The Dalek Master Plan

Dalek Master Plan (part 1)

Steven lies on a makeshift bed on the TARDIS floor, dying. I'm sure things can only get better in this, the grimmest Dr Who story ever written, surely?

The Nightmare Begins, the title card reassuringly tells us.

Steven needs specialist drugs to live so the Doctor is going to land in the future to get some.

We cut to... Brian Cant and Nick Courtney!!!!

Brian Cant lies injured on the ground, while Courtney tries to unleash an SOS beacon much like we saw another chap try to do a few weeks previously. In a very familiar looking jungle.

Meanwhile, Nick's desperate SOS is missed because at HQ, the people meant to be watching, Roald Dahl and Lizan Phil, are arguing over what to put on the TV, the football or The Guardian of the Solar System's Speech.

Hey, maybe we should look out for that missing agent, thinks Roald, before getting distracted.

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We get to see said Guardian, Mavic Chen on the TV. It's Kevin Stoney!

CHEN [OC]: Yes. The mineral agreement with the fourth galaxy proved a little more complicated than was at first expected.
INTERVIEWER [OC]: And as that has been concluded so successfully, I'm sure that no one will begrudge you little time off. Where are you going to on this trip?
CHEN [OC]: That I am keeping a secret. I hope to be able to get away from all interviewers. I'm just going to climb aboard my Spar and drift about the solar system.
LIZAN: Drifting round the solar system! That's the life if you can get it.
ROALD: Well, become a galactic politician and who knows?

(all quotes from the Doctor Who transcripts guide)

So cynical, Terry Nation, but still accurate.

Meanwhile, Lizan Phil rule Britain for 70 odd years and Roald writes a bunch of acclaimed kids novels.

Garvey (Cant) knows something is stalking the duo and wants Bret (Nick) to leave him but Bret wont because he's clearly signposted as "Nicer than Marc Cory".

KURT: This is no time for phony heroics. I'll just slow you down, and then we'll both get it. Now without me you've got a chance. It's not a good one, but it's a chance. Just stay alive and get that message through.
BRET: I'm not going without you, is that clear?
KURT: Get out! Get out of here or I'll kill you now!

Bret is legit stunned by this, but acknowledges his friend and runs for his life.

In footage we still have, Brian Cant stands, hobbled, gun in hand, trying to make time for his friend as he awaits his doom.

"Where are you?" he mutters, anxiously.

And then... they arrive.

Daleks.

They quickly exterminate Brian Cant on the spot. He seemed nice, the little we saw of him. The character. Everyone knows Brian Cant himself was apparently lovely, beloved by generations of kids as a TV presenter and, when he died of old age in 2017, the tributes and tears flooded in from all ends of the UK.

Bret Vyon is running for his life, chased by Daleks through a jungle. He's terrified and panicked. He trips over a root and breaks his communication device, and starts to have an anxiety attack. He's frankly doomed unless a miracle happens, and right then and there, the one difference in his life to prevent him being Marc Cory happens.

The TARDIS lands.

This is the sort of thing the show never does as often as it should, the seemingly hopeless situation for the guest cast until the TARDIS arrives like a saviour. Love and Monsters uses it, in a way.

Bret watches the Doctor leave the TARDIS.

Bret then nabs the TARDIS key off the Doctor.

Bret tries to convince Katarina to operate the TARDIS but alas for him she comes from Troy.

Then the Doctor shows up again.

DOCTOR: So, you'd use physical violence, would you? You don't know what you've let yourself in for. So you've left the key in the door! Well, well, that's the first big mistake, isn't it? Yes, very foolish. Very foolish indeed, young man. Well now, it's brain, or brawn rather, versus brain? I've got you beaten from the start, young man!

Delirious Steven hits Bret with a repair item! That put a spanner in his plans...

The Doctor immobilises Bret in the TARDIS, and goes off to the Dalek City...

The Doctor gets to the Spaceport for the city and sees... "DALEKS!" to his absolute horror.

Meanwhile Bret gets out of his imprisonment by helping Steven.

KATARINA: He's sick. The Doctor says he's poisoned in the blood.
BRET: There are some tablets in the pouch of my belt. Give him two.
KATARINA: But you're an enemy. The Doctor's gone to get help.
BRET: He won't find any on this planet, believe me, so why not try the tablets? I hate to see anyone die through stupidity.
KATARINA: I do not understand you.
BRET: For heaven's sake, girl, take the tablets and give them to him!
KATARINA: All right.
BRET: Now you're showing some sense.
KATARINA: Here?
BRET: Yes. It's all right. I won't harm you. This chair of the Doctor's seems to be everything he claimed. All right. The tablets are in that tube.
KATARINA: Are these tablets?
BRET: What do they look like? Take two and put them in his mouth. They dissolve quickly and take effect almost immediately. Praise be that you're not nursing me! It's all right. He'll be all right now. You can leave him alone.
KATARINA: If you're wrong, the Doctor will be angry. I've disobeyed him.

So yeah, despite the whole mugging the Doctor at gunpoint and trying to steal the TARDIS, Bret saves Stevens life to show he's really a decent guy. Just a little on edge. Possibly because of the Daleks. He sees Daleks on the scanner, and not knowing the TARDIS is safe, gets Katarina to help him drag Steven into the jungle "to safety".

The Doctor gets back to the TARDIS to find the door open and Daleks guarding it.


Oddly for a Terry Nation first episode, this was all action and plot and none of his usual padding at all. Every scene either introduces a key character, furthers a plot point, or improves a characters standing. I am impressed.

Dalek Master Plan (part 2)

Doesn't the sight of moving images put you in a good mood?

The Doctor hides among the bushes as he spots Daleks guarding the TARDIS, and we get a burst of Tristram Cary's great Dalek leitmotif.

The Daleks announce that the TARDIS crew will be found and exterminated. Then they plan Operation Inferno, which doesn't sound very friendly.

Mavic Chen is writing as the Daleks introduce him to the majestically floaty and slow moving Zephon.

ZEPHON: I am Zephon, Master of the Fifth Galaxy.
CHEN: Of course. I had hoped to meet you once before, at the Intergalactic Conference of Andromeda.
ZEPHON: I did not attend, and now you know the reason. The Daleks held a separate council at the same time. None of us of the outer galaxies went to yours.
CHEN: Except Trantis.
ZEPHON: We agreed to send a delegate in order that the conference should not become suspicious.

Zephon speaks in a mumbled tone through a mask, and doesn't like Mavic Chen assuming the Daleks are in charge of the plan.

ZEPHON: The solar system is exceptional. In its power lies influences far outside its own sphere. Surely by joining with the forces determined to destroy that power, you mark yourself up as a supreme traitor?
CHEN: Traitor? An archaic word for so advanced a man as yourself. Considering that the planet Fisar and the Embodiment Gris have both, at different times, tried to depose you, do you still maintain that you're the mouthpiece for your own galaxy?

The Daleks are already planning to exterminate Mavic Chen. Lots of subtlety on display here.

Steven wakes up, not dead, in the forest. Katarina is with him. Now she moves, she's quite a smiley, tactile person.

The Doctor looks for his friends.

Katarina gives us cliff notes of Episode 1 for the Doctor's benefit.

Meanwhile Bret watches as the Daleks start to burn the forest down around them. RIP Varga Plants?

We get some nice footage of flamethrower wielding Daleks setting the set on fire.

Bret rushes to find the TARDIS crew and gets a handshake from the Doctor. Nothing like saving his friend's life for the Doctor to do a 180 on you.

BRET: It's the Daleks, they're using flame guns. I think they're going to burn down the jungle.
DOCTOR: Good gracious me. We must try to get back to the Tardis. We're in grave danger here.
STEVEN: Doctor, don't you see? It's a trap. That's exactly what they want us to do.
DOCTOR: Yes, yes, yes, possibly, possibly.
STEVEN: We can't act without thinking.
DOCTOR: I never do and never shall.

The camera zooms in Hartnell but you can still see Nick Courtney keeping in character with just his shoulder in the shot.

The Doctor and Steven keep bickering about the Daleks until Bret goes "Sir, will you shut up?" and gets a classic Hartnell filthy look. And leads us to...

BRET: Now, look here, I don't care what happens to you, but I have got to warn Earth.
DOCTOR: Yes, and you will have to do far more than that. If the Daleks are doing something drastic, then we have to stop the Daleks. Now will you shut up, sir?

