Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)

"Every great decision creates ripples..."

- The Doctor

Remembrance of the Daleks was the first story of the landmark 25th season of Doctor Who. The story's setting brought the Doctor back to 76 Totter's Lane, where it all began (DW: An Unearthly Child). This was the final appearance of the Daleks and Davros in the original 1963-89 series; except for a brief reference in the 1996 TV movie the Daleks would next be seen in the 2005 episode Dalek, while Davros would not return until 2008's The Stolen Earth.

Sypnosis
The Doctor and Ace battle two Dalek factions in 1963, London, both of them seeking the Hand of Omega, a Gallifreyan Superweapon.

Plot
The Seventh Doctor and his companion Ace have landed the TARDIS in London, 1963, where the Doctor has unfinished business, The Hand of Omega, an all powerful ancient relic of the Time Lord civilisation that the Doctor hid on Earth on a previous visit to 1963.

Unfortunately, the Daleks have also heard about the Hand of Omega, and are trying to find it before the Doctor does. To complicate matters, there are two groups of Daleks at work — the Daleks are currently in the midst of a civil war between those that accept and those that reject the leadership of their creator Davros, and each side wants the Hand for itself.

In the meantime, the alien activity around the Coal Hill area has attracted the attention of the military. Group Captain Gilmore and his unit engage a Renegade Dalek at the junkyard. The Dalek proves to be more than a match for the military squad, until the Doctor destroys it with a timed explosive. The Doctor tries to convince Gilmore and his scientific advisor, Professor Rachel Jensen, that firstly, the Daleks are extra-terresrial, secondly the human weapons are no match for Dalek Firepower, therefore best thing they can do is just make sure that all ground and air forces stay out of the crossfire, whilst the two factions blow each other to bits. The Doctor, however, is playing a deeper game — he wants the "right" Daleks to take possession of the Hand. He and Ace investigate Coal Hill School in which, the Imperial Daleks have set up an outpost at the Coal Hill School. The Renegade Faction however, have their base in a warehouse where a Battle Computer is and in which Mr. Ratcliffe works for the Renegades and leads a group called 'The Association'. However, a secret agent of The Associaton, Mike Smith is found and interrogated by the Imperial Dalek Controlled Headmaster of Coal Hill School, but Mike Smith is not without his reflexes and subdues the Headmaster forcing the Imperials to 'terminate agent'.

Whilst the Imperial Daleks are watching from their Mothership, the Renegade Daleks dispatch Ratcliffe and his men to retrieve the Hand Of Omega after the Doctor places it into a cemetry. Although they manage to haul it out of the Cemetery, the Imperial Daleks aboard the Mothership, detect this and a Dalek calls the Emperor Dalek to assess the situation. After a skirmish with the Imperial Daleks during an attempt to retrieve the radio, Ace does some 'Dalek Hunting' with the Doctor, they come across the Renegade Daleks' HQ. The Doctor shows Ace, the Battle Computer and how if the Daleks are over-reliant on rationality on logic, the solution would be to get a young imaginative child and enslave them to the battle computer. The Doctor tinkers with the Time Controller, in an effort to 'manipulate the enemy'. His plan works but with bad consequences; The Renegade Daleks return to the base and find out that the Time Controller has been disabled. The Doctor and Ace floor it and are subsequently pursued by Renegade Daleks. They meet up with the ICMG and tell them the situation, only to find that the Rengades are still on their tail. Three soldiers try to fend off the Renegade attackers only to be obliterated, the Imperial Daleks's Assault Shuttle lands on Earth as part of a mission to retrieve the Hand Of Omega resulting in the Supreme Dalek via. the Battle Computer ordering the Renegade Daleks to withdraw and defend the Hand Of Omega from the enemy. After Imperial Daleks are subsequently sent out to retrieve The Hand Of Omega, the Doctor, Ace and ICMG invade the Imperial Dalek Shuttle (The Doctor first) then find out that the Imperials have control of the planet Skaro. The Doctor disables the massive ground defence and gets out of the Assault Shuttle with the team.

As Renegade and Imperial Daleks patrol the streets, a battle rages out in London. A pair of Renegade Daleks locate an advancing Imperial Dalek Squad, they open fire on each other, each one missing until a Renegade gets the first shot in, following by the Renegades then taking a few Imperial Daleks out as they are forced to retreat from the slaughter. At first, the Renegades are winning until the Special Weapons Daleks is brought in and blows the Renegade patrols to smithereens.

