Story 298: Eve of the Daleks

In which the Doctor attempts to reboot the TARDIS, in order to overcome the damage caused by exposure to the Flux.

She plans to take Dan and Yaz on holiday whilst this takes place, as it will not be safe to remain inside the ship. However, instead of an exotic location they find themselves in the basement of a storage facility on the outskirts of Manchester. 

It is New Year's Eve, 2021, and the manager of the facility, Sarah, has been let down yet again by her colleague. There is only a single customer - Nick - who turns up at this time every year. He puts into storage items left behind from his many failed relationships.

The Doctor detects a temporal signal on an upper floor. Nick has just exited his unit when he is confronted by a Dalek, which exterminates him.

The Doctor and her companions arrive too late, and the Dalek has already gone down to the reception area where it kills Sarah. When the TARDIS trio arrive, they learn that the Daleks have upgraded weaponry. All three are exterminated...

It is New Year's Eve, 2021, and Sarah has found herself having to work the late shift at her storage facility  as her colleague has failed to turn up yet again. She has a single customer - Nick, who always comes tonight to drop off items left behind from his failed relationships.

The TARDIS materialises in the basement...

Time has jumped backwards, and the Doctor and her companions are aware that something has happened - a sense of deja vu. Then they recall finding Nick's body and rush to his unit.

He and Sarah have also registered that time has somehow slipped backwards, and Nick has left his floor before the Dalek turns up.

At reception, he discovers that the building is sealed by a forcefield. The Dalek appears and exterminates him.

Sarah has gone to an upper level to see if there is anything that might be used as a weapon in her colleague's unit.

The Dalek finds and kills her. It exterminates the Doctor and her companions once again, after pointing out that there has been a time malfunction which has reset the last few minutes.

The cycle begins again, though the Doctor spots that the clock has gone back by one minute less. They may be able to exploit the fact that they are aware of the time slippage but have slightly shorter each time in which to formulate a plan to break out of the loop. She is aware that the Daleks will be thinking along the same lines, however.

When next the five are exterminated, the Dalek reveals that the damaged TARDIS is the cause of this time slippage.

As each loop comes round, the Doctor and her companions, with Sarah and Nick come up with possible plans to avoid the Dalek and to arm themselves against it. At one point Dan pretends to be a customer, mistaking the Dalek for a robot employee, just to divert it from the Doctor's actions. This works for only a short period.

Sarah learns that Nick's regular visits are due to him having a crush on her. He thinks he has avoided the Dalek - only to be killed by a second one. The Daleks have adapted by increasing their numbers...

The Doctor discovers a hoard of potential weapons - fireworks. One of the Daleks tells her that they have despatched this death squad to kill her for her role in the destruction of their fleet by the Flux. She points out that she merely made use of the Sontaran scheme - but they kill her anyway.

Several more attempts are made to survive the trap, which all end with the extermination of the TARDIS crew and their new friends.

When the Doctor and her companions are next killed, they know that they will have to act in the next cycle, as after that time will have sorted itself and anything which takes place will be permanent.

They lure the Daleks down to the basement where the fireworks have been stored, bolstered by various highly flammable materials. The Doctor then uses her Sonic to give false life readings, so that the Daleks will think they are gathered there. They are instead about to flee through a gap in the forcefield.

The home-made bomb is detonated and the Daleks are destroyed as the entire building blows up.

Not far away, the blast is witnessed by Karl Wright - the young man who had been hunted by T'zim Sha a few years ago. He thinks it is all part of the New Year celebrations. Sarah and Nick decide to go travelling together, whilst the Doctor retrieves the rebooted TARDIS. She is now aware that Yaz has feelings for her...

Eve of the Daleks was written by Chris Chibnall, and was first broadcast on 1st January 2022. It is the first of a trip of Specials which will culminate in him and Jodie Whittaker leaving the series.

For a festive special it is very small scale, and that is all down to it being filmed at the tail end of the Covid pandemic, when the various restrictions had merely been loosened, but not dropped.

There are only two guest artists in studio / location, with a third appearing only on video calls. The setting also lends itself to a controllable environment.

Neither Russell T Davies nor Steven Moffat had looked to the Daleks for their festive specials except for the odd cameo - saving them for their standard series stories. RTD had argued that you cant's have Daleks without many deaths - and this wasn't the sort of thing families wanted on Christmas night. Even Terry Nation had delivered an entirely Dalek-free episode for The Feast of Steven, the Christmas instalment of the otherwise bloodthirsty The Daleks' Master Plan.

Chibnall clearly saw mass death and destruction at New Year as being more acceptable, as he delivered Dalek stories for all but one of his specials.

It's not as if any of the deaths actually matter in this year's story, as time keeps resetting and everyone survives anyway, and his earlier specials had often included a healthy dose of humour to lighten the mood.

The main inspiration is obvious. Dan even mutters something about Groundhog Day at one point, to describe their situation.

