10 Greatest Classic Doctor Who Stories

Genesis of the Daleks is a classic, but there's far too much running back and forth between the Kaled and Thal camps to make it the undisputed top of the pops when it comes to classic Doctor Who.

The standout moment is the Fourth Doctor and Sarah's discussion about whether to destroy the Daleks. It's hard to tell given the dystopian future setting of war-torn Skaro, but it's ultimately the same dilemma that faces the Doctor and Barbara in The Aztecs.

However, the fact that the Doctor is faced with saving the universe from his greatest enemy means that there's a part of you that, like Sarah Jane, is rooting for the Doctor to destroy the Daleks at their conception. That's a genius concept by writer Terry Nation, which makes up for some of the more overused Doctor Who elements in this serial.

The Doctor's observation that we need enemies to make us better is a fascinating idea that continues to be relevant to this day. Of course, the Doctor was never going to commit genocide, and his reasoning for saving the Daleks is sound.

Genesis of the Daleks also secured Dalek creator Terry Nation's mortgage payments for another decade. So there's that.