Realising that Smith is Ratcliffe's agent, Gilmore detains him. The Doctor decides to use the remains of the Transmat in the cellar as a communications link with the Mothership.

Smith escapes to the Renegade base, finding Ratcliffe a prisoner. The repaired time controller powers up, enabling the Renegades' escape, but the base is attacked by the Imperials, who overwhelm their few remaining opponents. Ratcliffe and Mike flee with the Time Controller, and the Supreme Dalek orders the controlled girl to recover it. Using her Dalek-augmented abilities, she kills Ratcliffe and pursues Smith. The victorious Imperials return to the shuttle with the Hand of Omega. Meanwhile, the Doctor tells Ace to follow Smith.

The Imperial Emperor is informed of the recovery of the Hand of Omega. Soon after the Doctor contacts him, and demands the surrender of the Hand. The Emperor reveals himself to be Davros, who declares his scheme of having the Imperial Daleks overthrow the Time Lords. The Doctor insults Davros and his Daleks, angering Davros who replies "Do not anger me, Doctor! I can destroy you, AND THIS MISERABLE INSIGNIFICANT PLANET!" The Doctor replies with another insult, infuriating Davros into unleashing the Hand of Omega on Skaro's sun. It is then revealed that the Doctor had booby-trapped the Hand: It creates a supernova, obliterating the Daleks' homeworld. The Hand then smashes back into the Imperial Mothership, but not before Davros flees in an escape pod. The Doctor then declares that the Hand is travelling back to Gallifrey.

Ace is captured by Smith, who is still holding the Time Controller. The girl tracks him down and kills him before turning her attention to Ace. The Doctor seeks out the Supreme Dalek, telling it that it is the last Dalek on Earth. Convinced of it's absolute defeat, it kills itself, breaking the link with the controlled girl.

At Smith's funeral, Ace wonders if what the Doctor did was good. "Time will tell," the Doctor replies. '"It always does."

Cast

 * The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
 * Ace - Sophie Aldred
 * Davros (Imperial Emperor Dalek) - Terry Molloy
 * Group Captain Gilmore - Simon Williams
 * Professor Rachel Jensen - Pamela Salem
 * Mike Smith - Dursley McLinden
 * Allison Williams - Karen Gledhill
 * Ratcliffe - George Sewell
 * Headmaster - Michael Sheard
 * Harry - Harry Fowler
 * The Girl - Jasmine Breaks
 * Embery - Peter Hamilton Dyer
 * Battle Computer - John Leeson (voice)
 * Vicar - Peter Halliday
 * John - Joseph Marcell
 * Martin - William Thomas
 * Kaufman - Derek Keller
 * Dalek Operators - Hugh Spight, John Scott Martin, Tony Starr, Cy Town
 * Dalek Voices - Roy Skelton, Brian Miller, Royce Mills
 * Himself - Martin Luther King, Jr. (uncredited, stock audio)

Crew

 * Assistant Floor Managers - Val McCrimmon, Lynn Grant
 * Costumes - Ken Trew
 * Designer - Martin Collins
 * Incidental Music - Keff McCulloch
 * Make-Up - Christine Greenwood
 * OB Cameraman - Robin Sutherland, Barry Chaston
 * Producer - John Nathan-Turner
 * Production Assistant - Rosemary Parsons
 * Production Associates - June Collins, Hilary Barratt
 * Script Editor - Andrew Cartmel
 * Special Sounds - Dick Mills
 * Studio Lighting - Henry Barber
 * Studio Sound - Scott Talbott
 * Stunt Arranger - Tip Tipping
 * Theme Arrangement - Keff McCulloch
 * Title Music - Ron Grainer
 * Visual Effects - Stuart Brisdon

