User Reviews

I've quite liked all of Eric Saward's scripts so far and this one was no different. Whilst I do quite like the daleks I sometimes feel the constant Doctor/dalek battles are a little tiresome. It needs a writer to use the daleks well but in a slightly different context. Here the daleks themselves barely appear and it is all about Davros. He has yet another plan to essentially be the emperor of the daleks and exploits the locals to achieve it.

The Doctor and Peri appear very little in the story too. It's all about the story's own cast. Two bodysnatchers entering the facility, a ruthless business woman forced to deal with Davros and the assassin she hired to kill him. The vast majority of the cast are excellent, especially Terry Molloy who has nailed Davros by this point. And Alexei Sayle as the DJ is wonderful and really adds something fun to the story.

There are a few negatives things to the story though. The first part is rather slow as all the plot points are built up and it has an unnecessarily brutal ending. There's a big cast here but hardly any of them actually survive to the end. Overall all thought it is a good story and one of the best Sixth Doctor stories so far.

The Doctor and Peri have travelled to the planet Necros to attend the funeral of his old friend Professor Arthur Stengos. Upon their arrival they learn the shocking truth behind Stengos's demise and the Doctor's old adversary Davros's involvement in it. Having become "The Great Healer", Dalek creator runs Tranquil Repose, a pseudo-medical facility where the terminally ill patients are sealed away in suspended animation until a cure can be discovered. The Doctor strives to uncover the motives behind Davros's obvious machinations and in doing so he learns the horrifying truth.

Arguably the pinnacle of a rather uneven series 22 of the classic series, with only Vengeance on Varos vying for the mantle of being so. It's a story that scripted by Eric Saward, relies substantially from his interest in crafting stories which are mercenary themed. Sidelining Colin Baker's Doctor who with Nicola Bryant's Peri, spend most of the first part of a two-part story journeying to the auspicious Tranquil Repose. Flawed though Saward's concept may be, it is never the lest better executed than in his less satisfying; "Resurrection of the Daleks"back in series 21. There is the palpable chemistry between both the Doctor and Peri as they banter back and forth, with the emotional bond between the two of them having already been cemented. Taking up the main thrust of the plot is the character of Orcini, a Knight of the Grand Order of Oberon played with understated nobility by veteran actor; William Gaunt. Partnered with his faithful squire Bostock (John Ogewen), who makes for an effectually infallible foil to his master.

The stories narrative requires a string of eccentric, indecorous supporting protagonists who inhabit and work within Tranquil Repose who are utilized with great efficiency, weaving their varying plot strands as they play out in parallel with one another. In the role of the self-absorbed and pompous Jobel, Clive Swift proves to be a fitting choice as he fits the physical description perfectly. An odious and dare I say lecherous individual who is portrayed with the perfect level of conceit, and donning a conspicuousness hair-piece that reflects his clear narcissism. While slightly inconsistent in the quality of her performance, actress Jenny Tomasin is overall solid as the shy,awkward assistant Tsambecker who is transparent in her love for her superior. As dedicated head and chief security personnel; Takis and Lilt, Trevor Cooper and Colin Spaul make a solidly effective pairing while Stephen Fynn and Bridget Lynch-Mosse are paired together as Stengos's headstrong daughter Natasha and the reluctant, cautious Grigor; freedom fighters attempt to free the figuratively entombed occupants of the suspended hibernation area. Rounding off the one-off supporting cast is alternative comedy actor Alexi Sayle who while initially playing to manic, off the wall type as the DJ of Tranquil Repose, he aptly contrasts this when he drops the false veneer upon meeting Peri, revealing him to be genuinely sweet, sincere and perhaps the only man in the galaxy who doesn't trying to get inside her knickers.

Returning in the second of four guest appearances (one of which was in a different role earlier in series 22, that of London bank robber Russell in Attack of the Cybermen), Terry Malloy once again makes a memorable impression as Davros. Here we see him at his calculatingly evil and manipulative as he cunningly exploits Tsambeckers feelings for Jobel to his own ends, and his guile doesn't end there. Malloy, while not the best actor to have taken up the role (Julian Bleach for me offering the definitive rendering of the wheel-chair bound mad scientist.), he still still makes for a chilling presence. His costume although it looks gaudy by modern standards is never the less exemplary given this was 1980's British television. In fact the production values and set design for Tranquil Repose is superbly realized, with Alan Spalding giving it an archaic temple like aesthetic which is oddly sterile.

If fans might potentially find any flaws it's that the Doctor's old pepperpot adversary's take more of a back seat here, with this really in all earnest being a Davros story. Baker's wry incarnation of the wily Time Lord is also sidelined to some degree, with his having nothing to do with the outcome of the story's conclusion. Love it or hate it, I personally think that despite myself I rather liked it and admire Saward's unorthodox approach to the plot. He also doesn't skimp on some of the more horrifying aspects with it both being a couple moments of graphic violence, and an unsettling moment which I won't go in to so not to spoil it, but suffice to say you will know what it is when you see it and it delivers something of a dramatic impact. This includes the nature of Davros's evil scheme which although appropriately alarming, can't be accused of having any real innovation.

And so we have Revelation of the Daleks; an absorbing entry in Doctor Who's lengthy history, it wouldn't make it in to my personal top list of the best stories in it's classic run. However in what was an underwhelming 22nd series, it stands head above most of the rest and at least warrants viewing, and does feature some of the up-most rewarding qualities that the show had to offer.

