Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth

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The Dalek Invasion of Earth is the second Doctor Who serial to feature the Daleks. It originally aired on BBC1 in six weekly parts from 21 November to 26 December 1964. It was written by Terry Nation and directed by Richard Martin. It stars William Hartnell as the Doctor, William Russell as Ian Chesterton, Jacqueline Hill as Barbara Wright, and Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman.

This serial brings the Daleks back in a bold way: not on a far planet, but ruling a broken Earth in the 22nd century. Location filming in London gives the story a striking realism: empty streets, boarded houses, and the famous image of a Dalek gliding across Westminster Bridge.

A plague and invasion have shattered society. Survivors are hunted, some are turned into “Robomen” with control helmets, and the Daleks drive a vast mining project in Bedfordshire.

Episode 1: World’s End

The TARDIS lands by the River Thames in a silent, ruined London. Broken signs warn of plague and bodies in the water. Streets are empty, windows are smashed, and famous landmarks stand overgrown and cracked. The Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan explore carefully. A distant humming passes overhead like a saucer. Footprints and drag marks show people were herded through the city.

They see a man in a strange metal headband stumble by with a blank face. Armed men in black, Robomen, patrol without speaking. The travellers hide in a derelict warehouse and piece together the truth: London has fallen to an unseen power. Susan slips on rubble and hurts her ankle, forcing them to move slower. A nervous scavenger warns them that patrols take anyone they find to a ship and they never return.

The Doctor and Ian go to scout the river wall and look for a safe route. Barbara and Susan search for food and a place to rest. A horn blares. Robomen close in. The group separates in the confusion, using the sewers and quayside for cover. At the water’s edge, bubbles break the surface. A metal shape rises from the Thames, eyestalk staring, gun aimed. A Dalek emerges, and the invasion shows its face.

Episode 2: The Daleks

A Dalek rises from the Thames and patrols the river. The Doctor and Ian hide in a warehouse, but Robomen break in and capture them. They are taken to a Dalek flying saucer on a London landing site. The Daleks question the Doctor and reveal their control over the city. He sees the Roboman conversion room and understands the danger.

Barbara and Susan flee along bombed streets. A rebel named Tyler rescues them and brings them to an underground base. Dortmun, a scientist in a wheelchair, leads the group. He shows his new bombs, which he believes can destroy Daleks. David Campbell supports the plan; Jenny is cautious. Barbara urges action to save the prisoners.

At the saucer, the Daleks sort captives. Ian is slated for transport; the Doctor is selected for conversion into a Roboman. He watches the machinery and prepares to stall for time. The rebels decide to strike the landing site, using Dortmun’s bombs during a prisoner transfer. Barbara and Susan help pass messages and get ready to guide people through escape routes after the attack.

Night falls. The saucer hums. Daleks roll into position, and alarms begin to sound. The Doctor is strapped to the conversion bed as the rebels move in to begin their assault.

Episode 3: Day of Reckoning

The rebel attack on the Dalek saucer begins at night. Dortmun’s bombs explode, but the Daleks are not destroyed. Sirens wail. Robomen close ranks. Smoke fills the landing site. In the chaos, Tyler and David reach the conversion room and free the Doctor before the machine can change him. They pull him through corridors as Daleks fire. Susan follows, and the four slip into the sewers beneath the streets.

On the surface, Barbara and Jenny guide panicked prisoners away from the battle. Daleks sweep the area and recapture many rebels. Barbara and Jenny break contact and hide among ruined buildings. Dortmun regroups the survivors and vows to try again with a better plan. The city remains under Dalek control.

Ian, marked for transport, dodges guards and hides aboard the saucer. The ship lifts into the sky with him still aboard. He finds another stowaway ally and learns the Daleks are flying captives to a huge mine in Bedfordshire.

Across London, loudspeakers blare a warning: the Daleks rule and all humans must obey. The Doctor, Susan, David, and Tyler move through dark tunnels toward a safe exit. Barbara and Jenny start a dangerous cross-city journey. Ian clings to the saucer as it speeds toward the mine. The fight for Earth enters a harsher phase.

Episode 4: The End of Tomorrow

Night becomes morning after the failed attack. London stays under Dalek control. The Doctor and David climb out of the sewers and move through ruined streets toward the countryside. They hide from patrols, cross bomb sites, and plan to reach the Bedfordshire mine. The Doctor is tired but determined. He says they must find Ian and learn what the Daleks are doing underground.

