Day of the Daleks

 

In 2011 Doctor Who fandom was divided about the merits of the Special Edition of `Day of the Daleks` but I loved it and over a decade later I still do. Fact is I actually-gasp- prefer it to the original. This is only because it really is the original as the production team and viewers would love to have seen it. I suspect many viewers actually think this is what they saw! The story hasn't been changed in any way simply enhanced visually to better support the narrative. Plus if you don't like it, the original transmitted version is still around of course. This story was an event and a half in 1972. The Daleks back for their first story in seven years, heralded by a stunning Radio Times cover from the pen of Frank Bellamy. Alongside the comic strip cover for the 1971 season the previous year it remains one of the best RT covers ever.

As a season opener, being this Doctor’s first rematch against a former incarnation’s enemy and also a time hopping tale that encompasses a possible world war it was within touching distance of classic status fifty years ago. Why didn’t it quite reach? Well, when the Daleks finally travel to our time to invade there are, let’s face it, three of them. And all the beautiful autumnal Sun filtered filming cannot disguise this fact. It shouldn’t matter but it does.

When you think about it there’s always been something exciting about the novelisation of this story and the way it gives the scale that the televised production does not. There are those who say we shouldn’t entertain the idea of re-wired versions of old stories but if  the original `Day of the Daleks` is to be found wanting, it’s in the budget department. The look this story demands is a grander one than originally broadcast because, despite being filmed with loving care and odd angles, there is no disguising how few and how rickety those invading Daleks are. Their voices are odd too and as for the ray guns, they are a bit rubbish really.

In almost every other way, `Day` doesn’t put a foot wrong. Sparking with ideas, populated with a strong cast, some evocative locations and a political heft the story keeps your interest from start to finish. Ambitious in scope, Louis Marks’ original idea did not include the Daleks but they surely add a flourish that stop proceedings being too earnest. Terrorism was as much in the news in 1972 as it is today so it retains a topical flair too. Meanwhile the Doctor is at his most imperious, strutting about like he’s the Duke of Alderley – in this form Jon Pertwee is at the height of his powers (or the `hai` of his powers perhaps?). 

There had been other effective special editions of old stories before yet this is the most radical, more than merely added extras, this is something fresh and new. The alternative effects are terrific and bring dynamism to proceedings without detracting from the story at all. The most noticeable ones add a pizzazz to the temporal journeys with a golden coloured vortex inspired by the late 2000s title sequence and a fizz to the weaponry. The battles change from being well filmed but ultimately stagy sequences to tremendously chaotic crossfires. Beams whizz everywhere, churning up the ground and splattering victims. Dalek rays match the current style, skeleton and all. The unexpected gem is a beautifully rendered vista of twenty second century Earth’s central zone, all greens and distant Daleks saucers- it is awesome! We see it both at night and during the day and it remains in the back of our minds adding a larger perspective just like the old Target book made it out to be.

There’s also been some editing done; the odd dialogue error is erased and more significantly that slightly odd looking quad bike chase- with the Ogrons running as slowly as they can- has been reworked to make it far more exciting.  More subtle additions include security and Dalek screen displays and new on screen pictures of the previous Doctors. The attack on Alderley House in part 4 has been very lovingly added to with several more Daleks and Ogrons, but it stays within context and works a treat, particularly the newly filmed inserts which blend seamlessly with the cleaned up film.

The even bigger surprise is what they did with the sound. The Dalek voices- long a cause of complaint- have been re-done by the current voice of the metal meanies Nick Briggs, whose trademark timbre adds a layer of appropriate malevolence. The battles’ melange of new comic book noises matches the brio of the new effects. Everywhere, the birds are clearer, the footsteps more gravely, the makeup so visible it’s possible to see the Controller has painted his nails grey! There’s an extra member of the guerrilla group whom nobody has ever really noticed before! The point is that these additions only make a great story even better complementing Paul Barnard’s excellent work. Steve Broster and his team should be applauded for their efforts.

