Last weekend saw the running of the 2013 'HotT Winter's Day' event, an annual wargaming competition hosted by the Christchurch Wargaming Club - so I headed home to Christchurch with a specially prepared 'Doctor Who' themed army.
For more details about HotT (Hordes of the Things), check out my last post on this blog.
The army that I had put together was based upon the 2010 episodes The Time of Angels and Flesh and Stone.
Amy Pond, Father Octavian, the Doctor and River Song in The Time of Angels (2010)
For those interested, my HotT army's composition was as follows:
24 points from:
7x Shooter Bases (soldiers of The Church; 2 points each)
1 x Artillery Base (3 points)
1 x Cleric (Father Octavian; 3 points)
1 x Hero (River Song; 4 points)
1 x Sneaker (Doctor and Amy Pond; 3 points)
Father Octavian (right) and some of his unit. Figures are from Caesar Miniatures' Modern British Army set.
'Heavy Hitters' - artillery of The Church. Figures are from Caesar Miniatures' Modern British Army set.
Because there are no officially licensed suppliers of wargaming figures representing the characters in post 2005 Doctor Who (Black Tree Design only caters for the "Classic" Dr Who market) I had to look for appropriate substitute figures to represent the Doctor, Amy Pond and River Song. Fortunately I obtained some good substitutes through Crooked Dice Game Design Studio. Introducing Melody Lake, Tweedy Mattison and May Killan from the Crooked Dice range of figures (once again, thank goodness for the resemblance!). I must say, these figures were a joy to paint!
Tweedy Mattison
Melody Lake (left) and May Killan (right)
Here are some photos of my army in action on the day - against a British Victorian Science Fiction Army (eh wot?!) ...
Unfortunately, the competition was not my best in terms of results - in fact, I failed to win a game (although with a couple of different die rolls at crucial times things may have been quite different!). Nonetheless, there were some hard fought but enjoyable match-ups and I look forward to the next chance I get to have a game.
For more pictures and a brief 'battle report' (if you are interested in that sort of thing) click here.
WARNING: The following post contains one of the cheesiest intros I've ever written ...
Hi All,
According to Dorium Maldovar, the "fall of the Eleventh" will occur on the fields of Trenzalore:
Well, hopefully Trenzalore is a long way away from the Woolston Working Men's Club in Christchurch on Sunday July the 7th as this is the date and venue for the 2013 HotT Winter's Day event organised by long-time Christchurch wargamer Robin Sutton and hosted by the Christchurch Wargaming Club. As this year is Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary I have decided to build a Doctor Who themed army to use at this year's event. HotT (or Hordes of the Things) is a set of fast-play fantasy wargaming rules written by Phil Barker, Sue Barker and Richard Bodley Scott. For those of you that have no idea what the heck I'm on about - check this (appropriate) example out:
Armies in HotT are constructed according to a points value system - armies are limited to a maximum total point value and elements (bases with one or more figures attached) of different troop types are worth different values based on their typical effectiveness in play. The great appeals of HotT are that games are usually wrapped up within the hour, which allows a tournament consisting of 5-6 rounds to be completed in one day, armies typically only consist of up to a dozen elements meaning that one can produce an army from scratch fairly quickly and cheaply and, as long as a few simple rules regarding army composition are adhered to, the armies that can be used are limited only by one's imagination. Seriously, I've seen a My Little Pony army wreck havoc on a HotT battlefield ...
The army that I am putting together is going to be based upon the 2010 episodes The Time of Angels and Flesh and Stone.
Amy Pond, Father Octavian, the Doctor and River Song in The Time of Angels (2010).
