Top 10 Terry Nation Stories

Terry Nation is largely famous for being the creator of the Daleks(at least, concept-wise). He was also by all accounts a pragmatic businessman, and became very possessive of his pepperpots after realising their popularity. After failed attempts to make them a success in America, Nation strived to be behind as many Dalek stories in the classic era as he could and ended up being the second most reused screenwriter during the original run.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10. Destiny Of The Daleks - Oldfashioned pulp sci-fi writer meets high-concept sci-fi comedy writer. The results are catastrophic. Terry Nation gives in the same old script he's been handing producers for the last 15 years, and Douglas Adams fills in the holes with broad comedy. Add in the suggestion that the Daleks have become robots and a bunch of 70s disco androids, and you have a dusty, out of touch mess.

                                   

9. The Daleks' Master Plan - Don't lynch me! I actually love this story, but the fact is that Nation only wrote half of it, and not in the sense that his stuff was rewritten later on - he literally only did the first half. And one of those was the notoriously awful Christmas special. So yeah, this is more of an honorary mention to fill out the Top 10.

8. Planet Of The Daleks - Like Destiny, this is a retread of Nation's first story, but it comes off more as a homage or an update. Pertwee's Doctor is right at home with the anti-war message and Bernard Horsfall's performance harkens back to the dignity of the original Thals. I like how simple the threat is as well: just a big, secret army of Daleks. Exactly what we want to see.

7. The Keys Of Marinus - A fun little quest serial, where the Doctor and his companions teleport around the planet of Marinus in search of the eponymous keys. It's all about puzzle-solving and detective work with clear, defined steps, making it entertaining in a very basic way. The only letdown is the production itself, as you can see the budget is stretched thin by the nature of the story.

6. The Chase - The Daleks with a time machine! It's unusual to see the Daleks hunt the Doctor for once, so this story wins points already for creativity. Like Marinus, things are kept interesting due to change of locale and seeing how exactly each place benefits the TARDIS crew in their one-on-one fight against the Dalek timeship.

5. Death To The Daleks - It's a shame that the central concept of the story is abandoned halfway through, because it is ingenious - what if the Daleks were unarmed and forced to cooperate with the Doctor? In the first two episodes, this creates a strong sense of tension and mystery and it seems we have the makings of a classic, but then things slightly fall apart when the Daleks replace their weaponry and resume their place as the monsters and it becomes a dull runaround. Still, points for those terrific first two episodes.

4. The Dalek Invasion Of Earth - I loved this story when I first saw it, probably because it was the Hartnell era equivalent of a blockbuster. The Daleks' appereance in London is iconic in the show's history, and paved the way for many Earth invasion stories to come later on. However, there's the undeniable fact that it just doesn't really hold up. The direction is clumsy and hampered by the low budget, most of the episodes feel like filler and none of the characters have any depth to them.

3. The Android Invasion - I almost feel guilty for including this so high, because if this story has one flaw, it's Terry Nation. The plot is illogical and convoluted to the extreme, and it's only thanks to the high quality of the contemporary production team that it comes off as enjoyable a watch as it does. In their hands, it becomes a charming mystery adventure with plenty of quotable lines and funny character interplay. It's also notably the last "UNIT family" story. 

2. The Daleks - Whilst it feels slightly elongated(episodes 5-7 might as well not exist), this is a chilling and unique piece of television history. The Daleks as introduced here are not spacefaring conquerors, but isolated, paranoid survivors who have been alone for a very long time. It's very early in the series, so there is natural friction between the TARDIS crew. I must commend the set designers for really making the Dalek city seem like it belongs to them, Tristram Cary for his creepy, perfectly fitting electronic score and of course Raymond Cusick for the beautiful Daleks themselves. Lightning in a bottle.

1. Genesis Of The Daleks - If there's anything more interesting than the Daleks, it's the man behind them. I already mentioned how Nation's work was supported in Philip Hinchcliffe's era, but this is where he stepped up to the mark as well to deliver a wonderful, mature sci-fi thriller that truly gave life to his anti-Nazi message and provided us with some of the most dramatic, defining moments in the show's entire history.