📝9/10

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“The Daleks’ Master Plan: Doctor Who Goes Space Opera”

The Daleks' Master Plan stands as a monumental achievement in the history of Doctor Who. Spanning twelve episodes, it is the longest serial in the show’s history and represents an era when storytelling was not afraid to take risks, embrace ambition, and delve into darker, more mature territory. Co-written by Terry Nation and Dennis Spooner, this serial encapsulates the sprawling scope of a space opera, complete with shifting locations, political intrigue, and high-stakes drama that ultimately earns its reputation as one of the show’s most significant achievements.

At its core, The Daleks' Master Plan is a tale of survival and resistance in the face of overwhelming odds. The Doctor, Steven, and their allies are pitted against the Daleks at their most calculated and ruthless. The stakes couldn’t be higher: universal domination is the Daleks' goal, and their alliance with the conniving Mavic Chen, Guardian of the Solar System, only adds to the tension. This is not a simple battle of wits or escape story; it’s a sustained struggle to prevent the annihilation of freedom and life across the cosmos. With the introduction of the devastating Time Destructor as the Daleks’ ultimate weapon, the serial achieves a level of gravity rarely seen in early Doctor Who.

The first episode establishes a tone of foreboding and urgency. The Doctor is forced to land on the jungle planet of Kembel to save Steven, who was injured during the events of the previous story, The Myth Makers. Kembel, a foreboding forest world, is a masterpiece of atmosphere, its oppressive design reflecting the looming danger of the Daleks’ master plan. We are introduced to Bret Vyon, a hotheaded but determined agent of the Space Security Service (SSS), whose presence adds a sharp dynamic to the group. He is played by Nicholas Courtney in his Doctor Who debut, and seeing him here as a determined and no-nonsense character is somewhat odd when one is used to seeing him as the Brigadier.

As the story unfolds, the TARDIS crew uncovers the Daleks’ alliance with a coalition of alien delegates, each representing a different corner of the universe. The design of these delegates may lean toward the absurd, but they underline the story’s galactic scale, presenting a universe teetering on the brink of catastrophe.

The Doctor’s moral authority and resourcefulness are showcased repeatedly throughout the story, cementing William Hartnell’s interpretation of the character as a determined and defiant protector of life. In one of his finest performances, Hartnell portrays a Doctor who is unwavering in his commitment to stopping the Daleks, yet deeply affected by the losses and sacrifices along the way. His ingenuity shines, whether he’s creating a fake taranium core to deceive the Daleks or infiltrating their council chamber disguised as one of the delegates. The weight of the conflict is evident in Hartnell’s performance, particularly in moments of introspection after Katarina’s death and during the devastating finale. Even as his health was reportedly beginning to fail, Hartnell brought a commanding presence to this serial, delivering one of his most memorable performances.

The supporting cast is a highlight, with each character contributing to the emotional depth of the story. Katarina, the young Trojan woman who joined the Doctor at the end of The Myth Makers, serves as an early example of how Doctor Who could explore the alienation and confusion of someone plucked from their own time. Tragically, her lack of understanding of the technology and conflicts around her also make her a liability. This becomes painfully evident in Episode 4 when she sacrifices herself to save the others. Her death, the first for a companion in the show’s history, is shocking in its abruptness and sets the tone for the story’s willingness to embrace darker, more serious consequences. Adrienne Hill portrays Katarina with sincerity, but the character is written as so out of her depth that she struggles to make a lasting impact before her exit.

Jean Marsh’s Sara Kingdom, who joins the story later, provides a stark contrast. A capable and independent agent of the SSS, Sara is a complex character torn between her loyalty to her superiors and the moral awakening she experiences after realizing the depth of Mavic Chen’s betrayal. Marsh brings intensity and gravitas to the role, making Sara a standout companion despite her brief tenure. Her tragic death in the final episode, as she succumbs to the effects of the Time Destructor, is one of the most harrowing moments in Doctor Who history and underscores the immense cost of the Doctor’s battle against the Daleks.

The villains are equally compelling. The Daleks are portrayed as cold, calculating, and utterly ruthless, a significant improvement from their more whimsical depiction in earlier stories like The Chase. Their alliance with Mavic Chen is a fascinating exploration of how human ambition and greed can align with alien malevolence. Kevin Stoney’s performance as Mavic Chen is mesmerizing, capturing both the megalomania and fragility of a man who believes he can control the Daleks. Chen’s descent into paranoia and eventual betrayal by his supposed allies is a satisfying narrative arc that highlights the futility of hubris when faced with the Daleks’ relentless pursuit of domination.

