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Designer Raymond Cusick said that he got the idea for their appearance "whilst fiddling with a pepperpot" and had them produced in fibreglass, at a cost of less than £250 each. They were introduced in December 1963 in the second ''Doctor Who'' serial, colloquially known as ''
Nation grew up during the Second World War and remembered the fear caused by German bombings. He consciously based the Daleks on the Nazism, Nazis, conceiving the species as faceless, authoritarian figures dedicated to conquest, racial purity and complete conformity. The allusion is most obvious in the Dalek stories written by Nation, in particular ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' (1964) and ''
When the new series was announced, many fans hoped that the Daleks would return once more to the programme. The Nation estate, however, demanded levels of creative control over the Daleks' appearances and scripts that were unacceptable to the BBC. Eventually the Daleks were cleared to appear in the first series. In 2014, ''Doctor Who'' showrunner Steven Moffat denied their numerous appearances since was as a result of a contractual obligation.
, London. 21 December 1963 – 1 February 1964. However, when they reappear in ''
The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of
designer mutant
In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
s principally portrayed in the British science fiction television
Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...
programme ''Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation
Terence Joseph Nation (8 August 19309 March 1997) was a British screenwriter and novelist. Especially known for his work in British television science fiction, he created the Daleks and Davros for ''Doctor Who'', as well as the series '' Survivo ...
and first appeared in the 1963 ''Doctor Who'' serial ''The Daleks
''The Daleks'' (also known as ''The Mutants'' and ''The Dead Planet'') is the second serial in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC TV in seven weekly parts from 21 December 1963 to ...
'', in shells designed by Raymond Cusick
Raymond Patrick Cusick (28 April 1928 – 21 February 2013) was a designer for the BBC. He is best known for designing the Daleks, a race of Extraterrestrial life, aliens who move around in tank-like travel machines, for the science fiction on t ...
.
Drawing inspiration from the Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
s, Nation portrayed the Daleks as violent, merciless and pitiless cyborg aliens who demand total conformity to their will, and are bent on the conquest of the universe and the extermination
Extermination or exterminate may refer to:
* Pest control, elimination of insects or vermin
* Genocide, extermination—in whole or in part—of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group
* Homicide or murder in general
* "Exterminate!", t ...
of what they see as inferior races. Collectively, they are the greatest enemies of ''Doctor Who''s protagonist, the Time Lord
The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', of which the series' main protagonist, The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, is a memb ...
known as " the Doctor". During the second year of the original ''Doctor Who'' programme (1963–1989), the Daleks developed their own form of time travel. In the beginning of the second ''Doctor Who'' TV series that debuted in 2005, it was established that the Daleks had engaged in a Time War against the Time Lords that affected much of the universe and altered parts of history.
In the programme's narrative, the planet Skaro
Skaro is a fictional planet in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was created by the writer Terry Nation as the home planet of the Daleks.
In ''The Daleks'' (1963–64), Skaro is described as being the twelfth pl ...
suffered a thousand-year war between two societies: the Kaleds and the Thal
Thal may refer to:
Places
* Thal, Lower Austria, Austria
* Thal, Styria, Austria
* Thal, Ruhla, Germany
* Thal, Uttarakhand, Didihat district, India
* Thal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
** Thal railway station
* Thal, St. Gallen, Switzerla ...
s. During this time-period, many natives of Skaro became badly mutated by fallout from nuclear weapons
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
and chemical warfare
Chemical warfare (CW) involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from nuclear warfare, biological warfare and radiological warfare, which together make up CBRN, the military acronym ...
. The Kaled government believed in genetic purity and swore to "exterminate the Thals" for being inferior. Believing his own society was becoming weak and that it was his duty to create a new master race from the ashes of his people, the Kaled scientist Davros
Davros () is a character from the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was created by screenwriter Terry Nation, originally for the 1975 serial ''Genesis of the Daleks''. Dav ...
genetically modified several Kaleds into squid-like life-forms he called Daleks, removing "weaknesses" such as mercy and sympathy while increasing aggression and survival-instinct. He then integrated them with tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...
-like robot
A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...
ic shells equipped with advanced technology based on the same life-support system he himself used since being burned and blinded by a nuclear attack. His creations became intent on dominating the universe by enslaving or purging all "inferior" non-Dalek life.
The Daleks are the show's most popular and famous villains and their returns to the series over the decades have often gained media attention. Their frequent declaration "Exterminate!" has become common usage.
Creation
The Daleks were created byTerry Nation
Terence Joseph Nation (8 August 19309 March 1997) was a British screenwriter and novelist. Especially known for his work in British television science fiction, he created the Daleks and Davros for ''Doctor Who'', as well as the series '' Survivo ...
and designed by the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...Raymond Cusick
Raymond Patrick Cusick (28 April 1928 – 21 February 2013) was a designer for the BBC. He is best known for designing the Daleks, a race of Extraterrestrial life, aliens who move around in tank-like travel machines, for the science fiction on t ...
.Designer Raymond Cusick said that he got the idea for their appearance "whilst fiddling with a pepperpot" and had them produced in fibreglass, at a cost of less than £250 each. They were introduced in December 1963 in the second ''Doctor Who'' serial, colloquially known as ''
The Daleks
''The Daleks'' (also known as ''The Mutants'' and ''The Dead Planet'') is the second serial in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC TV in seven weekly parts from 21 December 1963 to ...
''. They became an immediate and huge hit with viewers, featuring in many subsequent serials and, in the 1960s, two films. They have become as synonymous with ''Doctor Who'' as the Doctor himself, and their behaviour and catchphrases are now part of British popular culture
Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...
. "Hiding behind the sofa
"Behind the sofa" is a British pop culture phrase describing the fearful reaction of hiding behind a sofa to avoid seeing frightening parts of a television programme, the sofa offering a place to hide from the on-screen threat, with the implicatio ...
whenever the Daleks appear" has been cited as an element of British cultural identity, and a 2008 survey indicated that nine out of ten British children were able to identify a Dalek correctly. In 1999 a Dalek photographed by Lord Snowdon
Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, (7 March 1930 – 13 January 2017), was a British photographer and filmmaker. He is best known for his portraits of world notables, many of them published in ''Vogue'', ''Vanity Fai ...
appeared on a postage stamp celebrating British popular culture. In 2010, readers of science fiction magazine ''SFX'' voted the Dalek as the all-time greatest monster, beating competition including Japanese movie monster
A monster movie, monster film, creature feature or giant monster film is a film that focuses on one or more characters struggling to survive attacks by one or more antagonistic monsters, often abnormally large ones. The film may also fall und ...
Godzilla
is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film ''Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produc ...
and J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''.
From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...
's Gollum
Gollum is a fictional Tolkien's monsters, character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He was introduced in the 1937 Fantasy (genre), fantasy novel ''The Hobbit'', and became important in its sequel, ''The Lord of the Rings''. Gol ...
, of ''The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...
''.
Entry into popular culture
As early as one year after first appearing on ''Doctor Who'', the Daleks had become popular enough to be recognized even by non-viewers. In December 1964editorial cartoonist
An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary. Their cartoons are used to convey and question an aspect of daily news or curren ...
Leslie Gilbert Illingworth published a cartoon in the ''Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
'' captioned "THE DEGAULLEK", caricaturing French President Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
arriving at a NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
meeting as a Dalek with de Gaulle's prominent nose.
The word "Dalek" has entered major dictionaries, including the ''Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...
'', which defines "Dalek" as "a type of robot appearing in 'Dr. Who', a B.B.C. Television science-fiction programme; hence used allusively." English-speakers sometimes use the term metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...
ically to describe people, usually authority figures, who act like robots unable to break from their programming. For example, John Birt
John Birt, Baron Birt (born 10 December 1944) is a British television executive and businessman. He is a former Director-General (1992–2000) of the BBC.
After a successful career in commercial television, initially at Granada Television an ...
, the Director-General of the BBC
The director-general of the British Broadcasting Corporation is chief executive and (from 1994) editor-in-chief of the BBC.
The position was formerly appointed by the Board of Governors of the BBC (for the period of 1927 to 2007) and then t ...
from 1992 to 2000, was called a "croak-voiced Dalek" by playwright Dennis Potter
Dennis Christopher George Potter (17 May 1935 – 7 June 1994) was an English television dramatist, screenwriter and journalist. He is best known for his BBC television serials '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Singing Detective'' (198 ...
in the MacTaggart Lecture at the 1993 Edinburgh Television Festival
The Edinburgh International Television Festival is an annual media event held in the United Kingdom each August which brings together delegates from the television and digital world to debate the major issues facing the industry.
The Festival ...
.
Physical characteristics
Externally Daleks resemble human-sized pepper pots with a single mechanical eyestalk mounted on a rotating dome, a gun-mount containing an energy-weapon ("gunstick" or "death ray
The death ray or death beam was a theoretical particle beam or electromagnetic weapon first theorized around the 1920s and 1930s. Around that time, notable inventors such as Guglielmo Marconi, Nikola Tesla, Harry Grindell Matthews, Edwin R. Scot ...
") resembling an egg-whisk, and a telescopic manipulator arm usually tipped by an appendage resembling a sink-plunger
A plunger, force cup, plumber's friend or plumber's helper is a tool used to clear blockages in drains and pipes. It consists of a rubber suction cup attached to a stick (''shaft'') usually made of wood or plastic. A different bellows-like desi ...
. Daleks have been known to use their plungers to interface with technology, crush a man's skull by suction, measure the intelligence of a subject, and extract information from a man's mind. Dalek casings are made of a bonded polycarbide material called "Dalekanium" by a member of the human resistance in ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth
''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' is the second Serial (radio and television), serial of the Doctor Who (season 2), second season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Written by Terry Nation and directed by Richard Ma ...
'' and the Dalek comics, as well as by the Cult of Skaro in "Daleks in Manhattan
"Daleks in Manhattan" is the fourth episode of the third series of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC One on 21 April 2007. It is part one of a two-part story. Its concluding part, "Evoluti ...
."
The lower half of a Dalek's shell is covered with hemispherical protrusions, or 'Dalek-bumps', which are shown in the episode "Dalek
The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in the 1963 ''Doctor Who'' ...
" to be spheres embedded in the casing. Both the BBC-licensed ''Dalek Book'' (1964) and ''The Doctor Who Technical Manual'' (1983) describe these items as being part of a sensory array, while in the 2005 series episode "Dalek" they are integral to a Dalek's forcefield mechanism, which evaporates most bullets and resists most types of energy weapons. The forcefield seems to be concentrated around the Dalek's midsection (where the mutant is located), as normally ineffective firepower can be concentrated on the eyestalk to blind a Dalek. In 2019 episode "Resolution
Resolution(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate
* Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body
* New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...
