As part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of iconic series Doctor Who, one of the show’s most renowned tales underwent an out of this world update as it received an artistic colourisation. Originally transmitted in December 1963 to February 1964, The Daleks were introduced to audiences and soon became one of the Doctor’s most formidable and enduring foes. The story follows the very first crew of the TARDIS as they land in a petrified forest on an alien planet. Determined to explore, the Doctor (William Hartnell) leads his companions into the metal city, where they discover danger at every corner and what will become his deadliest enemy, the mutant Daleks. These seven original 25 minute episodes have been colourised and weaved together into a 75 minute blockbuster. With brand new sound, a brand-new soundtrack - created by Mark Ayres utilising elements of Tristram Cary’s original music with newly recorded score - The Daleks has been updated, whilst ensuring the original classic story remains as thrilling as it was when it began in 1963.
MARK AYRES on re-scoring a TV classic
“The main instruction was to ‘be bold’, and not be too hidebound by the original. That original is ingrained in my nearly-63-year-old DNA, so that was a challenge! But a good one. “There was some early discussion about doing a complete re-score, but I argued for keeping as much of Tristram Cary’s original as possible. I wanted my contribution to be both celebration and reinvention: respectful to the original, while not entirely reverential. After all, Tristram was a friend of mine, as is [sound designer] Brian Hodgson, and I think their work is groundbreaking, unique and wonderful. The Silva Screen Records release is a double CD set with the complete soundtrack on Disc 1 with Disc 2 containing alternate edits and unused cues only available on CD.