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Remembrance of the Daleks


London 1963. The first Doctor is forced to leave Earth, after two teachers from his granddaughter's school discover the TARDIS, disguised as a police box, sitting in a junkyard.
London 1963. The seventh Doctor returns - with new companion Ace in tow and some unfinished business.
Not for the first time, unusual events are unfolding at Coal Hill School and at Totters Lane junkyard. The Doctor discovers that his oldest foes - the Daleks - are on the trail of hidden Time Lord technology. Technology that he himself left behind on Earth all those years ago. The Daleks are planning to perfect their own time-travel capability, in order to unleash themselves across all of time and space. Can the Doctor - with the help of the local military - stop the Daleks stealing the Gallifreyan secrets? Or are things much more complicated?
Two opposing Dalek factions meet in an explosive confrontation, with the fate of the entire Universe at stake...

-- from the DVD release, 2001

The first seventh Doctor adventure to be released on DVD was the his classic encounter with the Daleks.

Episode timings on DVD: 24'35", 24'35", 24'30", 24'33"
Episode timings on PasC: 24'33", 24'31", 24'30", 24'36"

 

VHS releases



06/09/1993: UK - BBC Enterprises, Ltd - BBCV5007 [distributed in Aus/NZ by PolyGram, deleted 7/1/1998]
??/??/1993: US - CBS/Fox - 4795 [renumbered in 2000 by WHV to E1145]

'The Daleks' was the first of 2 Doctor Who tins released during the 30th anniversary year, the BBC cashing in on the universal appeal of the Daleks by releasing two stories - a supposedly classic Hartnell and the fairly-recent McCoy adventure Remembrance of the Daleks, effectively the earliest unreleased Dalek story and also the latest, giving a nice contrast of the development of the series.

The tin featured an embossed image from The Dalek Invasion of Earth, and on the base an image of a Dalek (several different runs were created - one for example features the Emporer Dalek with the legend "First appeared 1967" and another features Nyder and Davros from Genesis of the Daleks). Its release code was BBCV5005, with the videos inside BBCV5006 and BBCV5007 - they were made as tight-hugging cardboard covers that had a matching design to the current range of videos (designed by Alistair Pearson), but that sat nearly a centimetre shorter on the shelf. The American set 2 years later was far simpler, being just a double-sized cardboard case. The videos were never officially released in Australia, although then-distributors PolyGram did import a large number of the tins to sell there and in New Zealand.

The UK release also featured a book by Andrew Pixley (with an introduction by Michael McManus) on the history of the Daleks. The 46-page text was mainly built up of photos and synopses of the 15 TV Dalek stories, but also featured a commentary with Pixley's thoughts.

When Warner Home Video took over the US range in 2000 one of their first jobs was to run off a new batch of this box set - they unfortunately used the wrong master and a number of copies appeared in shops labelled correctly, but with the first Dalek serial on the tapes themselves.
 




18/09/2001: UK - BBC Worldwide, Ltd - BBCV7241
??/??/2002: Aus - Roadshow Entertainment - Cat# Unknown [not pictured]

The 2001 release was part of the WHSmith exclusive Davros boxset (BBCV7241), which also included Genesis, Destiny, Resurrection and Revelation of the Daleks. This set was limited to 10,000 copies and the videos were simply new runs of the existing VHS releases - except Remembrance, which was taken from the current PAL master at the time - with the corrected effects that would only appear on the NTSC DVDs, but the Billy J Kramer version of Do You Want To Know A Secret as on the PAL DVD, and also Genesis, which was taken from the cleaned up version prepared in 1999 for the BBC2 repeat. With the exception of Revelation (which already had a Black Sheep design), the covers were all created anew in the style of the current VHSs (but with a linking spine illustration), and the new Remembrance cover was used on the following year's US DVD release.

DVD releases



26/02/2001: UK - BBC Worldwide, Ltd - BBCDVD1040
13/05/2002: Aus/NZ - Roadshow Entertainment - B0005469
02/04/2002: US - Warner Home Video - E1138
02/07/2007: UK - 2|entertain - BBCDVD1040
27/07/2007: UK - 2|entertain/Amazon - Cat# Unknown
26/11/2008: UK - 2|entertain - Cat# Unknown

Cover art unknown for the UK (one of three ins this style, along with The Robots of Death and Spearhead from Space), Black Sheep for the US, based on the UK VHS rerelease cover above.

