This, along with "Claws of Axos", is one of the most re-watched stories I pop into my VCR from Seasons 8 to 11! I know that makes little sense to the Pertwee fans since both those stories are considered two of the worst from those seasons, so I'll explain why:

Doctor Who in season seven was great stuff. Even some of the blatantly-padded seven-episode material was, overall, largely enjoyable. In fact, having such long stories really allowed the show to explore some neat directions that it would normally never have the time to go in (except, possibly, in the case of "Ambassadors of Death" which resorted a bit too much to endless captures and escapes). This was very creative and inventive Who. And I liked what Pertwee was doing with his character. 

But then, along came Season Eight. And with it, came what I feel is some of the most formulae-driven storytelling the show has ever produced. Some of these tales are so paint-by-numbers that you can start making bets on the predictability (ie: "Ten bucks says Mike Yates is going to walk into the scene in a second and say something cheeky" or "Twenty bucks says the last ten minutes of the story will be spent with UNIT fighting the aliens to little or no effect while the Doctor does something scientific to save the day"). 

So now, here's why I like these two supposed "clunkers". Although they don't stray too much from this formulae I'm bemoaning, they use it more effectively than most. 

While I won't go into "Claws of Axos" here, I will say that part of what makes "Monster" so effective is that it uses the concept of the "UNIT family" very comfortably. It knows we're familiar with Benton, Yates and the Brig and gives each of them a nice bit of attention without creating too great of a detriment to the plot. In fact, unlike a lot of other UNIT adventures where these characters just get a bunch superficial scenes glossed on to the story (ie: endless scenes of the Doctor stopping in at UNIT headquarters for a few minutes merely to have a quick little chat with Mike or Benton or get in an argument with the Brig and then roaring off again in Bessie) each character is given something functional to do. Some members of the family get more attention and functionalism than others. But that, to me, is actually good writing. Each member of UNIT getting perfectly equal screen time smacks a bit too much of cheesy American sitcom. I like that Mike is used somewhat sparingly while Benton is virtually the hero of the day (even if he does fall for the worst trick in the book!). 

Another strongpoint to this tale, I feel, is that it is a story that deals quite heavilly in the abstract. Though some of those abstracts are a tad gimmicky or not particularly well-explained. It is still nice to have something a bit more high-browed than the usual "evil aliens and/or homegrown baddies are here to take over the world" plotline that we get through most of these years. We don't understand much about Kronos but we can see that he's dangerous. That if he's released into our dimension, with or without the Master able to control him, he's going to make some trouble. The very fact that he's linked to Atlantis gives us a clue of his might. That, more than likely, he's the key reason the place was destroyed (even if Azal boasted the way he did about it just a season ago!). Like the Mandrigora Helix a few seasons later, I like a good conceptual monster. One that doesn't just sneak up behind you and maul you to death with claws and teeth or lasers it can shoot from its horns. But rather, does something wierd and abstract to you that ends up terminating or, at least, ruining your life. And Kronos, overall, is well-achieved in that respect. Even the visual aspects of him/her aren't all that horrible as far as I'm concerned. In fact, I felt that the production team knew that they only had so good of a budget to realise the creature and were smart to shoot it the way they did with overexposure and tight angles. Yes, it still looks cheap. But "Who" was a cheap show back then. I'm sure the new series would realise Kronos with some amazing CGI. But they didn't have that back then. And I think they did well with what they did have. 

The various notions put forward regarding the nature of time in this story are a blend of clever and hoaky. The time-scoop stuff to stop Yates' convoy being, of course, the hoakiest. While both the timeflow analogue and the TARDIS-within-a-TARDIS battle seeming quite clever to me. Even the emergency switch on the Doctor's console makes sense. Obviously, the Doctor understood the dangers of being in a vehicle that travelled through the Time/Space Vortex and set up some sort of device that would enable the TARDIS to home in on him and bring him back to the console room if ever he accidentally spilled out into the fourth dimension. It's not entirely a dumb idea and only smacks so much of "deus ex machinae" in my book. But then, maybe that's just me.

Yes, there's some blatant padding here. But welcome to most six-parters of the 70s. Only as we move into the Tom Baker era does the plotting for this format improve. Most of Pertwee's stuff has this kind of thing in it. And I do feel that some of the material is better written than some of the more blatant padding we've seen in other stories. Particularly, of course, the Doctor recalling his old friend, the Hermit. A good example of filling time with something meaningful. 

