Destiny of the Daleks

Season 17, Story 1/5, Serial 5J: 4 x 25min episodes, 1st to 22nd September 1979, Writer: Terry Nation, Director: Ken Grieve, Script Editor: Douglas Adams, Producer: Graham Williams

 

 (Artwork above by Roger Langridge.)

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly 'Destiny of the Doctors'! I love this game... oh.

Professor Quiteamess@whoer_pete Key fanboy evolution moment for me: 1st time I said "Oh, I've already seen this one", its summer repeat 1980.

Simon Hart@Si_Hart Aww, that's where it all began for me back in 79!

Inside the impossibly large control room of the TARDIS, a tall man with a shock of curly hair is making minute adjustments to the larynx of a robot dog. 

50dw50@50dw50  the dog has a lot less computer innards these days.

The man is the Doctor, now in his fourth incarnation, and the robot dog is none other than K9, star of K9 and Company!

50dw50@50dw50 this is uber nostalgic, just loved this story at the time. As a wee laddie this was the best thing ever! i had waited SO LONG for a Dalek story.

David@davadsteel  I remember so much of this from original broadcast, I was six and a half!

"What a brain!" exclaims the Doctor, as he tries to fix K9's robot laryngitis. 

Hang about, that's not Romana! 

Actually it is, but in that case, why's she wearing Astra's outfit? 

Jason McLaughlin@jangomac72The clothes regenerated too?? 

50dw50@50dw50 Troughton's did!

"You can't go round wearing copies of bodies!" Tell that to the 6th & 12th Doctors! 

She goes away to try out a few different bodies instead. Wait, what? 

David@davadsteel  I mean, it's pretty funny but this is such a weird spin on regeneration. Was Romana just bored?

This whole regeneration scene is so bizarre. Can't help noticing Romana doesn't try on any male bodies...

50dw50@50dw50 not sure Tom would have approved, she does go blue though.

Mark@Th3DarkMark it's really best to not think about this too much! Regenerating just for a change? Is each body tried a regeneration? 

Simon Pittman@LibraryPlayer Wouldn't it have just been simpler for them to write out Romana and have Astra as the new companion? :P

Isaac Dakin@IWhittakerDakin I know Romana's regeneration doesn't make a lick if sense but it's fun to watch

#LeedsAreGoingUp@LeedsMelbCity Did she actually waste regenerations trying on different bodies ? Maybe she chose Astra like Twelth Doctor chose Caecilius?

Tom's reactions to Romana's regeneration menu are great. 

So has Romana done a Keeper of Traken and possessed Astra in order to regenerate...?

"What you want is something warm and sensible. Something that will wear well. Something with a bit of style and, well, style, you know."

"Exactly! Good heavens, that's exactly right!"

He might like her style, but it seems she's determined to model Astra's body.

Lalla actually could pull off Tom's outfit. As it were.

Mark@Th3DarkMark then later wishes she hadn't...

Wonder what the TARDIS' first destination will be now they've got the randomiser installed...

Somewhere mostly harmless, probably.

"High degree of seismic activity." 
"I thought you said psychic." 
"Sidekick?" 
"Like it? I haven't seen it yet." 

Heavy Douglas Adams influence up to this point. Not your typical Nation script.

Love Romana's pink version of Tom's outfit.

50dw50@50dw50 that works really well, just adore Romana's costume in this one

The Doctor hands Romana some anti-radiation pills and a bleeper that'll bleep when she needs the next dose.

"Ooh, look! Rocks!" 

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  Well, we've had my favourite line in the whole story (possibly the whole franchise).

Mark@Th3DarkMark almost never see those!

50dw50@50dw50 oh look cocks #RudeDrWho

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  Oh look! Crocs! 

50dw50@50dw50 its a Colin trap!Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  Oh look! Vocs! 

50dw50@50dw50 oh look, frocks!

On the way out, the Doctor forgets the most important thing his cybernetics tutor ever taught him: When replacing a brain, always make sure the arrow A is pointing to the front.

