38 Years Ago, ‘Doctor Who’ Doubled Down on Its Most Inventive Sci-Fi Concept
“Remembrance of the Daleks” was a pivotal four-part episode arc that aired in 1988, marking the Daleks’ farewell appearance in Classic Doctor Who. The story followed the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and his companion Ace (Sophie Aldred) as they traveled back to 1963 London in Shoreditch. The Daleks, among the Doctor’s most iconic and enduring adversaries, were given a prominent send-off before the show left television for 16 years.
The episode remains significant in Doctor Who lore as the last time the Daleks appeared in the original series run. They would later be revived by showrunner Russell T. Davies in the Doctor Who revival series, first returning in the sixth episode titled “Dalek.” The decision to give the Daleks such a substantial farewell underscored their central importance to Doctor Who mythology and demonstrated the show’s commitment to exploring its most inventive sci-fi concepts.
“Remembrance of the Daleks” stands as an iconic conclusion to the Daleks’ presence in Classic Who, representing one of the greatest enemy storylines in the show’s original television run and serving as a bookend to decades of conflict between the Doctor and his most formidable foe.