Hah.

The Daleks set more of the jungle on fire and you can hear off screen wildlife panicking.

DOCTOR: Now just listen, listen, listen. Think back for a moment. Just think back. If the Daleks were going to attack Earth, as you seem to fear, then you must tell Earth to look back in the history of the year 2157, and that the Daleks are going to attack again. History will show how to deal with them.
BRET: Who cares about history?

Oh Bret Vyon showing us the qualms of today live on in the future. This bout of contretemps is ended by everyone smelling smoke and having to get to dodge to escape the Daleks.

Meanwhile Chen (who stands behind some bars in a nice bit of Camfield symbolism about his power in the whole thing) tells Zephon that the big meeting is ready, but Zephon says he is too important to the Daleks and plans to keep them waiting while he stands around alone.

The Terry Nation Characters Too Dumb to Live Hall of Fame has a new contender for headliner.

It's the delegates. No, I don't know which one is which. Bar Roy Evans, who plays Trantis. The Daleks already plan to exterminate Zephon.

They get to the space port and Bret instantly recognises Mavic Chen's spaceship, which the Doctor takes to mean Bret can fly it, not twigging the importance of the Guardian of the Solar System teaming up with the Daleks.

William Hartnell really is papering over a weak Doctor script with his natural Doctor-ish-ness. He makes terrible lines look as though he's actually thinking three steps ahead and is trying not to panic folk.

Zephon is still standing out there alone, so Bret thumps him out cold.

I like him trying to protect the Doctor too. Nicholas Courtney just exudes amiable confidence even in this early role. You can see instantly why he would become so important to Doctor Who, and how despite being a fairly in demand stage (and TV) actor throughouts his 40s and 50s he would still put time in his schedule for Doctor Who if he could. Douglas Camfield rated Courtney from early on, and had him in mind early on for Richard the Lionheart in The Crusade!

Mavic Chen takes great pleasure in telling the Black Dalek that Zephon is late.

Now, the Doctor dresses up as Zephon and this is usually seen as typical Nation stuff - someone eavesdropping on the master plan, and Zephon's going to get seen to for it. But... there is a subtle shift here. We already know Zephon has a galaxy sized ego, and the Daleks plan to get rid of him BEFORE the Doctor dresses up as the seaweed arms guy. So the jeopardy here is not "will the Doctor be able to eavesdrop?" It's "will the Daleks exterminate Zephon while the Doctor is still pretending to be him?" It's a sort of meta-jeopardy.

The Doctor tells Bret to warn Earth if he doesn't return.

DOCTOR: Oh, in the jungle. Now I want you, I want you to give me enough time to get to that meeting and find out exactly what's going on. Then I will head back to Chen's spaceship.
BRET: And how long will that take?
DOCTOR: Well, I must leave that to your own judgment. If, of course, you hear any kind of uproar, well then you'll have to get into the spaceship and go off without me.
BRET: Doctor, we can't leave you.
DOCTOR: Oh, nonsense, nonsense. Earth must be warned about the Daleks and about Chen.
BRET: You are a very brave man.
DOCTOR: Rubbish. Rubbish, my boy. I'm only doing what has to be done.

Courtney points out that Hartnell could be tetchy by this point (as we've mentioned before) but that they got on amiably enough, and you can see the gleam we get in Hartnell's eyes when he's paired with an actor he respects.

Also an early example of the Doctor Who stance on courage being the thing good people do because it has to be done, not because they're fearless.

The Daleks think the Doctor is Zephon.

Mavic Chen seems to twig instantly that Zephon is not Zephon but as he likes the idea of Zephon being in trouble he casually points out to the Doctor where Zephons usually seat is.

BLACK: Mavic Chen, Guardian of the Solar System, will address the meeting.
CHEN: As your most recent ally, and the newest member to stand in this great universal council, I am delighted to be able to make so significant a contribution to our conquest of the universe. I now present you with the core of the time destructor. A full emm of taranium, the rarest mineral in the universe. It's taken fifty Earth years to acquire even this amount.
TRANTIS: If it has taken so long for the solar system to acquire it, why was not one of us of the outer galaxies asked to provide it?
CHEN: As the Daleks know, taranium can only be found on one of the dead planets of the solar system. Without this, the time destructor is useless. All the plans made here could not succeed. I, Mavic Chen, give you the core of the time destructor.

So much talking, not showing in this one.

Trantis looks like a man who wants to avoid mining. And Roy Evans looks like a man trying not to stab himself with his prop teeth.

On the ship some bald men are overpowered by Steven and Bret Vyon.

Vyon leaves them tied up on the landing pad. So presumably they get exterminated.

Zephon sets off an alarm. There's panic in the meeting and the Doctor sods off quickly with the taranium core as real Zephon shows up.

Bret Vyon takes the Doctor's advice and despite Steven's best efforts, beings to take off from the planet sans Doctor.

Talking, talking, talking about events off screen but the limited First Doctor/Brig screen time had a lot of chemistry. And poor Adrienne Hill had nothing to work with.

Dalek Master Plan (part 3)

Time to venture to the Devil's Planet.

"Incidentally, I've always thought you could make up an edition of the John Peel Show entirely by using the individual episode titles from The Daleks' Master Plan:

"...and that was The Nightmare Begins by Day of Armageddon. Next up, Sheffield electro-funk outfit The Traitors with their latest record, Devil's Planet, followed by Coronas of the Sun with Counter Plot."
@Chr1sbar

He's right, you know.

Anyhow, the Spar is taking off before anyone can get a pint of milk, and before the Doctor can get back. Not to worry, in a great example of making the cliffhanger redundant, the Doctor shows up just in time and they take off.

DOCTOR: Well done, Bret, Well done. You got us off very well.
BRET: Thanks. I thought you weren't going to make it.
DOCTOR: Of course I was. You're far too pessimistic

The Doctor points out the box he nabbed has taranium which means the Daleks plan is 50 years in the making! The Daleks can only find taranium in Uranus.

The Daleks are chasing the Doctor in a Dalek-ship.

Incidentally a telesnap comment - I love how, despite respectively running for their life through a burning jungle, and nearly dying of blood poisoning an hour ago, both Bret and Steven have perfectly combed hair! Bret Vyon, licenced to look good before taking on space Nazis and political traitors.


BLACK: Representative Zephon! You deny that your negligence caused the loss of the taranium core?
ZEPHON: Had the Daleks made full security arrangements, the invaders would not have reached the city.
CHEN: Had the Master of the Fifth Galaxy been less arrogant, he would have gone with me to the meeting. Instead he preferred to keep us all waiting.
ZEPHON: I believe the intruders came from the Solar System.

Zephon gets an ass kicking from the Daleks, with help from Mavic Chen who wants to stir the pot. Zephon tries to blame Chen but the Daleks are having none of it. He tries to stir a walk out but the Daleks are having none of it. He tries to walk away with his tail between his legs, but the Daleks are having none of it, and engage in a swift bit of extermination.

Truly, Zephon was a Terry Nation Character too stupid to live.

Incidentally, there used to be a fan myth that Mavic Chen wasn't racially unsensitive because he was actually in blue makeup which looked weird in black and white. Unfortunately some colour photos of the production showed up revealing this was an example of someone's memory cheating. It's a weird set up with a British actor made up to look foreign but acting as if he were a British villain, but then, I just watched Dr No, in which the explicitly half-Chinese villain Dr No is played by the rather explicitly Quebecois Jew Joseph Wiseman. Despite makeup, Wiseman plays the role as though it were himself, and so does Kevin Stoney here, and I've no idea where that stands on the general sliding scale of these things. Better than Talons, worse than Celestial Toymaker? The thought occurred to me (which shouldn't be mistaken for condoning racial prejudices) that when watching The Crusade that Bernard Kay was producing a far more sympathetic portrayal than Laurence Olivier's stereotype Othello of the same year, and the latter got an Oscar nomination. Sometimes the past really is a different country, says he ignoring all the "oh so ironic" uses of it in comedy within this century.

Anyhow, elephant in the room duly unignored, where were we? Oh yes, Zephon bit the dust.

You'd think that might be a bit of a warning to the other delegates.

The Doctor's ship is approaching the planet Desperus. Hope it's friendly!

The Doctor talks about his plans, which are to do nothing, and then they all listen to the tape he found on the planet. It's the last message of Marc Cory, and Bret sounds a bit sad at finding out the fate of his friend.

