Story #21 "The Daleks Masterplan"

Season

3

Writer

Terry Nation & Dennis Spooner

Book/CD

 X

Episodes

12

Director

Douglas Camfield

Vid

 X

Story code

V

Producer

John Wiles

DVD

X

Episode Details

Episode

DR MM:SS

TX dd/mm/yy

RPT TX dd/mm/yy

In BBC Archive

1

22:55

13/11/1965

Y

2

24:25

20/11/1965

N

4

24:42

04/12/1965

N

Cast Details

Regular Cast

William Hartnell (First Doctor) , Adrianne Hill (Katarina) / Peter Perves (Steven Taylor)

Guest Cast


Jean Marsh (Sara Kingdom) / Nicholas Courtney (Bret Vyon) / Kevin Stoney (Mavic Chen) / Brian Cant (Kert Gantry) / Pamela Greer (Lizan) / Philip Anthony (Roald) / Michael Guest (Interviewer) / Peter Hawkins (Dalek Voice) / David Graham (Dalek Voice) / Kevin Manser (Dalek) / Robert Jewell (Dalek) / Gerald Taylor (Dalek) / John Scott Martin (Dalek) / Julian Sherrier (Zephon) / Roy Evans (Trantis) / Douglas Sheldon (Kirksen) / Dallas Cavell (Bors) / Geoff Cheshire (Garge) / Maurice Browning (Karlton) / Roger Avon (Daxtar) / James Hall (Borkar) / Bill Meilen (Froyn) / John Herrington (Rhymnal) / Clifford Earl (Station Sergeant) / Norman Mitchell (First Policeman)

Synopsis

The Guardian of the Solar System, Mavic Chen is planning to use the Daleks as a tool in a plan for global domination. The Doctor and his friends stumble across a message left by Mark Cory and try to warn the authorities, but find themselves hunted as traitors. After deceiving the Daleks, the Doctor, Steven and Sara Kingdom travel through time to ensure their escape. Unfortunately, the Daleks have a time machine and give chase leading to a confrontation in ancient Egypt.

1. This story had the working titles of: The Daleks (Part IV) (meaning, the fourth Doctor Who story to feature the Daleks) and Battle Of Wits.
2. Only "Day of Armageddon" (Episode 2), "Counter Plot" (Episode 5) and "Escape Switch" (Episode 10) survive on 16mm film telerecordings.
3. As a special Christmas-themed episode, "The Feast of Steven" (Episode 7) was considered not possibly to sell to other countries. Because of this, videotape masters were wiped, and no film telerecording was made for international distribution, it became the first episode of Doctor Who to be seemingly lost forever. "The Feast of Steven" was also became the first episode to let one of the main characters 'break the fourth wall' with the Doctor addressing the camera: "Oh and incidentally, a very merry Christmas to all of you at home."
4. This story features the first appearance of Nicholas Courtney, a favourite of the story's director Douglas Camfield, here playing Bret Vyon. He would go on to appear as Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in another Camfield story, The Web of Fear.
5. Nicholas Courtney and Jean Marsh later appeared in the Seventh Doctor story Battlefield.
6. Unless one counts The Trial of a Time Lord, which can be considered four different stories, this is, to date, the longest single story in series history.
7. First story for two companions to be killed off.
   
   Order the Dalek Masterplan CD via our BBC Audio Page
   Order the Lost in Time DVD via our BBC DVDs page