Dr . Who and the Daleks Dr . Who and the Daleks , based on TV : " The Daleks " , was the first theatrical film based on " Doctor Who " . It stars Peter Cushing as a human scientist named Dr . Who who invents " Tardis " and takes his companions on a journey to the planet Skaro , where they help the peace - loving Thal s battle the evil Dalek s . Synopsis . Accidentally thrown together , Dr . Who ( Peter Cushing ) , his granddaughters , and their friend Ian cross the universe in Who ' s new invention , the space and time machine known as " Tardis " . When they land on the planet Skaro , the travellers meet the kind and placid Thals , who live in fear of the dreaded Daleks . Somehow , the Doctor and his party must find a way to help the Thals overcome the deadly mutants who live inside impenetrable metal casings . Plot . Dr . Who ( Cushing ) and his granddaughters , Susan ( Tovey ) and Barbara ( Linden ) , show Barbara ' s boyfriend Ian ( Castle ) Who ' s latest invention , a time machine called TARDIS . When Ian accidentally activates the machine , it takes them to a petrified jungle on a world devastated by an ancient nuclear war fought between the Daleks and the Thals . ( Although the planet is not named in the film , in its sequel it is retroactively revealed to be called Skaro , matching the name given in the television series . ) At the conclusion of the war , the Daleks , heavily mutated by radiation , encased themselves in protective machines and retreated into their city , while the humanoid Thals survived the fallout through the use of an anti - radiation drug and became a peaceful race of farmers . The Thals ' crops have recently failed , however , and they have journeyed to the petrified jungle to seek help from their former enemies . The Daleks , meanwhile , although determined to become the dominant race on Skaro , are unable to leave the city due to their vulnerability to radiation and their reliance on static electricity to power their travel machines . Ian and Barbara are unnerved by the jungle and demand to return to London but the Doctor , eager to investigate the city , fakes a leak in one of the vital " Tardis " fluid links to keep them on Skaro . The group decide to search the city for the mercury needed to refill the link but stumble across a case of Thal drug vials as they leave . In the city the Doctor , on reading a Geiger counter , realises that the planet is radioactive and in view of the fact that they are feeling unwell , deduce s that they are developing radiation sickness . Suddenly , the Daleks appear and capture the travellers , confining them to a cell and seizing the Doctor ' s fluid link for inspection . The Daleks know of the Thal drug and want to reproduce it in large quantities so that they can leave the city and exterminate the Thals . They offer to let the humans use some of the drug to cure their sickness if the vials left outside " Tardis " are brought to the city . Whilst carrying out the task Susan encounters Alydon , the Thal leader who left the vials . Alydon gives Susan a secondary drug supply to use in case the Daleks deviate from their promise and also lends her his plastic cape . The Daleks discover Susan ' s secret drug supply , but allow the humans to treat themselves with it . They then summon Susan to write a letter to the Thals , informing them that they wish to end post - war hostilities and will leave food in their control room as an act of friendship . The adventurers discover that when the Thals arrive , however , they will be ambushed and exterminated . When a Dalek comes to the cell to deliver food and water , the Doctor and his companions immobilise it by forcing it onto Susan ' s cape , thus insulating it from the charged metal floor . Ian takes the place of the creature inside the casing and notifies another Dalek that he is taking the Doctor , Barbara and Susan to the control room for questioning . Now free , the travellers shout a warning to the Thals who are entering the city and escape with them into the jungle , but not before an elderly man , Temmosus , is killed by the Daleks . Later the Daleks test the Thal drug on a number of themselves but find that it causes disastrous side effects . With no way of leaving the city , they decide to detonate a neutron bomb to increase the radiation on Skaro to a point at which not even the Thals can survive . At the Thal camp , the Doctor urges Alydon to fight the Daleks to secure a safe future for his species . Alydon insists that the Thals are pacifist , but the Doctor tests this claim by ordering Ian to take Dyoni , Alydon ' s love , to the Daleks in exchange for the confiscated fluid link . Alydon punches Ian to the ground , proving that Thals will fight for some things . Alydon , Susan and the Doctor lead the tribe to the front entrance of the city , where they attempt to confuse the enemy ' s scanners by reflecting light off small mirrors to give the impression of greater numbers . The plan fails when the Daleks appear and the Thals scatter , however , and Susan and the Doctor are captured . Meanwhile , Ian and Barbara , guided by the Thals Ganatus , Antodus and Elyon , set out to infiltrate the city from the rear . While navigating a swamp , Elyon is killed by a marsh - dwelling mutation and the party is eventually forced to jump a chasm to proceed any further . Antodus falls short and plunges into the void , but manages to cling to the uneven rock face and is pulled up by the others . In the city control room , the Daleks ignore the Doctor ' s appeals as they start the bomb countdown . Ian , Barbara , Ganatus and Antodus penetrate the city and join Alydon and the rest of the Thals , who have returned determined to rescue Susan and the Doctor . The Thals and humans enter the control room and struggle with the Daleks while the Doctor yells for someone to stop the bomb detonation . Ian calls out his presence and dives for cover as the Daleks fire towards him in unison . The aliens inadvertently destroy their own control panel , disabling themselves as well as freezing the countdown . The Doctor then retrieves the " Tardis " fluid link . In the jungle , the Thals bid farewell to the Doctor and his companions and express their gratitude with special gifts . When the travellers depart in " Tardis " they materialise not in London , however , but on an ancient battlefield in front of an advancing Roman army . Novelisations . No novelisation based upon the film script was ever published , however the original teleplay , " The Daleks " , was adapted as " Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks " by David Whitaker , published by Frederick Muller in late 1964 . Later , when the book was republished by Target Books , it was retitled " Doctor Who and the Daleks " . Comic book adaptation . " Dr . Who and the Daleks " was adapted as an American comic book by Dell Publishing in 1966 ( the year the film was released in the US ) . The comic book featured artwork by Dick Giordano and was the first US comic book appearance of anything connected to the " Doctor Who " franchise . It was reprinted in the UK by Marvel Comics UK in " Doctor Who Classic Comics " # 9 .