Also I like the Doctor reassuring Bret that he did his best.

BRET: Poor Marc. He never got through.
DOCTOR: But we must. The Daleks will stop at anything to prevent us.

Bret mentions a chap called Karlton who might be able to help, if he's not in on the plan.

The Daleks take remote control of the ship and we have about 90 seconds of actual footage I never knew existed from this episode, which is a sudden thrill. The Doctor's moving about, looking at a scanner worriedly!

DOCTOR: Has it any kind of atmosphere?
BRET: Yes. But we can't get off there, we'll never be able to get off again.
STEVEN: Why not? What's wrong with it?
BRET: Desperus is the penal planet of the Solar System.
DOCTOR: Well, if it's one of your prison planets, surely there are guards and warders there to help us.
BRET: They're aren't any. The only craft which stop there are prison ships bringing other criminals. If we crash there, we'll be left there to rot for the rest of our lives away.


Mavic Chen leaves for Earth, the Daleks still onside for now.

The spaceship slowly lands on the planet, which gives us a nice bit of Doctor scare the kids moment.

STEVEN: We've shut right down.
BRET: We're going to be able to make a soft landing. I don't understand it.
DOCTOR: Yes, I'm afraid I do, only too well.
STEVEN: Daleks? Well, it's some sort of remote control, I suppose. We'd all better prepare for landing.
DOCTOR: You're quite right, my boy.
BRET: If it's the Daleks, it can only mean one thing.
DOCTOR: Yes, it means that they coming after us again.

It's a Chase! Through space and...just space.

Some beardy men fight each other.

The prisoners see the ship landing and make plans to capture it.

DOCTOR: It's the worse of these out-of-date and primitive spaceships. One little bump and they all fall to bits.
BRET: Doctor, what are you talking about? This is a Spar, the most technically perfect craft in the history of space travel.
DOCTOR: Oh yes, quite so. That's why we are stranded on this pimple of a planet, whilst you footle with that fuse box.

Haha.

Katarina looks at stuff. She has feck all to do.

The Black Dalek says get the taranium and exterminate all.

Two of the prisoners spend about 3 minutes getting to the ship only for the Doctor to have rigged up a trap to KO them.

The Dalek spaceship begins to land just as Bret fixes the Spar. They take off, and the Doctor tells Katarina to check the airlocks.

Then suddenly, she screams...

Dalek Master Plan (part 4)

Katarina has been caught by one of the prisoners from last time!


The prisoner, Kirksen, wants sent to Kembel because the Daleks will help him "whoever they are".


Terry Nation Characters Too Dumb to Live...


Faced with his companion held hostage in the airlock, the Doctor gives up and tells Bret to go back to Kembel.


DOCTOR: Change course!
KIRKSEN: Now, that's more like it!
DOCTOR: Take him back to Kembel. Take him back to Kembel! Let the Daleks deal with him.


All through this Katarina screams in pain, with Steven getting more and more upset.


The deadlock is ended when Katarina presses the button to release the airlock, and releases herself and Kirksen out into space to die. Peter Purves really sells the absolute panic in his voice. Nick Courtney stammers out his short sentence like Bret's trying not to be sick.


A shaken Doctor (and we get a horrified look from William Hartnell which chills even in telesnap form) speaks:


DOCTOR: She didn't understand. She couldn't understand. She wanted to save our lives and perhaps the lives of all the other beings of the Solar System. I hope she's found her Perfection. Oh, how I shall always remember her as one of the Daughters of the Gods. Yes, as one of the Daughters of the Gods.


People talk about Billy Fluffs all day long but he's the master of nailing speeches like this, and bringing a tear to a glass eye.


As for Katarina, she seemed nice. But just like the Bad Wolf universe, Terry Nation ain't got no time for nice. She had nothing to do in the Myth Makers or the first three episodes of this, and really is a character invented to kill off. Hell, her first scenes filmed were her death. It's the Doctor Who equivalent of the time Mick Foley stumbled across Paul Roma recording a TV promo for WCW about how he'd beaten Foley for the tag titles, before Foley was even aware he was winning them in the first place!


In terms of companions, Katarina was created just to kill off, someone else we'll see soon was more the equivalent in 1965 of signing on Alex Kingston for a full season in 2011, Peri was retconned and the New Who ones get timey wimey'd. Verbatim in fact. It's really only that annoying guy from the 80s which has the real full on companion death bit. But we'll get to him later.


Trantis tells the Daleks not to trust Mavic Chen. They get angry at him. Trantis chalks himself up as Too Smart To Survive A Terry Nation Script.


Mavin Chen is on Earth chatting away to Karlton and Lizan Phil from Episode 1, and quickly finds out the officers sent to Kembel area were Bret and Brian Cant.


Lizan Phil sods off, leaving Mavic Chen with the guy in charge of the Space Security Service.


CHEN: I think that takes care of that. You know, Karlton, some of your agents are getting too good. We don't want to spoil things for ourselves at this stage.
KARLTON: They won't. I've already insisted that all future operations shall be cleared with me before they're begun.
CHEN: If you'd done that in the first place, we wouldn't be in this spot.
KARLTON: Cory's mission was one that he kept to himself. It was done without official sanction of any kind.
CHEN: And you could hardly have stopped the others after his distress signal. You must do better than that. I would hate to have to lose you.
KARLTON: You know you can trust me.


The Doctor and co land on Earth somewhat sombrely.


Karlton reveals himself to be in on the Dalek plot and warns Mavic Chen that the Daleks will view Trantis as their second in command. However, Chen points out wisely that the Daleks don't like Trantis. Especially wisely as he wasn't on the planet to see their falling out!


Karlton has sent Agent Kingdom to take out the traitors.


Mavic Chen meets Agent Kingdom and it's JEAN ¤¤¤¤ING MARSH. Awesome. She's a hard nosed Terry Nation type, and plans to take out Bret and his friends.


The Doctor and co wait impatiently for Bret's friend Daxtar.


BRET: Doctor, Daxtar is in a position to help us.
DOCTOR: Surely everyone must know that Chen's space-ship has crash-landed only a short distance away from here. There must be hundreds of people looking for us!
BRET: Doctor, there are very few people allowed near this place, it's a restricted area. Look, don't you understand that Chen will probably have returned to Earth by this time. He'd have realised that I was the man on the planet Kembel. I expect we're wanted men by this time.
DOCTOR: But this is an experimental plant, There's no scientists, no staff, nobody! We might just as well have landed ourselves on an empty planet. What on Earth is happening?
BRET: Doctor, I don't know anymore than you do.
DOCTOR: Has it occurred to you, by any chance, that we might have deliberately walked into an ambush?


Kingdom is sent to shoot to kill and bring back the taranium.


Daxtar shows up. It's Roger Avon (1914-98) who also played Saphadin in The Crusade. Probably best known for When The Boat Comes In, he also appeared in Blackadder III (where he got to deliver the immortal line "shut your face, you pregnant junky fag-hag") and late in his life as part of the ensemble cast for Our Friends in the North. Even heart issues - he spent two years convalescing before returning to the stage - couldn't slow him down, with his final TV appearance being as a dying man opposite Robson Greene, and his final acting performance actually being on stage on the day he died. Which was seemingly the only way to end a career which started in 1928!


Also, his Jarrow chiselled facial features are perfect for a Terry Nation role. If Nation didn't do a jig and bung Douglas Camfield a cheeky fiver, what was he thinking?


Unluckily for Daxtar he gives himself away by being a Terry Nation character Too Dumb to Live:


BRET: What do you mean, Doctor? What are you playing at?
DOCTOR: I suggest you ask Daxtar what he is playing at.
DAXTAR: I don't understand. Look, this situation must be dealt with at once.
DOCTOR: What price is Mavic Chen paying you for your treachery?
BRET: Treachery? I've known this man all my life. He's no traitor.
DOCTOR: Long acquaintance is no guarantee for honesty. Ask him. Ask him how he came to know that the core of their Time Destructor was taranium!
DAXTAR: Don't be so ridiculous! One of you mentioned it when you were telling me. Why you yourself, mentioned it when you said that Chen handed the stuff over.
DOCTOR: I did not, sir. How long have you been in this conspiracy?
DAXTAR: What conspiracy? You're making a stupid mistake!
DOCTOR: There is you, and Chen, and how many of the others? Or what others are involved?
DAXTAR: Look Bret, you've known me for many years. You know I wouldn't be mixed up in anything like this!
BRET: How did you know about the taranium?