Barbara and Jenny meet Dortmun. He has a new bomb formula and believes it will work. He sends the women on a safer route while he tests his idea alone. Dortmun wheels into an open square and throws his bomb. It fails. Daleks surround him and fire. Barbara and Jenny find his note and understand his sacrifice. They continue on, looking for transport out of the city.

A hard-faced woman offers food and shelter but betrays the travellers to survive. Barbara and Jenny escape a patrol and bargain for a ride. They climb onto a lorry that heads toward the mine.

At the landing site, the saucer reaches Bedfordshire. Ian slips away with another stowaway and sees the vast excavation, slaves, and Dalek guards. Rumours say the Daleks will dig to Earth’s core. Ian hides inside a work transport to learn more. All roads now lead to the mine and the next danger.

Episode 5: The Waking Ally

The Doctor and David move through country lanes toward the Bedfordshire mine and link up with Tyler. They learn the Daleks drive slaves deep underground and guard the surface with patrols and a strange creature called the Slyther. The trio look for a way inside.

Barbara and Jenny ride a lorry out of London but are stopped at a checkpoint and taken to the mine. Put to work, they meet a tired labourer named Wells, who whispers that the Daleks are lowering a great bomb down the central shaft. Barbara begins to plan, looking for papers and routes that can help them sabotage the scheme and free prisoners.

Inside the complex, Ian teams with Larry, a stowaway who searches for his missing brother. They sneak through tunnels, dodge Robomen, and see carts of explosives moving toward the shaft. Rumours say the Daleks want to remove Earth’s core and turn the planet into a machine.

At the perimeter, a black-market trader named Ashton tries to sell passes. The Slyther strikes out of the dark and kills him, forcing the Doctor, David, and Tyler to retreat toward the mine for cover.

Ian and Larry hide inside a large capsule to escape guards: then realise it is the bomb cradle. Winches clatter. The capsule begins to descend.

Episode 6: Flashpoint

Ian rides the bomb capsule down the mine shaft. He sees the release gear and jams it with a metal bar so the bomb cannot reach the deepest point. He climbs out and scrambles to safety. Above, the Doctor and Tyler free prisoners and lead them toward the surface.

Barbara and Jenny, helped by Wells, push through guards and reach the control area. Barbara bluffs her way to a microphone and shouts new orders. Across the mine, Robomen hear her voice and turn on the Daleks. Confusion spreads. Daleks fire in every corridor.

Ian’s jam holds. The bomb explodes high in the shaft. Rock collapses. Tunnels cave in. Power fails. The Dalek plan to remove Earth’s core is ruined. The saucer at the pit mouth is wrecked. Survivors flee as the mine falls silent. The Doctor, Ian, Barbara, Susan, and their new friends reunite in the open air. The invasion is over.

In the quiet after battle, Susan and David admit they care for each other. The Doctor sees she wants a life here. He locks the TARDIS doors, speaks gently through them, and says she must grow up and find her future. The TARDIS fades. Susan stands with David and faces a new world.

Themes

As television, The Dalek Invasion of Earth is one of the great pillars of early Doctor Who. It moves at a measured pace by modern standards, but its sights and sounds (ruined London, the saucer, Robomen shuffling in line, the great mine) are memorable and often haunting.

The story builds from stealth to open revolt with clarity, and the farewell scene gives it a human heart. Many viewers and critics rate it above most of Season 2 and place it alongside The Daleks as a defining classic of the era.

It also threads the programme’s past and future. Coming after Planet of Giants, it shows Earth itself as an alien landscape when freedom is lost. It deepens the Daleks from mere conquerors into planners of vast projects, setting up later returns where ideology and engineering go hand in hand.

Most of all, it marks a turning point for the TARDIS team: Susan’s departure changes the family shape of the show and opens a path to the next companion and new kinds of stories. From London’s broken streets to the echo of a goodbye, the series proves it can mix large-scale menace with intimate choices, and then the wheeze-groan calls the travellers on.

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This is a chapter from Craig Hill’s book “Doctor Who – The First Doctor”, chronicling every episode featuring the First Doctor. It is available on Amazon.

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To view the list of other Doctor Who serials, please click this link

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