Victory of the Daleks (TV story)

Victory of the Daleks was the third episode of Series Five of Doctor Who. It marks the re-appearance of the Daleks and the Eleventh Doctor's first encounter with them.

Synopsis
The Doctor and Amy are called to London during World War II by an old friend of the Doctor: Winston Churchill. To the Doctor's horror he finds the Daleks posing as a manmade "secret weapon" that Churchill calls "ironsides" and hopes will win him the war.

Plot
The

Cast

 * The Doctor - Matt Smith
 * Amy Pond - Karen Gillan
 * Winston Churchill - Ian McNeice
 * Bracewell - Bill Paterson
 * Blanche - Nina De Cosimo
 * Childers - Tim Wallers
 * Dalek 1 - Nicholas Pegg
 * Dalek 2 - Barnaby Edwards
 * Dalek Voice - Nicholas Briggs
 * Lilian - Susannah Fielding
 * Todd - James Albrecht
 * Air Raid Warden - Colin Prockter
 * Civil Servant - Jamal Nasir (uncredited)
 * Spitfire Pilot - Mark Gatiss (uncredited)

Story notes

 * This episode was incorrectly entitled The Dalek Project and The Dalek Tea Party. 
 * In this episode, each Dalek was given a different title, which corresponded with their armour colour; namely, "Scientist" (orange), "Strategist" (blue), "Drone" (red), "Eternal" (yellow) and "Supreme" (white). In Doctor Who Confidential, Mofatt and Gatiss both admit they don't know what the title "Eternal" means yet ("but it sounds cool").
 * The red, blue and yellow Daleks were first revealed in the Radio Times and the colours were used to symbolise the different colours of the three major British political parties: Labour (red), Conservative (blue) and Liberal Democrats (yellow).
 * Colin Prockter previously appeared as the Head Chef in DW: The Long Game.
 * Winston Churchill wants the Doctor's TARDIS key. It is acknowledged that he has met the Doctor before, which the character has done in spinoff media.
 * Like DW: The Unquiet Dead in Series 1, this episode is the third in the series, is a pseudo-historical, is penned by Mark Gatiss, and is both preceded and followed by two episodes by the head writer.
 * Ian McNeice previously portrayed Winston Churchill in the Royal National Theatre's 2008 production of Never So Good.
 * This is the second Dalek episode in the new series to use the infamous "___ of the Daleks" title scheme, the first being DW: Evolution of the Daleks.
 * Mark Gatiss said in the Radio Times: "They're bigger than they've ever been; and in technicolor!" This would show that the new Daleks shall be different colours like the 'classic' Daleks of the earlier eras.
 * This is the third time in the new series that the Daleks have featured mid-way in the series, following DW: Dalek in series one and then in series three two part story DW: Daleks in Manhattan and DW: Evolution of the Daleks.
 * The Daleks seen since series 1 were designed so that the eye stalk lined up with Billie Piper's eyes. The new Daleks are designed to match Karen Gillan's height.
 * For narrative and filming purposes, the Cabinet War Rooms in the episodes are far larger than the real ones and have an RAF "spotter" table that was not really present.
 * The Dalek model on the "spotter" table appears to be a Character Options Dalek toy painted grey, likely the "mutant reveal" Dalek figurine with the removal front given the visible separation lines on the front of the model.
 * This episode holds the record for the most non-CGI Dalek models used in a single story, with no less then eight Dalek models on-screen at the same time.
 * The Doctor mentions how the Daleks always manage to recognise him despite his regenerations, as they first did in DW: The Power of the Daleks with his second incarnation; However, this has not always been the case: In DW: Revelation of the Daleks, only Davros' Daleks recognised his sixth incarnation, with the other faction disbelieving that he was the Doctor. Furthermore, in DW: Doomsday, the Cult of Skaro failed to recognise the Tenth Doctor but acknowledged that he registered as an enemy.
 * It is not clarified whether these Daleks were part of the half human ones from Parting of the Ways or the Journey's End ones, implied to be from the latter but never openly stated. The progenator won't recognise the gold Daleks, the ones seen thus far in the series, because (according to The Doctor) it doesn't recognise their DNA as Dalek anymore, which could mean that these Daleks are either part of the fleet developed by the Dalek emperor from human DNA or part of Davros' Medusa Cascade fleet developed from his own Kaled cells. The latter seems more likely, as Rose, empowered by the Time Vortex, was able to wipe out the Emperor's fleet in an instant, through mere thought, making it extremely unlikely that one Saucer would be able to escape.
 * Amy refers to the Daleks as the Doctor's "Arch enemies".
 * This episode aired on the same day as the K9 episode, Jaws of Orthrus was first broadcast on Disney XD in Britain. It also aired on the same day that The Korven was first broadcast on Network Ten in Australia.

