‘The Daleks’ Master Plan’ is a serial shrouded in mystery and infamy, and was once thought to be one of the biggest casualties of the BBC’s ‘junking’ of older programmes pre-1978 (a standard practice of the time, which resulted in large amounts of television and film being wiped or thrown away to make way for new media). An epic 12-part serial which included a standalone prequel episode (‘Mission to the Unknown’) prior to the previous serial (‘The Myth Makers’), ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan’ has long been a sought-after story. Since its original airing in 1965/1966, it has never fully been recovered, with only three of the twelve episodes returned to the BBC Archives (episodes 5 and 10 in 1983, and episode 2 in 2004).
Doctor Who has always been a beacon of hope when it comes to the recovery of missing episodes. Despite many episodes from the 60s and 70s being found and archived by 1978, 138 episodes were still unaccounted for. Over time, that number has decreased, with the last major recovery occurring in 2013. The return of ‘The Enemy of the World’ and most of ‘The Web of Fear’ was electric, especially during the 50th anniversary year (which I remember clearly as this announcement came out shortly after I began my undergraduate studies at university!).
Over the last 13 years, despite discussion around further recoveries continuing, each passing year has made it seem increasingly unlikely that further recoveries will happen. Whovians’ patience has now paid off.
Watch a first look at the episodes in the player below:
Up until now, ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan’ only had three of its 12 episodes recovered, which, while amazing, only whetted appetites for more. Enter ‘Film is Fabulous’, a charitable trust dedicated to preserving and returning vintage media. Through access to private collections, the trust uncovered two missing episodes, episodes 1 and 3 (‘The Nightmare Begins’ and ‘Devil’s Planet’). For the first time in over 60 years, audiences can now experience the opening of this story as originally broadcast.
Prior to their release, I revisited a mixture of recovered episodes and reconstructions in 2024 to experience the story more fully. Even in incomplete form, it felt worthy of its legendary status. While perhaps longer than necessary, it was consistently engaging and it made the opportunity to now watch the first three episodes properly an exciting prospect.
The Nightmare Begins Again
‘The Nightmare Begins’ (episode one) follows directly from the previous serial, with the Doctor (William Hartnell), an injured Steven (Peter Purves), and new companion Katarina (Adrienne Hill) leaving Troy in the TARDIS. Vicki (Maureen O’Brien) has remained in this time after falling in love with Troilus, perhaps unknowingly avoiding the danger ahead! That serial ended with the TARDIS dematerialising, and the Doctor looking for somewhere to go to get help for Steven’s injuries…
Meanwhile, in the year 4000, members of the UN Deep Space Force had been stranded on the planet Kembel, and faced threats including Varga plants and the Daleks. One by one they fell, with agent Marc Cory managing to record a warning about the Daleks’ plan before being exterminated. This story (‘Mission to the Unknown’), as well as the events at the end of ‘The Myth Makers’ sets the stage effectively.
Like many 1960s Doctor Who stories, the episode throws us straight into the action. Within two minutes of the episode starting, the Doctor is explaining to Katarina that they need to get help for Steven, whilst on Kembel, Space Security agents Bret Vyon and Kert Gantry are looking out for an unknown enemy and are attempting to contact Earth.
What’s noticeable immediately in this episode is the strong sense of dread and unease. This tonal shift can definitely be attributed to the story being set-up previously and due to Douglas Camfield’s direction. His experience elevates the material and creates a consistent atmosphere that distinguishes the story from the previous Dalek story, ‘The Chase’.
We are introduced to Mavic Chen (Kevin Stoney), Guardian of the Solar System, who presents himself as a figure of peace via a TV interview. This report is being viewed by Roald and Lizan of the Space Security Service, unaware that their agents on Kembel are trying to contact them. The dialogue in this scene is wonderful, with Roald saying that he wants to “see the Venus-Mars game” while Lizan wants to “see your hero, Mavic Chen.” They also speak about spacecraft and their preferred ships as if they’re speaking about cars. It’s playful and sets up that we’re in the far future and that Mavic Chen is idolised. Spoiler alert: Mavic Chen is not a good guy! Stoney’s performance is smooth and controlled, hinting at the manipulative nature of the character.
