Death to the Daleks
| 072 – Death to the Daleks | |||||
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| Doctor Who serial | |||||
The Exxilons destroy a Dalek.
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| Cast | |||||
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Others
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| Production | |||||
| Directed by | Michael E. Briant | ||||
| Written by | Terry Nation | ||||
| Script editor |
Terrance Dicks Robert Holmes (uncredited) |
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| Produced by | Barry Letts | ||||
| Executive producer(s) | none | ||||
| Incidental music composer | Carey Blyton | ||||
| Production code | XXX | ||||
| Series | Season 11 | ||||
| Length | 4 episodes, 25 minutes each | ||||
| Originally broadcast | 23 February – 16 March 1974 | ||||
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| Author | Terrance Dicks |
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| Cover artist | Roy Knipe |
| Series |
Doctor Who book: Target novelisations |
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Release number
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20 |
| Publisher | Target Books |
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Publication date
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20 July 1978 |
| ISBN | |
Death to the Daleks is the third serial of the 11th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 23 February to 16 March 1974. The narrative begins as the spaceship TARDIS suffers an energy drain and crash-lands on the planet Exxilon. The Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and his companion Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) are subsequently embroiled in a conflict between the Daleks and the human Marine Space Corp expedition, over the mineral "Parrinium" which can cure and give immunity from a deadly space plague. This was the last serial to have an episode wiped.
Travelling through space, the TARDIS suffers an energy drain and crash-lands on the planet Exxilon. The Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith venture outside to investigate the cause of the interference, and become separated. The Doctor is captured by the planet's inhabitants, the savage Exxilons, but he escapes. Sarah is attacked by one of the creatures in the TARDIS, and flees into the night, finding a huge white city with a flashing beacon.
When daylight arrives, the Doctor is found by a party of the Marine Space Corps; they take him to their ship, which has been stranded by a power drain. They are on an expedition to mine "Parrinium" - a mineral abundant only on Exxilon - which can cure and give immunity from a deadly space plague. The lives of at least 10 million people depend on the expedition's obtaining the Parrinium and leaving the planet within a month. They show the Doctor some photos they have taken of the nearby city - which the Exxilons worship, sacrificing anyone who ventures too close to it. Sarah does so, and is captured and taken to the Exxilons' caves to be sacrificed by their High Priest.
A ship containing four Daleks now arrives; both the Daleks' ship and their weapons have been rendered useless by the energy drain. The Daleks encounter the Doctor and attempt to exterminate him but their weapons do not work. The Daleks claim that several of their planetary colonies are suffering from plague; thus they need Parrinium for the same reason as the humans. The Daleks, the Doctor, and the humans form an uneasy alliance to obtain Parrinium and escape Exxilon. While the allies are making their way to the humans' mining dome, the Exxilons ambush them. A massive battle ensues and the Exxilons end up killing a human and a Dalek and capturing the others. The prisoners are taken to the Exxilon caves where the Doctor interrupts Sarah Jane's sacrifice; therefore, he is also condemned to death. When the dual sacrifice commences, a second party of Daleks, who have replaced their energy weapons with firearms, attack in force, killing a number of Exxilons. They force the Exxilons and humans to mine Parrinium. The Doctor and Sarah flee into underground tunnels. The other party of Daleks arrive and they discuss their actual plan to use Parrinium to create a plague and spread it across every planet except their own.
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