David@davadsteel  the film work is stunning isn't it? And the banter between the Doctor and Romana is just on the right edge of drama. They are definitely flirting.

Tom's getting Deja Vu but then he has been in a LOT of quarries.

David@davadsteel  LOVE the deja vu joke. I've used it a few times!

Now we're back in Nation territory - most of episode 1 spent with the regulars wandering around a barren wasteland. 

James Cooray Smith@thejimsmith It has classic Nation Part One shape. Desolate wasteland. Split up. Companion followed by sinister figure who becomes ally. End with Dalek reveal. All his Dalek Part Ones like that after Invasion Earth. And of course, it's a remix of elements of the first couple of episodes of The Daleks, (with Susan/Alydon).

Matt Badham@TaamBaham It's Terry Nation bingo!Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  but it does have a great atmosphere with no incidental music & that slow rumbling noise in background.

David@davadsteel  it's a very stark, sterile feeling story. The lack of incidental music means a very different atmosphere from the norm.

Romana just takes regeneration in her stride & Lalla just gets stuck in like she's had the part all her life. 

Ed Watkinson@CouncillorEd love Lalla as Romana, my favourite classic era companion, delightfully silly with a determined streak.

When she's able to recognise concrete by taste(!)...

...the Doctor tells Romana she's got a mouth like a navvy, or something.

Point is, it was manufactured; there was civilisation here once. 

Which they'd've known if they'd taken just a few more steps and seen the ruined buildings ahead.

Suddenly the Earth moves for Tom & Lalla.

He spoils the mood by attributing it to an Underworld dentist. 

They're forced to take cover as a ragged gang of shuffling figures arrive, carrying a corpse on a stretcher.

50dw50@50dw50 lets play, spot the costume!

The Time-Lords watch as the ragged party bury the corpse with slabs of concrete.

Romana speculates that they could be on a planet ruled by zombies.

The Doctor wants to get a closer look at the body.

Romana nervously keeps watch as the Doctor exhumes the body.

She's exasperated when he doubles up to break the news from behind:

The alien, from Kantria, died of exhaustion and malnutrition...

They spot a cool looking space ship descending from the sky and try to get closer for a better look.

Wonderful design on the Movellan ship.

The lower half of the ship rotates, drilling down into the sand to bury itself.

They approach...

...but are driven back to the ruins by a series of blasts.

50dw50@50dw50 the new laser effects really bugger this up, the explosions are supposed to be underground mining not the glitter men firing.

They take refuge in a wrecked bunker.

When another round of drilling unsettles the whole structure of the building...

...the Doctor's trapped under a fallen pillar.

His extremities are okay, but he's pinned.

As Romana heads back to the TARDIS to fetch K9, she tells the Doctor not to go away.
"I'd rather hoped you'd resist the temptation to say that!"

Nice for the companion to be rescuing the Doctor for once.

Lovely little Hitch-Hiker's in-joke here as the Doctor reads a book by one Oolon Colluphid to pass the time. "He got it wrong on the first line! Why didn't he ask someone who saw it happen?"

Albeit Noone@AlbeitNoone I've always loved that Easter Egg (if you can call it that).

Romana gets the feeling she's being watched...

...but her stalker holds back when more drilling starts... 

...and the TARDIS is buried beneath the resultant rock fall.

Oops, it's time to take their anti-radiation pills and Romana hasn't any.

The Doctor is no fan of Oolon Colluphid. "He obviously doesn't realise the planet Magla's an 8000 mile wide amoeba that has grown a crusty shell." 

Love Tom's double take with the book when he spots the Movellans. So silly. 

50dw50@50dw50 I loved their guns! Every shuttlecock became a glitterman gun.

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  These Eurovision contenders don't muck about.

When Romana returns, he's gone. 

She backs away from the approaching stalker, and falls down a mineshaft.

