I think this story is the best debut of any Doctor, including the New series ones. It is a rare six parter that doesn't actually sag and as it's not written by Terry Nation, it ranks as one of my fave Daleks stories(as both Troughton Dalek stories are).

To the New Doctor first and one of the reasons I think it is the best debut is the quick recovery the New Doctor makes from his Regeneration and the time spent in the first 5-10 minutes establishing that the Second Doctor would be very different to the First. Polly and Ben's opposing reactions are quite interesting, Ben's especially as it takes him several episodes to accept that this new person on board the TARDIS really is The Doctor. The New Doctor, unhampered by the recovery process, then is flung headlong into a battle against a growing army of Daleks, hampered all the way through by several members of the base. I think the fact the Daleks were used on Troughton's Debut was a good idea to help convince viewers this was still Doctor Who they were watching and it worked.

Troughton himself also has an excellent debut and he quickly launches into being different from Hartnell by his frequent use of the recorder, his new secretive persona and the increase in humour.

As for the story itself, there are so many things that make it a good one. The Daleks themselves are the most devious I've ever seen them, cleverly manipulating the Humans into helping them reproduce. I like the way one Dalek gradually turns into a whole army by the final episode and how they pretend to serve humanity while they secretly scheme in their ship. The fact no-one will believe The Doctor's protestations about their true intent is also excellent. I also like the fact that they recognise The Doctor despite his regeneration.

Lesterson is an excellent character who grows more insane as every episode passes before his reward for bringing The Daleks back to life is his extermination. Hensell is another of the many authoritarian figures from this period that the Second Doctor would encounter and it's his faith in Lesterson's discovery of The Daleks that hampers The Doctor throughout.

So all in all a great first story for the Second Doctor. Listening to the audio and watching the telesnaps can still engage you in the story and make it an enjoyable one.

I wonder what the viewing public thought at the time were they left wondering if this scruffy looking person really was the Doctor or did they just accept him straight away. Always very difficult to judge a missing story from just the audio soundtrack and tele snaps but from those alone I'ed say this is probably the better of Troughton's two Daley stories.
considering it's significance I do find it quite baffling why no body at the time thought to keep episode 1 of Power of the Daleks.

This story is great. Sinister. Menacing. A building sense of doom. Lesterson is a tragic anti-hero on a par with Sharaz Jek . Ben and Polly get plenty to do (which they won't ever again, as Jamie is about to steal their lines), and the new Doctor is constantly surprising.

The tension is kept for six eps very effectively, and I'd love the opportunity to see it. The soundtrack CD is gripping.

Ben is a proxy for the sceptical viewer at home, and it works very well. The most brilliant bit is how Ben is ultimately convinced by the testimony of a Dalek: 'It recognised him! It recognised the Doctor!'

The Doctor would return the favour in Victory of the Daleks.

if you were watching back then you'ed probably quite rightly be thinking how could the Dalek, recognize the Doctor but of course to us the logical answer is the Dalek had already met the 2nd Doctor in his past and the 2nd Doctor's future.

At the time though, they didn't really consider it significant - it had only been running for around 4 years. It's a shame they didn't realsie sooner though, we might've had a hell of a lot more episodes than we do nowadays!

I think also they had only so much money for so much archive space, tapes were very large and when colour came in it looked like most of the archive stuff had no further commercial future.

Power is a great story. If that were how things worked, I'd definitely trade, say, The Gunfighters and The Sensorites for it.

This is a very good listen and is comparably better than Evil which follows. Better plot, better dialogue and well just better sounding. Ben and Polly seem to be again present in this story, shame as said in another thread that they you can not view them as much as other combo’s. I don’t know if they are that highly regarded and appreciated amongst Doctor Who fans but I’d imagine they would be more. I for one on reflection are quite big fans of them as we go through these stories on these threads!. Jamie and reduced screen time and lines are imminent though!
Quite a thing giving a newly regenerated Doctor his first ever the Daleks to tackle, I don’t know if this was done purposely due to the change. But I’d imagine it was all apart of the thinking to get him accepted fighting the Daleks.
The Humour is more noticeable also, and yes Doctor number 2 doesn’t take long in getting over his change does he.

I've only seen this once - when I was six years old. I was gobsmacked by this NEW guy as the Doctor. But I seem to recall by the end of the stories run (after six weeks) - Pat Troughton was THE Doctor!! I loved him from thereon!

I'm not a fan of audio/telephoto stuff that is available. I like to watch it properly. So, sadly, I shall have to keep it in my fond memories!

I agree about Ben and Polly. This was the last story where they both had significant roles prior to Jamie's arrival. It makes this story unique in some ways that this is the only Jamie-free Second Doctor story but it is still a good one without him.

And yes, the use of the Daleks was deliberate.

The best Dalek story and the best first story for any Doctor, I love Power. Whitaker packs this full of memorable characters and despite its length the story never really flags plus he writes the Daleks better than Nation and they are very menacing here. As the first new Doctor Troughton had a tricky job here but he pulls it off effortlessly. Who at its very best.

So I'm very excited to talk about this story. I totally agree. a cracking story and how the Daleks should be every time. I love the dalek sound effects for this story too. David Whittaker has really built a great character piece and the Daleks are one of those characters too . They still have all the exterminate, exterminate speeches but they are far more interesting too. Like a psychotic liar absolutely full of hidden menace.

