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 1 February 1964.Written by Terry Nation and directed by Christopher Barry and Richard Martin, this story marks the first appearance of the show's most popular villains, the Daleks, and the recurring Skaro people, the Thals.Whitaker and producer Verity Lambert were impressed, despite disapproval from the show's creator Sydney Newman, who wanted to avoid serials with "bug-eyed monsters".He insists they explore a futuristic city they spot beyond the forest, but Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) are not convinced.Barry had heard some musique concrète music and, intrigued by it, asked Cary to compose a strange and simplistic electronic score for the serial.[19] Actor Alan Wheatley was chosen to portray Temmosus, the leader of the Thals, having worked with Hartnell in an episode of The Flying Doctor in 1959; David Markham was originally considered for the role.Dinsdale Landen was chosen to play Ganatus, but production date changes forced him to drop out of the serial; he was replaced by Philip Bond, with whom Barry had worked on No Cloak — No Dagger.[20] The names of the Thals were revised in the final script: Temmosus was originally Stohl, Alydon was Vahn, Ganatus was Kurt, Kristas was Jahl, Antodus was Ven, Dyoni was Daren, and Elyon was Zhor.[22] Martin worked with Brian Hodgson of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop to find suitable tones; ultimately, the actors spoke through a lip-ribbon microphone, which was later given an electronic quality after passing through a ring modulator.In The Discontinuity Guide (1995), Paul Cornell, Martin Day, and Keith Topping described the serial as "brilliantly directed, full of inventive touches and wonderful set-pieces"; they noted that the first four episodes helped to launch Doctor Who to success, but wrote that the last three "comprise a B-movie trek through hideous landscapes", comparing it unfavourably to Flash Gordon.[34] In A Critical History of Doctor Who (1999), John Kenneth Muir similarly praised the Daleks, as well as Barry's "stylish" direction and the performances of Hill and Hartnell.[35] In 2006, DVD Talk's John Sinnott, despite noting that "there are a few parts that drag just a bit", commended the script for allowing the characters to develop and holding tension unlike the previous serial.[36] In 2008, Patrick Mulkern of Radio Times praised the strength of Nation's scripts, particularly the first three cliffhangers, but felt that "the urgency and claustrophobia dissipate towards the end", describing the final battle as "a disappointingly limp affair".Club wrote that the serial is "quite solid, full of well-paced action and some interestingly subtle characterizations, though it definitely begins to drag around the fifth episode, with a long trek through swamps and caverns that moves the plot forward by about an inch".[45] All tracks are written by Tristram Cary, except where notedIn 1965, the serial was adapted by Milton Subotsky as a film, Dr. Who and the Daleks, starring Peter Cushing as Dr. Who, Roberta Tovey as Susan, Roy Castle as Ian Chesterton and Jennie Linden as Barbara.[48][49] Davies sought to colourise old Doctor Who serials shortly after returning the role of showrunner in early 2022, considering himself "the curator of a museum in some sense".[52] Rich Tipple led the project as lead colourisation artist after Doctor Who executive producers Joel Collins and Phil Collinson saw his fan-made work on YouTube.Characters had individual colour palettes, and each team member was allocated a different location for consistency: Tipple oversaw the Dalek city, Brown the TARDIS control room, Burditt the caves, and Highman the jungle.[62] Bleeding Cool's Adi Tantimedh lauded the faster pacing for heightening performances and characterisation, though found some cuts too abrupt, flashbacks unnecessary, and picture quality unstable.[65] A soundtrack of The Daleks in Colour, featuring Cary and Ayres's work, was released by Silva Screen Records on 13 September 2024, on digital platforms and as a two-disc set.
Dalek (disambiguation)Dead PlanetDoctor WhoDaleksDoctorWilliam HartnellFirst DoctorCompanionsWilliam RussellIan ChestertonJacqueline HillBarbara WrightCarole Ann FordSusan ForemanAlan WheatleyJohn LeeVirginia WetherellPhilip BondMarcus HammondPeter HawkinsDavid GrahamRobert JewellKevin ManserMichael SummertonLesley HillChristopher BarryRichard MartinTerry NationDavid WhitakerVerity LambertTristram CarySeason 1An Unearthly ChildThe Edge of DestructionList of episodes (1963–1989)serialscience fiction televisionBBC TVracial exterminationSydney Newmanbug-eyed monstersRaymond Cusickring modulatorfeature filmPeter CushingcolourisedTARDISmercuryAnthony CoburnRex TuckerOut of This WorldH. G. WellsThe Time MachineDonald WilsonRidley Scottfilm directorpepper potfibreglassChristmas tree lightsencyclopediasmusique concrèteDavid MarkhamDinsdale Landenrepertory theatrePost OfficevocoderBrian HodgsonBBC Radiophonic Workshoplip-ribbon microphoneinsertsAppreciation IndexBBC TwoBBC FourtelerecordingsIan LevineBBC ArchivesDaily MirrorThe Discontinuity GuidePaul CornellMartin DayKeith ToppingFlash GordonDavid J. HoweJohn Kenneth MuirDVD TalkRadio TimesThe A.V. ClubChris AchilleosDoctor Who novelisationsTarget BooksArmada BooksSaundersAvon BooksUniversal-Tandem PublishingVirgin BooksNeil GaimanTitan BooksBBC AudiobooksSoundtrack albumDoctor Who soundtrackBBC MusicDoctor Who (Original Theme)Ron GrainerDelia DerbyshireMilton SubotskyDr. Who and the DaleksDr. WhoRoberta ToveyRoy CastleJennie LindenDaleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.The Dalek Invasion of Earth60th anniversaryMark AyresRussell T DaviescuratorBenjamin Cookcolourisationcolour palettePhil CollinsonYouTubecolour palettescamera flareBBC iPlayerBlu-raySteelBook