So Bret shoots Roger Avon in the head just as we were getting used to him. Bit mean, Bret.


The Doctor is a bit pissed off as now they wont know who is on Mavic Chen's side.


And that gives away their position as Agent Kingdom finds them and Bret is...


Delighted.


"Sara!" He calls happily. "You're just the person we need!" He's so happy to see her.


She pulls her gun and his face presumably falls. He tells the Doctor and Steven to scarper.


"Et tu, Brutus?" Bret doesn't say, as Sara Kingdom shoots him down.


Bret Vyon spent most of four episodes being a Doctor Who character who tried his best to be on the good side. The second he reverted to a Terry Nation style Marc Cory character, he died. This story doesn't allow people to last a second longer than their plot point.


And in 20 minutes we've lost half the main good guy cast of the story.


Kingdom sends her men after the Doctor and Steven and tells them to shoot to kill.




The story gets plaudits for bringing in Jean Marsh, but negative points for bumping off Bret Vyon who still felt like he had mileage in the tale. Hell, imagine the storyline potential for the two characters both assuming the other was a traitor. Instead, no, boom headshot.


Grim, but also a bit Ikea like.

Dalek Master Plan (episode 5)

Last week, we lost a likeable companion suddenly and brutally barely weeks after debuting on the show. Will we be able to recover from the loss of Bret Vyon?

Moving images helps!

So yes, Sara Kingdom (Jean Marsh!!!) has shown up and shot Bret "someday I'll be a Brigadier" Vyon dead. Now she's after the Doctor and Steven who have frankly had better 25 minutes...

The Doctor, not realising Bret is dead, calls him an irritating man.

The two walk into a bleeping humming room. With a mini-spaceship thing full of mice. Normal people who get to ¤¤¤¤ very quickly, but the Doctor stands around going "very curious".

We cut to two scientists who don't care about intruders or security guards, as long as they can carry on their experiments.

Sara Kingdom finds the obvious humming room and demands the Doctor hands over the taranium core.

But before anyone else can... all 3 of them are transported by transmat!


Which is bloody hilarious, as the three actors are in negative and asked to do some "pained acting". Jean Marsh does her best, Peter Purves tries his best and William Hartnell produces what I can best describe as his "haha isn't dying going to be hilarious?" expression.


Kingdom's deputy tries to get the scientists to stop the experiment.

They refuse.

One of them looks like a stage frightened Derek Jacobi.

Meanwhile Sara and Steven bounce on a trampoline to look like its space. And I think Camfield twigged Hartnell's gurny face as he got cut from that segment. Spoil sport!

The scientists tell the guards that the Doctor, Steven and Sarah have been sent across the galaxy.

We see a marshy jungle planet. Not seen one of those in a few weeks. The smoke machine is going wild!

The Daleks moan about how long Mavic Chen is taking.

KARLTON: Would it not have been wiser to choose a nearer planet than Mira?
FROYN: The whole point was the distance. We already know that certain small objects can be sent by cellular fragmentation over some short distances.
KARLTON: And will these people arrive safely?
FROYN: We don't know. We've never tried to transpose people in this way before.
KARLTON: Why didn't you stop when Space Security came in.
FROYN: The experiment had already started. We couldn't stop.

Froyn (?) gets a bollocking off Karlton.

The mice survived the trip.

We then get a scene between Karlton and a panicking Mavic Chen (who has certainly had his eyes done) which shows who the real power in the room is.

KARLTON: The instruments reassembled successfully and the mice were alive.
CHEN: You know that might mean nothing. You realise the Daleks might just assemble a force and conquer us, and there'll be nothing we can do.
KARLTON: We still have the power.
CHEN: Where? They're expecting me now to arrive with the taranium.
KARLTON: Calm down. Mira is not far from Kembel, is it?
CHEN: It's nearer Kembel then Earth is. But what help is that?
KARLTON: Tell the Daleks that you trapped the fugitives in the cellular projector and sent them to Mira on purpose.
CHEN: You're mad.
KARLTON: Am I? It was a safety measure. Unwelcome attention was being paid to the fugitives so you send them to Mira on purpose.
CHEN: Ah. We could attribute it to a too-efficient security system. It'll show conclusively that we're completely allied to the Daleks. They would trust us the more

Yes, Karlton has Chen on command.

Maurice Browning's Iago act is one of the best things in this episode, so naturally we wont see him again after the next 5 minutes. Browning was a regular talent before his early death (he died at Denville Hall in 1983 aged 64), appearing in films, TV, The Mikado and even writing his own librettos for theatre.

This inspires Kevin Stoney to go into full on villain mode in what has so far been a rather subdued role for the great actor.

CHEN: Without me, their plan cannot completely work. Without me, they are but nothing. Nothing! When I am next to the Daleks, only they stand between me and the highest position in the universe. Then will be the time for me to take complete control! You are a fortunate man, Karlton. You will have a high place in galactic history.
KARLTON: The highest, next to you.

See, just like Tonila in The Aztecs, take your eyes off that guy at your peril, I'd say. You can even see in his eyes that he thinks Chen is a loonie and is already planning to get rid of him.

Meanwhile on Mira, the Doctor, Steven and Sara wake up.

Sara instantly wants to kill the traitors but the Doctor disarmed her when she was out cold.

The Daleks have landed on the planet Mira, having got their report from Mavic Chen offscreen.

The Doctor hasn't a clue how to get off the planet, but knows the Daleks will be coming to get them as their position is transmitting to Earth.

Oh, invisible creature footprints.

The Daleks exterminate the mice.

You know, I'm beginning to think the Daleks might be gits here...

In a cave, the Doctor and Steven try to convince Sara they are good guys, despite her reluctance. Jean Marsh batting terrible Terry Nation dialogue like a pro.

STEVEN: You killed Bret! You just shot him down.
SARA: He was a traitor. Between the three of you, you had stolen the taranium, the most valuable mineral in the universe. It was needed desperately to spread the peace which was founded in the solar system, to reach the whole galaxy.
STEVEN: What was the taranium going to do?
SARA: How should I know? I had my orders.
STEVEN: Your orders. And even though it meant killing one of your own people, you obeyed them blindly, without question?
SARA: One does not question the orders of the Guardian.
STEVEN: You didn't stop to think how it came to happen that a space security agent, one of your own people, was a traitor?
SARA: No!
STEVEN: You didn't give Bret a chance, did you. You couldn't question Chen and you wouldn't question Bret.
SARA: Look, what do you want me to say? That I believe your fantastic story?
STEVEN: It's true.
SARA: It mustn't be.
DOCTOR: I'm afraid it is, my dear.
STEVEN: But Bret had to be killed.
SARA: Shut up! Bret Vyon was my brother.

Eastenders cliffhanger Duff Duffs. No wait, more time to go yet. But yes, Sara shot her own brother down.

Maybe they could have, you know, worked out if he was being framed first, given they apparently were very fond of each other. Bret was delighted to see her before she shot him in the head. Now Sara is very sad he died.

Poor communication kills.


CHEN: Good. It looks as though the Daleks have believed my story. I must be there before the taranium's bought back.
KARLTON: If it is.
CHEN: Wait till you hear from me, then take your party to Venus. Whatever happens, we shall outwit the Daleks. We should be able to destroy Kembel with help from the rest of the solar system.
KARLTON: But that will only mean mastery of this galaxy.
CHEN: But a start, Karlton, a start.

And that's it for Karlton. We never see him again. As I don't include the books (unless it suits) and haven't seen his appearance in the Big Finishes, I can only assume he takes over after Episode 12, and rules the Solar System like a Boris Johnson with political nous. Truly the terrifying figure.

Anyhow, a few Daleks find the Doctor and, because he checked his watch and saw the episode only had 20 seconds left, he immediately surrenders and tells Steven that the Daleks have won.

Dalek Master Plan (part 6)

So the Daleks have won?

Invisible creatures distract the Daleks and the Doctors team run away.

Bit premature on the pessimism last week by looks of it.

They reach the Dalek ship, and the Doctor walks up to the Dalek guard and goes "Hi, I'm Doctor Who, I surrender" which confuses the Dalek long enough for Steven to put mud on its eyestalk.

The Dalek patrol returns but the Doctor takes off in their ship.

The Black Dalek tries to give Mavic Chen a bollocking, but the newly insane and confident Mavic Chen manages to turn it around into Chen giving the lead Daleks a telling off for letting the side down!