Daleks

 * The Renegade Daleks have a Time Controller and Battle computer on Earth.
 * The Imperial Daleks (and Davros) use a Dalek Shuttle and Transmat to gain access to Earth.
 * The Imperial Daleks' 'base' is located within Coal Hill School.
 * At this stage, the Daleks are seen to have split into two factions - Imperial (led by Davros) and Renegade (led by the Black Dalek) Davros has augmented the Imperial Daleks with cybernetic implants, whereas the Renegade Daleks have remained 'pure'. Although not explicitly stated, it can be reasonably inferred that the Imperial Faction have control of the Dalek home planet Skaro.
 * The Daleks use a human child linked into their battle computer in order to provide a random element to their battle strategies. This tactic was developed after the stalemates of the Dalek-Movellan War.
 * The Doctor constructs a Dalek jamming device; he used / built: "something like it on Spiridon".
 * The Imperial Daleks utilise a Special Weapons Dalek.
 * The Doctor states that the Imperial Daleks could obliterate Earth, but would act with caution and not just blantantly damage the timeline like that. In BFA: Patient Zero with the Sixth Doctor, the Daleks have a Dalek Time Controller that watches what they can and can't do to affect the timeline.

Foods and Beverages

 * Much tea is consumed, both in the cafe by the Doctor and Ace and by the military.
 * Ace orders "four bacon sandwiches and a cup of coffee." whilst in the cafe.

Time Lords and Gallifrey

 * The Hand of Omega makes its first appearance, the grave in which it is buried bears the symbol Ω.
 * The Doctor speaks to Ace concerning: Rassilon, Omega and the Hand of Omega
 * The Doctor states he has 900 years' experience with alien technology and also describes himself as "The Doctor, President-elect of the High Council of Time Lords. Keeper of the legacy of Rassilon. Defender of the Laws of Time, Protector of Gallifrey."

Weapons

 * A Renegade Dalek is cornered by Group Captain Gilmore's men in Totter's Lane Junkyard and is eventually destroyed using Ace's Nitro-9.

Story Notes

 * Terry Molloy was credited by the pseudonym of "Roy Tromelly" in Part 3 to preserve the surprise of Davros' return.
 * This story had a working title of Nemesis of the Doctor.
 * This is the first instance of a Dalek levitating up a staircase on screen. However, Davros appears to have the power of flight in Revelation of the Daleks, achieved with the same special effect. In The Chase a Dalek is seen to elevate from sand and it is implied they can move between the decks of the Marie Celeste.
 * This was the first story to be broadcast in NICAM stereo sound.
 * This is the first instance of a "skeleton effect" caused by Dalek weapons. This effect would be used in every subsequent Dalek story.
 * The pre-credits sequence includes clips from famous speeches including those of JFK, Charles de Gaulle, the Duke of Edinburgh and Martin Luther King.
 * This is the first story showing the inside of a Dalek (an Imperial one) in a scene where it's transmatting.
 * This is the first (and only) time in the series the Doctor Who series has been (possibly) mentioned, by an announcer on a TV, saying: "This is BBC television, the time is quarter past five and Saturday viewing continues with an adventure in the new science fiction series Do-" - and then the scene changes.
 * The original script called for the Doctor to destroy the Imperial Dalek with the ATR, and to attack the Supreme Dalek with a "Finger of Omega". This was changed after Sylvester Mccoy protested, citing the Doctor's dislike of weapons.
 * This was the third time The Daleks appeared in a season opener (Day of the Daleks opened season 8 and Destiny of the Daleks opened season 17).

Ratings

 * Part 1 - 5.5 million viewers
 * Part 2 - 5.8 million viewers
 * Part 3 - 5.1 million viewers
 * Part 4 - 5.0 million viewers

Myths

 * In part 4, when Ace is attacked by The Girl at Mike's house, she hides behind the sofa. (If anybody has evidence that this was a deliberate reference to the popular cliché, please share it with us.)
 * (Formerly appearing in many places on this very page) There is nothing to indicate that the episode takes place in November 1963. At one point a calendar indicating this very thing is clearly seen. However, it's true that the weather and the timing of nightfall in part three don't jibe with this.
 * The Doctor complimenting on the little girl's wisdom for not talking to strangers could be a possible reference to how the 60s people weren't as worried about stranger danger. On Novemember 23rd 1963 the date this story is supposedly set, a young boy was approached by a stranger (Myra Hindley) where he was then raped and murdered by her boyfriend (Ian Brady).