" the bumps give way to reveal missile launchers capable of wiping out a military tank with ease. Daleks have a very limited visual field, with no peripheral sight at all, and are relatively easy to hide from in fairly exposed places. Their own energy weapons are capable of destroying them. Their weapons fire a beam that has electrical tendencies, is capable of propagating through water, and may be a form of plasma
Plasma or plasm may refer to:
Science
* Plasma (physics), one of the four fundamental states of matter
* Plasma (mineral), a green translucent silica mineral
* Quark–gluon plasma, a state of matter in quantum chromodynamics
Biology
* Blood pla ...
or electrolaser
An electrolaser is a type of electroshock weapon that is also a directed-energy weapon. It uses lasers to form an electrically conductive ''laser-induced plasma channel'' (LIPC). A fraction of a second later, a powerful electric current is sent d ...
. The eyepiece is a Dalek's most vulnerable spot; impairing its vision often leads to a blind, panicked firing of its weapon while exclaiming "My vision is impaired; I cannot see!" Russell T Davies
Stephen Russell Davies (born 27 April 1963), better known as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer whose works include '' Queer as Folk'', '' The Second Coming'', ''Casanova'', the 2005 revival of the BBC One scie ...
subverted the catchphrase in his 2008 episode "The Stolen Earth
"The Stolen Earth" is the twelfth episode of the Doctor Who (series 4), fourth series and the 750th overall episode of the British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One ...
", in which a Dalek vaporises a paintball that has blocked its vision while proclaiming, "My vision is ''not'' impaired!"
The creature inside the mechanical casing is soft and repulsive in appearance, and vicious in temperament. The first-ever glimpse of a Dalek mutant, in ''The Daleks
''The Daleks'' (also known as ''The Mutants'' and ''The Dead Planet'') is the second serial in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC TV in seven weekly parts from 21 December 1963 to ...
'', was a claw peeking out from under a Thal cloak after it had been removed from its casing. The mutants' actual appearance has varied, but often adheres to the Doctor's description of the species in ''Remembrance of the Daleks
''Remembrance of the Daleks'' is the first serial of the 25th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The serial was first broadcast in four weekly episodes from 5 to 26 October 1988. It was written by Ben Aaronovi ...
'' as "little green blobs in bonded polycarbide armour
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...
". In ''Resurrection of the Daleks
''Resurrection of the Daleks'' is the fourth serial of the 21st season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on BBC1 between 8 February and 15 February 1984. The serial ...
'' a Dalek creature, separated from its casing, attacks and severely injures a human soldier; in ''Remembrance of the Daleks'' there are two Dalek factions (Imperial and Renegade), and the creatures inside have a different appearance in each case, one resembling the amorphous creature from ''Resurrection'', the other the crab-like creature from the original Dalek serial. As the creature inside is rarely seen on screen there is a common misconception that Daleks are wholly mechanical robots. In the new series Daleks are retcon
Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subse ...
ned to be mollusc
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...
-like in appearance, with small tentacles, one or two eyes, and an exposed brain. In the new series, a Dalek creature separated from its casing is shown capable of inserting a tentacle into the back of a human's neck and controlling them.
Daleks' voices are electronic; when out of its casing the mutant is able only to squeak. Once the mutant is removed the casing itself can be entered and operated by humanoids; for example, in ''The Daleks
''The Daleks'' (also known as ''The Mutants'' and ''The Dead Planet'') is the second serial in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC TV in seven weekly parts from 21 December 1963 to ...
'', Ian Chesterton
Ian Chesterton is a fictional character in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and a companion (Doctor Who), companion of the First Doctor. He was played in the series by William Russell ( ...
( William Russell) enters a Dalek shell to masquerade as a guard as part of an escape plan.
For many years it was assumed that, due to their design and gliding motion, Daleks were unable to climb stairs, and that this provided a simple way of escaping them. A cartoon from ''Punch
Punch commonly refers to:
* Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist
* Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice
Punch may also refer to:
Places
* Pun ...
'' pictured a group of Daleks at the foot of a flight of stairs with the caption, "Well, this certainly buggers our plan to conquer the Universe". In a scene from the serial ''Destiny of the Daleks
''Destiny of the Daleks'' is the first serial of the 17th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 1 September to 22 September 1979. The story introduces ...
'', the Doctor and companions escape from Dalek pursuers by climbing into a ceiling duct. The Fourth Doctor
The Fourth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Tom Baker.
Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from the ...
calls down, "If you're supposed to be the superior race of the universe, why don't you try climbing after us?" The Daleks generally make up for their lack of mobility with overwhelming firepower; a joke among ''Doctor Who'' fans is that "Real Daleks don't climb stairs; they level the building." Dalek mobility has improved over the history of the series: in their first appearance, in ''The Daleks'', they were capable of movement only on the conductive metal floors of their city; in ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' a Dalek emerges from the waters of the River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
, indicating not only that they had become freely mobile, but that they are amphibious; ''Planet of the Daleks'' showed that they could ascend a vertical shaft by means of an external anti-gravity
Anti-gravity (also known as non-gravitational field) is a hypothetical phenomenon of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or to ...
mat placed on the floor; ''Revelation of the Daleks'' showed Davros in his life-support chair and one of his Daleks hovering and ''Remembrance of the Daleks'' depicted them as capable of hovering up a flight of stairs. Despite this, journalists covering the series frequently refer to the Daleks' supposed inability to climb stairs; characters escaping up a flight of stairs in the 2005 episode "Dalek" made the same joke and were shocked when the Dalek began to hover up the stairs after uttering the phrase "ELEVATE", in a similar manner to their normal phrase "EXTERMINATE". The new series depicts the Daleks as fully capable of flight, even space flight.
Prop details
The non-humanoid shape of the Dalek did much to enhance the creatures' sense of menace. A lack of familiar reference points differentiated them from the traditional "bug-eyed monster
The bug-eyed monster (BEM) is an early convention of the science fiction genre. Extraterrestrials in science fiction of the 1930s were often described (or pictured on covers of pulp magazines) as grotesque creatures with huge, oversized
or compo ...
" of science fiction, which ''Doctor Who'' creator Sydney Newman
Sydney Cecil Newman (April 1, 1917 – October 30, 1997) was a Canadian film and television producer, who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. After his return to Canada in 1970, Newman w ...
had wanted the show to avoid. The unsettling Dalek form, coupled with their alien voices, made many believe that the props were wholly mechanical and operated by remote control.Howe (2004), p. 31
The Daleks were actually controlled from inside by short operators,Howe (1997), p. 82 who had to manipulate their eyestalks, domes and arms, as well as flashing the lights on their heads in sync with the actors supplying their voices. The Dalek cases were built in two pieces; an operator would step into the lower section and then the top would be secured. The operators looked out between the cylindrical louvres just beneath the dome, which were lined with mesh to conceal their faces.
In addition to being hot and cramped, the Dalek casings also muffled external sounds, making it difficult for operators to hear the director or dialogue. John Scott Martin
John Scott Martin (1 April 1926 – 6 January 2009) was an English actor born in Toxteth, Liverpool, Lancashire. He made many film, stage and television appearances, but one of his most famous, though unseen, roles was as a Dalek operator in th ...
, a Dalek operator from the original series, said that Dalek operation was a challenge: "You had to have about six hands: one to do the eyestalk, one to do the lights, one for the gun, another for the smoke canister underneath, yet another for the sink plunger. If you were related to an octopus then it helped."Howe (1997), p. 85
For ''Doctor Whos 21st-century revival the Dalek casings retain the same overall shape and dimensional proportions of previous Daleks, although many details have been redesigned to give the Dalek a heavier and more solid look. Changes include a larger, more pointed base; a glowing eyepiece; an all-over metallic-brass finish (specified by Davies); thicker, nailed strips on the "neck" section; a housing for the eyestalk pivot; and significantly larger dome lights. The new prop made its on-screen debut in the 2005 episode "Dalek". These Dalek casings use a short operator inside the housing while the 'head' and eyestalk are operated via remote control. A third person, Nicholas Briggs
Nicholas Briggs (born 29 September 1961) is an English actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer. He is associated with the BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Dal ...
, supplies the voice in their various appearances. In the 2010 season, a new, larger model appeared in several colours representing different parts of the Dalek command hierarchy.
Movement
Terry Nation's original plan was for the Daleks to glide across the floor. Early versions of the Daleks rolled on nylon castors, propelled by the operator's feet. Although castors were adequate for the Daleks' debut serial, which was shot entirely at the BBC'sLime Grove Studios
Lime Grove Studios was a film, and later television, studio complex in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England.
The complex was built by the Gaumont Film Company in 1915. It was situated in Lime Grove, a residential street in Shepherd's Bush, and ...
, for ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' Terry Nation wanted the Daleks to be filmed on the streets of London. To enable the Daleks to travel smoothly on location, designer Spencer Chapman built the new Dalek shells around miniature tricycle
A tricycle, sometimes abbreviated to trike, is a human-powered (or gasoline or electric motor powered or assisted, or gravity powered) three-wheeled vehicle.
Some tricycles, such as cycle rickshaws (for passenger transport) and freight trikes, ...
s with sturdier wheels, which were hidden by enlarged fenders fitted below the original base. The uneven flagstones of Central London caused the Daleks to rattle as they moved and it was not possible to remove this noise from the final soundtrack. A small parabolic dish was added to the rear of the prop's casing to explain why these Daleks, unlike the ones in their first serial, were not dependent on static electricity
Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material or between materials. The charge remains until it is able to move away by means of an electric current or electrical discharge. Static electricity is na ...
drawn up from the floors of the Dalek city for their motive power.
Later versions of the prop had more efficient wheels and were once again simply propelled by the seated operators' feet, but they remained so heavy that when going up ramps they often had to be pushed by stagehands out of camera shot. The difficulty of operating all the prop's parts at once contributed to the occasionally jerky Dalek movements. This problem has largely been eradicated with the advent of the "new series" version, as its remotely controlled dome and eyestalk allow the operator to concentrate on the smooth movement of the Dalek and its arms.
