The Daleks' Master Plan In Pieces

The Daleks' Master Plan In Pieces

It's a funny thing, but in the 1976 version of 'The Making Of Doctor Who', Chapter 10 ('The Adventures Of Doctor Who') devotes more words to 'Mission To The Unknown (1 Episode)' than it does to 'The Dalek Master Plan (12 Episodes)'.

Now we can quibble about whether it's a Master Plan or a Masterplan, the variable use of possessive apostrophes and how many Daleks were involved in hatching it, but this story was a real mystery to us young shavers who hadn't seen it at the time.

Eventually Episodes 5 and 10 miraculously turned up, to be joined some time later by Episode 2 and with so much Hartnell in the air at the moment, I've dug out the 'Lost In Time' DVD  just to remind myself of all the bits and pieces that remain for us to see.

For a story never shown overseas, it's astonishing that over 25% of it has survived and we've even got daft things like the smoke overlay used in 'Day Of Armageddon', though I do wonder if it's just footage of a bonfire in Douglas Camfield's back garden with the wind in the right direction.

The stuff with Brian Cant in 'The Nightmare Begins' is interesting for how grimy it all is. Brian is unshaven and sweaty with panic in his eyes. His right leg dragging on the ground, the shredded material of his trousers tells us immediately that either he's in a bad way or he's been measured for his suit by Mr Lucas.

The right arm of his costume in filthy; something we've rarely seen since the exhausted TARDIS crew at the end of 'The Firemaker'. The camera pans around the jungle, increasing the tension, as he struggles through the undergrowth.

He falls to his knees with a cry and a Dalek towers over him. His gun is useless as the Dalek fires at him. Burning into negative he is hurled back by the devastating blast.

These are not the daft Daleks of 'The Chase' - we've got a new production team and they mean business.

Even fragments such as these are valuable, giving us a hint of what it was like to be in front of the telly when this was being shown.

The film of spacecraft models shows just how much work went into these inserts, though I do wonder where the Daleks have installed a revolving restuarant the the top of that tower for the benefit of their intergalactic guests.

Before the rest of the episode turned up, the clip of the Daleks burning the jungle with their Pyroflames (another example of Terry Nation naming things literally) was fascinating. Daleks with flamethrowers having clearly learnt a thing or two from their battle on Mechanus. Though it probably got a bit hot inside the casing with three of them going off at once.

Even the fact that you get a tiny (slightly fuzzy) bit of 'The Traitors' at the start of 'Counter Plot' and the convention that each episode gives you the wonderful 'Next Episode' caption at the end... It's as though those missing episodes are so close you can feel their fire.

I remember watching the DVD of 'The Web Of Fear' and that feeling of frustration when it finishes with the claim 'NEXT WEEK : FURY FROM THE DEEP'. Sometimes the Missing Episode situation feels a bit like The Cheese Shop Sketch from 'Monty Python'...

"Sorry, mate, we're fresh out of 'Fury From The Deep'..."

Will any more of the Master Plan come to light in the future? I certainly hope so, but I'd be happy with just another 30-second clip. With Douglas Camfield behind the camera, you know you'd be in for a treat.

(By Andrew Trowbridge)