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  He strides towards her looking menacing and doesn't think to once utter a single friendly word. #Moron

50dw50@50dw50 "hello young lady, i'm not evil... honest... where she go?"

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  "Hello, my name is..." Nah, fuck that, I'll just stomp towards her. I've got such an approachable, friendly face.

50dw50@50dw50 "and i look a bit like a zombie so.... result!"

To be fair to Romana, Tyssan does look a bit crazy. Tim Barlow looks a bit like Donald Sumpter actually. 

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  Meanwhile, on the Heart of Gold...

The Doctor's been brought to the Apple store, run by silver dreadlocked shop assistants. 

Kosmic Kris@KosmicKris when I first saw the inside of the Movellan space ship I thought it was the most hi-tech place I'd ever seen. I was 8.

50dw50@50dw50 some of those control consoles are almost like old friends by now.

The Movellan Commander, Sharrel, tells him that the planet they're on is listed in his star catalogue as D5 gamma zed alpha. 

The Doctor is "terribly old-fashioned. I prefer names." 

The name of the planet is... Skaro! 

 Take that randomiser back to the shop!

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  It's repeating all the trips from S1. Ooh, back to Marinus! Can't wait!

Romana regains consciousness...

They're supposed to wobble in-story, mind, on account of the drilling.

Watch out, here comes Stalky McStalkface...

Suddenly the wall bursts open...

...and a squad of Daleks take Romana prisoner! 

Love the sound of breaking glass as the Daleks waft through that paper & sticky tape wall. 

David@davadsteel The Daleks bursting through the wall is a great reveal. Like emerging from the Thames or the sand on Aridus.

Kosmic Kris@KosmicKris That is how to introduce the main villains! It was the late 70s when everyone smashed through things (c.f. Professionals)

50dw50@50dw50 I re-enacted the scene with the Daleks smashing through the walls with my toy Daleks endlessly after this, just loved it.

Matt Badham@TaamBaham I love Terry Nation. Easy to mock that kind of gung-ho, 'have someone kick in a door' or 'have a bomb count down' writing.

"Do not move! Do not move! Do not move! Do not move!"

"Do not move! Do not move! You are our prisoner! Do not move! You are our prisoner!"

50dw50@50dw50 brilliant! excellent cliffhanger!

Simon Hart@Si_Hart That was absolutely terrifying when I was 4! Poor Romana. Lalla sells the fear well.

Those are some of the loudest (and most repetitive) Daleks ever. Always used to prefer the Roy Skelton Dalek voices I grew up with but they're my least favourite now. 

Jason McLaughlin@jangomac72 Probably because to our adult ears they sound a little too much like Zippy from Rainbow!!

Matt Badham@TaamBaham I've got a soft spot for the lazy, 'just give me my pay-cheque' Dalek voices in the original, not re-mastered, Day of the Daleks. I think these days we're spoiled by Nick Brigg's peerless recreation of the many, many classic variations of the Dalek voices. 

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly The Daleks here remind me of BBC Breakfast presenters. Nothing to say, but won't ever shut up.

Mark@Th3DarkMark I mean saying do not move 10 times!

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  I can't tell if Nation is trying too hard or not at all.

John@Laking86 That said I would still rather be stuck in a lift with a Dalek.

Round the Movellans gaff, Commander Sharrel confirms that they're there for a barney with the Daleks...

...but they weren't expecting the Doctor to be quite so familiar with the natives.
"You know the Daleks?" 

"Oh, better than you could possibly imagine."

The Daleks play a game of 'True or False' with Romana. 

She scores a category 9. 

Kosmic Kris@KosmicKris "False False False..." Sorry Romana, we were looking for a Pointless answer! 

50dw50@50dw50 "that is a lie, you do know about the Daleks, you just met us in the preceding audio adventure..."

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  "ON TO ROUND TWOO! SCI-ENCE AND NA-TURE!"

The Doctor wants to know why the Daleks have returned to their homeworld...

...which is precisely what the Movellans have come to find out.

The Movellans haul in Tyssan...

...who collapses with exhaustion.

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  Tyssan assumes the Doctor is the guy in charge. Stupid or racist? (Nice touch, Doctor points to the Commander)

Kosmic Kris@KosmicKris At the time there was a footballer who played for Ipswich called Frans Thyssen. I always assumed Frans was our Tyssans name.

As the Daleks put Romana to work...

...she meets the others in her chain gang, which includes David Yip.

Kosmic Kris@KosmicKris cue my Dad bellowing "it's that fella off shoestring" - so often he was just behind the curve! 

Great actor, don't see enough of him on TV these days.

The man, Veldan, and the woman, Jall, put ideas in Romana's head when they tell her the only way you get out of the mine is dead...

Tyssan doesn't really have a good answer as to why he didn't simply speak to Romana.

Tyssan agrees to lead the Doctor into the underground bunker where Romana fell. The Movellans will tag along. 

The Movellans have got better hearing than me, I feel like Tom mumbles a lot in this one. 

Oh noes! Romana keels over and dies! Why doesn't she just regenerate...? 

Simon Pittman@LibraryPlayer She's just regenerated, so can heal herself (again similar to 10 growing new hand or River after she was shot in series 6)!

Mark@Th3DarkMark she used them all up dicking about!

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  "RE-TURN TO YOUR WORK! RE-TURN TO YOUR WORK! RE-TURN TO YOUR WORK!..." 

Daleks only give half a dozen last chances.

Descending to the lower level, Tyssan scouts ahead.

Ever since Tyssan arrived on Skaro he's had a terrible premonition he'll die here. The Doctor doesn't exactly offer reassurance: "You wouldn't be the first."

The Doctor has a suspicion as to what the Daleks are drilling for...

...but keeps it to himself for now.

There's that Tony Osoba, who was in Kill the Moon for all of about 10 seconds. 

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly Have I mentioned I love the Movellans? I love the Movellans.

David@davadsteel  The Movellans are actually a bit sexy. I feel conflicted.

Isaac Dakin@IWhittakerDakin No one seems to bring up where the Thals went cos they don't seem to be on Skaro now. 

Yes, they seem to based on Skaro in 'Planet' but obviously spacefaring. Here, they seem to have left altogether or at least keep well clear of the area of the old Kaled bunker anyway. Maybe they're just in a less radioactive zone.  The implication is both the Thals & Daleks have long abandoned Skaro, the Daleks themselves are only back now to drill. 

When Tyssan reports that the control centre is already crawling with Daleks, Commander Sharrel posts a guard, Lan, in case they need to make a quick getaway.

It's the end of the shift so the Daleks order their minions to tidy away Romana's corpse.

The Daleks back at HQ move off to investigate a new section the drilling teams have broken through to.

The Doctor and Tyssan move in, and half inch a stash of explosives...

...before the Doctor gets a gander at the plans of the bunker...

...and realizes that the dozy Daleks are overlooking a shortcut to their objective.

A Dalek patrol manages to sneak up on Lan before he can give the alarm...

...and do what Daleks do best.

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  Before the reveal about the Movellans, that death looks pathetic.

Agella raises the alarm, and the Doctor's band of interlopers is forced to sneak out. Exeunt, pursued by a Dalek, of course.

The Movellans aren't keen on aliens seeing their dead. 

Some nice directorial touches shooting the Daleks from below, but it's unintentionally a bit shakey-cam. 

Ever noticed that salute between the Doctor & Sharrell as they escape back up to the surface before? They bow, and touch heads.

Lovely hearing all those old spooky Dalek city sounds, by the way.

By the time the Daleks arrive, only the Doctor remains to taunt the Daleks. These really are the shabbiest lot I've seen.

"If you're supposed to be the superior race of the universe, why don't you try climbing after us? Bye, bye!"

Back above ground, it isn't long before something catches the Doctor's eye.

It's Romana's grave!

