The first ever Dalek episode

[G2309]

I decided to treat myself to the first episodes of Dr Who on dvd and haven't regretted it.

I had never seen the first appearence by the Dalek's so it was a special occasion. I was amazed at how ambitious the episode was and the atmosphere they created. I like the odel city and the drpes used to make the corridors look endless it worked for me. Nothing wrong with using a bit of imagination.
Its stange watching the Dr in early episodes as he's a young man despite his apperence. He's matured a lot over the years and he's far more capable.
It's a great story exciting and tense. So much of what makes Dr Who what it is can be seen in the early episodes. Which is impressive considering how many shows take a season to find their feet. I recommend getting the dvd set if you can. I wonder what it would have been like watching it when first broadcast. Unlike anything else seen on TV. Has anyone else seen the early episodes recently?

 

[Lonemagpie]

Oddly enough I just rewatched An Unearthly Child and The Daleks over the weekend, with the production notes and commentaries on - it's nice to know Terry Nation and I seem to have shared the same work ethic...

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

it's nice to know Terry Nation and I seem to have shared the same work ethic...

Selling the same story over and over again?

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Honestly, although the first Dalek episode isn't without flaws, it's easy to see why it would have captured people's imaginations back then. It does quite a lot well and is the Daleks can be scary as hell. I think the Dalek Invasion of Earth is better, but both are quite cool.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

I really like the early stories. On his own, I'm not particularly taken with William Hartnell as the Doctor. But taken as a group, I love the chemistry between the 1st Doctor, Susan, Ian, & Barbara.

BTW, I've got a question about "The Daleks" & "The Dalek Invasion of Earth." In "The Dalek Invasion of Earth," Ian asks how the Daleks can be there since he saw them destroyed back on Skaro at the end of "The Daleks." The Doctor explains that their destruction in "The Daleks" was far in the future. How can this be? I got the sense from "The Daleks" that none of these Daleks had even taken the time to peek out of their bunker since the end of the nuclear war with the Thals.

The one thing I don't like about some of these early stories is how rediculously slow the pacing is. If you look at something like "The Daleks," "The Web Planet," or "The Chase," the 1st episode is just the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, & Susan/Vicki wandering around the planet for a half hour until the monsters finally make an appearance just in time for the cliffhanger.

 

[Lonemagpie]

it's nice to know Terry Nation and I seem to have shared the same work ethic...

Selling the same story over and over again?

No, "live until the last pound in the overdraft is spent, then write another story."

I'd love to sell the same story over and over again, but those bloody editors keep picking different ones...

 

[Candlelight]

The first ever Dalek episode

What, the one they shot but found to have audio problems on it so they reshot it and the original (save for the shot of Barbara being menaced by the Dalek at the end) that was lost?

 

[G2309]

The first ever Dalek episode

What, the one they shot but found to have audio problems on it so they reshot it and the original (save for the shot of Barbara being menaced by the Dalek at the end) that was lost?

? the first dalek ep is on dvd readily available.
I havent seen dalek invasion of earth yet I need to order it.
It occured to me when watching the extras that the actor for Ian could make a return ( though i dont know what happened to his character) I like the dynamic between the characters in early eps but the Dr often seemed to take a backseat role.

 

[Candlelight]

? the first dalek ep is on dvd readily available.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daleks#Production_2

According to text commentary on the 2006 DVD release, the first episode, "The Dead Planet", was recorded twice. The first version was affected by a technical fault that captured backstage voices. The remount was done two weeks before it was broadcast, and Susan's outfit was changed in the second version. The only surviving footage of the first version is the recap at the start of the second episode, "The Survivors", showing Barbara menaced by a Dalek; the corresponding scene at the end of "The Dead Planet" was recreated when the episode was remounted.

 

[FalTorPan]

Honestly, although the first Dalek episode isn't without flaws, it's easy to see why it would have captured people's imaginations back then. It does quite a lot well and is the Daleks can be scary as hell. I think the Dalek Invasion of Earth is better, but both are quite cool.

I find the Daleks in "The Daleks" to be both scary as hell... and tragic.

