30. The Master Is Working For The Daleks Frontier In Space
The Third Doctor and Jo have been working on stopping the Master from brewing up a war between the Draconian and Human Empires. Eventually, six episodes in, it is revealed that the Master is not the master of this operation he is working for the Daleks, who want the two rival empires to wipe each other out so they can reign supreme. Clearly they were feeling a bit lazy that day. This had to happen sometime (other than in a Comic Relief spoof); the two biggest thorns in the Doctor's side working together. All it needed was for the Cybermen to turn up and the Doctor would have been in dire straits. Not the band, of course.
29. The Parliament Of The Daleks Asylum Of The Daleks
Something that is not often considered is what exactly the Daleks do when they aren't off exterminating and completely failing to defeat the Doctor. We do not really think of the Daleks as a fully functioning society, however, Asylum of the Daleks suggests there may be something more diplomatic beneath the Polycarbide surface. For the first time, we discover that the Daleks have a parliament, run by a Dalek Prime Minister. Daleks are organised enough to debate about political procedures and legislature who knew? Although come to think of it, Daleks are deceptive and ruthless, without any trace of human compassion. Perfect politicians then.
28. The Creature Inside - The Daleks
When the Daleks first arrived on the nation's screens back in 1963, they were full of mystery. Where did these creatures come from? How did they get like this? And, perhaps the most chilling question of all, what was inside? A couple of installments into the serial the audience found out. Determined to escape from the Dalek city, the Doctor and his friends capture a Dalek to hollow out so Ian can climb inside and get help. The mutant they uproot from its home is largely unseen but a solitary claw is glimpsed under a blanket. As we, in recent years, are very much used to seeing the inside of a Dalek - nowadays they don't go in for claws - it's easy to forget how tantalising this moment must have been for viewers of the time. These were not just men in suits. There was something living inside the Daleks. And it was certainly not human.
27. 'Rose, I'm Coming To Get You.' Bad Wolf
A measure of every Dalek story is the stand-off between the Doctor and the Daleks. The Doctor is a man who is usually affable in the face of adversity but the Daleks are perhaps the one creature that can make him very mad. At the end of Bad Wolf comes one of the best Doctor-to-Dalek confrontations. Having kidnapped Rose, the Daleks plan to hold the Doctor to ransom; they will not kill her if he does not intervene with their plans to take over the Earth (what else?). However, a defiant Doctor decrees 'no.' He will save Rose Tyler and defeat the Daleks. Without any weapons or a plan. This scene perfectly shows what about the Doctor frightens the Daleks so much. As emotionless creatures of stratagems and battle plans, they cannot fathom his emotional, reckless behaviour. And, deep down, they know he's always going to win.
26. The Doctor Gets Handy Remembrance Of The Daleks
At the end of a Dalek civil war in the heart of 60s London, Davros and his Daleks have beaten both the Rebel Daleks and the Doctor into getting hold of the Hand of Omega, a Time Lord device which will give them mastery over time. The Doctor has to admit defeat and beg Davros not to use the Hand. Davros, revelling in his victory, initiates the device and destroys Skaro in the process. The Doctor having already programmed it to do so. Although still a fun plot twist, this scene becomes more significant in hindsight as it is surely an early indicator of not only the growing rivalry between the Time Lords and the Daleks but of the actual beginnings of the Time War. The Doctor may not know it but by antagonising the Daleks he is leading himself and the universe down a very dark path.
