The Daleks, Doctor Who‘s second ever story and the first to feature the titular antagonists, is to be broadcast in colour for the first time ever on the BBC, as part of the show’s 60th anniversary celebrations.

With a brand new score by Mark Ayres, The Daleks arrives on 23rd November 2023 on BBC Four — but it will also sit within The Whoniverse where viewers can also watch the seven-part story in its original form.

Originally transmitted in 1963 and 1964, these seven original 23-minute episodes have now received a makeover, having been colourised and weaved together into a 75-minute blockbuster — the BBC says this is “to appeal to today’s modern audiences”, but that sound horribly patronising and insulting to Terry Nation’s scripts, as well as to the original production team, so instead, let’s see this as a truncated way of enjoying the serial when you’re short on time, and because colouring all seven would’ve been too mammoth a task. And let’s appreciate what an absolute gift this is: you can still enjoy the original story in all its black and white glory, or you can see it all through a new lens! Glorious.

Phil Collinson, Executive Producer, says:

“It’s been my absolute pleasure to spend this past 12 months working with such a talented team to breathe new life into this classic adventure – a story that is literally the foundation stone of all that Doctor Who has become. The original is a masterpiece of 1960’s television drama and this new version stands on the shoulders of the pioneering spirit of 1960’s Doctor Who.”

The Daleks colourisation is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for BBC Four and iPlayer. The Lead Colourisation Artist is Richard Tipple.

This special episode is one of the many highlights set to commemorate Doctor Who’s outstanding 60-year anniversary, celebrations that also include three new episodes with David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor, documentaries on TV and radio, and over 800 episodes of Who and its spin-offs on iPlayer.