Planet of the Daleks was linked to the previous story, Frontier in Space, and three props made a fleeting appearance at the end of that story. They were the same three props used in 'Day of the Daleks' utilising the same colour schemes, although the gold Dalek had been repainted at some point as the shade is slightly different. 

Moving into 'Planet of the Daleks' we see the same three props being reused. They were repainted to the standard grey for the story, but it seems that all three are of differing shades. Two are in the metallic grey first used in 'Day' although as one of these had been the gold prop they vary in shade slightly. However the third prop seems to be painted in a matt grey colour. This prop was not the prop taken on location (that was the prop with the film-style shoulders) so wouldn't have needed a new coat of paint on return. 'The Three Doctors' had been made between 'Frontier' and 'Planet' and could the prop have been loaned out and so requiring repainting on return? This still doesn't explain why they used a matt paint compared to the other two.

By now the props were starting to look tatty. The original components were 10 years old, with the others nearly the same age. Loaning of props, and dragging them around for location work was starting to take its toll. Neck rings were splitting, shoulder slats were broken, mesh was missing from between slats and the gun struts were now distorting, caused by stage hands pulling the props around by the guns. The BBC neither had the time nor money to constantly keep refurbishing them.

Despite the main props not being refurbished, a number of new props were made, although they were not quite up to the visual standard of the originals made by Shawcraft. Handled by Clifford Cully (based at Pinewood studios) they were of strong build quality but were lacking certain details such as the three-part neck rods and an oval between the arm and gun. Also the eye pivots were sunk further into the dome. One standard prop had this particular feature and we assume that it was a repair carried out when these new props were being made. Due to the fact they have no speaking parts, generally stand motionless on set, often as guards, they have become affectionately known as "goons". In fact Cully's diaries from the time specifically use the word "goon" but in an attempt to change the perception of these solid, albeit it less-precisely-made props, the term "NSC", meaning "Non-ShawCraft" has been more recently coined.

In terms of the build itself, they were mainly wood instead of fibreglass, the studs were stuck on rather haphazardly from the outside  and the skirts were made from separate panels rather than single cast pieces. On closer inspection it is easy to see that the gun/arm boxes are quite roughly made, rather reminiscent of DIoE1 seen in 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth'. The nature of the gun/arm boxes is illustrated in a comparison image above, shown with an original Shawcraft section.

As with so many parts of Dalek history, there has been some confusion as to how many of the "goon" or "NSC" props were made. Some sources indicate 5, some 6 or even as many as 7. Clifford Cully's diaries mention, at the end of filming (21st February 1973), the BBC delivered 10 props plus the Supreme to Pinewood for storage. Which would indicate 7 (3 main and 7 "NSC"). But only 5 appear on screen at any one time, which may cause this confusion. In the picture on the left you can see the 5 props together. Just coming into shot at the top was a fully working prop. There is one other scene similar to this one where 6 props are huddled in the control room, although a dome of one of the props moves suggesting it wasn't an NSC prop.  

In the promo pictures on the right you can see 3 consecutive photos that initially show 4, then 5, and possibly a 6th NSC prop. A dome can be seen on the extreme right hand side of the third picture. Although not clear on this small picture a little of the eyestalk can be seen and appears to be sunken like the other NSC props.

A final clue could be the climax of episode one which sees one of the NSC props sprayed black. Careful viewing of later episodes reveals that this prop appears again (still with a black eye and black dome lights) in several scenes! This prop does not appear in the three promo pictures above. These shots were taken towards the end of filming which suggests that it's either the one that can't been seen on the far right hand side, or its not being used. It also appears in the Radio Times 10th anniversary magazine, pictured with Terry Nation and some other props including the Supreme Dalek. Again it still had its black eye and eye rings, but the lights had been changed to orange with silver rings, so must have taken place after filming. Proof that this extra prop was not in the promo pictures above and therefore there must have been at least 6 an with Cully's diary evidence 7 seems most likely.

