4E. Genesis Of The Daleks

  • Script Editor: Robert Holmes;
  • Writer: Terry Nation;
  • Produced by: Philip Hinchcliffe;
  • Director: David Maloney;
  • Designer: David Spode;
  • Incidental Music: Dudley Simpson;

Programme Description

During the transmat back to the Nerva Beacon the beam is intercepted by a Time Lord. The Time Lord claims that they have seen the future and found that the Daleks do eventually become the sole creatures in the Universe, and requests that the Doctor visits Skaro and either destroys the Daleks before they were created, or alter their creation so they are less aggressive.

The Doctor agrees, and along with Sarah and Harry, is deposited on Skaro. Their only escape lies with a time ring which they must guard with their lives, and their lives are in danger from a fierce war which is raging on the radioactive surface.

During a gun battle Sarah is believed to have been shot, but the Doctor and Harry are taken into the Kaled city. The Doctor is believed to be a spy, and is taken for interrogation by a crippled Kaled scientist, Davros.

The Doctor learns of the war that has been raging for some time, and that Davros has mutated the Kaleds to find their final form. This was then placed inside an armoured, armed, mark III travel machine, otherwise known as a DALEK.

Davros betrays his own people by giving the Thals the formula for the Kaleds' protective dome. When the Kaled city is destroyed Davros blames members of his own elite, and sends a squad of Daleks into the Thal city in revenge.

The Doctor, with the unwitting aid of a Dalek, destroys the Dalek incubation area but it is later repaired. The Daleks turn on Davros. He says he is their leader and creator, but he has programmed them not to accept any superiors. The last thing the Doctor sees is Davros fired upon before fleeing. The Thals explode a bomb at the entrance of the Kaled city, sealing it forever.

The Thals, disgusted with the violence, later adopt a pacifist approach.

Regular Cast

  • Sarah Jane Smith: Elisabeth Sladen;
  • Harry Sullivan: Ian Marter;

Guest Cast

  • Davros: Michael Wisher;
  • Security Commander Nyder: Peter Miles;
  • Dalek Operators: Keith Ashley (3-6), John Scott Martin, Cy Town (3-6);
  • Dalek Voice: Roy Skelton (3-6);
  • Gharman: Dennis Chinnery (1-2,4-6);
  • Kaled Leader: Richard Reeves (1-3);
  • General Ravon: Richard Reeves (1-3);
  • Time Lord: John Franklyn-Robbins (1);
  • Servin: Stephen Yardley (2-6);
  • Senior Researcher Ronson: James Garbutt (2-4);
  • Intrrogator Tane: Drew Wood (2);
  • Gerrill: Jeremy Chandler (2);
  • Thal Soldiers: Pat Gorman (2), Hilary Minster (3), John Gleeson (6);
  • Kavell: Tom Georgeson (3-5);
  • Thal Politician: Michael Lynch (2-3);
  • Councillor Mogren: Ivor Roberts (3);
  • Thal Guard: Max Faulkner (3);
  • Bettan: Harriet Philpin (4-6);
  • Kaled Guard: Peter Mantle (5);
  • Kravos: Andrew Johns (6);

  • UNCREDITED CAST:
  • Kaled Boy: Paul Burton (1);
  • Kaleds: (all 1) Michael Brinker, Steve Butler, Tony O'Reefe;
  • Thals: (all 1) Kirk Klugston, Julian Peters, Douglas Rossiter; Thing: Dod Watson (2);
  • Kaled Prisoner: Ken Tracey (2);
  • Teddy Driver Guard: John Dunn (2);
  • Thal Policitian: Peter Whittaker (3-4);
  • Thal Guards: David Cleeve (2), Jim Dowdall (3), Dinny Powell (3), Patrick Scoular (2), Terry Walsh (2);
  • Thal Officers: David Billa (6), Tim Blackstone (6), Les Conrad (6), Philip Mather (4), Keith Norrish (3), David Roy Paul (3);
  • Thal Generals: John Beardmore (4), Eric Rayner (4);
  • Kaled Guards: Alan Chuntz (5), Jim Dowdall (5);
  • Thal Soldiers: John Gleeson (6), Terry Walsh (1-2);
  • Mutos: Stephen Calcutt (2-4), John Delieu (2-4), James Muir (2-3), Roger Salter (3), Terry Walsh (4);
  • Elite Guards: Bob Watson (1), Barry Summerford (1-4), Peter Kodak (1), Giles Melville (2), Roy Caeser (3-4);
  • Kaled Councillors: Ronald Nunnery (1), Anthony Lang (1,3), George Romanoff (1,3);
  • Kaled Scientists: William Ashley (2-4,6), Charles Erskine (4), Tony Hayes (6), Richard Orme (2), Harry van Engel (2,5,6), Charles Rayford (2,3,6), Mike Reynell (6), Paddy Ryan (6), Alan Charles Thomas (6), John Timberlake (2,3,6), Pat Travis (2,3,6), Terry Walsh (5);
  • Walk-Ons: David Cleeve (1), Michael Crane (1), Peter Duke (1), David Billa (1-2), Tim Blackstone (1-2), Christopher Holmes (1-2), Julian Hudson (1-2), John Sowerbutt (1-2), Reg Tunrer (1-2);

