Now that we’re discussing Dalek in the TV Club, I thought it fitting to discuss our favorite Dalek stories!
My favorite is Stolen Earth/Journey’s End. It’s the real threat they pose that I love. The scene with the paintball gun, Sarah Jane and Jack’s reactions, and of course the cliffhanger! Plus I love me some Davros. The music is epic and hype throughout. One of my all time favorites!!
Now, I would’ve created a poll of TV stories, but I thought it’d be interesting to expand it cross-media. Also, I find “best” and “favorite” to be slightly different. You may use them synonymously, but some like stories that they don’t find “the best” but are their favorites. Paradise Towers is like that for me! I love it (but it isn’t a Dalek story haha)
So I ask: what is your favorite Dalek story?
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Patient Zero is probably my favorite with The Apocalypse Element a close second.
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gotta love Jubilee… and the Magician’s Apprentice, although it’s not my favorite dalek story so much as a story i really love that happens to also have daleks in it
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The Dalek Invasion of Earth is probably mine. Other strong contenders are The Daleks’ Master Plan, The Power of the Daleks, Resurrection of the Daleks, and Remembrance of the Daleks.
I also really like The Daleks, Planet of the Daleks, Genesis of the Daleks, Dalek, Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways, Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks, and Eve of the Daleks.
I agree that the Daleks are used well in The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End, and that it’s probably one of their best uses in the revival, but I don’t really like that story much in general, so it doesn’t stand out to me as much.
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I think Bad Wolf/ Parting of the Ways is really good, though now I think about it, it is the first one I saw. Feels like revisiting elements of Revelation of the Daleks and doing them better
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I definitely prefer the “darker” Dalek stories over the stories where the Daleks are made light of (like The Chase, when the Bad Wolf obliterates them in a flash or when the DoctorDonna plays around with them).
Power, Evil, Revelation and Remembrance of the Daleks from the Classic era are the Dalek stories for me.
From the modern era I think my favourites would be Eve of the Daleks, The Magician’s Apprentice/The Witch’s Familiar and Resolution (a decent “possessed voice” for once to wash Chloe Webber and Androvax-possessed Sarah Jane out of my ears👍)
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I think Dalek is probably the best to me, for reasons that I’ve already discussed in TV club but that basically boil down to the fact that it’s one of the few times that I actually feel like Daleks are a real threat, and it’s such a pivotal moment in 9 and Rose’s arc. Plus the way that Eccleston plays off the Dalek is incredible.
My favorite though, just barely beating it, is Eve of the Daleks. The actual Daleks aren’t doing anything particularly interesting (though I do like the design of the executioner Daleks), but I’m just such a big fan of the time loop and the mini rom com and of course all the Thasmin stuff. Top 5 episode for me.
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I like Dalek as much as the next guy but I will die on the hill that Jubilee is better. Robert Shearman is by far my favourite writer in Doctor Who and he wrote my favourite interpretation of the Daleks here: viscous and cunning but almost sad in the pure futility of a race that only lives to receive orders. It’s got all that classic Shearman black comedy Dalek is missing and the parallel Britain is an inspired setting.
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My most favourite is probably also Dalek, but given I know it won’t get a mention otherwise, also want to throw out that I really liked Masters of War
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I’m usually not a fan of Dalek stories, especially on audio where I find their voices grate on me. I still have favourites, though—I absolutely loved Dalek Soul!
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I have a problem in that the Daleks are one of my least favourite aspects of Doctor Who - especially on audio, where I find scenes of them together a difficult thing to focus on.
I would say Power of the Daleks is one I’ve always enjoyed as I think Whitaker writes for the Daleks better than Nation does. Evil is good too.
I have a fondness for Death to the Daleks because it was one of the first VHSes I owned and that incidental music is so evocative for me.
The Chase is barmy.
Remembrance is probably close to being my favourite but that’s because it was around the time I was becoming far more aware of how much I loved the show.
On audio, it would have to be Jubilee and The Monster of Montmatre.
Oh and in the comics, Children of the Revolution was excellent.
Book wise, Prisoner of the Daleks is superb:
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Oh also Anti-Genesis is also super fun for dalek audios
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Ooh no, I didn’t like that one at all (but then I’m not a Genesis of the Daleks fan).
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I think Jonathan Morris made something truly spectacular here.
Also gets brownie points for being a rare instance of a Doctor Who story taking place in my neck of the woods.
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‘Dalek Soul’ is an interesting one.
Cause that story is utterly wonderful in every way.
Unfortunately, it’s bundled in with a sub-par Stephen Cole episode too.
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Top of my list is generally Remembrance of the Daleks. I did really like Dalek, and Power of the Daleks quickly became a favorite after it was animated. I think the Dalek Invasion of Earth is really good too.
And while I’m not ranking it at the top, I do like Genesis of the Daleks. It’s my favorite appearance of Davros, I like the nazi metaphors we have going on, Davros gives a villain speech I love, we have the whole “do I have the right” scene, and it generally has a lot going for it. It also has running back and forth in a corridor with clam monsters, filler, and other things detracting from it.
I actually enjoyed the original Daleks story a fair amount, too, though it is definitely too long. Haven’t watched the color version, or I might be retracting my love of it… 
I need to give Jubilee another shot sometime. I tried to listen to it, got lost about what was going on, and decided I’d listen to it some other time…
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I’m not a huge fan of Daleks tbh, like they’re fine but I really need a Dalek story to try and do something with them these days because the universe is so oversaturated with generic Dalek stories.
That said, Remembrance of the Daleks is one of the greatest DW stories of all time forever and there’s no room for any other Dalek stories in my heart <333
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For me, I much prefer Cybermen as villains to Daleks. That said, if we’re talking best TV Dalek stories: Power is one of my favorite stories ever, Remembrance, Dalek, Stolen Earth/Journey’s End, and Eve of the Daleks rank up there for me. In audio though… Jubilee takes the cake, Dalek Soul, Patient Zero, The Curse of Davros, Emancipation of the Daleks, the entirety of Dalek Universe, Daughter of the Gods, The Dalek Occupation of Winter, and Order of the Daleks are all quite good.
I think the cybermen done well are better than the daleks done well, but a mediocre dalek story is better than a mediocre cyberman story, and daleks are easier to do well
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You see I would always rate the Cybermen over the Daleks but I actually agree with you - I find stories like The Tenth Planet and The Invasion actually rather boring. The 80s Cybermen stories are better when, ironically, they give the Cybers a bit of character.
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