sweeping it's colonies. Parinium is common on this planet - Exxilon.
As they speak, another ship arrives. The Marines believe it to be a rescue ship but when it lands, Daleks emerge from it and start yelling "Total Extermination!"
Thankfully, the mysterious energy drain has affected the Dalek guns and they don't work. The Daleks are also after the Parrinium as their own kind is also being affected by the plague.
The Doctor takes leave of his senses and suggests a mutual partnership with the Daleks, just until they can find a way to restore power. The Daleks go away to confer, loudly noting their plan that there's far more Daleks on the ship that the group know about, and their intent to kill the space-marines as soon as they have power, so they can steal the Parrinium and hold the human colonies to ransom for their much needed cure.
As the Daleks confer, the Doctor at least has the decency to warn the marines that the Daleks are probably going to try and kill them as soon as they have power. Galloway knows the Daleks, having fought against them in some kind of Dalek war, so he's more than prepared for their treachery.
The Daleks return and agree to the truce. The marines reluctantly take the Daleks back toward their camp, leaving an untold number of them hiding inside their ship.
On the way back, they are attacked by the Exxilons, who kill Captain Railton and blow up a Dalek. The Exxilons take the group prisoner and lead them to their caves, where the Doctor sees Sarah Jane about to be sacrificed.
He rushes the altar and saves her, but is ultimately defeated. The ritual stops and the Exxilons decide to make new preparations to sacrifice the Doctor instead for assaulting the high priest. Everyone is put in prison until the ritual is ready to begin again.
Back at the Dalek ship, the hidden Daleks quickly manufacture some projectile guns.
After testing them out on miniature little TARDIS' and gunning down a couple of Exxilons lurking near their ship, they're ready to take over once more. They track the Daleks currently held prisoner and storm the caves, killing many and subjugating the high priest of the Exxilons. The Doctor and Sarah Jane are able to escape in the confusion and have little alternative but to flee down the sacrificial tunnel where they were to be taken.
The Daleks quickly enslave the Exxilons and force them to dig for Parrinium. They also make it clear to the Marines that the deal is off. Galloway is forced to broker a new deal with them though to keep the Exxilons working in return for a share of the Parrinium. The Daleks agree but also state that they should kill the Doctor if they ever see him again along with an apparent renegade faction of the Exxilons. Jill and Peter protest at this but Galloway insists that it's the only way. He's officially in charge now since the commander died of his wounds. What Jill and Peter don't know, however, is that the commanders last word condemned Galloway and told him he was unfit to lead.
In the tunnel, the Doctor and Sarah hear strange roars echoing around them. Sarah concludes that there's something in here meant to finish them off. They uneasily continue deeper into the tunnel and the Doctor fills Sarah in on who the Daleks are. She asks how come they can move if they're in machine shells. He explains that their movement is now governed by psychokinetic energy so it can't be affected by power drain. They come to a junction and the Doctor tells Sarah to wait whilst he explores one of the tunnels leading off.
As he leaves her, she is watched by a small Exxilon that startles her.
Down the corridor, the Doctor eventually comes face to face with the monster responsible for the roaring, it's a giant snake-like machine that rears up in front of him.
Back at the junction, the Exxilon tells her he is a friend. His name is Bellal.
He and his friend Gotal say they don't believe in sacrifice like the others - they are a more intelligent species. They help Sarah hide from a pair of Daleks that wander the tunnels looking for them. One of the Daleks goes down the tunnel that the Doctor did and comes across the snake-like creature which attacks it.
Bellal and company hide again when they hear something coming back up the tunnel. It turns out it's the Doctor who's taken one of the Daleks machine guns. He concludes that the snake is some kind of underground defence system for the city - a sort of "root". They are forced to flee when the remaining Dalek comes back.
On the surface, Galloway is ordered by the Daleks to force the Exillons to work, mining for the Parrinium.
Bellal explains that his people were once very technologically advanced and space faring. They built the city and made it sentient. Unfortunately, the city drove the Exillons out, The race slowly degenerated into a primitive society and worshiped that which preyed on them. Only a small number wished to destroy it.