Voices
Thestaccato
Staccato (; Italian for "detached") is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation, it signifies a note of shortened duration, separated from the note that may follow by silence. It has been described by theorists and has appeared in music ...
delivery, harsh tone and rising inflection of the Dalek voice were initially developed by two voice actors, Peter Hawkins
Peter John Hawkins (3 April 1924 – 8 July 2006) was a British actor. During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, he was one of the most sought-after voice artists for radio and television, becoming a regular face and voice around the Soho-based cir ...
and David Graham, who varied the pitch and speed of the lines according to the emotion needed. Their voices were further processed electronically by Brian Hodgson
Brian Hodgson (born 1938) is a British television composer and sound technician. Born in Liverpool in 1938, Hodgson joined the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in 1962 where he became the original sound effects creator for the science fiction programm ...
at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
The BBC Radiophonic Workshop was one of the sound effects units of the BBC, created in 1958 to produce incidental sounds and new music for radio and, later, television. The unit is known for its experimental and pioneering work in electroni ...
. The sound-processing devices used have varied over the decades. In 1963 Hodgson and his colleagues used equalisation to boost the mid-range of the actor's voice, then subjected it to ring modulation
In electronics, ring modulation is a signal processing function, an implementation of frequency mixing, in which two signals are combined to yield an output signal. One signal, called the carrier, is typically a sine wave or another simple w ...
with a 30 Hz sine wave
A sine wave, sinusoidal wave, or just sinusoid is a curve, mathematical curve defined in terms of the ''sine'' trigonometric function, of which it is the graph of a function, graph. It is a type of continuous wave and also a Smoothness, smooth p ...
. The distinctive harsh, grating vocal timbre this produced has remained the pattern for all Dalek voices since (with the exception of those in the 1985 serial ''Revelation of the Daleks
''Revelation of the Daleks'' is the sixth and final serial of the 22nd season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on 23 and 30 March 1985. This was the final serial t ...
'', for which the director, Graeme Harper
Graeme Harper (born 11 March 1945) is a British television director. He is best known for his work on the science-fiction series ''Doctor Who'', for which he is the only person to have directed episodes of both the original run (1963–89) and ...
, deliberately used less distortion).
Besides Hawkins and Graham, other voice actors for the Daleks have included Roy Skelton
Roy William Skelton (20 July 1931 – 8 June 2011) was an English stage, screen and voice actor, whose voice was more familiar to television viewers than his name. Born in Nottingham to John H Skelton and Dorothy (née Bromley), he provided ...
, who first voiced the Daleks in the 1967 story ''The Evil of the Daleks
''The Evil of the Daleks'' is the mostly-missing ninth and final serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which originally aired in seven weekly parts from 20 May to 1 July 1967.
In this seri ...
'' and provided voices for five additional Dalek serials including ''Planet of the Daleks
''Planet of the Daleks'' is the fourth serial of the tenth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC1 from 7 April to 12 May 1973.
Continuing from the events of t ...
'',''Planet of the Daleks
''Planet of the Daleks'' is the fourth serial of the tenth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC1 from 7 April to 12 May 1973.
Continuing from the events of t ...
.'' Writer Terry Nation
Terence Joseph Nation (8 August 19309 March 1997) was a British screenwriter and novelist. Especially known for his work in British television science fiction, he created the Daleks and Davros for ''Doctor Who'', as well as the series '' Survivo ...
, Director David Maloney
David John Lee Maloney (14 December 1933 – 18 July 2006) was a British television director and producer, best known for his work on the BBC science-fiction series ''Doctor Who'', ''Blake's 7'' and ''The Day of the Triffids''. ''The Guardi ...
, Producer Barry Letts
Barry Leopold Letts (26 March 1925 – 9 October 2009) was an English actor, television director, writer and producer, best known for being the producer of '' Doctor Who'' from 1969 to 1974.
Born in Leicester, he worked as an actor in theatre ...
. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 7 April–12 May 1973. and for the one-off anniversary special ''The Five Doctors
''The Five Doctors'' is a special feature-length episode of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', produced in celebration of the programme's 20th anniversary. It had its world premiere in the United States, on the Chicago ...
''. Michael Wisher
Michael Wisher (19 May 1935 – 21 July 1995) was an English actor. He made many appearances in ''Doctor Who'', becoming best known for his performance in ''Genesis of the Daleks'' (1975) as the first actor to play Davros, the wheelchair-using ...
, the actor who originated the role of Dalek creator Davros in ''Genesis of the Daleks
''Genesis of the Daleks'' is the fourth serial of the twelfth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was written by Terry Nation and directed by David Maloney, and originally broadcast in six weekly parts from ...
'', provided Dalek voices for that same story, as well as for ''Frontier in Space
''Frontier in Space'' is the third serial of the tenth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The serial was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC1 from 24 February to 31 March 1973. It was the last serial to ...
'', ''Planet of the Daleks
''Planet of the Daleks'' is the fourth serial of the tenth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC1 from 7 April to 12 May 1973.
Continuing from the events of t ...
'', and ''Death to the Daleks
''Death to the Daleks'' is the third serial of the 11th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 23 February to 16 March 1974.
In the serial, the Daleks ...
''. Other Dalek voice actors include Royce Mills
Anthony Royce Mills (12 May 1942 – 21 May 2019) was an English television, stage and film actor.
He attended Eastbourne College, then studied fine art for five years and qualified as a theatre designer before attending the Guildhall School wh ...
(three stories), Brian Miller (two stories), and Oliver Gilbert
Oliver Gilbert III is an American politician and current Miami-Dade County Commissioner for District 1. He is also the former mayor of Miami Gardens.
Career
Gilbert received a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Florida A&M University and a J.D. ...
and Peter Messaline
Peter Messaline (9 April 1944 – 8 December 2016) was an English-Canadian actor.
Born in London, he attended Queen Mary College, London University, where he read Physics and Geography. His first TV job was voicing the Daleks in the 1972 ''D ...
(one story).''Day of the Daleks
''Day of the Daleks'' is the first serial of the ninth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 1 to 22 January 1972. It was the first of four Third Doctor serials ...
.'' Writer Louis Marks Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis (d ...
, Director Paul Bernard, Producer Barry Letts. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 1–22 January 1972. John Leeson
John Francis Christopher Ducker (born 16 March 1943), known professionally as John Leeson, is an English actor, voice artist and freelance wine educator. He is known for portraying Bungle in ''Rainbow'' and voicing K9 in ''Doctor Who'' and s ...
, who performed the voice of K9 in several ''Doctor Who'' stories, and Davros actors Terry Molloy
Terry Molloy (born 4 January 1947) is an English actor. He is known predominantly for his work on radio and television, especially his portrayal of Davros, creator of the Dalek, Daleks, in the BBC television science fiction series ''Doctor Who ...
and David Gooderson
David Gooderson (born 24 February 1941) is an English actor who has appeared in several television roles.
Career
As well as portraying Davros, creator of the Daleks in the ''Doctor Who'' serial ''Destiny of the Daleks'', he appeared in epis ...
also contributed supporting voices for various Dalek serials.
Since 2005 the Dalek voice in the television series has been provided by Nicholas Briggs
Nicholas Briggs (born 29 September 1961) is an English actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer. He is associated with the BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Dal ...
, speaking into a microphone connected to a voice modulator. Briggs had previously provided Dalek and other alien voices for Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'', the ...
audio plays
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
, and continues to do so. In a 2006 BBC Radio interview, Briggs said that when the BBC asked him to do the voice for the new television series, they instructed him to bring his own analogue ring modulator that he had used in the audio plays. The BBC's sound department had changed to a digital platform and could not adequately create the distinctive Dalek sound with their modern equipment. Briggs went as far as to bring the voice modulator to the actors' readings of the scripts.
Construction
Manufacturing the props was expensive. In scenes where many Daleks had to appear, some of them would be represented by wooden replicas (''Destiny of the Daleks
''Destiny of the Daleks'' is the first serial of the 17th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 1 September to 22 September 1979. The story introduces ...
'')''Destiny of the Daleks
''Destiny of the Daleks'' is the first serial of the 17th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 1 September to 22 September 1979. The story introduces ...
.'' Writer Terry Nation
Terence Joseph Nation (8 August 19309 March 1997) was a British screenwriter and novelist. Especially known for his work in British television science fiction, he created the Daleks and Davros for ''Doctor Who'', as well as the series '' Survivo ...
, Director Ken Grieve
Kenneth Alan Grieve (17 March 1942 – 15 November 2016) was a Scottish television director. Originally a cameraman, he moved into directing and began his career with '' Coronation Street''.
Early life and education
Grieve was born and brought ...
, Producer Graham Williams. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 1–22 September 1979. or life-size photographic enlargements in the early black-and-white
Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey.
Media
The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
episodes (''The Daleks
''The Daleks'' (also known as ''The Mutants'' and ''The Dead Planet'') is the second serial in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC TV in seven weekly parts from 21 December 1963 to ...
'', ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth
''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' is the second Serial (radio and television), serial of the Doctor Who (season 2), second season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Written by Terry Nation and directed by Richard Ma ...
'', and ''The Power of the Daleks
''The Power of the Daleks'' is the completely missing third serial of the fourth season of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 5 November to 10 December 1966. It is ...
''). In stories involving armies of Daleks, the BBC effects team even turned to using commercially available toy Daleks, manufactured by Louis Marx & Co and Herts Plastic Moulders Ltd. Examples of this can be observed in the serials ''The Power of the Daleks'', ''The Evil of the Daleks'', and ''Planet of the Daleks''. Judicious editing techniques also gave the impression that there were more Daleks than were actually available, such as using a split screen
Split screen may refer to:
* Split screen (computing)
Split screen is a display technique in computer graphics that consists of dividing graphics and/or text into adjacent (and possibly overlapping) parts, typically as two or four rectangular ...
in "The Parting of the Ways".
Four fully functioning props were commissioned for the first serial "The Daleks" in 1963, and were constructed from BBC plans by Shawcraft Engineering. These became known in fan circles as "Mk I Daleks". Shawcraft were also commissioned to construct approximately 20 Daleks for the two Dalek movies in 1965 and 1966 (see below
Below may refer to:
*Earth
*Ground (disambiguation)
*Soil
*Floor
*Bottom (disambiguation)
Bottom may refer to:
Anatomy and sex
* Bottom (BDSM), the partner in a BDSM who takes the passive, receiving, or obedient role, to that of the top or ...
). Some of these movie props filtered back to the BBC and were seen in the televised serials, notably ''The Chase'', which was aired before the first movie's debut. The remaining props not bought by the BBC were either donated to charity or given away as prizes in competitions.
The BBC's own Dalek props were reused many times, with components of the original Shawcraft "Mk I Daleks" surviving right through to their final classic series appearance in 1988. But years of storage and repainting took their toll. By the time of the Sixth Doctor
The Sixth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Colin Baker. Although his televisual time on the series was comparatively brief and turbulent, Ba ...
