View source for I Wanted to Exterminate the Daleks

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| publication = Daily Star
| file = 2005-04-26 Daily Star p11.jpg
| px = 450
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| date = 2005-04-26
| author = Nigel Pauley
| pages = 11
| language = English 
| type = 
| description = 
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| text = 
DR WHO'S evil enemies The Daleks nearly had their scary catchphrase exterminated. 

The aliens make their long-awaited comeback in this Saturday's episode. But the writer has confessed that he originally thought the Daleks' rasping "Ex-ter-mi-nate!" command was "silly". 

Robert Shearman, 34, admitted that at first he intended to come up with Daleks who ranted less, were less excitable and spoke more softly.

BBC bosses feared the ruthless robots might be a little too scary for youngsters in the 7pm slot and at one stage wanted to axe them completely.

Ranting

But writers and producers managed to persuade the bigwigs that Dr Who wouldn't be the same without them. Shearman told Radio Times: "When I wrote the first Dalek episode, I wasn't sure that 'Ex-ter-min-ate!' wasn't a bit silly. "So I put it in a couple of times but I didn't really want it to be ranted."

But he admitted his "softly softly" approach didn't go down well with executive producer Russell T Davies, 41.

He .said: "Russell's notes came back saying, 'Why not? I want to have kids in the playground saying Ex-ter-min-ate! all the time.' Of course, he was right." Shearman admitted he was "on the ceiling with joy" when asked to write a comeback episode.

It took him nearly a year - and 15 drafts - to come up with the perfect plot.

He based it on the blockbuster thriller The Silence Of The Lambs, featuring cannibal Hannibal Lecter. 

His tale sees the Doctor confronted by the last remaining Dalek, kept in a Utah museum run by a billionaire collector.

Pity

But his sexy sidekick Rose (Billie Piper, 22) unwittingly takes pity on the Dalek and touches it.

And by transferring her DNA, she revives it - with terrifying results.

Shearman added: "I don't think it's any great spoiler to say there's an awful lot of death in my episode. "People want to see the Dalek again in all its glory, being taken seriously and killing rather brutally"

Dr Who star Christopher Eccleston, 41, said: "The Daleks are burned into our consciousness.

"The first time I saw one on set, it really made me catch my breath."


Caption: Writer admits: They were silly

Caption: WHOOPS: Rose unwittingly brings the last Dalek back to life and then finds herself in peril

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21 Things you never knew about Daleks

*THE Daleks hail from Skaro and were created by Davros to ensure victory for the Kaleds in a bitter nuclear war.

*THEIR real name is a the Mark III Travel Machine. an armoured travel pod for the mutant Kaleds.

*THE Daleks' sole aim is to survive and to do so they must exterminate all other life forms in the Universe. *ONE of the big problems for Daleks were steps - but they have now been designed with an antigravity device so they can float upstairs.

*ALL of the Doctor's nine regenerations have met up with the Daleks.

*WRITER Terry Nation is credited with creating the Daleks. but they were made by Raymond P Cusick.

*THE original four Daleks cost a total of £250 and were made up of DIY items.

* THEY made their debut in 1964 in the second-ever Doctor Who story, [[broadwcast:The Daleks|The Mutants]].

*HOLLYWOOD film a director Ridley Scott worked as a set designer on Doctor Who in the early days of the programme.

*VICTOR Lewis-Smith launched The Gay Daleks on radio. 

*THE Daleks have their own lingo such as Nesd (I warn you to beware).

*THE Daleks were signed up in 1966 for a [The Curse of the Daleks|West End show]. 

*HAMMER Horror actor {{Cushing|Peter Cushing}} played the Doctor in two movies.

*JACK Dorsey and his Orchestra released Dance of the Daleks in 1965.

*DALEK episodes a have always boosted Doctor Who's ratings and in 1979 [[broadwcast:Destiny of the Daleks|Destiny of the Daleks]] was seen by 15 million viewers - the highest-ever rating for the show

*DALEKS are split into two warring factions - Renegade and Imperial Daleks.

*A DALEK'S weak points are its eye stalk and the manipulator arm.

*THEIR built-in death ray kills instantly, emitting a bright light as it does so.

*BOURNEMOUTH'S Ashleigh Hotel has a Doctor Who museum. 

*MEMBERS of the Liverpool Doctor Who group created their own Dalek Builders Club website.

*YOU can buy a 3ft-tall half-size replica on the web for £399.99, or a limited edition set of three Corgi Daleks for £19.99

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