A little thread on twitter this week got me all nostalgic for the Dapol toys, so I decided to repost this from 2008.
Cast
This story exclusively uses Dapol figures. As well as the 7th Doctor (in season 24 beige jacket), Mel (in blue "Paradise Towers" top) and Davros (yes, with two arms) you will spot Daleks in several liveries (grey/ blue, grey/ black, white/ gold, black/ silver, red/ silver and red/ black.) There's also the transparent "transmat" dalek.
Odd that for some reason I didn't use the other daleks I have, black/gold and red/gold Daleks. Maybe I felt it was already crowded enough.
Inspiration
In 2008, I decided to do a special commemorating the Dapol action figures which by then were twenty years old. The plan was to make three new stories showcasing the three Dapol doctors (3, 4 and 7) with selected monsters and companions. Pertwee would battle the Sea Devils and Silurians, Tom Baker would face the Sontarans while McCoy and Mel would face the daleks in a story that I always felt was missing from the Doctor Who/ Dalek canon: how did Davros go from being a prisoner about to stand trial (at the end of Revelation of the Daleks) to being Dalek Emperor (in Remembrance of the Daleks)?
This event is also covered by the Big Finish audio The Juggernauts as well as the DWM comic Emperor of the Daleks.
I had also considered a different story: Battlelines In The Stars which didn't feature the Doctor at all but showed the Time Lords and Daleks meeting to sign a non-aggression pact. The Time Lords have been betrayed, however (probably by the Master IIRC), leaving the universe on the brink of a Great Time War...
Shooting
All the Dapol Doctors episodes were shot on 4 Jan 2008. This one was a little more complex than the other two and began with the Skaro exteriors.
The sets were made especially for the story and based loosely on the design of the Dalek city seen in the Dr Who and Daleks movie. It was shot on an opaque glass table with a light shone through from below to provide an eerie atmosphere.
The upper and lower sections of the trial room were shot separately and put together in the edit.
Continuity
As a Davros retrospective, this story is quite continuity laden, referencing most of his four (at the time) appearances.
In the Doctor's personal timeline, this story comes somewhere in season 24 prior to Dragonfire where he meets Ace and Mel leaves.
For Davros, it comes between Revelation and Remembrance of the Daleks where he is captured by the Supreme Dalek's forces and taken to Skaro for trial.
Transmission
Judgement of the Daleks was first posted as part of The Dapol Doctors in January 2008.
It was reposted here on 11 February, inspired by a twitter thread.