"Doctor Who"
Dalek (2005)

Director:

Joe Ahearne

Writers:

Robert Shearman (written by)
Terry Nation (character: "The Daleks")

TV Series:

"Doctor Who" (2005)

Original Air Date:

30 April 2005 (Season 1, Episode 6)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The Doctor becomes the main exhibit at a billionaire's alien museum in Utah. But there's something else in there with them...

Plot Keywords:

Turmoil | Boy Genius | Ego Clash | Massacre | Mass Murder

Cast

Christopher Eccleston	...	Doctor Who
Billie Piper	...	Rose Tyler
Steven Beckingham	...	Polkowski
Corey Johnson	...	Henry van Statten
Anna-Louise Plowman	...	Diana Goddard
Bruno Langley	...	Adam Mitchell
Nigel Whitmey	...	Simmons
John Schwab	...	Bywater
Jana Carpenter	...	De Maggio
Joe Montana	...	Commander
Barnaby Edwards	...	Dalek Operator
Nicholas Briggs	...	Dalek (voice)

Runtime:

45 min | 45 min (50 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Certification:

USA:TV-PG | UK:12

Trivia:

The titular dalek was operated by three people. One actor was inside the dalek casing to move and rotate the body. A second was moving the head and eye stalk and operating the lights by a radio controlled remote. The third was performing the voice and gesturing to the remote control operator to time the lights with the voice. In the original series, "Doctor Who" (1963), the daleks had only two operators; one performing the voice and the actor inside the casing doing everything else.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Some of the guards react to the water dripping on their faces from the sprinkler system, after being killed by the dalek.

Quotes:

The Doctor: [about the Dalek] What's it doing?

Solid return of everybody's favourite irate pepper-pot

In 2005 "Dalek" managed to make the Daleks frightening again. Not that the Daleks had ceased to be an inspired and fearsome creation for a legion of devoted fans. Through fiction, graphic novels and audio adventures, the Daleks had continued their war against anything un-Dalek. Only on television had their impact been reduced by the dreaded "Gay Daleks" of Victor Lewis-Smith's "TV Offal" and even an appearance in a Kit-Kat advert.

With "Dalek", the diminutive metal terrors were back with a vengeance. Or rather, to be strictly correct, one Dalek was. This "last Dalek" showed the fans what they'd known all along - that one, solitary, lonely Dalek is more dangerous than an army of armed humans.

Robert Shearman's script is tight and director Joe Ahearne leaves no time for boredom to set in. This is a return to classic "Who". No frills, no laughs, just solid, gripping story-telling.

Christopher Eccleston's Doctor is clearly more than a little upset to see the Dalek. In fact, the 9th Doctor's reaction creates a dilemma for his companion, Rose. This is a Doctor pushed to the very edge of his patience and sanity, and it's not a pretty sight.

This episode managed the seemingly impossible and made the audience actually care about the Dalek. Its appearance in the final scene, revealed without its protective polycarbide-armoured shell, is unforgettable.

Early in the episode, there's an Aladdin's cave of artifacts for the keen viewer to search for old, familiar props. No prizes, though, for those who recognised the classic "Invasion"-style Cyberman head! Excellent television and a genuine wish come true for many fans.