Filming Locations

 * Theed Street, Southwark, London (Final confrontation with the Supreme Dalek)
 * Wootton Street, Southwark, London (Imperial & Renegade Dalek battle)
 * Braybrook Street, East Acton, London (Some of the conversation between the Doctor and Ace driving)
 * Wulfstan Street, East Acton, London (Some of the conversation between the Doctor and Ace driving)
 * TAVC, Horn Lane, Acton, London
 * Macbeth Centre, Macbeth Street, Hammersmith, London (Landing site of Imperial Dalek shuttle craft)
 * Windmill Walk, Southwark, London (Ace and the Doctor running away from Ratcliffe's yard)
 * Kew Bridge Steam Museum, Brentford, Middlesex (Foreman's Yard)
 * Old Oak Common Lane, East Acton, London
 * Willesden Lane Cemetary, Willesden, London
 * John Nodes Funeral Service, 181 Ladbroke Grove, London
 * Macbeth Street, Hammersmith, London
 * BBC Television Centre (TC8), Shepherd's Bush, London

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

 * The gates to the junkyard bear the label "I.M FORMAN", as a nod to the junkyard seen in the first ever episode (DW: An Unearthly Child), and as a continuity link. (The Doctor also has knowledge of the geography of the junkyard). The junkyard in Unearthly Child however, is "I.M Foreman" This is due to a time blip, as explained in PDA The Algebra of Ice and elaborated on in EDA: Interference - Book Two. The sign was mispainted with a spelling error. This happens often to real life signs.
 * Various details, such as the "French Revolution" book in the science lab, match up with The Pilot Episode but not with An Unearthly Child. We never see the book leave the school in An Unearthly Child, so its presence (if it is indeed the same book) there is not inconsistent.
 * The Doctor says that the Daleks are dependent on rationality and logic, whereas Daleks are actually driven by xenophobia and race hatred (it seems an especially odd statement as one of the story's core themes is racial purity). The Doctor is most likely referring to their battle strategies, not to their psychology.
 * In part 2, during the scene in the undertaker's, Ace's baseball bat suddenly switches from the Doctor's left hand to his right. The Doctor might have changed it "off screen". ('Sophie Aldred points this out on the DVD commentary of this story.)
 * It is strongly suggested that the events of this story take place on or about 23 November, 1963, to coincide with the first broadcast of Doctor Who in real life, yet no reference occurs to the assassination of John F. Kennedy the day prior, or the subsequent death of Lee Harvey Oswald, both of which would have been dominant topics of conversation even in London. Although strongly suggested, it's not definitively stated that this takes place in November 1963; all is known is it takes place soon after the events of An Unearthly Child which could have taken place at an earlier or later date. The killing of Oswald didn't occur until the 24th, in any event.
 * Also left unmentioned is the absence of teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright and student Susan Foreman; if this story takes place within a few days of the events of An Unearthly Child (as suggested by the presence of the "French Revolution" book), their absence should be noted by the police and the school undertaking investigations and news reports of a missing teenager and her teachers. This could all still be occurring "off screen".
 * The Doctor implies that he took the Hand of Omega to 1963 to hide it from the Daleks, but during the events of DW: The Daleks, the First Doctor seemed unfamiliar with them. There are two solutions: the Doctor was apparently feigning ignorance of the Daleks during his first visit to Skaro, or he hid it for other reasons and factored it into his plan to destroy the Daleks.
 * The Doctor proclaiming himself as "President Elect of the High Council" contradicts DW: The Five Doctors in which he was named full president and The Trial of a Time Lord in which it was stated that he was deposed. He was named President again at the end of Trial of a Time Lord by The Inquisitor.
 * Rachel Jensen uses the name Dalek without having heard it. The Doctor shouts at the Dalek in the junkyard yelling among other things "Oi, Dalek..." it is possible Jensen heard him along with the other characters. 
 * If it is 5:15 when the TV is playing then it should be dark. In addition, the Doctor asks the others to lunch, apparently later the same day. Doctor Who might be set at daytime in the Whoniverse, and the continuity announcer could have read the time wrong.
 * Ace is wearing a patch on her jacket of the Soviet sickle and hammer, and yet no one says anything, despite 1963 being the height of the Cold War.
