Saturday, October 25, 2025

'THE DALEKS' MASTER PLAN' AT 60: NO TIME TO DIE!

The terrifying Time Destructor at work! Superb art by Daryl Joyce.

So near, yet so far to his beloved TARDIS, as the dying Sara Kingdom, herself aging to death, valiantly tries to aid the frail Doctor before collapsing and withering. Could death have finally come to our time travelling hero with the activation of the seemingly out of control Time Destructor weapon? Thankfully not, rescued by Stephen caught in an enveloping sandstorm, but it's a close run thing before the seemingly indestructible weapon created by the Daleks ultimately burns itself out, in the chilling finale to the epic The Daleks' Master Plan.

Visual/script recreation of the story's finale scene...

"What a waste. What a terrible waste..." the frail Doctor remarks amidst the arid. dead surroundings, as he and Stephen further remember the terror and tragedy of their current battle with the Daleks...  


A potential factor in the Doctor's latest regeneration as his body ages rapidly from the effects of the activated Time Destructor.



Rehearsal shot of the scene where Steven sees the final remnants of the disintegrated Sara Kingdom and fails to destroy the Time Destructor device.

As Steven rescues the Doctor, a slow moving Dalek patrol is soon destroyed.


Rehearsing the Dalek death scenes and the discovery of a unique Dalek embryo survivor.

Positioning the Dalek embryo on set.


Making of:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAKOFXODtwE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zlfOZ2cDr4


Friday, October 24, 2025

'THE DALEKS' MASTER PLAN' AT 60: THE DEATH OF SARA KINGDOM!

The end is near for the brave but doomed Sara Kingdom. Selected images taken by Viktors Ritelis.


With the demise of the now insane Mavic Chen at the hands of the Daleks, who had always found him an unwelcome but once necessary irritant, the Doctor and his companions flee the Daleks underground base with the newly activated Time Destructor weapon. But the Kembel jungle environment around them is now rapidly starting to decay into dust from the weapon, and, as Steven reaches the TARDIS first he can only look on in horror as old age and entropy assaults Sara Kingdom's body, her once agile form withering to death whilst trying to protect and save the equally time affected and afflicted Doctor, who has been prior covering their backs with the weapon from an advancing Dalek patrol...

The rapid ageing begins...



With the jungle now arid waste, Sara begins her death throes.

Reaching her ultimate extinction, but having helped wipe out the Dalek taskforce on the deteriorating Kembel, Sara (played by May Warden) crawls for help in her final moments.


This sequence, and the classic final episode itself, may sadly no longer exist, but the surviving audio soundtrack clearly reveals what was surely a terrifying and atmospheric finale to the epic adventure that truly delivered the goods in drama and shocks value, alongside the second death of one of the Doctor's loyal companions, handled in such a frightening yet audience unforgettable way.

Thursday, October 23, 2025

'THE DALEKS' MASTER PLAN' AT 60: WELCOME TO EGYPT!


Pursued across time and space by the Daleks in their own unique vessel to rival the TARDIS, our heroes eventually land on Earth in Ancient Egypt, where one of its rulers and his band of experienced warriors end up battling the metal monsters and, obviously, losing. As Stephen and Sara are captured by the Daleks, alongside the Meddling Monk (out for revenge, but once again failing to do so), the Doctor must reluctantly hand over the Taranium Core once and for all to the eager Chen and his metal cohorts, but not before he has cleverly rescued his two companions from extermination and they escape....


A view of the great Egyptian Pyramid of Giza city model. Selected images: Barry Newbery.

A force of local Egyptians fight the Daleks but are ultimately slaughtered or retreat.



The Doctor hands over the core to his bitter enemies, but must also win the freedom of his friends.


Wednesday, October 22, 2025

'THE DALEKS' MASTER PLAN' AT 60: INTRODUCING SARA KINGDOM!

Jean Marsh enjoys showcasing her new character of Sara Kingdom to the press during October/November 1965 at TV Centre.

Doctor Who's then intriguing 1965 answer to the formidable, action-capable and intelligent The Avengers series girl greats like Honor Blackman and her equally glorious successor Diana Rigg, the lovely Jean Marsh, previously cast by director Douglas Camfield in the Who historical tale The Crusade, would prove a fine casting choice for the at first cold-hearted and ruthlessly efficient Space Security Agent Sara Kingdom, specially selected by the traitorous Mavic Chen to find and kill the hostile traitors to mankind that are The Doctor, Stephen and Bret Vyon.


