View source for Dalek

{{Short description|Fictional alien race in Doctor Who}}
{{About|the fictional species|the episode|Dalek (Doctor Who episode){{!}}Dalek (''Doctor Who'' episode)|other uses}}
{{Redirect|Skaro|the island in Denmark|Skarø|the abandoned town in the Faeroes|Skarð}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2021}}{{Infobox fictional race
| name               = Dalek
| image              = {{multiple image
| border                   = infobox
| total_width              = 300
| image_style              = border:none;
| perrow                   = 2/3/2
| image1                   = Cardiff Bay - Dalek - geograph.org.uk - 5253753.jpg
| alt1                     = Mark 3 Dalek casing model on display at the Cardiff [[Doctor Who exhibitions#The Doctor Who Experience (2012–2017)|''Doctor Who'' Experience]], demonstrating the basic Dalek casing design used throughout the original ''Doctor Who'' series
| image2                   = At Sudbury Hall 2023 005.jpg
| alt2                     = Time War Dalek casing model on display at [[Sudbury Hall]], demonstrating the primary Dalek casing design used in the revived ''Doctor Who'' series
}}
| caption            = Left: Mark 3 Dalek casing model on display at the Cardiff [[Doctor Who exhibitions#The Doctor Who Experience (2012–2017)|''Doctor Who'' Experience]], demonstrating the basic design used in the original ''Doctor Who'' series.<br/>Right: Time War Dalek casing model on display at [[Sudbury Hall]], demonstrating the primary design used in the revived ''Doctor Who'' series.
| series             = [[Doctor Who]]
| type               = [[Kaled]] mutants in Mark III Travel Machines
| affiliation        = {{Plainlist|
* Dalek Empire
** New Dalek Empire
* Cult of Skaro
* New Dalek Paradigm
}}
| home_world         = Skaro
| first              = ''[[The Daleks]]'' (1963)
| creator            = [[Terry Nation]]
| iu_creator         = [[Davros]]
| franchise          = [[Whoniverse]]
}}

The '''Daleks''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=Mgm_pronunciation_Dalek.ogg|ˈ|d|ɑː|l|ɛ|k|s}} {{Respell|DAH|leks}}) are a fictional [[extraterrestrials in fiction|extraterrestrial]] race of extremely [[xenophobic]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Flanagan |first=Kieron |date=2014-08-23 |title=Even Daleks need a science policy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/political-science/2014/aug/23/dalek-science-policy |access-date=2024-12-04 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Anders |first=Charlie Jane |date=2014-08-31 |title=What's So Bad About Hating The Daleks, Anyway? |url=https://gizmodo.com/whats-so-bad-about-hating-the-daleks-anyway-1628918144 |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Gizmodo |language=en-US}}</ref> [[mutant]]s principally portrayed in the British [[science fiction television]] programme ''[[Doctor Who]]''. They were conceived by writer [[Terry Nation]] and first appeared in the 1963 ''Doctor Who'' serial ''[[The Daleks]]'', in casings designed by [[Raymond Cusick]].

Drawing inspiration from the [[Nazi]]s, Nation portrayed the Daleks as violent, merciless and pitiless [[cyborg]] aliens, completely absent of any emotion other than hate, who demand total conformity to the will of the Dalek with the highest authority,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2015/doctor-who-50-things-you-didnt-know/ |title=The Daleks were based on the Nazis... |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=28 January 2016 |access-date=4 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226224555/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2015/doctor-who-50-things-you-didnt-know/ |archive-date=26 February 2018 |url-status=live |last1=Martin |first1=Tim |last2=Jones |first2=Ross |last3=Harrod |first3=Horatia |last4=Thompson |first4=Jessie |last5=Lewis |first5=Matt }}</ref> and are bent on the conquest of the universe and the [[Genocide|extermination]] of any other forms of life, including other "impure" Daleks which are deemed inferior for being different to them. Collectively, they are the greatest enemies of ''Doctor Who''{{'}}s protagonist, the [[Time Lord]] known as "[[the Doctor]]". During the second year of the original ''Doctor Who'' programme (1963–1989), the Daleks developed their own form of time travel. At the beginning of the second ''Doctor Who'' TV series that debuted in 2005, it was established that the Daleks had engaged in a [[Time War (Doctor Who)|Time War]] against the Time Lords that affected much of the universe and altered parts of history.

In the programme's narrative, the planet Skaro suffered a thousand-year war between two societies: the [[Kaleds]] and the [[Thal (Doctor Who)|Thal]]s. During this time-period, many natives of Skaro became badly mutated by fallout from [[nuclear war|nuclear weapons]] and [[chemical warfare]]. The Kaled government believed in genetic purity and swore to "exterminate the Thals" for being inferior. Believing his own society was becoming weak and that it was his duty to create a new master race from the ashes of his people, the Kaled scientist [[Davros]] genetically modified several Kaleds into squid-like life-forms he called Daleks, removing "weaknesses" such as mercy and sympathy while increasing aggression and survival-instinct. He then integrated them with [[tank]]-like [[robot]]ic shells equipped with advanced technology based on the same life-support system he himself had used since being burned and blinded by a nuclear attack. His creations became intent on dominating the universe by enslaving or purging all "inferior" non-Dalek life.

The Daleks are the series' most popular and famous villains, and their returns to television over the decades have often gained media attention. Their [[battle cry]], a [[staccato]] "Exterminate!", has entered common usage as a popular catchphrase.

==Creation and development==
The Daleks were created by [[Terry Nation]] and designed by the [[BBC]] designer [[Raymond Cusick]].<ref name=Cusick>{{cite book |last=Briggs |first=Asa |author-link=Asa Briggs |title=The History of Broadcasting in the United Kingdom |year=1995 |volume=5 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0pRGjVGtUvwC&pg=PA422 |access-date=20 March 2010 |isbn=0-19-215964-X }}<br/>Designer Raymond Cusick said that he got the idea for their appearance "whilst fiddling with a pepperpot" and had them produced in fibreglass, at a cost of less than £250 each.</ref> They were introduced in December 1963 in the second ''Doctor Who'' serial, ''[[The Daleks]]''.<ref name=B2>{{cite episode
 | title = The Survivors
 | series = Doctor Who
 | series-link = Doctor Who
 | credits = Writer [[Terry Nation]], Director [[Christopher Barry]], Producer [[Verity Lambert]]
 | network = BBC
 | location = London
 | airdate = 28 December 1963
}}</ref>

Wishing to create an alien creature that did not look like a "man in a suit", Terry Nation stated in his script for the first Dalek serial that they should have no legs.<ref name=";Monsters-80">Howe (1997), p. 80</ref> He was also inspired by a performance by the [[Georgian National Ballet]], in which dancers in long skirts appeared to glide across the stage.<ref name=";Monsters-80" /> For many of the shows the Daleks were operated by retired ballet dancers wearing black socks while sitting inside the Dalek.<ref name="dalek companion" /> Raymond Cusick was given the task of designing the Daleks when [[Ridley Scott]], then a designer for the BBC, proved unavailable after having been initially assigned to their debut serial.<ref name="scott">Howe (1994), p. 61</ref> According to Jeremy Bentham's ''Doctor Who—The Early Years'' (1986), after Nation wrote the script, Cusick was given only an hour to come up with the design for the Daleks and was inspired in his initial sketches by a pepper pot on a table.<ref name="bentham">{{cite book |last=Bentham |first=Jeremy |title=Doctor Who—The Early Years |date=May 1986 |publisher=W.H. Allen |isbn=0-491-03612-4 |location=England}}</ref> Cusick himself, however, states that he based it on a man seated in a chair, and used the pepper pot only to demonstrate how it might move.<ref>Walker (2006), p. 61</ref><!--Cusick is generally given sole credit for the design of the Dalek,<ref>e.g. Nation (1979), p. 42, Howe (1992), p. 124, Peel (1988) pp. 18–20)</ref> but Jeremy Rewse-Davies is occasionally described as the Daleks' co-designer.<ref name="rewsedavies">{{cite news |title=No more transports of delight |first=Jonathan |last=Glancey |author-link=Jonathan Glancey |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/no-more-transports-of-delight-1584494.html |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |location=London |date=1 June 1995 |access-date=28 January 2010}}</ref>-->

In 1964, Nation told a ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' reporter that the Dalek name came from a dictionary or encyclopaedia volume, the spine of which read "Dal – Lek" (or, according to another version, "Dal – Eks").<ref name="Peel2122">Peel (1988), pp. 21–22</ref> He later admitted that this book and the associated origin of the Dalek name were completely fictitious, and that anyone bothering to check out his story would have found him out.<ref name="Peel2122" /> The name had simply rolled off his typewriter.<ref name="companion 13">Howe (1998), p. 13</ref> Later, Nation was pleasantly surprised to discover that in [[Serbo-Croatian]] the word "dalek" means "far" or "distant".<ref name="30 years">Davies, Kevin (director) (1993). ''More than 30 Years in the TARDIS'' London, UK: BBC Video.</ref>

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-808-1236-08, Berlin, Reichstagssitzung, Goebbels, Ribbentrop.jpg|thumb|left|Terry Nation drew inspiration from the Nazis in depicting the Daleks as faceless and jingoistic racial supremacists.]]

Nation grew up during the Second World War and remembered the fear caused by [[The Blitz|German bombings]]. He consciously based the Daleks on the [[Nazis]], conceiving the species as faceless, [[authoritarian]] figures dedicated to conquest, [[racial purity]] and complete conformity.<ref>Howe (1992), p. 31</ref> The allusion is most obvious in the Dalek stories written by Nation, in particular ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' (1964) and ''[[Genesis of the Daleks]]'' (1975).<ref>Miles (2006), pp. 105–109</ref><ref>Howe (1998), p. 280</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Howe |first=David J. |author-link=David J. Howe |author2=[[Stephen James Walker]] |year=2003 |title=Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – Genesis of the Daleks – Details |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/genesisofdaleks/detail.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100811124936/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/genesisofdaleks/detail.shtml |archive-date=11 August 2010 |access-date=20 March 2010 |work=official Doctor Who website |publisher=BBC |orig-year=1998}}</ref>

Before he wrote the first Dalek serial, Nation was a scriptwriter for the comedian [[Tony Hancock]]. The two men had a falling out and Nation either resigned or was fired.<ref name=";Monsters-80" /><ref name="Peel2122" /><ref>Miles (2006), p. 40</ref> Hancock worked on several series proposals, one of which was called ''From Plip to Plop'', a comedic history of the world that would have ended with a nuclear apocalypse, the survivors being reduced to living in dustbin-like robot casings and eating radiation to stay alive. According to Hancock's biographer Cliff Goodwin, when Hancock saw the Daleks he allegedly shouted at the screen, "That bloody Nation — he's stolen my robots!"<ref name="hancock">{{cite book |last=Goodwin |first=Cliff |title=When the Wind Changed: The Life and Death of Tony Hancock |date=Nov 2000 |publisher=Arrow |isbn=0-09-960941-X |location=England}}</ref>

The titling of early ''Doctor Who'' stories is complex and sometimes controversial.<ref name="pixley">{{cite web |last=Pixley |first=Andrew |date=15 January 2001 |title=By Any Other Name |url=http://homepages.bw.edu/~jcurtis/Pixley_3.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523062944/http://homepages.bw.edu/~jcurtis/Pixley_3.htm |archive-date=23 May 2011 |access-date=20 March 2010 |work=Earthbound Timelords}}</ref><ref>Howe (1998), unpaginated "Authors' Note"<br />{{cite book |last=Richards |first=Justin |author-link=Justin Richards |title=Doctor Who—The Legend: 40 Years of Time Travel |publisher=[[BBC Books]] |year=2003 |isbn=0-563-48602-3 |location=London |page=19}}</ref> The first Dalek serial is called, variously, ''The Survivors'' (the pre-production title and on-screen title used for the serial's second episode), ''The Mutants'' (its official title at the time of production and broadcast, later taken by [[The Mutants|another unrelated story]]), ''Beyond the Sun'' (used on some production documentation), ''The Dead Planet'' (the on-screen title of the serial's first episode), or simply ''[[The Daleks]]''.<ref name="pixley" />

The instant appeal of the Daleks caught the BBC off-guard,<ref name="Peel2122" /> and transformed ''Doctor Who'' into a national phenomenon. Children were both frightened and fascinated by the alien look of the monsters, and the idea of "hiding behind the sofa" became a popular, if inaccurate or exaggerated, meme. The ''Doctor Who'' production office was inundated with letters and calls asking about the creatures. Newspaper articles focused attention on the series and the Daleks, further enhancing their popularity.<ref name="dalek companion" />

Nation jointly owned the intellectual property rights to the Daleks with the BBC, and the money-making concept proved nearly impossible to sell to anyone else, so he was dependent on the BBC wanting to produce stories featuring the creatures.<ref name="dioe notes">On-screen production notes, ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' London, UK: BBC Video, 2003.</ref> Several attempts to market the Daleks outside the series were unsuccessful.<ref>Peel (1988), p. 56</ref><ref>Howe (1997), p. 86</ref> Since Nation's death in 1997, his share of the rights is now administered by his former agent, Tim Hancock.<ref name="daleksback">{{cite news |date=4 August 2004 |title=Daleks back to fight Doctor Who |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3535588.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100427051852/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3535588.stm |archive-date=27 April 2010 |access-date=20 March 2010 |work=BBC News}}</ref>

Early plans for what eventually became the [[Doctor Who (1996 film)|1996 ''Doctor Who'' television movie]] included radically redesigned Daleks whose cases unfolded like spiders' legs.<ref>Segal (2000), pp. 48–53</ref> The concept for these "[[Spider Dalek]]s" was abandoned, but it was picked up again in several [[Doctor Who spin-offs|''Doctor Who'' spin-offs]].<ref name="spider">{{Cite comic |date=2005 |title=Doctor Who: Endgame |story=Fire and Brimstone |publisher=[[Panini Comics]] |location=[[Royal Tunbridge Wells]], Kent |writer=[[Alan Barnes (writer)|Barnes, Alan]] |penciller=[[Geraghty, Martin]] |inker=[[Robin Smith (comics)|Smith, Robin]] |pages=52–89, 214 |id={{ISBN|1-905239-09-2}}}}<br />{{cite book |last=Peel |first=John |author-link=John Peel (writer) |title=Doctor Who: War of the Daleks |publisher=BBC Books |year=1997 |isbn=0-563-40573-2 |location=London}}</ref>

When the new series was announced, many fans hoped that the Daleks would return once more to the programme.<ref name="scifi.com">{{cite web |author=Michael Anthony Basil |date=6 October 2003 |title=Science Fiction Weekly – Letters to the Editor |url=http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue337/letters.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031014114937/http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue337/letters.html |archive-date=14 October 2003 |access-date=6 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Put scary Daleks back in Dr Who! |url=http://archive.thisishampshire.net/2004/7/3/27117.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100428083638/http://archive.thisishampshire.net/2004/7/3/27117.html |archive-date=28 April 2010 |access-date=20 March 2010 |publisher=thisishampshire.net}}</ref> The Nation estate, however, demanded levels of creative control over the Daleks' appearances and scripts that were unacceptable to the BBC.<ref name="nodaleks">{{cite news |date=2 July 2004 |title=No Daleks in Doctor Who's return |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3859651.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227082556/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3859651.stm |archive-date=27 February 2011 |access-date=20 March 2010 |work=BBC News}}</ref> Eventually the Daleks were cleared to appear in the first series.<ref name="daleksback" /><ref name="yesdaleks">{{cite news |author=Bishop, Tom |date=24 April 2005 |title=Dalek terror returns to Doctor Who |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4469761.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100427024318/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4469761.stm |archive-date=27 April 2010 |access-date=20 March 2010 |work=BBC News}}</ref> In 2014, ''Doctor Who'' showrunner [[Steven Moffat]] denied that their numerous appearances since were a result of a contractual obligation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=DWTV |date=2014-11-15 |title=Moffat: Daleks Are Not A Contractual Obligation |url=https://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/moffat-daleks-are-not-a-contractual-obligation-68881.htm |access-date=2021-05-18 |publisher=Doctor Who TV |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Physical characteristics==
{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 218
| footer            = A Dalek's battle armour as seen through another's eyestalk.
| image1            = DalekVision003A.png
}}

