Tony Gallichan is Mildly Perturbed by... The Daleks!
Well, it's completely understandable, isn't it? The Kings of Terror. The scariest monsters in television history. Forty one years of scaring the pants off kiddies all over the world. Not too shabby...
But hold on a mo'...
What's this, hmm? No Daleks in the new series? You bleedin' what?
Cor blimey Guv'nor, strike a light, luv a duck (illegal in some states - but probably not in the south.).
You see, I LOVE the Daleks. I'm a HUGE fan. I'm almost as batty about them as Nick Briggs, he of Dalek Empire fame.
Don't ask me why. Ok, I can say that the design is great - except there's the stair problem - it doesn't matter if we can now see them flying around all over the place, their very design stops the leap of imagination - they don't have legs, thereofre they can't go up stairs. Well, that's what the newspapers would have you think, lol.
One of my earliest memories of Doctor Who is Day Of The Daleks. I was rather little when it was on. And a couple of streets away there was a path that led to fields. Now then, Andrew Cox and I went for a walk there.
Now, you know how it is. Small boys, walking through trees, talking, isn't it? And of course, all it needs is for the trees to curl over and form a tunnel. What happened at the end of part two? A Dalek materialises in a tunnel. All it took was for one of us to mention that there were Daleks here and well, terror took hold. We both ran the half mile back home as fast as we could. Both panic stricken, convinced that the Daleks were after us.
I remember the thrill of part six of Frontier In Space. when the metal gits turned up. This was, of course, before I could really tell the difference between Dalek voices. I remember seeing, the following Saturday, a trailer for Planet Of The Daleks part one. I was SO excited.
I watched the story through the crack in the lounge door.
The films were wonderful also. They kept appearing at the most inconvenient moments. Either we were just off on a picnic or I had to go to Highland's College for orchestra practice. I played second clarinet, for those interested.
Even now I get a tingle when they appear. The first con I went to, I spent the night in hospitality. They had two life sized Daleks there and I dunno what it is, but one's eyes kept being drawn back to them.
(As an aside to this, someone else there spent the Saturday night dressed in a rabbit suit, collecting for charity. He got completly plastered and woke up in hospitality the following morning with no memory of the previous night. To say he was confused is an understatement. Firstly, he had to work out how he came to be dressed as a rabbit. The icing on the cake was when he turned around and saw two full sized Daleks glaring down at him. Suddenly his head was VERY clear, lol).
And now we shan't see them.
And while part of me thinks that it's ok, they might be around once the new series is successful, the rest of me is right narked, I can tell you.
I AM SO FED UP WITH HANCOCK PISSING OVER ALL THINGS DALEK.
Ahem.
Surely its time that the Beeb considered taking the agents to court? Ok, so Dr Who might not be around if not for the Daleks, but likewise, the Daleks wouldn't be around without Who. I mean, every attempt Nation made to launch them on their own failed.
Miserably.
Who bloody designed them? Who provided the voice? The BBC, that's who, pal! I mean, have you read the description Nation popped in the script? Bare bones is such a generous phrase when used here.
It's only now with the advent of Big Finish, that we see the Daleks being shown in their greatest light. I wonder how much editorial control Hancock has on their scripts? So surely the Beeb should be allowed to use the Daleks in the show without being dictated to? Ok, fine, anything else should be cleared with the agents. But for use in Doctor Who the beeb should be allowed to do what they will - I mean, they aint gonna meddle with something SO iconic.
However.....
That said, have you see the photos of the new police box prop?
Oh dear.
What on earth happened?
I know, I know, its a silly thing to get mildly purturbed by, but the bottom line, said frequently in the newsgroups is this;
If they can get something so basic so wrong then what about the rest?
The windows are too big and square as are the door panels. And the window struts are somewhat flimsey. I was so hoping that at last we'd get a prop actually built from the plans for the police box.
Pah.
I know, its such a small, silly thing, but it has unnerved people.
For those who haven't seen things yet, here's a piccie for ya.
http://www.gallifreyone.com/newstvpic.php?sub=whophotos&id=photo0721w.jpg
and another...
http://www.gallifreyone.com/newstvpic.php?sub=whophotos&id=photo0721o.jpg
one more...
http://www.gallifreyone.com/newstvpic.php?sub=whophotos&id=photo0722o.jpg
Ok, here's a comparrison between the old series, the new series....and a little something by the new show's conceptual artist...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v390/flotanner2272/doctorwho/policeboxes.jpg
Silly, ain't I? LOL
Ah well, the joys of being a fan.
Fingers crossed, hmm?
And before you all start spouting off, I'll do it for you...
What a sad tosser. Get out more. Looney!
And quite right, too.
UPDATE 4/8/04
Oh well that's just bloody typical!!! I simply do not belieeeeeve it! ARRRGGGG!!!!!!
There I am, happily spouting off in true post sad fandomist style and what do they go and do, hmm?
They only go and agree terms for the Skaroan gits to appear in the new series, don't they?
B*&tards!
How did they know? Are they watching me, is that it? If so, should I wrap another layer of tin foil on my collander hat?
Still, at least it gave us Mitch Benn's wonderful Dalek song on The Now Show. Loved the bass line. Seemed familiar. Wonder if he's actually listened to the music for the Catharcerous trailer?
Yeah. Right.
Tony Gallichan is now hooked on Star Wars Galaxies. Oh dear.