Where to even begin, Revelation of the Daleks is a massively rich story, with so much content packed in. Personally I think the series benefited from having the forty five minute running time, it allowed more time for plot development, allowing the story to progress without the need for cliffhangers.

First of all, the tone, if is unbelievably dark, and ranks with Frontios for being one of the biggest nightmare causes in the show's history. The scene of the Dalek being created was harrowing.

Colin was fantastic, compassionate, funny and strong, the peek of his powers, he and Bryant by now were superb. We have a batch of fabulous characters, Jobel, Kara, Orcini and Bostock, all terrific. Only Tasambeker jars somewhat for me.

I love the production values, music, Colin looks terrific in the blue cloak, much more serious looking, it really suited him. Terry Molloy is marvellous as a money grabbing, older, slightly humorous Davros, I love how needs money to build the Daleks, nobody has ever mentioned cash before.

It's a classic. 10/10

This is easily one of the best stories of the 6th Doctor in the 2 seasons Colin Baker portrayed him on screen. There are a lot of good ingredients in this 2 part adventure. Unfortunately this was at the worst period of the show's history because seasons 22 to 24 were made with low production values and a childish pantomime feel as if it was treated like a throw away kids TV romp like Rentaghost with camp silliness and zany stories. I loved Rentaghost as a kid but while Doctor Who should be fun it requires a more serious science fiction treatment in my opinion. Family audience does not need things to be done any less intelligently or seriously than a show for purely adult audiences. Season 22 added in a dark, violent, harshness that was totally at odds with that childish feel of the production and while a darker, more serious feel would have been a huge improvement if done well, it is thrown in alongside the pantomime campness giving a jarring uneven result. Even though this is among the best stories in seasons 22-24 it still suffers from some of the issues this era of the show were hampered by. Showrunner John Nathan-Turner has to take much of the blame for these issues as do BBC bosses who were treating the show with disdain. Thankfully this story rises above others of this era.

This story is directed by Graeme Harper who had previously directed one of the show's finest adventures The Caves of Androzani but that was a gritty, serious action adventure whereas Harper himself describes the material he had to deal with in Revelation of the Daleks as 'surreal and weird' and he was unable, in my opinion, to overcome some of the shortcomings of this period of the show. He certainly added value to the adventure with some nice directorial touches but but while I do think it is good, I feel there are a number of issues and do not hold it in as high regard as some fans.

The gaudy, camp sets, costumes and unimpressive music do not help but more of an issue is some of the acting. The ongoing characterisations of the Doctor and his companion Peri during this season were not at all likable. Director Harper and writer Eric Saward give a few better moments for them both than usual but there are still grating scenes of the Doctor's pompous, egotistical rudeness (his ego is even commented on in the script) and treating Peri like an unloved pet. Colin Baker sadly failed to make the Doctor remotely endearing at this point. Peri herself is always annoying this season and Nicola Bryant's acting is poor. In addition we get an awful performance from Jenny Tomasin as Tasambeker and pretty poor Dalek voices which along with the camp pantomime feel of some of the action holds it back from its potential. Alexei Sayle as the DJ character is over the top and the death scenes of all the victims of extermination or murder are almost all quite poorly acted. The other problem is the cheap effects, worst of all the ridiculous statue of the Doctor which makes for one of the lamest cliffhangers in the show's history as it unconvincingly falls onto the Doctor clearly showing it is polystyrene.

On the plus side, this story is better than most at this time as it has a strong plot with the cool idea of Davros manipulating a cryogenic facility to create new Daleks and gain power. Terry Molloy is good as Davros (though I prefer Michael Wisher and Julian Bleach) and performs the role with more subtlety than some other appearances. The Daleks have some menace with the idea of converting those wanting cryogenic freezing and the body horror element and clear casing used in scenes is an interesting addition. With better Dalek voice performances it would have been improved but it is still good. The second half of the second episode is really good in terms of Davros and Dalek action with the reveal of the real Davros, the blowing off of a hand, the confrontations with Kara (nicely performed by Eleanor Bron) the Doctor and Orcini (played well by William Gaunt) and the arrival of the rival Daleks.

Clive Swift is a fine actor and plays the slimy Jobel well although he is somewhat let down by the poor acting of Tomasin in their exchanges. The silly aspects of production and acting stop this from being the classic it could have been for me but it is a good adventure. The dark, serious elements of the story had great potential which partially are successful on screen and the exciting final quarter of the story makes up for some of the underwhelming parts of the adventure.

My ratings for this story: Part 1 - 7.5/10, Part 2 - 8/10, Overall 7.75/10.

Season 22 overall was the lowest point of the show's history for me at this point although season 23 would turn out similarly flawed and Season 24 managed to be clearly even worse. A very disappointing season of the show. Average rating 5.69/10.

I will be honest as an avid whovian.

This is possibly one of the weakest story lines that I have seen.

It just seemed like the whole process was a chore.

There are not many good points tho marvel over and well it is disappointing.

Not much more to say and to be honest I can understand why there was a hiatus. The story of the daleks is a great one to say the least. But this was not so. It just dragged on and well we know the great Dalek stories that have been written and this was not so. It pains me to say this but I am saddened at the lack of effort put into this episode.