Doctor Who Re-Watch: The Power of the Daleks (Second Doctor story)

Last week, we were introduced to Jodie Whittaker’s brand new Doctor. This week, we look at the first ever “new Doctor” story, The Power of the Daleks, with Patrick Troughton as the iconic Second Doctor.

On Christmas Day 2017, we saw two Doctors have their final adventures in Twice Upon a Time. We saw Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor end his run of the show and regenerate into his next incarnation, as played by Jodie Whittaker. We finally found out what happened next for her last week in The Woman Who Fell to Earth.

But we also saw his First incarnation regenerate, too. Set during the final moments of The Tenth Planet, William Hartnell’s final story as the First Doctor, the Doctor regenerated for the first time. Today, we look at what happened next for Patrick Troughton’s new Doctor.

Out of all the post-regeneration stories, The Power of the Daleks will always be one of, if not the, most important. Mainly because if it had failed, we wouldn’t be watching the show today.

Breaking new ground

With “new Doctor” stories these days, there’s usually a strong reaction to them. Some audiences take a while to get used to the new Doctor. Some hate them instantly, especially if the previous incarnation was their favorite. And others take a while to adjust.

But whatever the case, even if the entire audience hates the new Doctor, one thing’s for sure – if the new Doctor really is that bad, they can always be replaced later on, at least. After all, regeneration is a key part of the mythology.

But this wasn’t true back in 1966. When the first regeneration happened, it came entirely as a surprise. And William Hartnell hadn’t just been any Doctor. He hadn’t even been the original, or at least, that’s not how audiences thought of him at the time.

No, at that point, William Hartnell had been the only Doctor. He had left a huge impression on audiences, and having someone completely different take over was a huge thing at the time. So how well did this new Doctor’s debut story work?

Let’s find out.

Ben and Polly are still getting used to the new Doctor in The Power of the Daleks.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

The new Doctor

One thing that was of course crucial to The Power of the Daleks was how this “new” Doctor would act. Would Troughton try to play him as Hartnell used to? Would the writers try to make him act exactly the same as his previous incarnation?

Unsurprisingly, the answer to both questions was a definitive “no”. When the new Doctor wakes up from his regeneration, Ben and Polly find it difficult to believe that he’s really the same person, and it’s really not hard to see why. The Doctor acts very differently in this story.

Over the many years, we’ve seen many Doctors struggle with post-regeneration trauma. Sometimes, this could be something as simple as him or her needing time to physically recover. We’ve often seen this in the New Series, particularly in the Tenth, Twelfth and even Thirteenth Doctor’s first episodes.

But this isn’t something that we see much of with Troughton’s first story. However, regeneration does also shake up the mind, and that certainly seems to be happen with the Second Doctor, based on how eccentric he is throughout.

He keeps referring to “the Doctor” in the third-person, specifically Hartnell’s Doctor, which of course only makes it more difficult for Ben to trust him. He’s also rather sillier at times, although he still has plenty of serious moments, too. For example, Troughton really sells the Doctor’s fear of the Daleks especially well.

Divided reaction

It’s interesting to note that initial reaction to the story was divided, at best. Some loved the new Doctor, whereas others thought it was a sign of the end of the show. (You can read more of the audience’s reactions, not to mention see how little has actually changed over the years, in the analysis for the story from the official Doctor Who website here. It’s certainly a fascinating read.)

So looking back, how was Patrick Troughton’s debut performance? In short: absolutely brilliant. It’s as equally assured as William Hartnell’s, while completely avoiding to copy it. Which is ironic, as how the “new Doctor” was portrayed in The Power of the Daleks has arguably influenced all who followed.

Whether because of the writing or the actor themselves, there’s always a phase where the new Doctor is discovering themselves and trying to work out who they are. During this period of discovery, the Doctor acts a little eccentric, even moreso than usual. However, by the end of the story, we’re reassured that, no matter who the new person is, they are still the Doctor.

One thing that’s quite interesting, however, is how assured and confidant Troughton’s Doctor is from the beginning. The audience is left to feel some doubt over whether this man really is the same as Hartnell’s Doctor, admittedly, due to his very strange behavior.

But he’s not taking any time to discover who his new persona is. In fact, from the start, he’s ready to jump into adventure straight away, investigating a human colony on the planet Vulcan. (No, not that Vulcan.)

As soon as he arrives there, he’s looking into what’s really going on, who the bad guys are, and of course, what the Daleks are up to. Who are, of course, the other key attraction of this episode…

The Daleks build up their power in The Power of the Daleks.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

The Daleks

It’s not hard to see why the writers decided to bring the Daleks back for this particular story. If you really want to sell to an audience that this strange little man really was the white-haired hero that they all knew and loved, then bringing back his oldest enemy to fight for his very first story is certainly the best way to do it.