I also actually enjoyed the change of emphasis in the plotting as things shift to Atlantis. It does slow down the momentum the story has built up considerably, I'll agree. But I actually think such a move also has its merits. The attempt to creat a more "classical" feel to the series is done somewhat admirably and adds a touch of sophistication to the whole production. Better than just a bunch of running around in corridors more intensely than the characters did in the first four episodes cause we're nearing the story's climax. Something that is strong evidence in the story just before this one. So, although the move to Atlantis had detrimental effects to the plot - it also enhanced it in some ways too. So my feelings are mixed on this point. Rather than just hating it outright as many of you did. 

Do I have some very definite complaints? Oh yes. Jo (my all-time least-favourite companion) and Ruth's mustachioed assistant whose name currently eludes me seem to be having a "dorky dialogue" competition. And, though the ending with Kronos in the limbo dimension is real cool, Delgado's performance as he begs for his life is far too out-of-character in my book. These are some of the bigger complaints I have. But none of them are quite big enough for me to put this story in the category most of fandom does. In fact, I'll take this story over "Terror of the Autons", "Sea Devils" or "The Daemons" any day. Those are far "clunkier" than this tale. 

In my book, at least.

Yet another classic example of fan nostalgia versus actual story content. 

Don't get me wrong, here, "Sea Devils" is not completely awful. It's more so a case of not being half as good (in my view, at least) as the fanboys who grew up in that era try to make it out to be. I am frequently amused by the complaints levelled at 80s Who (the era I grew up with) since so much of the problems that fans had with stories in this time period exist in equal or oftentimes greater abundance in 70s stories like the "Sea Devils". But these problems seem, for the most part, to go unnoticed by most of fandom because this is the great "uncriticizable" golden era of Doctor Who. 

First off, we'll start with what I notice most in any form of entertainment I watch: the actual story. Next to big bad Robby Holmes himself, Malcolm Hulke is my second-favourite writer for the original series. His scripts were, oftentimes, the most maturely-written three-dimensional stories the show ever produced. But here, Malcolm falls a bit short. He really gives us a pretty threadbare plotline that could barely stand up to a four episode format - forget that he's been given a six-parter! So, to try to fill the gaps, he gives us lots of captures and escapes (not something that is entirely new to the series, of course, but boy does he lay it on heavy here) and attempts at cheap thrills that look even cheaper, these days, because the story is now 30 years old. This makes my disappointment in the story all the more poignant. I expected so much more from the pen of such a great author. 

He also delivers a few really big wallops of super-shaky plotting. The most obvious one being his apparent hope that we will forget basic geography as the episodes progress. The Master is supposed to be imprisoned out on an island that seems to only be accessible by boat. Yet, everyone, by episode three, seems to be zipping back and forth to the prison via land rovers. How exactly did this happen? Did a bridge get built somewhere between episodes? Yes, bad plotting is something that can happen in Who-scripts sometimes - particularly since it is an episode-based series. But this error, to me, borders on the unforgivable. Didn't someone in production pick up on this problem? Obviously not, since there are some other wobbly plot elements littering the script - (another one being just how long the Master is able to sit around not unplugging a highly disruptive machine that is totally screwing over the Sea-Devils in episode six!) - this whole "island that is not" issue is just one of the bigger ones! 

Equally shaky are some of his characterisations. Trenchard's alliance with the Master seems completely unbelievable - even if he is supposed to be something of a fool (which gets me to wonder, right there, why the British government would put such a bumbler in charge of keeping an eye on a criminal mastermind who is so dangerous that he got his own special prison). It's barely stated as to why he is even letting the Master do what he's doing. We get some vague sense that the Master has appealed to his sense of patriotism and perhaps his desire for glory. But it almost seems more like it was just Malcolm going along with that notorious "Pertwee-era formulae". The Master always recruits someone from Earth to help him execute his plans so, this time, it's Trenchard. And we're just supposed to accept that cause that's the way the formula works. Quit looking too hard at the plot, little fanboy, just enjoy the formulae. Which is still my biggest qualm with much of what was done in the Pertwee era. 

