008 The Daleks Part 4: The Ambush

EPISODE: The Daleks Part 4: The Ambush
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 008
STORY NUMBER: 002
TRANSMITTED: 11 January 1964
WRITER: Terry Nation
DIRECTOR: Christopher Barry
SCRIPT EDITOR: David Whitaker
PRODUCER: Verity Lambert
FORMAT: DVD - The Beginning Boxset


The Tardis crew make their escape with Ian first operating and then trapped in a Dalek casing. Another variant Dalek appears here with a flame cutting device replacing the sucker arm. However the Thals are entering the city,lured by a note the Daleks made Susan write.

"Make no attempt to capture them. They are to be Exterminated!"

Yup, the first appearance of the Daleks catch phrase. The Thals are lured into an ambush where the Thal leader exterminated, the very first Dalek victim. Another first later in the episode: as the Thals relate the history of their war they name their planet as Skaro.

The Doctor wants to leave as soon as possible but they discover the Fluid Link, the component the Doctor removed from the Tardis, has been left in the city. They must go back for it if they want to escape.

A key part of the Daleks is the voice, easily imitated in the playground. The Dalek voice artists in this story and several of their subsequent appearances are Peter Hawkins & David Graham, both of whom you'll have heard in many other places.

Peter Hawkins was the voice artist behind Bill & Ben and Captain Pugwash. He was the first voice of Zippy from Rainbow - this isn't the last time we'll be hearing from Rainbow, and indeed Zippy. He was one of the original Cyberman voices in The Tenth Planet. He provided the voice of Frankie Mouse in the original radio series of the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy.

David Graham is probably most famous for Thunderbirds where he provided the voices of Parker, Brains, Gordon Tracy, and Kyrano. He had voice roles in many other Gerry Anderson series. He has two on screen appearances in Doctor Who, most prominently as the scientist Kerensky in City of Death. My four year old son, however, knows him best as Grandpa Pig in Peppa Pig & The Wise Old Elf in Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom.