Red Dalek

Red Dalek

Since their first appearance in 1963 there have been a number of variant models of the Daleks, a fictional alien race in the BBC science fiction television programme Doctor Who.

Daleks are not robots. First seen in the serial The Daleks, the outward manifestation is a powerful, technically advanced travel machine in which a hideous and malevolent mutant, the Dalek creature, resides. Although the general appearance of the Daleks has remained the same, details of both the casing and the mutant creature have changed over time. Alterations were made to accommodate the requirements of specific plot elements in various serials and episodes or at the request of producers, designers and directors to revitalise the Dalek appearance. On other occasions design changes have been the result of practical considerations when filming the Dalek props on location or the mixing of components acquired from different sources.

The episode "Asylum of the Daleks" (2012) features cameo appearances by many of the Dalek variants seen in the Doctor Who programme since its inception. Four 1960s variant Dalek props have been recreated for the forthcoming British television docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time, commissioned to celebrate the Doctor Who programme’s fiftieth anniversary.