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“THE EVIL OF THE DALEKS – THE FINAL FACTOR IN A MASTERFUL MISSING EPIC”

If The Power of the Daleks reintroduced the metal meanies with quiet menace, The Evil of the Daleks turns up the dial(ek) for a grand, operatic finale. Intended as their swansong (until ratings saved them), David Whitaker’s seven-part story is an ambitious, genre-blending epic that bounces from 1960s London to Victorian horror and ends with an explosive return to Skaro. Though mostly missing from the archives, the impressive 2021 animation brings this story roaring back to life – and what a story it is.

WHITAKER’S WONDERFULLY WICKED PLAN

Almost five years into Doctor Who, it’s astonishing that the show still found fresh ways to reshape its structure. Whitaker, the series' first script editor and long-time Dalek whisperer, delivers a story that feels at once classic and progressive. He blends historical drama with science fiction, noirish intrigue, and philosophical debate, crafting something that pushes the boundaries of 1960s Doctor Who.

Unlike other Dalek stories, this one takes its time, allowing mystery to develop gradually. It begins where The Faceless Ones ends, with the Doctor and Jamie giving chase after the stolen TARDIS. The mystery unfolds quickly, dragging the pair into a beautifully constructed trap, with elements of Victorian horror, secret rooms, time-travel experiments, and whispered names of unseen horrors.

The first few episodes function like a Gothic mystery—secret experiments, disorienting technology, and sinister gentlemen in frock coats. Whitaker is excellent at building up the dread slowly, and the reveal of the Daleks is all the more shocking for it. Episode 2, the only surviving episode, contains one of the finest "Dalek reveal" moments ever, topped only by Troughton’s expression of absolute horror.

The electronic buzzing in Waterfield’s secret room is deliciously eerie and adds to the sense of dislocation and unease. The cliffhanger at the end of Part 1 – with a Dalek revealed once more – is a classic beat echoing all the way back to their 1963 debut.

THE HUMAN FACTOR

Much of the story’s thematic core revolves around the Daleks’ search for the "Human Factor" – an experiment to unlock the traits that make humans resilient, unpredictable, and successful. Jamie becomes the unwilling test subject, participating in a sort of morality obstacle course alongside Kemel. Their journey – starting in mistrust and ending in friendship – is simple but effective, allowing Whitaker to explore the concept of humanity through action.

The gauntlet of traps Jamie and Kemel tackle in Part 4 is surprisingly fun and a welcome bit of action amidst the philosophy. And there’s even a swordfight in Part 5 – beautifully realised in animation – which adds a swashbuckling flair to the proceedings.

The twist, of course, is that this was all a ruse. The Daleks’ real aim is to discover what makes them Daleks – and weaponise it. The so-called Human Factor is just a stepping stone to infusing Daleks with the Dalek Factor, which they intend to spread across time and space. The cliffhanger in Part 5, in which the Daleks ominously take the Doctor “for a ride”, is darkly comedic and deeply disturbing.

It’s a deliciously ironic narrative: the Daleks, seeking to understand humanity, end up engineering their own downfall. The humanised Daleks are unnerving, bizarre, even funny—making their ultimate rebellion all the more powerful. This is perhaps the first instance in Doctor Who where the Daleks truly self-destruct.

SKARO STRIKES BACK

The final episodes take us to Skaro, marking the first return visit to a non-Earth location in the series. The Skaro material is fantastic, filled with gloomy atmosphere, moral reckoning, and booming Dalek declarations. The design, recreated in animation, evokes scale and danger; the Emperor Dalek is a stunning visual – bloated, immobile, and utterly commanding.

The climactic Dalek civil war is a barnstorming conclusion. The conflict between the humanised and pure Daleks erupts into chaos, complete with betrayal, explosions, and genocide. Yes, genocide – the Doctor knowingly unleashes a rebellion that wipes out the Dalek species. It’s an act of chilling calculation, and Troughton plays it with brilliant restraint and moral ambiguity.

TROUGHTON, JAMIE, AND THE HEART OF THE SHOW

Troughton dials down the buffoonery for a more calculating and manipulative incarnation. In these seven episodes, he’s at his most layered—deceptive, vulnerable, angry, and even a little frightening. His performance in the final parts, particularly when affected by the Dalek Factor, is a masterclass. His robotic Dalek-speak is both hilarious and chilling.

Whitaker uses this story as a great way to put some strain on the relationship between the Doctor and Jamie, with the latter being unwilling to function as bait for the Daleks. These clashes between a Doctor and their companion are rare but provide a nice way to explore how differently they sometimes view things.

Frazer Hines continues to shine as Jamie, and Evil gives him plenty to do. His growing frustration with the Doctor’s manipulations is understandable and adds tension to their dynamic. Their relationship is tested here in ways few Classic Who stories ever attempt. The Sherlock-and-Watson style buddy act remains intact, but the friction gives it real edge.

“You’re foreign! I’m Scottish!” remains one of Jamie’s best lines and perfectly encapsulates his blunt, no-nonsense charm.

This is also a rare moment for this pairing because one more companion mostly joins them. Incoming companion Victoria appears throughout the serial doing mostly nothing, but at least we get a good feel for the kind of character she is. The reasons for her joining the Doctor and Jamie at the end are also unique; she has no choice with her father dead and no home to return to.

MAD SCIENTISTS AND METAL MEN

The supporting cast are a treat. Marius Goring’s Maxtible is a booming, bearded delight—equal parts manipulative alchemist and mad scientist, with his greed for turning lead into gold providing the story’s weakest but most classic-Troughton-madcap motivation. John Bailey as Waterfield is more grounded and sympathetic, and the story takes care to invest in both characters' motivations.

Theodor Maxtible is one of those immensely memorable supporting characters who pop up from time to time. He looks like Karl Marx and has quite a booming presence. He is the epitome of a brilliant and slightly mad scientist. But whereas the Joseph Furst variant from The Underwater Menace took inspiration from Bond movies, Maxtible feels closer to a literature-influenced scientist.

Kemel, however, has aged poorly. The mute Turkish strongman trope is handled with basic dignity, but the character is nonetheless reductive, used more as a plot function than a person. Likewise, the hypnosis subplot and Terrall hearing Dalek voices feels out of step with the stronger parts of the script.

ANIMATION NATION

The 2021 black-and-white animation is superb. Character models are expressive, action sequences are clear, and the final Dalek civil war is brought to life with dramatic weight. Skaro looks vast and haunting, and the Dalek Emperor is suitably massive. While we’ve only got one episode left in the archive, the animation gives us the most satisfying way to enjoy this story today.

The story is also quite visual – full of challenges, fights, traps and battles – so it’s one of the best choices for animation. The Skaro sequences in particular look amazing.

HUMAN OR TIME LORD?

One of the more fascinating undercurrents in the story is how the Daleks perceive the Doctor. "You have travelled too much in time; you're more than human" – a line that predates The War Games and demonstrates how, at this stage, the Doctor is still being written as a mysterious man, not explicitly a Time Lord. This plays wonderfully into the story’s themes of humanity and identity. In the eyes of the Daleks, the Doctor is something altogether other – more than man, less than Dalek.

📝THE BOTTOM LINE:

The Evil of the Daleks is a rich, complex, and hauntingly ambitious finale to the Troughton-Dalek saga, bringing thematic depth and narrative intrigue to a seven-part story that mostly justifies its length. With strong performances, inventive storytelling, and a powerful animated restoration, it remains one of the finest and most audacious serials of the 1960s. 9/10.