I know they got one when they came into the new series in 2005, but they still look to old versionish and a bit lame to be taken seriously now. Anyone else think that they should loose the whisk and plunger and replace them with something more threatening? and maybe make the Daleks a little taller and more bulky lol.

As much as I enjoy seeing them, I tend to be distracted by how silly they look in comparison to some of their newer creations.

There again, there's only one left now, so they may just get written out in series 4.

Oh yeah! Like that's EVER going to happen!
The Daleks have always been the Doctors no.1 enemy. But I agree with you that they're long overdue for a redesign. They did start thinking about a redesign for the Paul McGann series that never made it past the drawing board.

Their design is more functional than aesthetic, I can't see the purpose in a redesign.

There was some trial footage kicking around a few years back of the spider Dalek designs they had worked on, I seem to remember them looking rubbish!!

They are a 60's british design/style icon now, and as much as I'd like to see a whole new redesign (perhaps onscreen by Davros!?!) it will never happen as its such as well known shape.

Besides, you saw what they did with the human dalek last season, would you let them fully redesign the Daleks, nah!!!

i remember seeing the spider dalek drawings somewhere too.

EDIT-found them on wiki.

spider daleks


yep they look rubbish!!
Last edited by emma30 : 17-12-2007 at 10:16

why redesign one of the most iconic designs in television history?

Not very clear, but this was the test shot I recall seeing on "gamesmaster" when I was younger... spider dalek clip looks grainy and pretty awful!

The short answer is no, they should never be redesigned, beyond the minor changes they've had all throughout their existence. When the new team came to use them, they looked at redesigning them, and came to the conclusion that they shouldn't because they're just so damn cool. They were right.

Redesigning the daleks will be the biggest crime in Doctor Who. I don't mind the minor changes, but there's no point in wasting money redesigning them when they're still pretty frightening to most people. It's not just the image of the daleks that makes them scary, it's the concept of them.

No,no,no,no,no! Daleks are daleks.

ha ha!!

can see why it was binned.

After seeing that I've changed my mind!

Not scary at all.

They don't need a re-design, the current "2005" look is fine, it's the stories that have let them down! Honestly, go back and watch the episode "Dalek" and then watch "Evolution of the Daleks" they went from taking it seriously to a joke gradually over two series. In Dalek, that one single Dalek managed to scare the shit out of people, wipe out most guards in that underground base and even gave the Doctor a Scare, even introduced the Hover Mode so it could carry on killing.

As Rob Shearman said back in 2005, he wanted to bring back the *Daleks*, not some redesigned robot/spider/droid thing just using the name 'Dalek'. Tweak things and improve certain features by all means, but if you start to change it's basic appearance then what's the point? It's not a Dalek anymore and you may as well just call it something else.

And this could be the new mega-baddie everyone seems to think the new series is lacking. What a great idea! Mua-ha-ha!!

it is odd that almost four series in the new team have yet to create anything that is as popular or successful as the Daleks

Actually, depending on how you look at it, it was introduced in "Revelation Of The Daleks" or "Remembrance Of The Daleks".


Well, to be fair, the original series only has the Cybermen and the Master that come close to the Daleks, and that was on for 26 years. And neither is half as iconic as the Daleks are.

So I don't think you can fairly criticise the programme for not having managed it in a fraction of the time.

Well said. I think I've made the same point in the dim and distant past. Strange how some themes run throughout the forum and never seem to get resolved...

the original series seem to manage it in one season as the Daleks appeared in the second story and the nation was gripped.

the only reoccuring villain, as created by the new series, are The Slitheen.

not knocking some of the creations, The Family of Blood, The Weeping Angels, The Clockwork Droids, The Cat Nuns, The Wire, Mr Finch who were very impressive. just pointing out that one has yet to make the same kind of impact as the Daleks the first time around. think you will hear more kids running around screaming exterminate or are you mummy than pretending to be a Slitheen. still I do appreciate that the farty things do have their fans.

To be honest, the Toclafane are a modern version of the Daleks. They are basically the same idea (a living creature inside a robotic shell) but smaller and with the ability to fly around.

In fact, when Martha got the Toclafane open in Last of the Timelords, it did remind me of when the Dalek opened its shell in the first season's 'Dalek' episode.

I think that's where I would gone with the Daleks, making them smaller and much more mobile.

the Toclafane were the Mechanoids compared to the Daleks...

The Daleks - Should they get a redesign?

Nope, that is one part of Dr Who that you simply can't change, just wouldn't be the same.

The Daleks don't need a redesign.


The stories they're appearing in, however, do.

I'm not talking a major redesign. Just giving them arms that aren't made out of a plunger and a whisk and making them slightly taller would be a start.

Yes, and nothing else came close to that iconic status in the next twenty five years... sometimes you just get lucky!