BLACK: Mavic Chen, you have failed in your task.
CHEN: Failed? Is this my greeting? I agree that my mission was to return to Earth and recover the taranium. This I have not done.
BLACK: Failure will not be tolerated!
CHEN: But I did notify you of the fugitives' whereabouts. The planet Mira. There the vital core can be taken from them without suspicion. Their presence on Earth was a constant danger! At anytime they could have contacted forces unsympathetic to our plans.
BLACK: You make your incompetence sound like an achievement.
CHEN: Incompetence now, is it? You forget that the original blunder was not of my doing. I journeyed to and from Earth to correct a failing your security force should have dealt with. The core was stolen from here. My actions have brought about a situation which will allow you to recover the missing taranium easily and simply. If that is a failure, then I have failed.

"You make your incompetence sound like an achievement" is such a great line. Write Daleks like they are intelligent and wry and you get better stories.

The Black Dalek is in a foul mood and then hears his taskforce to Mira has ¤¤¤¤ed up spectacularly.

Mavic Chen is delighted at this turn of events and tells off the Black Dalek for screwing up. A bit like trying to get a selfie with a polar bear tbh.

The Doctor plans to make a copy of the taranium core to trick the Daleks. William Hartnell is having a ball in this episode by the sounds of it.

But then the Daleks take control of their own ship, and start to direct it to the planet Kembel.

So the Doctor, on seeing this, gets Steven to break a button which he does for fun.

The Daleks on Kembel find this out and so "ACT-IVATE A MAG-NETISED BEAM!"

The Doctor has created a copy of the taranium core, but it doesn't glow. So Steven does something with g-force and knocks himself out, but makes the fake core glow. The Doctor is hilariously delighted and worried at the same time.

DOCTOR: He's still alive, and lucky at that.
SARA: But it worked! Look, Doctor. It's just like the real taranium.
DOCTOR: Oh, isn't that wonderful. That's wonderful! Steven's theory has proved successful. But what about the poor boy?

Meanwhile Mavic Chen finds out who is in full control and it isn't him.

BLACK: Of course. And we shall deal with these fugitives as with all those who oppose us.
CHEN: No!
BLACK: Do you challenge us?
CHEN: Of course not. But might it not be advisable for me to return them to Earth for trial?
BLACK: Why?
CHEN: They will be tried and found guilty as traitors to the Solar System. After all, the woman is from Earth.
BLACK: The Daleks will deal with them, there is no need for the delay in their extermination.
CHEN: Some people on Earth know that our traitors were transposed to Mira. If they disappear for good, those people will be curious and ask what happened to them. It's possible that they might find out that the Daleks executed them. Then your plans could be hindered.
BLACK: It is essential that you do not allow your Earth people to become curious.
CHEN: Human curiosity is something I can have no control over.
BLACK: You must forestall their questions until it is too late.
CHEN: Too late?
BLACK: Yes! We will have conquered the Solar System before our presence here is discovered.
CHEN: It is possible.
BLACK: Once we have the taranium, there is nothing to stop us!
CHEN: Very well. I leave their fate to you.

The Daleks send a welcome party to the landing pad to meet the Doctor. Surprise Birthday Exterminations.

The ship has nearly landed on Kembel but Steven is caught in a forcefield!

The Daleks celebrate their victory.

Mavic Chen and the Black Dalek meet the Doctor and co. The Doctor says he will only hand over the taranium core outside the TARDIS.

The Black Dalek reluctantly agrees.

The Doctor and Sara enter the TARDIS, and Steven hands over the Fake Core. Then he gets exterminated but the forcefield thing from 2 minutes ago means he is immune to Dalek ray guns. Well, that was convenient.

The TARDIS takes off.

Now they've left, the forcefield is finished.

Meanwhile the TARDIS lands somewhere but outside of the TARDIS is entirely poisonous!

What an odd way out of a dilemma that was. "Suddenly something magic happens to Steven just long enough to save the day".

Dalek Master Plan (part 7)

Yes, its the famous Christmas special.

It turns out its just normal Earth pollution. The TARDIS has landed outside a police station, and is mistaken for the least convenient police box in the UK.

We cut to carol singing policemen.

CONSTABLE 1: Here, I reckon we could charm the birds of the trees.

No, no you couldn't.

The Doctor pops out of the TARDIS straight into a police officer and rushes back into the TARDIS.

Comedy policemen chat about the TARDIS.

The Doctor leaves the TARDIS and is immediately arrested for impersonating Father Christmas, apparently.

A bored desk sergeant has to deal with a pensioner.

SERGEANT: All right. What can I do for you?
MAN: I've got a complaint.
SERGEANT: Well, the doctor's just around the corner.
MAN: No, no, no, no. I, I mean, I want to make a complaint.
SERGEANT: Oh, I see. Well, let's have your name then.
MAN: They keep moving me house.
SERGEANT: Moving your what?
MAN: House!
SERGEANT: They keep moving your house?
MAN: Yes. Me greenhouse. It's the rebels.

A pensioner with a missing greenhouse. It's Reg Pritchard (1925-2013) who played the Jaffa marketeer Daheer in The Crusade. And if you forgot that, in walks the Doctor who instantly goes:

DOCTOR: Haven't I seen your face before somewhere?
MAN: Where?
DOCTOR: Yes, of course, I remember now, yes. The marketplace at Jaffa.

We must be missing a cheeky wink to the kids at home from William Hartnell here as the Doctor breaks the 4th wall.

The Doctor is interviewed by comedy cops, which does somehow manage to get a great Hartnell line in there:

INSPECTOR: Are you Welsh, then?
DOCTOR: Oh, you'll have to think in a far bigger way than that. Your ideas are too narrow, too small, too crippled.
INSPECTOR: All right, all right. What are you then?
DOCTOR: Well, I suppose you might say that I am a citizen of the universe, and a gentleman to boot.

Anyhow, Sara gets arrested so Steven pretends to be a policeman and takes the Doctor and Sara away and all three escape in the TARDIS.

I'm just imagining a drunken Whovian from 1965 wondering what the ¤¤¤¤ was going on in this weeks Dalek story episode. Must have been too much sherry.

Best comedy line so far?

"What about my greenhouse?"
"Where is it?"
"For a start...not in me garden!"

Something happens on a fake film set with a Charlie Chaplin lookalike. I think it follows the introduction to Rastapopolous in Tintin, so watch out for Ingmar Knopf actually being the Black Dalek all along. The Doctor makes a random comment about Arabs (!), they meet a clown who is actually Bing Crosby (who would have been 10 at the time!!), and much of the story seems to be told as a silent movie pastiche. You know, those things which rely 100% on the moving images?

Anyhow, presumed hilarity happens.

Back in the TARDIS, the Doctor announces it is Christmas and gets out some champagne so they can all celebrate. And then, the Doctor turns directly to the camera, raises a glass and goes:

"Incidentally, a Merry Christmas to all of you at home!"

Its impossible to critique The Feast of Steven, because its not part of the Dalek Master Plan. Its Dr Who as Christmas farce, with references to 1965 TV things which lose context nearly 60 years later, entire scenes reliant on images for comedy which don't exist, and which somehow manages to throw in 2 classic Doctor lines. Because that final line is a classic line. I don't care if it doesn't make sense. We already seeded in earlier with the Man in a Mackintosh that the Doctor could break the 4th Wall this week, so him telling the nations kids to enjoy their Christmas is fine in my book.

In fact, if the Doctor Fleabag'd more often I'm sure it would save many kids nightmares. "Those Daleks, always trying to exterminate everyone, am I right?"

Dalek Master Plan (episode 8)

Oh ¤¤¤¤, the Daleks are back!

They are going to test the Time Destructor. The delegates are back too. The Daleks decide they will test the Time Destructor on Trantis.

A time machine is following the TARDIS, and The Doctor concludes it must be the Daleks, although he also thinks its too soon for them to have twigged he sold them a dummy.

CELATION: I wonder why they chose him?
CHEN: It was his own choice really.
CELATION: What do you mean?
CHEN: He was so eager to make a contribution to the time destructor that they've let him make one. His life.

Mavic Chen getting to be savage, and Kevin Stoney is enjoying playing more of a ranty Chen.

The Daleks switch on their machine and Trantis looks terrified.

It doesn't work. The Daleks twig that the Doctor switched their taranium and order a time machine from Skaro.