Back on the surface, one of the city roots turns up in a lake and destroys one of the Exxilons and a Dalek, forcing them to move location to mine for the Parrinium.
From their conversations with Bellal, the Doctor recognises some of the inscriptions as being the same as on temples in Peru, indicating that the Exxilons were ancient astronauts.
The Doctor, Sarah and Bellal reach the city. The Doctor hails it as one of the seven hundred wonders of the universe. He stops Sarah and tells her to prepare the Marine's ship for take off as soon as the power is restored. She protests, but he makes it clear that the Parrinium is vital to millions. In addition, he says that if he fails to return, she should go with the Marines. She agrees and watches them leave.
The Doctor and Bellal get to the city and begin inspecting the inscriptions just as the Daleks turn up.
The Doctor discovers a secret entrance by tracing a non-recurring symbol and they both flee inside the city. This is the first of many logic tests that are required of any would-be visitors.
The next room they find themselves in has a maze on the wall,
The Doctor traces his finger over the path of the maze to get to the next room, just as the Daleks figure their way in through the first door.
The maze door leads to a blank corridor with a cheque pattern square on the floor halfway along. The Doctor and Bellal walk up to it, and the Doctor stops him, warning the Exxilon not to move.
The pattern is electrocuted and the Doctor figures his way across with the help of a coin, his Sonic Screwdriver and a bit of Venusian Hopscotch!
When the Daleks get to the hopscotch area, the first one rolls straight over it, getting shocked by 7,000 volts and having it's non-conductive shielding burnt out.
The second dalek blows holes in the floor with it's machine gun and rolls harmlessly over. They watch as the floor repairs itself afterwards.
Meanwhile, Sarah Jane heads to the Dalek camp and finds Jill Tarrant. She convinces her to risk capture by helping her switch the Daleks boxed up Parrinium for sand and rocks.
The Doctor and Bellal move on until they get to another room. This room is totally empty and the pair are stymied until a pulsating light fills the room and Bellal is possessed. The Doctor manages to talk Bellal out of killing him and knocks the Dalek gun out of his hand, defeating the mental conditioning.
A door appears and they are allowed to progress, leaving the room as the Daleks enter it.
Galloway and Hamilton arrive outside the city, and their Dalek captor forces them to climb up the pyramid to the beacon, warning them that they're in range of it's gun all the way.
Back inside the city, the Doctor and Bellal edge closer to the "brain" of the city. As they close in, the city assaults them with sound and light, hurting their brain and sending them on a very bad trip. Through strength of will alone, the pair overcome the test and another door appears, allowing them access to the brain. When they enter, they see a single chair against a bank of computers. An old Exxilon sat on the seat disintegrates to dust as they enter. The Doctor begins re-wiring the circuits of the brain, but as Bellal warned, the city begins to produce anti-bodies, spectral beings that are slowly brought into life.
The Doctor works fast and tells Bellal to warn him once they're completely formed.
Galloway and Hamilton get to the top of the beacon and set the charges. Galloway risks keeping one of the bombs himself.
Back at the Dalek camp, the guard realises that Jill Tarrant has escaped and commits suicide because of its failure, thus leaving the rest of the Exxilons unguarded.
Back in the brain room, Bellal is too busy questioning the Doctor to be watching the anti-bodies. They fully form and grab hold of the Doctor and Bellal. They are about to kill them when the Daleks turn up. The anti-bodies attack the Daleks instead, giving the Doctor and Bellal enough time to finish re-wiring the circuits and fleeing the city. The Doctor's handiwork has forced the city to begin self-destructing.
The Doctor and Bellal escape and find Sarah and Jill. They see that Hamilton and Galloway have been forced to load the Parrinium onto the Dalek saucer, seeing as all the Exxilons have fled. As they watch the scene, the Daleks find and capture them.
The bomb detonates and destroys the beacon, restoring power, allowing the Daleks to take off again. They sadistically allow the Doctor and the humans to remain on the planet, stating that they will hold the human worlds to ransom from the Parrinium and launch a plague missile onto the planet, making it impossible for humans to come to Exxilon to gather more of the mineral.