's ''Revelation of the Daleks'' new props were being manufactured out of fibreglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...
. These models were lighter and more affordable to construct than their predecessors.Howe (1997), p. 92 These newer models were slightly bulkier in appearance around the mid-shoulder section, and also had a redesigned skirt section which was more vertical at the back. Other minor changes were made to the design due to these new construction methods, including altering the fender and incorporating the arm boxes, collars, and slats into a single fibreglass moulding. These props were repainted in grey for the Seventh Doctor
The Seventh Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and the final incarnation of the original Doctor Who series. He is portrayed by Scottish actor Sylvester McCoy.
W ...
serial ''Remembrance of the Daleks'' and designated as "Dalek variants#Renegade Daleks, Renegade Daleks"; another redesign, painted in cream and gold, became the "Dalek variants#Imperial Daleks, Imperial Dalek" faction.
New Dalek props were built for the 21st-century version of ''Doctor Who''. The first, which appeared alone in the 2005 episode "Dalek (episode), Dalek", was built by modelmaker Mike Tucker (special effects artist), Mike Tucker. Additional Dalek props based on Tucker's master were subsequently built out of fibreglass by Cardiff-based Specialist Models.
Development
Wishing to create an alien creature that did not look like a "man in a suit", Terry Nation stated in his script for the first Dalek serial that they should have no legs.Howe (1997), p. 80 He was also inspired by a performance by the Georgian National Ballet, in which dancers in long skirts appeared to glide across the stage. For many of the shows the Daleks were operated by retired ballet dancers wearing black socks while sitting inside the Dalek. Raymond Cusick was given the task of designing the Daleks when Ridley Scott, then a designer for the BBC, proved unavailable after having been initially assigned to their debut serial.Howe (1994), p. 61 According to Jeremy Bentham's ''Doctor Who—The Early Years'' (1986), after Nation wrote the script, Cusick was given only an hour to come up with the design for the Daleks and was inspired in his initial sketches by a pepper pot on a table. Cusick himself, however, states that he based it on a man seated in a chair, and used the pepper pot only to demonstrate how it might move. In 1964, Nation told a ''Daily Mirror'' reporter that the Dalek name came from a dictionary or encyclopaedia volume, the spine of which read "Dal – Lek" (or, according to another version, "Dal – Eks").Peel (1988), pp. 21–22 He later admitted that this book and the associated origin of the Dalek name were completely fictitious, and that anyone bothering to check out his story would have found him out. The name had simply rolled off his typewriter.Howe (1998), p. 13 Later, Nation was pleasantly surprised to discover that in Serbo-Croatian language, Serbo-Croatian the word "dalek" means "far" or "distant".Davies, Kevin (director) (1993). ''More than 30 Years in the TARDIS'' London, UK: BBC Video.
Nation grew up during the Second World War and remembered the fear caused by German bombings. He consciously based the Daleks on the Nazism, Nazis, conceiving the species as faceless, authoritarian figures dedicated to conquest, racial purity and complete conformity. The allusion is most obvious in the Dalek stories written by Nation, in particular ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' (1964) and ''Genesis of the Daleks
''Genesis of the Daleks'' is the fourth serial of the twelfth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was written by Terry Nation and directed by David Maloney, and originally broadcast in six weekly parts from ...
'' (1975).
Before he wrote the first Dalek serial, Nation was a scriptwriter for the comedian Tony Hancock. The two men had a falling out and Nation either resigned or was fired. Hancock worked on several series proposals, one of which was called ''From Plip to Plop'', a comedic history of the world that would have ended with a nuclear apocalypse, the survivors being reduced to living in dustbin-like robot casings and eating radiation to stay alive. According to Hancock's biographer Cliff Goodwin, when Hancock saw the Daleks he allegedly shouted at the screen, "That bloody Nation — he's stolen my robots!"
The titling of early ''Doctor Who'' stories is complex and sometimes controversial. The first Dalek serial is called, variously, ''The Survivors'' (the pre-production title), ''The Mutants'' (its official title at the time of production and broadcast, later taken by The Mutants, another unrelated story), ''Beyond the Sun'' (used on some production documentation), ''The Dead Planet'' (the on-screen title of the serial's first episode), or simply ''The Daleks
''The Daleks'' (also known as ''The Mutants'' and ''The Dead Planet'') is the second serial in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC TV in seven weekly parts from 21 December 1963 to ...
''.
The instant appeal of the Daleks caught the BBC off-guard, and transformed ''Doctor Who'' into a national phenomenon. Children were both frightened and fascinated by the alien look of the monsters, and the idea of 'hiding behind the sofa' became a popular, if inaccurate or exaggerated, meme. The ''Doctor Who'' production office was inundated with letters and calls asking about the creatures. Newspaper articles focused attention on the series and the Daleks, further enhancing their popularity.
Nation jointly owned the intellectual property rights to the Daleks with the BBC, and the money-making concept proved nearly impossible to sell to anyone else, so he was dependent on the BBC wanting to produce stories featuring the creatures.On-screen production notes, ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' London, UK: BBC Video, 2003. Several attempts to market the Daleks outside the series were unsuccessful. Since Nation's death in 1997, his share of the rights is now administered by his former agent, Tim Hancock.
Early plans for what eventually became the Doctor Who (1996 film), 1996 ''Doctor Who'' television movie included radically redesigned Daleks whose cases unfolded like spiders' legs. The concept for these "Spider Daleks" was abandoned, but it was picked up again in several Doctor Who spin-offs, ''Doctor Who'' spin-offs.When the new series was announced, many fans hoped that the Daleks would return once more to the programme. The Nation estate, however, demanded levels of creative control over the Daleks' appearances and scripts that were unacceptable to the BBC. Eventually the Daleks were cleared to appear in the first series. In 2014, ''Doctor Who'' showrunner Steven Moffat denied their numerous appearances since was as a result of a contractual obligation.
Fictional history
Dalek in-universe history has seen many retcon, retroactive changes, which have caused Continuity (fiction), continuity problems. When the Daleks first appeared, they were presented as the descendants of the Dals, mutated after a brief nuclear war between the Dal andThal
Thal may refer to:
Places
* Thal, Lower Austria, Austria
* Thal, Styria, Austria
* Thal, Ruhla, Germany
* Thal, Uttarakhand, Didihat district, India
* Thal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
** Thal railway station
* Thal, St. Gallen, Switzerla ...
races 500 years ago. This race of Daleks is destroyed when their power supply is wrecked.''The Daleks
''The Daleks'' (also known as ''The Mutants'' and ''The Dead Planet'') is the second serial in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC TV in seven weekly parts from 21 December 1963 to ...
.'' Writer Terry Nation
Terence Joseph Nation (8 August 19309 March 1997) was a British screenwriter and novelist. Especially known for his work in British television science fiction, he created the Daleks and Davros for ''Doctor Who'', as well as the series '' Survivo ...
, Director Christopher Barry, Producer Verity Lambert. ''Doctor Who''. BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...The Dalek Invasion of Earth
''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' is the second Serial (radio and television), serial of the Doctor Who (season 2), second season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Written by Terry Nation and directed by Richard Ma ...
'', they have conquered Earth in the 22nd century. Later stories saw them develop time travel and a space empire. In 1975, Terry Nation revised the Daleks' origins in ''Genesis of the Daleks
''Genesis of the Daleks'' is the fourth serial of the twelfth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was written by Terry Nation and directed by David Maloney, and originally broadcast in six weekly parts from ...
'', where the Dals were now called Kaleds (of which "Daleks" is an anagram), and the Dalek design was attributed to one man, the paralyzed Kaled chief scientist and evil genius, Davros.''Genesis of the Daleks
''Genesis of the Daleks'' is the fourth serial of the twelfth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was written by Terry Nation and directed by David Maloney, and originally broadcast in six weekly parts from ...
.'' Writer Terry Nation
Terence Joseph Nation (8 August 19309 March 1997) was a British screenwriter and novelist. Especially known for his work in British television science fiction, he created the Daleks and Davros for ''Doctor Who'', as well as the series '' Survivo ...
, Director David Maloney
David John Lee Maloney (14 December 1933 – 18 July 2006) was a British television director and producer, best known for his work on the BBC science-fiction series ''Doctor Who'', ''Blake's 7'' and ''The Day of the Triffids''. ''The Guardi ...
, Producer Philip Hinchcliffe. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 8 March–12 April 1975. Later Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'', the ...
audio plays attempted to explain this retcon by saying that the Skaro word "dal" simply means warrior, which is how the Kaleds described themselves, while "dal-ek" means "god." According to ''Genesis of the Daleks'', instead of a short nuclear exchange, the Kaled-Thal war was a thousand-year-long war of attrition warfare, attrition, fought with Nuclear weapon, nuclear, Biological weapon, biological and chemical weapons which caused widespread mutations among the life forms of Skaro. Davros experimented on living Kaled cells to find the ultimate mutated form of the Kaled species, believing his own people had become weak and needed to be replaced by a greater life form. He placed his new Dalek creations in tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...
-like "travel machines" of advanced technology whose design was based on his own life-support chair.
''Genesis of the Daleks'' marked a new era for the depiction of the species, with most of their previous history either forgotten or barely referred to again. Future stories in the original ''Doctor Who'' series, which followed a rough story arc, would also focus more on Davros, much to the dissatisfaction of some fans who felt that the Daleks should take centre stage rather than merely becoming minions of their creator. Davros made his last televised appearance for 20 years in ''Remembrance of the Daleks'', which depicted a civil war between two factions of Daleks. One faction, the "Imperial Daleks", were loyal to Davros, who had become their Emperor, whilst the other, the "Renegade Daleks", followed a black Supreme Dalek. By the end of the story, armies of both factions have been wiped out and the Doctor has tricked them into destroying Skaro. However, Davros escapes and based on the fact that Daleks possess time travel and were spread throughout the universe, there was still a possibility that many had survived these events.
The original "classic" ''Doctor Who'' series ended in 1989. In the 1996 ''Doctor Who'' TV-movie (which introduced the Eighth Doctor), Skaro has seemingly been recreated and the Daleks are shown to still rule it. Though the aliens are never seen on-screen, the story shows the Time Lord villain the Master being executed on Skaro as Dalek voices chant "Exterminate." In Eighth Doctor audio plays produced by Big Finish from 2000-2005, Paul McGann reprised his role. The audio play ''The Time of the Daleks'' featured the Daleks without Davros and nearly removing William Shakespeare from history. In ''Terror Firma'', the Eighth Doctor met a Dalek faction led by Davros who was devolving more into a Dalek-like life form himself while attempting to create new Daleks from mutated humans of Earth. The audio dramas ''The Apocalypse Element'' and ''Dalek Empire'' also depicted the alien villains invading Gallifrey and then creating their own version of the Time Lord power source known as the Eye of Harmony, allowing the Daleks to rebuild an empire and become a greater threat against the Time Lords and other races that possess time travel.
