Doctor Who In An Exciting Adventure With The Daleks

[Pip Madeley]

The Doctor, Susan and their uninvited guests Ian & Barbara have just escaped from the Cave of Skulls, and the TARDIS lands in an alien forest. Unknown to them, the radiation outside is way past the acceptable safety margin... I've been watching this story, so I thought I'd post a little review and see what the rest of you thought of the serial.

It's clear from the outset that this is the story that embedded Doctor Who into the public consciousness, and that's due to the fantastic creations that are the Daleks. It's funny to watch them 'for the first time' as it were, trying to forget everything that would follow down the years, when they became boring all-conquering megalomaniacs - they've got a bit more character than that here, and although there's the obvious Nazi comparisons, it's understandable considering there was only 18 years between the end of WW2 and its production. Shame that it was made a bit too obvious by their Nazi-esque salutes in episode six. Meanwhile in the blue corner, there's the Thals, all well acted, all well characterised, all is well - well, apart from the unconvincing costumes, although the bird looks nice...

The story itself is an obvious rip-off of H.G Wells' The Time Machine, so much so that I'm amazed it didn't cause problems with his estate at the time. The Thals are the Eloi, the Daleks are the Morlocks, the plot even follows a similar path as the TARDIS crew are about to leave but realise the Daleks have the fluid link, just as the Traveller's machine is taken into the Morlock city. The theme of pacifism as a way of life is interesting, with the Thals trying to keep their values as their leader is mercilessly exterminated by the paranoid race that want them all dead. Intelligent stuff for a teatime kids show.

The visual elements are quite impressive for the time, they really stretched the Lime Grove studios to their limit, particularly during episodes five and six. The swamp in particular is a triumph for the production team. The Dalek city also looks timeless with the 'metal walls', although it's clear that the Doctor and his party are banging on a make-believe window during episode four. The Daleks themselves look great, particularly the eye stalk with its animated iris, I always loved that effect, it made them seem even more 'alive'. The plunger's a bit embarrassing, but it's used to great effect in the oft-mentioned first cliffhanger, which is quite something.

It's interesting to watch the reprise for the second episode (which actually came from the abandoned first episode) because Barbara's reaction isn't as intense, nor effective. The Dalek mutant is only glimpsed for a second or two , but the reactions of Ian and the Doctor almost make you frightened, excellent acting from both of them.

Onto the cast. William Hartnell gives another assured performance as the Doctor despite being sidelined for a fair bit throughout the story (particularly in the later episodes). But when he's on screen he's great, especially when he's suffering from radiation sickness & facing interrogation from the Daleks. He slips between the two personas (kind old man & utter bastard) with utter conviction, as one minute he's joking at the food machine, the next he's decieving the others into believing the TARDIS cannot leave the planet. The Doctor's really arrogant and ruthless, you can understand why they wanted to mellow it in the next few stories, as there's a danger he can become unlikable. But he does show a moral side, as he helps the Thals defeat their aggressors, and lambasts the Daleks for their "senseless, evil killing".

Giving Hartnell a run for his money is William Russell, who gets more than his fair share of screen time as Ian (Nation must've identified with him more). Ian's arguments with the selfish Doctor are a highlight of the story. Speaking of conflicts between regulars, there's a great four-hander between the TARDIS crew in episode five as they debate their next move, Ian's moral view winning through. Ian's given the role of the future Doctor really, he does more to help the situation than any other character, as he convinces the Thals to stand up for themselves, attempts to save them from the ambush, and takes charge of the TARDIS crew. It must have been refreshing for Russell to act out. Jacqueline Hill's performance as Barbara meanwhile is a bit sub-standard, her reaction to the petrified creature in episode one was laid on a bit too thick for me. Nation didn't help matters with his writing for her, I can't believe Barbara would for a moment think it would be right for the Thals to fight for them (as cannon fodder) just so they could retrieve the fluid link and she could get away. Just didnt ring true. Carole Ann Ford meanwhile gives a standard turn as Susan, worthy of a mention is her performance at the conclusion of episode two as Susan is forced to return into the dangerous, foreboding jungle, with the lightning showing (perhaps not purposefully) through the console room walls - terrific stuff. Shame there's not much for her to do except go into hysterics beyond episode three.

A big postive in this story is the incidental music from Tristram Cary - musique concrete I believe it's called. It's obvious that it was thought successful at the time because it was used in later stories, most memorably during 'The Power of the Daleks'. I'm glad I own it on CD!

The story really suffers in one respect, though - padding. The first four episodes are so superbly paced (and episode four has a superb cliffhanger), that it's painfully obvious that the last three were stretched out, they really do drag along, particularly the journey through the tunnels. Although episode six has a memorable cliffhanger, it's disposable storytelling. The finale is all a bit confused and rushed too - the countdown disappears when it gets to four (due to a forced halt in the recording apparently), and the 'plan' to throw rocks at the Daleks doesn't really convince or impress, it's quite clear that they are defeated by accident when one of the Daleks is thrown towards a power bank, draining it away. All a bit of a damp squib, really. The goodbyes are padded too, although it's a touching scene between Antodus and Barbara, the way she kisses him goodbye and runs into the TARDIS is touching.

