Plot Summary
Resurrection of the Daleks marked Doctor Who's first encounter with his most famous foe since 1979's Destiny of the Daleks five years earlier, and Peter Davison's only full-scale battle with the cybernetic aliens. Weakened by a Movellan virus, the Daleks assault a space station prison where Davros is being held. The Daleks plan to use duplicates of the Doctor and his companions to assassinate leading Time Lords, and further duplicates to take over the Earth. The action is split between the space station and abandoned London riverside warehouses, and is notable for its grim tone and high body count. The duplicate police-assassins recall the Autons from the Jon Pertwee Spearhead from Space adventure (1970) and proved controversial on original broadcast. Also notable is that although the show was designed as a four-part adventure, it was televised in two double-length episodes.
This edition presents the story in the original four parts. Meanwhile there are more than the usual number of name guest stars, including Rodney Bewes, Rula Lenska, and Lesley Grantham. The tale also marks Janet Fielding's final appearance as Tegan. In every respect this is a key adventure in the history of Doctor Who, even if the tense, incident-packed story is ultimately weighed down by too many elements to resolve them all satisfactorily. --Gary S. Dalkin
