Inspired to learn more about the wider serial after the discovery of formerly-missing Doctor Who episodes, The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet? The Daleks’ Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial, a book all about the behind-the-scenes of the First Doctor classic, is set to be published in August 2026.
The title is written by Alan Stevens — and it’s been quite the enterprise! Alan explains:
“This project has been a monumental archival undertaking, involving access to hundreds of documents, including internal memos, personal letters, and private interviews, to piece together the most comprehensive account of this epic production to date.”
The Daleks’ Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial examines events both on-screen and behind the camera, reviewing draft, rehearsal, and camera scripts to provide new insights and information. It even details some of the shocks regarding the heavy toll the production took on those involved, including on William Hartnell.
Altogether, the monograph provides in-depth coverage of 21 Doctor Who episodes, encompassing the one-off trailer episode Mission to the Unknown, the 12-part epic The Daleks’ Master Plan, and a comparative chapter on the classic Patrick Troughton Cyberman adventure, The Invasion.
Beyond the production history, the book features an extensive comparative analysis of the Daleks’ varied origins across television, comic strips, and short stories, tracing the evolution of the species as a symbol of universal malevolence.
Alan continues:
“As I move into the final stages of writing, I wanted to share this cover to mark the home stretch. With the recent discovery of missing episodes from this story, there has never been a better time to revisit the Master Plan.”
Furthermore, The Daleks’ Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial includes an extensive look at The Destroyers, the pilot for Terry Nation’s proposed Dalek spin-off series, revealing the grander ambitions for the pepper-pot terrors beyond the main show.
The journey is brought to life with both black-and-white and colour illustrations throughout by Tim Keable.
And you can help make this happen because the Special Limited 200 Hardback Edition (signed and numbered) will only be printed if the pre-order target is reached by 30th June 2026.