One early cover featured a slightly different different design (far left) and another featured a certificate slightly lower down than the finished version.

In early 2007, Amazon exclusively packaged together The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Genesis of the Daleks, Resurrection of the Daleks, Revelation of the Daleks and Remembrance of the Daleks into a box set - the contents and sleeve designs were as before, just with an added slipcase.

In Summer 2007, 2|entertain repackaged Spearhead from Space, Genesis of the Daleks, The Hand of Fear, Earthshock, The Five Doctors, Revelation of the Daleks, Remembrance of the Daleks and The 1996 Movie in new packaging, generally based on the existing art inside a circle motif - these were, however, just cardboard slipcases over the existing releases, and at a lower price-point.

For Christmas 2008, 2|entertain released The Davros Collection. This packaged together the existing discs for Genesis of the Daleks, Resurrection of the Daleks, Revelation of the Daleks along with an enhanced Remembrance of the Daleks, the simultaneously-released Destiny of the Daleks and a new disc featuring the documentary Davros Connections, plus an eighth disc containing the Big Finish Davros audios along with a new production The Davros Mission.
 

Extended and Deleted Scenes (10'25")
Taken from the shows existing 71 edits, the following clips (note that these descriptions were intended to feature on the disc itself, introducing the scenes, but miscommunication between the Restoration Team and the authoring house meant that this did not happen):
 
LENGTH
DESCRIPTION
1'01"
Various scenes included in the original edit of the programme were subsequently trimmed or removed completely before transmission, usually to bring the episode to the correct length. The following example includes an extension to the scene where Rachel and Allison discuss the Doctor’s origins and leads into a deleted shot of the Doctor and Ace arriving at Coal Hill School. The Headmaster’s name on the bottom of the school sign is ‘H. Parson’, a production nod to the story’s videotape editor, Hugh Parson.
2'32"
One of Sylvester McCoy’s favourite scenes from this story is the Doctor’s night-time visit to the cafe, in which he reflects on what he is about to do. Originally much longer than it appeared in the transmitted version, the scene is presented here in its complete form.
1'10"
In the original edit of episode two, the voice of the Headmaster’s Dalek controller is heard issuing instructions via the implant behind his ear. The control voice was subsequently removed for transmission, possibly because it had been established at the end of episode one that the Doctor and Ace could not hear the instructions being given when they were talking to him inside the school. The following scene, in which the Headmaster confronts Mike in the graveyard, is presented as it would have appeared if the control voice had been retained.
1'01"
In the transmitted version, the scene in which the Doctor orders Ace to remain behind in the guest house ends with a certain amount of tension between them. As originally scripted however, Ace defuses the tension before the Doctor leaves, giving an altogether different feel to the scene.
0'25"
The following deleted shot, featuring Mike, Rachel and Allison discussing Ace’s origins, was intended to further underline Mike’s xenophobic sympathies.
0'30"
In a deleted scene extension that owes more than a little to the Jon Pertwee era, the construction of the Doctor’s anti-Dalek device doesn’t go entirely as planned...
0'27"
Following the defeat of the Dalek force inside the school, the earlier version of the episode went on to show the Doctor curing Ace’s injured leg, apparently by magic...
0'29"
Several sequences in episode three were re-edited and re-ordered in the final version. Ratcliffe’s discovery of the Hand of Omega in the graveyard was originally quite different and leads into an external view of the Dalek mothership and then to the impressive tracking shot around its bridge.
0'39"
A deleted scene of the little girl leaving Ratcliffe’s Dalek-filled yard leads into an accomplished video effects sequence showing the Imperial Dalek forces loading the Special Weapons Dalek and the Hand of Omega into the shuttlecraft in preparation for its return to the mothership. Only the latter part of this sequence was used in the final version.
0'30"
The original version of episode four shows the Doctor wiring an old stills camera into a bunch of optical fibres to fashion a makeshift video link to the Imperial Dalek mothership.
0'17"
Almost immediately following from the previous deleted shot is another of the Doctor positioning himself in front of the camera and getting ready to initiate contact with the mothership.
0'28"
In the story’s most famous and celebrated deleted shot, the Doctor hints at a much deeper involvement in the history of the Time Lords than had previously been imagined. Although removed from this story, the theme would resurface dramatically throughout most of the following season’s stories, showing a darker Doctor who was “much more than just another Time Lord”.
0'22"
Nearing the end of the story, the Black Dalek remains trapped on Earth and the Doctor arrives to finish what he started...