If `Day` was a less stylishly directed story, many of these additions would jar but Paul Barnard’s original interpretation was  ambitious in itself and these production aspects still impress yet more so now. The richly decorated Alderley House interiors almost smell of polish and wood. The veneered desk, the leather sofa and tapestries really do match the opulence you expect from the exterior shots of the house. The outside scenes are shot from unusual perspectives; Barnard makes full use of the shrubs surrounding the lawn and when it comes to the tunnel entrance he shoots low to make both Daleks and Ogrons look as menacing as possible. Even the Controller’s office has a futuristic sheen and though it takes slightly too long to open, the door to the Dalek’s lair is different. It’s surprising when you listen to some of the team discussing Paul Barnard in less than favourable tones on the DVD extras. It seems he infuriated a few people but perhaps it was his technical background that helped enhance the look of the story.

This is essentially a very straightforward tale, even for the era in which it is set but the subject matter resonates across the decades because it addresses seemingly never ending world problems. Louis Marks’ script- with presumably some input from both Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks- brings out a balance between large global concerns and the personal story that affects the main players. The pivotal peace conference has an air of one of those G7 summits and interestingly includes Chinese and African delegates at a time when in the real world it would have been the USSR and US that would have hosted such an event. Barry Letts and co always delighted in making the British role so important.

The whole cheese and wine scene also shows that the script is quite light on its feet when it wants to be. The way the international scenario is succinctly sketched is a text book example of how to present exposition without going on too long. Later the arguments over the guerilla's plan and the Controller's position are equally engaging. The ultimate way in which Shura causes his group to become part of history - “you did it yourselves” scolds the Doctor- is a neat touch. This big twist is surely what inspired a young Steve Moffat as it feels very much like the sort of idea he'd have decades later. Neatly it ends up being used as a way of blowing up the invading Daleks. 

The story also opens up the idea to a young Seventies audience of how freedom fighters and terrorists can become indistinguishable, which would have resonated at a time when the country was seeing bombs going off in Northern Ireland and the mainland. We get the view from both sides- Anat and co passionately describe how the death of Styles will avoid a third World War while the Controller keeps stressing to Jo how dangerous the guerrillas are. Fabulously this echoes the misunderstandings we hear about regarding the peace conference. The story even foreshadows these paradoxes with what initially appears to be a frivolous moment in part one when the Doctor and Jo meet a version of themselves.

The regular cast are by now at their peak. The Doctor and Jo’s evening sojourn at Alderley shows how well Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning work on screen. Jo Grant is possibly the most under rated of all the companions and there’s a lot to be written about how good she is, how intuitive and natural and about how she plays a crucial role in humanising this most pompous Doctor acting as a counterpoint. If the 2005 series’ Doctor and Rose were based on anyone, it’s surely this Doctor and this companion and they are lovely together. Nicholas Courtney has developed a wry response to the Doctor’s fussing- a raised eyebrow and a dry comment play so well against Jon P’s imperious hectoring but there are subtleties from both of them. Courtney also gives us some brilliantly convincing `on the phone` acting as he tries to deal with allcomers in the UNIT office. 

Pertwee’s big moment comes later when he squares up to the Controller in two excellent exchanges- the Doctor does enough to create a chink in the Controller’s armour - “don’t they like being happy and prosperous” he digs when the Controller tries to explain the guards. Interestingly it is the Doctor’s decision not to let the guerrillas kill the Controller that paves the way for the latter to allow them to escape later. In the character driving seat though is Aubrey Woods, one of those premier antagonists who make the 70s a rich time for villains.  Yes, he’s proclaiming like a stage actor would but that only makes him better and he turns out to have an interesting arc. All the way through Woods adds tiny facial nuances, I've no idea if this was scripted or he chose it, but it shows a constant worry on the Controller's behalf about his own survival and also some frustration with his Dalek masters. Each time I've seen the story I wondered whether he covertly was in contact with the freedom fighters and in fact he mentions helping people. Its pleasing that in part four the character has the chance to expand a little on his reasons for helping. 

Woods is splendid throughout whether charming Jo, arguing with the Doctor or trying to reason with the Daleks. He conveys the character’s weaknesses so well that when he finally stands up for himself at the end, it’s a heroic moment deserving of applause. After a year of the less subtle Master, this is a much more intelligently scripted adversary who seems three dimensional. Plus the story even has a would-be replacement waiting in the wings who is used breifely but effectively. 

`Day of the Daleks` may not be the most visually spectacular or action orientated story but it has matured far better than those that were. It's premise and arguments still speak to us fifty years on and whichever version you prefer there is much to savour.