The scale of The Daleks' Master Plan is one of its defining features. The story spans multiple planets, introduces new technologies like the taranium core and the Time Destructor, and even features a return appearance by the Meddling Monk, played with delightful mischief by Peter Butterworth. The inclusion of the Monk adds a lighter touch to the latter half of the story, particularly during the episodes set in Ancient Egypt, but his schemes never detract from the overarching tension.

Despite its many strengths, the serial is not without flaws. At twelve episodes, it often feels bloated, with some episodes dragging as the characters engage in lengthy discussions or repetitive action sequences. The infamous The Feast of Steven, a comedic interlude originally broadcast on Christmas Day 1965, is a tonal misstep that disrupts the flow of the narrative. While the episode’s metatextual humour and Hartnell’s fourth-wall-breaking Christmas greeting are charming in isolation, they feel out of place within the larger context of the serial. Similarly, some of the alien delegates are so absurdly designed that they verge on parody, undermining the otherwise serious tone.

The production’s limitations are also evident in the reliance on reconstructed material for the many missing episodes. While the Loose Cannon reconstructions do an admirable job of piecing together the story through telesnaps and audio, the loss of visual material robs certain scenes—such as the devastating effects of the Time Destructor—of their full impact.

Nevertheless, the final episodes bring the story to a breathtaking conclusion. The Time Destructor, a device capable of accelerating time to devastating effect, becomes the focal point of the climactic battle. As the Doctor and Sara race to stop the Daleks, the device’s horrifying power is unleashed, ageing Sara to death and leaving the Doctor physically and emotionally exhausted. The bleakness of the finale, with its emphasis on sacrifice and the cost of victory, is a testament to the serial’s willingness to push the boundaries of what Doctor Who could achieve.

Final Thoughts:

In the end, The Daleks' Master Plan is a flawed but extraordinary achievement. Its ambition, scale, and willingness to explore darker themes set it apart as a landmark in Doctor Who history. While the pacing issues and missing material may deter some viewers, those who persevere are rewarded with a story that exemplifies the show’s capacity for creativity, drama, and emotional resonance.

Well, here we are, The Daleks' Master Plan, one of the most legendary Dalek stories, hell, to us hardcores, one of the most legendary Doctor Who stories, and given that hype, I gotta say, I'm a bit disappointed.
Now, the story is still good, well deserving of an 8, but it generally just feels a bit unambitious, just your run-of-the-mill Dalek story, without much to make it stand out, other than the immense length... and the yellowface.

The plot is basically; The Daleks have assembled powerful people from all around the galaxy (for no apparent reason) and one guy from Earth that has something that enables them to control/destroy/fast-forward time, The Doctor steals it, they play hot potato and then the machine gets destroyed.
Where it really wins back points for me is the fact that it's able to be coherent, fun and engaging for 12 straight parts, that's almost 5 hours! How many stories do you know that can keep your attention without complaint for 5 straight hours? That takes some doing, hats off to Terry Nation and Dennis Spooner, that's a damn achievement.

More points come from the good performances, The Doctor is good, Steven and Sara are great, and much as I hate to admit it, the walking hate crime puts in a good performance as well.
The silly little break in the middle in the form of The Feast of Steven really works for me as just that, and of course the "...and Incidentally, a merry Christmas to all of you at home!" is one of the most legendary moments in Classic Who.
My favourite part, however, is the final part and how it completely refuses to pull its punches, killing off Sara in a very affecting scene and seriously injuring The Doctor, leading to one of William Hartnell's best performances (he was always the best at playing gruff) as he yells for Steven to get back to the TARDIS, the only black mark on that amazing scene is how quickly The Doctor goes back to his amused little laugh, a little callous in the face of the death of a person he liked.

So, really, the reason that I was disappointed was expectations, the story is good, quite good even, it just doesn't hold a candle to something as awe-inspiring as Genesis of The Daleks or The Dalek Invasion of Earth. It is quite good, it simply fails to be great.

8/10

The Daleks’ Master Plan (DMP) is a lot.

I think that’s fair to say. It is the longest story in all of Doctor Who at more than 4 hours total, but it’s more than just length that makes this story stand out. It’s by far the largest in scale the show has ever gone. And with at least 7 audio adventures in the middle of it, it’s legacy only continues to grow. On top of that, it also feels like a mission statement for the rest of the season with a change in tone, but time will tell if that’s really the case.