The bulk of my elements are going to be members of The Church, a religious and military organisation in the 51st and 52nd centuries responsible for interstellar security, protection of human populations and special covert operations. The bulk of these will be a standard troop type (relatively cheap in terms of army points) called Shooters, representing troops with long distance attack weapons (e.g. bows or guns). The great appeal of doing this particular army for me was the chance to use a special type of troop that I have never used before in a HotT army - a Cleric. Clerics, in HotT is a troop type that includes all holy priests, priestesses, mullahs, hermits or military leaders of an organised ethical religion with psychic powers which are protective rather than offensive (i.e. "faith"). I thought Father Octavian fit the bill perfectly! Magic is a (potentially devastating) means of attack in HotT and Clerics provide some protection from this.
To represent the members of The Church, I will be using 20mm Plastic figures from Caesar Miniatures' Modern British Army set. I obtained these through Cyril (Stan) Walker, a Christchurch-based wargamer and importer of a wide range of plastic wargaming figures.
Unpainted figures from Caesar Miniatures' Modern British Army Set
Because there are no officially licensed suppliers of wargaming figures representing the characters in post 2005 Doctor Who (Black Tree Design only caters for the "Classic" Dr Who market) I had to look for appropriate substitute figures to represent the Doctor, Amy Pond and River Song. Fortunately I obtained some good substitutes through Crooked Dice Game Design Studio. Introducing Melody Lake,
Tweedy Mattison and May Killan (thank goodness for the resemblance ... but note the figures will (hopefully) look a lot better once they are painted. If you want to see some painted examples of these exact figures, click on the names below each photo)
As for what I'm going to use these figures as in the HotT army, I've decided not to say for the time being, as some of my potential opponents may end up reading this. I've got to leave something up my sleeve for the big day! ;)
And finally a Stronghold (or base-camp if you will) for my army. It really could only be one thing (the model is by Hornby Hobbies) ...
I've previously posted about Doctor Who DVD releases for 2013 - you can read that post here.
Since then additional releases and details have been confirmed (all dates are UK release).
The newly colour-restored version of the Jon Pertwee serial The Mind of Evil (1971) now has a confirmed release date of the 3rd of June.
A special edition of the Peter Davison serial The Visitation (1982) - 6 May
Series 7, part 2 (including The Snowmen (2012) - 20 May, with a complete Series 7 Boxset scheduled for release in the UK Autumn (Australian/NZ Spring)
A special edition of the Jon Pertwee serial Inferno (1970) - 27 May
Classic Doctor Who hits Blu-Ray on 15 July with the release of Jon Pertwee's debut story Spearhead from Space (1970). Also features the introduction of the Nestene Consciousness and the Autons that featured in Christopher Eccleston's debut story in 2005, Rose.
A special edition of the John Pertwee serial The Green Death (1973) - 5 August
The Patrick Troughton serial The Ice Warriors (1967), the debut story for the Ice Warriors, who have returned to our screens this year. Two of the six episodes are missing from the BBC archives and have been reconstructed using animation, as was done with missing episodes in previously released serials The Reign of Terror (1964) and The Invasion (1968) - 26 August
Here's a preview of the animation:
Scream of the Shalka (2003), a flash-animated Doctor Who serial with Richard E. Grant as the voice of an alternative 9th Doctor - 16 September
The Tenth Planet (1966), the very first regeneration story and the debut of the Cybermen. The missing fourth episode will be reconstructed using animation. Read more about it here - UK Autumn.
This is in addition to the June 24 release of the Tom Baker serial The Terror of the Zygons (1975) mentioned in the earlier post.
For those of you watching the latest series of Doctor Who on Prime TV in New Zealand (or anyone else that has not seen all the episodes that have been aired in the UK/US - "Hide" being the latest), the following entry may contain SPOILERS!!!
Trying to juggle a bit of stuff at the moment. As it is no doubt apparent I am not posting in depth analysis/reviews of each new episode as it screens on this blog - there are plenty of other places on the web that these can be found.
