The Dalek Invasion of Earth

Directed by

Runtime

150 minutes

Story Type

Companion Exit

Time Travel

Future

Tropes (Potential Spoilers!)

Earth Invasion, Mind Control, Mining, Post apocalyptic

Location (Potential Spoilers!)

Bedfordshire, Earth, England, London

Synopsis

The TARDIS returns to London; however, it's the 22nd century. With bodies in the river, and quiet in the Docklands, the city is a very different place. The Daleks have invaded and it's up to the Doctor to thwart them once again.

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6 Episodes

World’s End

First aired

Saturday, November 21, 1964

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

11.4 million

Appreciation Index

Synopsis

Ian and Barbara believe the TARDIS has finally returned to their contemporary London, but soon discover signs of plague and warfare. Their old enemies, the Daleks, have invaded the Earth of the 22nd century. Separated and fighting for their lives, the travellers must try to aid the remaining humans and overthrow the Daleks' cruel tyranny.

The Daleks

First aired

Saturday, November 28, 1964

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

12.4 million

Appreciation Index

Synopsis

The Doctor and Ian are taken to the Dalek saucer while Susan and Barbara join the rebels in planning an attack.

Day of Reckoning

First aired

Saturday, December 5, 1964

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

11.9 million

Appreciation Index

Synopsis

The Doctor manages to escape from the Dalek saucer and meet up with Susan and David but Ian is left trapped onboard. Meanwhile, Barbara and her new friends face a dangerous journey across London.

The End of Tomorrow

First aired

Saturday, December 12, 1964

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

11.9 million

Appreciation Index

Synopsis

While Susan and David try to find a way out of London, Ian and Larry infiltrate the Dalek mine workings.

The Waking Ally

First aired

Saturday, December 19, 1964

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

11.4 million

Appreciation Index

Synopsis

The Doctor's party investigate the Daleks' central control in Bedfordshire while Barbara and Jenny's attempt to reach it are derailed when they are betrayed.

Flashpoint

First aired

Saturday, December 26, 1964

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

12.4 million

Appreciation Index

Synopsis

The Daleks' plan to transform Earth into a giant spaceship and wipe out its inhabitants is nearing completion and the Doctor and his friends face a race against time to prevent them from destroying the planet's core.

Characters

First Doctor

William Hartnell

Susan

Carole Ann Ford

How to watch The Dalek Invasion of Earth:

Watch on iPlayer

Blu-Ray

The Collection – Season 2

DVD

The Dalek Collection

DVD

40th Anniversary 1963-2003: Dalek Collector‘s Edition

DVD

The Dalek Invasion of Earth

VHS

The Dalek Invasion of Earth (VHS) (Part 1)

VHS

The Dalek Invasion of Earth (VHS) (Part 2)

VHS

Daleks: The Early Years (VHS)

Reviews
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15 reviews

This review contains spoilers!

An indisputable classic. Iconic scenes of Daleks in London, the "it is forbidden to dump bodies in the river" sign, and of course the Doctor's farewell speech to Susan. Would of been even better with an episode or two less.

Scottybguud

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Review last edited on 20-03-25

This review contains spoilers!

I understand why this episode is so well-liked. There are a lot of little moments to love, realistic and interesting side characters, and, of course, the first companion send-off.

I do think, however, that it's a little over-long. There's a lot that could have been cut from the middle episodes without harming the plot at all. I probably would have liked this a lot more if it was an episode or two shorter. It made the first watch boring, and the second watch nearly impossible to get through.

Still, among the mundanity, there's a lot to like. The scene where Barbara runs over a bunch of daleks is seared in my mind as a highlight. The two women who turned in Barbara and Jenny to the Daleks in exchange for food is a poignant moment. Every scene with Susan and David that leads to her eventually staying with him is surprisingly well done and engaging. While I do think it wasn't a great way to remove her character from the show, I think it could have been handled a lot worse.

uss-genderprise

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Review last edited on 14-03-25

This review contains spoilers!

A widely regarded classic, The Dalek Invasion of Earth was pretty fun on the whole. I quite enjoyed most of the human characters and the dynamic of the Daleks in a more familiar setting for the first time. The departure of Susan very much sticks out in memory but looking back at it, this moment kind of comes out of nowhere and feels like a bizarre punctuation on a character that never got fleshed out, even when compared to Susan's contemporaries Barbara and Ian.

Plus the story definitely feels like it winds down over time. I really was energized and enjoyed the first few episodes of this serial but by the end I was just bored. Six episodes felt unnecessary and the content got a little repetitive after a while. I wish I had more fun with this story than I did, overall, but there are aspects of it that are great and it does feel worthy of revisiting some day.

dema1020

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Like Liked 2

Review last edited on 5-02-25

This review contains spoilers!

The first episode with Daleks was crap, clearly, next to the incomparable The Dalek Invasion of Earth.

What an extremely good arc. We feel all the passion of Terry NATION's writing, and his incomparable pen. It's also the end of Susan's adventures, and it does us the greatest good!

7/10

Pandhawk

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Review last edited on 2-02-25

This review contains spoilers!

This story is a classic, and for good reason. The main cast are all excellent, but really this is one of Doctor Who's most ambitious stories considering the time it was made sixty years ago. All of the location filming and placing the Daleks now as masters of Earth, it's great riveting fun. Things do get a bit creaky near the end, but the final episode is legitimately fantastic. Susan's departure is also handled so incredibly well and earnestly despite it being the first of "woman leaves for man she just met" exits. Hartnell is already clearly the Doctor we all know and love as well. Was probably going to be four stars, but that last episode brought it up!

Guardax

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Review last edited on 28-12-24