I’m poor. Yes, recession has hit full swing, and it’s been a while since I splashed out on anything Who-related, but this release really tickled my fancy. Day of the Daleks was something of a disappointment to me as a kid, and to many of the interviewees on the documentaries too, apparently. I remember having the VHS bought for me at a second-hand market, and watching it with some skepticism. I could only have been eight or nine-years-old at the time, yet I couldn’t fail to be underwhelmed by this story. There were some ropey effects, an odd and inconsistent visual style, and worst of all – the Daleks seemed to be parodying themselves. “Who Ev-er is op-er-at-ing the time ma-chine is an en-em-y of the Da-leks…” And so forth.

This story continues to have its fans, but the good news is that included with this release is a second disc, featuring a brand-new, updated and improved version of this somewhat shoddy serial. Boasting several notable changes in its visual and auditory content, this reworked edition of Day of the Daleks is the definitive one. And don’t think that I hate everything about the original – I certainly don’t. But the enhanced special effects elevate it to a level that it would otherwise never have attained. For the purpose of this review, I shall look at the story through the various alterations that have been made for the Special Edition.

The first thing that took me by surprise was the sense of scale that establishes the opening scenes. We get establishing shots of Auderly house, and a brilliant new “time tunnel” effect, which takes us into some great shots of the future Earth, which looks a lot more ‘invaded’ that it used to. The new weapon effects are great, but arguably don’t fit the mis en scene of the 1970s feel the story has. Particularly exciting and, perhaps, distressing are the pieces of disintegrated tissue that erupt every time anyone takes a hit. These effects add an element of horror that was absent from the ‘fade away’ technique of the original weapon impacts.

I was thrilled when I heard that Nicholas Briggs was to re-voice the Daleks for this Special Edition, not because of his work on the Television series, but within Big Finish. He has always captured the menace and superior intelligence of the Daleks on audio, and he has succeeded again here. Even the more drawn-out of the original Daleks’ speeches are made more dynamic by Briggs’ stifled mania. It’s great to hear his more powerful, cunning sparring with the third Doctor and the controller.

If I could criticise this aspect of the production for one thing, though, it would be the post-situation of the Dalek voices themselves. They are extremely loud, and in some cases don’t seem to fit the environments they are placed within. Whether this was Mark Ayres’ decision, perhaps to approach the dub in a more traditional style, I am unsure of. But there should definitely have been more atmospheric reverb. Despite this, I enjoyed Day of the Daleks far more with Nick’s interpretation of the voices.

The over-all pacing of the piece has improved, extra shots and small changes in editing helping to tidy it up here and there. I was particularly pleased to see that the Ogron’s line “no complications” was removed, as the actor’s flat delivery always irritated me. Subtle changes such as touching up of the CSO bleed through on Dalek props and some set extension all polish the production up and give it a luster the script deserves. These smaller alterations made me realize that a great story was always there underneath, but struggling to get through because of the poor execution, which there was only so much the cast could do to smooth over. Most of them give excellent performances, too. And despite Terrance Dicks’ opinion, I like Aubrey Woods’ performance as the subservient Controller.

It has been mentioned that many of the futuristic sets in Day of the Daleks don’t seem to have been considered in terms of how they suit the Dalek props themselves. However, I have always thought that they are more Dalek-y than many of the other control room sets, in terms of rationale. Blocky, metallic and cold. They almost sum the Daleks up. They are not elegant, purely functional. The added rotoscope work by Aaron Climas helps the sets feel more complete and robust in this edition, also.

The climax of the story earns the additional effects work the respect it deserves. What once looked like a pitiful future war re-enactment now looks like a pitched battle, explosions and debris flying everywhere, and numerous newly-shot sequences, which help swell the Daleks’ numbers. The 16mm film footage has been aged and slotted into the story wonderfully, giving extra scope to the limited location footage that was shot at the time.

The DVD has a fantastic selection of special features, including a making-of documentary, which looks at the creation of the Special Edition version of Day of the Daleks. This, for me, holds greater interest that the more anecdotal making-of feature on disc one, which covers the making of the story at the time. There are standout features, like Now and Then, an interesting look at how ‘The Memory Cheats’, and a nostalgic look back at television studio production of the 1970s. Some archival Television clips and featurettes covering the UNIT years are also welcome. There are the usual commentaries, info text options, photo galleries and coming soon trailer, all which bolster this already fully-loaded release.

I urge you to consider purchasing this DVD. Its makers have taken a potential classic, and turned that potential into tangible fact. Like the freedom fighters in Day of the Daleks, the team at 2Entertain have attempted to re-shape history. Unlike the fanatical guerillas, however, they have succeeded. Times are tough, but this story teaches us that things could be far worse.

“We’ve seen it happen, haven’t we, Jo?”

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