For the 2007 release, Sophie Aldred and Sylvester McCoy provided links summarising the above, extending the length to 12'26" (Compilation (C) 2|entertain 2007)
 
BBC One Trailer - Episode One
BBC One Trailer - Episode Two
(Note that for the re-release these were combined into a single feature entitled Trails and Continuity, with added extras).

Commentary
By Sophie Aldred and Sylvester McCoy, recorded July 2000.

Isolated Music
Created by Mark Ayres from Keff McCulloch's master MiniDiscs, the option to watch the story without production sound. This includes a couple of unused cues.
 
Alternative Angles
Two sequences (Ace's battle in the chemistry lab and the gate explosion at Ratcliffe's yard) intended to be presented as a multi-angle feature, allowing the watcher to hop on-the-fly between two different cameras on set and also the final cut. DVD regulations at the time, however, specified that multi-angle features could only be included as part of the main programme on the disc. These six sequences, therefore, were presented on the disc in a separate sub menu although this was rectified for the 2007 release (1'03" 19/12, 0'52", 0'55", 0'47", 0'45" 19/12, 0'47")
Out-takes Compilation (4'07")
A compilation of 12 out-takes from the original studio and location tapes.
The 2007 version added the following credits, taking the length to 4'13"
Thanks to Matthew J Pereira, Richard Molesworth
Compilation (C) 2|entertain 2007

Information Text
By Richard Molesworth.

Photo Gallery (8'36")
The original release contained 67 colour photos, the rerelease 125.
Thanks to Derek Handley, BBC Photograph Library
(C) 2007 2|entertain
(credits and duration from 2007 release only - the 2001 release featuring a navigation system rather than an autoplaying slideshow)
 
Back to School (32'40") [2007 edition only]
Sylvester McCoy explains his approach to the Daleks, Paul Lang and Andrew Cartmel put us in a historical context, Sophie Aldred express her enthusiasm, Ben Aaronovitch does too and Andrew Morgan gives us his thoughts on Time and the Rani and Remembrance of the Daleks.
Aaronovitch, Cartmel and Lang on Terry Nation's agent.
Aaronovitch, Moray Laing and Cartmel discuss the reasons the Doctor was made more powerful.
Laing and Cartmel explain why the November 1963 setting.
Aaronovitch on his experience and Cartmel on JN-T.
Morgan, Aldred, Karen Gledhill and Simon Williams on the directing style. Gledhill, Morgan and Aldred on Williams, and Laing on the uncast.
Williams, McCoy on George Sewell and Gledhill on Dursley McLinden. Morgan on Michael Sheard.
Williams, Gledhill, Morgan on the experience of location shooting - Aaronovitch and Cartmel share an anecdote, and Morgan and Aldred talks about Tip Tipping and stunts.
Williams talks about his gun and McCoy explains the use of the name Chunky Gilmore.
Laing and Morgan discuss the special effects, while Aldred talks about the all-terrain Daleks.
Morgan, Aaronovitch and McCoy remember the bomb squad being called out.
Gledhill talks about shooting in a school and the memories it brought back, but Sophie recalls smashing up a Dalek more. Gledhill also shares her destructive memories.
McCoy, Aldred, Aaronovitch and Morgan talk through the creation of the shuttle landing.
McCoy and Morgan on the levetating Dalek. McCoy and Aldred on why Ace blew up a Dalek.
Cartmell recalls watching Remembrance with the head of Drama, and McCoy the "No Coloureds" sign.
Final thoughts from McCoy, Morgan and Aldred.
Featuring Ben Aaronovitch, Sophie Aldred, Andrew Cartmel, Karen Gledhill, Sylvester McCoy, Andrew Morgan, Simon Williams with Paul Lang, Moray Laing.
Camera: George Williams
Colourist: Jonathan Wood
Assistant Producer: Richard Molesworth
With thanks to Derek Handley, Ralph Montagu, Matthew J Pereira, Dave Woodward
Executive Producers: Dan Hall, Steve Roberts
Produced and Directed by Steve Broster
(C) 2007 2|entertain
 
