Doctor Who (TV Series) Remembrance of the Daleks: Part Three (1988) User Reviews

Traitors, battles, reveals, Part 3 is a rich episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 24 October 2015]

I think it's a great episode, firstly it looks really smart, the clothes, costumes and sets are great. The scenes on board the Dalek Mother ship look really good, very imaginative. I also like the effect of the shuttle landing on the playground.

The Supreme Dalek also looks really good, as does the Emperor. The concept of The Supreme breaking away defying the Emperor is also a clever one.

A little dialogue heavy at times, it felt a little like the Doctor was explaining a lot to Ace, but it all added to the story. I thought the logic behind the battle computer was rather good, and the reveal of its operator was great, I'm sure many would have been expecting it to have been Davros.

9/10

Remembrance of the Daleks: Part Three

[Prismark10 · 8/10 · 11 July 2023]

Another episode that is rich in atmosphere. When producer John Nathan-Turner saw that the script required a Dalek shuttle landing on the school playground.

No problem, he got a crane to plonk a life size shuttle. No messing around with scale models.

The Doctor has a plan. He wants the Daleks to get their pungers on the Hand of Omega, it has to be the right faction.

Ratcliffe dreams of being the strongman leader, every country needs one. Only to realise that Daleks only see one function for humans. Slaves as the rest of Ratcliffe's men are exterminated.

Group Captain Gilmore discovers that some of his soldiers like Mike are traitors. They have been working for Ratcliffe.

There were some aspects cleared up. The role of the sinister looking schoolgirl.

What really stood out was Ratcliffe's fascist dream lying in tatters.

Memorably Brilliant!

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 10/10 · 25 September 2019]

Review for all 4 episodes:

It is incredible and joyous to see the huge improvement and change for the better in this story compared to the disappointing previous season. The same team that presided over the low point in the show's history which I feel Season 24 was, here brings a magnificent revival in credibility, quality and entertainment. Huge thanks must go to Ben Aaronovitch who wrote this superb story. This production is not perfect as constraints of budget etc obviously do not allow for everything to be executed to the absolute maximum but really there is absolutely nothing in this story that detracts from the overall excellence created by all the best aspects of it. All 4 episodes are 10/10 for me.

Sylvester McCoy raises his game to match the high quality material he is given as he puts in by far his best performance up to this point and finally shows he can be a powerful, impressive Doctor as well as a likable and fun one. The Doctor's role in this adventure is layered, ranging from amusing and lighthearted through to dark and edgy. The characterisation is such a step up from the previous few seasons.

The story has The Doctor acting quite mysteriously as he revisits Totters Lane and Coal Hill School from the very first episode An Unearthly Child in 1963. It is revealed he had hidden the Hand of Omega, a device with huge power used to establish Timelord supremacy over time, when he was in London at that time. It suggests this is at least part of the reason for him fleeing Gallifrey. This is a suitable and wonderful idea for the show's 25th Anniversary which, along with numerous little touches, give nods to the show's history and add to its lore.

Two opposing groups of Daleks are battling to gain possession of the Hand of Omega and the Doctor hatches a plan to thwart them both. The Daleks are exciting, menacing and interesting in this story and when Davros appears he adds to the excitement. The Doctor's confrontations with the daleks are thrilling and fun, especially his infamous and wonderful speech in response to Davros.

Ace is given great opportunity to show what a great companion she is. Sophie Aldred's endearing performance and her moral strength along with the feisty, action packed heroics lift Ace to companion greatness.

The rest of the cast are good, particularly Pamela Salem as Rachel and Michael Sheard as the Headmaster. George Sewell as Ratcliffe and Dursley McLinton as Mike also deserve mention and the subtle raising of the issue of race and xenophobia through their story is very welcome.

This story is highly enjoyable, admirable and clever. All 4 episodes 10/10.

Average Dalek story.

[poolandrews · 5/10 · 30 November 2007]

Doctor Who: Remembrance of the Daleks: Part Three starts as the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) arrives just in time to save Ace (Sophie Aldred) from three Daleks, the Doctor tells Gilmore (Simon Willaims) to concentrate his mens efforts at Coal Hill School. Meanwhile with help from Ratcliffe (George Sewell) the renegade Dalek faction have found the Hand of Omega, a powerful weapon made by the Time Lords on Gallifrey able to manipulate stellar solar systems & will reveal the secret of time travel that the Doctor was hiding on Earth during his first incarnation. The Hand would give the Daleks unlimited power with which to rule the Universe...

Episode 3 from season 25 this Doctor Who adventure originally aired here in the UK during October 1988, directed by Andrew Morgan this isn't a particularly good story & could easily be described as average. The script by Ben Aaronovtich was originally called Nemesis of the Daleks & features the Daleks in a story which would be their last in the 'classic' series & this is a rather undistinguished way for the Daleks to bow out. Remembrance of the Daleks was also the first proper story for the Doctor's companion Ace whom first featured in the previous story Dragonfire (1987) when Bonnie Langford left the show, I have to say right away that I think Ace is the single worst companion in the history of Doctor Who & I don't say that lightly with strong competition coming from the likes of Adric, Tegan, Jo Grant & Turlough. Her whole character is awful, she's meant to be some kind of smart streetwise kid yet comes across as nothing like that. Also whoever thought letting her refer to the Doctor as 'Professor' wants shooting. The self references continue with the Doctor leaving the Daleks a calling card with a '?' on it! The story here is progressing nicely enough without ever being truly riveting, it's OK stuff but distinctly underwhelming & there hasn't been a decent cliffhanger ending to any of the three episodes.

Here we get to have a look at the Emperor Dalek, all I can say is I hope he doesn't try to trundle through many doorways as he's a bit 'wide'. The special effects have been OK, the Dalek Emperor's ship landing in the school playground at the end of this episode is quite well realised, because a lot of new Daleks had to be made from scratch & the extensive pyrotechnics the special effects budget for Remembrance of the Daleks apparently went over budget by £12,000, not that you'll particularly notice them as that statement is more a sad reflection on the size of Doctor Who's budget in general around this time. Remembrance of the Daleks was also the very first Doctor Who story to be aired in stereo & in fact was one of the very first programs in Britain to be aired in stereo.

Remembrance of the Daleks: Part Three is an OK episode, it's not much better or worse than the previous two, it's alright but nothing to write home about & isn't what I would call a series classic.