Doctor Who

 The show that scared kids and thrilled adults: classic 1975 Doctor Who serial Genesis of the Daleks

In 1975 Doctor Who delivered one of its most enduring, unsettling and influential stories with the six-part serial Genesis of the Daleks. First broadcast from March to April that year, it thrust the Fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker, and his companions Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan into one of the darkest chapters of the programme’s history. The Time Lords send the Doctor to the war-torn planet Skaro at a crucial point in the evolution of the Daleks, tasking him with preventing their creation or at least altering them to be less violent. This high-stakes mission unfolds against a backdrop of trench warfare between two humanoid races, the Kaleds and the Thals, lending the story a grim, almost allegorical tone of the horrors of conflict.

What set Genesis of the Daleks apart from earlier episodes was its maturity of theme and atmosphere. With artistically darker lighting, tighter close-ups and a pervasive sense of menace, the serial pushed beyond simple science fiction adventure into morally fraught territory. The introduction of Davros, the mutant scientist who would become one of the Daleks’ defining villains, added a chilling human dimension to the narrative; his fanaticism and manipulation of genetic destiny gave the story psychological depth that resonated with older viewers while genuinely frightening younger ones.

The serial also broke new ground in British family television by presenting scenes of war, brutality and ethical dilemma during a Saturday teatime slot, prompting complaints that it was “tea-time brutality for tots”. The tension between the Doctor’s mission, the horrors he witnesses and his reluctance to commit to the annihilation of an entire future species created a complex, riveting drama that kept audiences gripped week after week.

Genesis of the Daleks remains widely regarded as a classic because it combined intelligent plotting, striking visual design and philosophical weight with thrills and genuine scares, engaging both children who hid behind the sofa and adults who pondered its deeper implications.