Trantis leaves the machine, and they exterminate him.

The Daleks, what gits they are.

Mavic Chen is notably stunned at them killing Trantis regardless of his earlier jokes about it.

The TARDIS lands at the Oval during a cricket match.

TREVOR: There's a police telephone box on the pitch.
SCOTT: My word, yes.
TREVOR: Well this really is extraordinary. You don't remember anything like this happening before, do you, Scott?
SCOTT: No. No.
TREVOR: Well, anyway, Ross is looking through the record books and if there has been anything like it before, I'm sure he'll find it for us.
SCOTT: You know, Trev, this puts a new light on the game.
TREVOR: What light's that, Scott?
SCOTT: Well, I know your ground staff are excellent, but even assuming they get rid of it in say, ten minutes, England will still have to get their seventy eight runs in thirty five minutes.
TREVOR: Yes. Yes, well I think we can safely say this has been a very bad break for England.

Now some people say this scene is very Douglas Adams like, and wonder if he ever saw it. I think the clue is when the exact same scene pretty much happens in Life, the Universe and Everything. It's funny there and its funny here.

Arguably funnier here (take a bow Dennis Spooner) as the commentators are so damned earnest.

Bruce Wightman (haggis man from Terror of the Zygons) and Roger Brierly ("radiated authority, constant thorn in Thatcher's side" sums up his Guardian obit from 2005) give these 90 second characters more depth than some folk got in 4 episodes.

Also its worth noting that Spooner is effortlessly more witty than Terry Nation was.

The TARDIS takes off again. Good news for England. Bet they're glad it wasn't the 5th Doctor!

The Dalek time machine arrives on Kembel and they plan to Chase the Doctor. Again. Mavic Chen is sent in the Dalek Time Machine with their force to get the taranium back.

The TARDIS lands on a volcano planet surrounded by lava.

The machine following the TARDIS has landed. In the middle of a volcanic planet. And suddenly, out of a boulder walks The Monk. It's Peter fn Butterworth!

So he did escape from 1066 and all that!

He's immediately laughing like he's shown up in a lighter Who story.

STEVEN: You know, Doctor, it would help if we knew what we were looking for.
SARA: I still say it was madness to come out here. We should have taken off again or tried to get back to Kembel.
DOCTOR: My dear young girl, what good would it be to run away? The sooner we find who's pursuing us the better.

It's a new planet, the Doctor says.

The Monk finds the TARDIS and attacks the key lock with a laser.

The Doctor bumps into The Monk.

DOCTOR: I suppose congratulations for your escape are quite in order.
MONK: Oh, thank you. Most kind of you, Doctor. Yes, it took a bit of time, but I finally managed to bypass the dimensional controller.
DOCTOR: Yes, a very interesting solution, yes, I'm sure, though I think it would make for rather an uncomfortable ride. However, I don't suppose it affected you very much, being an amateur.
MONK: Yes, it was rather uncomfortable, but then, we can't have everything, can we? As for being an amateur, we shall see. Anyway, it was better than 1066.

The Monk then announces the TARDIS is sabotaged. Bit disproportionate. Abandoning them on a volcano.

The Doctor then uses his ring to beam the suns rays into the TARDIS lock and fix it. As you do.

The TARDIS team take off quickly as the Monk throws a hissy fit.

The Doctor cant be arsed explaining to Steven how he fixed the lock.

The TARDIS lands on HOGMANAY.

And the bells ring out for New Year.

Meanwhile the Daleks have discovered where they are and chasing after them in a Dalek TARDIS. A DARDIS?

Dalek Master Plan (episode 9)

This week the TARDIS lands in Ancient Egypt. So its The Chase with more interesting locations?

Mavic Chen is now travelling with a Red Dalek. Like in the films!

The Doctor plans to fix the TARDIS lock properly.

DOCTOR: Well, yes, the pyramids are the seventh wonder of this ancient world, I should say the word impressive is rather an understatement.
STEVEN: Yes, you could be right. Well, they've finished it you think? There doesn't seem to be anyone around.

The Dalek ship is about to land but the Doctor thinks its the Monk.

The Doctor sounds a bit choked this week.

The Doctor realises he was talking to himself and has a big goofy grin. Hah.

The Dalek ship lands and Steven spots it, and thinks its the Monk.

Meanwhile an Egyptian spots the Doctor and goes to tell folk.

Steven twigs something is up as the Monk's TARDIS blends into its surroundings and this one hasn't. And then out of the new arrival appear Daleks. And Mavic Chen. But mostly Daleks.

Steven and Sara are captured by the Ancient Egyptian guards, but then the Daleks show up. In the Pharaoh's men vs Daleks, the Egyptians produce a Bon Accord style result. Exterminations all around.

They've probably changed more of Earth's history than The Meddling Monk ever managed.

Steven, Sara and a few guards escape.

The Doctor finishes fixing the TARDIS and goes to find Steven and Sara. He sees the Monks TARDIS land and laughs to himself, then realises in horror the other time ship that landed must have belonged to the Daleks!

(Billy H rocking his sun hat, btw)

Some of the guards discuss what to do next.

HYKSOS: I will journey to the next encampment. We'll need an army to do battle with their fire-throwing machines.
KHEPHREN: Yes, and I will take my slaves to the tomb. The treasures that Pharaoh has sent for his journey to the afterlife will be placed inside. There they will be easier to guard.

The Monk hears someone coming so goes to bluff and then turns right round, to his horror, into a Dalek.

He's shown up in the wrong Doctor Who story.

CHEN: So, you have heard of the Daleks?
MONK: Yes, yes, by reputation.
CHEN: Then you are certainly not of this time.
MONK: No, oh no, certainly not, no. Just a passing time traveller anxious to be on his way, so if you'll excuse me I'll
DALEK: Halt!
CHEN: Three time machines in one infinitesimal speck of space and time. Of course, a coincidence is possible, but hardly likely. You would agree?
MONK: Oh, yes, I would agree.
CHEN: Then why have you arrived here?
MONK: Three, three time-machines? Yes, well, the odd one out belongs to a certain Doctor.
DALEK: The enemy ship!
MONK: Yes, that's right. The enemy. I have an old score to settle with him, but I'm sure yours is the prior claim.
CHEN: He is a friend of yours?
MONK: Friend? No, no, an enemy. An enemy to end all enemies! I came here to inflict a terrible vengeance on him. I mean, we're all on the same side here, aren't we.

He manages to luck his way out of extermination.

The Doctor finds the Monks TARDIS, plays with its chameleon cloak for fun, and then steals one of its components.

The Doctors TARDIS has been taken into the Pyramid.

Sara gets her and Steven free, and then she takes out three guards.

SARA: Not bad. Remind me to teach you a few tricks sometime.
STEVEN: Remind me not to pick a fight with you. Come on.

We get ourselves a proper Hartnell/Butterworth scene!

MONK: It's simple, really, you know, Doctor. I mean, it's up to you, of course. If you'd like to come inside, I'll show you how it was done.
DOCTOR: And then you would be able to see the taranium, too.
MONK: Yes, yes. Do you know, I knew there was something I had to tell you. I've come here to warn you about the Daleks.
DOCTOR: Warn me?
MONK: Yes. Oh, I played them along their own game of course for quite a time but they don't like you, you know. They don't like you at all.
DOCTOR: Why didn't you?
MONK: What?
DOCTOR: Warn me.
MONK: Oh well, you were talking at the time. I didn't want to interrupt.
DOCTOR: You know, I think before I go, I should put you safely out of the way.
MONK: Oh, come now, Doctor. Surely you don't think I was going to help the Daleks?
DOCTOR: I did.
MONK: Now, Doctor, look, let's talk this over like civilised time-travellers. It's the taranium core they want, not you. Why don't you give it to them then we can be all on our way.
DOCTOR: If you believe that, my friend, you will believe anything!
MONK: Doctor, don't do anything you might regret.

Hah. They play off each other so well.

Steven and Sara find the TARDIS only for a Mummy to begin to appear.

Dalek Master Plan (episode 10)

The Mummy was the Monk, but never mind that, the pictures are moving again!

We get to see some hieroglyphics on set as Steven and Sara investigate the pyramid.

Mavic Chen and the Daleks argue over The Monk's sincerity. The Daleks get bored and decide to go on an extermination party. The Red Dalek demands Chen follows orders and he shoves it by the eyestalk.

