"The Daleks" Published in CT Number 290
Daleks, will Dr Who ever be rid of them? Somehow, I doubt it. The Daleks are synominous with Dr Who, they are his greatest adversary, and the most memorable. But why is this? And what caused yours truly to become obsessed with them, I’m sure you will have noticed a certain amount of, ah, Dalekmania in my articles. And now, we have an entire CT devoted to the metal pepperpots! Bliss…
But back to the article. The Dalek’s popularity. Just why is this? After all, all they do is exterminate people and destroy things. Perhaps this is why. They are totally devoid of any humanity, they don’t even look human, and that’s the key. Even as a little kid, when a Star Trek enemy or a humanoid Dr Who enemy pops up you think “that’s just a man in a silly costume.” With the Daleks it’s different, they don’t look like us. They look real, and this extends from their very first appearance in 1964 to the present with the adverts of a certain chocolate bar they did this Summer. Everyone as a kid really wants the bad guys to win for a bit, and the Daleks do this. They have everyone on the run, with the Doctor just beating them in the end, save for Mission to the Unknown, Genesis of the Daleks, The Apocalypse Element and the Dalek Empire series. The fact that they were the very first alien villain in Dr Who helps a lot. An Unearthly Child was remarkably popular, but The Daleks was a phenomenal success, back in the 1960s they were unheard of. Just look at 1960’s and 1970’s programmes (as I have, thanks to a certain Norwich Local Group) to see just how much above everything else the Daleks were. Their appearance, their voices, their total ruthlessness was unparalleled, and still is to tell the truth. I think it’s true to say that without the Daleks, Dr Who would not have been the success it is. I mean, the Daleks pop up everywhere! They did a sketch for Red Dwarf Night, they do some advertisements, FHM even had a Dalek in the Dr Who Fan Room, some used-car seller even had a Dalek to sell! Most people on the street have heard of them and you can talk about them! It’s great really!
So why do I like them so much? For all the reasons above, and for my memories as a child. Apparently, I used to watch the Davison era when I was really young (that shows my age, or lack of it really!), but I don’t remember it. The chances are I watched Resurrection of the Daleks, but they didn’t scare me, it was the Tripods that did that. However, Remembrance of the Daleks is my first true memory, and they were a bit scary then! The fact that they scared my brother helped a lot too, when Genesis was repeated in 1993 he was scared and hid behind a cushion, whereas I could watch them! I’m sure that has had an effect on how I view them today. Their power is enormous, they are a creation that every budding writer wants to equal, but no-one can. Imagine if the Daleks were in Star Wars, how great would that be? You can overload on the Daleks, but Dr Who hasn’t done that, reserving them for special occasions, and it has worked.
The Daleks are, save the Doctor himself, the greatest part of Dr Who. They are the Villains’ Villains, and have been since 1964. They are unique, they are magnificent. And they are deadly, so any Dalek reading this, don’t hurt me!Please!
By Peter Witney