A new ''Doctor Who'' series premiered in 2005, introducing the Ninth Doctor and revealing that the Time War (Doctor Who), "Last Great Time War" had just ended, resulting in the seeming destruction of the Time Lord society. The episode "Dalek
The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in the 1963 ''Doctor Who'' ...
", written by Rob Shearman, Robert Shearman, was broadcast on BBC One on 30 April 2005 and confirmed that the Time War had mainly involved the Daleks fighting the Time Lords, with the Doctor ending the conflict by seemingly destroying both sides, remarking that his own survival was "not by choice." The episode featured a single Dalek who appeared to be the sole survivor of his race from the Time War. Later audio plays by Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'', the ...
expanded on the Time War in different audio drama series such as ''Gallifrey: Time War, The Eighth Doctor: Time War, The War Doctor,'' and ''The War Master.''
A Emperor Dalek, Dalek Emperor returned at the end of the 2005 series, having survived the Time War and then rebuilt the Dalek race with genetic material harvested from human subjects. It saw itself as a god, and the new human-based Daleks were shown worshipping it. The Emperor and this Dalek fleet were destroyed in "The Parting of the Ways". The 2006 season finale "Army of Ghosts"/"Doomsday (Doctor Who), Doomsday" featured a squad of four Dalek survivors from the old Empire, known as the Cult of Skaro, composed of Daleks who were tasked with developing imagination to better predict and combat enemies. These Daleks took on names: Jast, Thay, Caan, and their black Dalek leader Dalek Sec, Sec. The Cult had survived the Time War by escaping into the Void between dimensions. They emerged along with the Genesis Ark, a Time Lord prison vessel containing millions of Daleks, at Canary Wharf due to the actions of the Torchwood Institute and Cyberman#Revived series, Cybermen from a parallel world. This resulted in a Cyberman-Dalek clash in London, which was resolved when the Tenth Doctor caused both groups to be sucked into the Void. The Cult survived by utilising an "emergency temporal shift" to escape.
These four Daleks - Sec, Jast, Thay and Caan - returned in the two-part story "Daleks in Manhattan
"Daleks in Manhattan" is the fourth episode of the third series of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC One on 21 April 2007. It is part one of a two-part story. Its concluding part, "Evoluti ...
"/"Evolution of the Daleks", in which whilst stranded in 1930s New York, they set up a base in the partially built Empire State Building and attempt to rebuild the Dalek race. To this end, Dalek Sec merges with a human being to become a Human/Dalek hybrid. The Cult then set about creating "Human Daleks" by "formatting" the brains of a few thousand captured humans so they can have Dalek minds. Dalek Sec, however, becomes more human in personality and alters the plan so the hybrids will be more human like him. The rest of the Cult mutinies. Sec is killed, while Thay and Jast are later wiped out with the hybrids. Dalek Caan, believing it may be the last of its kind now, escapes once more via an emergency temporal shift.
The Daleks returned in the 2008 season's two-part finale, "The Stolen Earth
"The Stolen Earth" is the twelfth episode of the Doctor Who (series 4), fourth series and the 750th overall episode of the British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One ...
"/"Journey's End (Doctor Who), Journey's End", accompanied once again by their creator Davros. The story reveals that Caan's temporal shift sent him into the Time War, despite the War being "Time-Locked." The experience of piercing the Time-Lock resulted in Caan seeing parts several futures, destroying his sanity in the process. Caan rescued many Time War era Daleks and Davros, who created new Dalek troops using his own body's cells. A red Supreme Dalek leads the new army while keeping Caan and Davros imprisoned on the Dalek flagship, the ''Crucible''. Davros and the Daleks plan to destroy reality itself with a "reality bomb." The plan fails due to the interference of Donna Noble, a companion of the Doctor, and Caan, who has been manipulating events to destroy the Daleks after realising the severity of the atrocities they have committed.
The Daleks returned in the 2010 episode "Victory of the Daleks", wherein it is revealed that some Daleks survived the destruction of their army in "Journey's End" and retrieved the "Progenitor," a tiny apparatus containing 'original' Dalek DNA. The activation of the Progenitor results in the creation of The New Daleks, New Paradigm Daleks who deem the Time War era Daleks to be inferior. The new Daleks are organised into different roles (drone, scientist, strategists, supreme and eternal), which are identifiable with colour-coded armour instead of the identification plates under the eyestalk used by their predecessors. They escape the Doctor at the end of the episode via time travel with the intent to rebuild their Empire.
The Daleks appeared only briefly in subsequent finales "The Pandorica Opens"/"The Big Bang (Doctor Who), The Big Bang" (2010) and The Wedding of River Song (2011) as Steven Moffat decided to "give them a rest" and stated, "There's a problem with the Daleks. They are the most famous of the Doctor's adversaries and the most frequent, which means they are the most reliably defeatable enemies in the universe." These episodes also reveal that Skaro has been recreated yet again. They next appear in "Asylum of the Daleks" (2012), where the Daleks are shown to have greatly increased numbers and now have a Parliament; in addition to the traditional "modern" Daleks, several designs from both the original and new series appear, all co-existing rather than judging each other as inferior or outdated (except for those Daleks whose personalities deem them "insane" or can no longer battle). All record of the Doctor is removed from their collective consciousness at the end of the episode.
The Daleks then appear in the 50th Anniversary special "The Day of the Doctor", where they are seen being defeated in the Time War. The same special reveals that many Time Lords survived the war since the Doctor found a way to transfer their planet Gallifrey out of phase with reality and into a pocket dimension. In "The Time of the Doctor", the Daleks are one of the races that besieges Trenzalore in an attempt to stop the Doctor from releasing the Time Lords from imprisonment. After converting Tasha Lem into a Dalek puppet, they regain knowledge of the Doctor.
The Twelfth Doctor's first encounter with the Daleks is in his second full episode, "Into the Dalek" (2014), where he encounters a damaged Dalek he names 'Rusty.' Connecting to the Doctor's love of the universe and his hatred of the Daleks, Rusty assumes a mission to destroy other Daleks. In "The Magician's Apprentice (Doctor Who), The Magician's Apprentice"/"The Witch's Familiar" (2015), the Doctor is summoned to Skaro where he learns Davros has rebuilt the Dalek Empire. In "The Pilot (Doctor Who), The Pilot" (2017), the Doctor briefly visits a battle during the Dalek-Movellan war.
The Thirteenth Doctor encountered a Dalek in a New Year's Day episode, "Resolution
Resolution(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate
* Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body
* New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...
" (2019). A Dalek mutant, separated from its armoured casing, takes control of a human in order to build a new travel device for itself and summon more Daleks to conquer Earth. This Dalek is cloned by a scientist in "Revolution of the Daleks (2021), and attempts to take over Earth using further clones, but are killed by other Daleks for perceived genetic impurity. The Dalek army is later sent by the Doctor into the "void" between worlds to be destroyed, using a spare TARDIS she recently acquired on Gallifrey. After cameo appearances depicting them as one of several villains trying to take advantage of "the Flux" event tearing through space-time in Doctor Who (series 13), series 13, the Daleks returned in first Doctor Who (2022 specials), 2022 special, "Eve of the Daleks". In the episode, a team of Dalek Executioners are dispatched by High Command to avenge the Dalek War Fleet destroyed by the Doctor in the series 13 finale "The Vanquishers," only for a time loop established by the TARDIS to save the Doctor's life and give her a chance to destroy the executioners instead. The Daleks later appeared alongside the Cybermen as allies to the Master in "The Power of the Doctor" as part of a plot to finally destroy their nemesis, but the alliance is defeated by the Doctor and new and old companions.
Dalek culture
Daleks have little, if any, individual personality, ostensibly no emotions other than hatred and anger, and a strict command structure in which they are conditioned to obey superiors' orders without question.''The Evil of the Daleks
''The Evil of the Daleks'' is the mostly-missing ninth and final serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which originally aired in seven weekly parts from 20 May to 1 July 1967.
In this seri ...
.'' Writer David Whitaker (screenwriter), David Whitaker, Director Derek Martinus, Producer Innes Lloyd. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 20 May–1 July 1967. Dalek speech is characterised by repeated phrases, and by orders given to themselves and to others. Unlike the stereotypical emotionless robots often found in science fiction, Daleks are often angry; author Kim Newman has described the Daleks as behaving "like toddlers in perpetual hissy fits", gloating when in power and flying into a rage when thwarted. They tend to be excitable and will repeat the same word or phrase over and over again in heightened emotional states, most famously "Exterminate! Exterminate!"
Daleks are extremely aggressive, and seem driven by an instinct to attack. This instinct is so strong that Daleks have been depicted fighting the urge to kill or even attacking when unarmed.''Death to the Daleks
''Death to the Daleks'' is the third serial of the 11th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 23 February to 16 March 1974.
In the serial, the Daleks ...
.'' Writer Terry Nation
Terence Joseph Nation (8 August 19309 March 1997) was a British screenwriter and novelist. Especially known for his work in British television science fiction, he created the Daleks and Davros for ''Doctor Who'', as well as the series '' Survivo ...
, Director Michael E. Briant, Producer Barry Letts
Barry Leopold Letts (26 March 1925 – 9 October 2009) was an English actor, television director, writer and producer, best known for being the producer of '' Doctor Who'' from 1969 to 1974.
Born in Leicester, he worked as an actor in theatre ...
. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 23 February–16 March 1974. The Fifth Doctor characterises this impulse by saying, "However you respond [to Daleks] is seen as an act of provocation." The fundamental feature of Dalek culture and psychology is an unquestioned belief in the superiority of the Dalek race, and their default directive is to destroy all non-Dalek life-forms. Other species are either to be exterminated immediately or enslaved and then exterminated once they are no longer useful.''Resurrection of the Daleks
''Resurrection of the Daleks'' is the fourth serial of the 21st season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on BBC1 between 8 February and 15 February 1984. The serial ...
.'' Writer Eric Saward, Director Matthew Robinson (producer), Matthew Robinson, Producer John Nathan-Turner. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 8–15 February 1984.
