William Hartnell faces the deadly pepperpots at their most cunning in this newly rediscovered gem from the 1960s
W
ith the unexpected return of two William Hartnell episodes to the BBC archive, Whovians can now, for the first time since 1965, enjoy the first quarter of the 12-part adventure The Daleks’ Master Plan.
The surviving five episodes are now on iPlayer, and the first three make for a stirring introduction to the adventure, with large impressive sets for the Earth control centre and the Dalek ship, contrasting with the dense forbidding foliage of the planet Kembel. Frequent tight closeup shots from director Douglas Camfield on the faces of the cast add to a claustrophobic feel in the jungle sequences.
At the time, of course, Hartnell was not to know that within a year he would be “renewed” as the lead of the show by Patrick Troughton. Hartnell’s health problems, reputation for being difficult on set and frequent flubbing of lines during a production schedule that allowed little leeway for second takes has tainted his tenure in the role.