Externally, Daleks resemble human-sized [[salt and pepper shakers|pepper pots]]<ref name="Cusick" /> with a single mechanical eyestalk mounted on a rotating dome, a gun-mount containing an energy-weapon ("gunstick" or "[[death ray]]") resembling an egg-whisk, and a telescopic manipulator arm usually tipped by an appendage resembling a sink-[[plunger]]. Daleks have been known to use their plungers to interface with technology,<ref name="Dalek (episode)">{{cite episode
 | title = Dalek
 | episode-link = Dalek (Doctor Who episode)
 | series = Doctor Who
 | series-link = Doctor Who
 | credits = Writer [[Rob Shearman]], Director [[Joe Ahearne]], Executive Producers [[Russell T Davies]], [[Julie Gardner]] and [[Mal Young]]
 | network = BBC
 | station = [[BBC One]]
 | location = Cardiff
 | airdate = 30 April 2005
}}</ref> crush a man's skull by suction,<ref name="Dalek (episode)" /> measure the intelligence of a subject,<ref name="Manhattan">{{cite episode
 | title = Daleks in Manhattan
 | series = Doctor Who
 | series-link = Doctor Who
 | credits = Writer [[Helen Raynor]], Director [[James Strong (director)|James Strong]], Producer [[Phil Collinson]]
 | network = BBC
 | station = [[BBC1]]
 | location = Cardiff
 | airdate = 21 April 2007
}}</ref> and extract information from a man's mind.<ref name="Doomsday">{{cite episode
 | title = Doomsday
 | series = Doctor Who
 | series-link = Doctor Who
 | credits = Writer [[Russell T Davies]], Director [[Graeme Harper]], Executive Producers Russell T Davies and [[Julie Gardner]]
 | network = BBC
 | station = BBC One
 | location = Cardiff
 | airdate = 8 August 2006
}}</ref> Dalek casings are made of a bonded [[carbide|polycarbide]] material called "Dalekanium" by a member of the human resistance in ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'' and the Dalek comics, as well as by the Cult of Skaro in "[[Daleks in Manhattan]]".<ref name="Manhattan" /><ref name="Invasion3">{{cite episode
 | title = Day of Reckoning
 | series = Doctor Who
 | series-link = Doctor Who
 | credits = Writer [[Terry Nation]], Director [[Richard Martin (British director)|Richard Martin]], Producer [[Verity Lambert]]
 | network = BBC
 | station = BBC1
 | location = London
 | airdate = 5 December 1964
}}</ref>

The lower half of a Dalek's shell is covered with hemispherical protrusions, or 'Dalek-bumps', which are shown in the episode "[[Dalek (Doctor Who episode)|Dalek]]" to be spheres embedded in the casing.<ref name="Dalek (episode)" /> Both the BBC-licensed ''Dalek Book'' (1964) and ''The Doctor Who Technical Manual'' (1983) describe these items as being part of a sensory array,<ref>Harris (1983), p. 22</ref> while in the [[Doctor Who (series 1)|2005 series]] episode "Dalek" they are integral to a Dalek's [[Force field (fiction)|forcefield]] mechanism,<ref name="Dalek (episode)" /> which evaporates most bullets and resists most types of energy weapons. The forcefield seems to be concentrated around the Dalek's midsection (where the mutant is located), as normally ineffective firepower can be concentrated on the eyestalk to blind a Dalek. In 2019 episode "[[Resolution (Doctor Who)|Resolution]]" the bumps give way to reveal missile launchers capable of wiping out a military tank with ease. Daleks have a very limited visual field, with no peripheral sight at all, and are relatively easy to hide from in fairly exposed places.<ref name="Parting">{{cite episode
 | title = The Parting of the Ways
 | series = Doctor Who
 | series-link = Doctor Who
 | credits = Writer [[Russell T Davies]], Director [[Joe Ahearne]], Executive Producers Russell T Davies, [[Julie Gardner]] and [[Mal Young]]
 | network = BBC
 | station = BBC One
 | location = Cardiff
 | airdate = 18 June 2005
}}</ref> Their own energy weapons are capable of destroying them.<ref name="Evolution" /> Their weapons fire a beam that has electrical tendencies, is capable of propagating through water, and may be a form of [[Plasma (physics)|plasma]] or [[electrolaser]]. The eyepiece is a Dalek's most vulnerable spot; impairing its vision often leads to a blind, panicked firing of its weapon while exclaiming "My vision is impaired; I cannot see!" [[Russell T Davies]] subverted the catchphrase in his 2008 episode "[[The Stolen Earth]]", in which a Dalek vaporises a paintball that has blocked its vision while proclaiming, "My vision is ''not'' impaired!"<ref name="cribbins">{{cite magazine|last=Cook|first=Benjamin|author2=Cribbins, Bernard|date=25 July 2008|title=Bernard Cribbins: Stargazer: Wilfred Mott|magazine=[[Doctor Who Magazine]]|publisher=[[Panini Comics]]|location=[[Royal Tunbridge Wells]], Kent|issue=398|page=33}}</ref><ref name="Stolen" />

[[File:Dalek attack.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A man in camouflage fatigues winces with pain as he tries to remove a green alien creature from his neck. | Kaled mutants are octopus-like; many are coloured green, such as this one from "[[Resurrection of the Daleks]]".]]

The creature inside the mechanical casing is soft and repulsive in appearance, and vicious in temperament. The first-ever glimpse of a Dalek mutant, in ''[[The Daleks]]'', was a claw peeking out from under a Thal cloak after it had been removed from its casing.<ref name="B3">{{cite episode
 | title = The Escape
 | episode-link = The Daleks
 | series = Doctor Who
 | series-link = Doctor Who
 | credits = Writer [[Terry Nation]], Director [[Christopher Barry]], Producer [[Verity Lambert]]
 | network = BBC
 | location = London
 | airdate = 4 January 1964
}}</ref> The mutants' actual appearance has varied, but often adheres to the Doctor's description of the species in ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]'' as "little green blobs in bonded polycarbide [[armour]]".<ref name="Remembrance3">{{cite episode
 | title = Remembrance of the Daleks, Part Three
 | episode-link = Remembrance of the Daleks
 | series = Doctor Who
 | series-link = Doctor Who
 | credits = Writer [[Ben Aaronovitch]], Director Andrew Morgan, Producer [[John Nathan-Turner]]
 | network = BBC
 | station = BBC1
 | location = London
 | airdate = 19 October 1988
}}</ref> In ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks]]'' a Dalek creature, separated from its casing, attacks and severely injures a human soldier;<ref name="Resurrection1">{{cite episode
 | title = Resurrection of the Daleks, Part One
 | episode-link = Resurrection of the Daleks
 | series = Doctor Who
 | series-link = Doctor Who
 | credits = Writer [[Eric Saward]], Director [[Matthew Robinson (producer)|Matthew Robinson]], Producer [[John Nathan-Turner]]
 | network = BBC
 | station = BBC1
 | location = London
 | airdate = 8 February 1984
}}</ref> in ''Remembrance of the Daleks'' there are two Dalek factions (Imperial and Renegade), and the creatures inside have a different appearance in each case, one resembling the amorphous creature from ''Resurrection'', the other the crab-like creature from the original Dalek serial. As the creature inside is rarely seen on screen there is a common misconception that Daleks are wholly mechanical robots.<ref name="letter">{{cite news |title=Letters to the Editor – Inside a Dalek |work=The Times |location=UK |first=Terrance |last=Dicks |author-link=Terrance Dicks |date=20 December 1974 |page=13}}</ref> In the [[Doctor Who (series 1)|new series]] Daleks are [[retcon]]ned to be [[squid]]-like in appearance, with small tentacles, one or two eyes, and an exposed brain.<ref name="Dalek (episode)" /> In the new series, a Dalek creature separated from its casing is shown capable of inserting a tentacle into the back of a human's neck and controlling them.<ref name="Resolution">{{cite episode
| title = [[Resolution (Doctor Who)|Resolution]]
| series = [[Doctor Who]]
| series-no = 11
| number = - 2019 New Year's Day Special 
| credits = [[Chris Chibnall]] (writer), Wayne Yip (director), [[Nikki Wilson]] (producer)
| network = [[BBC]] 
| station = [[BBC One]] 
| airdate = 1 January 2019
}}</ref>

Daleks' voices are electronic; when out of its casing the mutant is only able to squeak.<ref name="Resurrection1" /> Once the mutant is removed the casing itself can be entered and operated by humanoids; for example, in ''[[The Daleks]]'', [[Ian Chesterton]] ([[William Russell (English actor)|William Russell]]) enters a Dalek shell to masquerade as a guard as part of an escape plan.<ref name="B3" />

For many years it was assumed that, due to their design and gliding motion, Daleks were unable to climb stairs, and that this provided a simple way of escaping them. A cartoon from ''[[Punch (magazine)|Punch]]'' pictured a group of Daleks at the foot of a flight of stairs with the caption, "Well, this certainly buggers our plan to conquer the Universe".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/news/obituary/21572725-ray-cusick-designer-daleks-died-february-21st-aged-84-ray-cusick|title=Ray Cusick, designer of the Daleks, died on February 21st, aged 84|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|date=2 March 2013|access-date=21 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140118060405/http://www.economist.com/news/obituary/21572725-ray-cusick-designer-daleks-died-february-21st-aged-84-ray-cusick|archive-date=18 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> In a scene from the serial ''[[Destiny of the Daleks]]'', the Doctor and [[companion (Doctor Who)|companions]] escape from Dalek pursuers by climbing into a ceiling duct. The [[Fourth Doctor]] calls down, "If you're supposed to be the superior race of the universe, why don't you try climbing after us?"<ref name="Destiny2">{{cite episode
 | title = Destiny of the Daleks, Episode Two
 | episode-link = Destiny of the Daleks
 | series = Doctor Who
 | series-link = Doctor Who
 | credits = Writer [[Terry Nation]], Director [[Ken Grieve]], Producer [[Graham Williams (television producer)|Graham Williams]]
 | network = BBC
 | station = BBC1
 | location = London
 | airdate = 8 September 1979
}}</ref> The Daleks generally make up for their lack of mobility with overwhelming firepower; a joke among ''Doctor Who'' fans is that "Real Daleks don't climb stairs; they level the building."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.warlord/browse_thread/thread/a4c1372fb5769f30/2aff27237eb980e9?lnk=st&q=%22Real+Daleks+don%27t+climb+stairs%22&rnum=75&hl=en#2aff27237eb980e9 |title=Federal Department of Transportation Bulletin #92–132 |access-date=9 March 2010 |last=Dippold |first=Ron |date=6 February 1992 |format=[[USENET]] post |publisher=alt.fan.warlord |via=[[Google Groups]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210184536/http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.warlord/browse_thread/thread/a4c1372fb5769f30/2aff27237eb980e9?lnk=st&q=%22Real+Daleks+don%27t+climb+stairs%22&rnum=75&hl=en#2aff27237eb980e9 |archive-date=10 December 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Dalek mobility has improved over the history of the series: in their first appearance, in ''The Daleks'', they were capable of movement only on the conductive metal floors of their city; in ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' a Dalek emerges from the waters of the [[River Thames]], indicating not only that they had become freely mobile, but that they are [[amphibious vehicle|amphibious]];<ref name="Invasion1">{{cite episode
 | title = World's End
 | series = Doctor Who
 | series-link = Doctor Who
 | credits = Writer [[Terry Nation]], Director [[Richard Martin (British director)|Richard Martin]], Producer [[Verity Lambert]]
 | network = BBC
 | station = BBC1
 | location = London
 | airdate = 21 November 1964
}}</ref> ''Planet of the Daleks'' showed that they could ascend a vertical shaft by means of an external [[anti-gravity]] mat placed on the floor; ''Revelation of the Daleks'' showed Davros in his life-support chair and one of his Daleks hovering and ''Remembrance of the Daleks'' depicted them as capable of hovering up a flight of stairs.<ref name="Remembrance1">{{cite episode
 | title = Remembrance of the Daleks, Part One
 | series = Doctor Who
 | credits = Writer [[Ben Aaronovitch]], Director Andrew Morgan, Producer [[John Nathan-Turner]]
 | network = BBC
 | station = BBC1
 | location = London
 | airdate = 5 October 1988
}}</ref> Despite this, Daleks have often been mocked for their supposed inability to climb stairs in the press, and their inability to climb stairs has even been used to placate children who are frightened of the Daleks.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sample |first1=Ian |title=Why can't daleks go up stairs? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2005/mar/10/thisweekssciencequestions3 |work=The Guardian |date=10 March 2005}}</ref> In response to this, a character escaping up a flight of stairs in the 2005 story "[[Dalek (Doctor Who episode)|Dalek]]" mocked the Dalek as "defeated by a flight of stairs", and was shocked when the Dalek began to hover up the stairs after uttering the phrase "Elevate!", in a similar manner to "Exterminate!"<ref name="Dalek (episode)" /> Along with hovering, the new series depicts the Daleks as fully capable of flight, even [[spaceflight]].<ref name="Parting" />

===Prop details===
====Overview====
[[File:Dalek, MediaCityUK, Manchester.jpg|thumb|left|Time War Dalek battle armour model on display at [[MediaCityUK]] in Manchester]]
The non-humanoid shape of the Dalek's armoured casing did much to enhance the creatures' sense of menace.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://mithilareview.com/mukherjee_04_17/|title=Aliens with a Human Face: The Human-like Non-Humans of Doctor Who {{!}} Mithila Review|date=2017-04-11|work=Mithila Review|access-date=2018-05-01|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127162559/http://mithilareview.com/mukherjee_04_17/|archive-date=27 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> A lack of familiar reference points differentiated them from the traditional "[[bug-eyed monster]]" of science fiction, which ''Doctor Who'' creator [[Sydney Newman]] had wanted the show to avoid.<ref>Howe (1992), pp. 3, 26–27</ref> The unsettling Dalek battle armour form, coupled with their alien voices, made many believe that the props were wholly mechanical and operated by remote control.<ref name="dalek companion">Howe (2004), p. 31</ref>

The Dalek's battle armour was actually controlled from inside by short operators,<ref name="Monsters-82">Howe (1997), p. 82</ref> who had to manipulate their eyestalks, domes, and arms; as well as flashing the lights on their heads in-sync with the actors supplying their voices. The Dalek cases were built in two pieces; an operator would step into the lower section, and then the top would be secured. The operators looked out between the cylindrical louvres just beneath the dome, which were lined with mesh to conceal their faces.<ref name="Monsters-82" />

