The Dalek Invasion Of Earth: Doctor Who: Season 2
| SYNOPSIS |
| DETAILS |
| CAST & CREW | REVIEWS |
 Goldby |  Grob |  Long |
The TARDIS arrives on Earth in the 22nd century to find London deserted. The ship is accidentally buried under a collapsing bridge and Susan is injured. When the Doctor and Ian return from searching for tools to free the TARDIS they find the women gone. They are surrounded by Robomen, humans controlled by special helmets operated by the conquerors of Earth - the Daleks.
Susan and Barbara have been taken by Tyler, part of a resistance faction led by wheelchair bound Dortmun, who plan to overthrow the daleks rule of Earth and are planning a raid on the dalek saucer in the main London landing area. Ian and the Doctor have been taken to the saucer to be converted into Robomen and learn of the daleks mining in Bedfordshire.
Following the failed raid on the Dalek saucer the main London resistance group is scattered when the daleks raze London to the ground. Ian and a escaped prisoner Larry make their way to Bedfordshire, Barbara travels there with resistance member Jenny and the Doctor and Susan are escorted by Tyler and Campbell.
The secret of the daleks invasion of Earth is here in the mine. they intend to remove the core of the planet and pilot it through space with dalek engineering. If resistance can be fermented among the mining workers the combined resistance groups could have a chance with taking dalek headquarters at the mine if the Doctor is well enough to assist.
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The Dalek Invasion Of Earth DETAILS:
| Episode | Broadcast | Run Time | Viewership (In Millions) |
| Episode One: World's End | 21-Nov-64 | 23:42 | 11.4 |
| Episode Two: The Daleks | 28-Nov-64 | 24:19 | 12.4 |
| Episode Three: Day of Reckoning | 5-Dec-64 | 26:50 | 11.9 |
| Episode Four: The End of Tomorrow | 12-Dec-64 | 23:23 | 11.9 |
| Episode Five: The Waking Ally | 19-Dec-64 | 24:29 | 11.4 |
| Episode Six: Flashpoint | 26-Dec-64 | 25:21 | 12.4 |
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The Dalek Invasion Of Earth CAST & CREW
Stars:
The Doctor:
William Hartnell (First Doctor)
Companions:
Carole Ann Ford (Susan Foreman)
William Russell (Ian Chesterton)
Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright)
Guest Stars:
Bernard Kay — Carl Tyler
Peter Fraser — David Campbell
Alan Judd — Dortmun
Ann Davies — Jenny
Michael Goldie — Craddock
Michael Davis — Thomson
Richard McNeff — Baker
Graham Rigby — Larry Madison
Nicholas Smith — Wells
Patrick O'Connell — Ashton
Jean Conroy, Meriel Horson — The Women in the Wood
Peter Hawkins, David Graham — Dalek voices
Peter Badger, Martyn Huntley — Robomen
Nick Evans, Robert Jewell, Kevin Manser, Peter Murphy, Gerald Taylor — Daleks
Nick Evans — Slyther Operator
Production Staff for Serial K:
Writer - Terry Nation
Director - Richard Martin
Script editor - David Whitaker
Producer - Verity Lambert
Associate producer - Mervyn Pinfield
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The Dalek Invasion Of Earth REVIEWS
Goldby
Felt a bit let down by the Dalek invasion of Earth when I saw it. But that's just a reaction to having read the book and loved it as a kid as well as the sixties movie which used to show on a Sunday, and the expectations were perhaps too high. It is a Hartnell episode circa 1964 and bound to slow moving in parts. But it's great to have the daleks around again and the fact they could move around and invade planets rather than be confined to their home city must have been frightening to the kiddo's back then
The location filming is very atmospheric when Barbara and the wheel chair guy and the other chick are running through deserted London and around post holocaust bomb sites has to be a Hartnell highlight for me. The invasion idea doesn't make sense but it's all good fun. The dalek rising out of the Thames is an iconic Who moment. Pity other bits such as the really badly directed 'rebels attack Dalek ship' bit, the Slyther or the shocking ship in flight effects and another Hartnell holiday detract from it being an absolute classic. Although at least the effects are greatly improved on the DVD.
The Robomen were ok but I suppose liked them less than the film versions I'd seen as a kid. Last story with the original Tardis crew and yes Susan attempts to act at last but realises it's just too hard. Moving final bit as she leaves the ship and the Doctor forever. You really worry for the old duffer. Not as polished as The Daleks 6.5/10 for effort.
Grob
My turn. I love Terry Nation and his paint-by-numbers plots. They always follow the same criteria;1. Daleks.2. Human (or close proxi) slaves3. A big bomb (or preferably two)4. A mine somewhere.Every single Dalek story he squeezed out his arse had these elements in them. But, that doesn't stop my enjoyment of the Dalek Invasion of Earth cos its just pretty fucking awesome when you think of the scale of what they did here on the same budget Tim spent hiring a tux for his wedding (32p). Obviously going outside and filming on Sunday while everyone else was inside sleeping off a hangover or out coming home from the night before really adds to the scenes of post-dalek London. Its creepy and deserted and ads to the scale.
They really make the most of Dalekmania here by bringing the bastards back home to us. Once again everyone is good and thankfully we say ta-ta to Susan the crap actress. Now we get to replace her with someone equally crap (Vicki Pollard) and then later again with someone even worse (Dodo the Dildo). Even the guest characters are okay (I think Terry got someone else in to write them) and all the stereotypes are there; hero, traitor, the guy with the big bomb in a wheelchair who could be a precursor to Davros, and there's even Mr Rumbold from "Are You Being Served?" there too!
Oh; a lot has been said about the outdoor scenes where London is supposed to be devoid of people - and then you see that white van go casually by in the background. But no one mentions that despite a Dalek occupied city where everyone is either up for slavery or down for the count, there is still people out and about doing something even more ridiculous - leisure cruises on the river Themes. Yep; its all there in eps one and two of the Dalek Invasion Of Earth!!!!Oh; for once I agree with Varos Boy; 8.5/10 for me.
Long
Anyway, the Dalek invasion of Earth for me is about the only real highlight in series 2. You can probably pick the plot to pieces based on the physics of hollowing out the earth's core and steering the planet around the universe... but for me, that's all good sci fi fun! Why did they want to do it... who knows... but it's still good! And creating Human slaves works too (how did they get the helmets on them... did we see that?).
Everything's good and it all makes relative sense here... and whilst of course some of it is slow (it is a Hartnell episode), the bulk of it is more than watchable... in fact it's probably the only Hartnell DVD I'd consider getting I think!
Interesting that Susan wanted to leave as she felt her character wasn't developing... I wonder if she took into account the fact that she couldn't act... and still couldn't 19 years later in the 5 Doctors! Speaking of which, I always remember that speech at the start of The 5 Doctors as being very appropriate and quite stirring... possibly more so in the 5 Doctors than in this when I saw it 10 years later!
I'd give the Dalek Invasion Of Earth 8, plus an extra .5 for the speech!
8.5/10
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