Dr. Who and the Daleks 1965
Directed by
Gordon Flemyng
Made by
AARU Productions
Dr. Who and the Daleks Plot Summary
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Dr. Who, his granddaughters Susan and Barbara, and Ian Chesterton are accidentally transported to another planet by the Doctor’s new time and space machine, the Tardis. As they explore their surroundings, they spot a distant city and later discover a small container of drugs that they bring aboard the ship. To push the group toward the city in search of the mercury needed to refill a crucial part, the Doctor fakes a leak in a fluid link, a vital component of the Tardis. This cunning move sets the expedition on a dangerous path toward unknown dangers and unexpected alliances.
Upon entering the city, the travelers are swiftly captured by the Daleks, ruthless cyborg invaders who seize the fluid link for examination. The Doctor quickly realizes that the group has contracted radiation sickness, and the drugs they found may be their only chance at survival. While the Daleks observe the captives in secret, they reveal their own predicament: they are trapped inside their metal casings and confined within the city by the same radiation. Their ambition is to escape, destroy all other life, and claim the planet for themselves. Hearing the humans discuss the drugs, the Daleks offer a brutal proposition: bring them the drugs and they will allow the humans enough of a treatment to survive. Susan volunteers for the dangerous mission, the only one still strong enough to undertake it.
Susan eventually reaches the Tardis, retrieves the drugs, and then meets Alydon, the leader of the Thals, a peaceful species that once fought the Daleks in a long-ago atomic war. Alydon provides a second container of anti-radiation drugs, a lifeline for the humans if the Daleks break their promise. Returning to the city, the group learns that the Daleks have discovered the second drug supply but still permit the humans to treat themselves. Susan explains that, according to Alydon, the Thal crops have failed, and the Thals have come to the Dalek city hoping to trade the anti-radiation drug formula for food. Sensing an opportunity, the Daleks decide they no longer need the Thals now that they possess a vital sample of the drug. They coerce Susan into writing a letter to mislead the Thals into thinking food will be provided from the city as a sign of friendship, all while plotting to kill the Thals when they arrive.
A Dalek enters their cell, and the travelers manage to disable it. Free once more, they warn the approaching Thals and escape with them into the jungle. The Daleks then test the Thal anti-radiation drug, only to discover it causes dangerous side effects. In response, they plot to detonate a neutron bomb to raise the planet’s radiation to a level even the Thals cannot endure.
Back at the Thal camp, the Doctor realizes the travelers are effectively trapped on the planet while the Daleks still hold the fluid link. He urges Alydon to mobilize the Thals to help take back the device and save his people, but Alydon initially refuses, insisting the Thals have embraced peace. In a tense moment, the Doctor tricks Ian into taking a Thal woman to the Daleks in exchange for the confiscated component. Horrified, Alydon attacks Ian, then recognizes that the Thals can fight for what they value. With renewed resolve, Alydon, the Doctor, and Susan lead the Thals in a calculated assault on the city. The Daleks, however, repel the frontal assault, and in the chaos, the Doctor and Susan are recaptured.
Meanwhile, Ian, Barbara, and a small group of Thals slip in from the rear and join the main force as the Thals mount a comprehensive effort to rescue the Doctor and Susan. Inside the control room, the Daleks have begun a bomb countdown. In the ensuing struggle, the Daleks inadvertently destroy their own main control console, cutting power to the city and stopping the bomb from detonating.
With the fluid link recovered, the travelers make a decisive escape back to the jungle and depart the planet in the Tardis, taking with them a few Thal capes as tokens of the perilous but hopeful voyage home.
Dr. Who and the Daleks Timeline
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Arrival on an alien world
Dr. Who, Susan, Barbara, and Ian are accidentally transported to a distant planet by the TARDIS. They begin to explore and notice a distant city in the landscape. The group quickly realizes they are not on Earth and their situation is dire.
Discovery of a city and a mysterious drug cargo
While exploring, they glimpse a city in the distance and find a small container of drugs aboard the TARDIS. The find suggests a potential tool for survival and a reason to venture toward the city. The group decides to investigate further despite risks.