The Dalek obsession with their own superiority is illustrated by the schism between the Renegade and Imperial Daleks seen in ''Revelation of the Daleks'' and ''Remembrance of the Daleks'': the two factions each consider the other to be a perversion despite the relatively minor differences between them.''Remembrance of the Daleks
''Remembrance of the Daleks'' is the first serial of the 25th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The serial was first broadcast in four weekly episodes from 5 to 26 October 1988. It was written by Ben Aaronovi ...
.'' Writer Ben Aaronovitch, Director Andrew Morgan, Producer John Nathan-Turner. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 5–26 October 1988. This intolerance of any "contamination" within themselves is also shown in "Dalek", ''The Evil of the Daleks'' and in the Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'', the ...
radio drama, audio play ''The Mutant Phase''.''The Mutant Phase''. Writer and Director Nicholas Briggs
Nicholas Briggs (born 29 September 1961) is an English actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer. He is associated with the BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Dal ...
. Producers Gary Russell and Jason Haigh-Ellery. Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'', the ...
, 2000. This superiority complex is the basis of the Daleks' ruthlessness and lack of compassion. This is shown in extreme in "Victory of the Daleks", where the new, pure Daleks destroy their creators, impure Daleks, with the latters' consent. It is nearly impossible to negotiate or reason with a Dalek, a single-mindedness that makes them dangerous and not to be underestimated. The Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) is later puzzled in the "Asylum of the Daleks" as to why the Daleks don't just kill the sequestered ones that have "gone wrong". Although the Asylum is subsequently obliterated, the Prime Minister of the Daleks explains that "it is offensive to us to destroy such divine hatred", and the Doctor is sickened at the revelation that hatred is actually considered beautiful by the Daleks.
Dalek society is depicted as one of extreme scientific and technological advancement; the Third Doctor states that "it was their inventive genius that made them one of the greatest powers in the universe." However, their reliance on logic and machinery is also a strategic weakness which they recognise, and thus use more emotion-driven species as agents to compensate for these shortcomings.
Although the Daleks are not known for their regard for due process, they have taken at least two enemies back to Skaro for a "trial", rather than killing them immediately. The first was their creator, Davros, in ''Revelation of the Daleks'',''Revelation of the Daleks
''Revelation of the Daleks'' is the sixth and final serial of the 22nd season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on 23 and 30 March 1985. This was the final serial t ...
.'' Writer Eric Saward, Director Graeme Harper
Graeme Harper (born 11 March 1945) is a British television director. He is best known for his work on the science-fiction series ''Doctor Who'', for which he is the only person to have directed episodes of both the original run (1963–89) and ...
, Producer John Nathan-Turner. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 23–30 March 1985. and the second was the renegade Time Lord
The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', of which the series' main protagonist, The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, is a memb ...
known as Master (Doctor Who), the Master in the 1996 television movie.''Doctor Who (1996 film), Doctor Who''. Writer Matthew Jacobs, Director Geoffrey Sax, Executive Producer Philip Segal. 1996. DVD. BBC Video, 2001. The reasons for the Master's trial, and why the Doctor would be allowed to retrieve the Master's remains, have never been explained on screen. The ''Doctor Who Annual 2006'' implies that the trial may have been due to a treaty signed between the Time Lords and the Daleks. The framing device for the ''I, Davros: Innocence, I, Davros'' audio plays is a Dalek trial to determine if Davros should be the Daleks' leader once more.
Spin-off novels contain several tongue-in-cheek mentions of Dalek poetry, and an anecdote about an opera based upon it, which was lost to posterity when the entire cast was exterminated on the opening night. Two stanzas are given in the novel ''The Also People'' by Ben Aaronovitch. In an Parallel universe (fiction), alternative timeline portrayed in the Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'', the ...
audio adventure ''The Time of the Daleks'', the Daleks show a fondness for the works of William Shakespeare, Shakespeare. A similar idea was satirised by comedian Frankie Boyle in the BBC comedy quiz programme ''Mock the Week''; he gave the fictional Dalek poem "Daffodils; EXTERMINATE DAFFODILS!" as an "unlikely line to hear in ''Doctor Who''".
Because the Doctor has defeated the Daleks so often, he has become their collective Archenemy, arch-enemy and they have standing orders to capture or exterminate him on sight. In later fiction, the Daleks know the Doctor as ''"Ka Faraq Gatri"'' ("Bringer of Darkness" or "Destroyer of Worlds"), and "The Oncoming Storm". Both the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) suggest that the Doctor is one of the few beings the Daleks fear. In "Doomsday (Doctor Who), Doomsday", Rose notes that while the Daleks see the extermination of five million Cyberman, Cybermen as "pest control", "one Doctor" visibly un-nerves them (to the point they physically recoil). To his indignant surprise, in "Asylum of the Daleks", the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) learns that the Daleks have designated him as "The Predator".
Measurements
A ''rel'' is a Dalek and Kaled unit of measurement. It was usually a measurement of time, with a duration of slightly more than one second, as mentioned in "Doomsday (Doctor Who), Doomsday", "Evolution of the Daleks" and "Journey's End (Doctor Who), Journey's End", counting down to the ignition of the reality bomb. (One earth minute most likely equals about 50 ''rels''.) However, in some comic books it was also used as a unit of velocity. Finally, in some cases it was used as a unit of hydroelectric energy (not to be confused with a vep, the unit used to measure artificial sunlight). The ''rel'' was first used in the non-canonical feature film ''Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.'', soon after appearing in early Doctor Who comic books.Licensed appearances
Two ''Doctor Who'' movies starring Peter Cushing featured the Daleks as the main villains: ''Dr. Who and the Daleks'', and ''Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD'', based on the television serials ''The Daleks'' and ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'', respectively. The movies were not direct remakes; for example, the Doctor in the Cushing films was a human inventor called "Dr. Who" who built a time-travelling device named ''Tardis'', instead of a mysterious alien who stole a device called "the TARDIS". Four books focusing on the Daleks were published in the 1960s. ''Dalek comic strips, illustrated annuals and graphic novels#The Dalek Book, The Dalek Book'' (1964, written by Terry Nation and David Whitaker (screenwriter), David Whitaker), ''The Dalek World'' (1965, written by Nation and Whitaker) and ''The Dalek Outer Space Book'' (1966, by Nation and Brad Ashton) were all hardcover books formatted like annual publication#British annuals, annuals, containing text stories and comics about the Daleks, along with fictional information (sometimes based on the television serials, other times made up for the books). Nation also published ''The Dalek Pocketbook and Space-Travellers Guide'', which collected articles and features treating the Daleks as if they were real. Four more annuals were published in the 1970s by World Distributors under the title ''Terry Nation's Dalek Annual'' (with cover dates 1976–1979, but published 1975–1978). Two original novels by John Peel (writer), John Peel, ''War of the Daleks'' (1997) and ''Legacy of the Daleks'' (1998), were released as part of the Eighth Doctor Adventures series of ''Doctor Who'' novels. A novella, ''The Dalek Factor'' by Simon Clark (novelist), Simon Clark, was published in 2004, and two books featuring the Daleks and the Tenth Doctor (''I am a Dalek'' by Gareth Roberts (writer), Gareth Roberts, 2006, and ''Prisoner of the Daleks'' by Trevor Baxendale, 2009) have been released as part of the New Series Adventures. Nation authorised the publication of the comic strip ''Dalek comic strips, illustrated annuals and graphic novels#TV Century 21, The Daleks'' in the comic ''TV Century 21'' in 1965. The weekly one-page strip, written by Whitaker but credited to Nation, featured the Daleks as protagonists and "heroes", and continued for two years, from their creation of the mechanised Daleks by the humanoid Dalek scientist, Yarvelling, to their eventual discovery in the ruins of a crashed space-liner of the co-ordinates for Earth, which they proposed to invade. Although much of the material in these strips was directly contradicted by what was later shown on television, some concepts like the Daleks using humanoid duplicates and the design of the Dalek variants, Dalek Emperor did show up later on in the programme. At the same time, a ''Doctor Who'' strip was also being published in ''TV Comic''. Initially, the strip did not have the rights to use the Daleks, so the First Doctor battled the "Trods" instead, cone-shaped robotic creatures that ran on static electricity. By the time the Second Doctor appeared in the strip in 1967 the rights issues had been resolved, and the Daleks began making appearances starting in ''The Trodos Ambush'' (TVC #788-#791), where they massacred the Trods. The Daleks also made appearances in the Third Doctor-era ''Dr. Who'' comic strip that featured in the combined ''Countdown (comic), Countdown/TV Action (comic), TV Action'' comic during the early 1970s. An animated series called ''Daleks!'', which consists of five 10-minute long episodes, was released on the official ''Doctor Who'' YouTube channel in 2020. Other licensed appearances have included a number of stage plays (see #Stage plays, Stage plays below) and television adverts for Wall's ice cream, Wall's "Sky Ray" ice lollies (1966), Weetabix breakfast cereal (1977), Kit Kat chocolate bars (2001), and the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, ANZ Bank (2005). In 2003, Daleks also appeared in UK billboard ads for Energizer batteries, alongside the slogan "Are You Power Mad?"Other major appearances
Stage plays
* ''The Curse of the Daleks'': Wyndham's Theatre, London (premiere 21 December 1965) * ''Doctor Who and the Daleks in the Seven Keys to Doomsday'': Adelphi Theatre, London (premiere 16 December 1974) * ''Doctor Who - The Ultimate Adventure'': New Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon Theatre, London (premiere 23 March 1989) *''The Trial of Davros'': The Village Hotel, Hyde, Greater Manchester (premiere 14 November 1993) *''The Trial of Davros'': Tameside Hippodrome, Ashton-under-Lyne (premiere 16 July 2005) * ''The Evil of the Daleks#On stage, The Evil of the Daleks'': New Theatre Royal, Theatre Royal, Portsmouth (premiere 25 October 2006) * ''The Daleks' Master Plan#On stage, The Daleks' Master Plan'': Theatre Royal, Portsmouth (premiere 24 October 2007) *Recall U.N.I.T. or THE GREAT TEA BAG MYSTERY!
