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24: ‘Remembrance of the Daleks’
Events from Jan 87 to Oct 88
Additional non-standard props (not pictured): Special Weapons Dalek, Dalek Emperor |
Operators
John Scott Martin
Cy Town
Tony Starr
Hugh Spight
David Harrison
Norman Bacon
Nigel Wild
Voices
Royce Mills
Roy Skelton
Brian Miller
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Ben Aaronovitch
Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred on location
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New Visions
John Nathan-Turner and incoming script editor Andrew Cartmel were seeking ways to make Doctor Who more dramatic and breathe new life into the show. As part of their thinking they were actively seeking new writers who they thought could bring fresh angles, and one such writer was Ben Aaronovitch who submitted a story idea early in 1987. That storyline had had certain similarities to another already in production so the idea was shelved.
Turner and Cartmel were looking for ways to make the Doctor more mysterious again, and with the 25th anniversary season approaching it seemed like an ideal time to set those plans in motion. As had been the case for the show's 20th year, the Daleks were selected to mark the silver celebration but Terry Nation turned down the chance to write for his creations, opting instead to approve any eventual script. The production office contacted Aaronovitch whose original story idea had been promising, and asked him to submit a synopsis which included the Daleks. He was commissioned on 30th October 1987.
Aaronovitch was briefed to improve the Daleks by injecting more menace, as it was felt they had been the butt of jokes for too many years. One aspect he didn't want to use initially was Davros, whom he felt watered down the effect of the Daleks. However, visual effects designer Mike Tucker mentioned his liking for the domed Emperor Dalek in the sixties comic strips, and he suggested it would be interesting for the dome to open to reveal Davros. Aaronovitch was happy with the idea and included Davros in later revisions of the script.
Terry Nation was initially unhappy with the role of Davros in the script but eventually Turner and Cartmel persuaded him the idea would work. Aaronovitch strove to write a story filled with action and battles, however the mass slaughter of humans in Doctor Who was now frowned upon, so he looked instead for ways to allow the Daleks to battle each other. He conveniently picked up on the civil war strand that had been started in Resurrection of the Daleks and continued in Revelation of the Daleks, and so wove in ideas of race-hate into his story set in 1960s England. This left great opportunities for gun battles and fire-fights without resulting in another infamous body-count such as in Resurrection.
With the script initially referring to Red Daleks versus Blue Daleks primarily as an easy short-hand and Davros was now the leader of the apparently dominant Imperial force, whist the Daleks loyal to the Supreme Dalek were depicted as The Renegades. Just as in Revelation, the idea of two separate Daleks factions would mean more props would be required.
The director assigned to what became known as Remembrance of the Daleks (to continue the Biblical theme of the the last three stories) was Andrew Morgan, who had worked on Time And The Rani for the previous season. Morgan quickly set visual effects designer Stuart Brisdon the task of assembling the Daleks.
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The Supreme Dalek soon after completion in 1987
Photo - Martin Wilkie
The new Supreme Dalek in studio
Dalek N3-N4 had seven small slats
Dalek N4-N3
attacks the school
Dalek N5 with its distinctive narrow gun and arm boxes |
Shades of Grey
The scripted colours of red and blue were not taken literally, and Brisdon hoped to reuse the props from Revelation of the Daleks without repainting them. But upon assessing the number and condition of Dalek components available, it soon became clear that refurbishments were required and new props would need to be fabricated to satisfy the demands of the script.
The Renegade force was made up from six props. Two were the long-serving Daleks - Dalek One-7 and Dalek Seven-v, three were Necros props from the previous story, which were still in relatively good condition, and one new prop.
For the prop required to become the Renegade leader Andrew Morgan turned to BBC Worldwide who had in their possession a black Dalek that they used for promotional work. The prop had been assembled by Martin Wilkie and Lorne Martin in 1987 especially for BBC Worldwide.
