 "The Dalek’s Master Plan" is the longest individual Doctor Who story ever to be recorded, and is considered one of its greatest epics. It has been described as a time and space-travel odyssey. It involves visits to countless planets and many battles with the Daleks.
This story features the return of the Daleks – making there fifth appearance in Doctor Who – and The Meddling Monk – again played by Peter Butterworth. His original appearance was in "The Time Meddler".
This story contains the first death of a companion. In fact two companions meet this fate. New companion Katarina (played by Adrienne Hill) is killed early on in episode four (it was thought the ancient Greek character would not be work well as a companion). The death scene of Katarina, shot as a film insert at Ealing during the week beginning 27 September 1965, was the first work that Adrienne Hill did in the role. Katarina's death was prophesied, by Cassandra, in "The Myth Makers".
The second companion to die was Sara Kingdom (played by Jean Marsh), who joined the cast during episode 4, was also killed at the conclusion of this story. Despite rumours to the contrary there was never any intention for Sara Kingdom replace Katarina as a companion and to continue past the end of this story.
Jean Marsh, who played companion Sara Kingdom, originally guest starred in "The Crusade" and later, in 1989, she returned to Doctor Who to play Morgaine in "Battlefield". Jean Marsh also went on to great fame as the co-creator and star of LWT's Upstairs, Downstairs and appeared in the short-lived American sitcom 9 To 5 (based on the movie of the same name). Marsh has maintained a prolific stage schedule and has appeared in feature films such as Return To Oz and Willow.
"The Dalek’s Master Plan" featured the first-ever appearance of Nicholas Courtney, in the role of Bret Vyon, in Doctor Who. Nicholas Courtney's next role was in "The Web of Fear" as Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, a character who would later become the show's longest-running supporting character - The Brigadier – and who would subsequently appear with all of first seven Doctor’s.
Actor Brian Cant, who plays the hapless Kert Gantry in the first episode, later went on to become a popular children's presenter, appearing in shows like Playaway and Play School.
This story follows on from the one part Doctor/companionless story "Mission to the Unknown".
Episode seven, "The Feast of Steven", was scripted as a stand-alone adventure in the middle of the main action due to the fact that it was scheduled for broadcast on Christmas Day. This is the first, and until the shows return in 2005, only Doctor Who episode to be shown on this day. "The Feast of Steven" also featured the first, and most memorable, "fourth wall" moment in the show's history as William Hartnell turned to the camera and saluted the audience, immediately preceded the closing credits, with: ‘Incidentally, a happy Christmas to all of you at home’. It has been stated that both Producer John Wiles and Story Editor Donald Tosh greatly disliked this gesture, and would later claim that this was an unplanned ad-lib by William Hartnell, although the fact that the line appears in Camfield's camera script suggests otherwise.
The Doctor is seen to fiddle with The Meddling Monk's chameleon circuit, changing his TARDIS from a block of stone to a motor cycle, a stage coach, a Western waggon, a tank and a Police Box. He also steals The Meddling Monk's directional unit to enable his own TARDIS to return to Kembel.
Earth is developing long distance teleportation technology (possible based on T-Mat principles - see "The Seeds of Death").
The Doctor is heard to say that the way to defeat the Daleks is 'to look back in the history of the year 2157' - he either simply gets the date of the invasion wrong (see "The Dalek Invasion of Earth"), or this is when the Dalek campaign against Earth (meteors, etc.) actually began.
There is a great in joke when The Doctor sees a man in the police station and tells him that he believes he has met him 'in a market place in Jaffa' (the actor appeared in "The Crusade").
The Doctor is seemingly unaware of what cricket is when the TARDIS materialises at the Oval during a Test Match between England and Australia.
The starfish-like Dalek creatures seen after the time destructor has done its work in the final episode; are implied to be the form from which the Daleks evolved over a period of millions of years.
Unfortunately only 3 episodes exist from this 12 part story. All twelve episodes were reported missing from the BBC Film and Videotape Library following an audit in 1978. However, the fifth episode, "Counter Plot", and the tenth episode, "Escape Switch", were returned by a London church, in July 1983, after they found the films in its basement. The second episode, "Day of Armageddon", was then returned, in January 2004, by a former BBC engineer.
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The Firsts:
The first trip in the TARDIS for new companion Katarina played by Adrienne Hill.
The introduction of short lived companion Sara Kingdom as played by Jean Marsh.
The first death of a companion. Namely Katarina in episode four. Sara Kingdom also dies at the end of the twelth episode.
The first appearance of Nicholas Courtney, in the role of Bret Vyon, before he played regular character The Brigadier.
The first time an episode is broadcast on Christmas Day. This being episode seven, "The Feast of Steven"
The first (and only) time The Doctor turns and actually talks direct to the audience. He does this to wish everyone watching a Happy Christmas.
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(Position = 44 out of 159)
(Position = 42 out of 200)