Dr. Who engineers a journey to the city
Dr. Who fakes a leak in a fluid link to compel the group to go to the city under the guise of seeking the mercury needed to refill the component. The deception is meant to ensure the party searches for supplies away from the TARDIS. The plan hinges on the belief that time and radiation are threatening them.
Captured by Daleks in the city
Upon arrival in the city, the travelers are seized by Daleks who take the fluid link for examination. Dr. Who realizes they are suffering radiation sickness and recognizes that the drugs they found might be their only chance at survival. The Daleks' presence confirms the danger and stakes.
Daleks reveal their plight and propose a deal
The Daleks explain they are trapped within their metal casings and cannot leave the city due to radiation. They propose a deal: if the humans provide the drugs they found, they will allow them enough to treat themselves. The humans weigh trust against survival.
Susan volunteers to fetch the drugs; meeting Alydon
Susan volunteers for the dangerous task of collecting the drugs from the TARDIS and encounters Alydon, leader of the Thals. Alydon provides a second container of anti-radiation drugs to be used later. The moment marks a fragile alliance forming under pressure.
Daleks discover the second drug; plot against the Thals
The Daleks discover the second drug supply and decide they no longer need the Thals, planning to kill them once they arrive. They draft a deceptive letter to the Thals promising food in exchange for safe passage. The tension rises as the humans become pawns in a larger trap.
Susan completes the ruse; Daleks reveal their plan
Susan finishes the letter that will be left for the Thals, but the Daleks reveal their true intention: to eliminate the Thals when they come. The gravity of the deception underscores the Daleks' ruthlessness and the humans' precarious position.
Escape from the Dalek city
When a Dalek enters their cell, the travellers manage to disable it. They flee the city with a group of Thals into the jungle, beginning their fight for freedom. The escape sets the stage for a broader resistance against the Daleks.
A deadly setback: Thal anti-radiation drug fails
Back at the Thal camp, the Thal anti-radiation drug proves to have disastrous side effects, undermining their ability to survive on the planet. The Daleks decide to escalate by detonating a neutron bomb to raise radiation levels beyond the Thals’ tolerance.
Dr. Who rallies the Thals
Dr. Who realises the travellers are still trapped and urges Alydon to fight the Daleks to save his people. Initially, Alydon refuses, clinging to a peaceful stance, which heightens the danger and tests the Doctor’s resolve.
Joint Thal-Human assault on the city
Alydon, Dr. Who, and Susan lead the Thals in a renewed assault on the Dalek city. The Daleks repel the attack, and Dr. Who and Susan are recaptured in the chaos. The Thals’ resolve is tested as the plan to recover the fluid link moves forward.
Ian, Barbara and Thals infiltrate from the rear
Ian, Barbara, and a small group of Thals sneak into the Dalek city from the rear and join the larger assault. They reach the control room where the Daleks have started the bomb countdown. The fight for control of the city intensifies as the clock ticks.
Daleks' bomb plan derails
During the struggle, the Daleks accidentally destroy their main control console, cutting power and stopping the bomb from detonating. The destruction of their own equipment turns the tide against the Daleks.
Return home with Thals’ aid
With the fluid link recovered, the travelers depart the planet in the TARDIS, taking Thal capes as keepsakes. The group escapes back to their own world, closing this perilous chapter.
Dr. Who and the Daleks Characters
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Doctor Who (Peter Cushing)
A brilliant but impulsive scientist who travels with Susan and Barbara in the TARDIS. He engineers the trip to the city by faking a leak in a fluid link, hoping to locate the mercury needed to refill the TARDIS component. He then orchestrates a plan to secure anti-radiation drugs from the Daleks and leads the group in the attack on the city, driving the escape and resolution.
Susan (Roberta Tovey)
Dr. Who's granddaughter, she proves to be physically capable and morally resourceful. She volunteers to retrieve the drugs from within the Dalek city and later helps coordinate the group with Alydon. She returns to the TARDIS with supplies, helps the Thals plan their counterattack.
