Season 17, Episode 1 | 4 parts | First broadcast: 1–22 September 1979 | Writer: Terry Nation | Director: Ken Grieve
Cast
- Tom Baker as the Doctor
- Lalla Ward as Romana
- David Gooderson as Davros
- Tim Barlow as Tyssan
Summary
Returning to a devastated Skaro, the Doctor and a newly regenerated Romana find the Daleks excavating for their long-buried creator Davros, hoping his genius can break a lethal stalemate in their ongoing war against the ruthlessly logical android Movellans. As both mechanical armies prove too evenly matched by pure calculation to gain the upper hand, the Doctor is forced into an uneasy, dangerous role advising both sides while trying to prevent either from achieving total victory.
Interesting Facts
- This story marks Romana’s on-screen regeneration into a new body, played from this point onward by Lalla Ward, after briefly trying out several forms.
- David Gooderson took over the role of Davros after Michael Wisher’s departure, the first of several actors to play the character across the decades.
- The story explores the idea of the Daleks becoming so purely logical they lose the capacity for creative or emotional decision-making, a rare thematic exploration of their psychology.
- It marks incoming script editor Douglas Adams’s first credited contribution to shaping a broadcast Doctor Who story, alongside outgoing producer Graham Williams.
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