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Steven Moffat may have some big surprises in store, but so far it seems Doctor Who’s fiftieth birthday will heavily weigh towards the extreme poles of Mark Gatiss’ docu-drama An Adventure in Space and Time and Moffat’s low-calorie (now with 43 years less nostalgia!), doubtless audacious Smith/Tennant/ John Hurt team-up. But it’s only right that we fans celebrate the spirit of Doctor Who, rather than a clip-show celebrating the letter—and pay tribute to its boldest and most original narratives.

So step forward, Revelation of the Daleks (1985)—a triumph from Colin Baker’s all-too-brief and troubled Doctorate. It’s a thoroughly unique and weird experiment—and its triumph, despite casting aside so much of Doctor Who’s then-standard repertoire, is as great a testament to Who’s storytelling prowess as any.

No matter what your taste in Doctor Who, chances are Revelation of the Daleks’ peculiar flavour is not easily acquired.

In 1985, things were not looking so good for Doctor Who. The show was to be put on ice for 18 months in the wake of controversial storylines and supposedly poor viewing figures – all tosh of course, especially when you think that the programme was still pulling viewing figures of about seven million – a perfectly respectable number.

So The Doctor doesn't get to take Peri to Blackpool – well, on screen, at least. And unlike previous years, there were no more customary Who repeats in the summer to mollify the fans. 18 months, as I've said, isn't such a long time by today's standards, but back in 1985, you can understand why fans were weeping into their scarves. The crisis was so bad that the infamously bad 'Doctor In Distress' record was hastily assembled. The so-called supergroup of Who Cares actually comprised Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Nicholas Courtney and Anthony Ainley, along with Faith Brown,...