Ratings
6.2 million - First broadcast

7.82 million - Final BARB ratings

Filming locations
to be added

Rumours

 * Adolf Hitler was rumoured to make a brief appearance. He was mentioned, but not seen.

Production errors

 * In the scene where the Doctor and Amy are discussing Bracewell's possible deactivation, editor John Richards fails to match the frontals of the Doctor with the reverses looking at Bracewell. In the frontals, Matt Smith clearly has his hands in his pockets or clasped together in front of him. On the reverses, his right hand is seen dangling rather lifelessly at his side.
 * At the end, when Churchill is talking to the Doctor and Amy, he bends down to light a cigar, and puts it in his mouth. When he gets up, it is no longer anywhere to be seen.
 * When the Doctor was talking to the Dalek Supreme on the "actual" shot he was further away from the Dalek but on the screen provided by Bracewell the plunger is nearly touching him. The Supreme Dalek was also seen moving towards the Doctor after the 'cleansing' of the old Daleks, but immediately after seen starting to move, it is back in its original position and immobile.
 * There were numerous points in the episode where the 'earlights' of the Daleks did not light when a Dalek was speaking.
 * Before the Doctor arrived, a Dalek sates "Commencing stage two!", but, its earlights aren't on. The next Dalek that speaks speaks with another's voice instead of its own.
 * Before the new Daleks emerged, an old Dalek states that they had succeeded, but none of their earlights were on.
 * The Supreme Dalek had numerous incidents; when it ordered the extermination of the Doctor, and stating that the Daleks would return, its earlights weren't on.
 * The scientist Dalek's earlights didn't turn on when it was monitoring the energy pulse and the shields. Also notable is that its earlights were on, when it wasn't speaking, when the Supreme Dalek ordered the Doctor to 'explain'.
 * The cockpits of the spitfire pilots glow green when firing their lasers, but they fired red lasers.
 * When the TARDIS dematerializes and causes wind to blow against Churchill and Amy their clothes are effected but the cigar smoke in the air is unaffected and actually drifts towards the TARDIS.

Continuity

 * The Doctor mentions sending the Daleks back into the Void and saving the whole of reality from their efforts. (DW: Doomsday, The Stolen Earth/Journey's End)
 * Subservient Daleks is also the theme of the first Second Doctor adventure. (DW: The Power of the Daleks)
 * The end of DW: The Beast Below directly leads into this story.
 * The Dalek Saucer seen in the dogfight with the Spitfires is similar to those from DW: Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways and DW: The Stolen Earth/Journey's End
 * The Doctor has had a group of soldiers point weapons at him shortly after or while exiting the TARDIS before, in the Torchwood Tower and in Albion Hospital (DW:Army of Ghosts, Aliens of London).
 * The Doctor mentions that his TARDIS is a Type 40 TARDIS. (DW: The Ribos Operation)
 * The new Daleks use a Time corridor to depart from the era. The last time a Time corridor was used on-screen was in DW: Resurrection of the Daleks.
 * Another one of the cracks can be seen on the wall of the Cabinet War Room after the TARDIS dematerialises.
 * In Doctor Who Confidential, Gatiss confirms that the brightly coloured restored Daleks are a nod to the 1960s Amicus films.
 * Churchill remarks that the Doctor has changed his face again, implying that he has encountered at least two other incarnations of his. The Doctor had already met Churchill in his Sixth Incarnation in PDA: The Shadow in the Glass and both his Second and Sixth Incarnations encountered him in PDA: Players.
 * The Dalek saucer is hidden on the dark side of the Moon. The Cybermen hid a craft there in DW: The Invasion.

Home video releases
BBC Video - Doctor Who Series Five - Volume One was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on 7th June 2010 (UK only), featuring The Eleventh Hour, The Beast Below, Victory of the Daleks, and the featurette The Monster Files.