Wilkie and Martin had access to several props that had been used for exhibition purposes including those used at the International Garden Festival, the Blackpool exhibition Daleks (unused since the exhibition closed in 1985) and Dalek N2 which had been at Longleat in the intervening years. Therefore its unsurprising that the Dalek they created for BBC Worldwide was somewhat of a hybrid prop. The basic body of skirt and shoulders was made up from Dalek N2 which was repainted gloss black with silver hemispheres and lower collar. The skirt also retained the the rubber drape tacked around the fender. The gun and red 'flipper' were also retained and the basic arm outer was kept but new stages were added.
With no need to match a particular recent style Dalek, it was decided that the Blackpool Daleks could donate parts to create a more classic style prop. The Necros neck cage was dispensed with and one of the exhibition cages (with clover style rods) fitted back in its place, The rather haphazard looking upper collar and slats of the Necros prop were also removed and replaced with a much coarser style mesh and tidier slats. Although the same dome and eyestalk were retained, one of the smaller exhibition eyeballs was fitted to the end replacing the poor replacement seen at Longleat. Orange dome lights completed the 'new' Dalek. The prop would be the third incarnation of the Supreme Dalek.
With Dalek N1 away on exhibition duties, the two remaining Necros props, Dalek N3 and Dalek N4, were made ready for the for the production. The wooden plate sections of the gunboxes were tidied removing the lumps from around the pivots, the fenders were fitted with new rubber and the necks were adjusted so that the newly constructed cages now sat directly on the shoulders rather than being lifted. As had happened to the older Daleks over the years, the main component parts of shoulders and skirts were mixed producing props consisting of Dalek N3-N4 and Dalek N4-N3.1
To bolster the numbers of the Renegade Daleks a new prop was also constructed. This was made from the Necros moulds rather than the new Imperial moulds so that it would match the Renegade style. We will refer to this prop as Dalek N5. The prop was basically the same as the older Necros props although the boxes were narrower. This was due to the boxes being cut back further than on the other Necros props, therefore, when the wooden plates were passed through they were set further back revealing more space between the oval and edge of the box. Two separate plates were used rather than the one single plate that the other Necros props had. In a change to the usual method of retaining the gun and arm, the appendages were affixed into the boxes by being forced into a malleable material called plastizote, and secured by the operator. The skirt wasn't fitted with the rubber drape that the other Necros props had, but instead the lower recessed stage was left visible and painted black.
Dalek One-7 and Dalek Seven-v being of an older generation needed extensive work to get them to match the moulded style of all the newer props. Both Daleks had the areas behind the lower collars filled to give them the solid moulded look of the Necros props. Dalek One-7 kept its original dome that it had been paired with since the 1970s, although the neck cage had now been swapped for a Goon type, the upper most rods of which were bent inwards to avoid fouling the dome. The hemispheres of its skirt were capped to cover damage which gave them a larger look. Dalek Seven-v received the 'Shawcraft style' neck cage and Goon dome without the eye pivot hole modification.
The five drone Daleks all had replacement upper collars in order to address a long-standing gripe of both the effects people and actors alike - the awkward and often painful mesh. In place of the troublesome material came the soft material, plastizote, which was formed around a steel mesh and dappled to look like 'mesh-like', over which the slats were then arranged. All the Daleks had their necks made to sit directly on the shoulders and new moulded eyestalks were fitted to all domes bar Dalek N3-N4s. They were painted a uniform battleship matt grey colour with black highlights to continue the theme set in the previous story.
Although much care was taken to match the props, there were still differences between the new Renegades. Dalek N3-N4 was the most noticeably different from the others. The shoulders had seven short slats instead of six and the lower collar, gun and arm pivots were grey, whereas the on the other props they were black. Areas of the new mesh of Dalek N3-N4 were also dirty, possibly caused by black spray paint residue after touching up the long slats. Where the other four props had chrome foil for the iris and four discs on the eye-stalk, Dalek N3-N4 had a standard white iris and five discs.