But how did the audience react to this? Surely the return of an enemy as loved as the Daleks, which had once inspired a wave of “Dalekmania” in Britain, would’ve really excited the viewers. Well, according to an Audience Research Report for the story, apparently, that wasn’t quite the case.

"Viewers in the sample who were enthusiastic about this episode… were confined to a minority, less than a quarter… finding it appealing to an appreciable degree."

Considering just how strong this story is, this might be surprising. That is, until you take into account the Daleks’ previous appearances at this point.

History of the Daleks

Their first story, which told of war between two races on an alien world, was incredibly bold and ambitious. It featured stone forests, metal cities and even lakes of horrific mutations.

And with every one of their stories, the stakes just seemed to get higher. For their next story, they invaded planet Earth itself! Even bigger, the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan, one of the first ever companions, left the TARDIS!

After that, the Daleks learned how to time travel and chased our four heroes across the whole of time and space, the result of which saw the departure of the remaining original companions.

But their last story with Hartnell’s Doctor was definitely the most epic. Across twelve episodes, we saw a story of the Daleks chasing the TARDIS crew across time and space for the core of their “time destructor”, one of their most dangerous weapons ever. It was big, epic, dark and gritty. The Doctor even lost two companions along the way. It was a story with a lot of impact. How could you possibly top that?

A very scaled-back story

The answer, of course, was that you didn’t. In a stroke of pure genius, writer David Whitaker scaled things back drastically. At the start of this story, the Daleks hadn’t invaded a world or were trying to destroy everything. In fact, in the first episode of the story, they’re pretty lifeless.

But that’s what makes this gem of a story work. Because both the Doctor and the audience know something important that the inhabitants of the colony don’t. Specifically, how dangerous and deadly the Daleks are.

As we see them brought back to life and slowly becoming more powerful, the story becomes more and more gripping. The scene of the Dalek shouting, “I am your servant!” is a genuinely chilling moment, as only we and the Doctor know just how dangerous it really is.

The tension and buildup in this story is fantastic, and David Whitaker writes the Daleks at their very, very best. It’s probably one of their best stories from the Sixties.

It’s more than just the Daleks that the TARDIS crew have to face on Vulcan, as there are very human monsters, too…

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Human monsters

But it’s not just the Daleks that our heroes need to be careful of in this story. There’s also some of the colony’s inhabitants, too. And that adds another layer as to why The Power of the Daleks is so fantastic.

Along with the classic story of the Doctor trying to stop the Daleks, Power is also a story about the danger of human greed. Particularly with the character of Bragen, who’s brilliantly played by Bernard Archard. He’s a man who’s desperate for political power, and will stop at nothing to get it. He will deceive, betray and even murder anyone who gets in his way.

He’s a really loathsome character, and that’s due to both strong writing and Archard’s great performance. (Archard later gave an equally strong performance as Marcus Scarman in the classic Fourth Doctor story Pyramids of Mars.)

Lesterson’s also a really well-written character. He has an excellent character journey, and goes from being a curious scientist to someone who eventually has a complete breakdown. Again, this is due to another great performance, in this case, Robert James’s.

Janley’s another character who stands out. Someone who wants power almost as much as Bragen does, her ways of getting power might be even more subtle. Unlike Bragen, however, it’s not entirely just for her own sake. She really does seem to believe in the revolution. But how far will she go for her ideals?

Overall, we’re given a really great picture of the human colony through these characters and through others, like Quinn and Hensell. We find out about its system of government, the people who live there, and the conflicting attitudes. Whitaker wrote a fascinating and believable world, which makes the devastating conclusion leave an even greater impact.

The Power of the Daleks was completely animated for its 50th anniversary in 2016.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

An iconic story

Altogether, the combination of a fascinating new Doctor, a great Dalek story and a fleshed-out human society makes The Power of the Daleks an absolutely brilliant story.

It’s also a story that’s simply been appreciated more and more over time. While initial audience reactions to it weren’t too keen, over the decades, it’s become a fan-favorite. So it’s a shame that the story doesn’t exist in its original form, particularly as we’re missing out on the physicality of Troughton’s performance as the Doctor.

More from Winter is Coming

However, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy the story. These have included the novelization, the soundtrack of the story, and a photo reconstruction of it.

But perhaps the method that’s come the closest to watching the story in its original format is the animation from 2016. Available on Blu-Ray, DVD and BritBox, this is well worth checking out. It’s not perfect, and the animation for the human characters can come across as a little stiff, at times.

But the Daleks are handled brilliantly, and you’re very quickly drawn in to the story due to how good the original performances were vocally, as well as Whitaker’s excellent script.

If you want to watch a key piece of Doctor Who history, if you want to see what the first “new Doctor” story was like, or if you want to find out what happened next to the other Doctor of Twice Upon a Time, then you won’t be disappointed by The Power of the Daleks. Over five decades on, and it’s still an absolute classic.

Have you watched The Power of the Daleks? Is it your favorite “new Doctor” story? If not, what is? Let us know in the comments below.