Summary
- The Daleks, iconic Doctor Who villains, may be taking a break in the upcoming season, as showrunner Russell T Davies wants to create new adversaries.
- A new short featuring David Tennant’s Doctor reveals the origin of the Daleks’ design, with the Doctor accidentally breaking off a mechanical claw and replacing it with a plunger.
- The upcoming 60th anniversary of Doctor Who will feature special episodes, a Christmas special, and a new eight-part series with Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, marking a fresh era for the franchise.
The Daleks, one of the most iconic villains in the Doctor Who universe, could well be taking a break in the upcoming season of the long-running sci-fi series, with returning showrunner Russell T Davies suggesting that they “need a good pause.” However, before that happens, this year’s BBC Children in Need telethon brought the fearsome villains back to their origins in a new short starring David Tennant, which solved a 60-year-old mystery about one aspect of the Daleks design thanks to a little bit of Timey-Wimey trickery.
First appearing in 1963 in the serial “The Daleks”, the recurring monsters were created by writer Terry Nation and designed by BBC designer Raymond Cusick. Driven by their endless desire to “exterminate” any life-form they deem either impure or inferior to their own race, the Daleks were not always as they appear now. Their home planet, Skaro, was ravaged by a thousand-year war, leading scientist Davros to create a plan to develop an army capable of taking revenge on those who destroyed Skaro. Davros genetically modified his own people, the Kaleds, into squid-like life-forms and encased them in advanced, metallic armor in an attempt to dominate the universe. The original Dalek story has been colorized as part of the 60th anniversary, and will be released on November 23, the date the first episode was broadcast.
Doctor Who
- Release Date
- March 26, 2005
- Cast
- Jemma Redgrave, Ncuti Gatwa, Jodie Whittaker, David Tennant, Karen Gillan, Catherine Tate, Christopher Eccleston, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi
- Genres
- Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
- Seasons
- 14
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney+
In the new short, Tennant’s returning Doctor makes an unfortunate arrival at the genesis of the Daleks, which results in his wayward TARDIS crashing into the first Dalek and snapping off its intended appendage – a mechanical claw. Before making his departure, The Doctor throws a very handy plunger out to a befuddled assistant who attaches it as a replacement. Thus, creating the look that has followed the alien race through all of time. You can check out the short below.
Will the Daleks Appear in Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor Who Run?
In the upcoming season of Doctor Who, Russell T. Davies plans to take a break from the Daleks and the Cybermen, another classic villain, to focus on creating new adversaries. In a previous interview, Davies noted:
“We’ve had a lot of Daleks lately. I think they’ve been done a lot – people are expecting them every year now. So I think they need a good pause.”
This is not the first time that the Daleks have been left on the sidelines, after some fan complaints over their overuse in the past. As one of the rinse-and-repeat villains of the franchise, and having had their origin and rebirth stories told in many different ways, it is a sign that Davies return will be more than just a remake of his Doctor Who greatest hits.
Doctor Who will celebrate its 60th anniversary this month, with three special episodes that bring David Tennant, arguably the most popular actor to ever take on the role, back to the franchise. This will be followed by a Christmas special, and an eight-part series in early 2024 featuring new Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa. The anniversary specials mark a brand-new era for Doctor Who, with episodes being streamed globally on Disney+ as part of a deal between Disney Branded Television and the BBC, aiming to transform Doctor Who into a global franchise. For this reason, the upcoming season is being called Season 1, a complete reboot of the franchise numbering convention.