This problem persists through most of this story. Even the Master's motivation to re-awaken the Sea Devils seems kind of inconsistent and even somewhat preposterous. If this were the more mean and twisted Ainley Master, I might be able to accept what he was up to. Because the Ainley Master had, pretty well, gone insane in his attempts to artificially extend his life. Therefore, strange, warped motivations could be somewhat acceptable. But the Master, at this stage of his life (or, more appropriately, lives), is supposed to be much more calculating and interested in supremacy rather than just "making bad things happen". Yet, suddenly, for no real reason that seems to benefit him directly, he wants to release the former masters of Earth and bring down humanity. Just doesn't seem to make sense in my view of the character's progression. If, perhaps, Hulke had taken a moment to give the Master some sort of dialogue to explain that maybe his prison term had given him a thirst for revenge on Earth or something similar to that - I might have accepted it. But we get none of that. So, instead, we're just supposed to accept the stereotypical "the Master is up to something really bad" formulae and not question things too hard. Again, very typical of this era. 

Now, I'll slow down a bit on my criticism and try to formulate some good points about this tale. 

The story is off to a very promising start. Hulke - as well as the performances of Delgado and Pertwee - all do a great job of deepening the relationship between Master and Doctor. I really liked how this played out. Except that, as I pointed out earlier, all this deliberate attempt to display the isolation the Master is facing causes the story's geography to fall apart later! 

Sadly, as I try to get through several other good points of this story - they oftentimes have a "shadow of flaw" following them too. Another great example of this would be the swordfight between the Master and the Doctor. Easily one of the best swordfights in the show's history. I get a real impression here that both Delgado and Pertwee have a considerable background in swordfighting (which most of classically-trained actors of the time would) and they really perform the duel masterfully. But, once more, if we look past the window-dressing plot element, we see a fundamental flaw. Who, in God's name, arranges several sets of sharpened swords directly outside the cell of a prisoner in a maximum security prison?! Once again, something that is set up for the execution of formulae rather than genuine plot. 

The same can also be said of one of the other famous traits of this story. That of the huge cast that it had. It was neat to see so many characters in one story but it does almost seem like, rather than develop storyline properly, the author chose to just keep introducing as many new characters as he could in hopes that getting to know them would keep us distracted from the underlying flaws of the plot. 

Okay, okay, I'll look for some genuine strengths to this story! I certainly like that we got a Pertwee story taking place during his exile where UNIT wasn't actually used to fight the menace. Yes, there was still millitairy involvement but it was nice to see that other factions of the millitairy exist in the Whoniverse besides UNIT. And how the Doctor must deal with things differently because he doesn't have the familiarity with this millitairy organisation that he does with the Brig and the boys. A neat direction to take the story in.

I also liked the concept of the Sea Devils and the way they return us to the idea Hulke first explored so beautifully in "The Silurians" of how we would all react if we suddenly realised we might have to share our planet with someone else as sentient as us. I even think he made a good choice by not getting too much into this idea again (since it had been explored quite adequately in Silurians) and focussing more on action and battle rather than debate and pontification. It sort of even gives us the sense that the Sea Devils are more of a war-like or even subservient culture and that the Silurians are the real leaders. Something we see fleshed out many years later when both species return in "Warriors of the Deep". 

I also think this is a spectacularly well-directed story, in many ways. It has some excellent battle sequences that exceeded the limitations of low-budget 70s T.V. (yes, I remember noting earlier how "cheap" the story looks in places - but now I'm trying to get validly contextual in my analysis rather than contradicting myself!). I'm even willing to admit that a couple of those action shots look pretty gosh-darned good by even modern-day standards. As well, there are some really memorable shots, in general, that I thought were highly effective. The creepy close-up of the bureaucrat's mouth as he explains that "war is hell -what's for breakfast?" being one of the best examples. 

Even the music, believe it or not, didn't annoy me much. The show was trying a different approach with the incidental music and - although it was wildly intrusive in most places - it was neat to, at least, see them try something new and different. How's that for a massively differing opinion from general fandom?! 

But then, I rather get the impression that this review, in general, is differing from the opinion of general fandomn! Sorry, worshippers of the holy Petwee, but I really don't think there's much here. Again, not completely awful - but not the "shining piece of glory" most of you claim it to be. This is made even more glaringly obvious by the fact that someone as magnificent as Malcolm Hulke should not have cranked out such a flimsy, formulae-driven piece. I almost have to wonder if some radical changes occurred after Hulke passed it on to the production team. The whole story seems to be a watered-down version of his story-telling skills with various "chills, spills and action" elements turned up intentionally. 

"Below-par" Who, in my opinion. But I get the impression I'm pretty alone in it!