Transmissions

ChannelEpisodeTitleDateViewersPosition
BBC 1 392 Part One Sat 8 Mar 1975 817:30 - 17:55 10.7M 23rd
BBC 1 393 Part Two Sat 15 Mar 1975 1517:30 - 17:55 10.5M 15th
BBC 1 394 Part Three Sat 22 Mar 1975 2217:30 - 17:55 8.5M 42nd
BBC 1 395 Part Four Sat 29 Mar 1975 2917:30 - 17:55 8.6M 36th
BBC 1 396 Part Five Sat 5 Apr 1975 517:30 - 17:55 9.8M 30th
BBC 1 397 Part Six1 Sat 12 Apr 1975 1218:00 - 18:25 9.1M

1: Scheduled for 17:30

Repeat Transmissions

ChannelTitleDateViewersPosition
BBC 2 Edited Compilation2 Sat 27 Dec 1975 15:00 - 16:25 7.6M 56th
BBC 1 Part One (1 - 3)3 Mon 26 Jul 1982 19:25 - 20:10 4.9M 76th
BBC 1 Part Two (4 - 6)3 Mon 2 Aug 1982 19:25 - 20:10 5.0M 69th
BBC 2 Part One2 Fri 8 Jan 1993 19:15 - 19:40 2.2M > 30th
BBC 2 Part Two2 Fri 15 Jan 1993 19:15 - 19:40 2.3M > 30th
BBC 2 Part Three2 Fri 22 Jan 1993 19:15 - 19:40 2.3M 25th
BBC 2 Part Four2 Fri 29 Jan 1993 19:15 - 19:40 2.1M 30th
BBC 2 Part Five2 Fri 5 Feb 1993 19:15 - 19:40 2.3 28th
BBC 2 Part Six2 Fri 12 Feb 1993 19:15 - 19:40 2.3M > 30th
BBC 1 Part One Tue 1 Feb 2000 18:00 - 18:25
BBC 1 Part Two Tue 8 Feb 2000 18:00 - 18:25
BBC 1 Part Three Tue 8 Feb 2000 18:25 - 18:50
BBC 1 Part Four Tue 15 Feb 2000 18:00 - 18:25
BBC 1 Part Five Tue 22 Feb 2000 18:00 - 18:25
BBC 1 Part Six Tue 29 Feb 2000 18:00 - 18:25

2: Positions just for this channel
3: Edited into two 45 minute episodes as part of 'Doctor Who and the Monsters' season

Locations

  • Betchworth Quarry, Betchworth, Surrey;

Studios

  • Television Centre Studio 3;
  • Television Centre Studio 6;
  • Television Centre Studio 8;
  • Ealing Film Studios;

Bloopers and Mistakes

When Gharman is hit over the head by Nyder, just listen to the squeak he makes.

Watch closely when the Doctor grabs the stalagtite to help free Harry from the giant clam. The rock comes away suddenly and the Doctor hits a "boulder" which wobbles back and forth.

In a few of the final scenes, watch as the Daleks talk to Davros. The voice-lights are sometimes totally out of sync with the speech.

The Doctor enters the Dalek incubation chamber wearing a short red jacket, without his hat. He emerges wearing a long brown overcoat, and his hat (last seen in episode 1). He is wearing this costume at the end of the story when he, Sarah and Harry use the time ring to proceed to Nerva Beacon. [More interestingly, at the start of Revenge of the Cybermen (immediately afterwards when they find themselves on Nerva Beacon again), the Doctor's long coat and hat have vanished. In their place is his short red jacket!

Notes and Trivia

Part Two has a freeze frame ending; the first use of this device.

Working Titles

Genesis of Terror
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