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The new Imperial Dalek
The Special Weapons Dalek
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White Supremacy
To portray the Imperial Daleks it was decided that four completely new props would be made and would build on the approach taken with the construction of the Necros props. This time the main body was made exclusively from fibreglass, including the neck cage. The skirt shared the mould, and therefore, shape of the Necros props and generally speaking the shoulders did too, however in the new mould the slats were integrated. One of the old jokes the production team was keen to address was that of the sucker. The new Imperial props were given a solid, new style attachment that had notches cut into it, and these slotted into controls built into the sets. As the car lights on the dome had also been mocked, a completely new bespoke flat design was prepared. The Imperials were given a white finish with gold highlights again to maintain continuity with the previous Dalek tale. The slats and neck bin were covered in a gold foil, with the foil in the neck having having an extra honeycombed pattern of perforated foil over the top. The eyestalks were similar in design to the Renegade type although finished in gold with a silver iris. The guns and arms were affixed in the same new method that was used for Dalek N5. The almost complete moulded nature of the Imperial props means it is almost impossible to distinguish between them.
As extensive location work was needed on uneven surfaces, a new way of moving the props around was devised. Instead of boards or rails that had been used in the past, large spherical wheelbarrow wheels were fitted. They were arranged with two at the back and a single steerable wheel at the front. Although this made it easier to move on rough ground, the props had a tendency to wobble from side to side, and the operators had to steer them like cars so that three-point turns had to be performed, unlike the old Daleks which could swivel nimbly on the spot. Extra standard castors were added to help stabilise the props.
The Imperial Daleks would be supplemented by a Special Weapons Dalek. It was initially conceived as a floating platform but due to budgetary constraints this plan was reigned in and a bespoke tank-like top section was mounted on the SFX skirt used in the DJ studio scenes of Revelation of the Daleks. The skirt was converted for an operator and was painted to match the other Imperial Daleks and weathered to make it look like it had been through many battles. It was a stunning new design totally in keeping with JNT's plans to improve the Daleks.
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The new wheelbarrow wheel movement system
Damaged Imperial Daleks after an explosion
Dalek N5 is destroyed
The Imperial Daleks had problematical boxes
The shuttle lands at the school
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Explosive Happenings
Location taping began in London on 4th April 1988 and ran until the 13th. The story was very location heavy, helping to add an expensive gloss to the serial.
The nature of the story called for several scenes of the Dalek factions fighting. One of the main battle scenes set under a bridge utilized so many explosions that car alarms were set off and the Police were called in to investigate. Another explosive scene saw the Imperial Daleks attempting to break into the Renegades base. The resulting explosion of the gate was so large it blew hemispheres off the Imperial Daleks and tipped the head of the Special Weapons Dalek backwards off the shoulders. Rather than the Daleks appearing through the smoke as intended, the shot had to be edited early to hide the condition of the props.
Further shots of the attack on the yard included a shot of Dalek N5 being destroyed. The affect was achieved by placing a new FX neck bin onto the prop that had charges fitted into it and on cue the charges were set off and the prop was pulled forward by hidden wires to simulate the laser strike.
Several lightweight sections were needed to depict the exploding Daleks throughout the story. This included the use of a complete Imperial style FX prop that was painted in the Renegade livery to stand-in for Dalek N3-N4 in the junkyard. The skirt section of which was rigged so that two panels would fly off but unfortunately the effect failed. The skirt was seen in several more scenes with extra Dalek gore added during the studio taping.
One component of the new props which lead to problems were the gun box pivots. Instead of sitting snugly in their socket, the appendages would sink back into the box. The flaw is seen in several scenes and affects more than one prop. This trouble was caused by the new method of bracing that was not wholly successful.
Despite the older props having major refurbishment for the occasion, Dalek N3-N4, Dalek N4-N3 and Dalek N5 took most of the limelight, with the 60s/70s mix of Dalek Seven-v being kept to the rear in most shots. Although Shawcraft original Dalek One-7 was taken to the location it didn't actually appear in the finished location footage, but it did make it into the background of a promotional photograph of the Supreme Dalek.
Continuing the theme of trying to address the old Dalek myths, a scene was devised to show a Dalek traveling up a flight of stairs. Although floating Daleks had been attempted in Revelation of the Daleks, this would be the first time a Dalek would be seen tackling actual steps, and so a scene from episode two was was captured on location in the stairwell of the school acting as Coal Hill. The cameras were positioned and zoomed slowly to hide the lifting mechanism in the final shot.
