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| The nightmare begins! Barbara (Jacqueline Hill) encounters a Dalek for the first time. DOCTOR WHO had now arrived in the public consciousness. Images: BBC. |
What the hell was that?
The burning question on five million viewers minds at the end of the first exciting episode of William Hartnell''s second story as DOCTOR WHO, as his wary travelling companion, Earth school teacher Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill), found herself trapped in an elevator whilst investigating a mysteriously deserted metal city- its opening doors revealing a shocking and truly alien sight ahead.
And then the screaming starts...
Inspiring genuine water cooler talk across the country's offices and beyond, helping to propel the next episodes ratings ever nearer to seven million (and then even higher-nine million- with the subsequent five parts), that master of adventure storytelling Terry Nation always knew how to keep 'em wanting more, saving that very special second episode for the final reveal of "the creature", brilliantly handled by director Christopher Barry, as the mysterious presence, the Daleks, were finally, scarily revealed to our heroes and the viewers: once human beings who, after a long war and nuclear holocaust against the rival planetary race whom they despised and feared-the Thals, had mutated and wore metal casing of incredible sophistication for their very survival. Designed by an inspired Raymond Cusick, who sadly passed away this last weekend at the age of 84, the Daleks were an instant success-and the very antithesis kind of sci-fi idea that the show's original deviser, Sydney Newman, despised and didn't want appearing in it, but which, primarily through desperate happenstance and luck behind the scenes (spurred on by the enthusiastic young producer Verity Lambert), made their gliding, tank-like appearance and screeching threatening voices into the series a reality, and proving themselves a veritable smash hit with children and the series family audiences all over the country, not just from 1963 but to this very day fifty years on.
PART1/2 Creation of the Daleks - Doctor Who 1963 - YouTube
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| The Doctor (William Hartnell) and Susan (Carole Ann Ford) are captured by the Daleks in the creatures first appearance. |
There have been over twenty television adventures in which our hero The Doctor has fought the Skaroan metal meanies, and, thankfully for us, he's never quite been able to kill them off. At times over the years, as production design and film making techniques have evolved, there have been ideas or plans to create a new physical appearance for the Daleks. But at the end of the day, it it ain't broke don't fix it, as Cusick's original designs, with a few little fixes and colour scheme changes here and there, continue to impress and capture imaginations as the ultimate war machine, the ultimate example of technology over humanity. And the ultimate face of hate and xenophobia.
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| Dalek design originator Raymond Cusick. |
A staff designer at the time the original story was made, earning little credit or recognition, and making little to no money from the way the BBC and Terry Nation went on to commercially exploit the classic enemies, Cusick, despite his professionalism and continued talents beyond WHO, was obviously very bitter and angry for a long time as the popularity of the Daleks went on and their design became truly iconic. Thankfully, by the time of the eighties onwards, WHO's worldwide fandom had become fully aware of his work, recognising and admiring his vital and immense contribution to the show, not just with the aggressive alien pepperpots but also the other stories of the Hartnell era to which his imagination had been so similarly fired up.
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| "This is only the beginning..." |
DOCTOR WHO, after a slightly shaky start at the beginning of time with some smelly cavemen, had finally come into its own with The Daleks that December of 1963, winning the public's affection and dedication for years to come.
For more on the shows amazing behind the scenes origins, purchase the excellent 2entertain/BBC WHO set: Doctor Who - The Beginning An Unearthly Child 1963 / The Daleks 1963 / The Edge of Destruction 1964 DVD: Amazon.co.uk: William Hartnell, Carole Ann Ford, Jacqueline Hill, William Russell, Waris Hussein, Richard Martin, Christopher Barry, Frank Cox: Film & TV
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