Newly arrived on Earth and moving to expose Chen as a traitor in league with the Daleks, our heroes plans go awry when Sara Kingdom finds them at a distant communications/experimental testing facility and brutally murders Vyon, whom, it turns out, was her own brother! Thankfully, Kingdom soon discovers the truth about Chen and the Daleks, joining the Doctor and Stephen on their fight and in their subsequent TARDIS journeys.  

Replacing Katarina as companion, actress Jean Marsh, who made a prior impression as Joanna in The Crusade, would be a fine casting choice once again by popular director Douglas Camfield.








Tuesday, October 21, 2025

'THE DALEKS' MASTER PLAN' AT 60: THE TARANIUM GAMBIT!

The Doctor reveals the power of the Taranium Core, as the Dalek pursuit begins...

With tremendous guile and disguised as an alien delegate, the Doctor infiltrates the Daleks' city on Kembel and discovers the full nature and extent of the enemies plans against the universe, in league with powerful human traitor Mavic Chen. As Chen delivers the rare Taranium Core needed to power the Daleks' deadly new weapon, the Time Destructor, the Doctor seizes the element and escapes with his companions, then boldly steal Chen's super fast space ship, the Spar, so as to warn Earth of the dangers ahead.

Not far away from their grip, the Spar is soon controlled by the Daleks and our heroes are forced to land on a hostile prison colony world, Desperus, where one of its prisoner's, Kirksen, takes Katarina hostage in the ship's air lock once the Spar escapes once again from the Daleks. Showing tremendous bravery and dedication to the soon-shocked Doctor and Steven, Katarina, having prior foreseen her future death at Troy, commits suicide, opening the airlock into space and taking her captor with her...  



Bret Vyon (Nicholas Courtney) confers with the Doctor over the Taranium Core.

Radio Times Episode Three preview.


Vyon at the controls of the Spar.


The doomed priestess of Troy, Katarina (Adrianne Hill) helps the Doctor and Steven. Her demise by the fourth episode would surprise the main cast during filming rehearsals.


Monday, October 20, 2025

'THE DALEKS' MASTER PLAN' AT 60: THE EVIL OF MAVIC CHEN!

Mavic Chen with the Daleks and alien representative Zephon (Julian Sherrier) of the invasion coalition.

Regarded and revered by humanity as the 'Guardian of the Solar System', the seemingly benign Mavic Chen is, in reality, far removed from such a positive and noble status. Calculatingly evil and power mad, he has been working alongside the dreaded Daleks for a lengthy period, secretly travelling to Kembel with a key device needed to power their ultimate weapon to be decisively used for the future, as the final stages of their invasion are planned - a take over of the entire universe, and what will surely be both the ultimate betrayal of humankind and a personal triumph for Chen, a chance to revel in the glory that such unrestrained control will bring.

Mavic Chen's ship, the Spar, lands at the Daleks' city on Kembel.


Chen and his all-bald Technic aides observe the Doctor in a specially posed press/publicity image taken on set, arranged by director Douglas Camfield - circa November 1965.

Making plans with the Daleks and other aligned alien forces.

Back on Earth with his creepy subordinate Karlton (Maurice Browning).

Radio Times episode preview.

One of the great character actors of British TV, Kevin Stoney's reputation as a great 'bad guy' was cemented ever further with his performance as the duplicitous Chen across The Daleks' Master Plan, where he'd be nominated as 'Best Villain of 1965' at Christmas by the British Daily Express newspaper during the story's original transmission, much to Stoney's light-hearted bemusement and bafflement!


Sunday, October 19, 2025

'THE DALEKS' MASTER PLAN' AT 60: THE DALEKS OF KEMBEL!

The Daleks begins torching the jungle in their search for human intruders on Kembel.