This hugely popular 1993 comedy, starring Bill Murray, sees a cynical TV weatherman stuck in a temporal loop, reliving each day as he visits a town which celebrates the titular event. It's not a pure time loop, as he gets the chance to change his ways, Scrooge-like, over the course of his experiences. If A Christmas Carol was one of its inspirations, then it also counts here. In the case of Eve of the Daleks, it is the relationship between Sarah and Nick - initially antagonistic on her part, with unspoken / unrequited love on his - which is the focus.

This is mirrored by the relationship between the Doctor and Yaz - the former seemingly oblivious to her companion's feelings, and Yaz in a similar situation to Nick. 

As a full length story it rather drags, thanks to its repetitive nature. It would have made a far more exciting half hour. The set-up is interesting, and the way in which the situation is resolved is interesting - but there's just too much of the same thing in between.

Another problem I have is the whole notion that Sarah would be working on New Year's Eve in that sort of setting. I've had a quick Google and there isn't a single one near me that is open 24/7, let alone on a major holiday.

Moffat's timey-wimey stories were blessed with invention, but this just doesn't have much.

That small guest cast comprises Irish comic actor Aisling Bea as Sarah. She's appeared in a few movies, but is better known for her appearances on comedy TV shows or stand-up.

Nick is Adjani Salmon, who is actually better known for his writing and directing. He wrote and starred in the BAFTA nominated Dreaming While Black. This began life as a webcast before being picked up by BBC Three.

In a cameo role, seen only on video calls, is Pauline McLynn, playing Mary - Sarah's mother. McLynn will forever be known as tea-pushing Mrs Doyle in C4's Father Ted.

One further cameo is the appearance at the climax of Jonny Dixon, playing Karl once again - the young man from The Woman Who Fell To Earth.

Overall, an okay story which seems popular with many fans, though I found it a little dull due to the aforementioned repetition. A few less time-loops would have suited me better.

Things you might like to know:

• This special was supposed to be a lot bigger and spectacular, linked very closely to the previous two Dalek festive stories - Resolution and Revolution of the Daleks - to form a proper "Reconnaissance Dalek Trilogy". Covid led to a radical rethink, shrinking the story down to what we see here.
• The subsequent Sea Devil story hadn't been planned when Chibnall first wrote this, and he had the ending link directly to The Power of the Doctor's opening scene.
• There is an in-joke when the Dalek tells Dan: "I am not Nick" - as Nick Briggs is, of course, providing their voices as usual.
• Another Nick - Pegg - is inside one of the Daleks. He had fallen foul of the series, and DWM, after leaving a very rude message aimed at both the magazine and the BBC in the crossword he compiled for the mag.
• Chibnall claimed this episode took only two weeks to write. Kinda shows, I'm afraid.
• The opening credits don't appear until 9m 10s in, which is a record for the programme.

Episode 142: The Highlanders (2)

Synopsis:

Polly has fallen into a concealed pit. As she scrabbles to climb out, a hand reaches down towards her - clutching a dagger...

The hand belongs to Kirsty, who thought that a Redcoat might have fallen into the animal trap. In trying to pull Polly out, she falls in herself. They hear the approach of some soldiers, commanded by Lt Ffinch. He berates his men for allowing two women to escape and sends them off to search further. Noting that he is alone, Polly and Kirsty lure him towards the trap, and he also tumbles in.

They tie him up and rob him.

The Doctor and Ben, meanwhile, have been transported to Inverness, where they have been locked in a dank dungeon with many Jacobite captives, including Jamie and his Laird.

As the Doctor dresses McLaren's wounds, he notices an embroidered cloth hidden under his coat. This proves to be Prince Charles Edward Stuart's personal standard - given to the old man by the Prince himself during the recent battle.

The Doctor realises he can use this as a means to escape. He claims to have information about an assassination attempt on the Duke of Cumberland. He is removed from the dungeon to speak with someone in authority.

Polly and Kirsty will use Ffinch's money to get themselves to Inverness, and they also take some personal belongings of the lieutenant - including a lock of hair - with which to blackmail him should he try to interfere with them.  His commanding officer - Colonel Atwood - would be interested to know how he had been overpowered and robbed by a couple of girls.

Solicitor Grey and his clerk Perkins meet with a sea captain named Trask, with whom they are arranging the illegal transportation of Jacobite prisoners to slavery in the West Indies.

Grey is told of the Doctor's claim, remembering him as the Hanoverian medical man he had met earlier.

Having sensed his greed, the Doctor produces the Stuart standard to show how close he was to the Prince, and therefore party to his plans. He then suggests that he and Grey collaborate to capture the fugitive and split the £30,000 reward money between them.

He then tricks the solicitor into thinking that he might have something medically wrong with him - and takes the opportunity to tie him up and shove him in a closet.

When Perkins is called in, he does something similar to overpower him - allowing him to make his escape.

Ffinch is eventually helped out of the trap by his sergeant - who also blackmails him to keep quiet about how he had found him. Ffinch must provide drinks for the company, but having lost his money he defers this until they get back to Inverness.

Perkins warns Trask of the Doctor's escape and Grey is freed. The Doctor hides in the scullery of the Sea Eagle Inn. A woman named Mollie works here, cooking and washing laundry.