I find it quite surprising that it took a show about time travel nine years to present a story that used it as something other than a means of establishing setting; Day Of The Daleks is consequently a groundbreaking story within the programme, if not in science-fiction in general. It’s also, lest we forget, the first appearance of the Daleks for five years. If this wasn’t enough, it also succumbs to the myth that season openers should be big and bold and epic (I’d dispute that as there are plenty of worse season-openers than this, but this story and The Time Warrior get a lot of flak for it so I thought I’d mention it). As you can imagine then, Day Of The Daleks has a lot on its shoulders. While it’s a decent enough story in itself, I can’t really hide a sense of low-key disappointment. It could have been worse – but also better.

Starting from the beginning, the introductory scene is all fairly standard stuff. The obviousness of the set up is staggering, but not exactly bad and the old routines of the window mysteriously open have a certain charm simply through their sheer innocence. Dudley Simpson, who was at his very worst under Barry Letts, here provides a decent score (although a bit too loud in places, particularly here). The only problem with the scene is the guerrilla dress worn by the soldier; if he’d been in rags (which could have worked in the context of a devastating invasion) he would have worked much more effectively as a “ghost”.

Moving swiftly on to the regulars, it makes a very refreshing change (after seeing some of the later Pertwees) to see an intelligent, authoritative Brigadier whom Nicholas Courtney obviously relishes playing. The TARDIS scene (or console scene in any rate – how did he get it through the outer doors again?) is whimsy at first, but basically good, if only because the ‘future selves’ bit is really quite imaginative and ambitious for the time, even if the special effects require a bright yellow wall outside. Katy Manning makes for a less than impressive companion at this stage though, as even in her more intelligent stories she was still the most air-headed companion of them all (even Mel was proactive at times). Some find her wide-eyed earnestness endearing; I can appreciate that, but I just find her irritating now. Maybe I’m too familiar with her. All the stock feed lines (“I don’t understand” / “What’s happening”) are reeled out one by one in this scene, and the reference to Colony In Space lacks elegance. When the Brigadier arrives the scene turns into a massive expositionary vehicle; I tend not to have too much of a problem with this kind of thing as even the crudest plot-reveals can sometimes get by if that plot is good enough, but here it does feel like a definite overdose.

The Ogrons make their first appearance here; I feel from their cameo in the following season’s Carnival Of Monsters and then their larger appearance in that story’s following Frontier In Space that they were intended to become bigger monsters than was actually the case, but I quite like them. Conceptually a monster that is too stupid to be really ambitious but is instead content to bumble around and work for someone else is really quite original, and the make-up is excellent. The only problem are the voices, as the actors’ slurred speech is a very grating attempt to sound stupid, although it’s nowhere near as bad as the Robomen in The Dalek Invasion Of Earth. The further appearance of a guerrilla fighting this one further enhances the sense of mystery.

Wilfred Carter just sounds bored as Sir Reginald Styles, although his character description as an arrogant blowhard provides a convenient get-out. The location shooting is also a bit naff, which is extremely rare, although the weather doesn’t look like it was anything special and the location itself is a bit boring. Director Paul Bernard does the best with what he’s given, and there are some sporadic directorial touches throughout the story that are really quite impressive.

The disintegrator gun being reduced deliberately and obviously to a ray-gun for the purposes of explanation is extremely patronising to the audience. The special effect of it firing is good though. The explanation of the time-travel device is also peculiar: it is extremely inauspicious, which strikes me as odd as Louis Marks has held off revealing that the guerrillas have come from the future up to this point. I also find the Doctor’s condescending line of “top of the class, Jo” to be annoying, a throwback to his thoroughly dislikeable persona in The Daemons. In fact, didn’t he say that very line in The Daemons?

The female technician played by Deborah Brayshaw is absolutely dreadful. I know season nine isn’t notable for showcasing rivals for Laurence Olivier, but this really takes the biscuit. She sounds like a zombie, but then if I was playing a character who nobody could be bothered to give a name to I wonder how much enthusiasm I’d be able to muster either. The Dalek comes as a sudden shock (especially to those who were expecting not to see them until the cliffhanger), but the voices are terrible. The problem is not in terms of the modulation effect like in Revelation Of The Daleks, but that neither Oliver Gilbert nor Peter Messaline have the passion to play them, and in no other story has their monotones been so drawn out.

The Doctor raiding Styles’s cellar is a cool scene; Benton is his likeable self as always, although Mike Yates is uncharacteristically nasty here. The Doctor’s absent-minded karate on Shura is cheesy though; in fact all three of the guerrillas are a bit hammy, with probably Jimmy Winston as Shura coming off best. The set up for this story is very interesting, a sort of reverse Terminator: here the heroes are coming back to assassinate a villain with evil cyborgs in pursuit, rather than the hero coming back to protect a saviour with an evil cyborg in pursuit. However, Jo still asks too many questions, and wouldn’t the guerrillas know what Styles looked like in the first place?