He starts frantically scrabbling away to uncover her body...

...but she's not there! She faked her own death.

You'd never catch the Doctor doing that...

"They taught me at school how to stop my hearts." 
"Hearts? How many have you got?" 
"One for casual, one for best." 

Having just left Dalek Control, the Doctor is back off on another Dalek hunt. Make your mind up!

The Doctor is determined to beat the Daleks to their objective. Sharrel dispatches Agella to go with Tyssan and the Time-Lords, while he returns to the ship.

The Doctor still won't be drawn as to what they're looking for. "I'll tell you when I find out," he shams. He knows full well, he just doesn't want to admit it to himself.

"Seek-locate-exterminate-do the ironing-take the bins out-feed the cat-pick the kids up from school...!"

Turns out their objective is their long "dead" creator, Davros. 

50dw50@50dw50 even though Davros was in the bunker not the city...

Shhhh!

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  Cos Nation's a bit shit at this? Or, Davros is in the same place, but the Daleks redecorated before leaving. They were in entombed at the end of Genesis, so probably shifted his body about like old furniture.

The Daleks' mining blasts are hot on their heels, and bury Agella. 

The Doctor notices something odd about the body.

Well blow me down - Davros isn't dead! 

Jason McLaughlin@jangomac72it's a wonderful image of him covered in cobwebs and that moving hand freaked me out as a kid.

David@davadsteel  The cobwebs are really horrible touch. Shame Gooderson struggles with the chair!

50dw50@50dw50 hope he does not have arachnophobia "where are my Daleks, oh my god i am covered in spiders, get them of me GET THEM OFF ME!

Never saw that one coming!

"So, the long darkness has ended and the eternity of waiting is over. The resurrection has come, as I always knew it would!"

He's a bit jerky. Something's happened to his voice, too...

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  The greatest one-off villain ever... ruined. Worth it, I s'pose, for Revelation alone.

Jason McLaughlin@jangomac72 Gooderson takes a lot of stick but I think it'd be looked upon better if they'd actually modulated his voice like Wisher's.

David@davadsteel  It's interesting to consider Davros' perspective. Must've been weird for him to see the Doctor as soon as he woke up!

Davros doesn't like Jelly Babies. Clearly evil.

The Daleks will soon be on their way, so the gang have to take Davros for a trip...

"Seek, locate, do not deviate!"

"Shut up or I'll switch you off!" That's no way to talk to deadly Dudley!

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  If I had a penny for every time I've said that to an old man on life support in a wheelchair.

The Daleks break through, but are narked to find they've been beaten to the punch.

Lovely bit of Dalek vision here.

As the Daleks move away, we pan down to see Agella's hand sticking out of the rubble. Seems she's not as dead as we thought...

After a near miss...

...the Doctor and co. squirrel Davros away in a side room, and set about building a barricade.

"That wouldn't keep out a determined mouse." Join us next week for Destiny of the Determined Mice. 

After they've helped shore up the defences...

...he packs Romana and Tyssan off to the Movellan ship... 

...while he prepares to make a stand with Davros.

The Doctor brings Davros up to speed with the latest developments. "Arcturus won the Galactic Olympic Games. Betelgeuse came a close second. The economy on Algo's in a terrible state due to irreversible inflation." 

These scenes between the Doctor and Davros are a far cry from their tête-à-tête last time out.

Davros isn't treated with any respect by the Doctor, or the script, and the 4th Doctor himself is so different. 

"Bad luck, Davros, old chum, it's a suppository!"

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  "Told you I'd get you in the end."

"Do you believe your puny efforts can change the course of destiny?" 
"Well, let's just say I might tamper with it."

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  The flippancy is a little too witless and the melodrama a little too flat.

Jason McLaughlin@jangomac72a sign of Douglas Adams rewriting Nation's script probably.

The Doctor's got some home truths for Davros: "The Daleks left you for dead centuries ago. You've given them all you've got. What do they want you for now? What's so special about the Movellans that they need your help again, eh?"

