Daleks axed after 48 years

Gone but not forgotten ... Daleks

AFTER 48 years the Daleks have been banished from TV, as we told you yesterday.

Their demise was welcomed by the Cybermen, who said: "Their time had come. They looked old and tired with their toilet plunger parts and primitive casing."

Here, Doctor Who Appreciation Society stalwart Antony Wainer pays tribute to the Daleks - and tells DAVID LOWE why it's still not safe to come out from behind the sofa.

Timeline

1963: History is made on December 21 as the Daleks make their bow in The Dead Planet

1967: Bad news for Daleks as they are wiped out in a civil war and don't return to TV until 1972

1975: We meet Davros, in Genesis Of The Daleks, and learn the origins of the evil mutant race

1988: We're all in trouble. The Doctor's arch enemies master the art of climbing stairs

1999: Stamps starring the Daleks are put out to celebrate British culture

2005: Doctor Who is back on TV after a 16-year gap. And guess who's there to battle him? Yep, the Daleks

2007: BBC poll puts Daleks top of a Who scary monsters list. The Cybermen would be outraged, if they had emotions

2008: A survey finds only 53 per cent of kids able to identify an oak leaf . . . 90 per cent identify a Dalek

2010: Time for an upgrade with the creation of a superior (and prettily coloured) version

DOCTOR Who without Daleks would be like Wimbledon minus the strawberries and cream.
The two are so entwined they are virtually inseparable.
For that reason, I don't think the Daleks will be gone from our screens for long - whatever they're saying now.
Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat only said Daleks were being given "a rest" so he hasn't confirmed their permanent removal from the series.
That would be a travesty to fans, who consistently vote the Daleks as their favourite baddie. Since their first appearance in 1963 they have captured the public's imagination.
I think it's partially due to the fact they are so easy to imitate.
In playgrounds kids amuse themselves putting on the Dalek voice and copying the way they move along the ground.
Looking back over the Daleks' history in Doctor Who there have been several periods when they have disappeared from our screens for a break.
The most notable one was between The Evil Of The Daleks in 1967 and Day Of The Daleks in 1972, a gap of almost five years.
Doctor Who's scriptwriters know the Daleks and the Doctor are like Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty or Batman and the Riddler - great fictional rivals whose battles enthral fans.
In 2005, when Doctor Who was making a return after ending in 1989, there was a lot of talk about whether the Daleks would be brought back.

Debut ... in December 1963

It was a new series with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor and potentially a good opportunity to do away with them after the 16-year gap.
Initially it was thought Daleks would not appear due to a rights issue with the estate of their creator Terry Nation.

Behind you ... 1965 movie

But then there was a change of heart and the Daleks' return was confirmed.
All the same, they shouldn't be included just for the sake of it and if the show's bosses think the time is right for them to be briefly retired, so be it.

Obey ... in 1966 movie sequel

My favourite Dalek serial was Genesis Of The Daleks in 1975, when Tom Baker was the Doctor. The story went back to their creation on planet Skaro by evil scientist Davros.
There was another 12-part serial in 1965 called The Daleks' Master Plan.

Baker days ... Tom and Davros

That was of epic proportions and no doubt consolidated their popularity.
Now Daleks are synonymous with Doctor Who.

Stair masters ... levitating

They appear on merchandise from tea towels and slippers to pens and models.
There is even a company called This Planet Earth who make life-sized Daleks for sale to avid collectors, costing around £3,000 each.

Updated ... new look in 2010

When you think people are willing to spend that kind of money on their own Dalek it shows what a massive following they have.
I'll be sad to see them go - but I still suspect they aren't gone for good.