First we need to see the Tower of London then the Westminster Abbey…then conquer Earth!!!
The Doctor (William Hartnell) has managed to get the TARDIS back to Earth…unfortunately, the Doctor, Susan (Carole Ann Ford), Barbara (Jacqueline Hill), and Ian (William Russell) have ended up in Earth’s future where Daleks rule the planet. Now, working with an underground resistance in London, the Doctor and his companions must find a way to liberate Earth from the evil of the Daleks…and not everyone will escape.
Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth aired during the second season of the long running BBC sci-fi series. Following Doctor Who: Planet of Giants, the serial aired in six parts from November 21, 1964 to December 26, 1964 and featured the second appearance of the Doctor’s most famous enemy the Daleks. The episodes featured titles at this point and were named Part 1: “World’s End”, Part 2: “The Daleks”, Part 3: “Day of Reckoning”, Part 4: “The End of Tomorrow”, Part 5: “The Waking Ally”, and Part 6: “Flashpoint”. The serial featured the last regular appearance of Carole Ann Ford as the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan Forman and has been collected as part of The William Hartnell Years as Story #10.
I love conquering Earth!
This is a big episode of Doctor Who. Not only does it bring back the Daleks, it also features the first departing of a companion…both of which will become a norm in future years. This serial also is the basis of the second of the big screen film adaptations of Doctor Who starring Peter Cushing as the Doctor: Daleks—Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.
It is a great episode in that it was shot in and around London. You get to see the Daleks moving around a lot of famous London landmarks. It looks like they probably shot it early in the morning to avoid shutting things down but it is effective to see the Daleks in Trafalgar Square and surrounding Nelson’s Column.
Later Susan…enjoy the dystopian future with the guy you just met!
The departure of Susan Foreman however is rather abrupt and odd. Essentially, Susan just met David Campbell (Peter Fraser) and the Doctor just maroons her in the horribly destroyed future with him…nice way to protect your granddaughter. Of course, the Doctor’s granddaughter has been a big question for Whovians since her creation, and I still would love the current Doctor Who to address this question sometime…maybe even with an appearance with Carole Ann Ford (there have been stories and recordings in which this is addressed).
Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth is one of the better older episodes. It has been released as a stand-alone DVD and packaged with some other Dalek episodes. Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth was followed by Doctor Who: The Rescue.
Preceded By:
Doctor Who: Planet of Giants (Story #10)
Followed By:
