A space plague attacks all creatures in the Galaxy. The antidote can only be found on the planet Exxilon, home of a now savagely hostile and degenerate race. The Exxilons have rejected all technology since their perfect, automated City expelled them. The Doctor's TARDIS is grounded on Exxilon, drained of its power by the City. The Doctor and Sarah find themselves caught up in a struggle between Humans and Daleks for possession of the vital antidote. Helped by Bellal, a friendly Exxilon who is a member of a breakaway group that no longer worships the City, the Doctor, followed by the Daleks, manages to get into the City, passes its tests and destroys it. It is discovered that the Daleks are the cause of the plague. One of the Humans sacrifices his life to blow up the Dalek spaceship, saving the precious antidote for Humanity.
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The Doctor:  Jon Pertwee
Sarah Jane Smith: Elisabeth Sladen

Guest Appearances:
Bellal: Arnold Yarrow
Gotal: Roy Heymann
Galloway: Duncan Lamont
Railton: John Abineri
Hamilton: Julian Fox
Jill Tarrant: Joy Harrison
Stewart: Neil Seiler
High Priest: Mostyn Evans
Spaceman: Terry Walsh
Zombies: Steven Ismay, Terry Walsh
Daleks: John Scott Martin, Murphy Grumbar, Cy Town
Dalek Voices: Michael Wisher
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Producer: Barry Letts.
Script Editor: Terrence Dicks, Robert Holmes.
Writer: Terry Nation.
Director: Michael Briant.
Designer: Colin Green.
Costume: L. Rowland Warne.
Make up: Magdalen Gaffney, Cynthia Goodwin.
Visual Effects: Jim Ward, Mat Irvine.
Music : Carey Blyton.
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Novelized as "Doctor Who - Death to the Daleks" by Terrance Dicks (0 426 20042 X) first published by Wyndham Publications in 1978 with cover by Roy Knipe. New edition by Virgin Publishing Ltd in 1991 with cover by Alister Pearson. Target library number 19.

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Released as "Death to the Daleks" in UK, July 1987 and Australia & New Zealand (BBC catalogue #4073) and in US & Canada 1990 (CBS/FOX catalogue # 5073, reclassified as WHV #E1152). Cover a montage illustration by Sid Sutton. The July 1987 release was the first UK 'budget priced'. Re-releasd in UK in 1995 (BBC #5520).

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The original title of the story was indeed "The Exxilons" and was not scheduled to feature the Daleks, they were included because Barry Letts' and Terrence Dicks' desire to feature a Dalek story.
During the recording of this story Barry Letts announced that he was leaving the series.

All four episodes exist in color on PAL 2" videotape. The master tapes of episodes 2-4 were held by the Film & Videotape Library. The 2" master of episode 1 was recovered from a private collector in 1992.

Studio recording in studio TC3. (3-4, 18-19 December 1973)
ARC Sand Pit, Puddleton Road, Gallows Hill, Dorset. (7-10 May 1973)
...• Area A - Mining Area Pit. (16 November 1973)
...• Area B - Boulder Pit. (14 November 1973)
...• Area C - Ambush Area Pit. (15 November 1973)

Episode 1-4 - The surname of Murphy Grumbar (one of the Dalek operators) is mis-spelt "Grunbar" on the end credits of all four episodes.
Episode 2 - In the scenes at the start of this episode where the Daleks confront the humans, and again when they confer among themselves, three of the Daleks are in constant motion, but the fourth is rather conspicuously motionless.
Episode 2 - While Sarah-Jane is supposed to be imprisoned, watch for certain scenes when you can see her cage in the background – completely empty.
Episode 3 - The Daleks' head-pieces have quite a few problems in this story. In close-ups they do not always move smoothly, and sometimes rock forward or sideways. An example is in the Dalek conference aboard their ship in this episode. Another one is in the same mining scene as the following blooper, when the Daleks are discussing the explosive charges to be used on the Exxilon city.
Episode 3 - In the mining area, just before the city's "root" guardian appears, one of the Daleks says to another, "The explosive charges will be completed shortly". A third Dalek is in the background, and the tracks down which it moves to join the other two are clearly visible.
Episode 3 - When the city "root" guardian comes out of the water and attacks the Exxilons, you can see the piece of string holding it up.
Episode 3 - The cliffhanger to this episode involves the city's floor trap, which the viewer doesn't even know is a trap yet!
Episode 4 - When the bomb is being planted on the beacon, watch as the chap doing it slams the bomb into place, and the whole structure suddenly moves. He even reaches out quickly and grabs the pole as if he's afraid it's about to fall over.