11 Worst Doctor Who Dalek Stories

9. The Chase (1965)

Again, as with the other stories at the bottom of this list, we need to start with what's good about The Chase, and that's the last two episodes - and not even all of the last two episodes, either. The Mechanoids are pretty cool, cool enough that we find ourselves wishing that the third feature film which would have starred them fighting the Daleks would have been made after all. Despite how he got the part (more on that in a minute), Peter Purves as new companion Steven Taylor is a breath of fresh air. And finally, that major battle between the Daleks and the Mechanoids almost makes all of the preceding six episodes worthwhile. Almost. But that's only if you can put out of your head the crazy image of a Dalek pushing its way out of the sand (and grunting!) to the accompaniment of catchy piano music; the Mire Beast on Aridius (a once watery planet that is now all arid, hence the name); the trip to the Empire State Building, complete with hick tourist (hi, Peter Purves!); the haunted house segment (as the young whippersnappers say, WTF?); and the robot duplicate Doctor who looks nothing like the Doctor. Oh, and did we mention the absent-minded Dalek in episode two, or the Dalek scientist who seems to have a cold and stutters his way through a math calculation...? All that, and tinkling music whenever we see the Dalek capsule pursing the TARDIS through the Vortex. Ugh. Maybe the stories will get better in the '70s. Oh, wait...