Dr Who - Death to the Daleks

Dr Who - Death to the Daleks

Rating: G
Released by the BBC And Roadshow Home Entertainment

This four part tale from 1974 featuring Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor and Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith is not quite the rousing war cry you'd expect from the title.

A power failure in the TARDIS drives it off course, stranding the Doctor and Sarah on a planet (which resembles a quarry) with an exploration team and soon a group of Daleks. But the power's sapped from the Daleks too, forcing the Doc to team up with his old enemies to combat a threat to all.

It's not a bad story all in all, but it lacks a degree of coherence and a level of engagement as the Daleks are reduced to powerless shouting and wobbling as they scheme to betray everyone. Throw in a level of underwriting too and the whole thing's a bit of a hit and miss affair.

As ever, Pertwee and Sladen bring their A game but a distinctly formulaic story means there are hardly any stand outs here.

Thankfully, the ever informative and amusing in screen production notes give the story a life beyond its occasional lifelessness - along with some fairly standard extras (and some unseen footage from the 1960s Peter Cushing film, Dr Who and The Daleks), this DVD is one for completists, rather than an essential purchase.

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