Review by Siobhán Rich for Mr. Will Wong
Every Whovian has a favourite Doctor, a regeneration that they hold above all others, and a companion they believe best served their Time Lord. Until now, however, few fans of Doctor Who have been able to properly judge the very first “renewal” (as regenerations were then known) because the BBC inadvertently destroyed the negatives of the 1966 episode The Power of the Daleks. Fifty years later, the British broadcaster has recreated the episode using animation and the program’s original audio recordings.
The Power of the Daleks features the First Doctor (William Hartnell) becoming the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) just in time to rise to the challenge of defeating the Daleks. It is also the story of how his companions Polly (Anneke Wills) and Ben (Michael Craze) deal with the seeming disappearance of their Doctor and the appearance of an upstart who claims to be the same man. Regenerations may be an important passing of the baton in 2016 but back in 1966 the first renewal was a shocking changing of the guard for both fans and companions alike.
Troughton’s performance cements his place in Whovian history and proves he is no Doctor come lately. The animation supports the vocal performances perfectly and will give fans a peek into the Doctor’s past they may not have previously been familiar with.
Overeager housekeeping may have tried to exterminate the Doctor’s first renewal but thanks to some wibbly-wobbly animation stuff we can all take a step back into history and relive this fantastic episode.
Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks can be at Cineplex Theatres across Canada on Wednesday, November 30, 2016.
For advertising opportunites please contact mrwill@mrwillwong.com