Bret is played by legendary Doctor Who alumnus, Nicholas Courtney who would go on to play Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart of UNIT from 1968 onwards. His appearance in this story is heart-warming. Seeing the actor with Hartnell and as a different character (though not so far and away from the Brigadier’s characterisation) is such a treat for Whovians with the character himself bringing a perspective to the story that’s absolutely necessary in bringing this seriousness of the situation to the forefront.
Following an off-screen physical altercation between the Bret and the Doctor (at least, based on the Doctor’s hair and later dialogue, I think that’s what’s implied), Bret enters the TARDIS, tricking Katarina and trying to take off, although Steven gains the strength to knock him out. It is quite funny that Steven doesn’t even really know who Katarina is during this so she has to explain herself (Katarina was only introduced in the final episode of The Myth Makers so she hadn’t had much screentime at this point). I will speak more on Katarina later but I have lots of good things to say about her and Adrienne Hill’s performance!
With Bret unable to move in the magnetic chair the Doctor has crafted in the TARDIS, the latter leaves once again to go to a nearby city where a spacecraft is landing which holds a special guest of the Daleks. This is when the Doctor first spots the Daleks, giving viewers a fantastic reaction shot as he encounters one of his deadliest foes for the fourth time. A lovely interaction takes place between Bret and Katarina, two characters from completely different worlds and ideologies. Though he is essentially a prisoner, Bret opts to help Katarina and the still injured Steven by providing tablets (one of many objects that Katarina doesn’t understand) which will help Steven recover. It shows that Bret, however rash he may be, is morally good and this trait will remain with him.
The episode builds toward a strong reveal: Mavic Chen is working with the Daleks in a plan to conquer the universe. As the Doctor returns to the TARDIS, he discovers the Daleks have arrived first, ending the episode on a powerful cliffhanger.
As an opening episode, it successfully blends ongoing plot threads with new developments while placing the Doctor, his companions and Bret firmly on the back foot.
The second episode, ‘Day of Armageddon’, had previously been recovered so I won’t dive into this too much. I will say, it was so lovely to see the recovered episodes transition to and from ‘Day of Armageddon’ rather than the reconstructions (which did a great job in putting together the story with few official visuals available).
The Daleks begin executing Operation Inferno, using pyro-flames to burn down the jungle. The Doctor, Steven, Katarina, and Bret are forced away from the TARDIS, leading to tension between Bret and the Doctor as they disagree on how to proceed.
Meanwhile, Mavic Chen meets Zephon, ruler of the Fifth Galaxy. There’s underlying tension in many of Mavic Chen’s scenes as it always feels like he’s trying to pull the wool over someone’s eyes or that there is an unspoken battle on who is the true leader of current events. Neither of them know that the Daleks are only using them and other leaders for their own purposes and will eventually exterminate them. Ultimately, the Doctor infiltrates a Dalek meeting disguised as Zephon (who was knocked out by Bret), where the Daleks reveal their ultimate weapon, the Time Destructor, powered by a rare element called Taranium.
The episode ends with the Doctor escaping with the core, while Bret prepares to leave without him if necessary, another strong cliffhanger.
Return to the Devil’s Planet
Episode three, ‘Devil’s Planet’ is the second of the recently recovered episodes and begins with the Doctor barely making it aboard the Spar, still dressed in Zephon’s cloak and what appears to be a balaclava (which messes up Hartnell’s hair, a running theme for these episodes it seems!). There’s a brilliant shot of the Spar flying away towards the stars which is just a model shot against a starry backdrop but it looks pretty impressive and highlights the work of the production to make this story feel grand in scale.
