Doctor Who: Revelation of the Daleks (1985) - BFI Event Review

As Doctor Who’s twenty-second season drew to a close, the future of the series was uncertain. The show had been unceremoniously cancelled during the broadcast of The Two Doctors, before the BBC backtracked and decided that the show was “on hiatus”. The plans for Season 23 were swiftly abandoned as the show attempted to reinvent itself. Revelation of the Daleks marks the end of Doctor Who’s run of success, making it rather apt that it should be set in Tranquil Repose: a place where the rich and wealthy of the universe go to rest in suspended animation, until such a time as they can be cured from whatever disease or illness is about to kill them.

Naturally, Tranquil Repose is all part of a cunning ploy by the Cybermen- I mean, the Daleks. Davros has taken over the planet as its “Great Healer” and uses the bodies of the nearly deceased to create a new army of Daleks. The Doctor and Peri arrive to discover that a trap has already been laid, and that Davros has become the target of not only an assassin from the Grand Order of Oberon, but also the original Skaro Daleks. One thing is for certain: not everyone will make it out alive…

…and when it’s an Eric Sward script, that is a certainty. Saward has a propensity for murdering large swathes of the guest cast in his Doctor Who teleplays, as well as killing off companion Adric in his most acclaimed serial Earthshock. Revelation may not be as punchy as Earthshock, but Saward’s script is filled with interesting ideas and a particularly dark sense of humour, which helps to offset the rather bleak and dour atmosphere. Ironically, perhaps the greatest missed opportunity of Revelation of the Daleks is the reveal of the Daleks – one simply trundles into a scene without any kind of fanfare or build-up. Quite why no one involved in the production thought to give the iconic pepper pots a more exciting introduction in their supposed Revelation I have no idea, although I guess when the clue is in the name, there’s little point in beating about the bush.

Graeme Harper returns to direct for the series after his astonishing debut with The Caves of Androzani last season, and while it does feel as though he’s more restricted within the confines of the studio, he composes some brilliant shots, and does wonders with the film material. Through a combination of well-chosen locations and aptly timed snow, Necros as a planet looks wonderfully eerie. The wintery atmosphere really aids the funereal atmosphere, while the sets are generally excellent. The lighting is a little inconsistent, as can often be said with 80’s Doctor Who: sometimes it's incredibly atmospheric, and sometimes scenes are quite over-lit – take Davros’ sinister lair, for example. At least it’s nowhere near as bad as Warriors of the Deep. Androzani composer Roger Limb also returns to the series with a dark and atmospheric electronic score.

Colin Baker is, as ever, on fine form as the Doctor, and in Revelation is given some of his best material. His brash character has settled somewhat, as has his slightly tempestuous relationship with Nicola Bryant’s Peri; the bickering between the two now feels a little more friendly. It’s slightly disappointing that Baker doesn’t get more screen-time with Terry Molloy’s Davros – at long last a villain evil enough to justify the Doctor’s acceptance of violence. Bryant too is given some nice moments, particularly her scenes with Alexei Sayle’s DJ. Of course, Molloy is brilliant as Davros, delivering some hilarious one-liners in an impeccably sinister tone; it’s his finest performance in the TV series.

Revelation of the Daleks may not be for everyone, with its oppressive tone, excessive violence, and bleak sense of humour, but it’s one of the best serials in Colin Baker’s truncated run as the Sixth Doctor, if not the best. Aspects of the story may not make a huge amount of sense, the Doctor and Peri may not contribute as much to the narrative as one may expect, but it’s so wonderfully atmospheric I can forgive most of its faults.

It was a pleasure to be able to watch this story on the big screen at the BFI Southbank on Saturday 5th March 2022. The new HD remaster looks very good, despite its limitations (I believe that none of the 16mm location film elements were available), and the 5.1 surround sound mix courtesy of Mark Ayres makes for a more immersive viewing experience. I was slightly disappointed that we didn’t see either the version with updated special effects (minor changes, but ones that improve the look of the story) or the extended version new to the upcoming Season 22 Blu-ray release, but I’ll certainly be watching those as soon as the set arrives at my doorstep. The Q&A at the end of the screening featured Colin Baker (the Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri) and Colin Spaull (Lilt) – unfortunately without director Graeme Harper, who had other commitments – and was very entertaining and informative, if a little shorter than expected. Composer Roger Limb also discussed his work with the Radiophonic Workshop in a Q&A between Parts One and Two.

We also saw some previews of the extras on the upcoming Season 22 Collection set, including the Behind the Sofa on Timelash. Needless to say, there was much mickey-taking of Paul Darrow’s ridiculously hammy performance. Another highlight as the preview of Location, Location, Location, with Baker, Bryant and Harper revisiting the locations from Revelation of the Daleks. It looks to be a very warm and lovely film from Chris Chapman, who also discussed his work on the special features as part of his own Q&A.

It's always nice to attend these BFI events as a Doctor Who fan, and to watch these stories remastered and on the big screen. There was lots of laughter to be had with the various gags throughout Revelation of the Daleks, and a keen interest in the accompanying Q&A segments. Perhaps the only part when anyone started to check their watch was during the rather overlong advertisement for Cutaway Comics’ Doctor Who spin-offs at the start of the event. A humour anecdote about a Brian Blessed commentary on Mindwarp was quickly undercut by a mention that the funniest moment wasn’t even available to listen to on Cutaway Comics’ CD. Regardless, it was a pleasant event, and a welcome opportunity to revisit such a great Doctor Who story.

Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 22 [Limited Edition] is available to pre-order now.