Time to hide behind the sofas again
- Publication: OK!
- Date: 2004-08-10
- Author: Ruth Hilton
- Page: 132
- Language: English
'DAILY EXPRESS' SHOWBIZ EDITOR RUTH HILTON CELEBRATES THE RETURN OF DOCTOR WHO'S ENEMIES
Children will once again be hiding behind their sofas after the Daily Express revealed last week that the daleks are to return to the nation's television screens in the much anticipated new series of Doctor Who. It seemed as if the doctor's arch enemies would not be featured in the new shows because, until last week, the BBC had been locked in dispute with the estate of Terry Nation, the late writer who created the daleks.
A month ago the BBC announced that the Time Lord's most infamous enemies would not be joining the new doctor, Christopher Eccleston, after negotiations with Tim Hancock, the agent for Terry Nation's estate, broke down. The BBC claimed Hancock had demanded unacceptable levels of editorial control while Hancock accused the BBC of trying to ruin the dalek 'brand' apparently by making them too evil! BBC sources say the original plan was for a single, rogue dalek to threaten the doctor and his sidekick, played by Billie Piper, before letting loose an entire dalek army at the end of the series.
The BBC says that the new series will meet what it calls 'modern production values', meaning that the fondly remembered men in rubber suits and wobbly sets will be a thing of the past.
Russell T Davies, creator of Queer As Folk, will be writing the new show and says: 'The new series will be fun, exciting, contemporary and scary. Although only in the early stages of development, I'm aiming to write a full-blooded drama which embraces the Doctor Who heritage, at the same time as introducing the character to a modern audience.'
Last week the Daily Express uncovered one of the original dalek actors, who played one of the rattling galactic bad guys in 110 episodes. John Scott Martin, 77, said he was delighted that the robotic aliens will appear again and even said he hopes he will once again be given the chance to terrify children by walking around inside the shell of one of the metallic monsters. John, who was recently seen on TV as the elderly athlete in the 118 118 directory enquiries adverts, said: 'I loved playing a dalek in the '70s and it would be brilliant if I could do it again. It was quite hard work at times sweating away inside a dalek - especially under the hot studio lights but I am sure I could still cope. I might not be as fit as I was, but I have still got the old razzmatazz. The BBC knows my number and it would be fantastic if they called up and asked me to be a dalek again."
John, of Great Maplestead in Essex, was one of four key actors who played daleks between 1964 and 1980. He said: 'There was no special technique to make them move. You just trampled around and they glided about on three castor wheels - a bit like a supermarket trolley. We didn't even have to do the real dalek voices because they were dubbed on later. They didn't require much strength to move, but at the beginning they were wooden and they would become a bit heavy at the end of the day. And you were done for if you had to go into the countryside in a field or woods because they were difficult to move in uneven terrain. I would frequently topple over and be left screaming: "Get me out of this thing!""
John was often forced to wear swimming trunks and a T-shirt inside his dalek costume because it was so hot. He added: 'It wasn't so bad when we were rehearsing because we could take the tops of the robots off and just walk around inside the skirts, but in the summer it was sweltering. We used to be employed for six weeks for filming. It was great because I got on with everyone. I'm really glad that the Daleks are coming back."
He believes they are an integral part of the show. 'Doctor Who just wouldn't be the same without them. They were a great success. They were the first screen monsters where you didn't realise there was a person inside. I don't think they have dated that much over the years. And I don't think it will be long before we see kids in the streets pretending to be daleks again."
Caption: Above: Tom Baker and Lalla Ward - with daleks - pictured in 1979 during the show's heyday. The programme ran from 1963 to 1989 and was must-see Saturday night TV for millions. After pressure from fans, the BBC is now reviving the show. The 13-part series will be broadcast next year and promises to be 'fun, exciting, contemporary and scary' Below: Billie Piper will play the doctor's assistant in the new series
Caption: Christopher Eccleston (left) will be the ninth actor to play the Time Lord in the TV series. Billie Piper (above) has 30 predecessors as the doctor's assistant
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- APA 6th ed.: Hilton, Ruth (2004-08-10). Time to hide behind the sofas again. OK! p. 132.
- MLA 7th ed.: Hilton, Ruth. "Time to hide behind the sofas again." OK! [add city] 2004-08-10, 132. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Hilton, Ruth. "Time to hide behind the sofas again." OK!, edition, sec., 2004-08-10
- Turabian: Hilton, Ruth. "Time to hide behind the sofas again." OK!, 2004-08-10, section, 132 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Time to hide behind the sofas again | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Time_to_hide_behind_the_sofas_again | work=OK! | pages=132 | date=2004-08-10 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=19 April 2026 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Time to hide behind the sofas again | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Time_to_hide_behind_the_sofas_again | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=19 April 2026}}</ref>