I didn't realise this story was 6 episodes initially and I do sigh a bit when I know as usually those stories have loads of padding but the story has so many elements to enjoy :

1) Of course the new Doctor and his relationship with Ben and Polly .
2) The scientists motivations : Lesterton so blinded by scientific ambition that he secretly releases the Daleks, Janley 's lack of scruples to lay the blame for the examiners death on Lesterton ,
3) The politics amongst the humans : Bragen's ambitions to depose Hensall , the revolutionaries thinking they can use the daleks , the murder of the examiner: 4) Obviously the Daleks : manipulating the humans to duplicate themselves


The study of Lesterson is fascinating isn't it Daveyboy . It struck me that he saw himself almost as a Frankenstein figure at the beginning ' giving the Daleks power as if giving them life. What I like is the transformation that occurs as he realises the horror of what he has unleashed. I suppose it is guilt that makes his mind snap. And of course the irony is that he sees the truth of what they are and goes insane because of it but no-one, of the supposedly sane people, except the Doctor believes him.

' I am your ser-vant' is a memorable line I wont forgot as because a servant should perform duties for others but the audience know the Daleks . Its so clever because those innocent words carry so much menace, a foreshadowing of the future carnage that is inevitably gonna come
. I can see influences from this story in the modern series ( Dalek -Van Stratten thinking he can control the Dalek, and Victory of the Daleks with the daleks gliding around Churchill's bunker serving tea) but this story is the original and I think the best attempt at giving them a character I've seen so far.

if I had a top 5 wishlist of stories I'd like to see be returned to the archives ( I don't as happy with anything ) this would be near the top.


I haven't spoken much about the new Doctor but Patrick Troughton seems very enthusiastic and a visually expressive physical actor so its a shame to only have telesnaps for this story .Polly and Ben have differing yin and yang reactions to who the Doctor is which is quite interesting to listen too. I do love all the intelligent Doctor authority the 2nd wields already in a dual role as the examiner and the Doctor but then there's the comedy with the recorder playing and hints of some fun ahead.

In conclusion a very strong start to this era

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the title at the top of the board. Still live in hope of this being found or at least a superior recon coming out which is rumoured to be happening. This is the last classic story I watched on my re watch but that was a few months ago. Next is the highlanders when I get the chance.

Off course, I am your servant was slightly altered and reused again in Victory Of The Daleks, not sure if it really worked so well second time but guess if you were unaware of its origins it probably did.

Lesterson is one of the best characters in this story and I do like his development throughout the six episodes and the last scene where he tries a bit of role reversal with the Daleks that leads to his demise is a good one.

I agree also that its at the top of my wishlist after the last episode of The Tenth Planet.

Finally got around to watching some 'recons' this year, and this was one of them. I think it's a brilliant story, and the way that Troughton starts off in now familiar 'scatty post regeneration' mode but utterly 'becomes' the role as the story develops is superbly realised. It's spot on how after The Doctor confronts the Dalek and completely sells his horror at the developments is when the initially suspicious audience surrogate Ben (rather than the more accepting Polly) seems certain that this scruffy man is absolutely the same time travelling alien.

It's a superb start to the Troughton era, and kudos to the late, great David Whitaker in particular, such a vital part of the generally artistic and popular success of Sixties Who.

David Whitaker's writing is, in my opinion, the closest Doctor Who has ever come to literature level. In many ways he was even better than my messiah Robert Holmes.

I've discussed it before here, but this story and The Evil of the Daleks are simply the best depictions of the Daleks ever, bar none. Not even Genesis of the Daleks. Whitaker knew how to make them scary, which especially shows in this story. For once, they're not constantly spouting psuedo-Nazi dialogue every minute and looking silly, but instead going for a very silent and eerie demeanour. They're manipulative, scheming and all round spooky. As far as I can tell the only other times we've seen them like this on television is their first ever story in Season 1, Robert Holmes' Dalek in Series 1 of the revival, and The Magician's Apprentice in Series 9. Unfortunately people seem to opt for the commercialised cannon fodder that Terry Nation would begin to turn them into (without pointing any names like Eric Saward).

This is the only Second Doctor story without Jamie (but did have Ben and Polly, whom I was never massively keen on), but it's so good I can look past that.

Four years since I last commented on this, and it remains a corker. Vastly better than Evil, which is at least 2eps too long. Power does not let up, and is tense and intelligent throughout. I have a long-ish drive coming soon, and I think Power will be my CD of choice.

Power is one of my favourite stories. It is riveting from start to finish and easily the best the Daleks have ever been used. They were truly terrifying, manipulated the humans to turn on eachother while mass producing. And when they are ready to attack and they all shout exterminate, genuinely creepy.

It also had a fantastic support cast and the A and B plot worked very well together.

And keep in mind this was the first time a regeneration happened, and no better way to prove you are The Doctor than outwitting the Daleks.

I totally agree with this.

I think when there is only one writer writing for a certain monster it shows. Upto this point Terry Nation, bar 6 episodes of The Dalek Masterplan, had written most of the Dalek stuff and enoyable though some of it is, there is a lot of repetition in his work and that's why the two Troughton Dalek stories work for me. They were written by someone who was not only a good writer in his own right but someone with a fresh eye as well.

The story is that good I think sometimes you forget it's the only Troughton story not to feature Jamie, it works well with just Ben and Polly.

Just going back to David Whitaker, I don't think he gets enough credit for his work on the show really. I love Inside The Spaceship/Edge Of Destruction, The Crusade was truly awesome and The Enemy Of The World is not that bad, though it suffers being the odd one out in a monster season.