Doctor Who: Dalek

Written by: Robert Shearman
Directed by: Joe Ahearne
Starring: Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper
Duration: 45'18m
Broadcast Date: 30/4/2005
Ratings/Chart Pos: 8.63m/No.14
DVD Availability: Try sendit.com (region 2 only)
Images: See the Doctor Who: Dalek Image Page and a bonus Second Image Page

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

Crew & Credits: Daleks originally created by Terry Nation. Gareth Williams (1st Assistant Director), Sean Clayton (2nd Assistant Director), Dan Mumford (3rd Assistant Director), Lowri Thomas (Location Manager), Llyr Morus (Unit Manager), Jess van Niekerk (Production Co-ordinator), Debi Griffiths/Kath Blackman (A/Production Accountants), Pam Humphreys (Continuity), Helen Raynor (Script Editor), Martin Stephens (Camera Operator), Mark Isaac (Focus Puller), John Robinson (Grip), Damian Richardson (Boom Operator), Mark Hutchings (Gaffer), Peter Chester (Best Boy), Lee Sheward (Stunt Co-ordinator), Stuart Clarke/Derek Lea/Neil Finnigan/Toney Lucken (Stunt Performers), Gwenllian Llwyd (Art Dept Co-ordinator), Bryan Hitch (Concept Artist), Catherine Samuel (Production Buyer), Liz Griffiths (Set Decorator), Stephen Nicholas (Supervising Art Director), Julian Luxton (Standby Art Director), Adrian Anscombe (Property Master), Andrew Smith (Construction Manager), Phill Shellard/Tristan Howell (Standby Props), Jenny Bowers (Graphic Artist), Yolanda Peart-Smith (Wardrobe Supervisor), Linda Davie (Make-Up Supervisor), Claire Pritchard/Steve Williams (Make-Up Artists), Kirsty Robertson (Casting Associate), Ceres Doyle (Assistant Editor), Marie Brown (Post Production Supervisor), Matthew Clarke (On Line Editor), Kai van Beers (Colourist), Simon C. Holden/David Bowman/Jennifer Herbett (2D VFX Artists), Chris Petts/Mark Wallman/Andy Howell (3D VFX Artists), Alex Fort (Digital Matte Painter), Mike Tucker (Model Unit Supervisor), Peter Jeffreys (Dubbing Mixer), Paul McFadden (Dialogue Editor), Paul Jeffries (Sound FX Editor), James Dundas (Rights Executive), Richard Pugsley (Finance Manager), Ron Grainer (Original Theme Music), Andy Pryor CDG (Casting Director), Endaf Emyr Williams (Production Accountant), Ian Richardson (Sound Recordist), Lucinda Wright (Costume Designer), Davy Jones (Make Up Designer), Murray Gold (Music), The Mill (Visual Effects), Will Cohen (Visual FX Producer), Dave Houghton (Visual FX Supervisor), Any Effects (Special Effects), Millennium Effects (Prosthetics), Graham Walker (Editor), Edward Thomas (Production Designer), Ernie Vincze BSC (Director of Photography), Tracie Simpson (Production Manager), Helen Vallis (Associate Producer), Russell T Davies/Julie Gardner/Mal Young (Executive Producers), Phil Collinson (Producer) and Joe Ahearne (Director). BBC Wales. c. BBC MMV.

Story: Utah, 2012. The Doctor and Rose arrive at a museum of space artifacts owned by the misguided billionaire Henry van Statten. However, his prize exhibit has different ideas about wanting to belong...

Trivia: The following week’s episode, The Long Game, features in a 36 second trailer at the end.

The Daleks were traditionally the most popular enemies of the original Doctor Who series, featuring in seventeen stories, not to mention minor cameos and a vocal appearance in the 1996 TV Movie.

Writer Robert Shearman based this story on Jubilee, an audio story he had written for the sixth Doctor, Colin Baker, released in January 2003. The play was divided into four episodes and lasted substantially longer than Dalek at 143'28m. While Shearman himself described his commission for Dalek as being to rewrite Jubilee, it's arguable as to how much material was actually reused. While some claim there are great similarities and reuse of material between them both, it's this site owner's opinion that Shearman has largely crafted an entirely new script and that any similarities are largely superficial ones.

The original working title for the story was "Creature of Lies".

Created by Terry Nation (1931-1997), his estate originally rejected the use of the Daleks in this new series after seeing the scripts. As a result, the scripts were rewritten with an all-new alien in place of the Dalek - only for further rewrites to take place when the terms were finally agreed.

The helmet of the "old friend" that the Doctor first stands in front of was requested in the script by Executive Producer Julie Gardner. Originally the Doctor was to have stood in front of the Slitheen claw, but instead he reflects on the decapitated head of an unnamed Cyberman - creatures who faced the Doctor in ten stories of the original series from 1965-1988.

Viewpoint:
"The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit."

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