To conclude, it's a story that's infamous in history now, and probably saved Doctor Who being curtailed after 13 weeks. I wouldn't be here typing this review now if it wasn't a success. And it is a success on many levels, despite losing a lot of momentum halfway through. A brave programme for the time. So cheers to Ian Levine for saving it for us, even though he is a bit of an arse.

[Andrew Curnow]

Good review, Pip - I've got to go to work in a roly-mo, so I'll post some more thoughts later. I agree that it loses a bit of momentum during the 'trip through the mountains' episodes, but the scary atmosphere of the earlier episodes is tip-top. Not sure about the connection with "The Time Machine" though - in that, weren't the Eloi effectively the battery-hens of the Morlox, rather than enemies?

[SiHart]

I have lots to say about this story, but I have to save them, as there's a long review of season 1 on the way...

Si xx

[Captain Tancredi]

Good review, Pip - I've got to go to work in a roly-mo, so I'll post some more thoughts later. I agree that it loses a bit of momentum during the 'trip through the mountains' episodes, but the scary atmosphere of the earlier episodes is tip-top. Not sure about the connection with "The Time Machine" though - in that, weren't the Eloi effectively the battery-hens of the Morlox, rather than enemies?

I can remember reading 'The Time Machine' a few years ago and thinking that it must have been a template for how the Hartnell serials in particular were structured- journey through time to an unknown place, have a scout round, get separated from the time machine itself, involve yourself in the local ongoing conflict and emerge by the skin of your teeth. After all, I suppose there weren't that many models for them to work from.

[Jason Thompson]

Nice review, Pip. Just a few comments, if I may. I might go into more depth later, when it isn't midnight and I don't have to be at work tomorrow morning....

It's funny to watch them 'for the first time' as it were, trying to forget everything that would follow down the years, when they became boring all-conquering megalomaniacs - they've got a bit more character than that here

Agreed. In some ways they almost are not the Daleks that we all came to know, because they haven't been around for so long that everyone thinks they know what they are like.

The story itself is an obvious rip-off of H.G Wells' The Time Machine, so much so that I'm amazed it didn't cause problems with his estate at the time.

To be fair, the Time Machine was written in the late 1800s, so was well out of copyright by the time this story came along.... Remember also that it predated even the ability to make a filmic or televisual adaptation, so no such contractual restrictions could ever have existed.

Intelligent stuff for a teatime kids show.

Not conceived as a kids show. Expected to have a good child audience yes, but not a kids show. It was expected to appeal to all the family.

The visual elements are quite impressive for the time, they really stretched the Lime Grove studios to their limit, particularly during episodes five and six. The swamp in particular is a triumph for the production team.

Couldn't agree more. It looks great almost 45 years on.

The Daleks themselves look great, particularly the eye stalk with its animated iris, I always loved that effect, it made them seem even more 'alive'.

I love it too. It just looks so tacky in later stories when the eye is so obviously just painted on.

The plunger's a bit embarrassing, but it's used to great effect in the oft-mentioned first cliffhanger, which is quite something.

I don't know, to me that first cliffhanger is still someone being menaced by a sink plunger. What is good is that the Daleks use their plungers here, manipulating controls, holding trays, even passing things to each other.

Giving Hartnell a run for his money is William Russell, who gets more than his fair share of screen time as Ian (Nation must've identified with him more).

Remember that in the original show description, Ian is the hero role, not the Doctor. The Doctor is the mystery, the unknown quantity, the one we're not sure of. Ian is in many ways the central character of the show in these early stories.

Nation didn't help matters with his writing for her, I can't believe Barbara would for a moment think it would be right for the Thals to fight for them (as cannon fodder) just so they could retrieve the fluid link and she could get away. Just didnt ring true.

To me it did. She's a very unwilling adventurer, and she really wants to go home. That whole scene comes across as her being so blinded by her desire to leave the place she's just been nearly killed in that she can't see the Thals as people until Ian points out the hollow victory that the retrieval of the fluid link will be for the Thals if they don't get anything out of it for themselves. Her shamed look and inability to loko Ian in the eye when he points this out says it all, and thereafter she is immediately accepting of the right of the situation, as is, the Doctor.

A big postive in this story is the incidental music from Tristram Cary - musique concrete I believe it's called. It's obvious that it was thought successful at the time because it was used in later stories, most memorably during 'The Power of the Daleks'. I'm glad I own it on CD!

The music is great, isn't it?

[Captain Tancredi]

To be fair, the Time Machine was written in the late 1800s, so was well out of copyright by the time this story came along.... Remember also that it predated even the ability to make a filmic or televisual adaptation, so no such contractual restrictions could ever have existed.

Umm, Wells died in 1946, so under the rules applicable in 1963, 'The Time Machine' would have been comfortably under copyright.

[Pip Madeley]

There's a little bit of truth in both - The Time Machine is "public domain" in the USA, Canada, and Australia, but does not enter the public domain here in Europe until 2017.

[Captain Tancredi]

There's something funny about Wells's copyright full stop- the same seems to apply to 'The Invisible Man' according to John Sutherland. The transatlantic copyright issue was supposedly resolved in Dickens's time (one of the factors holding back novel writing in America was the availability of cheap pirated editions of popular English novels).

As some of you may have noticed, I'm in a niggling mood today.

[Andrew Curnow]

Either way, I'm not sure The Daleks is a close enough match to have got any lawyers excited back in 1964.