Dr. Who and the Daleks

Lore & Background

The film is based on the Doctor Who television serial The Daleks, produced by the BBC. It was filmed in Technicolor and is the first Doctor Who film to be made in colour and in a widescreen format, though it is a separate adaptation and not a 'story' from the TV series. The film was not intended to form part of the ongoing story-lines of the television series, though it uses elements such as characters, the Daleks, and a police box time machine in re-imagined forms. Principal photography commenced at Shepperton Studios, England in April 1965 and took six weeks, with a budget of £180,000. Eight Dalek props were built at a cost of £350 each, redesigned with larger base sections and dome lights, and some fitted with a two-jawed mechanical claw. The Daleks were originally to be armed with flamethrowers, but these were vetoed on health and safety grounds and because they were considered too frightening for a young audience; instead, the guns produced jets of CO2 gas from internally mounted fire extinguishers.

Reader's Guide

Dr. Who and the Daleks holds significance as the first cinematic adaptation of the Doctor Who television series, marking the franchise's debut in colour and widescreen. It was released during the 'Dalekmania' craze, capitalizing on the popularity of the Daleks in 1960s Britain. The film was the twentieth biggest British box office moneymaker in 1965, though it did not perform as well in the US, where the television series and Daleks were relatively unknown. Critical response has been mixed: Halliwell's Film Guide described it as 'limply put together, and only for indulgent children,' while Radio Times awarded three stars out of five, calling it 'a fun ride.' The British Film Institute notes that the Cushing films 'are often forgotten in the Doctor Who pantheon.' Despite this, the film's visual style—with impressive sets and more imposing Daleks—has been praised, and it remains a notable artifact of 1960s British science fiction cinema.

Did You Know?

• The film was the first Doctor Who film to be made in colour and in a widescreen format, as a separate adaptation from the TV series.
• Eight Dalek props were built at a cost of £350 each, with some fitted with a two-jawed mechanical claw instead of a plunger.
• A documentary about the two Dalek films, Dalekmania, was released on video in 1995.