Getting close to Terry Nation Character Too Dumb To Live there, but this is no longer a Terry Nation story. The more confident Mavic Chen gets the stupider he gets.

The Monk tries to get into the TARDIS by pretending to have a headache but Steven points out the Doctor has the only key. Cue great Peter Butterworth worried expression.

The Monk, Steven and Sara bump into Mavic Chen and the Daleks, and The Monk instantly tries to claim he got the Daleks some hostages.

MONK: Well, now that little problem's settled, I think I'd better
DALEK: You will return with us!
MONK: Return with you. That was what I was going to say.

Hah, as a prime case of trying to keep your own skin while everyone else is dying around you, The Monk is fantastic here. He really thought he was going to be in a story like The Time Meddler, where all the nasty stuff happens in scenes he's not in. Instead, he's shown up in the middle of The Daleks Murder Everyone In Sadistic Fashion (part 10) and feels out of his depth, and as such, is actually better than in his debut.

Also Peter Purves is great. He had no dialogue in that scene but sells it with little glances alone. He's standing next to an acting great (Jean Marsh) and doesn't look out of his depth.

The Egyptians await backup before they take on the Daleks.

The sun sets and is shown shining off the top of a Dalek, in a fantastic visual bit that reminds you we are missing 9 episodes worth of cool Douglas Camfield moments in this one.

The Daleks boost out a ransom message to the Doctor across 7 miles of Egypt. He hears it and so does everyone else who just lives there and ¤¤¤¤s themselves.

STEVEN: Don't you think you've done enough?
MONK: Done enough? Yes, I suppose that saving your life
SARA: What?
MONK: Well, we're all here, aren't we? It was very quick thinking on my part. Very quick indeed.
STEVEN: I don't believe it!
MONK: Do you mean to say you actually think I meant what I said to the Daleks? My dear fellow, this was a desperate gamble, risking my own life to save yours.
STEVEN: We can trust him about as much as we can trust the Daleks.
MONK: You mean my performance was that good? I knew I had to fool the Daleks, but I thought you would see through it.
SARA: He could be telling the truth, Steven.
MONK: Only could be? You don't think I'd take the side of these creatures against you, do you? You do. Honestly, this baffles me, destroys my faith in human nature.

The Monk takes credit for saving Steven's life, much to Steven's incredulity.

The Doctor walking through the pyramids with his walking stick and Panama hat looking like a boss, incidentally. Hartnell reeling off pages of exposition with his face showing us how he's coming up with a way out of the predicament already.

One of the Egyptians looks like Neil Morrissey from Men Behaving Badly.

TUTHMOS: Master, It is the voice of the gods.
KHEPHREN: No, Tuthmos. The gods would speak words we understood.
TUTHMOS: Who else but the gods could speak in a voice like thunder?
KHEPHREN: The same mortals who would build war machines that throw fire. When Hyksos returns, you will see the end of your gods.

I don't rate this guys chances. He thinks he's in The Aztecs.

The Doctor shows up and faces off with the Daleks and Mavic Chen.

DOCTOR: Very well, I will hand over the taranium core.
CHEN: Ah. Very wise.
DOCTOR: But on my terms.
CHEN: You are in no position to make demands, Doctor. A Dalek escort will
DOCTOR: No escort, and on my terms.
DALEK: We could exterminate you now.
DOCTOR: Yes, indeed. Indeed you could, but then you'd never get back the taranium core, would you now, hmm? Would you?
CHEN: What are your terms, Doctor?
DOCTOR: You will release your prisoners. I also include that Monk fellow too, though I don't know why I should bother with him. Bring all three to the place of rendezvous, and hand them over at the same time.
CHEN: Why can't you come here?
DOCTOR: You should know the answer to that as well as I do. None of you can be trusted. You and one Dalek, at the west angle of the Great Pyramid.
DALEK: We accept. Take the prisoners inside.

Hartnell barking orders at the Daleks who visibly move back from him, The Doctor's never looked so righteously angry at his number one enemy before, nor they so visibly concerned about him. This is Doctor Who from now on, with the Daleks acknowledging that the Doctor is the only being in the universe that worries them. It's also growth in the Doctor's character. He was bloody well scared of these pepperpots in The Space Museum and The Chase, but somewhere along this story - with losses piling up, and the scale of what they intend to do - his terror has been overwhelmed by disdain and hatred for them. He's metamorphized entirely into the man who will take on an army single handed because he's the only man who can save billions of innocents.

And William Hartnell plays it like it was the role he was born to play.

Although as he walks off the Red Dalek tries to steal the scene with what is admittedly a boss line of its own:

CHEN: I'm surprised that you met his terms so readily.
DALEK: One Dalek is capable of exterminating all!

And its as pissed off as the Doctor was. This is a proper grudge match now.

The Ancient Egyptian army is ready to take on the Daleks.

The Doctor gets the Daleks to release the hostages and hands Mavic Chen the taranium core, then runs. Luckily for him the Egyptians show up to take on the Daleks and distract them.

The Egyptians are the Cybermen and the Daleks are the Raston Warrior Robot. A massacre occurs.

Some of them trap a Dalek under rubble.

The Doctor, Steven and Sara escape into the TARDIS with the Monks TARDIS navigational circuit.

The Monk is nearly caught by the Daleks but escapes just before extermination.

DALEK: They have escaped. We shall pursue them through eternity. The taranium core must be recovered!
CHEN: This patrol is obviously out of touch with events.
DALEK: What do you mean?
CHEN: All this hysteria is unnecessary. The operation was a complete success. I have the taranium here.
DALEK: You have done well.

Hah.

The Daleks take off back to Kembel.

The Monk lands on an icy planet and curses the Doctor. Alas we never see him again. A meddlesome Time Lord is a breath of fresh air after 50 years of psychotic ones, as fun as the Master is.

The Doctor puts the Monks directional control in place in the TARDIS and tests it. The TARDIS console appears to explode.

The Monk was a fun addition to this story, but now we have to return to Kembel to finish the show off.

Dalek Master Plan (part 11)

The TARDIS...does something.

Meanwhile the Dalek machine lands back on Kembel and amusingly the Red Dalek, who just spent 3 weeks on a journey with Mavic Chen, is annoyed the Black Dalek wont let him exterminate Chen yet. It sounds so disappointed.

The Monks directional unit destroyed but apparently the TARDIS has safety measures in place to protect itself.

Luckily the unit took them directly to Kembel before it burned up. How useful.

Chen and the Black Dalek meet the delegates, who suddenly realise they are on the wrong side of Animal Farm.

CHEN: Fellow delegates. Even as you sit here, the great war force assembled under the Daleks, is awaiting the final order to set out and conquer the universe!
BEAUS: Why is Mavic Chen speaking for the Dalek Supreme?
CHEN: The final checks are being made and in a very short time that final order will be given!
CELATION: Why is it that Mavic Chen is in possession of information denied to the rest of this Council?
CHEN: Though we are all equal partners with the Daleks on this great conquest, some of us are more equal than others.
BEAUS: The Representative speaks out of turn!
CHEN: No! My contribution of the emm of taranium, is greater than all of yours put together. You have been dwarfed, dwarfed!
CELATION: This violates the agreement by which this council was assembled.
BEAUS: Arrest him! Arrest him! Arrest him!
CHEN: You have no power to arrest anybody. You are nothing, do you hear me? Nothing!

Gearon rises to take on Chen and is exterminated to the other delegates horror. I have no idea who the ¤¤¤¤ Gearon was.

He's dead anyhow.

On a rewatch, Chen shoots Gearon while the Dalek watches. It probably approved, or was annoyed it can now only murder 8 people.

Sara and Steven stumble through the jungle trying to avoid Varga Plants.

Mavic Chen turns round to find the Black Dalek left and locked the door. While most people would be worried, he continues to rant until the Daleks show up to take everyone prisoner.

The Doctor has disappeared off on a weeks holiday.

The Daleks plan to exterminate the delegates, in case you thought they were being subtle.

SARA: Right, let's get going.
STEVEN: Just a minute!
SARA: Why? We've got to defeat the Daleks.
STEVEN: We've got to try to defeat the Daleks. If you and I just charge in there what chance do you think we've got against the greatest war force ever assembled.

Sara also asks how the machine Steven is using works in case he dies. Hah.

The Dalek city appears to be abandoned. Sara and Steven think the Doctor has been captured. So Sara tries to talk to them on their speaker system.

