Things I've Learnt from Watching My Favourite Doctor Who Stories: Part 8 - Genesis of the Daleks

 8. Genesis of the Daleks

When crossing a wasteland, don't clam up! 

Here we go. Iconic, most-repeated classic story, greatest of all time, best villain, tea time brutality for tots, do I have the right, thank you that's what I wanted to know, you don't worry about your jumper if you've got a Dalek up your arse! We've got the novelisation, the LP, the cassette, the CD, the VHS, the DVD, the blu-ray, the Genesis Character Options set, the commemorative coasters... 

What can I say about Genesis of the Daleks that hasn't been said already. OK, here goes. I'll tell you the tale of how I met the Thal Politician. Be prepared for a Tale of Youth (copyright Si Hart!)

One of my presents for Christmas 1979 was the LP of Genesis, released after the Daleks spectacular return in Destiny of the Daleks. The album was treasured but as a child I was too scared to listen to Side 2 because of the noise of the Dalek guns, an echo of watching the story (my very first memory of the show!) back when I was two years old. It was probably the Christmas repeat and an aside I love the fact that after Mary Whitehouse complained about this story going out at 5.30pm, the BBC repeated it even earlier at 3pm!

One name on the cast list drew my Dad's attention. Thal Politician - Michael Lynch. That couldn't be the same Michael Lynch who he hired limousines from? I should explain my dad was a funeral director and hired limousines from an outside company owned by Mr Lynch. So I guess he did ask, because one day I came home from school, went upstairs to get changed and was called down to find a tall, thin-faced man standing in our kitchen smiling at me, who my Dad introduced me to as "the man on your record!"

He was very friendly and had I been older and wiser, I'd have bombarded him with questions about what Tom Baker was like or were the Daleks scary. Sadly I never had the chance again and as claims to fame go, it's a bit low down the list but it's not every day you have someone who appeared in Doctor Who standing in your kitchen. (Unless you're Georgia Tennant!)

So Genesis has to make the list, but not only for that but also because it is great. Over the years it's been usurped from the top of the polls by stories such as the Caves of Androzani, Day of the Doctor and most recently Heaven Sent. But great though those stories are, none can compare with Genesis for its pure Doctor Who-ness! If Genesis was a stick of rock, it would have Doctor Who all the way through it. It is distilled Doctor Who, especially to the general public with one of the most popular and iconic Doctors, most popular companion, monster and villain. There are scenes in quarries, lots of (very well designed!) corridors to run up and down, there's some magnificent cliffhangers - it is Doctor Who 101.

So it's sad that some assert it's overrated, those who point out the clams and not the peerless performance of Michael Wisher. We smile at the idea of him rehearsing with a paper bag over his head but by golly it worked. When I was a kid, he was terrifying, especially when he's ranting "Exterminate!" over the noise of the Dalek weapons and the screams of the rebels. Perhaps having heard it as many times as watched it, I'm more acutely aware of the sound effects, which their creator Dick Mills (one of the unsung heroes of Doctor Who) has clearly read the memo to make this more frightening. 

There's also the famous moral dilemma the Doctor faces when he holds the two wires and asks if he has the right to destroy the Daleks. The companion is always supposed to represent the audience and never more so here, as Sarah Jane is clearly echoing what the viewers would be shouting at the TV screen at home. Poor Ian Marter only gets to stand there and watch; perhaps it was watching that scene that made Philip Hinchcliffe think he was surplus to requirements?

Of course it's not perfect, we have the clams but if you're going to let that spoil your enjoyment then call clams direct. As an adult, I can turn a blind eye to the bit where Dennis Chinnery glances round as he's exterminated to see where he's going to fall. As a child his scream freaked me out! My blog is to excentuate the positive and this story is a magnificent piece of drama however you look at it. 

Thank goodness Terrance Dicks and Barry Letts told Terry Nation to go back and try again after he handed his original script and told him to write something more original. Letts is credited as the one who suggested the genesis of Nation's creations. I don't always rate Nation that highly as a writer and even though Robert Holmes had some input into this, we should give Nation due credit for the script, possibly his finest for the series. Yes you can still play Terry Nation bingo and get a good score (radiation, companion split up from the Doctor, the surprise appearance of a Dalek at the end of the first episode) but this is premium Doctor Who and should always be celebrated!

Next Time: You're never to old to cry at goodbyes...