Writer Terry
Nation
Director
Richard Martin
Broadcast 21st
November 1964
Reviewed by
Jeffrey Zyra
“During all
the years I've been taking care of you, you in return have been taking care of
me. You are still my grandchild and always will be. But now, you're a woman
too. I want you to belong somewhere, to have roots of your own. With David you
will be able to find those roots and live normally like any woman should do.
Believe me my dear, your future lies with David and not with a silly old buffer
like me. 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. Goodbye Susan. Goodbye my dear.”
The Dalek Invasion of Earth heralds
the return of the surprisingly popular Daleks.
They were so popular from their first appearance in season one that is
was a no brainer to bring them back. But
how do you do it? How do you bring back
a creature that appeared to have been destroyed in The Daleks and could not
leave the city because they could only move on the metal floor? Well this is science fiction and anything is
possible.
With very little explanation The
Daleks were able to move around by using what looks like a radar dish attached
to their back. Problem solved and now
The Daleks can go anywhere. Plus having
them invade and conquer Earth was a brilliant idea. Having them on earth ramps up their
popularity and now the viewers can see them around familiar landscapes like
near Big Ben and Parliament. Plus it
also increases the scare factor seeing them where you live especially for the
children watching. Best scene was the
reveal in World’s End when The Dalek came out of the Thames. One of the best scenes ever and one that is
amazing to see made all the more believable by the looks of astonishment from
The Doctor and Ian.
The Dalek Invasion of Earth is one of
my favorite Dalek stories and for that matter one of my favorite 1st
Doctor stories. Yes it’s a tad long and
drags at times but it is a really story.
It really does well in separating the main characters and giving them
all interesting storylines along the way.
Love the way the all get reunited at the mine and come together and help
defeat The Daleks. The Dalek Invasion of
Earth is one of the better Dalek stories that Terry Nation did write and his
ingenuity to expand on them did help keep Doctor Who going in those early
years. Thankfully he came up with the
idea of making them move outside of that city to menace the universe and to
give The Doctor an enemy to fight and a recurring villain to keep the fans waiting
with baited breath for their next appearance.
The Dalek Invasion of Earth is also a
very important story historically for Doctor Who. It is the first story that a companion leaves
the TARDIS. Carole Ann Ford becomes the
first of many companions to leave The Doctor and it is quite funny that it’s
his granddaughter who leaves first. But
anyway she is really good in The Dalek Invasion of Earth and gives a good
performance. In fact Susan’s departure
was made for her as The Doctor locked her out of the TARDIS. He knew she wouldn’t be able to make the
decision herself and he wanted her to go out on her own and have a life of her
own. Plus it was pretty obvious she had
feelings for David and The Doctor was aware of that and set her free.
The Dalek Invasion of Earth is one of
the finest Dalek stories and 1st Doctor stories. It is one of the best in Doctor Who and a
real gem with a historical aspect to the show.
Grade A
©BBC
Doctor Who 1963
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