DALEKS

[William Chalker]

The Daleks are one of the most iconic things ever. This is in no doubt but what of them now? Feel free to discuss my ramblings and I will be interested in discussing (not bitching) about it.

HERE GOES:

They were once a force to be reckoned with and no playground was safe enough. But then they were eroded over time and their usabiltity was confined to comercials and the impact was reduced to the obvious gag by various comiedians, no doubt having forgotten the fear they had felt all those years ago.

Then something happened: Doctor Who came back (let us never foget this). 'Dalek' by Robert Shearman [Why has he never been asked to write another?] was the half way point of series 1 and though it had prooved a success beyond our wildest hopes (8m on Saturday in Spring watched by all the Family... C'mon get outta here), it was the first real test.
From the moment that lone Dalek stutters "Doc...tor. The Doctor?" followed by the Ninth Doctor's scared and scarred rant, fantasically delivered by Chris, there was no doubt. Russell rejoiced, Fandom sighed a collective "We knew all along", Papers that sell copy on celebrity shennanigans - ran articles. Playgrounds danced to the sound of Exterminate once more...

Yet as the show became the success it deserves to be, the Daleks suffered a little bit of over exposure. Popularity demands it and so do the kids and the market.
This ends up being a little less enthralling each time they appear. 'Parting of the Ways' was great, but their surprise moment at the end of Series 2 was spoilt (in my view) by poor dialogue. It isn't that Cybermen and Daleks are in the same story, but that they overshaddowed the not-real-Cybermen and when on screen together they (both) are reduced to bitching and nervous jumps when Rose speaks. The "This is pest control" scene is a little shoddy for my liking.
'Daleks in Manhatten' whilst good in theory was also hampered by ambition and plot. The human Dalek idea was never going to work that way and far too much waggling of Eye stalks and strange looking over thier shoulders before talking in hushed tones.
There may be certain things wrong in 'Stolen Earth / Journey's End' but Russell gives us and the Daleks a much tighter script. "I danced and died a thousand times" may not be true Dalek talk but it is a great line. Almost all of the Doctor's and Davros' lines are just sublime made the more watchable by the superb Julian Bleach (I hope he returns) and David.

So what can be learnt from this?
Give the Daleks a good script and use them as intended - to terrify. For example; the scene in 'Dalek' when it is calculating the combination of metal and water from the sprinkler, is quite horriffic.
Also an inanimate object needs an actor that believes in it [Think Mark and Yoda] so that in turn we do too, which Chris achieved it astonishingly well.
It is simple really - Write them that way.

The Future - CONTAINS SPOILER
The Grand Moff and a New, new, new Doctor with the Daleks set during the Second World War, well that sounds good to me. I just hope they are set to give us the fear that we ought to have for them.

[Mr.Lavigne]

Originally Posted by William Chalker

Then something happened: Doctor Who came back (let us never foget this). 'Dalek' by Robert Shearman [Why has he never been asked to write another?]

How do you know they didn't ask him to write another?

The Daleks are certainly extremely iconic, but they have been very overused recently.

[runalong]

William can I suggest you use spoiler text for the last bit some people won't want to read that even by accident

[ccbaxter]

Originally Posted by Mr.Lavigne

How do you know they didn't ask him to write another?

It is well documented that he wasn't.

Originally Posted by Mr.Lavigne

The Daleks are certainly extremely iconic, but they have been very overused recently.

They have been used in exactly the same way they were used in the 60s an appearance every season, RTD has mirrored the early years of the programme in a number of ways.

[Raven Darkholme]

When you think about it, the Daleks have never had that many good stories. They have appeared in 18 DW stories (correct me if I am wrong) - old and Nu.

But of these, how many have been classics (and even just good!) - the first two, the two Troughton stories, "Genesis", "Dalek". Any others?

The truth is they have been shoe horned into inappropriate stories that didn't make proper use of their status since the start - "The Chase"? and it will no doubt continue. Let's hope their next appearance, whatever it is in, is more "Dalek" and less "Destiny"!

There is a long standing rumour that Shearman will be writing for the new series although as none of the writers have yet to be officially confirmed, that remains speculation. The story that we are discussing here is said to have been written by Mark Gatiss (again speculation at present).

[stephs fella]

You missed out "Remembrance"! Two sets of Daleks slogging it out on the streets of London? Class!

[RetroEnzo]

Originally Posted by stephs fella

You missed out "Remembrance"! Two sets of Daleks slogging it out on the streets of London? Class!

And Ace with a baseball bat!

[Trumpetmike]

Originally Posted by William Chalker

'Dalek' by Robert Shearman [Why has he never been asked to write another?] was the half way point of series 1 and though it had prooved a success beyond our wildest hopes (8m on Saturday in Spring watched by all the Family... C'mon get outta here), it was the first real test.
From the moment that lone Dalek stutters "Doc...tor. The Doctor?" followed by the Ninth Doctor's scared and scarred rant, fantasically delivered by Chris, there was no doubt.

That is the only Dalek-related episode of Nu-Who that I have enjoyed. The combination of CE's Doctor looking truly terrified (STILL prefer CE over DT), a Dalek that became a truly terrifyiing enemy and some nice nods to the fans (the Dalek floating up the stairs). One Dalek against an army and the Dalek wins.

[glunark]

My favourite bit in Dalek was how efficient he was, when he entered the room with dozens on armed men, rather than shoot them all individually (which he could have done with ease) he activated the sprinklers, then electrocuted them all in one go.

[Nelson]

Originally Posted by Raven Darkholme

When you think about it, the Daleks have never had that many good stories. They have appeared in 18 DW stories (correct me if I am wrong) - old and Nu.

But of these, how many have been classics (and even just good!) - the first two, the two Troughton stories, "Genesis", "Dalek". Any others?

There's loads of Dalek stories I enjoy but yeah 'classics' I'm not so sure.

I get the need to use them often because of their appeal, and I get why a new production team would want to use them as well.

My problems not really been with the frequency of their use since the show came back more just the similarities in the episodes they've appeared. We've had three different spins on 'Dalek army invades Earth' in only four series!

I'd like to see the Daleks as a more galactic force - instead of killing them off each time it'd be nice to think that they're out there somewhere conquering and destroying worlds in between meetings with the Doc - instead of having some kind of fixation on attacking Earth over and over again.

So lets see them in more alien settings - wouldn't mind seeing a 'Death to the Daleks' style Doc-stranded-on-a-hostile-planet-but-so-are-the-Daleks kind of set-up.

If they're going to be used this often then lets have more variety in their appearances.

I suppose you could say they tried something quite different with the 'Manhattan' episodes but though I liked the setting and the idea Daleks in the sewers etc the whole Human Dalek thing just didn't work. At all.

In fact you could say this about any classic villain in the new series - daleks, cybermen, sontarans, master... we've only seen them in 'Invading Earth' set-ups.