I am aware that some "Whovians" can have some pretty strong opinions on certain Doctor Who-related issues/personalities. Steven Moffat (the current head writer/executive producer) is one such personality that tends to attract the ire of many long time fans of the show. Matt Smith is another. I suspect to a certain degree the anti-Smith sentiment is particularly the case with fans of the show who are only really familiar with post-2005 Doctor Who. Christopher Eccleston was great in the role (in my opinion) but sadly - for reasons I don't really want to get into here - decided to leave after one season in 2005. David Tennant took over at the end of that season and remained in the role until The End of Time part 2 in January 2010. Now, Tennant was superb in the role and by the time he decided to leave had endeared himself to a new generation of fans for whom he was the first Doctor they knew. For others, who had watched Eccleston's Doctor regenerate and become Tennant's Doctor in 2005, this time around they were losing someone they had been watching long enough to develop a real affection for. It probably didn't help either that Tennant's last words were a tearful "I don't want to go!" Introducing a different actor to play the same character in a series is actually a very radical concept in television when you think about it. For those who were familiar with the show pre-2005, regeneration was an old hat - after all, the Doctor had done it eight times previously (once not seen on screen) when Eccleston first appeared on our screens. And in case you've missed any of them:
I'm going to put my cards on the table (so to speak) by stating that I have enjoyed the latest series up to now and Matt Smith's performances in the title role have been as vibrant as ever.
Right, if you haven't stopped reading in disgust ... I'll continue.
As a long time fan, one aspect of this series that I have enjoyed in particular are the references to the show's history. This is rather appropriate, to say the least, as 2013 is Doctor Who's 50th anniversary year.
In case you have missed any:
The 2012 Christmas Special, The Snowmen, and Series Seven, episode 6, The Bells of Saint John, saw the return of The Great Intelligence - previously a controller of the Robot Yeti in The Abominable Snowmen (1967) and The Web of Fear (1968):
It may look like a big cuddly Teddy Bear, but beware the Robot Yeti!!! (The Abominable Snowmen, 1967)
Series 7, Episode 8 saw the return of another monster first introduced during the "Troughton Years", the Ice Warriors. Previous TV appearances (not including "flashbacks") are The Ice Warriors (1967), The Seeds of Death (1969), The Curse of Peladon (1972) and The Monster of Peladon (1974).
The Doctor and an Ice Warrior (The Ice Warriors, 1967)
Incidentally, it was announced earlier this month that The Ice Warriors (of which two of the original six episodes are currently missing from the BBC archives) will be released on DVD later this year (August release in the UK) with the two missing episodes reconstructed using animation and the original soundtracks. Here is a brief animation preview that has been released by BBC Worldwide:
Here is a comparison of an animation still from one of the reconstructed episodes with an existing telesnap:
Source of Image: www.doctorwhonews.net
In Episode 7, The Rings of Akhaten, the Doctor mentions to Clara that he has visited Akhaten previously with his granddaughter. This of course refers back to the very beginning of Doctor Who, and the Doctor's original traveling companion, a girl called Susan who refers to the Doctor as "grandfather".
In Episode 9, Hide, Doctor uses a crystal from the planet Metebelis III to boost the natural psychic abilities of Emma Grayling and to create and sustain a wormhole to the pocket universe where Hila Tacorien was trapped. Metebelis III, located in the Acteon Cluster, is one of the more famous alien worlds of the classic run of Doctor Who, referred to on a number of occasions in particular by the third Doctor, played by Jon Pertwee. It has been established that the blue crystals of Metebelis III can break hypnotic spells and mind control and enhance psychic powers. In this episode the Doctor also utilised a "subset of the Eye of Harmony" to enter the pocket universe by running cables from the TARDIS. The Eye of Harmony is generally considered the source of the power of the Doctor's people, the Time Lords.
And of course, more monsters from the Classic series of Doctor Who will be returning to our screens this year - Episode 12, Nightmare in Silver, written by Neil Gaiman, see the return of the Cybermen, after the Daleks surely the most iconic of the Doctor's enemies?:
And, in case you missed the news, it has been announced that the Zygons, who have only appeared on screen in one story, The Terror of the Zygons (1975), but have been referred to on more than one occasion subsequently, will appear in the 50th Anniversary Special. Also returning are David Tennant and Billie Piper (Rose Tyler). Personally I'm most excited by the return of the Zygons, but it will be good to see David and Billie back too! :) Incidentally, the Terror of the Zygons will be the last complete classic Doctor Who adventure to be released on DVD - due for release later this year. In my opinion this is as good a case as any of saving the best till last ...