Remembrances (15'16") [2007 edition only]
Andrew Cartmel, Sylvester McCoy, Karen Gledhill, Ben Aaronovitch and Sophie Aldred on their earliest Dalek memories.
Aaronovitch recalls meeting JN-T for the first time, and he and Cartmel on the decision to use 1963 as a setting. Paul Lang and Moray Laing remind us of the various links to the beginning. Aldred admits she was making a conscious effort at one point to emulate Susan.
Discussion of links to Planet of the Daleks and The Dalek Invasion of Earth.
Cartmel and Aaronovitch on Dalek colours.
McCoy and Aaronovitch on the famous meta-reference and on the Quatermass reference. Cartmel talks about the similarities between Gilmore and Lethbridge-Stewart and also his frustration at the public perception that Daleks can't climb stairs.
Laing wonders if Remembrance started the Time War.
Camera: George Williams
Colourist: Jonathan Wood
With Thanks to Steven Bagley
Assistant Producer: Richard Molesworth
Executive Producer: Dan Hall
Producer: Steve Broster
(C) 2007 2|entertain
 
 
Radio Times Listings
PDF feature on 2007 release only.

Restoration Notes

The Restoration Team had access to the original location tapes, and timecoded VHS dubs of the studio footage (hence the difference in quality during the out-takes collection).  The episodes were remastered for disc in June 2000, with at least 30 dropouts corrected for each episode.  In the broadcast edit of part three, Sophie Aldred's caption could be seen breaking through the visuals during the opening scene as they prepared it for the end credits. This was noticed during the commentary recording and the sequence was dropped in from the 71 edit, which featured no such error.  Many other shots were dropped in from the 71 edit simply in order to improve picture quality, an exercise that was dropped shortly into Part Two as the team realised the increase in quality would be negligible. Unfortunately the 71 edits included incomplete visual effects in some places, leading to a DVD with incomplete effects. Missing are the ray that hits the soldier in Part One at 10:02, throwing him against the wall (although his overlayed skeleton is still visible), another ray at 12:52 (although the sound can be heard) and some smoke overlay rising from the Dalek killed around 4 minutes into Part Two. This problem was corrected on the master tape following the release of the disc and discovery of the error.

AAlthough there had been no problem with the VHS release of this story, music clearance issues forced two tracks to be removed (by using the sound from the 71 edit) for the first DVD release and replaced. Do You Want To Know A Secret by The Beatles in Part One is replaced with a version by Billy J Kramer and The Dakotas. A Taste Of Honey by the same band in Part Three is replaced with some generic Mersey Beat music. Following the disc's pressing, it was found that the Billy J Kramer track, while clearable in the UK was not clearable worldwide. BBC Worldwide Americas and Roadshow Video agreed to finance a repressing for the American and Australian releases respectively, with both the missing visuals corrected and the music replaced with a third piece. At the last minute, however, Roadshow pulled out and used the American master instead, creating an NTSC region 4 DVD, hence the addition of an "NTSC" banner on the top-right of the sleeve.

In 2007 the disc was completely reauthored, not only enabling a better quality transfer, but also to enable the UK version to have the original music tracks intact.

Classifications

27/08/1993 - Passed as 'PG' (for 'Low Level Violence') by the OFLC for Aus/NZ
19/12/2000 - Chemistry lab alternate sequences and Gate explosion alternate two passed as 'PG' and 'U' respectively by the BBFC for the UK. Also passed were the third, fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth deleted scenes as a 'U' (the third, featuring the Headmaster's death, was given a 'PG')  for the UK
03/01/2001 - Gate explosion alternate one, all remaining deleted scenes and the out-takes passed as 'U' by the BBFC (0'46", 1'02", 2'34", 0'30", 0'30", 0'40", 0'17", 0'29", 0'22", 4'07"). The menus were classified 'PG' for the UK.
12/11/2001 - Passed as 'PG' (for 'Low Level Violence) by the OFLC for Aus/NZ
10/08/2007 - Special Edition bonuses passed as 'U', and episodes repassed as 'PG', by the BBFC for the UK - an ultimately unused easter egg was passed at this stage.