Still believing that the Doctor is closely linked to Bonnie Prince Charlie, Trask decides to question Ben, Jamie and McLaren. They are to be transferred with some other prisoners to his ship - the Annabelle. This is moored near the dock where the Inn is located.

The Doctor has borrowed clothing from the scullery, and is now disguised as an old woman to avoid capture.

As they are rowed out to the Annabelle, the captives see a canvas-wrapped corpse being dropped over the side into the sea. Trask warns that this is the only way any of them will ever get off his ship...

Data:

Written by: Gerry Davis & Elwyn Jones

Recorded: Saturday 10th December 1966 - Riverside Studio 1

First broadcast: 5:50pm, Saturday 24th December 1966

Ratings: 6.8 million / AI 46

Designer: Geoffrey Kirkland

Director: Hugh David

Additional cast: Dallas Cavell (Trask), Barbara Bruce (Mollie)

Critique:

The draft script originally specified that the plantations where the captives would be sent to were in Barbados and Jamaica. Gerry Davis named Trask's ship the Annabelle after reading how slave ships often had pleasant sounding names despite their horrific function.

The Doctor's bamboozling of Grey and, especially Perkins, in this episode is regarded as one of the highlights of the early Troughton era, and very much shows what the production team intended to do with the new Doctor's character. 

He has already impersonated someone to get into Grey's presence, but once there he rapidly overpowers him - first verbally and then physically. When Perkins arrives, he makes him think that Grey's frantic knocking is all in his own head and, when the poor clerk claims not to have a headache, the Doctor gives him one by banging his head on the table. It's all rather violent stuff - but played very much for laughs.

The Doctor does threaten someone with a pistol - but it is made clear that he would never actually use it.

Once he has escaped, the Doctor then takes to stealing clothes to create disguises. In this case an old washer-woman. He'll continue to adopt this disguise next week, before swapping it for another.

The Doctor also acts impulsively - something which will be totally dropped once this incarnation becomes the first of the quiet manipulators. He says things just for fun, which might annoy or even threaten their lives - like when he shouts "Down with King George!" in the dungeon, just to hear the echo.

The tone of the episode fluctuates wildly, but then you remember that this went out in the early evening of Christmas Eve.

Cast as Captain Jebb Trask was Dallas Cavell, who had featured in the series on two previous occasions - first as the roadworks overseer in The Reign of Terror, then as the convict Bors in The Daleks' Master Plan. He had just come out of hospital, following a hernia operation when he began filming at Ealing. He elects to play Trask like Long John Silver. (The last word of the episode is his "Arr!..").

Barbara Bruce, playing Mollie, had been an extra on The Chase.

The day before recording, a brand new opening titles sequence had been recorded at Television Centre TC2, which featured the Doctor's face for the first time. This would not be used straight away, however.

As scripted, Kirsty was to have threatened Ffinch in the animal trap with her knife, but as she now had his captured pistol it was decided to change the dialogue to reflect this. Some gruesome dialogue from Grey was also dropped, when he threatened to flay "Dr Von Wer" should he be wasting his time.

Of the two recording breaks, one was used to allow Troughton to change into his old woman disguise, and the other allowed Craze, Hines and Donald Bissett (McLaren) to move from the dungeon set.

It is a great pity that Geoffrey Kirkland did not do more Doctor Who, as we can see from the telesnaps that he managed to design some highly effective sets for this episode, including the use of water. 

Filming of the dockside scenes had taken place at Ealing on Friday 11th and Wednesday 16th November.

The Riverside sets are either indoors - a dungeon, Grey's office or the wash-house / scullery - or they are external but at night and in the fog, so atmospherically lit and filmed.

This is a story which would definitely be even more highly regarded if it could be seen as well as heard.

Two scenes were cut from the episode before broadcast. The first was in the dungeon, where the Doctor suggested that Jamie play a tune to cheer up the prisoners. Wishing he had his full pipes, the boy played a tune on his chanter, which the Doctor then tried to copy on his recorder.

The second sequence came at the end of the episode in the wash-house, where Mollie was unhappy with the Redcoats searching her scullery as the Doctor hid. After the soldiers had gone, she turned to see the Doctor's clothes hanging on her washing line.

Trivia:

• The ratings remain stable compared with the opening instalment, though the episode dropped from 67th to 89th most watched programme for the week, despite only having 0.1 million fewer viewers. No doubt this was due to all the additional / unique festive programming.
• At one point Ffinch threatens his men with 500 lashes apiece should they fail to capture the fugitive women. Anyone flogged thus would be dead long before they reached the first 100, and Gerry Davis took the opportunity to amend this dialogue when it came to the novelisation.
• A few synopses of this episode claim that a bound prisoner is dropped into the sea to drown, and another even claims that Ben and Jamie witness a keel-hauling. However, the telesnaps clearly show that it is a shrouded corpse which is dropped overboard at the cliff-hanger:

• Reveille published a full page piece on the stars of Doctor Who for the week 22 - 28th December. This included new boy Frazer Hines.