Planet of the Daleks (Season 10, Episode 4)

Season 10, Episode 4 | 6 parts | First broadcast: 7 April – 12 May 1973 | Writer: Terry Nation | Director: David Maloney

Cast

  • Jon Pertwee as the Doctor
  • Katy Manning as Jo Grant
  • Bernard Horsfall as Taron
  • Prentis Hancock as Vaber

Summary

Following the Master’s trail to the jungle planet Spiridon, the Doctor and Jo uncover a massive hidden Dalek army being readied for a full-scale invasion of the galaxy, protected by an invisibility technology harvested from the planet’s native Spiridons. Joining forces with a small band of Thal resistance fighters, the Doctor must destroy the Dalek force before it can be unleashed.

Interesting Facts

  • This serial directly continues the plot of Frontier in Space, forming the second half of a rare two-part epic within the Pertwee era.
  • Writer Terry Nation revisits the Thals, the Daleks’ historic enemies first introduced in the earliest Dalek story from 1963, tying the tale into the series’ deep history.
  • The story’s army of thousands of Daleks was achieved through a combination of full-size props, small-scale models, and clever camera tricks.
  • It was among the last classic-series stories to heavily feature the Daleks until the character’s next major return several years later.

References

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