In addition to being hot and cramped, the Dalek casings also muffled external sounds, making it difficult for operators to hear the director or dialogue. [[John Scott Martin]], a Dalek operator from the original series, said that Dalek operation was a challenge: "You had to have about six hands: one to do the eyestalk, one to do the lights, one for the gun, another for the smoke canister underneath, yet another for the sink plunger. If you were related to an octopus then it helped."<ref name="Monsters_85">Howe (1997), p. 85</ref>

For ''Doctor Who''{{'}}s 21st-century revival, the Dalek casings retain the same overall shape and dimensional proportions of previous Daleks, although many details have been redesigned to give the Dalek a heavier and more solid look.<ref name="Tucker">{{cite magazine |last=Arnopp |first=Jason |date=July 2005 |title=Tucker's Luck |magazine=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] Special Edition |publisher=[[Panini Comics]] |location=[[Royal Tunbridge Wells]], Kent |issue=11 |pages=62–70}}</ref> Changes include a larger, more pointed base; a glowing eyepiece; an all-over metallic-brass finish (specified by Davies); thicker, nailed strips on the "neck" section; a housing for the eyestalk pivot; and significantly larger dome-lights.<ref name="Tucker" /> The new prop made its on-screen debut in the 2005 episode "Dalek".<ref name="Tucker" /> These Dalek casings use a short operator inside the housing while the 'head' and eyestalk are operated via remote control. A third person, [[Nicholas Briggs]], supplies the voice in their various appearances.<ref name="Briggs">{{cite magazine |last=Briggs |first=Nicholas |author-link=Nicholas Briggs |date=25 May 2005 |title=Diary of a Dalek |magazine=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] |publisher=[[Panini Comics]] |location=[[Royal Tunbridge Wells]], Kent |issue=356 |pages=23–27}}</ref> A new, larger model appeared during the 2010 series in several colours; each representing different parts of the Dalek command hierarchy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Steven |date=2010-05-02 |title=Doctor Who Recap: Season 5, Episode 3, "Victory of the Daleks" |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/tv/doctor-who-season-5-episode-3-victory-of-the-daleks/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Slant Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

====Movement====
Terry Nation's original plan was for the Daleks to glide across the floor. Early versions of the Dalek's casings rolled on nylon [[Caster|castors]], propelled by the operator's feet. Although castors were adequate for the Daleks' debut serial, which was shot entirely at the BBC's [[Lime Grove Studios]], for ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' Terry Nation wanted the Daleks to be filmed on the streets of London. To enable the Daleks to travel smoothly on location, designer Spencer Chapman built the new Dalek shells around miniature [[tricycle]]s with sturdier wheels, which were hidden by enlarged fenders fitted below the original base.<ref>Howe (1997), pp. 84–85</ref> The uneven flagstones of Central London caused the Daleks to rattle as they moved and it was not possible to remove this noise from the final soundtrack. A small parabolic dish was added to the rear of the prop's casing to explain why these Daleks, unlike the ones in their first serial, were not dependent on [[static electricity]] drawn up from the floors of the Dalek city for their motive power.<ref name="Monsters_85" />

Later versions of the prop had more efficient wheels and were once again simply propelled by the seated operators' feet, but they remained so heavy that when going up ramps they often had to be pushed by stagehands out of camera shot. The difficulty of operating all the prop's parts at once contributed to the occasionally jerky Dalek movements.<ref name="Monsters_85" /> This problem has largely been eradicated with the advent of the "new series" version, as its remotely controlled dome and eyestalk allow the operator to concentrate on the smooth movement of the Dalek and its arms.<ref>Russell (2006), p. 163</ref>

====Voices====
The [[staccato]] delivery, harsh tone and rising inflection of the Dalek voice were initially developed by two voice actors, [[Peter Hawkins]] and [[David Graham (actor)|David Graham]], who varied the pitch and speed of the lines according to the emotion needed. Their voices were further processed electronically by [[Brian Hodgson]] at the [[BBC Radiophonic Workshop]]. The sound-processing devices used have varied over the decades. In 1963 Hodgson and his colleagues used equalisation to boost the mid-range of the actor's voice, then subjected it to [[ring modulation]] with a 30&nbsp;Hz [[sine wave]]. The distinctive harsh, grating vocal timbre this produced has remained the pattern for all Dalek voices since (with the exception of those in the 1985 serial ''[[Revelation of the Daleks]]'', for which the director, [[Graeme Harper]], deliberately used less distortion).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2004/07/08/12725.shtml |title=BBC – Doctor Who – Dalek Empire III [interview with Nicholas Briggs] |date=8 July 2004 |access-date=9 March 2010 |work=BBC News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090110052452/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2004/07/08/12725.shtml |archive-date=10 January 2009 }}</ref>

Besides Hawkins and Graham, other voice actors for the Daleks have included [[Roy Skelton]], who first voiced the Daleks in the 1967 story ''[[The Evil of the Daleks]]'' and provided voices for five additional Dalek serials including ''[[Planet of the Daleks]]'',<ref name="Planet">''[[Planet of the Daleks]].'' Writer [[Terry Nation]], Director [[David Maloney]], Producer [[Barry Letts]]. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 7 April–12 May 1973.</ref> and for the one-off anniversary special "[[The Five Doctors]]". [[Michael Wisher]], the actor who originated the role of Dalek creator Davros in ''[[Genesis of the Daleks]]'', provided Dalek voices for that same story, as well as for ''[[Frontier in Space]]'', ''[[Planet of the Daleks]]'', and ''[[Death to the Daleks]]''. Other Dalek voice actors include [[Royce Mills]] (three stories),<ref name="Revelation" /><ref name="Remembrance" /><ref name="Resurrection" /> [[Brian Miller (actor)|Brian Miller]] (two stories),<ref name="Remembrance" /><ref name="Resurrection" /> and [[Oliver Gilbert (actor)|Oliver Gilbert]] and [[Peter Messaline]] (one story).<ref name="Day">''[[Day of the Daleks]].'' Writer [[Louis Marks]], Director [[Paul Bernard (director)|Paul Bernard]], Producer Barry Letts. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 1–22 January 1972.</ref> [[John Leeson]], who performed the voice of [[K9 (Doctor Who)|K9]] in several ''Doctor Who'' stories, and Davros actors [[Terry Molloy]] and [[David Gooderson]] also contributed supporting voices for various Dalek serials.<ref name="Remembrance" /><ref name="Destiny" />

Since 2005 the Dalek voice in the television series has been provided by [[Nicholas Briggs]], speaking into a microphone connected to a voice modulator.<ref name="Briggs" /><ref name="dalek confidential">{{cite episode
 | title = Dalek
 | series = Doctor Who Confidential
 | credits = Seaborne, Gilliane (director)
 | network = [[BBC Three]]
 | airdate = 30 April 2005
}}</ref> Briggs had previously provided Dalek and other alien voices for [[Big Finish Productions]] [[audio plays]], and continues to do so. In a 2006 BBC Radio interview, Briggs said that when the BBC asked him to do the voice for the new television series, they instructed him to bring his own analogue ring modulator that he had used in the audio plays. The BBC's sound department had changed to a digital platform and could not adequately create the distinctive Dalek sound with their modern equipment. Briggs went as far as to bring the voice modulator to the actors' readings of the scripts.<ref name="Briggs" /><ref name="dalek confidential" />

====Construction====
Manufacturing the props was expensive. In scenes where many Daleks had to appear, some of them would be represented by wooden replicas (''[[Destiny of the Daleks]]'')<ref name="Destiny">''[[Destiny of the Daleks]].'' Writer [[Terry Nation]], Director [[Ken Grieve]], Producer [[Graham Williams (television producer)|Graham Williams]]. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 1–22 September 1979.</ref> or life-size photographic enlargements in the early [[black-and-white]] episodes (''[[The Daleks]]'', ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'',<ref name="Invasion3" /><ref name="Invasion2">{{cite episode
 | title = The Daleks
 | episode-link = The Dalek Invasion of Earth
 | series = Doctor Who
 | series-link = Doctor Who
 | credits = Writer [[Terry Nation]], Director [[Richard Martin (British director)|Richard Martin]], Producer [[Verity Lambert]]
 | network = BBC
 | station = BBC1
 | location = London
 | airdate = 28 November 1964
}}</ref> and ''[[The Power of the Daleks]]'').<ref name="Power4">{{cite episode
 | title = The Power of the Daleks, Episode Four
 | episode-link = The Power of the Daleks
 | series = Doctor Who
 | series-link = Doctor Who
 | credits = Writer [[David Whitaker (screenwriter)|David Whitaker]], Director [[Christopher Barry]], Producer [[Innes Lloyd]]
 | network = BBC
 | station = BBC1
 | location = London
 | airdate = 26 November 1966
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/photonovels/power/four/61.shtml |title=BBC – Doctor Who – Photonovels Power of the Daleks – Episode Four |access-date=9 March 2010 |work=BBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090110045742/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/photonovels/power/four/61.shtml |archive-date=10 January 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> In stories involving armies of Daleks, the BBC effects team even turned to using commercially available toy Daleks, manufactured by [[Louis Marx and Company|Louis Marx & Co]] and Herts Plastic Moulders Ltd. Examples of this can be observed in the serials ''The Power of the Daleks'', ''The Evil of the Daleks'', and ''Planet of the Daleks''.<ref name="Planet6">{{cite episode
 | title = Planet of the Daleks, Episode Six
 | episode-link = Planet of the Daleks
 | series = Doctor Who
 | credits = Writer [[Terry Nation]], Director [[David Maloney]], Producer [[Barry Letts]]
 | network = BBC
 | station = BBC1
 | location = London
 | airdate = 12 March 1973
}}</ref> Judicious editing techniques also gave the impression that there were more Daleks than were actually available, such as using a [[Split screen (video production)|split screen]] in "The Parting of the Ways".<ref name="Parting" />

Four fully functioning props were commissioned for the first serial "The Daleks" in 1963, and were constructed from BBC plans by Shawcraft Engineering.<ref name="Burk 2013 p. 11">{{cite book | last=Burk | first=Graeme | title=Who's 50: the 50 Doctor Who stories to watch before you die : an unofficial companion | publisher=ECW Press | location=Toronto | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-77041-166-1 | oclc=861785703 | page=11}}</ref> These became known in fan circles as [[Dalek variants#Mark 1 Daleks|"Mk I Daleks"]]. Shawcraft were also commissioned to construct approximately 20 Daleks for the two Dalek movies in 1965 and 1966 (see [[#Other appearances|below]]). Some of these movie props filtered back to the BBC and were seen in the televised serials, notably ''The Chase'', which was aired before the first movie's debut.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} The remaining props not bought by the BBC were either donated to charity or given away as prizes in competitions.<ref>Howe (1992), pp. 132, 137</ref>

The BBC's own Dalek props were reused many times, with components of the original Shawcraft "Mk I Daleks" surviving right through to their final classic series appearance in 1988.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dalek6388.co.uk/remembrance-of-the-daleks.htm |title=Dalek 6388 Remembrance |work=Dalek 6388 – A Dalek Prop History – Remembrance of the Daleks |access-date=9 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325193549/http://www.dalek6388.co.uk/remembrance-of-the-daleks.htm |archive-date=25 March 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> But years of storage and repainting took their toll. By the time of the [[Sixth Doctor]]'s ''Revelation of the Daleks'' new props were being manufactured out of [[fibreglass]]. These models were lighter and more affordable to construct than their predecessors.<ref name="Monsters_92">Howe (1997), p. 92</ref> These newer models were slightly bulkier in appearance around the mid-shoulder section, and also had a redesigned skirt section which was more vertical at the back. Other minor changes were made to the design due to these new construction methods, including altering the fender and incorporating the arm boxes, collars, and slats into a single fibreglass moulding.<ref name="Monsters_92" /> These props were repainted in grey for the [[Seventh Doctor]] serial ''Remembrance of the Daleks'' and designated as "[[Dalek variants#Renegade Daleks|Renegade Daleks]]"; another redesign, painted in cream and gold, became the "[[Imperial Dalek]]" faction.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-23 |title=A Brief History of Dalek Civil War |url=https://gizmodo.com/a-brief-history-of-dalek-civil-war-1845934752 |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Gizmodo |language=en}}</ref>

New Dalek props were built for the 21st-century version of ''Doctor Who''. The first, which appeared alone in the 2005 episode "[[Dalek (episode)|Dalek]]", was built by modelmaker [[Mike Tucker (special effects artist)|Mike Tucker]].<ref name="Tucker" /> Additional Dalek props based on Tucker's master were subsequently built out of fibreglass by [[Cardiff]]-based Specialist Models.<ref name="Specialist">{{cite web|url=http://www.specialistmodels.co.uk/services/film_and_tv/bbc_wales_dr_who_daleks_fibreglass_props |title=BBC Wales Dr Who Daleks Fibreglass Props |date=21 March 2010 |publisher=Specialist Models & Displays |access-date=23 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904183235/http://www.specialistmodels.co.uk/services/film_and_tv/BBC_Wales_Dr_Who_Daleks_Fibreglass_Props |archive-date=4 September 2011 }}</ref>

==Entry into popular culture==
The Daleks became an immediate hit with viewers, returning for subsequent appearances throughout the 1960s. As early as one year after first appearing on ''Doctor Who'', the Daleks had become popular enough to be recognized even by non-viewers. In December 1964 [[editorial cartoonist]] [[Leslie Gilbert Illingworth]] published a cartoon in the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' captioned "THE DEGAULLEK", caricaturing French President [[Charles de Gaulle]] arriving at a [[NATO]] meeting as a Dalek with de Gaulle's prominent nose.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Illingworth |first=Leslie Gilbert |date=16 December 1964 |title=The Degaullek |url=https://archive.cartoons.ac.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=06435 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728195136/https://archive.cartoons.ac.uk/record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=06435 |archive-date=28 July 2019 |website=[[British Cartoon Archive]] |publisher=[[University of Kent]]}}</ref> The Dalek prop and its usage of a real performer within later helped to inspire the team behind ''[[Star Wars]]'' when they had difficulty creating [[R2-D2]]'s prop.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Christopher Cooper |date=February 25, 2025 |title=What a Piece of Junk! |number=230 |url=https://titan-comics.com/m/175-star-wars-insider-230/ |magazine=[[Star Wars Insider]] |publisher=[[Titan Publishing Group]] |url-access=subscription |access-date=October 6, 2025 |archive-date=March 25, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250325112141/https://titan-comics.com/m/175-star-wars-insider-230/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Daleks have become as synonymous with ''Doctor Who'' as the Doctor himself, and their behaviour and catchphrases are now part of British [[popular culture]].<ref>{{cite web |date=1 November 2023 |title=Dalekmania - the story of Doctor Who from the BBC Archives |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/articles/cev7zy0grrlo |access-date=21 February 2024 |website=BBC Website}}</ref> "Hiding [[behind the sofa]] whenever the Daleks appear" has been cited as an element of British cultural identity,<ref>{{cite news |date=14 September 2006 |title=The end of Olde Englande: A lament for Blighty |url=http://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7912946 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617180057/http://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7912946 |archive-date=17 June 2009 |access-date=9 March 2010 |newspaper=The Economist}}</ref> and a 2008 survey indicated that nine out of ten British children were able to identify a Dalek correctly.<ref>{{cite web |date=9 July 2008 |title=Wildlife is alien to a generation of indoor children |url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-global/w-news/w-latest_news/w-news-wildlife_alien.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323195440/http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-global/w-news/w-latest_news/w-news-wildlife_alien.htm |archive-date=23 March 2010 |access-date=9 March 2010 |publisher=[[National Trust]] website}}</ref> In 1999 a Dalek photographed by [[Lord Snowdon]] appeared on a postage stamp celebrating British popular culture.<ref>{{cite news |date=24 May 1999 |title=Mercury and Moore head millennium stamps |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/351568.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213164843/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/351568.stm |archive-date=13 December 2013 |access-date=9 March 2010 |work=BBC News}}</ref> In 2010, readers of science fiction magazine ''SFX'' voted the Dalek as the all-time greatest monster, beating competition including Japanese [[movie monster]] [[Godzilla]] and [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s [[Gollum]], of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.<ref>{{cite news |date=18 August 2010 |title=Daleks named greatest monsters by sci-fi fans |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/7951609/Daleks-named-greatest-monsters-by-sci-fi-fans.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820112130/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/7951609/Daleks-named-greatest-monsters-by-sci-fi-fans.html |archive-date=20 August 2010 |access-date=18 August 2010 |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=London}}</ref>