On Saturday I attended the Auckland leg of the Australasian 'Lords of Time' tour. This was the largest dedicated science fiction convention ever held in New Zealand (with over 500 attendees packing into the Dorothy Winstone Centre at Auckland Girls' Grammar School). Special guests at the event were four of the actors that had played previous incarnations of the Doctor - Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann - as well as Nicholas Briggs, executive producer of Big Finish Audio's range of Doctor Who adventures and the voice of the Daleks, Cybermen, Ice Warriors, Judoon and the Nestene Consciousness in Doctor Who since 2005.
From left: Nicholas Briggs, Paul McGann, Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker and Peter Davison
Saturday also happened to be Peter Davison's 62nd birthday. When he came out on stage for his panel he was met with a rendition of 'Happy Birthday' from the audience!
Another highlight of the event was the presentation of a replacement 'sonic screwdriver' to Paul McGann.
Three years ago, at the Armageddon Pop Culture Expo event in Auckland, McGann, who had often expressed a desire for a new outfit for his Doctor if he was ever to reprise the role on TV, was presented with a new one designed by NZ's Weta Workshop, complete with a 'sonic screwdriver'.
Above: Paul McGann on stage at Armageddon 2010 in Auckland, modeling a brand-new costume for the eighth Doctor, designed by the Weta Workshop, complete with 'sonic screwdriver'. Below: McGann wearing the new costume on the cover of Doctor Who Magazine in 2012.
McGann's costume in the 1996 TV pilot
Unfortunately, the 'sonic screwdriver' presented to McGann in 2010 was stolen. Nicholas Briggs, who has worked with McGann often on the Big Finish Audio adventures had arranged for Weta to make a replacement, and presented it to an unsuspecting McGann on-stage during his panel on Saturday (alongside event organiser Bill Geradts):
As well as individual and group panels and autograph and photo sessions the day also featured screenings of a fan-made Dr Who film, The Power of the Daleks, based on the lost 1966 serial of the same name and a 1997 Dr Who spin-off production, Auton, written and directed by Nicholas Briggs. The Power of the Daleks is on You tube. Click here to follow the link to Part One.
Here are some other snaps from the event:
All five guests together on stage for a group panel
A surprise guest interrupts the Doctors' panel ...
Dalek
K-9!
Yours truly with K9!
Don't Blink!
A group photo of convention attendees in costume plus guests, with event organiser Bill Geradts sitting in the middle.
Whew! Haven't had too much spare time this last month as things have been a bit more intense at university than I anticipated, but I haven't forgotten about this little side project of mine.
Just a short one tonight! I'm sure there has been a lot of anticipation building with the return of the Doctor and the mysterious Clara Oswin Oswald to UK, American and Australian screens in "The Bells of St John" this weekend. Unfortunately us Kiwis are going to have to wait a bit longer (Officially I couldn't in good conscience encourage online streaming!!!), with Prime TV announcing that they will begin screening the new series a disappointingly long 12 days later on Thursday April 11 at 8.30pm.
Anyway, here are a few bits and pieces that I've found online - including a prequel "minisode" written by Steven Moffat, a TV trailer for the first episode, "The Bells of Saint John", and a teaser clip from that episode - as I look forward to watching Doctor Who again in New Zealand on the 31st of March ... oops, I meant of course to say April 11th!
*wink*
The prequel "minisode":
The TV trailer for "The Bells of Saint John":
And a wee teaser clip from "The Bells of Saint John":
Just a quick post to let you know that I'm heading away for three weeks on an archaeological excavation, so this blog will go quiet until late February.
