Doctor Who (TV Series) The Expedition (1964) User Reviews

A cunning plan is hatched, another excellent continuation.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 10 September 2015]

The realisation that the fluid link is still down in the Dalek City forces Ian to convince the Thaals to help them recover it.

I really liked the scene of the Dalek being given the anti radiation medication and going out of control, very imaginatively done.

Some great moments again, the discussion about the river containing all manner of nasties, hideous mutations. They are very well realised too. There is so much going on in the episode.

The camera work is really good, and the model shots work really well. It's more imaginatively filmed then some of the other serials of the time. The lake and forest also look very good.

I like the direction the story has gone in, they barely escaped out of the Dalek City, and now they have to go back in. There are bound to be casualties. 8/10

The Expedition

[guswhovian · 7/10 · 6 May 2020]

The Doctor realizes the Daleks still have the fluid link. Ian persuades the Thals that they must fight back against the Daleks, and he accompanies Barbara and Ganatus (Philip Bond) on an expedition to infiltrate the city through the dangerous swamps.

"The Expedition" is where the story starts to fall apart. For one thing, the Daleks barely feature in the episode, while the Thals take the forefront. Philip Bond and John Lee aren't bad actors, but Marcus Hammond and Gerald Curtis are horrendous. The romance between Barbara and Ganatus is a nice touch by Terry Nation, though.

The Daleks Episode 5: Brilliant Sci-Fi Classic

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 10/10 · 29 June 2014]

Review of all 7 episodes -

This story is what really established Doctor Who in the public consciousness with the introduction of the fantastic and iconic metal cased monsters, the Daleks. Thank goodness they did this as it lead to 50 years and counting of TV magic!

The whole story is excellent and innovative. The acting and direction are good and the story and concepts throughout capture the imagination.

Whilst certain aspects of all the old Doctor Who episodes are dated these small issues are at an absolute minimum here. The only things such as Daleks using paper printouts and pen written letters are totally forgivable in what is still an impressive and impactful production. Things such as low ceilinged corridors, perfect for Daleks rather than designed for humans show thought and add believability that the impressive Dalek City was really built by Daleks for Daleks.

Overall the whole story is brilliant. Admittedly the Thals are not nearly as interesting as the Daleks and there are occasional flaws like the explanation of Thal/Dalek history in episode 4. Episode 6 is slightly less impressive than the rest but not so much as to drop below a very high standard. The more filler like episodes towards the end are in fact very exciting and still include a lot more character development than almost any modern day TV show.

A must see TV classic!

My Ratings: Episodes 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 - 10/10, Episode 4 - 9.5/10, Episode 6 - 9/10

Overall: 9.79/10