The story starts straight after the Myth Makers, with new companion Katarina and Steven being poisoned by an arrow. The Doctor is trying to land the Tardis in a safe location and find Steven the help he needs. Sadly, he instead lands on the planet Kembel, which we have already seen in “Mission to the Unknown”. The Daleks are using the planet as a base to prepare for a massive attack on the solar system. They plan to use a mysterious weapon known as the “Time Destructor”. They’ve also allied themselves with several powerful figures, most notably Mavic Chen, Guardian of the Solar System.

Luckily for the party, the Time Destructor is not yet complete. It lacks 1 crucial element: a Terranium core, which the party has managed to get their hands on. This leads to a chase across different planets, time zones, the works.

And you might have noticed, that this bears a striking resemblance to “The Chase” the previous Dalek TV episode. You’d not be entirely wrong. What sets DMP apart, however, is the tone. Where the Chase was fun sci-fi shenanigans, DMP goes for a more serious story. Gone are the days of Daleks vs Dracula. This tries to put the fear back into the Daleks.

And I’d argue that worked. This story is remembered for its dark elements, like the deaths of several potential companions and the entire last episode. Those moments hit hard and are done wonderfully. They’re given the right amount of reflection from the main cast. Never taken for granted. It also leads to some possible future directions for the show, more on that later.

But while there is some clear ambition, it isn’t all sunshine and roses (or, considering the dark material, moonlight and lilies?). While the idea of “The Chase 2” with double the episodes sounds fun, at a certain point it maybe becomes too much. The setpieces overtake the overall narrative and we lose cohesion. We have some good initial setup, but what happens after that setup is basically a roll of the dice. We are in Egypt! Or a planet of invisible monsters! Or a prison planet! Or a volcano! It’s unbridled adventure where anything can happen, and while that’s exciting, I wish it all connected a little more.

It, of course, doesn’t help that most of the story is missing. Only 3 of the original 12 episodes are currently available. It also has no animated version. With all these locations, some visual excitement is part of the experience. But we don’t have that visual part, so some of the excitement is gone.

So how do we deal with that giant hole? Well, we do have 1 twinkle of hope. Youtuber Josh Snares has taken it upon himself to animate most of this story himself, using 3d models and photo stills to turn it into a really solid reconstruction. Consider it a “creative slideshow”, if you will. It’s probably the best way to experience the story, so I recommend you check it out.

But despite these fan efforts, the visuals we currently have are still very limited. That automatically puts the narrative and characterization under some higher scrutiny. If you don’t have visuals to look at, the other aspects of the story become more noticeable.

And those other aspects are… iffy. Like I mentioned, it suffers from a lack of overall narrative. For example, the central theme is stopping the creation of the time destructor, but what does a time destructor actually do? Sure, it has an intimidating name, but the story never takes a break to tell us why this is actually a weapon worth stopping.

The same happens to characters. We see Sara Kingdom shooting her brother on sight. Not a moment is spared. Meet him. Shoot him. Speaking 2 sentences with each other would have prevented this whole thing. Yet almost immediately afterwards, we are supposed to feel sorry for her and she becomes a companion for a bit. It’s incredibly erratic.

And we do get a glimpse of what the story could be like if it paced itself a little better. In episode 1, the story feels much more natural. The Doctor explores the dangerous new planet alone, while Katarina meets Bret and tries to save Steven from his poisoning. It’s much slower. Allowing us to meet both Bret and Katarina. Katarina is shown as out of her depth and not very proactive. She is a bit of an onlooker. She watches how others resolve the plot. It’s not like she’s pushed to the sideline. She just prefers to watch and learn. She’s is consciously written as a more passive character. Meanwhile Bret is shown as threatening at first, but he also cures Steven’s poison, showing the good guy underneath and allowing that initial bond of trust.

But these kinds of moments get lost in the later scramble. Sara has the least amount of characterization out of the 3 newcomers, because when she enters the story, we’re already planet hopping without standing still. I would’ve gladly given up 1 among the dozens of locations in this story, if it meant we got a bit more character. Instead, we’re just too busy.

And it’s interesting how “The Chase” didn’t have similar problems, because it just had a really strong main cast. Ian, Barbara and the Doctor were established 2 seasons ago, while Vicki had an extremely solid entrance in the second season. Yet even then, when Steven was introduced. We took a lot of time and really made it count. I can still remember his reaction when Barbara first said his name. The first time he heard it in 2 years and it showed. DMP doesn’t have those same luxuries. We know the Doctor and Steven well enough, but Katarina, Bret and Sara mostly pass us by. Our base characterization is not as solid as it was then, so our investment is lower.

But even with that lower investment, I think there are plenty of moments that still land. Like I mentioned earlier, the tone of this story is a massive shift from the previous season. Doctor Who got darker. I can’t put it better than Samuel Davis: The only icon of childlike innocence is ejected out of an airlock. It’s a brutal mission statement. And that brutality carries on in loads of places. This story has a massive kill count of main characters, which makes every mention of the words “exterminate” or “kill” hit that much harder.

And that’s not even mentioning the last episode, where the story hits its peak. In those last 20 minutes, the time destructor turns on. While late, we now find out why this is a weapon worth destroying. It turns the entire jungle planet into a desert wasteland. Everything decays before our eyes. Sadly, this includes Sara, who slowly turns old and grey, before later turning to dust. It is brutal and genuinely disturbing. Seeing Sara’s decayed skeleton blow away in the wind while the doctor is unconscious and half-buried in the sand is a sharp contrast from the doctor happily skipping around on new planets last season. A real mission statement. Let’s hope it gets found one day, because this is something that can’t be replaced.

It also leads to an ending which leaves so much room for further character exploration. We’re in a wasteland with nothing left standing. It’s all dust except Steven, the Doctor and the Tardis. Nothing but decay. So the doctor looks around, put his fingers on his lapels like we’ve seen him do so many times, and chuckles. He congratulates himself on a job well done. Another plan stopped. He only remembers the bad side when Steven counts up all the names of people they’ve lost along the way.

It's genuinely a bit shocking of first watch. And might even feel out of character. Our hero has destroyed a world and then chuckled to himself. But on lookback. It makes sense. This goes back to season 1. This is the same man who laughed at danger and forced his companions into the Dalek city so he could feed his own curiosity. This is the same man who in a comedic moment invented the great fire of Rome. The same man who left behind a group of women on a planet that was falling apart. He’s a complex character with a simple world view. This view has been tested a lot since then, and he has learned kindness and empathy, but will those messages stick when the people that taught him that are long gone? Can he still do “the right thing” on his own?

It's an impasse in his development. He is a better man than he was before, but that doesn’t make him perfect. It’s interesting to put some pressure on that and I wonder if anything will come from it. A really interesting note to end the story on.

And that’s how the Daleks’ Master Plan ends. It’s a long saga with many characters, locations and iconic moments. And just to top it off, it also has a really interesting tonal shift that shows great promise for the future. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. It’s a very visual affair that no longer has it’s visuals, it’s so busy throwing stuff at the wall that it forgets to reinforce what actually sticks and it’s main plot is often forgotten in between. But the end product is still really fun, creative and memorable. Take your time with it, sprinkle some audio’s in between and you’re guaranteed a good time.

Bonus: The Feast of Steven:

This one is odd. Officially part of the Daleks’ master plan, but such an odd one out. That’s why it gets its own discussion.

First of all, like most of DMP, this story does not actually exit anymore. It also hasn’t been remade like the other parts. Reason being it really isn’t all that relevant to the other episodes. However, youtuber DocMagister has made an animated version, which is the definitive way of experiencing this story.

Te story is basically a random series of events with the Doctor, Steven and Sara. There’s no real throughline. It’s just some sightseeing. We enter a police station and a movie set, with some adequate humor in between.

Part of this humoristic venture seems to be a lot of random screaming and yelling over each other. Presenting business as comedy. Can’t say my ears love that.

This episode is remembered for 2 reasons.  First of all, this is a Christmas special, ending with the Doctor talking to the Christmas and wishing “a merry Christmas to all of you at home”. A sentence burned into the heart of many a who fan, I’m sure.

The other reason this is remembered is a bit more notorious. This is the story where the doctor goes “It’s a madhouse! It’s all full of Arabs”. Which is a bit racist.

This story is probably not the best place to talk extensively about racism in Doctor Who, but this sentence is the one people always point to as the biggest example. I’ll just throw in that, on average, I’ve not experienced the first Doctor as a racist. Granted, I wasn’t actively paying attention to racist remarks. And I won’t deny that there are clear 60s sensibilities at times. But I wonder if I’ve missed something obvious. Are there really that many moments besides this one hidden in a terrible off-shoot Christmas special? I wonder. Once again, not denying them, but I’m curious what I’m missing.

But yeah, except 2 snippets, there really isn’t much this episode has going for it. In fact, it’s quite bad as a whole. An indulgence of the time. Worth watching? Nah. Feel free to miss it. We now have Christmas specials that actually play with the Doctor Who premise, instead of a runaround that happens to have the Doctor in it.

