Victory of the Daleks is the third episode of the fifth series, starring the 11th Doctor (Matt Smith) and Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), and written by Mark Gatiss. Set in 1941, the Doctor and Amy meet Winston Churchill in the Cabinet War Rooms beneath London. The Daleks have infiltrated the war rooms disguised as the creations of Professor Edwin Bracewell, in order to extract a ‘testimony’ from the Doctor which will create a new race of ‘pure’ Daleks known as the new Dalek Paradigm. The Doctor manages to stop the Daleks from destroying the Earth but fails to prevent their escape. He is left knowing that the Daleks will return, stronger than ever.
There are two main historical focus points for this episode. The first is the location: Blitz-torn London. The Blitz was the name used by the press to describe the German bombing of Britain from 1940 to 1941. Blitz is the German word for ‘lightning.’ During the episode, Churchill describes the situation: “Day after day the Luftwaffe pound this great city like an iron fist.” (The Luftwaffe was the name of the aerial branch of the German military forces during the Second World War.) Specifically, most of the episode takes place in the Cabinet War Rooms. The War Rooms were an underground complex that was used as a British government command centre during the Second World War. The Doctor describes them as the “top secret heart of the war office, right under London. “They, alongside the Churchill Museum, are now known as the Churchill War Rooms and open as a museum to the public.
As shown in the episode, the Map Room was in constant use by the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force for planning and directing the British war effort. It was these officers who would be responsible for daily intelligence summaries for the King, Prime Minister and Chiefs of Staff. Churchill’s predecessor as Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, held a War Cabinet meeting in the War Rooms only once. Churchill held a further 114. Reference to the War Cabinet meetings is made when Churchill calls for another one after the Daleks are revealed as enemies. The Cabinet War Rooms in the episode are actually far larger than the real ones, for filming purposes.
The other main focus is the historical figure: Winston Churchill. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill was an army officer and a writer, as well as a politician. He is mostly remembered for his Prime Minister-ship from 1940 to 1945 where he led Britain to victory in the Second World War. He was leader of the Conservative party from 1940 to 1955 and returned to serve as Prime Minister again from 1951 to 1955 when the Conservative party was once again elected. Churchill is portrayed in the episode by Ian McNeice.
Many of Churchill’s phrases and mannerisms are present in McNeice’s portrayal. He is dressed in the traditional black suit with waistcoat and bowtie that are associated with Churchill; the top hat also often worn by Churchill however is not present but he does spend the entire episode indoors so that is to be expected. Churchill also smokes cigars throughout the episode, even offering one to the Doctor at the end who declines. His pronunciation of Nazi as nah-zee is also spot on, as Churchill rejected the more traditional pronunciation as naht-zee or even the American pronunciation as nat-sees, many believe just to spite Hitler and the Nazi Party.
Churchill uses the acronym “KBO” during the episode, when Amy asks him what they’re meant to do now that the Doctor has left. A maxim of Churchill’s, it stands for “keep buggering on” and Churchill actually used it to end a large number of his phone calls during the war. He encourages those working in the Map Room to continue working hard by repeating the phrase “action this day” early in the episode – Churchill used to stamp red labels with ‘Action this Day’ printed on them onto documents dispatched frequently to his commanders in the field, to urge a speedy resolution, and the phrase has become closely associated with him. Another line from Churchill, “if Hitler invaded Hell, I would give a favourable reference to the Devil” is clearly inspired by a remark Churchill made in Parliament, in reference to Stalin after Hitler invaded the Soviet Union: “If Hitler invaded Hell, I would make at least a favourable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons.”
At the end of the episode, Amy comments to the Doctor, “So, you have enemies then?” This is the first part of another famous Churchill quote: “So, you have enemies then? Good. That means that you stood up for something, once in your life.” The Doctor flashes the famous V for Victory sign a couple of times during the episode, used frequently through the war by Churchill and others. This is also a frequent pose Matt Smith uses on red carpets.
