10 Doctor Who Episodes Where Everybody Dies

1. Resurrection Of The Daleks

The Caves Of Androzani Fifth Doctor Peri
BBC

1984's Resurrection of the Daleks usually tops lists of Doctor Who episodes with the highest body count. Another Fifth Doctor massacre, this is regarded as Doctor Who's most violent and over-the-top episode to date.

Within the first minute of the episode, seven rebel soldiers are gunned down by Dalek agents disguised as policemen. Within another ten minutes, it's another ten - exterminated whilst they try to protect a prison station holding Dalek creator Davros. With Daleks and Dalek hat-wearing mercenaries storming the base, the killing doesn't ever show signs of slowing.

When the Doctor, Tegan, and Turlough are dragged into the conflict, they do little to help the situation - with the Doctor even threatening to kill Davros at one point to stop the assault. Having been imprisoned for ninety years, the Daleks finally want their creator back to help rebuild their army and find a cure for a deadly virus they've been inflicted with.

Also adding to the gratuitous murder spree are the fake policemen gunning down metal detectorists, a professor being shot in the back by a firing squad as she runs away, deadly Dalek duplicates of the Doctor primed to assassinate the President of Gallifrey, and Davros double-crossing his own creations. During this mess, the Doctor manages to shoot some Daleks too.

Deciding to build a Dalek army loyal to him, rather than these tainted 'renegades', Davros releases the Movellan virus on the station and tries to escape with his 'Imperials'. A battle between the two factions ensues until they all exterminate each other. In the climactic moments of the fight, the station self-destructs, taking the Daleks' ships with it.

Sick of all of the killing, Tegan decides not to travel in the TARDIS again and abandons the Doctor and Turlough. Quite right.

Death Toll: 70 plus on-screen, the prison station and everyone on board, the Dalek ship, and Tegan's appetite for travel.

Watch Next


In this post: 
Doctor Who
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Eden Luke McIntyre is a Scottish writer, editor and script consultant, with an MA in TV Fiction Writing. He writes content for TV, radio, stage, and online, and was appointed as a BBC Writers Room Scottish Voice in early 2020. Eden can usually be found rambling about Doctor Who, The Beatles, and obscure things that no one cares about.