“So, I’ve got this idea for a monster…”
“Pitch it to me, baby”
“Well look, think of a pepperpot…”
“Oooookay…”
“But it’s got a gun and stuff. Built in, like”
“So, it has a gun but no hands”
“Well, it’ll have a manipulator”
“Sounds good, what’ll that look like?”
“Well, think of a sink plunger…”
“Right”
“And it’ll have a massive eyestalk on top. And bumps round its sides.”
“Oh for Christ’s sake…”
“Look, it’ll work, trust me”.
“Tenner says it’s crap”
“It’s a bet.”
“We’re all gonna look like dicks y’know…”
* 6 weeks later *
“Well, f*** me…”
That’s how I like to think the project meeting went, anyway.
It amazes me to this day that the Daleks were ever created. In theory they sound like a terrible idea and they must have been a bugger (not to mention expensive) to put together. But somehow between Terry Nation and the recently deceased Ray Cusick they were created.
The other thing that amazes me is that, on their first attempt to create an alien the show’s creators nailed it so effectively. Many attempts were made in the decades that followed to create other robotic enemies but none of them have come close. From War Machines that looked huts on wheels with prongs to Caretaker robots that were creepy but essentially looked they were held together with gaffer tape. The Dalek, from its first appearance, was simply kick-you-in-the-crotch fantastic.
So to the story – the first episode is basically just build up. Wandering about a bit, prodding some things and then our heroes having a bit of a row. The Doctor is still a bit of an arse, Barbara is still terrified of everything and Ian is the only one who seems to have any sort of conviction about what he’s doing.
The creation of the alien city is very effective though and I can imagine would have been quite tense if you had no idea (as we do now) what was hiding in it. The ending of episode 1 is, of course, iconic but I do wonder if people didn’t see it and think “What the… “ as it’s basically just a plunger wiggling at Barbara. Credit must go to Jaqueline Hill though, as in real life the plunger wasn’t attached to a Dalek and was just being carried by a man. That must have seemed even more ridiculous. But it’s a strong start once our heroes get the bickering out of the way.
The second episode does move at a reasonable pace. We get an insight into Dalek history and see that they can be a right bunch of bastards from the start.
The character of the Doctor still isn’t up to much. Episode 1 he spends manipulating his pals and episode 2 is spent largely unconscious. He is somewhat less annoying like that though and again we have a very Ian-centric story.
Episode 3 sees the emergence of the Thals. They seem like lovely people but a bit simple. Their grand scheme is that the Daleks will, upon asking for it, give them food. This seems a touch over optimistic considering the last time they met each other they were shooting 7 bells of crap out of each other.
There is a very nice scene in the cell- block with Ian and the Doctor. It is (rather predictably) Ian who comes up with the plan to capture and immobilize a Dalek by cutting off its power supply from the floor. Ian’s reaction as he opens up the Dalek and gets an eyeful of the creature inside is great. Having scooped the mutant up and dumped it rather unceremoniously onto the floor, Ian squashes himself into the Dalek’s casing. And performs the world’s first hugely unconvincing impression of a Dalek voice.
So, all good so far. I’ve split this story into two as I’m now going to be spending the weekend in the pub. Hurrah.
“Pitch it to me, baby”
“Well look, think of a pepperpot…”
“Oooookay…”
“But it’s got a gun and stuff. Built in, like”
“So, it has a gun but no hands”
“Well, it’ll have a manipulator”
“Sounds good, what’ll that look like?”
“Well, think of a sink plunger…”
“Right”
“And it’ll have a massive eyestalk on top. And bumps round its sides.”
“Oh for Christ’s sake…”
“Look, it’ll work, trust me”.
“Tenner says it’s crap”
“It’s a bet.”
“We’re all gonna look like dicks y’know…”
* 6 weeks later *
“Well, f*** me…”
That’s how I like to think the project meeting went, anyway.
It amazes me to this day that the Daleks were ever created. In theory they sound like a terrible idea and they must have been a bugger (not to mention expensive) to put together. But somehow between Terry Nation and the recently deceased Ray Cusick they were created.
The other thing that amazes me is that, on their first attempt to create an alien the show’s creators nailed it so effectively. Many attempts were made in the decades that followed to create other robotic enemies but none of them have come close. From War Machines that looked huts on wheels with prongs to Caretaker robots that were creepy but essentially looked they were held together with gaffer tape. The Dalek, from its first appearance, was simply kick-you-in-the-crotch fantastic.
So to the story – the first episode is basically just build up. Wandering about a bit, prodding some things and then our heroes having a bit of a row. The Doctor is still a bit of an arse, Barbara is still terrified of everything and Ian is the only one who seems to have any sort of conviction about what he’s doing.
The creation of the alien city is very effective though and I can imagine would have been quite tense if you had no idea (as we do now) what was hiding in it. The ending of episode 1 is, of course, iconic but I do wonder if people didn’t see it and think “What the… “ as it’s basically just a plunger wiggling at Barbara. Credit must go to Jaqueline Hill though, as in real life the plunger wasn’t attached to a Dalek and was just being carried by a man. That must have seemed even more ridiculous. But it’s a strong start once our heroes get the bickering out of the way.
The second episode does move at a reasonable pace. We get an insight into Dalek history and see that they can be a right bunch of bastards from the start.
The character of the Doctor still isn’t up to much. Episode 1 he spends manipulating his pals and episode 2 is spent largely unconscious. He is somewhat less annoying like that though and again we have a very Ian-centric story.
Episode 3 sees the emergence of the Thals. They seem like lovely people but a bit simple. Their grand scheme is that the Daleks will, upon asking for it, give them food. This seems a touch over optimistic considering the last time they met each other they were shooting 7 bells of crap out of each other.
There is a very nice scene in the cell- block with Ian and the Doctor. It is (rather predictably) Ian who comes up with the plan to capture and immobilize a Dalek by cutting off its power supply from the floor. Ian’s reaction as he opens up the Dalek and gets an eyeful of the creature inside is great. Having scooped the mutant up and dumped it rather unceremoniously onto the floor, Ian squashes himself into the Dalek’s casing. And performs the world’s first hugely unconvincing impression of a Dalek voice.
So, all good so far. I’ve split this story into two as I’m now going to be spending the weekend in the pub. Hurrah.