As the Daleks leave, Sarah announces that they've switched the Parrinium supply,
The Daleks fly into the air, not realising that Galloway has stowed away.
He detonates the remaining bomb and destroys the Dalek saucer before they can launch their missile.
Before they get the last of the Parrinium to the marine's ship, the Doctor, Sarah and the marines watch the city dissolve. The Doctor sighs and says there's only six hundred and ninety nine wonders of the universe left now.
Trivia
- This story was put in place because Terrence Dicks and Barry Letts, as you know, were busy with Moonbase 3. They needed someone who was a veteran who didn't need their hand holding - so let's call Terry Nation.
- This is the first script to be script edited by newly appointed editor, Robert Holmes
- Thankfully, he forced some changes to Terry Nation's tried and tested formula. This story was originally set in a jungle (again) where I'm guessing that the plants would somehow be closer to animals. Holmes made Nation change it
- Some sources say that the Director Michael Briant asked for the Daleks to be painted in the 60's colour scheme; some others say that they went back to the original props because the props used in Planet of the Daleks were inferior. I tend to believe the former, because the original props had blue domes.
- having said that, this might prove the other theory. Around the time of this story, two "grey" Daleks went missing. Here's the story. This is what happened about it. The culprit was never found.
- Because of timing reasons, the original cliffhanger for episode 3 was cut off and hence we get a puzzling one with the Doctor stopping Bellal next to the hopscotch square
- If you've watched Frontier in Space, you can see that Daleks and quarry's dont mix. Michael Briant knew this, so he arranged to move the Daleks using rails that camera's move on to help them get around their shots.
- I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but Barry Letts and Terrence Dicks were moving on, Katy Manning had left, Roger Delgado was dead, and the UNIT crew were in the show less and less. It was around the time they were filming this story that Jon Pertwee decided to leave along with the old guard. Work got underway to find a replacement.
What worked
- The moody lighting in episode one evoked a very sinister atmosphere
- The mystery of the TARDIS losing power also does very well
- The Exxilon costumes are some of the better ones, being up there with the Draconians
- The CSO with the city looked good too, on the scene where Sarah Jane finds the beacon
- It's nice to see Daleks having to use their initiative
- The city melting was quite good
What didn't work
- The space marines don't exactly look like Hicks or Hudson
- The Daleks plan is pulled together by the Daleks shouting, then they turn around and tell the Doctor who's stood next to them and he somehow doesn't know exactly what they're up to
- The city roots were clearly pulled by wires (and full of water when they come out of lakes)
- The terrible cliff-hanger on part 3
- The Dalek killing itself out of shame
- How daft are those who couldn't trace the maze lines and died in that room?
- I should say something about the pantomime style music too, but words escape me
Overall Feelings
Death to the Daleks starts off well. We have a mystery of the power drain on the TARDIS, the dark, eerie atmosphere of an alien planet and nothing but an oil lamp to help us. Sarah's presence and the moody music could trick us into believing this is the Brain of Morbius if we're not careful. There's even a strange cult wanting sacrifices and something that causes spaceships to "crash". Yet, this is far less remembered and loved than that show.
I think the reason why this falls short of the mark is because Terry Nation is trying to get away with his old tricks. He's used to churning out the same story that's gotten tired with very little repercussion. To be fair to him though, Terrence Dicks didn't have time to guide him in how the show had evolved, and Robert Holmes was still finding his own feet. it's amazing that he changed even these bits at the start. Needless to say, classic Who shines through this show, from the way Sarah Jane is dummed down to being a "what's that Doctor?" kind of assistant, who dutifully does as she's told; to the scene where the Daleks threaten to use a plague missile to nobody's surprise.
This story has a decent gem of an idea at it's core, but the execution is somewhat lacking. Thankfully, Nation will be forced to change his game significantly by the next time we see him.
Rating
6 out of 10
Rewatchability Factor
3 out of 10
Watch this if you liked...
Consulting the Matrix
Do you think that Bellal the Exxilon should have been a TARDIS companion?
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