BTW, I've got a question about "The Daleks" & "The Dalek Invasion of Earth." In "The Dalek Invasion of Earth," Ian asks how the Daleks can be there since he saw them destroyed back on Skaro at the end of "The Daleks." The Doctor explains that their destruction in "The Daleks" was far in the future. How can this be? I got the sense from "The Daleks" that none of these Daleks had even taken the time to peek out of their bunker since the end of the nuclear war with the Thals.

"The Dalek Invasion of Earth" is the first example of Dalek retcon. The explanation for their invasion of Earth makes little sense, but it did allow the Daleks to reappear.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Yeah, the Daleks were retconned plenty of times afterwards. Unless someone can give a reason not to, I'd just ignore the continuity before Genesis of the Daleks and just go with the flow in those episodes.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

...the Dr often seemed to take a backseat role.

I've watched Unearthly Child & The Daleks now, and yeah, the Doctor seems (so far) to be a doddering old man.

Obviously they hadn't fleshed the character out too much by this point. When they walk to the city in Daleks, the Doctor is completely spent.

The character seems to be like the actor rather than (like now) the actor playing the character.

Does this change further into Hartnell's run?

 

[Ubik]

Yeah, the Daleks were retconned plenty of times afterwards. Unless someone can give a reason not to, I'd just ignore the continuity before Genesis of the Daleks and just go with the flow in those episodes.

Yeah, except I prefer the origin story from the original Dalek episode. They're more tragic and more interesting. According to the Thals, they used to be "teachers and philosophers," and it turns out the metallic Dalek bodies were invented as a means of protection against radiation. They're trapped in those bodies, and trapped in that metallic city, and the whole thing just has a very sad undercurrent. This origin story shows how far a race may go to survive, and what the unintended consequences may be. I find that, as I said, sadder, and more intriguing than that they are victims of an experiment by a mad scientist. That's as old as Frankenstein.

 

[Ubik]

...the Dr often seemed to take a backseat role.

I've watched Unearthly Child & The Daleks now, and yeah, the Doctor seems (so far) to be a doddering old man.

Obviously they hadn't fleshed the character out too much by this point. When they walk to the city in Daleks, the Doctor is completely spent.

The character seems to be like the actor rather than (like now) the actor playing the character.

Does this change further into Hartnell's run?

Don't be fooled. That doddering old man is absolutely a performance, and nothing like the real Hartnell. (In fact, Hartnell was only in his mid-fifties when he played the Doctor.)

 

[diankra]

Don't be fooled. That doddering old man is absolutely a performance, and nothing like the real Hartnell. (In fact, Hartnell was only in his mid-fifties when he played the Doctor.)

Yes and no. It's mostly a perfrormance at the start, but by two years later, Hartnell's health was rapidly failing and it was less of an act.
Though he does seem to have got conveniently ill when having an argument with the producers a lot!

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Yeah, the Daleks were retconned plenty of times afterwards. Unless someone can give a reason not to, I'd just ignore the continuity before Genesis of the Daleks and just go with the flow in those episodes.

Yeah, except I prefer the origin story from the original Dalek episode. They're more tragic and more interesting. According to the Thals, they used to be "teachers and philosophers," and it turns out the metallic Dalek bodies were invented as a means of protection against radiation. They're trapped in those bodies, and trapped in that metallic city, and the whole thing just has a very sad undercurrent. This origin story shows how far a race may go to survive, and what the unintended consequences may be. I find that, as I said, sadder, and more intriguing than that they are victims of an experiment by a mad scientist. That's as old as Frankenstein.

True, but it's irreconcilable with everything established after Genesis.

 

[G2309]

Yeah, except I prefer the origin story from the original Dalek episode. They're more tragic and more interesting. According to the Thals, they used to be "teachers and philosophers," and it turns out the metallic Dalek bodies were invented as a means of protection against radiation. They're trapped in those bodies, and trapped in that metallic city, and the whole thing just has a very sad undercurrent. This origin story shows how far a race may go to survive, and what the unintended consequences may be. I find that, as I said, sadder, and more intriguing than that they are victims of an experiment by a mad scientist. That's as old as Frankenstein.

Judging by the dvd extras this sad undercurrent and explanation were the reason we got the Daleks at all. There was resistance to having monsters in Dr Who so they needed a good reason for their appearence.