82.5%

1985 was an interesting year for Doctor Who: it was Colin Baker's first full season as the Doctor; the show had returned to its original, once-a-week Saturday night slot on BBC1 after 3 years of twice-weekly, weekday broadcasts; the episodes had been reformatted from 25 minutes to 45 minutes; and as the season drew to a close the future of the show looked doubtful for the first time.

Much as I liked Colin Baker, I was conscious of the fact that he was not being given the calibre of material that would allow him to shine. There were glimpses of something better, Revelation of the Daleks being a magnificent example of how good Colin Baker could be. In fact, Revelation even allowed a glimpse of how good Terry Molloy could be as Davros. Although I had seen Genesis of the Daleks on its original broadcast, it was the 1982 re-run that was fresh in my mind. Terry Molloy's portrayal of Davros in Resurrection of the Daleks ranked only a measly 5 to Michael Wisher's 10 out of 10 portrayal in Genesis of the Daleks. However, under Graeme Harper's direction and in a much more considered script from Saward, Molloy shines as Davros, coming in at a respectable 8 out of 10. If I had one criticism of this story it would be that it feels like part of a bigger story, a story which has never been told. There are bigger events unfolding beyond this adventure and I just wish that whatever issues had dogged the novelisation of this story could be set aside so that Saward could deliver the full story (although, I doubt that the matter will be resolved or that Saward would deliver the novel I would be eager to read). I would go as far as to say that this is Eric Saward's finest moment in Doctor Who, which is saying something since I am not one of his biggest fans.

Of all the stories in season 22, Revelation of the Daleks made the best use of the 45-minute episode. However, again, it could have been so much better and so much more effective if it had been the three-part story of the season. Its surprising, really. The normally dependable Robert Holmes delivered a dog's breakfast of a story, while Saward delivered the cake (albeit missing some icing).

It was the story that left me hoping that the next season would be so much better. Although I was just as angry at Michael Grade as other fans, I also agreed that the series needed to buck up its ideas. I felt that the show had lost its sense of wonder over the past 2 seasons and season 22 had been especially lacklustre with Revelation of the Daleks being the only light in an otherwise dim year. Its a pity that it was to be another 3 and a half years before the series regained that spark, although interestingly the Daleks arrived again, to save the day!