50dw50@50dw50 The Movellans really are the most 70's robots of all the 70's robots.

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  D'ya think it's just the Commander who dresses and has his hair like that? The crew just picked today to take the piss?

Is this right? Davros is a mutant? S'pose he probably is a bit, but you always just think of him as injured...

Another nice bit of Dalek vision as the pursuit squad spots the Doctor's footsteps.

Romana and Tyssan need to sneak past a patrolling Dalek to get back to the Movellan ship.

Tyssan tries to lead the patrol away so Romana has a clear run to the Movellan ship.

The best his Dalek pursuer can manage is to exterminate some rocks.

With his "life insurance" finally rigged, the Doctor wonders how Davros survived the Dalek execution squad.

Turns out that with his primary life support damaged, secondary systems kicked in, throwing his organs into suspended animation whilst his damaged body tissue regenerated. As you do.

"Wasn't that outstaying your welcome in rather a big way?" 
"Until the Dalek's universal supremacy is accomplished, I cannot allow myself the luxury of death." 
"Oh, poor Davros!" 

In Genesis, Davros claimed, and seemed to believe, that the Daleks were a force for good. Here, his response to countless innocent lives being lost is "Only the beginning!"

"Now I have returned, the campaign will begin in earnest. I have slept but now I have awakened, and the universe will be sorry."
"You're misquoting Napoleon!"

The Daleks gatecrash Tom's party.

The Daleks have knocked on to see if the Doctor will come out to play, but he's got Davros at his mercy with his now-primed explosive device.

"Now Spack off!" 

50dw50@50dw50 and an insult is born!

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  Second favourite line.

When Tom tells you to Spack off, you stay Spacked off. 

My theory is the line was "Back off" but Tom had been fooling around in rehearsals with "Sod off" and then mangled it. Either that or a garbling of "back off" and "stay back". 

Kosmic Kris@KosmicKris you're a very beautiful script probably... 

Romana makes it back to the Movellan ship...

...where she's rather taken aback to find that they already know all about Davros...

The Daleks start bumping off prisoners to pressure the Doctor into freeing Davros.

Isaac Dakin@IWhittakerDakin These deaths are crap its a bloody siesta gun here, not a death ray! 

Yes, some of these extras seem high.

"Self-sacrifice illogical, therefore impossible." Foreshadowing the Dalek dilemma of this story...

"All I have to do is squeeze my sonic screwdriver and boom boom Davros!"

This is the same Doctor that agonised whether he had the right to avert the creation of the Daleks, yeah?

Davros orders the Daleks to let the Doctor escape...

...and a pair of bomb-disposal Daleks do indeed sacrifice themselves for Davros. 

Davros is ready to get to work. "You must tell me of all the victories the Daleks have won whilst I have slept. And all the defeats. I shall learn from your mistakes. The Daleks shall be made into perfect creatures. They will be invincible! The Daleks will rule the universe!"

Romana inadvertantly bigs up the Doctor's strategic value to the Movellans...

Romana's figuratively stunned to see 2 "dead" Movellans back on board, and is then literally stunned when she sees their new objective...

"Seek and locate! Seek and locate!"
"And find? I mean, aren't they just the same things?"
"Shhh."

That so called Dalek mutant is just silly putty, isn't it? 

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  I think that's the scrotum of the last barman who tried to deny Tom a large vodka.

"I think you've just told me what the Daleks want with Davros, haven't you!"

Everyone objects to references to the Daleks being "robots" but maybe by this time they actually have become completely robotic?  Nonsense, but that actually seems to have been Nation's plan here. Subsequent stories reversed this. But in this story we could believe they have no organic parts at all. 

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  Was it just to establish the logic impasse? I think Saward changes that to battle computers, rather than Daleks themselves.Can't say I care for any of Nation's ideas in this story. Except the Movellans. Love the Movellans. Daleks get shafted, though.

50dw50@50dw50 its crawling to the sewers to await its revenge...

As the Movellans set about lashing up what looks like a bit of nonsense modern art...

...the Doctor is reunited with Tyssan, back from taking the long way round. 

Just when a Dalek gets the drop on them...

...they're rescued by a Movellan.

Well, I say rescued, now the Movellans have turned on the Doctor. 

He and Tyssan find their weakness...

...their 'brains' are in a hard-drive style tube on their belt.

In a shock twist we all assumed from their 1st scene, the Movellans turn out to be robots. 

The Movellan art installation is apparently called a "Nova device", and it can ignite the atmosphere. 

Wouldn't want to get stuck in that tube then!

"Our attempts to capture the Doctor have failed so far. What we need is some way to get him out into the open."

The Doctor knows it's a trap but has no choice than to try to rescue her.

David@davadsteel  Romana in big tube is a clear memory from broadcast. Not sure I understood it fully at the time but it's a strong image.

Time's running out!

Before the countdown reaches zero, though, the Movellans step in and stun the Doctor.

"Malfunction!"

"No, I only set the countdown for cliffhanger purposes, it was never armed." 

Tyssan scarpers to seek reinforcements.

Davros demands the latest updates. 

I'd wait till they've ironed out all the bugs, mate.

Back at the Movellan ship, the snazzy robots prepare to scarper with their captured Time Lords.

Once they're in orbit, they'll ignite the Nova Device, but it'll have to be guarded right up until the end. Lan volunteers for that suicide mission. 

The Doctor awakes with a start...

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  "Robots!" This story gives us about five great Tom moments.

...and is less than pleased with the Movellans' plans to use him to reprogram their battle computers to defeat the Daleks. 

50dw50@50dw50 The Glittermen's Masterplan

"We function logically"
"My condolences!" 

The Daleks expect Davros to provide tech support. Not being funny but he's been out of the loop a while. 

Isaac Dakin@IWhittakerDakin yeah he's been sleeping for centuries it'd be like asking a medieval doctor to perform brain surgery.

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  He only discovered the existence of aliens yesterday (in his time-frame).

The paper, scissors, stone vs. Logic thing is bollocks too.

50dw50@50dw50 ever since the early days of Who there has been a great suspicion of logic.

Especially where Nation's concerned, it has to be said!

Why would two robots always choose the same? Why/how could they predict what the other would do and still end up in a draw? Argh! Utter bobbins.

"You've discovered the recipe for everlasting peace. Congratulations. I'm terribly pleased."

The Doctor beats Sharrell three for three...

...but this only convinces the Movellans more that he's the man for the job.

Turns out the Movellans are just as bad as the Daleks: "The Dalek fleet will be wiped from the heavens and nothing will stand in our way of the conquest of the galaxy."

Lan's got bored of guarding the Nova device and is crushing innocent rocks with his bare (metallic) hands, when he hears a suspicious noise.

Tyssan pretends to be dead to lure Lan closer so that his rag tag band of escapees can nick Lan's hard drive.

Tyssan has a fiddle with Lans' "good/evil" switch and now he's all spaced out. 

Getting Davros to come up with the battle plans is already paying dividends - in a move the Daleks could never have come up with themselves, he proposes blowing up the Movellan ship. Genius!

Romana and the Doctor pass the time with more games, while they try to figure a way to escape the Movellan ship.

The Doctor invents "Paper, Scissors, Stone, Jelly Baby."

Mark@Th3DarkMark the precursor to rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock!

Agella notices it's been a while since they've heard from Lan and goes to see what's up...

...whereupon the now Tyssan-controlled Lan whips off her hard drive. Two down...!

Davros tells the Daleks there must be no hesitation or deviation...

...but repetition is fine. 

Tyssan's the king of the Movellans now.

Tom and Lalla having a blazing row, now there's a turn up for the books. On this occasion it's just a distraction, though...

...so that Tyssan's gang can storm the Movellan ship and free them.