'': Edinburgh Fringe Festival 1984 play by Richard Franklin (actor), Richard Franklin
Concerts
* Doctor Who Prom (2008), ''Doctor Who'' Prom (27 July 2008) * ''Doctor Who'' Prom (27 July 2010) * ''Doctor Who'' Prom (27 July 2013)Original novels and novellas
*''War of the Daleks'' by John Peel (writer), John Peel (''Eighth Doctor Adventures''), published October 1997 *''Legacy of the Daleks'' by John Peel (''Eighth Doctor Adventures''), published April 1998 *''The Dalek Factor'' by Simon Clark (novelist), Simon Clark (''Telos Doctor Who novellas''), published March 2004 *''I am a Dalek'' by Gareth Roberts (writer), Gareth Roberts (''New Series Adventures (Doctor Who), New Series Adventures'', part of the Quick Reads Initiative), published May 2006 *''Prisoner of the Daleks'' by Trevor Baxendale (''New Series Adventures''), published April 2009 *''The Only Good Dalek'' by Justin Richards and Mike Collins (comics), Mike Collins (''New Series Adventures''), published November 2010 *''The Dalek Generation'' byNicholas Briggs
Nicholas Briggs (born 29 September 1961) is an English actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer. He is associated with the BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Dal ...
(''New Series Adventures''), published April 2013
*Engines of War (Doctor Who), ''Engines of War'' by George Mann (writer), George Mann (New Series Adventures), published July 2014
Other appearances
Non–''Doctor Who'' television and film
Daleks have made cameo appearances in television programmes and films unrelated to ''Doctor Who'' from the 1960s to the present day. * Dalek toys are seen in a department store in "Death at Bargain Prices", a 1965 episode of the fantasy/thriller series ''The Avengers (TV series), The Avengers'', which, like ''Doctor Who'', was created by Sydney Newman, although broadcast on the rival ITV (TV network), ITV network. * Daleks appear in a 1972 episode of BBC TV's ''Vision On'', performing a short ballet sequence to the music of Manuel de Falla's "Ritual Fire Dance". * During the 1992 Christmas special of the comedy series ''Mr. Bean'', "Merry Christmas Mr. Bean", the Mr. Bean (character), title character uses children's toys to play out a bizarre nativity scene in which a Marx Dalek exterminates a tiny lamb and a ''Tyrannosaurus rex''. * Two to three purple toy Daleks are also seen in the background of an episode of the American children's cartoon ''Rugrats''. * In the television special ''Red Dwarf#Red Dwarf Night, The Red Dwarf A–Z'', two Daleks are shown (under "E" for "Exterminate") arguing that all Earth television is human propaganda, and the works more commonly attributed to William Shakespeare and Ludwig van Beethoven were actually written by Daleks, although they deny having written "Mandy (Barry Manilow song), Mandy" by Barry Manilow; subsequently, one of them remarks that the "change the bulb" joke from the episode "Legion (Red Dwarf episode), Legion" was funny, and is promptly exterminated by the other for the crime of "not behaving like a true Dalek". * In the 2004 series of ''Coupling (UK TV series), Coupling'', written by Steven Moffat (who was later to write for and produce ''Doctor Who''), a Dalek appears in the second episode of season four. This was voiced byNicholas Briggs
Nicholas Briggs (born 29 September 1961) is an English actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer. He is associated with the BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Dal ...
, who later went on to provide Dalek voices for the series proper from 2005 onwards. (Terry Nation's original Dalek rights deal with the BBC had been negotiated by his then agent Beryl Vertue, later Moffat's mother-in-law.)
* In the film ''Looney Tunes: Back in Action'', the secret military base, Area 52, detains a number of monsters and robots from old sci-fi films; among those are two Daleks, who upon release by Marvin the Martian, proceed to attack while spouting their catchphrases.
* A Dalek appeared alongside Darth Vader, Ming the Merciless, a Klingon, the Sixth Doctor
The Sixth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Colin Baker. Although his televisual time on the series was comparatively brief and turbulent, Ba ...
and a 1980s Cyberman in a 2003 episode of the British motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'', to see who was "Master of the Universe" with a lap around their Top Gear Test Track, test track in a racing modified Honda Civic. The Dalek could not get into the car, so it exterminated the other drivers (with the exception of the Klingon and the Doctor; who had apparently fled beforehand as they were not present); the Cyberman was eventually declared the winner by the hosts.
* In the final episode of the 2007 series of ''The Vicar of Dibley'', Dawn French's character gets married, supported by two Dalek bridesmaids.
* In a 2009 episode of the American sitcom ''Better Off Ted'', a deactivated Dalek is spotted in the sub-basement where the supposed "Robot Farm" is located.
* In a December 2009 episode ("Party Animals") of the British children's television series ''Shaun the Sheep'', one of the sheep is dressed as a crude version of a Dalek trying to get up some stairs but failing because of the suit.
* In 2010, a Dalek was a "guest" on ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' sitting off to the side and keeping a watchful eye on Ferguson. It never spoke, but occasionally moved around. This was a lead-up to having Matt Smith as a real guest on the show.
* On 4 May 2011, the popular animated television show, ''South Park'' aired its 211th episode, #1502 entitled "Funnybot" featuring a new character, "Funnybot". Funnybot was designed by the Germans to prove that they were a funny people, contrary to what the students of South Park Elementary had to say about them. What the Germans created looked in some ways similar to a Dalek, and in the end lived up to its appearance, albeit with Gatling guns in lieu of a death ray. It even shouts "Exterminate!" at one point.
* In the children's book ''Animalia'' by Graeme Base, a Dalek appears on the pages with objects starting with the letter D.
* The 9 December 2012 episode of ''The Simpsons'' entitled "The Day the Earth Stood Cool," an outline of a Dalek can be seen on the bottom drawer of T-Rex's dresser when Bart discovers his action figures.
* On 2 September 2013, the Daleks made an appearance in the sketch "Doctor Who's Line is it Anyway?", on the Cartoon Network show ''Mad (TV series), Mad''.
* In the 2017 film ''The Lego Batman Movie'', the Daleks, in what appears to be a Lego adaptation of their 2010 designs, make an appearance as escaped prisoners from the Phantom Zone. They, who are seen extremely briefly and moving, also seem to be the Lego minifigures produced for ''Lego Dimensions''.
*The Daleks appear in the 2021 drama It's a Sin (TV series), ''It's a Sin'' (written by former ''Doctor Who'' show runner Russell T Davies
Stephen Russell Davies (born 27 April 1963), better known as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer whose works include '' Queer as Folk'', '' The Second Coming'', ''Casanova'', the 2005 revival of the BBC One scie ...
), in scenes where series lead Ritchie Tozer (Olly Alexander) is cast in a fictional ''Doctor Who'' story called ''Regression of the Daleks''.
Comic books
* In ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume III: Century'' (2009), a Dalek can be seen during a psychedelic hallucination by Mina Murray. * In the graphic novel ''Abslom Daak: Dalek Killer'', the titular protagonist, a sentenced criminal with a death wish and an insatiable hatred of the Daleks, hunts his nemeses who have recently invaded the planet Mazar, homeworld of princess Taiyin.Music
Daleks have been referred to or associated in many musical compositions. * The first known musical reference to Daleks is the 1964 novelty record, novelty single "I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas with a Dalek" by The Go-Go's (1960s), the Go-Go's, released during the 1960s' "Dalekmania" fad. * Dalek voices were sampled and recreated in the 1988 novelty single "Doctorin' the Tardis" by The Timelords (who later performed as the KLF), * Daleks were also sampled by the German electronic band Rotersand in their 2005 single "Exterminate Annihilate Destroy". * Many other musicians have mentioned Daleks in lyrics, including: the Clash, in "Remote Control (The Clash song), Remote Control" ("Repression—gonna be a Dalek / Repression—I am a robot / Repression—I obey."); the Creatures, in "Weathercade" ("The Dalek drones are drowning"); Martin Gordon in "Her Daddy Was a Dalek, Her Mummy Was a Non-Stick Frying Pan" from his album "The Joy of More Hogwash" and the Supernaturals, in "Smile" ("I feel like a Dalek inside/ Everything's gone grey but used to be so black and white"). The trock band Chameleon Circuit (band), Chameleon Circuit's eponymous album features a song called Exterminate, Regenerate; which illustrates the conflict between the Doctor and the Daleks. Bands have even incorporated Daleks into their names: Dalek I Love You, a synthpop band active for over ten years from the late 1970s to the beginning of the 1990s, and instrumental surf-rock trio Dalek Beach Party, whose 1992 EP featured the song "Exterminate! Exterminate!" Dalek is also mentioned and pictured in the Doc Brown vs Doctor Who. Epic Rap Battles of History Season 2, being summoned by Brown to exterminate the Tenth Doctor. Samples of Dalek voices uttering the phrases "the prisoners have escaped" and "exterminate them" appear in the song "Shakespeare's Tacklebox" by the Australian band Spiderbait on their 1993 debut LP "ShaShaVaGlava".Video games
Licensed ''Doctor Who'' games featuring Daleks include 1984's ''The Key to Time'', a text adventure game for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. The first graphical game to feature daleks was the eponymous, turn-based title released by Johan Strandberg for the Macintosh in the same year. Daleks also appeared in minor roles or as thinly disguised versions in other, minor games throughout the 80s, but did not feature as central adversaries in a licensed game until 1992, when Admiral Software published ''Dalek Attack''. The game allowed the player to play various Doctors or companions, running them through several environments to defeat the Daleks. In 1997 the BBC released a Personal computer, PC game entitled ''Destiny of the Doctors'' which also featured the Daleks, among other adversaries. Unauthorized games featuring Daleks continued to appear through the 1990s and 2000s, including Dalek-based mod (computer gaming), modifications of ''Dark Forces'', ''Quake (video game), Quake'', and ''Half-Life (video game), Half-Life'', and even more recently, a mod of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''; many of these can be found online, including an Adobe Flash game, ''Dalek:Dissolution Earth''. In 1998 ''QWho'', a mod (computer gaming), modification for ''Quake'', featured the Daleks as adversaries. This also formed the basis of ''TimeQuake'', a total conversion written in 2000 which included other ''Doctor Who'' monsters such as Sontarans. Another unauthorised game is ''DalekTron'', a based on ''Robotron: 2084'' written to coincide with the 2005 series. One authorised online game is ''The Last Dalek'', a Adobe Flash, Flash game created by New Media Collective for the BBC. It is based on the 2005 episode "Dalek" and can be played at the official BBC ''Doctor Who'' website. The ''Doctor Who'' website also features another game, ''Daleks vs Cybermen'' (also known as ''Cyber Troop Control Interface''), based on the 2006 episode "Doomsday"; in this game, the player controls troops of Cybermen which must fight Daleks as well as Torchwood Institute members. On 5 June 2010, the BBC released the first of four official computer games on its website, ''Doctor Who: The Adventure Games'', which are intended as part of the official TV series adventures. In the first of these, 'The City of the Daleks', the Doctor in his 11th