The Doctor informs the others about the Daleks’ plan, that Mavic Chen is working with them and leaders of other galaxies in order to take over the universe and that their plan can’t go ahead without the Taranium. Meanwhile, an uncloaked Zephon, who is a ghastly sight (but maybe not for the intended reasons) is interrogated and exterminated, reinforcing the Daleks’ ruthlessness.
One of my favourite moments from these episodes is a scene where the Doctor and Steven speak as Katarina reaches out to the stars at window in the Spar. It’s a beautiful shot, showcasing the wonder of space that Katarina has stumbled upon. The shot will be echoed in the next episode but not in such a beautiful way…
The Doctor also plays a tape that he found on Kembel (by the remains of Marc Cory) in episode one, confirming the group’s fears and making Bret realise that Marc never got to send the message out to anyone. The Daleks alter the Spar’s course, forcing it to land on Desperus, a prison planet. Here, convicts Bors, Garge and Kirksen attempt to hijack the ship.
There is another brilliant shot which appears to be a miniature set with three small flames (signifying the torches that the three convicts are carrying). It’s shots like these which add so much to the story and makes me more thankful that the world can now appreciate them once more!
The Doctor and Katarina work together to prevent this, resulting in some lovely character interactions.
As episode three draws to a close the Daleks begin landing on Desperus and Bret attempts to lift off, with Katarina telling the Doctor “You show me so many strange mysteries. With you I know I’m safe.” Following successful take off, Katarina is grabbed by Kirksen who entered via the outer door, setting up the next episode, ‘The Traitors’.
A Journey Worth Taking
I won’t spoil anything from future episodes in case anyone wants to view the whole story, but these first three episodes do an excellent job of hooking you in and taking you on one of the most dangerous adventures that the Doctor has been on.
From a visual standpoint, the restored episodes look remarkable, thanks in large part to the work of ‘Film is Fabulous’ to procure and preserve the episodes safely. From a storytelling perspective, the pacing is strong, with engaging characters, dialogue, and performances throughout.
William Hartnell is on top form, even when he does slip up on some of his dialogue. It adds to the First Doctor’s charm and makes me admire his Doctor so much more. Peter Purves as Steven is also not pulling any punches here. Although he doesn’t have much to do in the first episode, his strong relationship with the Doctor is evident and it’s great to see him go toe to toe with Bret Vyon. Adrienne Hill is exceptional as Katarina, seeing her performance visually rather than just hearing it adds a new appreciation for the character. There’s much more awe and wonder to her than I realised and though I won’t give away her fate, I do think that had the writers been a bit smart about it (maybe even adding a timegap so that the Doctor could’ve taught her more basics that she would come across), I think she could’ve made a nice long-standing companion. Her interactions with many characters, but especially those with the Doctor are truly heart-warming and it’s sweet to see him care for her as he did for Vicki and Susan.
The Daleks while not constantly present maintain a strong sense of threat across these episodes, conveying a level of horror and brains that lends themselves to a story where there are multiple evil characters. Terry Nation, the creator of the Daleks and writer of this story, does a great job in crafting a story around them that doesn’t rely on using previous tropes too much (later scripts wouldn’t be as unique as this one).
Douglas Camfield’s direction ties everything together beautifully, creating a cohesive and atmospheric experience. Everything’s working together well here. It’s disappointing that we can’t see the story in full, but it’s a joy to see more of his earlier work on Doctor Who here.
I’m writing this on Good Friday which is when the episodes were released on iPlayer and I’m beaming from ear to ear. It’s a crying shame how the world was, junking old media and throwing away the work of old media, but let’s thank those who saved some of that media and those like ‘Film is Fabulous’ for safely procuring this media and helping to share that with the world.
I’m so happy that Whovians and those outside of the fandom can appreciate these episodes and be united in our love for a programme that has been around for 63 years this year!
Here’s hoping that more missing episodes will be found in the near future and here’s to The Daleks’ Master Plan!
