DALEK! Part 4

Even though I had no interest in the incumbent Doctors after Tom Baker left, I still enjoyed picking up the odd magazine and occasional toy or model mostly out of a sense of nostalgia.

A twentieth anniversary special was published by the Radio Times, in 1983 which had most of the Doctors, including Colin Baker who would join the series the following year, appearing on the front cover. The back page carried a photo of the Doctor’s perennial enemy.

Dr Who toys were thin on the ground during the eighties probably due to the programme’s declining popularity. The Welsh based company, Dapol, better known for it’s model railway accessories, released several Doctor Who figures. I bought a few for my son who would have been around four at the time. I got him a Dalek and a figure of the Doctor. He quite liked the Troughton inspired comedic performances given by Sylvester McCoy, desperately swimming against the tide of change as the series slowly ground to halt, effectively being cancelled in 1989.

The only Dapol toy to survive. But then the Doctor always survives!

Strangely enough, a new stage play came out in 1989, the year Dr Who ended.

Doctor Who : The Ultimate Adventure was written by Terrance Dicks and starred Jon Pertwee! We took our four year old to see it as a special treat (for him or me?).

When the Daleks finally appeared he got quite agitated and so Dad had to take him out of the theatre. I guess that’s the power of the Daleks!

The next wave of new Dalek collectables as far as I’m aware began in 2000 When the company Product Enterprise started releasing Daleks of all shapes and sizes.

 

 

I got one of their large ‘ Classic’ Daleks along with a couple of smaller Daleks from the first film.

I think these are excellent collectables and even the retro styling of the box artwork is all in keeping.

Corgi Classics released a special boxed set of die cast and plastic figures to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of Dr Who. It came as no surprise to me that Tom Baker’s incarnation was chosen as the representation of the Doctor.

 

 

A nicely detailed Dalek as well as a Davros figure was included in the set.

In March 2006 the new revamped series of Doctor Who was launched amidst much publicity. Episode six was called Dalek, and that meant more Dalek merchandise was guaranteed!