For those of you that know New Zealand, we are going to be excavating at the site of a contractor's camp near Pukerangi that is associated with the construction of the Otago Central Railway. The camp was occupied in the 1880s.
As I like to think of it, an archaeological excavation of the site is going to give us the best understanding of the daily lives of the workers at this camp site that we can get without our own TARDIS!
I've enjoyed posting so far. When I get back, I'll start on the first of my Doctor Who themed HotT armies. The first of these armies is going to be based upon the 2010 episodes The Time of Angels and Flesh and Stone.
In the meantime, I'll leave you with this, which I stumbled upon again recently on Youtube and had a good chuckle at:
Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death, a Doctor Who parody written by Steven Moffat, current head writer and executive producer of Doctor Who and broadcast during the Red Nose Day charity telethon in the United Kingdom in 1999.
"The Edge of Destruction" Originally Transmitted February 8-15, 1964
Episode 1: The Edge of Destruction
Episode 2: The Brink of Disaster
Written by David Whitaker
Directed by Richard Martin (Episode 1) and Frank Cox (Episode 2)
Producer: Verity Lambert
An explosion within the TARDIS renders the travellers unconscious. When they regain consciousness, strange happenings begin to occur. The TARDIS doors begin erratically opening and then closing whenever Ian moves near them. Parts of the TARDIS console dish out electric shocks. The scanner shows pictures of previous journeys. The faces of all the clocks in the ship start to melt away. Susan seems to become almost possessed (her demeanour changes significantly to much darker and threatening) and threatens Ian and Barbara with a pair of scissors. Unable to locate any problem with the TARDIS, the Doctor openly accuses Ian and Barbara of being responsible.
The travellers gradually begin to realise that what they have been experiencing is actually the TARDIS itself trying to warn them of something. When they left the planet Skaro, the Doctor had used the fast-return switch - a switch on the TARDIS console that returns the TARDIS to a previous location - in an attempt to return Ian and Barbara to their own time. However, due to a faulty spring, the switch had gotten stuck and the TARDIS had been heading back to the very beginning of the universe and its own destruction - the forces involved in the creation of a solar system were starting to tear the ship apart. After the switch is fixed the TARDIS starts functioning normally again.
In Over the Edge, a documentary included as part of the DVD release, Richard Martin (the director of part 1) reveals that the two-part serial was a "budget saver" and a "time-maker". There was a delay in the script and costume departments for Marco Polo, a seven part serial originally scheduled to follow The Daleks, but production of the series had to keep moving. In addition, The Daleks had gone over budget, meaning there was no money available for any new sets to be built or to hire any additional actors for The Edge of Destruction. The script was written at the last minute by series script editor David Whitaker, and was set entirely aboard the TARDIS (meaning no new sets were required to be built) and featured only the four regular characters - the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan. The fact that the script was a last-minute filler may go some way to explaining some shortcomings in the plot of this serial which leaves loose ends unaccounted for. For example, Susan's strange and sudden changes in behaviour (described above) are never explained satisfactorily.
As noted by Verity Lambert (producer) in Over the Edge, The Edge of Destruction provided an ideal opportunity to focus on the main characters and to develop their relationships without any distractions from extraneous characters. In this regard, The Edge of Destruction is significant because it is a turning point. Prior to this point, the travellers are a disparate group. We see this overtly in The Daleks - when the Thals and the TARDIS crew split into two groups for an attack on the Dalek city, Ian and Barbara are in one group and the Doctor and Susan are with the other group. The friction between the Doctor and his human companions boils over in this two part serial, as the Doctor openly accuses them of being behind the strange goings on and threatens to put them off the ship. Barbara angrily refutes the Doctor's suspicions by reminding the Doctor that she and Ian risked their lives on Skaro to save the Doctor and Susan from the Daleks. She also cites Ian's bravery in the Cave of Skulls. It becomes apparent to the Doctor that Ian and Barbara are not to blame when the TARDIS's fault locator lights up, showing faults in every system. Another explosion rocks the ship. The Doctor realises the TARDIS's power source, located beneath the console, is trying to force its way out and they are only minutes from destruction (The Doctor declares "it would take the force of a total solar system to attract the power away from the TARDIS"). The four must then put their differences aside and work together. Once the problem with the fast return switch is discovered, thanks in a large part to some deductions by Barbara, the Doctor realises he has misjudged the pair and attempts to make amends. He apologises to Ian, who accepts straight away. Barbara needs more convincing but she is eventually won around. From this point on in the series we see a much closer knit TARDIS crew.
