TV#12 : "The Five Doctors"

Transmitted:

25/11/83

Props used:
 

1

Operators:

John Scott Martin
 

Voices:

Roy Skelton

(References to film Daleks means film 'style')


Although not strictly a Dalek story 'The Five Doctors' featured a significant cameo appearance from a prop which included parts which had been missing from 'Destiny of the Daleks

Starting for from the top the dome was an original dome with one of the new eyestalks from 'Destiny'. It was given red lights of a design quite unlike anything else seen previously. The dome had a rather large chunk taken out of the back (right). Its unknown when this happened but it implies that none of the other domes were available at that time to use as a replacement. The front of the dome also seems to sport some minor damage. The front rim (to the right of the eye as looked at) seem to have a knick or small chunk taken out of it. This damage is not seen in 'Destiny' on  any dome, but is seen in a picture from the late seventies in which several Daleks surround writer Robert Holmes (see 'Genesis' page). This implies that this dome was not the same original dome as that seen in 'Destiny'.

The neck cage was from an NSC prop, although, as seemed to now be the norm it was raised up off the shoulder section.

The shoulders themselves were a set from one of the original four props. They hadn't been used since 'Genesis of the Daleks' and had been tinkered with prior to the Pebble Mill recording (as discussed in the previous section). The number of slats was reduced given the shoulders a very empty look. Bits of mesh were missing from the front and even the blocks that the collars were attached to were exposed. It's possible that the boxes were also bolstered by extra 'plates' added to them. The arm sockets now had a double stage to them which they hadn't previously. The whole upper half appears to be from the prop that appeared on 'Pebble Mill' with Peter Davison three years earlier (see the 'Destiny' page). The skirt, again not seen since 'Genesis', was the film-style skirt first seen in 'Power of the Daleks'

The prop was heavily painted in gun metal grey with black trimmings, although it had a rather sad and tired-looking appearance, which was a shame considering the importance of the story. By now the original shoulders were 20 years old and it was really showing.

In the story the Dalek was destroyed and this was achieved by the use of an SFX top half being placed on an NSC skirt section. The SFX department went to town with the explosion ripping apart the fake top half and exposing the Dalek creature inside. The NSC skirt seemed unaffected. The pictures here show the SFX top half just prior to destruction (notice how many more slats are on the shoulder section!), the creature in side and the prop as it appeared at the Longleat 20th anniversary event.

 



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TextŠ Jon Green & The Mind Robber, 2007