Classic Doctor Who story The Daleks to air in colour for first time

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief

Published: November 3 2023 | 19:38

Last updated: November 8 2023 | 08:13

Classic Doctor Who story The Daleks to air in colour for first time

Classic Doctor Who serial 'The Daleks' is to be released in colour for the first time.

The BBC is to air classic Doctor Who serial 'The Daleks' in colour for the first time to mark the show's 60th anniversary.

The second serial in Who history, 'The Daleks' originally aired over seven episodes between December 1963 and February 1964.

The story saw the first Doctor, played by William Hartnell, and his companions land on an alien planet, where they encounter The Doctor's deadliest ever enemy.

Those seven episodes have now been painstakingly turned from black-and-white into colour and merged into one 75-minute episode designed "to appeal to today's modern audiences".

The feature-length episode has also been remastered with new sound and a brand new score, created by Mark Ayres.

Announcing the project, executive producer Phil Collinson said: "It's been my absolute pleasure to spend this past 12 months working with such a talented team to breathe new life into this classic adventure - a story that is literally the foundation stone of all that Doctor Who has become.

"The original is a masterpiece of 1960's television drama and this new version stands on the shoulders of the pioneering spirit of 1960's Doctor Who."

Doctor Who: The Daleks will air on BBC Four and iPlayer on Thursday, November 23, while the original seven episodes are available on 'The Whoniverse' archive within iPlayer.