 * On Earth, the Doctor tells the Supreme Dalek that its home is a trillion miles away. The Milky Way galaxy is approximately 100 quadrillion miles in diameter and over 5 trillion miles thick, and it seems likely from DW: The Daleks' Master Plan (in which the Daleks enlist the aid of civilisations in the Fifth Galaxy in order to invade the Sol system) that Skaro is not in the Milky Way. Therefore, either the Doctor is wrong, or Skaro is in the Milky Way. It is possible that the Doctor is not exactly wrong, but is being poetic - "a trillion miles away", while untrue, flows better than "a hundred quadrillion miles away". If the Doctor is in the business of being economical with the truth, it is possible that his placing of Skaro's destruction 1000 years in the past or future (i.e. around 963 or 2963) is also inaccurate. This would mean that Skaro could still exist by the time of The Daleks' Master Plan in the year 4000, as well as during any stories set after Master Plan. Of course, things change if you believe the Dalek Prime in War of the Daleks that it was in fact Antalin which was destroyed in Remembrance, as Antalin could have been destroyed in 2963 (or 963, but that date seems less likely) with Skaro surviving beyond 4000. However, it could also be an expression of a large amount of time, like if someone says "it has been like a thousand years since I saw you" they are just using it as a vast measurement of time.
 * When the Doctor and Ace are driving the van, they fleetingly pass some 1980's style graffiti in the background, although the programme is set in 1963.
 * One of Radcliffe's work-crew is dark-skinned and clearly a member of an ethnic minority status - i.e. just the sort of person you would imagine Radcliffe would not what to employ, given his political views.
 * In the Dalek fight on the streets, they keep missing each other? Why don't they re-aim their guns? (Since it is Daleks fighting Daleks, they know where each other is likely to fire and have developed some defences against the weaponry of the other side.) They may predict where one will shoot and try to fire in a manner that will stop that.
 * Since when were Daleks so cowardly that they retreated when one Dalek gets killed? Firstly, two Imperial Daleks were killed. Second, as one said, there firepower was too great. Greater than theirs maybe.
 * Why don't the other group of Daleks follow them instead of waiting in the streets for them to return? They probably think they will not return.
 * Why didn't the Imperial Daleks just take the Special Weapons Dalek with them in the first place? The novelisation states that the Special Weapons Dalek is only used in extreme situations, presumably the Imperials thought it was an "extreme situation" when they were losing against the renegades. 
 * The Doctor deplores violence, commenting that weapons are 'useless in the end'. Yet he has no compunction about destroying an entire planet, especially considering that Skaro is not only the Dalek homeworld, but home to the Thals as well. (He himself does not fire the weapon, the Daleks do. He has simply set it to be used defensively so that if they do indeed fire it, it will essentially backfire and destroy their own homeworld instead of the intended target.) At any rate, it's blatantly false to say he has "no compunction" about this; he spends half the story fretting about it, and explicitly says he's unsure if he did the right thing at the end (also powerfully symbolised by his declining to enter the church).
 * The first soldier to be exterminated on-screen has a gun in his left hand then it switches to his right hand when he gets exterminated.
 * If Skaro was destroyed, how come they put the Master on trial there in the TV Movie? It is never specified when these two events take place relative to each other, the destruction of Skaro could have happened after the Master's trial.
 * If Skaro was destroyed in the Earth year 1963, shouldn't that prevent the Doctor's future landings on Skaro. (This may not be not true as when the Imperial Daleks were sending the Hand of Omega to Skaro, one of the lines stated is "Entering Skaro time zone." this seems to imply that the Imperials sent the Hand of Omega to a different time period.)
 * In episode 2, when the Renegade Daleks move onto the streets, in a close-up shot, you can see the section between the head and middle section coming off.
 * The soldier on gaurd outside the school doesn't seem to be that alarmed when the Doctor (who he does not know) runs out of a locked-down school which should be empty. Also, when the Doctor asks for a heavy-weapon, he just gives him an RPG from the truck with no questions asked.

