CLASSIC ART: CAT SCRATCH FEVER!

Life is generally a fight for survival for all of us, but there are a special kind of 'others' who find the playing field around them taken to a new level of battle, as the Seventh Doctor and Ace are equally caught in an unusual kind of 'catflap' - arriving on a fiery world to discover the mysterious Cheetah People and their special skills of teleportation and hunting, in Rona Munro's intriguing Classic Who series finale, Survival. 

I have always enjoyed Alister Pearson's splendid Target books cover for Miss Munro's memorable novel, which, like many of the McCoy adaptations of the time, was given increased character and story depth by its author.

DEADLIER THAN THE MALE...?

 

The Rani's evil long-term plans for making humans sleep-deprived, so as to retrieve vitally needed chemicals for an experiment gone wrong, may have been exposed by the Doctor and Peri, but their discovery comes too late to stop them from being captured and used for revenge by another Tine Lord enemy, the newly arrived the Master, in the excellent first part to Pip and Jane Baker's hugely enjoyable premiere Who entry: The Mark of the Rani.

'THE EVIL OF THE DALEKS' - A FINAL COLLECTION OF DALEKMANIA!

Fan commissioned art from Andrew Skilleter.

We hope you have enjoyed our celebratory coverage of The Evil of the Daleks in its week of release via all-new animated form from BBC STUDIOS. It's a genuinely superb addition to your Classic Who collection - its last two episodes being particularly good.

Here is a compilation of the week's links:

https://whoadventuresfifthdimension.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-evil-of-daleks-week-of-celebration.html

https://whoadventuresfifthdimension.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-evil-of-daleks-week-day-2.html

https://whoadventuresfifthdimension.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-evil-of-daleks-week-day-3.html

https://whoadventuresfifthdimension.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-evil-of-daleks-week-day-4-rescuing.html

https://whoadventuresfifthdimension.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-evil-of-daleks-week-day-5-playing.html

https://whoadventuresfifthdimension.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-evil-of-daleks-week-day-6.html

https://whoadventuresfifthdimension.blogspot.com/2021/10/the-evil-of-daleks-week-day-7-civil-war.html

https://whoadventuresfifthdimension.blogspot.com/2021/10/the-evil-of-daleks-week-day-7-civil-war_01317954460.html

Get the splendid new release here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Title-TBC-BD-Blu-ray/dp/B005ND6KWG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=F80SDD5T590U&dchild=1&keywords=evil+of+the+daleks+blu+ray&qid=1632930856&sprefix=evil+of+the+daleks+%2Caps%2C434&sr=8-1

'THE EVIL OF THE DALEKS' WEEK - DAY 7: THE CIVIL WAR, AND 'THE FINAL END' - PART TWO

With the series' B/W era no longer relying on outside contractors, it would be up to the BBC's Visual Effects Department to handle the show's ambitious effects/model work. And The Evil of the Daleks would certainly prove to be an ambitious baptism of fire for Peter Day and MichaelJohn Harris with its model and pyrotechnics work captured at Ealing Film Studios, especially with the spectacular-for-its-time finale civil war conflict between the Daleks within their soon-in-destructive-flames city. The final on screen results in June 1967 certainly won plaudits from viewers via BBC internal audience research.

 

It was called 'the final end' for the Daleks by both the Doctor in onscreen voiceover and with the Powers-that-be at the BBC. But immortal and iconic villains don't stay dead for too long... thank goodness!

The Dalek City in devastation.

The clash between re-painted Louis Marks toy Daleks begins. Note the already destroyed Dalek middle left.

Watch colour footage of the behind the scenes filming:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr09nhhryro

'THE EVIL OF THE DALEKS' WEEK - DAY 7: THE CIVIL WAR, AND 'THE FINAL END' - PART ONE

The Emperor Dalek is caught in the crossfire of attacking Dalek fractions.

With the civil war intensifying, and the mad, Dalek-controlled Theodore Maxtible returned to the city amidst the carnage, the Doctor and Jamie escape with Victoria to the TARDIS, the young girl now travelling with them after the sad demise of her father on Skaro...

"Do not fight in here!" The damaged Emperor's prior orders go ignored as a Black Dalek battles his enemy in a classic scene.

Applying explosives to the Emperor Dalek prop.

Putting more gunk on the opened Dalek casing interior.

Filming with two cameras the battle within the Emperor's chamber- the scene of the black Dalek's destroyed head and the mutant writhing atop.

Other scenes being shot.

The battle damaged Emperor surrounded by Dalek casualties.

Timothy Combe (centre) helps coordinate the Emperor Dalek filming and action.

'THE EVIL OF THE DALEKS' WEEK - DAY 6: THE MACHINATIONS OF THE EMPEROR DALEK!

With the drama now relocated to Skaro, the Doctor and his friends follow Maxtible and the Daleks, but soon encounter the true mastermind behind the Skaroans insidious plot against humanity and the galaxy; the macabre and dominating Emperor Dalek, it's all-calculating evil well showcased, sitting like a spider in it's metal cobwebbed domain deep in the heart of the Dalek city.

Sure enough, the Doctor discovers that the search for the 'Human Factor' has been but subterfuge, the Emperor Dalek having simultaneously discovered the aggressive 'Dalek Factor', which will turn Humanity into cold-heated killer servants for the Daleks...

Resident Daleks' voice talent Peter Hawkins would handle duties for the Emperor Dalek.

Designed by the talented Chris Thompson, the Emperor Dalek's scenes would be mostly filmed at the more spacious and atmosphere-building Ealing Studios, and especially with so many pyrotechnics soon needed for the story's concluding civil war scenes, as 'Human Factor' converted Daleks soon turn on the Emperor and his machinations... 

Maxtible and the Doctor are summoned to the Emperor Dalek.

Publicity image of Deborah Watling as Victoria on the transferred set at Lime Grove Studios.

Behind the scenes bringing the Emperor Dalek to life during 16th-17th May, 1967.

Later Who director Timothy Combe (centre) would be in charge of directing Skaro-based second unit film scenes at Ealing Studios.

'THE EVIL OF THE DALEKS' WEEK - DAY 5: PLAYING 'TRAINS'!

An incredulous sight that regular series viewers would never have seen before, or been prepared for, as the menacing Daleks become friendly and almost cuddly with the introduction of the uniquely processed 'Human Factor' into their mutated psyches, and enjoyed by a playful Second Doctor as he and his old foes engage in a fun game of 'Trains'! A bizarre and memorable cliffhanger to the fifth episode/start of the sixth to The Evil of the Daleks back in 1967, in an intriguing idea from the story's writer, David Whitaker.

The above terrific art image, provided in 2011 by the animation team then handling the BBC STUDIOS release of The Reign of Terror, was commissioned for a special feature in the UK's SFX magazine (a superb Who special edition) covering classic 'lost episode' scenes that might be gone forever, of which this scene was deemed the most wanting-to-see-moment chosen by article writer Marcus Hearn.

Original John Cura taken 'Telesnaps' of the classic scene.

The scene as recreated via the new animation for The Evil of the Daleks, out now on DVD, Blu-ray and Steelbook.