Aubrey Woods as the Controller is deceptively good: he seems like a plank at first but portrays quite a multi-faceted character, eventually double-crossing just about everyone and turning from hero to villain and back again several times. I can’t think of another character who does that. His interrogation of Jo is very well written and subtle, which is good considering how crude some of the exposition has been up to now.

What we have now is possibly one of Doctor Who’s worst-ever scenes though, where the Doctor guns down an Ogron in cold-blood. What happened to peace? What happened to the Doctor not using a gun? In fact, what happened to the Doctor? It isn’t even necessary at all as the other Ogron is gunned down by UNIT troops anyway; it’s simply a complete betrayal of the entire show for no good reason: and the Doctor will refuse to commit murder later in the story. Presumably he’s made his weekly quota by that stage.

This is a slow episode on the whole; in fact, I’m now halfway through the story without mentioning any of the cliffhangers really. Maybe it’s because I’m watching an old edited-into-one version of the story from 1986 which makes them much less notable. Maybe it’s because we haven’t actually been told anything new of significance for twenty-five minutes. This cliffhanger in the tunnels is daft though: the Doctor has never been less surprised to see a Dalek. I feel like I’m blowing hot and cold about this story, but then again that’s exactly what the story does itself.

The portrayal of the Dalek-subjugated 22nd Century is nowhere near as effective as in The Dalek Invasion Of Earth as, run down though it is, a car park cannot be passed of as a labour camp. Even if it is a grotty 1970s concrete affair – I mean, the parking spaces are visible in many of the shots (maybe for those silly motor-trikes that everyone seems to be zooming around on in the 22nd Century).

The line of “Doctor? Did you say Doctor?” is silly as verbal double-takes are hardly very Daleky, and even if it was Shakespeare the inept delivery of the line wouldn’t be able to do it justice. The direction is still above average, but the story is still turning into a bland run-around. The plot elements have been revealed too early, so now all that’s left is to kill time before the (admittedly good) finale. 

However, I do like the juxtaposition between the forced labour and the fruit that the Controller offers Jo, which makes for an understated commentary on political pretence that seems even more relevant today. The Doctor’s interrogation is also good, as the veiled threat to the family of the factory manager makes up for any visual flaws in the story’s sketching in of the Dalek invasion. The following confrontation with the Controller is also good and dramatic, but is fundamentally only going over the same ground as before.

The motorised getaway vehicle is a contrivance that makes for a gratuitous and pointless action scene as the Doctor gets captured anyway, leading to the cliffhanger – it’s the best of the story, but nothing much in itself.

The final episode begins with the Daleks saying that they have invaded Earth “again”; as the original invasion hasn’t happened in this timeline this shows up a plot hole, which is something that affects this story quite badly.

The Controllers motivations are also well realised, as his subtle shift in attitude as the Doctor saves his life is wonderful to watch. This leads up to a good ending, with the realisation that the guerrillas have been time-looped all along. Here is where Marks makes a right pig’s-ear of the paradox plot, as there are several questions that cannot be answered easily: how did it get started in the first place? Also, if the timeline is altered so the war never happened, Shura wouldn’t come back in time and…argh! My head hurts.

From a purely dramatic point of view though, the revelation is brilliant, and the Controller granting the Doctor his freedom at the cost of his own life is a very poignant moment.

The final battle is well shot, but it is here that the lack of Dalek props becomes really noticeable; the real problem lies in the fact that one of the Daleks is a different colour so there are only two Daleks that can be passed off convincingly as making up the numbers. The final scene where the Doctor warns Styles not to let the conference fail is very good and atmospheric.

This story has one major ambition in its time paradox, but this is not realised well as a four parter. The Daleks need not be in it at all, and in fact if it was just an ordinary alien race I might like this story more. As it is, this story is no turkey and I’ll give it an average rating, but it’s simply not as good as it really needs to be given its undeniable and unavoidable importance.

Oh my, oh me, ‘The Time Monster.’ I’m definitely going to need to get a cup of coffee before starting to talk about this one – a moment please.

[time lapse]

There we go – thanks. ‘The Time Monster’ has to be one of the most fan-whipped stories in this series’ history. Surely it could compete respectably with ‘The Underwater Menace,’ ‘The Creature from the Pit,’ ‘The Chase,’ and others in a contest to find the classic serial that has been the butt of the most fan jokes. 

