Ranking the Davros Stories

Guest contributor Will Atkinson counts down his list, then cast your vote.

Davros, creator of the Daleks and the Dark Lord of Skaro has returned! And what a return – or resurrection – it is, seeping malevolence and with the revelation of his remembrance of the Doctor’s part in his destiny from the time of his genesis to his journey’s end! Therefore, for those less versed in the history of the Doctor’s arch enemy – sorry, Missy – I am compelled to craft a list, ranking his stories from best to worst. I mean, it’s not like I do this thing often…

7. Destiny of the Daleks

Now, time for a confession. I rather like Destiny of the Daleks. I think it’s a brilliantly fun story, full of many witty lines, classic moments and a great pairing of Doctor and companion in the form of the Fourth Doctor and Romana II. But, bowing to fan wisdom, I must concede it is not a standard story for our most revered mad scientist. Here, for the first and only time, Davros is played by David Gooderson, and his performance is a tad underwhelming. It is not bad per se; just that it lacks anything new, and pales in comparison to the excellence of Michael Wisher. That is a pity, because there’s plenty here to love, from the Movellans who die via the medium of naff disco-dancing to Romana’s regeneration, which is a glorious middle finger to established Who tradition. So, it’s a shame for me to put this last-though I thoroughly recommend a watch if you haven’t seen it already.

6. Resurrection of the Daleks

Resurrection of the Daleks typifies the worst excesses of 80’s Doctor Who, as it revels in needless continuity and mindless violence. In fact, it has the highest on screen body count of any Doctor Who story, with over 70 people meeting their demise, and it is sometimes worrying to notice the episodes’ callousness. However, there is still a lot to like here, with the Daleks’ and their replicants being utilised quite well. The stand out element of this story is the first appearance of Terry Molloy as Davros. Molloy is Davros, and his interpretation of the character is both insane and skin-crawlingly chilling as well. Couple this with a serious moral dilemma for the Doctor, and you have some solid, and at times great, Doctor Who.

5. The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End

I may get some flak for this, but I’m not as huge a fan of this story as many others are. This is a story that gives people what they want- a Dalek Invasion of Earth! lots of companions! two Doctors! a regeneration! – but doesn’t really devote enough time to any of them. It’s bursting with ideas, and it’s certainly a lot of fun, but it’s also very muddled and ends with a whopping anti-climax, including that some tawdry “power of friendship” scenes that might have seemed wonderful on first view but grate 7 years later. Also, and most importantly for this list, it doesn’t quite get Davros right. I know this is a matter of opinion, but from the moment that he said “Doctor” instead of “DOC-TOR!” I was aware there was something a bit off with him. Bleach’s performance is certainly good, but when Graeme Harper, the director, revealed later that they had almost used Terry Molloy, I was left with the nagging sense of what-could-have-been. A shame, because there is an awful lot here to like. But for all the spectacle, the point must be made that the whole is less than the sum of its parts.

4. Revelation of the Daleks

To be honest, I had serious problems choosing between this and Remembrance for the position as third best, and for a while this actually was in that story’s place. However, one cup of tea and a redraft later and I’ve shuffled it down one, but I’m still wary. Why? Because they are both great, and because this does contain one of Davros’s finest moments ever, where he discusses his re-purposing of human corpses with the Doctor. I remember listening to just the audio of this scene as a kid on my Dalek Conquests CD, and the combination of Molloy’s voice and Colin Baker’s aghastness chilled me to the core. The rest of the story is just as good, mixing a welcome sense of the macabre with some frenetic direction and an eclectic mix of excellent performances. Therefore, rest assured-this story is very, very highly recommended, and apologise for letting my personal fondness for Remembrance forcing this story down a place.

3. Remembrance of the Daleks

Remembrance of the Daleks is one of the Doctor Who stories I would take to a desert island, and that’s for one reason – it’s brilliant! It signified a sea-change in Doctor Who as the program wiped away the memories of Sylvester McCoy’s disastrous first season and displays a program with a renewed confidence and the ability to look, well, fantastic. The writing is so nuanced, so powerful that there is a serious case to be made for anointing this as the best Doctor Who story ever. Davros also benefits from being used sparingly, and when he does make his full appearance it is in one of Doctor Who’s greatest ever scenes. Unlimited rice pudding, anyone?

2. The Magician’s Apprentice / The Witch’s Familiar

If Davros synthesised pure evil to create the Daleks, then Steven Moffat synthesised pure Doctor Who to craft these two episodes. Despite their freshness, they have already cemented themselves as an example of Doctor Who at its very best, mixing in some of the greatest fan pleasing moments since the show returned along with some of its greatest performances. The latter episode especially is a great example of how nuanced and dark Doctor Who can be. This is certainly a long, long way from Rose back in 2005. To Julian Bleach’s credit, Davros also shines in this story and his long sections of duologue with the Doctor are truly scintillating. Therefore, credit to Mr Moffat – he’s created almost perfect Doctor Who…

…But it’s not quite perfect. I’m know sure Doctor Who can ever truly be perfect, but there are some who’d disagree with me. And to back up their claims, they’d use the number one story on this list…

1. Genesis of the Daleks

When Genesis of the Daleks was released on DVD the case it came in bore a sticker which said that the story was the number one Doctor Who story ever, and nobody really bothered to argue. Though I have many personal favourites, Genesis of the Daleks could probably knock them all into a cocked hat. It is Doctor Who at its darkest, its most violent and yet also at its most powerful and, at times, irreverent. It starts with a slaughter and by its end demonstrates again and again why Doctor Who has lasted so long, as it has a capacity to both terrify, horrify and exhilarate viewers at once. As Top Gear used to say about Alfa Romeos and being a petrol head, you cannot be a true Doctor Who fan without watching Genesis of the Daleks.

And I haven’t even gotten on to Davros yet.

Michael Wisher makes the character his own, a twisted madmen who’s very voice lodged itself in the mind of a generation. His conversations with the Doctor are the stuff of legend, and me and my Dad constantly quote his “Yes, I would do it!”- and subsequent hand gesture – at each other more times that is probably healthy, much to my mother’s chagrin. There are not many Doctor Who moments that are more powerful than that, yet Genesis finds the time to include one in the form of the “Do I have the right?” moment of the Doctor’s, a scene so memorable and important that it is pretty much the basis for most of The Magician’s Apprentice and The Witch’s Familiar.

Which neatly brings us back to where we started, and though I early expressed some disdain for Julian Bleach’s performance, some of his work in last Saturday’s episode has certainly started to win me round and I’d love to see more of him.

I mean, Genesis of the Daleks can’t stay Number One forever…

Have Your Say

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