After materialising in a devastated London in the year 2164, The Doctor, Barbara, Ian and Susan (William Hartnell, Jacqueline Hill, William Russell, Carole Ann Ford) come face to eye-stalk with an old foe, the tinny-tyrants from Skaro, who, along with their dehumanised minions the 'robo-men', have enslaved a humanity weakened by plagues and meteorite bombardments. This 6-part post-apocalyptic tale was Terry Nation's follow-up to 'The Daleks', the iconic First Doctor story that did much to establish the future of the long running time-travel saga. Shot on location with a larger cast (including many extras and numerous Daleks), scenes of an empty London, and some attempts at more ambitious props and special effects (such as the Dalek saucers), the serial is much more expansive looking than earlier adventures (possibly because the BBC was willing to invest more in a 'sequel' to a hit). For the most part, the story moves along briskly and the cliff-hanger episode-endings are nicely done (although the addition of the 'slyther', a gratuitous monster that adds nothing to the plot but padding, could have been dispensed with). The story has its darker moments (notably suicides, the nature and fate of the robo-men, the treachery of people desperate for food). The serial also sees the first departure of a companion, a nicely-done scene that manages to be moving without being maudlin. All-in-all, an entertaining early entry in the long-running chronicles of the benevolent Timelord, his companions, and his various nemeses that is considered to be among the best from the era of the 'First Doctor'. The addition of the bipedal 'robo-men' addresses the conundrum as to how the Daleks can conquer a planet whose populace uses 'stairs' (fans would have to wait decades before discovering the real answer). Remade as the lack-luster theatrical release 'Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A. D.' a year later with Peter Cushing as the Doctor. * Score and comments pertain to the entire serial.