The word "Dalek" has entered major dictionaries, including the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', which defines "Dalek" as "In the BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who: a member of a race of aggressive alien mutants in mobile armoured casings. Frequently in extended, allusive, or similative use."<ref>{{cite web |title=Dalek |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/dalek_n |publisher=[[Oxford English Dictionary]]}}</ref> English-speakers sometimes use the term [[metaphor]]ically to describe people, usually authority figures, who act like robots unable to break from their programming. For example, [[John Birt]], the [[Director-General of the BBC]] from 1992 to 2000, was called a "croak-voiced Dalek" by playwright [[Dennis Potter]] in the MacTaggart Lecture at the 1993 [[Edinburgh Television Festival]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Gibson |first=Owen |date=14 May 2007 |title=Paxman to raise eyebrows at TV festival lecture |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/may/14/edinburghtvfestival2007.broadcasting |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141003124750/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/may/14/edinburghtvfestival2007.broadcasting |archive-date=3 October 2014 |access-date=9 March 2010 |work=The Guardian |location=UK |format=online}}</ref>

==Fictional history==
Dalek in-universe history has seen many [[retcon|retroactive changes]], which have caused [[Continuity (fiction)|continuity]] problems.<ref>Peel (1988), p. 78</ref> When the Daleks first appeared, they were presented as the descendants of the Dals, mutated after a brief nuclear war between the Dal and [[Thal (Doctor Who)|Thal]] races 500 years ago. This race of Daleks is destroyed when their power supply is wrecked.<ref name=B>''[[The Daleks]].'' Writer [[Terry Nation]], Director [[Christopher Barry]], Producer [[Verity Lambert]]. ''Doctor Who''. [[BBC]], London. 21 December 1963 – 1 February 1964.</ref> However, when they reappear in ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'', they have conquered Earth in the 22nd century. Later stories saw them develop time travel and a space empire. In 1975, Terry Nation revised the Daleks' origins in ''[[Genesis of the Daleks]]'', where the Dals were now called [[Kaled]]s (of which "Daleks" is an [[anagram]]), and the Dalek design was attributed to one man, the paralysed Kaled chief scientist and evil genius, Davros.<ref name=Genesis>''[[Genesis of the Daleks]].'' Writer [[Terry Nation]], Director [[David Maloney]], Producer [[Philip Hinchcliffe]]. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 8 March–12 April 1975.</ref> Later [[Big Finish Productions]] audio plays attempted to explain this retcon by saying that the Skaro word "dal" simply means warrior,<ref>Big Finish audio play ''The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield: The Lights of Skaro''</ref> which is how the Kaleds described themselves, while "dal-ek" means "god."<ref>Big Finish audio play ''I, Davros: Guilt''</ref> According to ''Genesis of the Daleks'', instead of a short nuclear exchange, the Kaled-Thal war was a thousand-year-long war of [[attrition warfare|attrition]], fought with [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear]], [[Biological weapon|biological]] and [[chemical weapon]]s which caused widespread mutations among the life forms of Skaro. Davros experimented on living Kaled cells to find the ultimate mutated form of the Kaled species, believing his own people had become weak and needed to be replaced by a greater life form. He placed his new Dalek creations in [[tank]]-like "travel machines" of advanced technology whose design was based on his own life-support chair.<ref name="Genesis"/>

''Genesis of the Daleks'' marked a new era for the depiction of the species, with most of their previous history either forgotten or barely referred to again.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/dalekhistory2.shtml |title=The second history of the Daleks |access-date=20 March 2010 |last1=Cornell |first1=Paul |author-link1=Paul Cornell |first2=Martin |last2=Day |author-link2=Martin Day (writer) |first3=Keith |last3=Topping |author-link3=Keith Topping |year=1995 |work=Official Doctor Who website |publisher=BBC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101001075248/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/dalekhistory2.shtml |archive-date=1 October 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Future stories in the original ''Doctor Who'' series, which followed a rough [[story arc]],<ref>Parkin (2006), p. 237</ref> would also focus more on Davros, much to the dissatisfaction of some fans who felt that the Daleks should take centre stage rather than merely becoming minions of their creator.<ref>{{cite book |author-link1=David J. Howe |last1=Howe |first1=David J |first2=Stephen James |last2=Walker |author-link2=Stephen James Walker | year = 1998 | title = Doctor Who: The Television Companion | edition = 1st | page = 455 | location = London | publisher=BBC Books | isbn = 1-903889-51-0 }}</ref> Davros made his last televised appearance for 20 years in ''Remembrance of the Daleks'', which depicted a civil war between two factions of Daleks. One faction, the "Imperial Daleks", were loyal to Davros, who had become their Emperor, whilst the other, the "Renegade Daleks", followed a black Supreme Dalek. By the end of the story, armies of both factions have been wiped out and the Doctor has tricked them into destroying Skaro. However, Davros escapes and based on the fact that Daleks possess time travel and were spread throughout the universe, there was still a possibility that many had survived these events.<ref name=Remembrance/>

The original "classic" ''Doctor Who'' series ended in 1989. In the 1996 ''Doctor Who'' TV-movie (which introduced the [[Eighth Doctor]]), Skaro has seemingly been recreated and the Daleks are shown to still rule it. Though the aliens are never seen on-screen, the story shows the Time Lord villain the Master being executed on Skaro as Dalek voices chant "Exterminate." In Eighth Doctor audio plays produced by Big Finish from 2000 to 2005, [[Paul McGann]] reprised his role. The audio play ''The Time of the Daleks'' featured the Daleks without Davros and nearly removing [[William Shakespeare]] from history. In ''Terror Firma'', the Eighth Doctor met a Dalek faction led by Davros who was devolving more into a Dalek-like life form himself while attempting to create new Daleks from mutated humans of Earth. The audio dramas ''The Apocalypse Element'' and ''Dalek Empire'' also depicted the alien villains invading Gallifrey and then creating their own version of the Time Lord power source known as the Eye of Harmony, allowing the Daleks to rebuild an empire and become a greater threat against the Time Lords and other races that possess time travel.

{{anchor|Revived series}} 
A new ''Doctor Who'' series premiered in 2005, introducing the [[Ninth Doctor]] and revealing that the [[Time War (Doctor Who)|"Last Great Time War"]] had just ended, resulting in the seeming destruction of the Time Lord society. The episode "[[Dalek (Doctor Who episode)|Dalek]]", written by [[Robert Shearman]], was broadcast on BBC One on 30 April 2005 and confirmed that the Time War had mainly involved the Daleks fighting the Time Lords, with the Doctor ending the conflict by seemingly destroying both sides, remarking that his own survival was "not by choice." The episode featured a single Dalek who appeared to be the sole survivor of his race from the Time War.<ref name="Dalek (episode)"/> Later audio plays by [[Big Finish Productions]] expanded on the Time War in different audio drama series such as ''Gallifrey: Time War, The Eighth Doctor: Time War, The War Doctor,'' and ''The War Master.''

A [[Emperor Dalek|Dalek Emperor]] returned at the end of the 2005 series, having survived the Time War and then rebuilt the Dalek race with genetic material harvested from human subjects. It saw itself as a god, and the new human-based Daleks were shown worshipping it. The Emperor and this Dalek fleet were destroyed in "[[The Parting of the Ways]]".<ref name="Parting" /> The 2006 season finale "[[Army of Ghosts]]"/"[[Doomsday (Doctor Who)|Doomsday]]" featured a squad of four pure-bred Dalek survivors from the old Empire, known as the Cult of Skaro, composed of Daleks who were tasked with developing imagination to better predict and combat enemies. These Daleks took on names: Jast, Thay, Caan, and their black Dalek leader [[Dalek Sec|Sec]]. The Cult had survived the Time War by escaping into the Void between dimensions. They emerged along with the Genesis Ark, a Time Lord prison vessel containing millions of pure Daleks, at Canary Wharf due to the actions of the [[Torchwood Institute]] and [[Cyberman#Revived series|Cybermen from a parallel world]]. This resulted in a Cyberman-Dalek clash in London, which was resolved when the [[Tenth Doctor]] caused both groups to be sucked{{snd}}unprotected{{snd}}into the Void. The Cult of Skaro survived by utilising an "emergency temporal shift" to escape.<ref name="Doomsday" /><ref name="army">{{cite episode | title = [[Army of Ghosts]] | series = Doctor Who | credits = Writer [[Russell T Davies]], Director Graeme Harper, Producer [[Phil Collinson]] | network = BBC | station = BBC One | location = Cardiff | airdate = 1 July 2006}}</ref>

The four-Dalek Cult of Skaro returned in the two-part story "[[Daleks in Manhattan]]"/"[[Evolution of the Daleks]]", in which whilst stranded in 1930s New York, they set up a base in the partially built [[Empire State Building]] and attempt to rebuild the Dalek race. To this end, Dalek Sec merges with a human being to become a Human/Dalek hybrid. The Cult then set about creating "Human Daleks" by "formatting" the brains of a few thousand captured humans so they can have Dalek minds.<ref name="Evolution">{{cite episode | title = Evolution of the Daleks | episode-link = Evolution of the Daleks | series = Doctor Who | series-link = Doctor Who | credits = Writer [[Helen Raynor]], Director [[James Strong (director)|James Strong]], Producer [[Phil Collinson]] | network = BBC | station = BBC1 | location = Cardiff | airdate = 28 April 2007}}</ref> Dalek Sec, however, becomes more human in personality and alters the plan so the hybrids will be more human like him. The rest of the Cult mutinies. Sec is killed, while Thay and Jast are later wiped out with the hybrids. Dalek Caan, believing he may be the last of his kind now, escapes once more via an emergency temporal shift.<ref name="Evolution" />

The Daleks returned in the 2008 season's two-part finale, "[[The Stolen Earth]]"/"[[Journey's End (Doctor Who)|Journey's End]]", accompanied once again by their creator Davros. The story reveals that Caan's temporal shift sent him into the Time War, despite the War being "Time-Locked". The experience of piercing the Time-Lock resulted in Caan seeing parts of several futures, destroying his sanity in the process. Caan rescued many pure-bred Time War era Daleks and Davros, who created new pure Dalek troops using his own body's cells (his Kaled DNA, as all pure Daleks were originally Kaleds). A red Supreme Dalek leads the new army while keeping Caan and Davros imprisoned on the Dalek flagship, the ''Crucible''. Davros and the Daleks plan to destroy reality itself with a "reality bomb". The plan fails due to the interference of [[Donna Noble]], a companion of the Doctor, and Caan, who has been manipulating events to destroy the Daleks after realising the severity of the atrocities they have committed.<ref name="Stolen">{{cite episode | title = [[The Stolen Earth]] | series = Doctor Who | credits = Writer [[Russell T Davies]], Director Graeme Harper, Producer [[Phil Collinson]] | network = BBC | station = BBC One | location = [[Cardiff]] | airdate = 28 June 2008}}</ref><ref name="Journey">{{cite episode | title = [[Journey's End (Doctor Who)|Journey's End]] | series = Doctor Who | credits = Writer [[Russell T Davies]], Director Graeme Harper, Producer [[Phil Collinson]] | network = BBC | station = BBC One | location = [[Cardiff]] | airdate = 5 July 2008}}</ref>

The Daleks returned in the 2010 episode "[[Victory of the Daleks]]", wherein it is revealed that some Daleks survived the destruction of their army in "Journey's End" and retrieved the "Progenitor", a tiny apparatus containing 'original' Dalek DNA.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://static.bbc.co.uk/images/ic/qe/crop/946x532/doctorwho/episodes/d11/s01/e03/art/d11s01e03_dalek_art_14.jpg |publisher=BBC |title=BBC concept artwork for Dalek Progenator |last=McKinstry |first=Peter |access-date=23 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224205734/http://static.bbc.co.uk/images/ic/qe/crop/946x532//doctorwho/episodes/d11/s01/e03/art/d11s01e03_dalek_art_14.jpg |archive-date=24 February 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> The activation of the Progenitor results in the creation of [[The New Daleks|New Paradigm Daleks]] who deem the Time War era Daleks to be inferior. The new Daleks are organised into different roles (drone, scientist, strategists, supreme and eternal), which are identifiable with colour-coded armour instead of the identification plates under the eyestalk used by their predecessors. They escape the Doctor at the end of the episode via time travel with the intent to rebuild their Empire.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=3 March 2010 |title=The Eleventh Doctor is coming! |magazine=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] |issue=418 |page=5 |publisher=[[Panini Comics]] |location=[[Royal Tunbridge Wells]], Kent |issn=0957-9818}}</ref>

The Daleks appeared, only briefly, in subsequent finales "[[The Pandorica Opens]]"/"[[The Big Bang (Doctor Who)|The Big Bang]]" (2010) and "[[The Wedding of River Song]]" (2011) as Steven Moffat decided to "give them a rest" and stated, "There's a problem with the Daleks. They are the most famous of the Doctor's adversaries and the most frequent, which means they are the most reliably defeatable enemies in the universe."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13594932 | work=BBC News | title=Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat to 'rest' Daleks | date=30 May 2011 | access-date=21 June 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122053000/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13594932 | archive-date=22 November 2018 | url-status=live }}</ref> These episodes also reveal that Skaro has been recreated yet again. They next appear in "[[Asylum of the Daleks]]" (2012), where the Daleks are shown to have greatly increased numbers and now have a Parliament; in addition to the traditional "modern" Daleks, several designs from both the original and new series appear, all co-existing rather than judging each other as inferior or outdated (except for those Daleks whose personalities deem them "insane" or can no longer battle). All record of the Doctor is removed from their collective consciousness at the end of the episode.

The Daleks then appear in the 50th Anniversary special "[[The Day of the Doctor]]" (2013), where they are seen being defeated in the [[Time War (Doctor Who)|Time War]]. The same special reveals that many Time Lords survived the war since the Doctor found a way to transfer planet [[Gallifrey]] out of phase with reality and into a pocket dimension. In "[[The Time of the Doctor]]" (2013), the Daleks are one of the races that besieges Trenzalore in an attempt to stop the Doctor from releasing the Time Lords from the pocket dimension. After converting Tasha Lem into a Dalek puppet, they regain knowledge of the Doctor.

