It was their inventive genius that made them one of the greatest powers in the universe.”
Death to the Daleks has to be the definitive Doctor Who story. It’s possibly not the best (although I gave it 10/10 in the last big DWM poll) but it is the most Doctor Who-y-Doctor Who story. A violent death, Daleks, a quarry, and a heroic sacrifice to save the day. It follows the formula so exactly (which is harder than not following it), it’s almost Doctor Who with the nuts and bolts showing.
And I loved it, back when I read the novelisation with its extraordinary Roy Knipe cover of a Dalek sporting a fireball Mohican. And when it was released on video I wasn’t disappointed. I was delighted just to see photos from The Doctor Who Monster Book come to life, but more than that, I was surprised how spooky the first episode was, and how effective the lemur-eyed Exxilons were. And how emotional it was; Galloway has proper character development, while the Doctor’s farewell to Sarah before entering the Exxilon City is genuinely touching.