And while I am not here to praise the story, exactly, I’m not here to bury it either. It is not an especially good story, and certainly not a great one, but newcomers approaching it on its reputation alone may be shocked by how un-awful it actually is. Indeed, most of the problems are simply ones common to the Pertwee/Letts era as a whole rather than unique to this poor story itself. Things like the comic scenes with the UNIT ‘family,’ the set pieces with the knight and the Roundheads, the fact that Benton lets the Master get away multiple times, and a generally silly and confused script are frequent targets of fan complaints . . . but we can certainly find equally silly things in better regarded Third Doctor stories, even ‘The Green Death’ (‘Doris’ scene, anyone?). And frankly, I would rather have facetiousness in the context of a none-too-ambitious story like this one than in a one where the goofiness distracts from genuinely original sci-fi. You know, like it does in ‘City of Death.’ (Yes, in some respects I prefer ‘The Time Monster’ to ‘City of Death’; thank you in advance for your e-mails and letters.)

In fact, judged on its own merits rather than as a scapegoat for the age, the biggest problem this story has is structural – like some other Pertwee six-parters, it really feels more like two stories instead of one, and once the action makes the full jump to Atlantis in Episode Five, the viewer may experience an unpleasant ‘What the hell is going on here?’ effect. But up to that point there’s actually been much to like about it – Roger Delgado gives one of his wittiest performances (I don’t even mind the accent), and Nicholas Courtney gets some his best-ever reactions to the Doctor’s problem-solving approach (“You astound me”). It has the look and all the expected trappings of an iconic UNIT story (I personally like the Doctor’s tea-leaf-and-cork thingummy), and all the business with the transplanted Roundheads, etc., is at worst harmless, and actually can be rather amusing if you’re in the right spirit for it. (Alcohol helps.) The Chronovore is transparently a man in a white chicken suit hanging from a wire, yes, but the production team *almost* pull it off – the creature is shown only fleetingly (always a mercy on Doctor Who), and the screeching sound effect is surprisingly convincing.

Now, it is true that once the action jumps to Atlantis things begin to go pear-shaped, as we are given painfully mannered dialogue, a minotaur that can be killed simply by jumping out of its way (nobody ever tried that before?), and, strangest of all, a soap-opera plotline that seems to have the Master having, erm, ‘relations’ with Ingrid Pitt. (Delgado’s idea, perhaps?) George Cormack’s acting is good, but it can only carry the production so far, and things do invariably begin to feel tedious. But surprisingly, it’s almost redeemed by Katy Manning’s bravery at the end (“Goodbye Doctor!”) – this is actually one of my favorite Jo Grant stories – and the strange, otherworldly ‘Kronos Transformed’ scene has a kind of serenity that anticipates the Guardian stories in later years.

All in all, this one’s undeniably a mess, like many stories of the era. But fans should probably see it for themselves before assuming it’s totally without entertainment value.

'Day of the Daleks' was a fairly early video release in the UK, and ended up being a victim to the principle that familiarity breeds contempt; I watched it numerous times, got bored with it, and didn't watch it again for several years. Consequently, on seeing it again I was very pleasantly surprised. 

Whilst I wouldn't describe 'Day of the Daleks' as a classic, it is a good, solid little story, well paced and directed and nothing wrong with it that I can really criticize. Jon Pertwee, perhaps refreshed after a season break, is very good here, presenting a far mellower side of the Doctor than we saw in 'The D�mons', possibly because he is starting to resent his exile less and less as Earth continues to feel like home. The Doctor is far less irritable here, almost jovial in fact, but is as authoritative as ever when the need demands it. There are several scenes of note in this regard; his hugely enthusiastic enjoyment of Sir Reginald Styles' wine is delightful, as his is casual trouncing of the attacking Shura with one hand as he sips his drink with the other. It's amusing without being farcical and is an effective reminder of just how stylish the Third Doctor can be when Pertwee is enjoying himself. The Doctor's scenes with the Controller are also note worthy, as he displays carefully constrained contempt for and anger at this man who has betrayed his own kind to collaborate with the Daleks. He is also impressive when dealing with the guerillas, sympathizing with their plight even as he disproves of their methods. 