The [[Twelfth Doctor]]'s first encounter with the Daleks is in his second full episode, "[[Into the Dalek]]" (2014), where he encounters a damaged Dalek he names 'Rusty.' Connecting to the Doctor's love of the universe and his hatred of the Daleks, Rusty assumes a mission to destroy other Daleks. In "[[The Magician's Apprentice (Doctor Who)|The Magician's Apprentice]]"/"[[The Witch's Familiar]]" (2015), the Doctor is summoned to Skaro where he learns Davros has rebuilt the Dalek Empire. In "[[The Pilot (Doctor Who)|The Pilot]]" (2017), the Doctor briefly visits a battle during the Dalek-Movellan war.

The [[Thirteenth Doctor]] encountered a Dalek in a New Year's Day episode, "[[Resolution (Doctor Who)|Resolution]]" (2019), when a Dalek mutant, separated from its armoured casing, takes control of a human in order to build a new travel device for itself and summon more Daleks to conquer Earth. This Dalek is cloned by a scientist in "[[Revolution of the Daleks]]" (2021), and attempts to take over Earth using further clones, but they are killed by other Daleks for perceived genetic impurity. The Dalek army is later sent by the Doctor into the "void" between worlds to be destroyed, using a spare TARDIS she recently acquired on Gallifrey. After cameo appearances depicting them as one of several villains trying to take advantage of "the Flux" event tearing through space-time in [[Doctor Who (series 13)|series 13]], the Daleks returned in the first [[Doctor Who (2022 specials)|2022 special]], "[[Eve of the Daleks]]". In the episode, a team of Dalek Executioners are dispatched by High Command to avenge the Dalek War Fleet destroyed by the Doctor in the series 13 finale "[[The Vanquishers]]", only for a [[time loop]] established by the TARDIS to save the Doctor's life and give her a chance to destroy the executioners instead. The Daleks later appeared alongside the Cybermen as allies to the Master in "[[The Power of the Doctor]]" as part of a plot to finally destroy their nemesis, but the alliance is defeated by the Doctor and new and old companions.

In a video short for the 2023 ''[[Children in Need]]'' telethon, the origin of the iconic plunger-like appendages used by Daleks was retroactively established as being from the [[Fourteenth Doctor]]'s TARDIS, while also establishing an unintentional hint by that Doctor, given to a Kaled military officer, for the creation of the name "Dalek".<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-11-17 |title=David Tennant returns as Doctor Who for Children in Need |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67457865 |access-date=2023-11-18}}</ref>

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==Dalek culture==
Daleks have little, if any, individual personality,<ref name=Doomsday/> ostensibly no emotions other than hatred and anger,<ref name="Dalek (episode)"/> and a strict command structure in which they are conditioned to obey superiors' orders without question.<ref name=Evil>''[[The Evil of the Daleks]].'' Writer [[David Whitaker (screenwriter)|David Whitaker]], Director Derek Martinus, Producer [[Innes Lloyd]]. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 20 May–1 July 1967.</ref> Dalek speech is characterised by repeated phrases, and by orders given to themselves and to others.<ref>Peel (1988), p. 4</ref> Unlike the stereotypical emotionless robots often found in science fiction, Daleks are often angry; author [[Kim Newman]] has described the Daleks as behaving "like toddlers in perpetual hissy fits", gloating when in power and flying into a rage when thwarted.<ref>Newman, p. 33</ref> They tend to be excitable and will repeat the same word or phrase over and over again in heightened emotional states, most famously "Exterminate! Exterminate!"

Daleks are extremely aggressive, and seem driven by an instinct to attack. This instinct is so strong that Daleks have been depicted fighting the urge to kill<ref name=Evolution/><ref name=Resurrection/> or even attacking when unarmed.<ref name="Dalek (episode)"/><ref name=Death>''[[Death to the Daleks]].'' Writer [[Terry Nation]], Director [[Michael E. Briant]], Producer [[Barry Letts]]. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 23 February–16 March 1974.</ref> The [[Fifth Doctor]] characterises this impulse by saying, "However you respond [to Daleks] is seen as an act of provocation."<ref name=Resurrection/> The fundamental feature of Dalek culture and psychology is an unquestioned belief in the superiority of the Dalek race,<ref name=Evil/> and their default directive is to destroy all non-Dalek life-forms.<ref name="Dalek (episode)"/> Other species are either to be exterminated immediately or enslaved and then exterminated once they are no longer useful.<ref name=Resurrection>''[[Resurrection of the Daleks]].'' Writer [[Eric Saward]], Director [[Matthew Robinson (producer)|Matthew Robinson]], Producer [[John Nathan-Turner]]. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 8–15 February 1984.</ref>

The Dalek obsession with their own superiority is illustrated by the schism between the Renegade and Imperial Daleks seen in ''Revelation of the Daleks'' and ''Remembrance of the Daleks'': the two factions each consider the other to be a perversion despite the relatively minor differences between them.<ref name=Remembrance>''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]].'' Writer [[Ben Aaronovitch]], Director Andrew Morgan, Producer [[John Nathan-Turner]]. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 5–26 October 1988.</ref> This intolerance of any "contamination" within themselves is also shown in "Dalek",<ref name="Dalek (episode)"/> ''The Evil of the Daleks''<ref name=Evil/> and in the [[Big Finish Productions]] [[audio play]] ''[[The Mutant Phase]]''.<ref name=Mutant>''[[The Mutant Phase]]''. Writer and Director [[Nicholas Briggs]]. Producers [[Gary Russell]] and [[Jason Haigh-Ellery]]. [[Big Finish Productions]], 2000.</ref> This superiority complex is the basis of the Daleks' ruthlessness and lack of compassion.<ref name="Dalek (episode)"/><ref name=Evil/> This is shown in extreme in "[[Victory of the Daleks]]", where the new, pure Daleks destroy their creators, impure Daleks, with the latter's consent. It is nearly impossible to negotiate or reason with a Dalek, a single-mindedness that makes them dangerous and not to be underestimated.<ref name="Dalek (episode)"/> The [[Eleventh Doctor]] ([[Matt Smith]]) is later puzzled in the "Asylum of the Daleks" as to why the Daleks don't just kill the sequestered ones that have "gone wrong". Although the Asylum is subsequently obliterated, the Prime Minister of the Daleks explains that "it is offensive to us to destroy such divine hatred", and the Doctor is sickened at the revelation that hatred is actually considered beautiful by the Daleks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bartner |first=Nicole |date=2012-10-01 |title="Doctor Who: Asylum Of The Daleks Review" |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who-asylum-of-the-daleks-review/ |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=Den of Geek |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Falls |first=Amanda Harris |title='Doctor Who,' Season 7, Episode 1, 'Asylum of the Daleks': TV Recap (Season Premiere) |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-SEB-71428 |access-date=2024-02-12 |work=WSJ |language=en-US}}</ref>

Dalek society is depicted as one of extreme scientific and technological advancement; the Third Doctor states that "it was their inventive genius that made them one of the greatest powers in the universe."<ref name=Death/> However, their reliance on logic and machinery is also a strategic weakness which they recognise,<ref name=Remembrance/><ref name=Destiny/> and thus use more emotion-driven species as agents to compensate for these shortcomings.<ref name=Remembrance/><ref name=Resurrection/><ref name=Evil/>

Although the Daleks are not known for their regard for [[due process]], they have taken at least two enemies back to Skaro for a "trial", rather than killing them immediately. The first was their creator, Davros, in ''Revelation of the Daleks'',<ref name=Revelation>''[[Revelation of the Daleks]].'' Writer [[Eric Saward]], Director [[Graeme Harper]], Producer [[John Nathan-Turner]]. ''Doctor Who''. BBC1, London. 23–30 March 1985.</ref> and the second was the renegade [[Time Lord]] known as [[Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]] in the 1996 television movie.<ref name=TVM>''[[Doctor Who (1996 film)|Doctor Who]]''. Writer [[Matthew Jacobs]], Director [[Geoffrey Sax]], Executive Producer [[Philip Segal]]. 1996. DVD. [[BBC Video]], 2001.</ref> The reasons for the Master's trial, and why the Doctor would be allowed to retrieve the Master's remains, have never been explained on screen. The ''Doctor Who Annual 2006'' implies that the trial may have been due to a treaty signed between the Time Lords and the Daleks.<ref>[[Russell T Davies|Davies, Russell T.]] "Meet the Doctor." ''Doctor Who Annual 2006''. Ed. [[Clayton Hickman]]. [[Tunbridge Wells]]: [[Panini Comics|Panini]], 2005. pp. 20–21.</ref> The framing device for the ''[[I, Davros: Innocence|I, Davros]]'' audio plays is a Dalek trial to determine if Davros should be the Daleks' leader once more.<ref>''[[I, Davros: Innocence]]''. Writer Gary Hopkins, Director [[Gary Russell]]. Producers [[Gary Russell]] and [[Jason Haigh-Ellery]]. [[Big Finish Productions]], 2006.</ref>

Spin-off novels contain several [[tongue-in-cheek]] mentions of Dalek poetry, and an anecdote about an opera based upon it, which was lost to posterity when the entire cast was exterminated on the opening night. Two stanzas are given in the novel ''[[The Also People]]'' by Ben Aaronovitch.<ref>{{cite book |last=Aaronovitch |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Aaronovitch| year=1995 |title=[[The Also People]]| location=London |publisher=Virgin Books |isbn=0-426-20456-5| page=199}}</ref> In an [[Parallel universe (fiction)|alternative timeline]] portrayed in the [[Big Finish Productions]] audio adventure ''[[The Time of the Daleks]]'', the Daleks show a fondness for the works of [[Shakespeare]].<ref>''[[The Time of the Daleks]]''. Writer [[Justin Richards]], Director [[Nicholas Briggs]], Producers [[Gary Russell]] and [[Jason Haigh-Ellery]]. [[Big Finish Productions]], 2002.</ref> A similar idea was satirised by comedian [[Frankie Boyle]] in the BBC comedy quiz programme ''[[Mock the Week]]''; he gave the fictional Dalek poem "Daffodils; EXTERMINATE DAFFODILS!" as an "unlikely line to hear in ''Doctor Who''".<ref>''[[Mock the Week]]''. 7 July 2007. Season 5, episode 3.</ref>

Because the Doctor has defeated the Daleks so often, he has become their collective [[arch-enemy]] and they have standing orders to capture or exterminate him on sight. In later fiction, the Daleks know the Doctor as ''"Ka Faraq Gatri"'' ("Bringer of Darkness" or "Destroyer of Worlds"), and "The Oncoming Storm".<ref name=Parting/><ref name="Journey"/> Both the [[Ninth Doctor]] ([[Christopher Eccleston]]) and [[Rose Tyler]] ([[Billie Piper]]) suggest that the Doctor is one of the few beings the Daleks fear. In "[[Doomsday (Doctor Who)|Doomsday]]", Rose notes that while the Daleks see the extermination of five million [[Cybermen]] as "pest control", "one Doctor" visibly un-nerves them (to the point they physically recoil).<ref name="Doomsday"/> To his indignant surprise, in "Asylum of the Daleks", the [[Eleventh Doctor]] ([[Matt Smith]]) learns that the Daleks have designated him as "The Predator".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ruediger |first=Ross |date=2012-09-02 |title=Doctor Who Recap: A Hammer House of Dalek Horrors |url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/09/doctor-who-recap-season-7-episode-1.html |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=Vulture |language=en}}</ref>

==Licensing==
Copyright for the Daleks was maintained by Terry Nation rather than the BBC and has passed to his estate after his death.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-67417109 | title=When Doctor Who's Daleks beat the Beatles in TV ratings battle | work=BBC News | date=19 November 2023 }}</ref> A number of licensed usages have been made over the years.

[[File:Dalek Chronicles 4.jpg|thumb|alt=A comics page with eleven panels. The first panel contains the title "The Daleks" in jagged white letters. Subsequent panels show Dalek cylinders (slightly narrower than those depicted in previous images) and blue-skinned humanoids with bulbous heads. The last panel shows a gold-coloured Dalek-like shape with a large spherical top.|A page from the TV 21 comic strip, featuring the creation of the Emperor Dalek]]

Two ''Doctor Who'' movies starring [[Peter Cushing]] featured the Daleks as the main villains: ''[[Dr. Who and the Daleks]]'', and ''[[Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD]]'', based on the television serials ''The Daleks'' and ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'', respectively. The movies were not direct remakes; for example, the Doctor in the Cushing films was a human inventor called "Dr. Who" who built a time-travelling device named ''Tardis'', instead of a mysterious alien who stole a device called "the TARDIS".<ref>Peel (1988), p. 96; Howe (1992), p. 129</ref>

Four books focusing on the Daleks were published in the 1960s. ''The Dalek Book'' (1964, written by Terry Nation and [[David Whitaker (screenwriter)|David Whitaker]]), ''The Dalek World'' (1965, written by Nation and Whitaker) and ''The Dalek Outer Space Book'' (1966, by Nation and Brad Ashton) were all hardcover books formatted like [[annual publication#British annuals|annuals]], containing text stories and comics about the Daleks, along with fictional information (sometimes based on the television serials, other times made up for the books).<ref>Howe (1992), p. 138</ref> Nation also published ''The Dalek Pocketbook and Space-Travellers Guide'', which collected articles and features treating the Daleks as if they were real.<ref>Howe (2003), pp.126–127</ref> Four more annuals were published in the 1970s by World Distributors under the title ''Terry Nation's Dalek Annual'' (with cover dates 1976–1979, but published 1975–1978).<ref>Howe (1992), pp. 74–75</ref> Two original novels by [[John Peel (writer)|John Peel]], ''[[War of the Daleks]]'' (1997) and ''[[Legacy of the Daleks]]'' (1998), were released as part of the [[Eighth Doctor Adventures]] series of ''Doctor Who'' novels.<ref>{{cite book |title=[[War of the Daleks]] |last=Peel |first=John |author-link=John Peel (writer) |year=1997 |publisher=BBC Books |location=London |isbn=0-563-40573-2}}<br/>{{cite book |title=[[Legacy of the Daleks]] |last=Peel |first=John |author-link=John Peel (writer) |year=1998 |publisher=BBC Books |location=London |isbn=0-563-40574-0}}<br/>Howe (2003), pp. 83–84</ref> A novella, ''[[The Dalek Factor]]'' by [[Simon Clark (novelist)|Simon Clark]], was published in 2004, and two books featuring the Daleks and the [[Tenth Doctor]] (''[[I am a Dalek]]'' by [[Gareth Roberts (writer)|Gareth Roberts]], 2006, and ''[[Prisoner of the Daleks]]'' by [[Trevor Baxendale]], 2009) have been released as part of the [[New Series Adventures]].<ref>{{cite book |title=[[The Dalek Factor]] |last=Clark |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Clark (novelist) |year=2004 |publisher=[[Telos Publishing]] |location=[[Tolworth]], Surrey |isbn=1-903889-30-8}}<br/>{{cite book |title=[[I am a Dalek]] |last=Roberts |first=Gareth |author-link=Gareth Roberts (writer) |year=2006 |publisher=BBC Books |location=London |isbn=1-84607-641-2}}<br/>{{cite book |title=[[Prisoner of the Daleks]] |last=Baxendale |first=Trevor |author-link=Trevor Baxendale |year=2009 |publisher=BBC Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-563-48648-0}}<br/>Howe (2006), p. 51</ref>

Nation authorised the publication of the comic strip ''The Daleks'' in the comic ''[[TV Century 21]]'' in 1965. The weekly one-page strip, written by Whitaker but credited to Nation, featured the Daleks as protagonists and "heroes", and continued for two years, from their creation of the mechanised Daleks by the humanoid Dalek scientist, Yarvelling, to their eventual discovery in the ruins of a crashed space-liner of the co-ordinates for [[Earth]], which they proposed to invade. Although much of the material in these strips was directly contradicted by what was later shown on television, some concepts like the Daleks using humanoid duplicates and the design of the [[Dalek variants|Dalek Emperor]] did show up later on in the programme.<ref>Howe (1992), p. 143</ref>

