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60)DAY OF THE DALEKS

1-22 January 1972

Average Viewing Figure: 8.2M

Plot

What links a peace conference in the 1970s and a Dalek Invasion in the 22nd century? The Doctor is about to find out

Cast

Jon Pertwee (The Doctor), Jean McFarlane (Miss Paget), Wilfred Carter (Sir Regjnald Styles), Tim Condren (Guerilla)

Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart), Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Rick Lester, Maurice Bush (Ogrons)

Richard Franklin (Captain Yates), John Levene (Sergeant Benton), John Scott Martin, Ricky Newby, Murphy Grumbar (Daleks)

Oliver Gilbert, Peter Messaline (Dalek Voices), Aubrey Woods (Controller), Deborah Brayshaw (Girl Technician)

Gypsie Kemp (UNIT Radio Operator), Anna Barry (Anat), Jimmy Winston (Shura), Scott Fredericks (Boaz)

David Joyce, Frank Menzies, Bruce Wells, Geoffrey Todd (Ogrons), Valentine Palmer (Monia), Andrew Carr (Senior Guard)

George Raistrick (Guard at Work Centre), Peter Hill (Manager), Alex MacIntosh (Television Reporter)

​

Uncredited Cast

Scarlett O'Dare, Alison Daumler, Karen Burch (Daleks' Girl Technicians), Brychan Powell (Daleks' Guard), Emmett Hennessy

Stephen Ismay, Jim Dowdall, Brian Justice (Guerrillas), Robin Baldwin, Paul Huckin, Glen Whitter, Betty Cameron, Jeanne Doree

Iris Fry, Anne Priestley, Jane Cousins, Eileen Winterton, Len Saunders, Desmond Verini, Robert Bauld, Pat Taylor, Gaynor Jackson

Suzanne Jackson (Slaves),  Alan Cope (Russian Diplomat), Brychan Powell (Russian Aide), Sam Mansaray (African Diplomat)

Glen Whitter (African Aide), Charles Adey-Gray (American Diplomat), Emmett Henessy (American Aide), Basil Tang (Chinese Diplomat)

Vincent Wong (Chinese Aide), Desmond Verini (Styles' Aide)

Cast

Louis Marks (Director), Rick Lester (Fight Arranger), Ron Grainer (Title Music), Daleks Originated by Terry Nation

Dudley Simpson (Incidental Music), Fred Hamilton (Film Cameraman), Dan Rae (Film Editor), Jim Ward (Visual Effects)

Mary Husband (Costumes), Heather Stewart (Make-Up), Alan Horne (Lighting), Tony Millier (Sound), Terrance Dicks (Script Editor)

David Myerscough-Jones (Designer), Barry Letts (Producer), Paul Bernard (Director)

​

Uncredited Crew

Ted Childs (Grips), Chris King (Sound Recordist), Norman Johnstone (Film Sound Assistant), Brian Easton, Brian Jones (Film Camera Assistants)

Alan Arbuthnott, Derek Martin (Technical Managers), Sid Lomax (Graphics), Fiona Comrie (Design Assistant)

Sarah Newman (Production Secretary), Carolyn Driver (Director's Assistant), George Bayton (Music Copyist)

Gordon Phillipson (Grams Operator), Dorothy Elliott, Roger Hulme (Props Buyer), Mike Catherwood (Vision Mixer)

John O'Shaunessy (Floor Assistant), Norman Stewart (Production Assistant)​

Broadcast

Filming Locations

  • BBC Television Centre: Studio 4

  • Dropmore Park, Burnham, Bucks

  • Harvey House, Brentford, London

  • Bulls Bridge, Hillingdon, London

  • BBC Television Centre: Studio 8

Deaths

  • Guerilla [possibly killed when returned to his own time]​

  • Daleks [killed in an explosion]

  • Dalek [killed when Boaz attaches a bomb to its casing

  • Controller [exterminated by a Dalek] ​

  • Shura [sacrifices his own life to stop the Daleks]

  • Boaz [killed when a Dalek explodes near him]​

  • Manager [killed by an Ogron]​

  • UNIT Soldiers [two are killed by Shura]

