The Power of the Daleks

There has probably never been a Doctor Who story with as much riding on it as The Power of the Daleks. A much-loved actor has been drastically replaced and the programme could fail without him. William Hartnell was so integral to the programme’s appeal that many at the time could have been forgiven for predicting the imminent cancellation of the programme. It is clear that it would take a very special story to make the changeover even a qualified success.

David Whitaker was well aware of this when writing the story. He makes Ben very sceptical about whether this strange little man is, indeed, the Doctor and puts questions and comments that must have been in the viewers’ minds at the time of transmission: ‘He doesn’t even act like him!’ This is compounded by the Doctor speaking of himself in the third person. Polly, on the other hand, never doubts who he is, ensuring that the audience doesn’t lose itself in scepticism, too early.

However, it was the brave decision of the production team to replace Hartnell with an actor very unlike him in appearance and mannerism, but also, crucially, one who was as good an actor. This Doctor conducts himself with considerably less decorum than his predecessor, playing tunes on his recorder in answer to questions, acting like a fool in order to get information- I love the scene when the Doctor is trying to unlock a sonic lock by blowing on a dog-whistle- only for a dog to howl in the distance! The specifics may be very different, but the Doctor is trying to do the same thing he has always done. Troughton captures our attention from the start and never lets go.

Of course, there is one other thing that would convince viewers that this was Doctor Who- the Daleks. Here, they too seem to be behaving in an unexpected manner, pretending to be the servants of the Vulcan colonists. However, we know what they really want to do and we know that only one person can save the day- which, of course, he does.

This is the first Dalek story to be written by someone other than Terry Nation, and it really shows. The characters have a great deal more depth and are more believable. Lesterson is not a monomaniac, but merely a talented man out of his depth. Janley is a strong and believable female character who is not merely there to fly the flag for women’s lib, a genuine rarity at the time. In fact, none of the antagonists are really portrayed as evil- even Bragen is mindful of the human cost of his coup. The only evil is, of course, that of the Daleks. The supporting cast is well up to the task, with Robert James deserving special mention for his portrayal of Lesterson. Like the best actors, he knows when to hold back, which makes his playing of Lesterson’s hysteria very convincing.

From the telesnaps, it seems that Christopher Barry again put in some good work in the director’s booth. Episode 1 is influenced slightly by Quatermass and the Pit and the opening of the capsule in the episode is shot in a very similar way. The sets and costuming are excellent and there is the very welcome return of Tristram Carey’s Dalek themes. This is a great debut for Patrick Troughton and the very special story that the programme needed to survive.

NEXT: The Highlanders