The other regulars do rather well out of 'Day of the Daleks'. Except for when she unwittingly panics the Daleks by mentioning the Doctor to the Controller, Jo gets very little to do here, but what she does do includes using her escapology skills again and knocking out an Ogron and the script nicely demonstrates her closeness with the Doctor. After the buffoonery of 'The D�mons', the Brigadier undergoes a minor renaissance, once more in charge of an international peace conference and regaining some of his former authority and diplomacy in the process. Note the trust between him and the Doctor in Episode Four, as the Brigadier readily accepts the Doctor's word that the delegates must be evacuated. Benton is his usual reliable self, and even Yates is convincing here. He gets little to do, but he takes orders from the Brigadier without any of the smug backchat that was so annoying in 'The D�mons'. Perhaps he got told off afterwards?

And so on to the Daleks. This is the first time that we see the Daleks in colour in a television story, and they look rather good. The Gold Dalek is perhaps a little ostentatious, but still� It has been argued that the Daleks are not actually necessary in this story and that their inclusion is pointless. Whilst I agree that the story could have worked without them, I think it is unfair to dismiss their presence so easily. The point of the Daleks in this story is not what they actually do, but what they represent. In every previous Dalek story, the Daleks have been the main focus of the story; here they are not. Taking a back seat to the time travel plot, they don't provide the same antagonistic threat that they do in past appearances. The Daleks are not counting down to the genocide of the Thals, they are not racing to turn Earth into a spaceship, they are not chasing the Doctor through time and space, they are not poised to unleash a weapon of unparalleled destruction as they invade the entire galaxy, they are not manipulating their way into a position of power, and they are not engaged in a master plan to convert the humans into Daleks through the entire history of Earth. The reason for this is simple: they've won. The Daleks in this story are not the antagonists; they are a representation of the absolute worst that can happen. The characters from the twenty-second century remind inform us that the fate of the entire fate of the world rests on Styles and the peace conference. The Daleks are that fate. Once that is established, the focus of the story is preventing the catastrophe that, years in the future, allows them to invade. To this end, the Daleks represent World War Three. The Daleks could therefore have been left out of the story; a blasted, radioactive world akin to that in Survivors could quite easily have shown the consequences of the potential war just as effectively, but in a serial broadcast at teatime on a Saturday with an audience composed largely of children, the Daleks are far more appropriate. Scary, iconic, and memorable, they represent the horrors of a global war just as well here as they did in their debut story. And besides, I get a fannish thrill when they advance on Auderley House in Episode Four, guns blazing and immune to UNIT gunfire.

The other main selling point of 'Day of the Daleks' is the time paradox plot. Time paradoxes have become almost commonplace in Doctor Who, both in books and in Big Finish audio stories, but this is the first time the idea is explored in the series. The idea that time travel is far more complex than the Doctor makes it seem has been touched on before, with discussions about changing history in 'The Time Meddler', and gibberish about jumping time tracks in 'The Space Museum', for example. This is the first proper demonstration of the dangers of interfering with history, as the guerillas find that they have caused the very catastrophe that gave rise to their nightmarish future. The story takes a fairly gritty approach to this subject matter, presenting us with hard-bitten guerillas that are desperate enough to kill anyone who gets in their way, but whose desperation is entirely understandable. Consequently, the Doctor's dramatic revelation that they are trapped in a self-perpetuating loop has considerable impact and is a marvellous moment in the story. 

'Day of the Daleks' benefits from excellent production values, well directed, with effective location footage and good sets. The Ogrons are well realized and bring a brute savagery to the grim future Earth that further enhances the horror of the setting. Totally loyal to the Daleks, they make an effective contrast to the Daleks' human collaborators, one of whom is a resistance fighter working undercover for example. The guest cast is generally very good, Anna Barry's Anat proving an all too rare example of a strong female guest star in the series during this era. Aubrey Woods is excellent as the Controller. His initial impassive air is slowly revealed to be entirely motivated by self-preservation, as he tries to justify his "quisling" status to the Doctor. In fact, he's clearly trying to convince himself. His eventual sacrifice is an example of the Doctor genuinely managing to persuade an enemy that his actions are wrong. It is the Doctor saving his life that gives him the courage to betray the Daleks and in doing so sacrifice himself to give the Doctor the chance to make things better (in a very literal sense). His final scene with the Doctor in the tunnel is marvellous, effectively demonstrating the triumph of free will over the oppression of the Daleks and demonstrating why they can never entirely subjugate humanity. 

In summary then, 'Day of the Daleks' is a surprisingly low-key return for the Doctor's arch-enemies, an intelligent, thoughtful story that uses the Daleks sparingly but in a satisfying manner nevertheless.

