Doctor Who: Summary: The Survivors (1963)

Part of the first Dalek serial, this is the 1960s episode that aired on 28 December 1963. The TARDIS crew, the First Doctor, Susan, Ian, and Barbara, are still on the planet Skaro, suffering from radiation sickness after exploring the petrified forest and the Dalek city. The Doctor and his companions are prisoners of the Daleks, who claim they need the group’s help to contact the Thals, the other race on Skaro. In reality, the Daleks are scheming to exterminate the Thals and want the TARDIS travelers to trick them.

The Doctor discovers the Daleks need radiation to survive and plan to increase Skaro’s background radiation to wipe out the Thals. Too weak from radiation poisoning, Ian and Barbara are forced to take a drug the Daleks provide, unsure if they can trust it. Meanwhile, Susan is sent to the Thal camp with a message, unknowingly helping the Daleks set their trap. The episode ends on a cliffhanger as the Doctor and his friends realize the Daleks’ true genocidal intentions, and the Thals walk into danger. This marks the moment the Doctor understands the Daleks aren’t just hostile aliens, they’re committed to extermination.