At the same time, a ''Doctor Who'' strip was also being published in ''[[TV Comic]]''. Initially, the strip did not have the rights to use the Daleks, so the [[First Doctor]] battled the "Trods" instead, cone-shaped robotic creatures that ran on static electricity. By the time the [[Second Doctor]] appeared in the strip in 1967 the rights issues had been resolved, and the Daleks began making appearances starting in ''The Trodos Ambush'' (TVC #788-#791), where they massacred the Trods. The Daleks also made appearances in the [[Third Doctor]]-era ''Dr. Who'' comic strip that featured in the combined ''[[Countdown (comic)|Countdown]]/[[TV Action]]'' comic during the early 1970s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.drwhoguide.com/tvaction3.htm |title=Countdown / TV Action Strips and Stories featuring the Third Doctor |access-date=20 March 2010 |last=Boies |first=Dominique |publisher=Doctor Who Reference Guide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100101172230/http://drwhoguide.com/tvaction3.htm |archive-date=1 January 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

An animated series called ''Daleks!'', which consists of five 10-minute long episodes, was released on the official ''Doctor Who'' YouTube channel in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dela Paz|first=Maggie|date=September 9, 2020|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/1147971-daleks-doctor-who-animated-spinoff#:~:text=BBC%20has%20announced%20the%20upcoming,Doctor%20Who%3A%20Time%20Lord%20Victorious.|title=Daleks!: BBC Announces New Doctor Who Animated Spinoff Series|publisher=[[ComingSoon.net]]|access-date=November 26, 2020}}</ref>

Other licensed appearances have included a number of stage plays (see [[#Stage plays|Stage plays]] below) and television adverts for [[Wall's ice cream|Wall's]] "Sky Ray" ice lollies (1966), [[Weetabix]] breakfast cereal (1977), [[Kit Kat]] chocolate bars (2001),<ref name=bignell187 >{{cite book |title=Terry Nation |last1=Bignell |first1=Jonathan |last2=O'Day |first2=Andrew |year=2004 |publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] |location=[[Manchester]] |page=187 |isbn=0-7190-6547-X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=grv8uA0MtXkC |access-date=8 March 2010}}</ref><ref>Newman, pp. 35, 120–121</ref> and the [[ANZ Bank]] (2005).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anz.com/about-us/our-company/profile/advertising/ |title=Advertising |publisher=[[ANZ Bank]] |access-date=7 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100208062912/http://anz.com/about-us/our-company/profile/advertising/ |archive-date=8 February 2010 |url-status=live }}<br/>
{{cite web |url=http://afcorson.site.net.au/ |title=The Daleks |access-date=7 January 2010 |format=[[SWF]] format; click on "Productions" |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706123644/http://afcorson.site.net.au/ |archive-date=6 July 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2003, Daleks also appeared in UK billboard ads for [[Energizer]] batteries, alongside the slogan "Are You Power Mad?"<ref name=bignell187/>

==Merchandising==
The BBC approached Walter Tuckwell, a New Zealand-born entrepreneur who was handling product merchandising for other BBC shows, and asked him to do the same for the Daleks and ''Doctor Who''.<ref name="tuckwell">Howe (1994), p. 342</ref> Tuckwell created a glossy sales brochure that sparked off a Dalek craze, dubbed "Dalekmania" by the press, which peaked in 1965.<ref>Howe (1992), p. 137</ref>

===Toys and models===
[[File:1966Dalek.JPG|thumb|right|A Louis Marx & Co. Dalek model]]

The first Dalek toys were released in 1965 as part of the "Dalekmania" craze.<ref name="1965toys">Howe (2003), pp. 475–483</ref> These included battery-operated, [[friction drive]] and "Rolykins" Daleks from [[Louis Marx and Company|Louis Marx & Co.]], as well as models from Cherilea, Herts Plastic Moulders Ltd and Cowan, de Groot Ltd, and "Bendy" Daleks made by Newfeld Ltd.<ref name="1965toys" /> At the height of the Daleks' popularity, in addition to toy replicas, there were Dalek board games and activity sets, slide projectors for children and even Dalek playsuits made from PVC.<ref name="merchandise">Howe (1992), pp. 137–152</ref> Collectible cards, stickers, toy guns, music singles, punching bags and many other items were also produced in this period.<ref name="merchandise" /> Dalek toys released in the 1970s included a new version of Louis Marx's battery-operated Dalek (1974), a "talking Dalek" from [[Palitoy]] (1975) and a Dalek board game (1975) and Dalek [[action figure]] (1977), both from [[Denys Fisher]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Howe |first1=David J. |author-link1=David J. Howe |title=Doctor Who: The Seventies |last2=Stammers |first2=Mark |last3=Walker |first3=Stephen James |author-link3=Stephen James Walker |publisher=Doctor Who Books, an imprint of [[Virgin Publishing]] |year=1994 |isbn=0-86369-871-9 |edition=paperback |location=London |pages=168–170}}</ref> From 1988 to 2002, [[Dapol]] released a line of Dalek toys in conjunction with its ''Doctor Who'' action figure series.<ref>Howe (2003), pp. 469–473, 490–491</ref>

Beginning in 2000, Product Enterprise (who later operated under the names "Iconic Replicas" and "Sixteen 12 Collectibles") produced various Dalek toys. These included {{nowrap|one-inch (2.5&nbsp;cm)}} Dalek "Rolykins" (based on the Louis Marx toy from 1965); push-along "talking" {{nowrap|7-inch (17.8&nbsp;cm)}} Daleks; {{nowrap|2{{frac|1|2}}-inch (6.4&nbsp;cm)}} Dalek "Rollamatics" with a pull back and release mechanism; and a {{nowrap|one-foot (30.5&nbsp;cm)}} remote control Dalek.<ref>Howe (2003), pp. 492–496</ref>

In 2005 Character Options was granted the "Master Toy License" for the revived ''Doctor Who'' series, including the Daleks.<ref name="update123">Howe (2006), p.123</ref> Their product lines have included {{nowrap|5-inch (12.7&nbsp;cm)}} static/push-along and radio controlled Daleks, radio controlled {{nowrap|12-inch (30.5&nbsp;cm)}} versions and radio controlled {{nowrap|18-inch (45.7&nbsp;cm)}} / 1:3 scale variants.<ref>Howe (2006), pp. 91, 92, 94</ref> The 12-inch remote control Dalek won the 2005 award for Best Electronic Toy of the Year from the [[Toy Retailers Association]].<ref name="update123" /> Some versions of the 18-inch model included semi-autonomous and voice command-features.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Howe |first=David J. |author-link=David J. Howe |date=9 January 2008 |title=Voice Interactive Dalek |magazine=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] |publisher=[[Panini Comics]] |location=[[Royal Tunbridge Wells]], Kent |page=391 |issue=390 |issn=0957-9818}}</ref> In 2008, the company acquired a license to produce {{nowrap|5-inch (12.7&nbsp;cm)}} Daleks of the various "classic series" variants.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Sangster |first=Jim |date=7 January 2009 |title=Action figure toy range |magazine=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] |publisher=[[Panini Comics]] |location=[[Royal Tunbridge Wells]], Kent |pages=58–59 |issue=403 |issn=0957-9818}}<br />{{cite magazine |last=Sangster |first=Jim |date=6 January 2010 |title=Action figure toy range |magazine=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] |publisher=[[Panini Comics]] |location=[[Royal Tunbridge Wells]], Kent |pages=74–75 |issue=416 |issn=0957-9818}}</ref>

===Full-size reproductions===
Dalek fans have been building life-size reproduction Daleks for many years.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dando |first=Mark |year=2005 |title=The DBG History |url=http://www.dalekcity.co.uk/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100309222920/http://www.dalekcity.co.uk/ |archive-date=9 March 2010 |access-date=9 March 2010 |work=Dalek Builders' Guild}}<br />{{cite web |title=Dalek Showcase |url=http://www.projectdalek.co.uk/files/dalek_showcase.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223072828/http://www.projectdalek.co.uk/files/dalek_showcase.html |archive-date=23 February 2010 |access-date=9 March 2010 |work=Project Dalek}}</ref> The BBC and Terry Nation estate officially disapprove of self-built Daleks, but usually intervene only if attempts are made to trade unlicensed Daleks and Dalek components commercially, or if it is considered that actual or intended use may damage the BBC's reputation or the Doctor Who/Dalek brand.<ref>{{cite web |last=Labrow |first=Peter |year=2010 |title=The BBC's position on fan-built Daleks |url=http://www.daleklinks.co.uk/about/fan-built-daleks |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914131540/http://www.daleklinks.co.uk/about/fan-built-daleks |archive-date=14 September 2009 |access-date=9 March 2010 |work=Dalek Links}}</ref> The [[Crewe]]-based company "This Planet Earth" is the only business which has been licensed by the BBC and the Terry Nation Estate to produce full-size TV Dalek replicas, and by [[StudioCanal|Canal+ Image UK Ltd.]] to produce full size Movie Dalek replicas commercially.<ref name="lesbian">{{cite web |last=Haines |first=Lester |year=2005 |title=BBC pulls plug on Dalek lesbian romp flick |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/28/dalek_film/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430060552/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/28/dalek_film/ |archive-date=30 April 2010 |access-date=24 March 2010 |work=[[The Register]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |year=2010 |title=Home |url=http://www.thisplanetearth.co.uk/main/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428070501/http://www.thisplanetearth.co.uk/main/index.html |archive-date=28 April 2009 |access-date=9 March 2010 |work=This Planet Earth}}</ref>

==Other major appearances==
<!--please note that television and audio appearances are listed in the templates at the bottom of the page-->

===Stage plays===
* ''[[The Curse of the Daleks]]'': [[Wyndham's Theatre]], London (premiere 21 December 1965)
* ''[[Doctor Who and the Daleks in the Seven Keys to Doomsday]]'': [[Adelphi Theatre]], London (premiere 16 December 1974)
* ''[[Doctor Who - The Ultimate Adventure]]'': [[Wimbledon Theatre]], London (premiere 23 March 1989)
*''[[The Trial of Davros]]'': The Village Hotel, Hyde, Greater Manchester (premiere 14 November 1993) 
*''[[The Trial of Davros]]'': [[Tameside Hippodrome]], [[Ashton-under-Lyne]] (premiere 16 July 2005)
* ''[[The Evil of the Daleks#On stage|The Evil of the Daleks]]'': [[New Theatre Royal|Theatre Royal]], [[Portsmouth]] (premiere 25 October 2006)
* ''[[The Daleks' Master Plan#On stage|The Daleks' Master Plan]]'': Theatre Royal, [[Portsmouth]] (premiere 24 October 2007)
* ''[http://www.mjnewton.demon.co.uk/drwho/recall.htm Recall U.N.I.T. or THE GREAT TEA BAG MYSTERY!] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120170612/http://www.mjnewton.demon.co.uk/drwho/recall.htm |date=20 January 2013 }}'': Edinburgh Fringe Festival 1984 play by [[Richard Franklin (actor)|Richard Franklin]]

===Concerts===
* [[Doctor Who Prom (2008)|''Doctor Who'' Prom]] (27 July 2008)
* ''Doctor Who'' Prom (27 July 2010)
* ''Doctor Who'' Prom (27 July 2013)

===Original novels and novellas===
*''[[War of the Daleks]]'' by [[John Peel (writer)|John Peel]] (''[[Eighth Doctor Adventures]]''), published October 1997
*''[[Legacy of the Daleks]]'' by John Peel (''Eighth Doctor Adventures''), published April 1998
*''[[The Dalek Factor]]'' by [[Simon Clark (novelist)|Simon Clark]] (''[[Telos Doctor Who novellas]]''), published March 2004
*''[[I am a Dalek]]'' by [[Gareth Roberts (writer)|Gareth Roberts]] (''[[New Series Adventures]]'', part of the [[Quick Reads Initiative]]), published May 2006
*''[[Prisoner of the Daleks]]'' by [[Trevor Baxendale]] (''New Series Adventures''), published April 2009
*''The Only Good Dalek'' by [[Justin Richards]] and [[Mike Collins (comics)|Mike Collins]] (''New Series Adventures''), published November 2010
*''[[The Dalek Generation]]'' by [[Nicholas Briggs]] (''New Series Adventures''), published April 2013
*[[Engines of War (Doctor Who)|''Engines of War'']] by [[George Mann (writer)|George Mann]] (New Series Adventures), published July 2014