Whilst I still rate tom Baker as my favourite Doctor, I think Jon Pertwee was the one that influenced me most. I came to Curse of Peladon as a nine year old and this was just the time that I was getting into the series. I had vague memories from the year before of the spitting daffodils and the gingerbread-man killer doll, but not much else - I have a feeling that Mum felt it was all to scary and stopped me watching for a while. But somehow I got back into things with Day of the Daleks and was hooked by the time of Curse, although I did have to keep asking my Dad what the name of the telephone box was.

To this day, curse remains for me one of the very best stories. There was the mixture of the highly advanced TARDIS (only barely glimpsed, but it could survive falls down mountains as well as travelling to distant planets) and the gothic citadel of Peladon. I found Peladon utterly convincing as a distant planet. The great use of shadows probably helped, and I loved the idea of the pivoted flambeaux which opened secret doors, leading into even more shadowy caves. By the second or third week as a viewer, I was privy to secrets about Peladon that many of the inhabitants didn't possess. 

The monsters were great. Arcturus in particular achieved a completely alien look. To my adult eyes, he still seems well realised, but as a nine year old I was utterly convinced by the notion of this wicked weed-like alien with his huge collar and tropical palm house container. His evil disposition was very effectively shown by the destruction of a plant pot in episode one. It's not actually an impressive moment for an adult, but at the time the fact that he could destroy every last trace of the object was quite chilling. Alpha Centuri was a great favourite, and was fairly well rounded as a character: basically good, but prone to let the Doctor down from fussy-minded obedience to rules, or from sheer cowardice. The combination of the Doctor calling it a 'chap' and it's high squeaky voice added to its alien's and charm. At 9, the phallic symbolism simply didn't register with me, although the notion of a being with just one huge eye captivated my imagination and appeared in most of my artwork at school for months afterwards.

The Ice Warriors were marvellous. I was young enough to be terrified of them, because they had the essential ingredient of most Doctor Who monsters, they were like something out of a nightmare. They might not be agile or very well armed, but what impressed me was their relentlessness, as they lumbered along, breathing heavily, just about to find Jo hiding in their room. They were that nameless something that comes after you in a dark dream. That they turned out to be friends, added to the roundness of the story.

Aggedor was another wonderful addition to the tale. Half hairy foe; half cuddly friend, again as a viewer was privy to inside information about him and generally he was rather well filmed and came over successfully to my child's eyes. It was the rounded storytelling that helped to imprint the character of the Doctor into my mind. Here was a hero who could befriend a roaring beast and tame him, just by singing him a song. He could also take the Ice Warriors on as allies, despite their past history, as a story telling device this was useful in pointing out how King Peladon could help his world; but also it was a useful lesson for a viewer, especially of school-age when friendships and enmities can run so deep.

The political overtones of the story resonated with me, because I was aware of the news stories about our status within the Common Market. I didn't understand all the nuances, but Hepesh was quite clearly carved out of the same wood as Mr Heath and Mr Wilson, who were always on the telly - either in person, or as Mike Yarwood - arguing about the future of the country.

Some people look back and regard the Pertwee Doctor as patronising and establishment. At the time, I found him reassuring and challenging. He was never prepared to put up with boorish behaviour, from friend or foe, but he knew all the social niceties, and could make his point forcibly and diplomatically. Unlike Centuri, he would never be afraid to step outside the proscribed limits - such as exploring the caves beneath the citadel; then when things went wrong and he was in terrible danger, his authority and courage gave me reassurance as a viewer that things would work out well. I like the Pertwee Doctor's moral and generally liberal stance on many issues. Looking back I can see that he was a mixture of Lett's compassion, Dicks gung-ho courage, and Pertwee's natural authority.

Jo was a marvellous companion, used very well here. The notion we are always fed that the latest Doctor Who girl will be braver than the last, would suggest that way back in 1972, the girls were terrified of everything. Jo wasn't like this at all, she spoke her mind, even to the doctor and would generally take it upon herself to have a go, even if it meant edging along a castle wall in high heels during a gale. And in the end she had the sense not to take up with the drippy Peladon. 

I have always regarded Curse as one of the best Who stories. It had just about the right amount of continuity in it, with a brief TARDIS scene, and even briefer reference to the Time Lords. It had an array of imaginative monsters, very atmospheric design, and a mysterious, heroic Doctor. I wonder if I would remain a fan if Curse hadn't caught my attention all those years ago.