  • Ogrons [two are killed by Shura]

  • Ogron [killed by Anat]

  • Ogron [killed by The Doctor]

  • Ogron [killed by the The Brigadier]

  • Guerilla [killed by an Ogron]

  • Ogron [killed by an unknown Guerilla]

  • UNIT Soldiers [two are exterminated by a Dalek]

  • UNIT Soldiers [killed in battle]

  • Ogrons [killed in battle]

  • Ogrons [killed in an explosion]

  • UNIT Soldiers [killed in a battle with The Daleks]

Production Days

  • 9 Days between Tuesday 7 September - Tuesday 19 October 1971

Production Errors

  1. At the start of episodes two, three and four, a few seconds of the opening theme music is played over the reprises

  2. The Guerrillas' time travel device is very inconsistent throughout; during episode one, it transports the owner of the device, in episode two it transports whoever is holding it, and in episode three it transports anyone close by

  3. During the Dalek and Orgon battle sequence, the feet of the Golden Dalek operator can be seen

  4. One Ogron speaks a lot faster than the others, considering their supposed to be beings with low intelligence 

  5. When the Controller asks Jo where she came from, how he is able to determine the year just with the location alone? Wouldn't he need more information? That would be like someone saying 'I came from Bannockburn' and the Controller concluding they came from 1314 - because reasons. 

  6. Why do Historians think Styles blew up his own home, killing all of the Delegates and himself in the process? If he wanted power, he's not likely to take a major risk and endanger his own life 

  7. The Daleks and Ogrons are the worst attackers in history, allowing everyone to get away from the front

  8. During interior shots of Styles' living room/study, there is clearly a tree just outside the window, however, during exteriors shots, there are no trees near the house to account for the mysterious tree

  9. Audrey House is the worst location to hold a peace conference; the doors are blown open with the slightest gust of wind, and the back

  10. Why does Jo look so happy after The Doctor asks her 'So do we. We've seen it happen, haven't we, Jo?' - she saw a ravaged Earth, thousands of people enslaved etc. etc. 

  11. The getaway chase scene where The Doctor rides a bike lasts a total of mere seconds 

  12. It takes people a few seconds to react to a klaxon sound in episode one 

Working Titles

  • The Time Warriors

Verdict

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, where to start. After five long year of Dalek absence THEY’RE BACK! and guess what? They suck. The Daleks are at their all-time worst with this worthless effort; they barely appear in the narrative, and spend most of their time tucked away in a tight-knit corner. What about the rest of the narrative?
Well, the story is atrocious. We have a peace conference (haven’t seen that yet) and a stubborn politician who refuses to listen to The Doctor (haven’t seen that yet) and a story about meddling with time (haven’t seen that yet): yeah the story is nothing original, and simply recycles troupes from the previous two years. The plot is apparently so lacking any discipline that plot holes, inconsistences, and downright mistakes continually seep into every corner; which is no surprise since it is obvious no one cared about creating a decent level of television drama within the confines of a comfortable budget.
The cliffhangers are some of the all-time worst, usually involving the Daleks exclaiming that they will exterminate The Doctor, a BILLION TIMES, without actually doing so. The big battle sequence at the end is not much better. The director was obviously more interested in using fast-cutting shots, than shooting the battle up-straight which would have been far more exciting; it’s like he wanted the battle sequence to be over, just to get to the climax, which was ruined much, much earlier. Speaking of the direction; there are far too many fancy shots, horribly edited sound effects, and action sequences which are so b-movieish. Perhaps more questionable is the manner of The Doctor. He knows full well the extent of the situation he finds himself; but for the most part his laidback attitudes whilst he reminiscences about cheese and wine is a cause for concern; even Jo looks strangely smug at the end; the pair look like everything they went through was merely a holiday. Very strange indeed!
There are absolutely no redeeming features – okay the Ogrons are cool – but that is it.. Day of the Daleks is without a doubt the worst Dalek story and a real contender for the all-time worst. Yes, that includes The Twin Dilemma which looks like Van Gogh’s Starry Night compared to this. Awful.*

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