Caught in a lure, the Doctor meets Davros and his evil creations once again. Target Books cover image by Anthony Lamb.
The TARDIS takes the Doctor and Peri to the planet Necros, where the Doctor plans to visit his old friend Professor Arthur Stengos. But after an encounter with the Great Healer, Stengos is not quite the man the Doctor once knew.
The Great Healer works in the catacombs beneath Tranquil Repose, the galactically-famous final resting place for the dead and the not-quite-yet-dead. In the upper chambers the busy workers prepare the deceased for their final burial, while deep below the Great Healer is using their bodies for a sinister project of his own. For the Great Healer is also known by another name - Davros, creator of the Daleks, who's using the bodies to build himself a brand new Dalek army.
The Doctor attempts to stop Davros while Stengos' daughter searches for her missing father and the local DJ uses rock n' roll music as a defence against the Daleks. Many are searching for Davros, but the evil scientist has a plan that will eradicate all opposition and enable him to lead his Daleks on a new mission of universal conquest...
BBC VHS Video release synopsis - 1999
In a season of truly diverse stories, with something for everyone to enjoy, Colin Baker's first year as the Time Lord hero couldn't have had a better nor more successful ending than the highly original, darkly humoured, darkly dramatic Revelation of the Daleks, a tale that genuinely surprised and thrilled me on its original viewing in 1985, what with its unique change-of-pace storytelling flavour, especially after Eric Saward's last all-action tale for the Daleks in Resurrection of the Daleks for Peter Davison. That we were getting a second Dalek story in two years, after such a notable drought, was also welcome, but Revelation would prove superior to its equally popular predecessor, wrapped around a tale that was deliberately inspired by Evelyn Waugh's The Loved One, mixed with unique Who supporting characters that would make Saward's beloved Robert Holmes proud. And with direction from Graeme Harper (who should have directed the whole season in my opinion! LOL!), the quality threshold went up in further notches, bringing his own visual flair and freshness to Davros (Terry Molloy comfortably chewing up the scenery in all the right ways) and his all-new white colour schemed Daleks (mostly voiced by Roy Skelton) on Necros. The black comedy of the Tranquil Repose set-up and the dysfunctional characters working within its Dalek-controlled hell could have been a disaster with a weaker, less-accomplished director, but Harper casts beautifully, alongside such notable character actors as William Gaunt and Eleanor Bron, who clearly relish such great parts that don't come along too often on television during the eighties.
As for Colin Baker as the Doctor? Well, by season's end, and mostly overcoming a forty-five minute episode length format change that proved of mixed fortunes in story structuring, it's clear that the actor was now totally at ease in the part and that the audience had become used to him, despite the ongoing frustration of having 'Sixie' and Peri still arguing all the time, a situation that irked Baker and his attractive colleague and friend Nicola Bryant by year's end. So what a shame then that Colin's Doctor had to be pulled away from us by the cigar-chompingly inept Michael Grade and his hapless cronies for eighteen months of limbo, of which the star would then have to rebuild the role with audiences all over again with the eventual debut of The Trial of a Time Lord...
Such a poor internal BBC decision of that time wasn't fair on Colin, it wasn't fair on the show, it wasn't fair on fans, it wasn't fair on the loyal viewers.
The Doctor and Peri should have gone to Blackpool after all...
Colin Baker's dream to work with the Daleks comes true in his first season.
Atmospheric shot of the TARDIS newly arrived on the funereal world of Necros.
In his blue mourning attire, the Doctor surveys the bleak snow landscape which adds greatly to the story's visual feel in Part One.
The Doctor and Peri walk to the Tranquil Repose funeral parlour facility, where the Doctor has heard strange and disturbing news about an old friend's death.
Our heroes encounter a deformed mutant (Ken Barker) escaped from his suspended animation coffin prison. It still shocks me that producer John Nathan-Turner would offer such a role to Sir Lawrence Olivier!
The mutant dies after a brief combat with the Doctor, but not before telling him about the mysterious figure behind Tranquil Repose, the Great Healer.
The acclaimed Great Healer who has ended famine in the universe: the dreaded Davros (once more played by Terry Molloy), escaped from the prior events of Resurrection of the Daleks.
The new white Daleks created by Davros to guard the facility, whose suspended animation patients are being used for grisly purposes to continue the Daleks legacy.
Determined to wipe out Davros and control the galaxy's food supplies, the ambitious Kara (Eleanor Bron), helped by secretary Vogel (Hugh Walters) secretly hires two noble assassins from Oberon, Orcini (William Gaunt) and his smelly squire, Bostock (John Ogwyn).
Another lure for the Doctor and Peri, and a rather grim one too.
Meeting the egotistical woman-chasing Jobel (Clive Swift), the face of Tranquil Repose and a skilled Chief Embalmer.
Peri has fun meeting the quirky DJ (Alexei Sayle) who provides humorous anecdotes and stories to the 'dead' of Tranquil Repose.
As the white Daleks attack all opposition to their plans with the arrival of the Doctor, the DJ takes a final stand with his rock and roll cannon.
The Great Healer senses danger from Orcini and Bostock.
The duo soon find themselves caught in a trap. Orcini is injured and noble squire Bostock killed.
Orcini faces the wrath of the real Davros!
The injured Orcini makes plans.
Kara schemes have been thwarted and she is soon killed.
The Doctor and Peri, with Orcini, engage with Davros and discover his shocking plans.
Davros prepares to activate his incubated legion of Daleks.
Called in by unhappy Tranquil Repose staff, the Daleks of Skaro arrive to arrest Davros and have him face trial.
More on the grey Daleks arrival.
Mister Takis (Trevor Cooper) confers with the grey Daleks.
As white and grey Daleks clash, the Doctor fights back.
As the grey Daleks capture Davros and take him away, the Doctor and a sacrificial Orcini destroy the next generation of Davros's Daleks at Tranquil Repose.
Terry Molloy on set in his Davros mask.
The story's memorable Glass Dalek cameo makes a fine cover star for Doctor Who Magazine issue 102, July 1985.
Colin Howard's unused VHS cover that became the cover to the In-Vision magazine coverage of the story with its 84th issue.
Visually messy UK VHS release cover from the 90's.
Bizarre US DVD cover photo composition.
UK DVD release sleeve composition.
Interesting Doctor Who DVD Files cover for the UK.
Eric Saward with the adaptations of his two Dalek stories, which were released in 2019.
Lovely Target Cover fan art by Philip James Allison.
The forces of good against evil on the troubled realm of Karfel seem to be dwindling, as the corrupt new Maylin, Tekker, captures any political opposition to his plans of leadership of the planet, starting with the resisting Councillor Mykros (Eric Deacon), whom, watched by his helpless lover Vena (Jeananne Crowley), is overpowered by one of the city's distinctive androids (Dean Hollingsworth) and soon to be banished to the hideous, all-consuming realm of the Timelash...
Following on from the controversial but successful colourized edits of The Daleks and The War Games, BBC 4 now screens an all-new compilation of Jon Pertwee's The Sea Devils, airing on December 7th, 2025, featuring an enhanced incidental music score (real meaning: mostly replacing Malcolm Clarke's work) from British Mission: Impossible movies talent Lorne Balfe.
New BBC promo art for the re-edit.
The memorable Frank Bellamy listings art back in 1972 for the Radio Times.
It should be another interesting watch, of which the Pertwee era has always been a favourite/audience-puller during the Christmas viewing season.