incarnation and Amy Pond must stop the Daleks re-writing time and reviving Skaro, their homeland. They also appear in the Nintendo DS and Wii games ''Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth'' and ''Doctor Who: Return to Earth''. Several Daleks appear in the IOS (Apple), iOS game ''Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time, The Mazes of Time'' as rare enemies the player faces, appearing only in the first and final levels. The robot model ''883'' in the game ''Paradroid'' for the ''Commodore 64'' looks like a Dalek. The game was later ported to other platforms, and several free software clones have been developed since, among them ''Freedroid Classic''. Based on this game is a ''Diablo (series), Diablo'' style role-playing game called ''Freedroid RPG'' where several Dalek-like robots appear. The base version is called ''Dalex'', its powerful, but slow weapon, the ''Exterminator'', is also available to the player. The Daleks also appear in ''Lego Dimensions'' where they ally themselves with Lord Vortech and possess the size-altering scale keystone. When Batman, Gandalf, and Wyldstyle encounter them, they assume that they are allies of the Doctor and attack the trio. The main characters continue to fight the Daleks until they call the Doctor to save them. A Dalek saucer also appears in the level based on Metropolis (comics), Metropolis, in which the top of it serves as the stage for the boss battle against Sauron and includes Daleks among the various enemies summoned to attack the player. A Dalek is also among the elements summoned by the player to deal with the obstacles in the ''Portal 2'' story level. The Daleks also appear in Doctor Who: The Edge of Time, a Virtual Reality Game for the PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, HTC Vive, and Vive Cosmos, which is set to be released in September 2019. The Daleks are a licensed costume in Fall Guys.Politics
At the 1966 Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party conference in Blackpool, delegate Hugh Dykes, Baron Dykes, Hugh Dykes publicly compared the Labour government's Secretary of State for Defence, Defence Secretary Denis Healey to the creatures. "Mr. Healey is the Dalek of defence, pointing a metal finger at the armed forces and saying 'I will eliminate you'." In a Her Majesty's Government, British Government Parliamentary Debate in the British House of Commons, House of Commons on 12 February 1968, the then Minister of Technology Tony Benn mentioned the Daleks during a reply to a question from the Labour Party (UK), Labour Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), MP Hugh Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Putney, Hugh Jenkins concerning the Concorde aircraft project. In the context of the dangers of solar flares, he said, "Because we are exploring the frontiers of technology, some people think Concorde will be avoiding solar flares like Dr. Who avoiding Daleks. It is not like this at all." Australian Labor Party luminary Robert Ray (Australian politician), Robert Ray described his right wing Labor Unity faction successor, Victorian Senator Stephen Conroy, and his Socialist Left faction counterpart, Kim Carr, as "factional Daleks" during a 2006 Australian Fabian Society lunch in Sydney. During a 2021 House of Commons debate about the retention of dentists in rural areas of the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic, the voice of Conservative MP Scott Mann (politician), Scott Mann of North Cornwall, while on a video link, became distorted due to a malfunction with his audio feed. Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom), Deputy Speaker of the House Nigel Evans interrupted his broadcast by saying, "Scott, you sound like a Dalek and I don’t mean that unkindly. There’s clearly a communications problem." Mann later returned to apologise. Daleks have been used in political cartoons to caricature: Douglas Hurd, as the 'Douglek', in Private Eye's Dan Dare, Dan Dire – Pilot of the Future; Tony Benn,John Birt
John Birt, Baron Birt (born 10 December 1944) is a British television executive and businessman. He is a former Director-General (1992–2000) of the BBC.
After a successful career in commercial television, initially at Granada Television an ...
, Tony Blair (also portrayed as Davros
Davros () is a character from the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was created by screenwriter Terry Nation, originally for the 1975 serial ''Genesis of the Daleks''. Dav ...
), Alec Douglas-Home, Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
, Mark Thompson (television executive), Mark Thompson.
Magazine covers
Daleks have appeared on magazine covers promoting ''Doctor Who'' since the "Dalekmania" fad of the 1960s. ''Radio Times'' has featured the Daleks on its cover several times, beginning with the 21–27 November 1964 issue which promoted ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth''. Other magazines also used Daleks to attract readers' attention, including ''Girl Illustrated''.Howe (1996), pp. 60–61, 66 In April 2005, ''Radio Times'' created a special cover to commemorate both the return of the Daleks to the screen in "Dalek
The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in the 1963 ''Doctor Who'' ...
" and the forthcoming 2005 United Kingdom general election, general election. This cover recreated a scene from ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' in which the Daleks were seen crossing Westminster Bridge, with the Palace of Westminster, Houses of Parliament in the background. The cover text read "VOTE DALEK!" In a 2008 contest sponsored by the Periodical Publishers Association, this cover was voted the best British magazine cover of all time. In 2013 it was voted "Cover of the century" by the Professional Publishers Association. The 2010 United Kingdom general election campaign also prompted a collector's set of three near-identical covers of the ''Radio Times'' on 17 April with exactly the same headline but with the Victory of the Daleks, newly redesigned Daleks in their primary colours representing the three main political parties, Red being Labour, Blue as Conservative and Yellow as Liberal Democrats.
Parodies
Daleks have been the subject of many parody, parodies, including Spike Milligan's "Doctor Who spoofs#Pakistani Dalek (1975), Pakistani Dalek" sketch in his comedy series ''Q (Spike Milligan series), Q'', and Victor Lewis-Smith's "Gay Daleks". Occasionally the BBC has used the Daleks to parody other subjects: in 2002, BBC Worldwide published the ''Dalek Survival Guide'', a parody of ''Worst-Case Scenario series, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbooks''. Comedian Eddie Izzard has an extended stand-up routine about Daleks, which was included in his 1993 stand-up show "Live at the Ambassadors". The Daleks made two brief appearances in a pantomime version of ''Aladdin'' at the Birmingham Hippodrome which starred ''Torchwood'' star John Barrowman in the lead role. A joke-telling robot, possessing a Dalek-like boom, and loosely modelled after the Dalek, also appeared in the ''South Park'' episode "Funnybot", even spouting out "exterminate". A Dalek can also be seen in the background at timepoints 1:13 and 1:17 in the Sam & Max The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police, animated series episode "The Trouble with Gary". In the ''Community (TV series), Community'' parody of ''Doctor Who'' called ''Inspector Spacetime'', they are referred to as Blorgons.Merchandising
The BBC approached Walter Tuckwell, a New Zealand-born entrepreneur who was handling product merchandising for other BBC shows, and asked him to do the same for the Daleks and ''Doctor Who''.Howe (1994), p. 342 Tuckwell created a glossy sales brochure that sparked off a Dalek craze, dubbed "Dalekmania" by the press, which peaked in 1965.Toys and models
The first Dalek toys were released in 1965 as part of the "Dalekmania" craze.Howe (2003), pp. 475–483 These included battery-operated, friction drive and "Rolykins" Daleks from Louis Marx and Company, Louis Marx & Co., as well as models from Cherilea, Herts Plastic Moulders Ltd and Cowan, de Groot Ltd, and "Bendy" Daleks made by Newfeld Ltd. At the height of the Daleks' popularity, in addition to toy replicas, there were Dalek board games and activity sets, slide projectors for children and even Dalek playsuits made from PVC.Howe (1992), pp. 137–152 Collectible cards, stickers, toy guns, music singles, punching bags and many other items were also produced in this period. Dalek toys released in the 1970s included a new version of Louis Marx's battery-operated Dalek (1974), a "talking Dalek" from Palitoy (1975) and a Dalek board game (1975) and Dalek action figure (1977), both from Denys Fisher. From 1988 to 2002, Dapol released a line of Dalek toys in conjunction with its ''Doctor Who'' action figure series.
In 1984, Sevans Models released a self-assembly model kit for a one-fifth scale Dalek, which ''Doctor Who'' historian David J. Howe, David Howe has described as "the most accurate model of a Dalek ever to be released". Comet Miniatures released two Dalek self-assembly model kits in the 1990s.
In 1992, Bally released a Doctor Who (pinball), Doctor Who pinball machine which prominently featured the Daleks both as a primary playfield feature and as a motorised toy in the topper.
Bluebird Toys produced a Dalek-themed ''Doctor Who'' playset in 1998.
Beginning in 2000, Product Enterprise (who later operated under the names "Iconic Replicas" and "Sixteen 12 Collectibles") produced various Dalek toys. These included Dalek "Rolykins" (based on the Louis Marx toy from 1965); push-along "talking" Daleks; Dalek "Rollamatics" with a pull back and release mechanism; and a remote control Dalek.
In 2005 Character Options was granted the "Master Toy License" for the revived ''Doctor Who'' series, including the Daleks.Howe (2006), p.123 Their product lines have included static/push-along and radio controlled Daleks, radio controlled versions and radio controlled / 1:3 scale variants. The 12-inch remote control Dalek won the 2005 award for Best Electronic Toy of the Year from the Toy Retailers Association. Some versions of the 18-inch model included semi-autonomous and voice command-features. In 2008, the company acquired a license to produce Daleks of the various "classic series" variants. For the fifth revived series, both Ironside (Post-Time war Daleks in camouflage khaki), Drone (new, red) and, later, Strategist Daleks (new, blue) were released as both RC Infrared Battle Daleks and action figures.
A pair of Lego based Daleks were included in the Lego Ideas ''Doctor Who'' set, and another appeared in the ''Lego Dimensions'' Cyberman Fun-Pack.
Full-size reproductions
Dalek fans have been building life-size reproduction Daleks for many years. The BBC and Terry Nation estate officially disapprove of self-built Daleks, but usually intervene only if attempts are made to trade unlicensed Daleks and Dalek components commercially, or if it is considered that actual or intended use may damage the BBC's reputation or the Doctor Who/Dalek brand. The Crewe, Cheshire-based company "This Planet Earth" is the only business which has been licensed by the BBC and the Terry Nation Estate to produce full-size TV Dalek replicas, and by StudioCanal, Canal+ Image UK Ltd. to produce full size Movie Dalek replicas commercially.See also
* History of the Daleks * Dalek variants * Dalekmania * Dalek comic strips, illustrated annuals and graphic novelsReferences
Bibliography
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *External links
*A history of the dalek props 1963–1988
How the Daleks were built
– BBC Wales interview with engineer Bill Roberts
The making of the 'Cover of the Century'
{{Doctor Who Daleks, Doctor Who races Extraterrestrial supervillains Fictional extraterrestrial cyborgs Fictional genetically engineered characters Fictional mass murderers Fictional mutants Fictional warrior races Mass murder in fiction Television characters introduced in 1963 Time travelers