Continuity

 * The Doctor constructs a device to disorientate the Imperial Daleks in order to rescue Ace replying when asked "I rigged something like it on Spiridon", a reference to a Third Doctor story DW: Planet of the Daleks.
 * EDA: War of the Daleks offers an alternative explanation (or a 'retcon') to many of the events of this story.
 * BFA: Terror Firma follows up on Davros' fate.
 * NA: Lungbarrow explains the detailed history of the Hand of Omega and how the Doctor obtained it.
 * EDA: Interference - Book Two explains the some of history behind IM Forman's junkyard.
 * This is the first time a Dalek levitates up some stairs, it is not seen again until DW: Dalek.
 * Daleks were previously seen floating in DW: Revelation of the Daleks (although the camera angle didn't show it properly), and DW: The Chase implied that the Daleks could fly, as it showed the Daleks on two levels of the Marie Celeste. Flying Daleks have also been featured in numerous Daleks comic strips since the 1960s.
 * According to DWM: In the Community a Doctor Who Magazine short story (which appeared in DWM Issue 195) the girl who is the Dalek's battle computer is named Judith Winters.
 * The Doctor mentions Yeti in the underground from DW: The Web of Fear and the Zygon gambit with the Loch Ness monster from DW: Terror of the Zygons.
 * Davros is not seen on screen again until DW: The Stolen Earth (20 years later).
 * Bernard Quatermass is also mentioned in DW: Planet of the Dead.
 * Martin thought the Doctor was supposed to be "An old geezer with white hair", meaning the First Doctor hid the Hand of Omega in the cemetary.

For the Doctor

 * Remembrance of the Daleks occurs after DWM: Echoes of Future Past
 * Remembrance of the Daleks occurs before DWM: In the Community

For Davros

 * Remembrance of the Daleks occurs after: DWM: Emperor of the Daleks
 * Remembrance of the Daleks occurs before: BFA: Terror Firma

DVD, Video, and Other Releases
DVD Releases

Released as Doctor Who: Remembrance of the Daleks, this release was the second release of 2001.

Released:
 * First Release:
 * Region 2 26th February 2001


 * PAL - BBC DVD BBCDVD1040


 * Region 4 13th May 2002, Special Edition October 1st 2009.

Contents:
 * Deleted Scenes/Out-takes
 * Multi-Angle Sequences
 * Trailers
 * Music-only Option
 * Photo Gallery
 * Production Subtitles
 * Commentary: Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred

Rear Credits:
 * By Ben Aaronovitch
 * Produced by John Nathan-Turner
 * Directed by Andrew Morgan
 * Incidental Music by Keff McCulloch

Notes: An error was made and the Region 2 DVD is missing some SFX from certain shots. The Australia/NZ release is in NTSC format, not the standard PAL format, due to an inability to clear the music and the SFX problem which had been corrected for the US DVD.

This second release was as part of the Davros box set (along with Genesis of the Daleks, Destiny of the Daleks, Resurrection of the Daleks and Revelation of the Daleks). The SFX errors and the Multi-Angle feature in the first release were corrected, the Photo Gallery revised and expanded, and the following additions made to the DVD package:
 * Second Release:
 * 5.1 Dolby Remix
 * Back to School Documentary - Cast and crew talk about the making of the story
 * Remembrances Documentary - Cast and crew talk about the influences and references to other adventures

Notes:
 * Remastering for DVD release completed by Doctor Who Restoration Team.
 * A special edition re-release of the story will go on sale in late 2009.

North American release
The use of a Beatles song created problems when it came to issuing the story to DVD Region 1 (North America). In November 2007, BBC Video announced a March 2008 release for the story, but in December 2007 this was cancelled, with licensing issues cited as the reason.

In November 2009, two years later, BBC Video announced that Remembrance of the Daleks will finally be released to DVD in North America on 2nd March 2010. The release, dubbed a "Special Edition" will include the bonus content incldued in the UK release of the Special Edition, but will be edited to omit or replace the Beatles song from the soundtrack.

Video Releases Released as Doctor Who: Rememberance of the Daleks.

Released:
 * First Release:
 * UK September 1993


 * PAL - BBC Video BBCV5005


 * Australia/NZ September 1993
 * US October 1993


 * NTSC - Warner Video E1145

Notes: Released in a special edition Dalek Tin along with The Chase and a book entitled The Daleks. The US release featured no book or tin, both stories packaged in one box without individual artwork.


 * Second Release:
 * UK September 2001


 * PAL - BBC Video BBCV7255

Notes: W.H. Smith exclusive as part of the The Davros Collection box set.

Novelisation

 * Main article: Remembrance of the Daleks (novelisation)


 * Novelised as Remembrance of the Daleks by Ben Aaronovitch in 1990.