==Other appearances==
===Non–''Doctor Who'' television and film===
Daleks have made cameo appearances in television programmes and films unrelated to ''Doctor Who'' from the 1960s to the present day.
* Two to three purple toy Daleks are also seen in the background of an episode of the American children's cartoon ''[[Rugrats]]''.<ref name="test">{{cite web |author=Chris Hardwick |url=http://www.nerdist.com/2011/01/rugrats-dalek-easter-egg/ |title=Rugrats Dalek Easter Egg |publisher=Nerdist.com |date=17 January 2011 |access-date=11 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006011650/http://www.nerdist.com/2011/01/rugrats-dalek-easter-egg/ |archive-date=6 October 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* A toy Dalek appears in the opening sequence of the seventh episode of the British comedy series ''[[Mr. Bean]]'' (titled ''[[Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean]]''), when Mr. Bean plays an "alternative [[nativity play]]" with several modern day toys like tanks and a plastic dinosaur.
* In the television special ''[[Red Dwarf#Red Dwarf Night|The Red Dwarf A–Z]]'', two Daleks are shown (under "E" for "Exterminate") arguing that all Earth television is human propaganda, and the works more commonly attributed to [[William Shakespeare]] and [[Ludwig van Beethoven]] were actually written by Daleks, although they deny having written "[[Mandy (Barry Manilow song)|Mandy]]" by [[Barry Manilow]]; subsequently, one of them remarks that the "change the bulb" joke from the episode "[[Legion (Red Dwarf episode)|Legion]]" was funny, and is promptly exterminated by the other for the crime of "not behaving like a true Dalek".
* In the 2004 series of ''[[Coupling (British TV series)|Coupling]]'', written by Steven Moffat (who was later to write for and produce ''Doctor Who''), a Dalek appears in the second episode of season 4.<ref name="coupling">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/06_june/16/coupling_moffat.shtml |title=Writer Steven Moffat |work=[[BBC News|BBC Press Office]] |date=16 June 2004 |access-date=21 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327234029/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/06_june/16/coupling_moffat.shtml |archive-date=27 March 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> This was voiced by [[Nicholas Briggs]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.noisemonster.com/corporate/people_briggs.shtml |title=The People—Nicholas Briggs |year=2005 |publisher=Noise Monster Productions |access-date=3 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714191214/http://www.noisemonster.com/corporate/people_briggs.shtml |archive-date=14 July 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> who later went on to provide Dalek voices for the series proper from 2005 onwards.<ref>Russell (2006), p. 161</ref> (Terry Nation's original Dalek rights deal with the BBC had been negotiated by his then agent [[Beryl Vertue]], later Moffat's mother-in-law.)<ref name="moffat">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/aug/31/2 |title=Monkey goes to Edinburgh |work=The Guardian |location=London |format=Requires free registration |date=31 August 2004 |access-date=21 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930131425/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/aug/31/2 |archive-date=30 September 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* In the film ''[[Looney Tunes: Back in Action]]'', the secret military base, Area 52, detains a number of monsters and robots from old sci-fi films; among those are two Daleks, who upon release by [[Marvin the Martian]], proceed to attack while spouting their catchphrases.<ref name=bignell187/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/looney-tunes-back-in-action/803 |title=Film Review—Looney Tunes: Back in Action |last=Vasquez |first=Josh |date=12 November 2003 |work=[[Slant Magazine]] |access-date=3 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201014128/http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/looney-tunes-back-in-action/803 |archive-date=1 February 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* A Dalek appeared alongside [[Darth Vader]], [[Ming the Merciless]], a [[Klingon]], the [[Sixth Doctor]] and a 1980s [[Cyberman]] in a 2003 episode of the British motoring programme ''[[Top Gear (2002 TV series)|Top Gear]]'', to see who was "Master of the Universe" with a lap around their [[Top Gear Test Track|test track]] in a racing modified [[Honda Civic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://australia.bbcknowledge.com/topgear/series-2.html |title=Top Gear—Series 2 |publisher=[[BBC Knowledge (international)|BBC Knowledge]] |access-date=21 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100428124852/http://australia.bbcknowledge.com/topgear/series-2.html |archive-date=28 April 2010 }}</ref> The Dalek could not get into the car, so it exterminated the other drivers (with the exception of the Klingon and the Doctor; who had apparently fled beforehand as they were not present); the Cyberman was eventually declared the winner by the hosts.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Series 2, episode 8 |episode-link=Top Gear (series 2)#s2e8 |series=Top Gear |series-link=Top Gear (2002 TV series) |credits=Director Brian Klein, Producer Peter McCann, Executive Producer Gary Hunter |network=BBC |station=BBC Two |location=[[Dunsfold]], Surrey, UK |airdate=6 July 2003 |series-no=2 |number=8 |minutes=30:00 }}<br/>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/show/episodes/series2episode8.shtml |title=Top Gear—Episode Archive—Series 2 |work=official Top Gear website |publisher=BBC |access-date=21 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222130921/http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/show/episodes/series2episode8.shtml |archive-date=22 February 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* In a 2009 episode of the American sitcom ''[[Better Off Ted]]'', a deactivated Dalek is spotted in the sub-basement where the supposed "Robot Farm" is located.<ref>{{cite web |author=McMillan, Graeme |date=2 January 2010 |title=Better Off Ted Reveals The Origins of Doctor Who's Tin-Plated Bad Guys? |url=http://io9.com/5438790/better-off-ted-reveals-the-origins-of-doctor-whos-tin+plated-bad-guys |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106080552/http://io9.com/5438790/better-off-ted-reveals-the-origins-of-doctor-whos-tin+plated-bad-guys |archive-date=6 January 2010 |access-date=6 January 2010 |work=[[io9]] |publisher=[[Gawker Media]]}}</ref>
* In the 2017 film ''[[The Lego Batman Movie]]'', the Daleks, in what appears to be a [[Lego]] adaptation of their 2010 designs, make an appearance as escaped prisoners from the [[Phantom Zone]].<ref name="ign refs">{{cite web | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/02/14/the-lego-batman-movie-easter-eggs-and-references | title = The Lego Batman Movie Easter Eggs and References | first = Joshua | last = Yehl | date = 14 February 2017 | access-date = 14 February 2017 | website = [[IGN]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170215000207/http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/02/14/the-lego-batman-movie-easter-eggs-and-references | archive-date = 15 February 2017 | url-status = live }}</ref>
* [[It's a Sin (TV series)|''It's A Sin'']] (written by ''Doctor Who'' show runner [[Russell T Davies]]), in scenes where series lead Ritchie Tozer ([[Olly Alexander]]) is cast in a fictional ''Doctor Who'' story called ''Regression of the Daleks''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Russell T Davies filmed a surprise Doctor Who scene for new drama It's A Sin|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/2021-01-08/its-a-sin-doctor-who-daleks/|access-date=2021-01-25|website=Radio Times|language=en}}</ref>

===Comic books===
* In the [[graphic novel]] ''Abslom Daak: Dalek Killer'', the titular protagonist, a sentenced criminal with a death wish and an insatiable hatred of the Daleks, hunts his nemeses who have recently invaded the planet Mazar, homeworld of princess Taiyin.<ref>{{cite comic | title=Abslom Daak: Dalek Killer | date=1990 | location=13/15 [[Arundel Street]], [[London]] WC2R 3DX, [[United Kingdom]] | writer=[[Steve Moore (cartoonist)|Steve Moore]] | cowriters=[[Steve Dillon]], [[David Lloyd (comics)|David Lloyd]], [[Lee Sullivan (comics)|Lee Sullivan]], [[Richard Starkings|Richard Alan]], [[John Tomlinson (comics)|Steve Alan]] | publisher=[[Marvel Comics]] ([[Marvel Graphic Novel]]) | id={{ISBN|1854001132|9781854001139}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Who Is Abslom Daak, Dalek Killer? And Why Does He Rock ''Doctor Who''? | url=https://gizmodo.com/who-is-abslom-daak-dalek-killer-and-why-does-he-rock-1638267698 | date=23 September 2014 | access-date=17 April 2020 | author=[[Charlie Jane Anders]]}}</ref>

===Music===
[[File:I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas With A Dalek.jpg|thumb|alt=A square record cover, with the text "I'M GONNA SPEND MY CHRISTMAS WITH A DALEK" and the label "ORIOLE" (smaller) above a photograph showing a young woman and four young men in 1960s dress smiling and laughing at a grey Dalek on an urban street. The white text "the go-go's" is superimposed on the lower left quadrant of the photograph.|The cover of the 1964 novelty single "I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas with a Dalek" by [[The Go-Go's (1960s)|the Go-Go's]]]]<!--FAIR USE of I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas with a Dalek.jpg; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:I%27m_Gonna_Spend_My_Christmas_With_A_Dalek.jpg for rationale-->

Daleks have been referred to or associated in many musical compositions.

* The first known musical reference to Daleks is the 1964 [[novelty record|novelty]] single "I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas with a Dalek" by [[The Go-Go's (1960s)|the Go-Go's]], released during the 1960s' "[[Dalekmania]]" fad.<ref>Howe (1992), p. 148</ref>
* Dalek voices were sampled and recreated in the 1988 novelty single "[[Doctorin' the Tardis]]" by The Timelords (who later performed as [[the KLF]]),<ref>Howe, 1996a, p. 163</ref>

===Video games===
Licensed ''Doctor Who'' games featuring Daleks include 1984's ''[[The Key to Time]]'', a text adventure game for the [[ZX Spectrum]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Price |first=Richard |date=December 1984 |title=Have Tardis will travel |journal=[[Sinclair User]] |issue=33 |page=38 |publisher=[[EMAP]] |location=London |issn=0262-5458 |url=http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=SinclairUser/Issue033/Pages/SinclairUser03300038.jpg |access-date=14 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903221910/http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=SinclairUser%2FIssue033%2FPages%2FSinclairUser03300038.jpg |archive-date=3 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> The first graphical game to feature daleks was the eponymous, turn-based title released by Johan Strandberg for the Macintosh in the same year.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Daleks (Mac OS Classic) - The Cutting Room Floor|url=https://tcrf.net/Daleks_(Mac_OS_Classic)|access-date=2021-02-10|website=tcrf.net}}</ref> Daleks also appeared in minor roles or as thinly disguised versions in other, minor games throughout the 80s, but did not feature as central adversaries in a licensed game until 1992, when Admiral Software published ''[[Dalek Attack]]''.<ref name="bingegamer">{{cite web|url=http://www.bingegamer.net/2009/greatest-games-youve-never-played-dalek-attack/ |title=Greatest Games You've Never Played: Dalek Attack |last=Walker |first=James |date=8 July 2009 |work=Binge Gamer |access-date=16 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100126001019/http://www.bingegamer.net/2009/greatest-games-youve-never-played-dalek-attack/ |archive-date=26 January 2010 }}</ref> The game allowed the player to play various Doctors or companions, running them through several environments to defeat the Daleks.<ref name="bingegamer"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/dalek-attack |title=Dalek Attack |last1=Stryker |first1=B.L. |last2=Smith |first2=Martin |work=[[MobyGames]] |access-date=16 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100407031157/http://www.mobygames.com/game/dalek-attack |archive-date=7 April 2010 |url-status=live }}<br/>{{cite web |url=http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/1017/Dalek+Attack.html |title=Dalek Attack |author=Sebatianos |work=[[Abandonia]] |access-date=16 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529011028/http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/1017/Dalek+Attack.html |archive-date=29 May 2010 |url-status=live }}<br/>{{cite journal |first=Jonathan |last=Nash |date=July 1993 |title=Doctor Who: Dalek Attack |journal=[[Your Sinclair]] |issue=91 |pages=8–9 |publisher=[[Future Publishing]] |location=[[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] |url=http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=YourSinclair/Issue91/Pages/YourSinclair9100008.jpg |access-date=14 January 2010 |issn=0269-6983 }}</ref> In 1997 the BBC released a [[Personal computer|PC]] game entitled ''[[Destiny of the Doctors]]'' which also featured the Daleks, among other adversaries.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Gillatt |first=Gary |date=22 October 1997 |title=The game's up! |magazine=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] |issue=257 |page=27}}</ref>

One authorised online game is ''The Last Dalek'', a [[Adobe Flash|Flash]] game created by New Media Collective for the BBC. It is based on the 2005 episode "Dalek" and can be played at the official BBC ''Doctor Who'' website.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/games/lastdalek/index.html |title=The Last Dalek |access-date=24 March 2010 |format=[[Adobe Flash]] |work=BBC Doctor Who website |publisher=BBC News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090823095245/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/games/lastdalek/index.shtml |archive-date=23 August 2009 }}</ref> The ''Doctor Who'' website also features another game, ''Daleks vs Cybermen'' (also known as ''Cyber Troop Control Interface''), based on the 2006 episode "Doomsday"; in this game, the player controls troops of Cybermen which must fight Daleks as well as [[Torchwood Institute]] members.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/games/game13/index.html |title=Cyber Troop Control Interface |access-date=24 March 2010 |format=[[Adobe Flash]] |work=BBC Doctor Who website |publisher=BBC News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100926023759/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/games/game13/index.shtml |archive-date=26 September 2010 }}</ref>

On 5 June 2010, the BBC released the first of four official computer games on its website, ''Doctor Who: The Adventure Games'', which are intended as part of the official TV series adventures. In the first of these, 'The City of the Daleks', the Doctor in his 11th incarnation and Amy Pond must stop the Daleks re-writing time and reviving Skaro, their homeland.<ref>{{cite web|title=City of the Daleks detailed|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/city-of-the-daleks-detailed|first=Tom|last=Bramwell|date=2010-04-22|access-date=2025-04-16|website=Eurogamer}}</ref>

They also appear in the [[Nintendo DS]] and [[Wii]] games ''[[Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth]]'' and ''[[Doctor Who: Return to Earth]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Steve |date=2011-01-03 |title=Review for Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth |url=https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18503 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120703001744/http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18503 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=3 July 2012 |access-date=2024-05-14 |website=Adventure Gamers}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Marsh |first=Michael |title=Doctor Who: Return to Earth Review |url=https://www.impulsegamer.com/wiidoctorwhoreturntoearth.html |access-date=2024-05-14 |website=Impulse Gamer}}</ref>

The Daleks also appear in ''[[Lego Dimensions]]'' where they ally themselves with Lord Vortech and possess the size-altering scale keystone. When Batman, Gandalf, and Wyldstyle encounter them, they assume that they are allies of the Doctor and attack the trio. The main characters continue to fight the Daleks until they call the Doctor to save them. A Dalek saucer also appears in the level based on [[Metropolis (comics)|Metropolis]], in which the top of it serves as the stage for the boss battle against [[Sauron]] and includes Daleks among the various enemies summoned to attack the player. A Dalek is also among the elements summoned by the player to deal with the obstacles in the ''[[Portal 2]]'' story level of Lego Dimensions.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

The Daleks also appear in ''Doctor Who: The Edge of Time'', a Virtual Reality Game for the [[PlayStation VR]], [[Oculus Rift]], [[Oculus Quest]], [[HTC Vive]], and Vive Cosmos, which was released in September 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last=GameCentral |date=2019-11-12 |title=Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time VR game out now, lets you play as a Dalek |url=https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/12/doctor-edge-time-vr-game-now-lets-play-dalek-11083482/ |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=Metro |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Purslow |first=Matt |date=2019-09-25 |title=Doctor Who: The Edge of Time Puts Puzzles on a Spaceship |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/09/25/doctor-who-the-edge-of-time-puts-puzzles-on-a-spaceship |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref>

The Daleks are a licensed costume in ''[[Fall Guys]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Comer |first=Tim |date=2022-11-03 |title=How To Get The Dalek Skin in Fall Guys |url=https://screenrant.com/how-to-get-dalek-skin-doctor-who-fall-guys/ |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref>

===Politics===
At the 1966 [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] conference in [[Blackpool]], delegate [[Hugh Dykes]] publicly compared the Labour government's [[Secretary of State for Defence|Defence Secretary]] [[Denis Healey]] to the creatures. "Mr. Healey is the Dalek of defence, pointing a metal finger at the armed forces and saying 'I will eliminate you'."<ref name="healy">{{cite news |title=Defence – Mr Healey 'The Dalek' |work=The Times |location=UK |date=15 October 1966 |page=13}}</ref>

In a [[British Government]] [[Debate (parliamentary procedure)|Parliamentary Debate]] in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] on 12 February 1968, the then [[Minister of Technology]] [[Tony Benn]] mentioned the Daleks during a reply to a question from the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]] [[Hugh Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Putney|Hugh Jenkins]] concerning the [[Concorde]] aircraft project. In the context of the dangers of [[solar flare]]s, he said, "Because we are exploring the frontiers of technology, some people think Concorde will be avoiding solar flares like Dr. Who avoiding Daleks. It is not like this at all."<ref name="benn">{{cite news |title=The Commons: cost of Concorde: market for Beagles |work=The Times |location=UK |date=13 February 1968 |page=5}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1968/feb/12/concorde-aircraft#S5CV0758P0_19680212_HOC_81|title=Concorde Aircraft|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=12 February 1968|access-date=7 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308211855/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1968/feb/12/concorde-aircraft#S5CV0758P0_19680212_HOC_81|archive-date=8 March 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Australian Labor Party]] luminary [[Robert Ray (Australian politician)|Robert Ray]] described his right wing [[Labor Unity]] faction successor, Victorian Senator [[Stephen Conroy]], and his Socialist Left faction counterpart, [[Kim Carr]], as "factional Daleks" during a 2006 [[Australian Fabian Society]] lunch in Sydney.<ref name="Cavalier">{{cite news |last=Cavalier |first=Rodney |date=22 September 2006 |title=Daleks essential to Beazley going forward |url=https://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/daleks-essential-to-beazley-going-forward/2006/09/21/1158431840640.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629150837/http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/daleks-essential-to-beazley-going-forward/2006/09/21/1158431840640.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1 |archive-date=29 June 2011 |access-date=24 March 2010 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |page=19}}</ref>