Barbara (Jennie Linden)
Barbara is Dr. Who's companion and a brave traveler who joins the perilous mission. She supports the group as they reform their plan to escape and to warn the Thals. Her presence helps keep the group focused during the Dalek machinations.
Ian Chesterton (Roy Castle)
Barbara's boyfriend, a participant in the quest for survival. He endures the dangerous infiltration of the Dalek city and participates in the ruse that leads to rescue.
Alydon (Barrie Ingham)
Leader of the Thals, a species who previously fought the Daleks in a war centuries earlier. He begins as wary of fighting again, but ultimately joins the humans in the rebellion against the Daleks, demonstrating that the Thals will defend what they care about.
Daleks
The Daleks are ruthless extraterrestrial machines trapped by radiation in the city. They manipulate the humans to obtain anti-radiation drugs, plan to exterminate other life as they expand their empire, and escalate to detonating a neutron bomb to finish their conquest.
Thal
The Thals are a peaceful, resilient species living on the planet. They have a history of conflict with the Daleks but are capable of joining forces with humans when their survival is at stake. Their collaboration with Dr. Who and the others proves crucial in the fight against the Daleks.
Dr. Who and the Daleks Settings
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Location
Another planet
The action unfolds on a distant alien world where Dr. Who and his companions materialize after their TARDIS travels. They spot a distant city and later venture into a dense jungle as they search for supplies. The harsh environment and radiation shape the choices the characters must make.
Dr. Who and the Daleks Themes
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⚔️
War
The Daleks and Thals are locked in a long history of conflict, with the Thals fighting to survive after a devastating atomic war. The film frames this struggle as a backdrop to the humans' quest for safety, forcing morally gray decisions in the pursuit of survival. The looming threat of a neutron bomb heightens the sense of imminent catastrophe.
🤝
Alliance
Facing a common enemy, humans and Thals set aside old enmities and team up to resist the Dalek invasion. The Doctor's leadership and Susan's resilience help bridge gaps between species. Together they stage assaults on the city and coordinate a rescue, showing how cooperation can challenge tyranny.
☢️
Radiation
Radiation sickness from the planet's environment forces the travellers to seek anti-radiation drugs. The Daleks exploit this vulnerability, but Alydon and the others provide the Thal antidote to treat the group. The plot pivots on the drug's discovery and the peril of attempting to weaponize or manipulate it, culminating in a risky rescue.
Dr. Who and the Daleks Spoiler-Free Summary
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In vibrant colour, the tale opens with the eccentric scientist Doctor Who, whose curiosity leads him to awaken a peculiar invention—a police‑box called the TARDIS that can slip through time and space. The mood is a blend of whimsical wonder and looming mystery, as the very act of activating the device hints at adventures far beyond ordinary imagination. The atmosphere crackles with the promise of unknown worlds waiting just beyond the next temporal ripple.
Accompanying the Doctor are his spirited granddaughters, Barbara and Susan, along with Barbara’s adventurous boyfriend, Ian. Their dynamic is a lively mix of youthful optimism, familial affection, and the occasional clash of perspectives. Each character brings a distinct voice: Barbara’s inquisitive mind, Susan’s quiet bravery, and Ian’s earnest determination, all of which balance the Doctor’s detached brilliance. Together they form a reluctant yet eager team, poised to face whatever the cosmos throws their way.
Their sudden journey propels them to the alien planet Skaro, a landscape marked by stark contrasts. Here, the native Thals live in a fragile peace, their existence shadowed by the ever‑present threat of the mechanised Daleks—a race whose very name evokes menace. The world of Skaro is both eerie and evocative, painting a picture of a civilization caught between hope and fear, technology and survival. This setting establishes a tone of tension tempered by the possibility of unlikely alliances.
The story teases a grand adventure where curiosity meets danger, and where the bonds between strangers and companions alike are tested against a backdrop of strange flora, alien architecture, and the hum of distant, unseen forces. As the TARDIS hums softly, the audience is left with a sense of impending discovery, eager to see how this eclectic crew will navigate the mysteries of Skaro and the enigmatic forces that shape its destiny.
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