'The Evil of the Daleks'

THE EVIL OF THE DALEKS
7 episodes: 1 surviving

Another great shame, as this is reputed to be a very strong story. Intended to 'kill off' the Daleks for at least the immediate future, the story jumps from the present day to Victorian times, then makes a return to the Daleks' home planet Skaro in the future for the grand finale, where Dalek civil war breaks out and they are seemingly destroyed once and for all. Alas, all that is left is episode 2, where the Doctor and Jamie get transported to the nineteenth century and run into the Daleks, who are very well depicted, sounding extremely callous and cunning. They also meet the interesting supporting players Maxtible and Waterfield, who are experimenting with time travel - and, unusually, make a stab at establishing a plausible-sounding explanation to describe it. The latter's daughter Victoria becomes the latest addition to the TARDIS crew at the end of part 7; I'm beginning to realise now why I've never had much of a handle on many of these early companions, as not only did they change rapidly but much of their adventures are missing, and there were a Vicki and a Victoria in quick succession for heaven's sake!

7.5/10

Episodes watched: 95
Episodes still to watch: 627

Only three episodes today - have lost a lot of my spare time to the unusual activity of baking a cake, since my newly-engaged friends are returning home tomorrow and I thought it would be nice to welcome them back with a memento of the special occasion...!