During a 2021 House of Commons debate about the retention of dentists in rural areas of the United Kingdom during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the voice of Conservative MP [[Scott Mann (politician)|Scott Mann]] of [[North Cornwall]], while on a video link, became distorted due to a malfunction with his audio feed. [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Deputy Speaker of the House]] [[Nigel Evans]] interrupted his broadcast, amidst the chuckles from other MPs; by saying, "Scott, you sound like a Dalek and I don't mean that unkindly. There's clearly a communications problem." Mann later returned to apologise.<ref>{{cite web |last=Chao-Fong |first=Chao-Fong |date=14 January 2021 |title='You Sound Like A Dalek'–MP Has Ominous Malfunction in Parliament |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/scott-mann-dalek_uk_600078b4c5b6efae62f6ba58 |access-date=22 December 2024 |work=Huffpost}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2021/jan/14/scott-you-sound-like-a-dalek-mps-speech-disrupted-by-unfortunate-tech-malfunction-video|title='Scott, you sound like a Dalek': MP's speech disrupted by tech malfunction - The Guardian.com video|newspaper=The Guardian|date=14 January 2021}}</ref>

Daleks have been used in [[political cartoon]]s to caricature: [[Douglas Hurd]], as the 'Douglek', in [[Private Eye]]'s [[Dan Dare|Dan Dire – Pilot of the Future]]; [[Tony Benn]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/record/NG2207 |title=View cartoon item: NG2207 |last=Garland |first=Nicholas |author-link=Nicholas Garland |date=31 January 1981 |work=The Spectator |location=UK |publisher=[[British Cartoon Archive]] |access-date=23 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716061855/http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/record/NG2207 |archive-date=16 July 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[John Birt]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/record/PC2527 |title=View cartoon item: PC2527 |last=Bell |first=Steve |author-link=Steve Bell (cartoonist) |date=19 September 1997 |work=The Guardian |location=UK |publisher=[[British Cartoon Archive]] |access-date=23 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716061955/http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/record/PC2527 |archive-date=16 July 2011}}</ref> [[Tony Blair]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Blair's rule by diktat |first=Steve |last=Bell |author-link=Steve Bell (cartoonist) |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cartoons/stevebell/0,7371,955640,00.html |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=14 May 2003 |access-date=23 March 2010 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930144750/http://www.theguardian.com/cartoons/stevebell/0,7371,955640,00.html |archive-date=30 September 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/record/DB0110 |title=View cartoon item: DB0110 |last=Brown |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Brown (cartoonist) |date=17 November 1998 |work=The Independent |location=UK |publisher=[[British Cartoon Archive]] |access-date=23 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716062142/http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/record/DB0110 |archive-date=16 July 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Alec Douglas-Home]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/record/06437 |title=View cartoon item: 06437 |last=Weisz |first=Victor |author-link=Victor Weisz |date=25 December 1964 |work=New Statesman |location=UK |publisher=[[British Cartoon Archive]] |access-date=23 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716062219/http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/record/06437 |archive-date=16 July 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Charles de Gaulle]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/record/06435 |title=View cartoon item: 06435 |last=Illingworth |first=Leslie Gilbert |author-link=Leslie Gilbert Illingworth |date=16 December 1964 |work=Daily Mail |location=UK |publisher=[[British Cartoon Archive]] |access-date=23 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716062417/http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/record/06435 |archive-date=16 July 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Mark Thompson (television executive)|Mark Thompson]].<ref>{{cite news |title=How the call for aid to Gaza left the BBC in the thick of battle |first=Steve |last=Bell |author-link=Steve Bell (cartoonist) |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/cartoon/2009/jan/27/bbc-gaza-aid-appeal |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=27 January 2009 |access-date=23 March 2010 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130905181230/http://www.theguardian.com/world/cartoon/2009/jan/27/bbc-gaza-aid-appeal |archive-date=5 September 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Magazine covers===
[[File:Radio Times Vote Dalek cover.jpg|right|thumb|alt=A gatefold magazine cover, depicting a nighttime scene with four gold Daleks in the foreground, the railing of a bridge in the midground, and the Perpendicular Gothic towers of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben in the background. The left half of the image contains the text "Radio Times" in the top, and "VOTE DALEK!" in the lower left. A small black-and-white photograph is superimposed on the upper left of the right side of the image; that photograph, taken from a slightly different angle, shows four Daleks crossing the same bridge, with the same building in the background.|The ''Radio Times'' for 30 April&nbsp;– 6 May 2005 covered both the return of the Daleks to ''Doctor Who'' and the forthcoming [[2005 United Kingdom general election|general election]]. In 2008, it was voted the best British magazine cover of all time.]]

Daleks have appeared on magazine covers promoting ''Doctor Who'' since the "Dalekmania" fad of the 1960s. ''[[Radio Times]]'' has featured the Daleks on its cover several times, beginning with the 21–27 November 1964 issue which promoted ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/galleries/doctorwhocovers/02/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20081203002552/http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/galleries/doctorwhocovers/02/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 December 2008 |title=Doctor Who covers: The Dalek Invasion of Earth |access-date=24 March 2010 |work=Radio Times |publisher=BBC Magazines}}</ref> Other magazines also used Daleks to attract readers' attention, including ''Girl Illustrated''.<ref name=porn>Howe (1996), pp. 60–61, 66</ref>

In April 2005, ''Radio Times'' created a special cover to commemorate both the return of the Daleks to the screen in "[[Dalek (Doctor Who episode)|Dalek]]" and the forthcoming [[2005 United Kingdom general election|general election]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/shows/doctor-who/gallery/gallery-twenty/001/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110524004825/http://www.radiotimes.com/shows/doctor-who/gallery/gallery-twenty/001/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 May 2011 |title=Doctor Who – The greatest magazine cover of all time |access-date=24 March 2010 |work=Radio Times |publisher=[[BBC Magazines]] }}</ref> This cover recreated a scene from ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' in which the Daleks were seen crossing [[Westminster Bridge]], with the [[Houses of Parliament]] in the background. The cover text read "VOTE DALEK!" In a 2008 contest sponsored by the [[Periodical Publishers Association]], this cover was voted the best British magazine cover of all time.<ref>{{cite news |first=Nicole |last=Martin |title=Vote Dalek image voted best magazine cover of all time |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3102812/Vote-Dalek-image-voted-best-magazine-cover-of-all-time.html |date=29 September 2008 |work=The Daily Telegraph|location=UK |access-date=24 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123153512/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3102812/Vote-Dalek-image-voted-best-magazine-cover-of-all-time.html |archive-date=23 November 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2013 it was voted "Cover of the century" by the [[Professional Publishers Association]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Marcus|last=Hilton|title=Radio Times Exhibition|url=http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2013/07/radio-times-exhibition.html|work=Doctor Who News|access-date=29 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801112238/http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2013/07/radio-times-exhibition.html|archive-date=1 August 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[2010 United Kingdom general election]] campaign also prompted a collector's set of three near-identical covers of the ''Radio Times'' on 17 April with exactly the same headline but with the [[Victory of the Daleks|newly redesigned Daleks]] in their primary colours representing the three main political parties, Red being Labour, Blue as Conservative and Yellow as [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

===Parodies===
{{See also|Doctor Who spoofs}}
Daleks have been the subject of many [[parodies]], including [[Spike Milligan]]'s "[[Doctor Who spoofs#Pakistani Dalek (1975)|Pakistani Dalek]]" sketch in his comedy series ''[[Q (Spike Milligan series)|Q]]'',<ref name="crapsketch">{{cite news |title=Q6 – BBC2 |work=The Times |location=UK |first=Alan |last=Coren |author-link=Alan Coren |date=12 December 1975 |page=14}}</ref><ref>Newman, p. 35</ref><ref name="mingmongs">{{cite magazine |last=Lyons |first=Steve |author-link=Steve Lyons (writer) |author2=Chris Howarth |date=10 February 1999 |title=But Doctor, I haven't got the Ming-Mongs! |magazine=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] |issue=274 |pages=29–30 |publisher=[[Marvel Comics]] |location=[[Tunbridge Wells]], Kent |issn=0957-9818}}</ref> and [[Victor Lewis-Smith]]'s "Gay Daleks".<ref name="mingmongs"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Doctor stuck in a time warp |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/newsfeatures/2005/0312/1110452198946.html |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |location=Dublin |date=12 March 2005 |access-date=3 February 2010 |first=Shane |last=Hegarty |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021042416/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/newsfeatures/2005/0312/1110452198946.html |archive-date=21 October 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Occasionally the BBC has used the Daleks to parody other subjects: in 2002, [[BBC Worldwide]] published the ''Dalek Survival Guide'', a parody of ''[[Worst-Case Scenario series|The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbooks]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Richards |first=Justin |author-link=Justin Richards |author2=[[Nicholas Briggs]] |author3=[[Stephen Cole (writer)|Stephen Cole]] |author4=[[Jacqueline Rayner]] |author5=[[Mike Tucker (special effects artist)|Mike Tucker]] |editor=Ben Dunn|title=Dalek Survival Guide |year=2002 |publisher=[[BBC Worldwide]] |location=London |isbn=0-563-48600-7 }}</ref> Comedian [[Eddie Izzard]] has an extended stand-up routine about Daleks, which was included in her 1993 stand-up show "[[Live at the Ambassadors]]".<ref>{{cite news |title=Eddie Izzard: The tough transvestite who can take care of himself |first=Rampton |last=James |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=23 May 2004 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/eddie-izzard-the-tough-transvestite-who-can-take-care-of-himself-564108.html |access-date=3 February 2010 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100311215712/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/eddie-izzard-the-tough-transvestite-who-can-take-care-of-himself-564108.html |archive-date=11 March 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Daleks made two brief appearances in a [[pantomime]] version of ''[[Aladdin]]'' at the [[Birmingham Hippodrome]] which starred ''[[Torchwood]]'' star [[John Barrowman]] in the lead role.<ref>{{cite news|title=Aladdin @ Hippodrome |first=Holly |last=Beaumont-Wilkes |work=BBC News |date=28 December 2007 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2007/12/28/aladdin_review_feature.shtml |access-date=3 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224182547/http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2007/12/28/aladdin_review_feature.shtml |archive-date=24 February 2014 }}</ref> A joke-telling robot, possessing a Dalek-like boom, and loosely modelled after the Dalek, also appeared in the ''[[South Park]]'' episode "[[Funnybot]]", even spouting out "exterminate".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://m.ign.com/articles/1166181 |title=South Park: "Funnybot" Review – IGN |publisher=M.ign.com |date=5 May 2011 |access-date=11 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820095438/http://m.ign.com/articles/1166181 |archive-date=20 August 2011}}</ref> A Dalek can also be seen in the background at timepoints 1:13 and 1:17 in the [[Sam & Max]] [[The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police|animated series]] episode "The Trouble with Gary". In the ''[[Community (TV series)|Community]]'' parody of ''Doctor Who'' called ''Inspector Spacetime'', they are referred to as Blorgons.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What's New With Doctor Who: Real Sonic Screwdriver, Dalek Race, and Lego Doctor |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/afzjp5/doctor-who-real-sonic-screwdriver-dalek-race-lego-doctor-who |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250414053904/https://www.mtv.com/news/afzjp5/doctor-who-real-sonic-screwdriver-dalek-race-lego-doctor-who |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 April 2025 |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=MTV |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Doctor Who|BBC}}
* [[Dalek variants]]
* [[Dalekmania]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
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*{{cite book |last1=Howe |first1=David J. |last2=Stammers |first2=Mark |last3=Walker |first3=Stephen James | title=The Handbook: The First Doctor – The William Hartnell Years 1963–1966 |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |year=1994 |isbn=0-426-20430-1}}
*{{cite book |last1=Howe |first1=David J. |last2=Stammers |first2=Mark |last3=Walker |first3=Stephen James |title=Doctor Who: The Eighties |year=1996 |edition=paperback |publisher=Doctor Who Books, an imprint of [[Virgin Publishing]] |location=London |isbn=0-7535-0128-7 }}
*{{cite book|last1=Howe |first1=David J. |last2=Walker |first2=Stephen James|title = Doctor Who: The Television Companion|year =1998|edition=1st|location = London |publisher=BBC Books|isbn=0-563-40588-0 }}
*{{cite book |last1=Howe |first1=David J. |last2=Walker |first2=Stephen James |title=The Television Companion: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Doctor Who |year=2004 |edition=2nd |location=Tolworth, Surrey |publisher=Telos Publishing |isbn =1-903889-51-0 }}
*{{cite book |last1=Miles |first1=Lawrence |author-link1=Lawrence Miles |last2=Wood |first2=Tat |author-link2=Tat Wood |year = 2006 |title = About Time 1: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who (Seasons 1 to 3) |location = Des Moines, Iowa |publisher=Mad Norwegian Press |isbn = 0-9759446-0-6 }}
*{{cite book |last=Nation |first=Terry |author-link=Terry Nation |year=1979 |title=Terry Nation's Dalek Special |publisher=[[Target Books]] |location=London |isbn=0-426-20095-0}}
*{{cite book |last=Newman |first=Kim |author-link=Kim Newman |title=BFI TV Classics: Doctor Who |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |location=London |year=2005 |isbn=1-84457-090-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Parkin|first=Lance|author-link=Lance Parkin |title= AHistory: An Unauthorised History of the Doctor Who Universe|year=2006|publisher=Mad Norwegian Press|location=Des Moines, Iowa |isbn=0-9725959-9-6}}
*{{cite book|last=Peel|first=John |author-link=John Peel (writer) |author2=Terry Nation|title=The Official Doctor Who & the Daleks Book|year=1988|publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]]|location=New York |isbn=0-312-02264-6}}
*{{cite book |last=Russell |first=Gary |author-link=Gary Russell |title=Doctor Who – The Inside Story |publisher=BBC Books |year=2006 |location=London|isbn=0-563-48649-X}}
*{{cite book |last=Segal |first=Philip |author-link=Philip Segal |author2=Gary Russell |title=Doctor Who: Regeneration |year=2000 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |location=London |isbn=0-00-710591-6}}
*{{cite book |last1=Walker |first1=Stephen James |last2=Howe |first2=David J. |title=Talkback: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Doctor Who Interview Book: Volume One: The Sixties |year=2006 |publisher=Telos Publishing |location=Tolworth, Surrey |isbn=1-84583-006-7}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|Dalek|Dalek voice}}
{{Wikiquote|The_Daleks|The Daleks}}
* {{TardisIndexFile}}
* [http://dalek6388.co.uk/ A history of the dalek props 1963–1988]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070126004119/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/halloffame/arts/bill_roberts.shtml How the Daleks were built] – BBC Wales interview with engineer Bill Roberts
* [https://www.behance.net/gallery/52605093/Radio-Times-Daleks-making-the-Cover-of-the-Century The making of the 'Cover of the Century'].

{{Subject bar |portal2=Doctor Who |commons=y}}
{{Doctor Who}}
{{Doctor Who characters|selected=Villains}}
{{Dalek stories}}

[[Category:Daleks| ]]
[[Category:Doctor Who aliens]]
[[Category:Extraterrestrial supervillains]]
[[Category:Fictional extraterrestrial cyborgs]]
[[Category:Fictional genetically engineered characters]]
[[Category:Fictional mutants]]
[[Category:Fictional warrior races]]
[[Category:Fiction about mass murder]]
[[Category:Television characters introduced in 1963]]
[[Category:Time travelers]]
[[Category:Fictional mass murderers]]
[[Category:Cyborg supervillains]]
[[Category:Tentacles/tentacle monsters in fiction]]