Isaac Dakin@IWhittakerDakin Can't believe how casually they just nick that circuit off them they're just like "yoink!" 

Yes, it's a bit of a silly design to have that powerpack/brain externally. 

The Doctor pitches in by scrambling their "brains" with his dog whistle. 

One of those extras is wearing Draconian robes, but is clearly no Draconian. Maybe they're nicked?

With the Movellans dealt with, the Doctor's off to see Davros without a plan. "I'm a very dangerous fellow when I don't know what I'm doing..."

Lee Mahon@Lee_JM75 My first memory of Doctor Who is seeing the Daleks with the bombs attached to them as they trundle across the landscape.

Davros is waiting for a lift to the Dalek fleet when the Doctor rocks up.

With time to kill, he's in a chatty mood. "Speaking simply as scientists, the problem is fascinating, don't you agree?"

Davros calls the Doctor "Stalemate". It's the 1979 equivalent of "Don't you think he looks tired?" 

When Davros reveals he's sent his band of tatty Daleks off as suicide bombers to total the Movellan ship, the Doctor eyes up his detonator.

When he asks how Davros'll stop him detonating the bombs prematurely, the reply is that he won't.

"I will!" screeches the lone Dalek that sidles out of the shadows.

"Let no opposition halt you. Advance for total Dalek victory! Objective sighted. Advance!"

Jason McLaughlin@jangomac72 Daleks with suicide vests!! Something you'd never be able to get away with now!

Romana and Tyssan realize there's a Movellan missing - Cmdr Sharrell. He'll be off to detonate the Nova device, of course, so Romana has to go after him. 

Time's running out for the Doctor. He needs to find a way to push Davros' button without getting his hand blown off by the party pooping Dalek guard.

A disorientated Sharrel staggers home from last orders.

Tyssan's mob have a fight on their hands; they take heavy casualties during their last ditch attempt to prevent the Daleks blowing up their ticket away from Skaro.

Get a shift on, Romana!

Romana eventually manages to stop Sharrell activating the Nova device by kicking his arm clean off. Damn.

The Doctor takes his hat off to Davros.

There's one in the eye for Davros' bodyguard... 

After a quick game of hide and seek...

...a good shove, and a well timed explosive, sees the body guard blow his top.

"BYE BYE!" 

An arm wrestle later... 

...and Davros' hand is forced.

Bye bye Daleks!

Later, on the Movellan ship, Davros has been well and truly fridged.

Tom's describing his average night out to his captive audience, always ends with seeing pink elephants... Logical?

"All elephants are pink. Nellie is an elephant, therefore Nellie is pink." 
"Bah. Humans do not understand logic." 

Davros is to be taken for trial, and will be stored in a cryogenic freezer in the meantime. 

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  Like the way the Doctor explains the freezer unit to Davros. Davros didn't think to ask what he was sitting in?

"There is not a ship, not a prison that can hold me!" Bye bye Davros! 

Jason McLaughlin@jangomac72 he'll be proved right in about five years time 

Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  Is "bye-bye!" just a Season 17 thing? Feels like something he says in every story throughout this run.

Simon Pittman@LibraryPlayer Frozen Davros? Forget horsemeat... the next supermarket scandal will be Dalek meat in burgers! :P

"That would have created what I believe is termed consumer resistance..."

And Bye bye Tyssan! 

After watching from a safe distance as the (ex) prisoners depart in the Movellan ship...

...the Doctor & Romana return to the TARDIS, shifting the rubble to be reunited with K9! 

"Mistakes? Me? Well, perhaps once a century or so..."

"Well, I have made the odd mistake..."

50dw50@50dw50 well that was brilliant, fun Doctor Who!Simon Threadgold@dimwittedly  It has its problems, but the direction was very good. All in all, much better than I remembered.

David@davadsteel Good to watch it again. Not as silly as commonly held.

TTFN! K.
Coming Soon... The Time Monster