And gets Mavic Chen the prisoner in return.

Mavic Chen still tries to act like hes in charge, but Celation is totally fed up with this ¤¤¤¤ now and takes over.

SARA: Don't waste time. They'll be on their way to us by now.
STEVEN: Yes, but if they don't bring the Doctor the plan's useless.
CELATION [OC]: Listen to me.
SARA: Who's that?
CELATION [OC]: Through the treachery of Chen we have been imprisoned.
SARA: Who are you?
CELATION [OC]: We are the Galactic Council. Will you release us?
STEVEN: Where are you?
CELATION [OC]: In a detention cell.
STEVEN: Yes, but where?
CELATION [OC]: We do not know!
STEVEN: We got to find them!
SARA: No, wait! This could be all part of the trick.
STEVEN: No, I don't think so. Look, if there were any Daleks around they'd be here by now. They must have gone. Maybe the Doctor's with the Council. Come on!

Steven and Sara find the delegates.

CELATION: Why should we rejoin them?
SARA: If we let them out, there's just a chance that some of them could mobilise a force to defeat the Daleks.
DELEGATE: Of course we will!
CELATION: You must! The Daleks must be destroyed. All our galaxies are in danger!
SARA: We have no choice.
STEVEN: Very well. But the Daleks have already left Kembel. It's probable that their invasion plans are already going ahead and the universe can be taken by surprise because of your greed!
CHEN: Must you moralise at us?
STEVEN: Your only chance is to go back to your own people and warn them.
DELEGATE: Our people will kill us!
CELATION: Not if we save them. We must destroy the Daleks.

That Celation is a political survivor. He's avoid 4 near death situations in this by blundering out of it.

Mavic Chen tries to buddy up to Sara Kingdom, forgetting the whole "trick her into executing her own brother" bit of his plan.

The spaceships take off but the Spar explodes. Steven and Sara find the entrance to an underground bunker only for Mavic Chen to go "LOL not dead" and capture them.

Dalek Master Plan (part 12)

In case you thought Mavic Chen had any grasp of sanity left...

CHEN: Take care, Kingdom. I could easily forgo the pleasure of giving you to the Daleks. I could kill you myself.
STEVEN: Why did you come back? This couldn't have been planned. You weren't to know that we'd come back and set you free.
CHEN: I'm not a fool. I guessed your plan.
SARA: Our only plan is to destroy the Daleks.
CHEN: You were both able to fool the others, but you can't fool me. Where is the old man, the one you call the Doctor?
SARA: We were looking for him.
CHEN: Yes, of course. And that's why you came here. Now do stop this masquerade! See, I know he is trying to usurp my position with the Daleks.

... now you know better!

The Black Dalek is told Mavic Chen has shown up with two prisoners and it almost sounds like we get a Dalek double take.

Chen bumps into Daleks and is told to take Steven and Sara to the Black Dalek. He gleefully carries on, not noticing Daleks are following him.

They meet up with the Black Dalek.

CHEN: Once again, I, Mavic Chen, Guardian of the Solar System, have helped the Daleks with their conquest plan.
BLACK: Our alliance has ended.
CHEN: What? But I have helped you time and time again with your absurd incompetence! I, Mavic Chen, will decide when the Alliance is at an end. You, Dalek Supreme, tell them they're to take their orders from me.

He's not twigged what's happening at all. So he orders the Black Dalek to obey him again. Nothing. So he shoots the Black Dalek. Nothing.

BLACK: Take him away and exterminate him, but do not fire in here. You will damage us and some of the controls.

I get the impression the Daleks are being quite effective in this scene at the starring game as Mavic Chen gets more and more deranged.

Mavic Chen decides now is a good time to make a break for it, and runs away, screaming that he is immortal. Immortals don't run away from Daleks...

And then suddenly...


From the shadows of the room appears...

The Doctor. Hooray!

Steven is delighted to see him.

The Doctor gives Steven the TARDIS key and tells Steven to get Sara to the TARDIS on his orders. He then lowers his voice to say "I'm going to activate the time destructor"...

And you know, this is Human Nature, isn't it? The Doctor spends most of the time trying to stop the bad guys getting something he then uses to wipe them out. You rarely hear Hartnell's Doctor so worried about the lengths he has to go to protect people.

The Daleks corner a ranting Mavic Chen and exterminate him. Farewell, looney bastard. Long live Karlton?

The Doctor activates the Time Destructor and the Daleks freak out.

DALEK: Move back, all of you.
DOCTOR: I am afraid you're too late. The time destructor is activated.
BLACK: Do not fire!
DOCTOR: No, you cannot fire, can you? You dare not. If you were to, yes, you could kill us, but you would totally destroy your equipment. I think it is checkmate. Send one of your Daleks over here. Remember, the time destructor is working, working slowly, but if you disobey me, I can accelerate it!

There's an eerie howl in the background now as the machine works, like time is speeding up around everyone.

Steven and Sara go to go back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor goes to leave and finds Sara waiting to help him, and there's panic in the Doctor's voice now.

Steven realises Sara is no longer with him.

He goes off to find the TARDIS.

SARA: Hurry, Doctor!
DOCTOR: My dear, are you beginning to feel strange?
SARA: The wind. Listen, can't you hear it? I've never heard that on Kembel before.
DOCTOR: Yes, well, perhaps it's this time destructor having an effect on the elements.
SARA: Then destroy it!
DOCTOR: No, no, that's impossible, my dear. There's one thing I do know about this machine. It will continue until the taranium has finally burnt itself out. Our only chance is to get back to the Tardis. Then I can neutralise it.

It's an irreversible destroyer.

Time starts to speed up. Sara continues to try and help the Doctor as she ages rapidly.

So we were introduced to Sara as the agent who never obeys an order. And now she's going to die because she disobeyed one, to try and save someone else. That's the sort of character growth you get when someone else takes over your Terry Nation scripts halfway.

Steven reached the TARDIS but is worried and can't see anything on the scanner.

The Daleks have made the surface of the planet.

Sara continues to age rapidly as the time destructor wrecks the planet. The Doctor is immobilised and drops the time destructor, which is buried by the sands of the dying jungle. Now an old woman, Sara collapses to the ground and dies, her last breath to be to try and save the Doctor.

The time destructor howls as the Doctor collapses.

Steven realises what's going on and rushes out of the TARDIS to get the Doctor.

Steven struggles to push the Doctor towards the TARDIS (and we get a chilling animalistic roar of despair from the Doctor) as Sara turns to dust. The TARDIS apparently cures you from Time Destructor effects, so Sara was inches away from salvation.


Even the Daleks can't deal with the time destructor and start to disintegrate to ashes.

The time destructor burns itself out. The planet destroyed entirely.

Steven and the Doctor leave the TARDIS to see the Dalek plans wiped out entirely.

STEVEN: Let's go, Doctor. I've seen enough of this place.
DOCTOR: Well, my boy, we finally rid this planet of Daleks.
STEVEN: Bret, Katarina, Sara.
DOCTOR: What a waste. What a terrible waste.

Hartnell's voice cracks several times like the Doctor is about to cry. Steven is disgusted by all the loss.

The Dalek Master Plan starts with a bang and ends with a bang, and meanders all over the place in the middle. I'm left with the view that Sara is more of a Dr Who companion than Katarina - she is in twice the episodes after all, and makes 7 trips in the TARDIS, as well as 1 by matter transmitter and 1 by Dalek ship. In lesser hands she'd have been a stock character. Luckily, Jean Marsh took 2 months off theatre to play a regular role in a family SF, and so fills Kingdom with character growth long before the scripts remember to do so. Her loss is horrific, more so because she knows she's going to die but sacrifices herself to save a Time Lord, and dies seconds away from safety.

Its the grimness of Master Plan that stays with you. Katarina's death, the way the Daleks toy with Trantis, the death of Sara Kingdom. Even when the Monk shows up to bring levity, he plays the Daleks deadly seriously. They've never been treated with such gravity, or had their sadism on show quite so blatantly.

In the end you can appreciate the power of what Master Plan is doing, and feel it would be appreciated a lot more if more of the episodes show up (dibs on Episodes 4, 8 and 12, please).

But enjoy?

No.

This is Doctor Who as Total War, and it shows us why total war cannot and doesn't work as a political concept. Whoever wins, the stakes are far too high, and the end results too grave a defeat, no matter who actually won...