Doctor Who Watchalong: Christopher Eccleston story Dalek scheduled for Thurs Apr 30
By James Aggas
The ongoing series of Doctor Who watchalongs continues this Thursday, with the major Ninth Doctor episode Dalek!
Dalek fans are surely going to love the next Doctor Who watchalong, as organized by Doctor Who Magazine’s Emily Cook. On the 15th anniversary of its original broadcast, Ninth Doctor episode Dalek is scheduled to be watched worldwide on Thursday, Apr 30, 7 pm UK time.
This story was incredibly crucial to Doctor Who‘s first series of its revival. Outside of parodies or Kit-Kat adverts, it was the first appearance of the Daleks in over sixteen years. They were as iconic as Doctor Who itself.
However, just a couple of years after the Cylons were completely reimagined in the reboot of Battlestar Galactica, the pepper pots could have come across as rather dated. Especially since – other than giving their casing a distinctive bronze look – the design had hardly changed from the original, first seen over four decades previous. Could the Daleks truly work in the 21st century?
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Reintroducing the Daleks
As we all know, the answer was a definite yes. Thanks to an excellent story from writer Robert Shearman – who took inspiration from one of his own audio stories Jubilee – the Daleks were reintroduced in a big way. And, at the same time, in a small way, too.
Rather than showing a whole army of Daleks, (something that would be saved for later in the same series,) the episode focused on a single Dalek, and that was its smartest move. Because the audience was reminded of exactly how dangerous just one of them could be. A single Dalek was presented as highly intelligent, cunning, and ruthless. It was a fantastic way of reintroducing them to a modern audience.
For tomorrow’s re-watch, three key people from the episode will be tweeting along with us: Dalek operator Barnaby Edwards, voice of the Daleks Nicholas Briggs and, last but not least, Robert Shearman himself. All three are bound to reveal plenty of interesting insight into the making of this episode.
So make sure you join in the discussion on Thursday, at 7 pm UK time, using the hashtag #TheMetaltron to take part. You can watch the episode on BBC iPlayer in the UK, or on Amazon Prime in the US. And make sure to check out another of Robert Shearman’s stories, The Chimes of Midnight, at 7 pm on Friday.
dark. Next. The Chimes of Midnight listening party on Friday May 1
Are you a fan of Dalek? Will you be taking part in the watchalong? Do you think it brought the Daleks back properly? Let us know in the comments below.