Conclusively, I suppose there’s only one thing left to say: A Merry Christmas to all of you at home 😊

Oh boi this will be a long one. For me this places second for the Hartnell Years, only beaten slightly by the Massacre, and it’s easily one of my favorite Stories when it comes to Who in general.

It’s a great shame so much of it is missing, especially true with Episode 12, that being said while it does arguably have some flaws, I cannot stop loving it.

Having only really got myself into the Classic Series almost two Years ago, this one was, the one I heard many mixed Things about and while I usually do split up longer Stories (at least at that time), I found myself bored with nothing better to do, so I decided to give the Recon a watch. And while yes, since the Material to be used was lacking and at times the Recon can be a bit tough to watch, I still have to say this one surprised me.

As many correctly pointed out this was an ambitious Epic, one which the 60s wouldn’t beat, maybe a point could be made about the War Games, but that’s a topic for another Time. Does it really need all those Episodes? I’d argue not, especially Feast of Steven feels like a black sheep and should at this point just be counted as a weird Oddity without much else. That being said the first half is paced incredibly well, at no point did I feel like I watched 5–6 Episodes, they all went by quickly and felt very organic, while yes it is at times slow, it builds tension so very well leading to some breathtakingly good moments such as Katarina's Death.

Katarina, while I would have liked to seeing more of her, since I think Hill does give a pretty great performance, having her die here worked really well and the build up to this death feels quite intense. What the Doctor says about her afterward is just beautiful and only one of the many great Moments presented here.

Many compared this one to The Chase, rightfully so since the second half is pretty much in the same vein and while I don’t argue against it, it feels here more earned compared to the Chase. And also gives a great opportunity to have some more Stories with Sara!

And I haven’t mentioned her yet, have I? Jean Marsh is superb as Sara, even through she has only one Story under her Bell (televised at least), she does it all with the Material given to her. Makes it even more a shame that she wouldn’t survive this Story, her death feels also affective, and I am quite sad to see that we don’t have that scene in the archives anymore.

One Thing which hasn’t been mentioned here are the Daleks itself and going by their previous appearances, I’d argue they are at some of their best. They have some hilarious lines thrown here, but you always have this feeling of them being treated as a Threat not to be joked with, which the Chase utterly failed. Mavic Chen is a great Villain as well (if we look past the horrendous yellow face), the Actor gives a superb Performance and while not his best Who Performance, it’s easily one of the most memorable for a Villain in the 60s easily.

While the Monk’s Return feels maybe out of the pocket. I’d argue having Butterworth back was not only lovely, but he gets some great moments in here, while yes he gets overshadowed greatly by all the other Stuff happening, I still think he was used pretty well all things considered.

The whole World Building done here is easily my favorite of all of Who, if Nation was good at something, it was with his Ideas of different Worlds, shown pretty well here. The Council or even the Planet of Kembel itself are just superb.

Oh, there is a lot to talk about, surprisingly Hartnell and Purves himself weren’t mentioned here too much. I do say they both give some of their best in this Story. Hartnell especially has so many little wonderful moments or acting choices, makes it even more saddening knowing that his physical performance might be for the most part lost to time. Purves I feel like gets to show off how great Steven can be, while he was superb in the Time Meddler, I feel like his last two Stories used the Character pretty underwhelming (although I liked a few bits with him in Myth Makers), this one does not. I love especially his confrontational nature around the End, pointing out to the Doctor that they haven’t really won after all the Deaths.

Bret is great, I like him! What is more to say, everybody likes Bret, that’s all 

The Story overall ranks very highly for me. While it’s huge, it does know how it paces itself and I’d argue even through I really didn’t care for Feast, at no Episodes did I feel bored about this Story. It builds up a lot of tension and uses it quite well in my opinion, the first half as I said is paced superb. The second half, while not as superb, still offers some fun to be had and basically does the travelling to place to place much better. The bleak Tone and the bleak ending is wonderful, and there are a lot of little Parts I adore.

I do think this Story deserves the Animation Treatment and I really hope we can that, while the likelihood of it happening is low due the scale of it all, perhaps some day they decide to do two different releases for that Story, similarly as how they have done it with the Target Novel. But who knows, only Time will tell.

Personally? Big fan if you didn’t notice it already, lots of great Stuff to love here!

The Daleks' Master Plan is almost a rarity in Long Classic Who Serials, as in, it's one that deserves the runtime. A 12-part story would be intimidating under any circumstances, especially one where 3/4s of it is lost, but by god does this serial pretty much make it. We've got strong acting from the main cast, a solid storyline, and some delightfully silly looking aliens. We do also have yellowface, unfortunately, because this is 60s Doctor Who