The Daleks' plans to take over the universe are almost ready, but Space Security Spies from Earth have been detected, One, Kurt Gantry, has already been exterminated, but Bret Vyon (Nicholas Courtney) lives on, as the late Marc Cory's tape (from the one-off Mission to the Unknown) outlining the Daleks plans are finally discovered with the arrival of the Doctor with new companion Katarina (Adrienne Hill), from The Myth Makers, and a previously wounded but recovering Steven Taylor (Peter Purves). Soon, after outwitting more jungle encroaching Dalek patrols, all join forces to discover more about the Daleks invasion plans, infiltrating their city and soon shocked by the arrival of a new visitor joining their alien alliance...


The excellent Radio Times first episode preview.

Space Security Service agent Kert Gantry (Brian Cant), wounded and isolated, is finally exterminated by a Dalek patrol.

Newly arrived on Kembel, the Doctor, Steven and Katarina meet another S.S.S. agent, Brett Vyon, on the run from the Daleks.

The Daleks begin destroying the forest.

Great cover art of the Daleks on Kembel for the Demon Records soundtrack album of the story.


Saturday, October 18, 2025

CELEBRATING SIXTY YEARS OF 'THE DALEKS' MASTER PLAN'!

Image composition art by Lee Johnson for the Doctor Who - The Complete History partwork series. 

The longest story of the series B/W era, and the longest Dalek story of the entire original Classic Series run, The Daleks' Master Plan is regarded as a genuine All-Time Classic by fans who saw it on its one and only original transmission from late 1965 into 1966: a thrilling tale that showcased the Skaro villains at their finest and deadliest against William Hartnell's incarnation, in a tale, originally planned at six-episodes but ultimately expanded to twelve so as to capitalize on the remains of Dalekmania merchandise sales, and at the enthused request of respected BBC head honcho Huw Weldon, whose mother was a big fan of the series and Terry Nation's finest creations.

Such a lengthy adventure may have been a creative and production headache of the highest order for new producer John Wiles and Script Editor Donald Tosh, who lost a potential all-new story to creatures that they weren't exactly enamoured with, but it'd also prove a fine baptism of sorts for their choice in director Douglas Camfield could not have been finer, not just in delivering pacy episodes with strong visuals, and excellent with his casting, but an experienced Who behind the scenes veteran who knew not just how to successfully shoot Daleks (indeed, he was around at their onscreen birth in late 1963) but could also confidently handle the cranky and unwell series lead star in Hartnell. 



Radio Times story preview, which starts with new companion Katarina (Adrienne Hill) tending to the wounded Steven after the events of The Myth Makers.


Scripting-wise, with such an epic tale to be told, and becoming a diverse and schedule conflicted TV series scriptwriter beyond Who, Terry Nation would need help developing and writing the landmark story, not just from Wiles and Tosh, but also from the story's co-writer Dennis Spooner, both of whom would constantly try and out cliffhanger each other with their individual episodes, though it would be Spooner who'd ultimately deliver one of the strongest and most frightening  episodes with its monumental finale: Destruction of Time, which, on transmission, had many shocked parents writing letters of complaint to the BBC with it's shocking resolution the brutal death of another of the Doctor's companions, Sara Kingdom.

A wonderful adventure in time and space with a huge diversity of strange new worlds, historical action/adventure on Earth, and memorable alien villains in a galactic alliance with the Daleks, never has there been a haul of more fan beloved missing episodes wanting to be found beyond those three surviving within the BBC Archives....

Enjoy this site's week-long Anniversary tribute to this marvellous yarn.

The Daleks' Master Plan ★★★★★ | Radio Times

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

OUT THIS MONTH: 'DOCTOR WHO - THE COLLECTION: SEASON 13'

Art composition by Lee Binding for BBC STUDIOS.


Surely the most wanted season yet of the Doctor Who - The Collection HD Blu-ray set range must be Season Thirteen, the second year of Tom Baker's incredible run as the enigmatic, Jelly Baby-munching Fourth Doctor, ably assisted by Elisabeth Sladen as the plucky Earth companion Sarah Jane Smith. The set finally arrives from BBC STUDIOS this October 20th, 2025, and fans will be pleased beyond words with the all-new picture and sound transfers on six classic adventures, alongside newly enhanced special effects (on two stories) and great bonus documentary materials combined with a visually lovely art presentation. Another high bar to challenge!






Another feast from BBC STUDIOS.


Get it here:



Art by Lee Binding for BBC STUDIOS.