One of the most spectacular location sequences featured a full-sized shuttlecraft landing at the school which was winched into place by a crane. The gigantic prop was able to hold three Daleks but a video "wipe" transition was cleverly used to make it appear that a fourth disembarked, although the effect results in the fenders of the Daleks becoming partially transparent for a moment.
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An Imperial Dalek defeats the stairs
The Emperor Dalek which utilised the skirt of Dalek N5
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Stairs? No Problem
The team moved into the studio for three days of taping beginning on 27th April 1988 where Dalek One-7 made its one brief, and final, appearance in Doctor Who. It appeared for literally a few seconds in the yard office set.
Another scene was set up to depict a Dalek floating up a cellar stairwell in the school, this time coming at the climax of episode one. The shots were framed with the lifting mechanism in view, but a video effect was used to obscure it. The apparatus consisted of a plinth for the Imperial Dalek to sit on which slid up a scaffolding pole that acted as a rail. A wire was used to turn the dome during the scene but unfortunately this is clearly seen in the final footage.
Studio work would also see the first appearance of the impressive new Dalek Emperor, the design of which resembled the look of the Emperor Dalek from the 1960s Dalek comic strips. The top section was constructed from a leftover prop from the Bodymatters medical show and formed the large spherical section. As just two of the grey Renegade Daleks would be required in studio, and then only very briefly, it was decided that Dalek N5 should give up its skirt section instead of forming a brand new one which would be more costly. It was repainted in the Imperial livery and paired with the new top section to complete the prop. This decision effectively orphaned the top section of Dalek N5. The Emperor had no arm or gun and its eye was a backlit hexagonal shape flush with the surface of the dome.
Towards the end of episode four the Doctor would video link to the mothership (which itself had design nods back to the 60s comic strip) to confront the Emperor who reveals himself to be Davros. The dome slid apart to reveal the actor inside, with Terry Molloy again playing the part. Terry Molloy, being of smaller stature and needing to sit up high to be in the correct position, found it hard to reach the floor to propel the prop with his feet. Therefore the holes in the skirt, previously made for Dalek N5's destruction scene, were reused and the prop was pulled into position by wires.2 Davros this time appeared to have lost further elements of his humanoid form. All four Imperial props were also used in the final mothership scenes.
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Dalek One-7's brief and final appearance
Dalek Seven-v on location |
A Final End?
Remembrance of the Daleks would be the last appearance of Dalek One-7 and Dalek Seven-v in a Doctor Who studio. It was fitting that the final Dalek serial of the original run featured one full top section of a Shawcraft Dalek prop built in 1963, and another almost fully complete prop from 1965. They had lasted some 25 years and were a great testament to the skill of Bill Roberts' original team at Shawcraft and the quality of the props they made for the show.
The classic series finished just a year later with the end of season 26 but the Daleks would still feature on television for years to come. Some would be screen used props, and some would be clones manufactured from the last sets of moulds made.
The early nineties would see several attempts to restart the show, culminating in 1996 with a full Television Movie being made with the co-operation of the Americans and starring Paul McGann. It is a sign of the importance of Terry Nation's creations that they were even afforded a tiny audio role in this otherwise unrelated adventure.
But, as time passed, the Daleks would increasingly become oddities of a past age - referred to no longer by excited children but only by wistful parents, mentioned during recollections of a much-loved television programme.
The Daleks that had once been frightening spectres on screen were increasingly seen only as museum pieces. But the longer Doctor Who was off air, the more the museums closed, and the battered and neglected props faded into obscurity.
But thanks to the dedication of a handful of collectors, some props were not forgotten. Five decades after they were first wheeled out, the Daleks still survive in garages and living rooms around the world...
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- The shoulders of Dalek N3 can be tracked by an imperfection in its gun pivot hole. With the skirt sections also having unique hemisphere placements we are able to see that the shoulders of Dalek N3 and Dalek N4 swap skirts.
- As recalled by Terry Molloy in an interview with Aaron J Climas - Thanks to Aaron J Climas.
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