As previously stated the props were mainly used as static scene fillers although there are two instances of props moving. In the scene where the virus escapes from the tank, the next shot shows one of the NSC props suddenly scooting off the set! Presumably pulled by strings, the effect looks quite comical as the movement is unnatural compared to the usual movement of the props. In another scene where all three main props are being used, one Dalek moves into another area to speak to a fourth Dalek. This is completed in one shot. The fourth Dalek is only partially on screen and wobbles from side to side although no lights flash or appendages move. It's clear that the prop is being moved from off screen by a stage hand.

Location work for 'Planet' was filmed at Fullers Earth Quarry in Redhill, where John Scott Martin was the operator. Three props were used: One main Dalek acted in close-up when the actors had to grapple with a fully-operational Dalek, and two NSC props were used when the Daleks needed to be pushed into the water. One particular NSC which was used as a "stunt double" has its hemis misaligned in such a way that it is easily mistaken for a film skirt, however close attention to the positioning of the lower studs in the corner panel shows them to be set lower than those on the side, instead of higher as with the film props. This subtle difference can be seen in the image on the right. 

These two props also had hinges on the back of their domes/neck bins which enabled the tops to be opened for the scene. They may have also been repainted for the studio sessions which may explain the variation in colours of the NSC props. These differences can also be seen in the promo pictures above.

Due to the creation of these NSC props, future Dalek props would become a mish-mash of pieces and as a result of this assimilation, the Daleks would generally lack a respectable appearance up until the mid- to late-eighties.

By this time film style props in Dalek stories were common place, but viewers were treated to an almost complete standard film prop in the guise of the 'The Supreme Dalek' (or one of them, as there is a whole Supreme Council mentioned). It was a heavily modified film Dalek loaned to the BBC by Terry Nation. The prop in question started life as the gold Dalek built for 'The Daleks Invasion Earth 2150AD'. Its vertical neck struts were removed and the usual neck rings were replaced with a non-tapered set. A household torch was fitted on the eye stalk and flashed in time with the larger dome lights. The overall colour scheme was black and gold. Who carried out the modifications is a bit of a mystery. Clifford Culley's diaries only refer to the painting of the prop. No mention of mods is made. Possibly the BBC SFX department carried out the changes, but why not paint the prop at the same time in that case?

The 'Planet' props next appeared on TV in a popular children's programme called 'Vision On'. In a filmed insert called 'Interlude' three hero props and three NSC props performed a strange dance to music. Although a short bit of fun it's fascinating to see the props in daylight and see the condition and small details on them. Another little point of interest here is that one hero and one NSC prop were given orange dome lights prior to filming (also seen in the 10th anniversary Radio Times pictures featuring Terry Nation), although it's often assumed that these were added in the refurbishment for the next story 'Death to the Daleks'.

In June of 1973 two of the main Dalek props were stolen from the BBC. On 7th June 'Blue Peter' broadcast an appeal for the return of the Daleks. The following day the props were recovered with Blue Peter filming it for transmission the following Monday. At least one of the props received extensive damage, but again due to small budgets at the time it was still refurbished for next story rather than being junked. However the filming that Blue Peter did at this time allowed a rare glimpse into the inside of one of the props. Its fascinating to see exactly what conditions the operators worked in! The images also give away the purpose of the bolts seen on the side of the skirts. They are for the handles which aided the operator to move the prop.

The Supreme Dalek did resurface again a couple of times after its use in 'Planet'. Firstly the following year it was used in the promotion of the stage play 'Seven Keys to Doomsday'. It was looking a little battered and was missing its sucker. Also used was another film prop that had some very strange modifications. Firstly it had a big ball-like eye (again with a light in), different gun and arm boxes, and the gun and arm themselves were different. Neither of the two props appeared in the play, and more info on the props that did can be found in the 'Exhibition+' section.

Three years later, in 1977, a repainted (red/orange & black) Supreme Dalek was used in a TV advert for Weetabix, who were running a Doctor Who promotion. Along with the repaint the prop had been given the strange eye from the other film prop it had starred with the 'Seven Keys' promotion. It also now had a pink sucker on the end of its arm, presumably to replace the one that had gone missing. Its unclear who owned these props at this time, but the fact that the eyestalk was swapped from one to the other, it appears that the same person/company had them together.

Next Chapter: 'Death' >>>