The nature of, and effects of, the Second World War are glimpsed throughout the episode. The Second World War was the most global war in history lasting from 1939 to 1945, initiated by Britain declaring war on Nazi Germany after the German invasion of Poland. Churchill mentions to the “Allied cause” referring to the Allied Powers of, predominantly, Great Britain, the USA and the Soviet Union, allied against the Axis Powers of, most notably, Germany, Italy and Japan. Churchill also comments that “invasion is expected daily” – in the fact the only German attempt to invade Britain had taken place in 1940 and been defeated in the famous Battle of Britain, but in 1941 fears of a second invasion attempt were not unjustified. A further line from Churchill that deserves mention is: “I weep for my country. I weep for my empire. It is breaking my heart.” This draws attention to the fact that Britain was more than an island in this time, but a globe-spanning empire, known as ‘the empire on which the sun never sets” since the British Empire possessed territories on both sides of the world. In fact, Britain’s war efforts would stretch its resources to breaking point and trigger both the gradual dismantling of its empire in the post-war era, and the almost immediate transition of hegemonic power status on the global stage from Britain to America.
Something that is clearly present in the episode but never commented on, is women contributing to the war effort. As seen in the episode, women worked as typists, secretaries and telephonists in the underground bunker, helping to plan every step of the war against Germany. In Britain, women were essential to the war effort – the contribution of civilians, both male and female, to the war effort was acknowledged by use of the words: home front. Women were recruited to work ‘men’s jobs’ in munitions factories and farms, releasing men to join the military, just as had been the case in the First World War. Close to an anachronism, Amy wears a miniskirt in 1941 without comment – but between the ongoing bombings and the threat of the Daleks blowing up the planet, one woman’s bare legs was probably the least of their concerns in the Cabinet War Rooms at that point.
The situation for Britain in this stage of the war (1941) is summed up by Churchill as “men, women and children slaughtered. Families torn apart. Wren’s churches in flames.” Wren’s churches refers to the 51 churches, together with St. Paul’s Cathedral, rebuilt by Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London in 1966. 23 of the churches, alongside the Cathedral, still exist today – a number were destroyed by the bombing during the Second World Wars, while others were demolished in the 19th century to make way for new buildings. It is also mentioned in the episode that incendiary bombs have hit the east end of London – the East End did suffer a great deal of damage in this period, since it was the docklands centre of London and one of the areas that could also run supply chains to the rest of the country. It is mentioned that “they hit the Palace [Buckingham] and St Paul’s [Cathedral] again.” During the Blitz, Buckingham Palace was struck on 16 occasions, while St Pauls was hit with 28 bombs on the same night in December 1940 but survived the bombing, becoming a symbol of civilisation and defiance in Britain.
When Amy and the Doctor step out of the Cabinet War Rooms to witness a demonstration of Dalek firepower, they are met with a view of London during the Blitz. Barrage balloons are clearly visible over the city. A barrage balloon is a type of large kit balloon that was used to defend against aircraft attack as they would make an attacker’s approach more difficult by posing a collision risk. Air raid sirens are heard to signal expected incoming German bombs, and an ARP (Air Raid Precaution) warden is seen. From 1939, ARP wardens’ job was to enforce the ‘blackout’ – all lights were required to be switched off once the air raid siren sounded to hinder enemy bombers attempting to locate their targets. The warden in the episode is seen to shout “oi! Put that light out!” at one house that has not switched off its lights – ‘put that light out’ is a phrase associated with the ‘blackout’ now, popularised by its use in the tv show Dad’s Army.
The most prominent example of Britain at war on display in this episode is the use of Spitfires – sent into space using Bracewell’s inventions to attack the Dalek spaceship. The Supermarine Spitfire is probably the most famous British fighter aircraft, used by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. The Spitfire was perceived by the public to be the main RAF fighter during the Battle of Britain, though the Hurricane was actually more numerous. Spitfires had a lower attrition rate and a higher victory-to-loss ratio though. After the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire replaced the Hurricane as the backbone of RAF Fighter Command. The Spitfires in the episode are actually an anachronism because they are the MK IX version with twin radiators and mixed cannon/machine gun armaments, which did not enter service until 1942. They are also fitted with type E wings which were not used until early 1944. Spitfires used at this time (1941) would have been Mark I or Mark II versions, wit ha single radiator, with full machine gun armament.