Other points of interest:
For the first time in the series we get hints that the TARDIS is something more than simply a machine.
At one point in episode one, Ian checks the Doctor's heart-rate and breathing and describes them as "normal". The idea that the Doctor's race, the Time Lords, have two hearts is a later development. In fact, at this point we haven't even heard the name Time Lord.
The Doctor never uses the fast-return switch again in the TV series (classic or revived). It has been used again in books and audio adventures.
In The Edge of Destruction, the fast-return switch is identified by the words "FAST RETURN" written above it in black felt on the TARDIS console:
In Over the Edge, designer Raymond Cusick and producer Verity Lambert admit it was probably an oversight. It was probably meant as a guide for the actors, not intended to be seen on screen.
The Edge of Destruction is available on DVD as part of a box set, The Beginning, that also includes the previous two serials, An Unearthly Child and The Daleks. The set also includes a 30 minute condensed version of the lost serial Marco Polo that follows The Edge of Destruction, that uses bits of the surviving soundtrack and photo stills.
A brief one tonight. Have just finished watching The Edge of Destruction, and will post on that interesting serial soon.
For now, some Hot-Off-The-Press news. As revealed in a previous post, the BBC has previously announced the lineup for the 50th anniversary year. This lineup included a 90 minute docudrama about the show's creation titled An Adventure in Time and Space, written by Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss, due to be broadcast in the UK autumn (around the anniversary date in November presumably).
Filming is set to begin in February. Casting details have just been released.
In brief, David Bradley (Game of Thrones; Harry Potter) has been cast as William Hartnell. Bradley has also appeared in the most recent series of Doctor Who as Solomon in Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.
Other confirmed castings:
Brian Cox as BBC Head of Drama Sydney Newman:
Jessica Raine as Doctor Who's first producer Verity Lambert:
Sacha Dhawan as Waris Hussein, director of the first serial, An Unearthly Child:
All photos in this post have been taken from a Den of Geek! article about the casting announcements that you can read here.
It is probably not an exaggeration to say that the Daleks are a BIG part of the reason why Doctor Who has reached its Golden Anniversary.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, in my opinion the previous serial "An Unearthly Child" holds up very well to viewing even after 50 years. A big part of that was due to the characterisations and performances of in particular the two lead actors, William Hartnell and William Russell. Throw in the fact that the Doctor and his granddaughter are mysterious alien beings who have been exiled from their (at this point unnamed) home planet and who are in possession of a machine that is "impossibly" bigger on the inside than on the outside and is capable of traveling ANYWHERE in time and space and I believe that there was enough of an indication after just one serial that Doctor Who had potential. But there was something missing! Some durable enemies perhaps?
What about the mutated descendants of an alien race, the result of a nuclear war that has almost destroyed their planet and that can only survive in life support machines shaped like giant pepper pots?
BRILLIANT! - We are on to a winner here!!!
And so, in defiance of the BBC's Head of Drama Sydney Newman's now legendary instructions "No Bug-Eyed Monsters!", the Daleks were born.
In "The Daleks", the TARDIS lands on an alien planet, Skaro, the home world of two races, the Daleks and the Thals, that has been devastated by a nuclear war between them. The radiation from the war has caused mutations to both races - as a consequence of these mutations the Daleks are now confined to armoured travel machines, which the Doctor later deduces are powered by static electricity, and limited to the boundaries of their metallic city. The mutation cycle has, in the words of the Doctor, "come full circle" for the humanoid Thals.