The main Spitfire, flown by “Danny Boy”, is marked JE-J. JE-J was the personal aircraft of Air Vice Marshal James Edgar Johnson when he became Wing Commander of 144 Wing (Canadian.) ‘Johnnie’ Johnson was an RAF pilot and flying ace (a pilot who has shot down 5+ enemy aircraft) who flew and fought in the Second World War and was the highest scoring Allied fighter ace against the Luftwaffe, with 34 individual victories over enemy aircraft, 7 shared victories, 3 shared probably, 3 shared damaged, and 1 destroyed on the ground. He also served in the Korean War, before retiring in 1966.
Many references are made throughout the episode to history at that time. Churchill mentions “Mister Attlee”, meaning Clement Attlee leader of the Labour party at the time who would in fact replace Churchill as Prime Minister are defeating him in election from 1945 to 1951. A passing reference is made to the RAF base at Biggin Hill. When referring to German aircrafts, Heinkel and Messerschmitt are mentioned, both of which are German aircraft manufacturing companies. Heinkel produced bomber aircraft for the Luftwaffe, while Messerschmitt was known for fighter aircraft. Reference is also made to Stukas, also known as Junkers Ju 87, which were German dive bomber and ground-attack aircrafts. RDF (Range and Direction Finding) is mentioned, as the British name for radar at the time – RDF had been fully integrated by the RAF by the Battle of Britain in mid-1940. The raising of the Union Flag on the roof after the Daleks leave, is a mirror of the iconic image of the raising of the U.S. Flag on Iwo Jima in 1945.
Amongst the memories the Daleks planted in Bracewell’s mind are memories of the First World War. He describes it as “The last war. The squalor and the mud and the awful, awful misery of it.” When the Doctor tries to trigger these memories again later, he also refers to the “men in the trenches you saw die.” Bracewell also recalls his parents died from Scarlet Fever. Scarlet Fever is a disease that was highly common in the 19th Century. The signs and symptoms include a sore throat, fever, headaches, swollen lymph nodes, and a red rash that feels like sandpaper and may leave the tongue red and bumpy. It most commonly affected children between the ages of 5 and 15.
Even the Daleks themselves recall history in this episode. The Daleks posing as Bracewell’s inventions are referred to as ‘Ironsides.’ Ironside was another name for the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car, a British armoured car produced during the Second World War from around 1940. Deeper than that though, the Daleks as villains are inspired by the Nazis themselves. Their creator, Terry Nation, grew up during the Second World War, and consciously based the Daleks on the Nazis, as faceless, authoritarian figures dedicated to conquest and complete conformity. He built on this in their later appearances, introducing their preoccupation with extermination too. Mark Gatiss, as writer of this episode, echoed this too when he noted that the Daleks belonged in the Second World War, commenting that their mission to destroy everything was a very Nazi concept.
Victory of the Daleks uses a large bank of history as a backdrop to its story. It remains very accurate throughout, apart from the Spitfires issue. Gatiss is noted as a writer for his commitment to researching the periods he writes in and attention to detail when presenting them. A large amount of the historical detail is centred around Winston Churchill, while the majority of the other uses of history are providing the wartime background to the episode.
Trivia
· The Daleks used since 2005 were designed so that the eye stalk lined up with the eyes of Billie Piper (1.65 metres). The new Daleks introduced in this episode are designed to match Karen Gillan's height (1.8 metres) with the eyestalks designed to be level with Matt Smith's eyeline.
· Steven Moffat, the showrunner from this season onwards, is from the Scottish town Paisley, and Amy’s comment to Bracewell that he’s done well “for a Paisley-boy” is likely a tongue-in-cheek reference to this.
· Jon Pertwee (the Third Doctor) was an intelligence officer during Second World War, reporting personally to Churchill.
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