As a result of the devastation that generations of war resulted in, the Thals possess strong pacifist principles. They are a nomadic people desperately searching for new sources of food on a barren planet before their race succumbs to starvation. The TARDIS crew convince the Thals that their only chance of survival is to abandon their pacifist principles and fight - the Daleks have developed the means to artificially create enough food for both races to survive, but they are a malevolent race who desire the total extermination of the Thal people.
As noted in my post on the preceding serial, "An Unearthly Child", there is a complexity to the Doctor's character in these early days of the series that is again evident in this serial. There are times when the Doctor is quite mischievous and selfish and almost seems to lack the sense of morality that we associate with the character later in time. For example, during their initial exploration of the petrified forest that the TARDIS has materialised in the travelers spot a metal city (the Dalek city) that the Doctor is keen to investigate but the others insist upon a return to the TARDIS.
On the way back to the TARDIS, Susan is separated from the others and frightened by what she insists was a human hand touching her on the shoulder. The others are skeptical. Once they are back in the TARDIS, strange knocking sounds and no trace of anybody outside on the TARDIS scanners provoke Ian, Barbara and Susan to insist that they leave the planet immediately. However, the Doctor, still keen to investigate the city, sabotages the TARDIS, preventing them from leaving. He claims (falsely) that mercury is needed for an essential component of the TARDIS - the fluid link, forcing the travelers to the city to look for some, eventually resulting in their capture by the Daleks.
At the city, Barbara is separated from the others and while looking for her the Doctor, Ian and Susan discover that the atmosphere of the planet is highly radioactive and that they've been walking around unprotected in it. Realising the gravity of the situation, the Doctor admits his sabotage and then suggests that they should leave immediately, abandoning Barbara! Such a suggestion would be completely out of the Doctor's character later in the series. Ian takes the fluid link hostage to ensure the Doctor helps him look for Barbara. When they are captured by the Daleks the fluid link is taken from Ian and it is the realisation of this when they escape from the city later in the serial, and the fact that they are stranded on Skaro without the fluid link, that leads them to try and convince the Thals of the need to fight.
Overall, "The Daleks" is another example of 60s Doctor Who that stands up pretty well almost 50 years later.
It is not difficult to see the relevance of "The Daleks" to the world in 1963. The Cuban Missile Crisis the previous year no doubt had the threat of nuclear conflict weighing heavily on people's minds. In "The Daleks" we see a world that has been devastated by such a conflict. In addition, the second world war was still well within living memory for most people. A memory of the war was ever-present in the films and comics of the era - and the Daleks were no exception. In one scene, writer Terry Nation has the Daleks rank up alongside each other, raise their right arms in a stiff salute (echoing the Nazi salute) and announce: "Tomorrow we will be the masters of this planet."
The parallels between the Daleks and the Nazis grew bolder in later years. In "Genesis of the Daleks" (1975), traveling back in time, the Doctor (at this point played by Tom Baker) finds a pre-Dalek society where SS-style security officers wear jackboots, iron crosses and black shirts, and where High Command operates from a bunker. The newly created Daleks themselves are bred to be "racially pure".
'Dalekmania'
Despite these similarities (or perhaps because of them?) the Daleks turned out to be hugely popular with the viewing public. Not only did they ensure the success of the programme for years to come, they created a market for a vast array of merchandise.
1965 saw the cinematic release of a Dalek movie in colour, "Dr. Who and the Daleks", starring Peter Cushing as a human scientist called Dr. Who. The screenplay was based on the Daleks first TV serial, described above.
The success of the film meant it was followed a year later by a second film, "Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.", based on the Daleks' second appearance in the TV series, "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" (1964).
And finally, it feels appropriate to sign off with a Youtube clip of one of my latest Doctor Who related acquisitions - a Desktop-patrol Dalek - a Christmas present from my sister Natasha:
50 years later and the Dalek merchandising machine is still going strong! :-)
