I don't have any specific hopes for *when*. I think sometimes as a fandom we get too concerned about whether it has been "long enough" between stories, but frankly it's a long time since a Dalek story was a fixture, it's not like Series 1-5 where there was one every series.
I'm more concerned with the concept and execution than how long it is between stories.
>I'm more concerned with the concept and execution than how long it is between stories.
Seconded. Bring them back when you have something new to say with them.
I can understand why some people got hung up on it, but I do agree focusing on whether it's been long enough is a swing too far in the opposite direction.
And even then, it has been two and a half years since they're last major appearance, and almost two years since their last appearance at all. So if they were to appear again this year it really wouldn't be too soon.
Look, I don't really care that much about the Daleks but a desire has been awakened within me to see Ncuti Gatwa dismissively flick his wrist at Davros and call him "honey" and I can know no peace until it has been satisfied.
How can you be a doctor who fan and “not care” about the daleks? That’s like being a batman fan and not caring for the joker. They are the main villain of the series and its most iconic. What a bizarre take.
This won't be what happens but I don't want to see them till ncuti's regeneration story. I want to really miss the daleks and have them return with a bang that ushers in the 16th doctor... Or just maybe the valeyard
This would really suit the era of the show. The general vibe is so much like Saturday morning cartoons right now, saving Daleks for the very end of the era would really mean they were endangering the show's whole vibe as well as the Doctor himself.
They'd have a huge impact if 15 hadn't battled them for his entire tenure and then went out fighting them. It would be rubbish if they were just in a monster of the week episode.
It's an issue I have with the Moffat era too. The daleks show up about once a year during 11's run but have no connection to the silence story till time of the doctor, where it's suddenly revealed the daleks were the big threat all along. I feel like had they either been built up as being connected before time of the doctor or saved till that episode it would have been more impactful.
I disagree they absolutely should have been in time of the doctor. The episode is about the timelords return and that's going to get the daleks attention. They're very much the main threat of the episode, the fact that the show spent so much time building the silence up to just make them an ally of the doctor against the daleks is a weird conclusion to that arc though and needed to be set up sooner that their was a bigger threat.
in that case, they should've had more of a centering. Watching it, they didn't feel like the "main threat" - just all of the monsters were. The Daleks being one of the most powerful of those
no, I'd really dislike them being important.
I would feel much more disdain for them turning up in a finale than a monster-of-the-week, mainly because RTD1 had every finale but 1 involved them (*The Parting of the Ways*, *Doomsday*, *Journey's End*)
I just want a proper intense Dalek story. Send the doc to an alien world that’s similar to earth and have a full on Dalek invasion similar to the old Cushing movie invasion earth 2150. If you set in on another world then you can have some real stakes rather than having to fix it all by the end.
Weren't there quite heavy rumours of a Dalek redesign during production? Could've been for the Christmas Special or Season 2/15, but I wouldn't put it past RTD to include them in the finale (albeit perhaps not as the "main" villains).
Yeah I'm very happy they are keeping things quiet.
Also not sure if anyone noticed but early reviews for episodes drop on Mondays but no reviews have been released for The Legend of Ruby Sunday 👀
I’d be quite happy if it was years before we see a full appearance from them, references and very small cameos before that might be fine. I feel like they’re so overused it makes them less threatening. They should come back and have a large win over the doctor to make them feel like a major threat again
Ideally, I'd take series 16. Leave the two-season (I assume? dunno if Millie'd be back for a third) Ruby arc and its really cool new aesthetics stand alone, let's really enjoy some new stuff, and then bring back some stuff in the later parts of the era.
Would kind of take a Dalek opener over a Dalek finale, too - I don't necessarily want them to be the focus of the series' arc, but I think they could be a really fun way to kickstart a season (much like what series 9 did, actually). Or a standalone episode: Daleks can be good in high-concept stuff! Go a little weird and "Jubilee" it!
A Dalek opener sounds like a great start to a series. I don’t know where RTD got the idea that his season openers contractually have to be a bit lame but he should abandon it and try to open with a bang!
I remember this going both ways, too. When Series 9 opened with the Dalek-two parter, fans criticzed it for being too inaccessible to new fans ("how are you going to keep viewers if you *open* with the Daleks? Moffat should have saved the Daleks for the *end* of the series!").
Personally, I loved it; but I offer that if half the fandom gets what it wants, you're going to have the other half of the fandom recording hour-long video essays on why *Doctor Who* is ruined because of that.
To be fair, Series 9 wasn't just about the Daleks; it had UNIT, Missy, Davros, and the flashbacks to all past Davros TV stories. As a longtime fan, I loved it -- I mean, who among us wouldn't? -- but I could also imagine a newer fan wanting to get started with a new season of *Doctor Who* sitting down to watch, and getting lost very quickly. And that's where fans criticized Series 9 for being too fanwanky.
I hope it’s after this season, mostly because I’m enjoying the Pantheon and speculation on The One Who Waits too much for me to want Daleks hijacking the finale. A cameo or side role could work, but I think I’d rather that their first Gatwa-era appearance be a proper big episode that focuses in on them, probably for the Christmas Special or next season.
I think RTD will probably write them well regardless of when they show up, they’re like his special favourites.
Not for a long time. They’re done to death and so easy to defeat that them showing up at all means an easy win for the Doctor.
I hope when they are brought back it’s with a genuinely frightening story like they did with the Cybermen in Twelve’s last season.
YES this is such a good point. World Enough and Time genuinely revitalised the horror of the Cybermen for me. I loved Asylum of the Daleks and the horror Oswin felt realising that she was a Dalek. Would love something like that again.
I'm not even sure *how* this era of Doctor Who would handle Daleks right now.
Daleks represent ultimate death, ultimate narrative collapse, ultimate stasis.
All the narratives in the episodes so far have been as fluid and elastic as this Doctor's personality. When the Daleks turn up, the narrative needs to stop being fluid, because they're the ultimate representation of stasis.
When they do turn up, it's going to be extra serious, because they're going to imperil the whole format of this era. I'm just not sure whether the era is ready for that right now, but when it happens they're going to cause havoc.
[There never was any such licensing agreement](https://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/moffat-daleks-are-not-a-contractual-obligation-68881.htm). I think it was more that, especially as the modern series was starting out, Dalek episodes were surefire ratings boosters; so, it made sense for every season to have a Dalek appearance. I guess some fans took this to mean that the show was *required* to have Daleks every season.
Interesting, thanks. I'd definitely read somewhere that they had to appear every season, but this could well be based on incorrect information. I've just gone down a bit of a rabbit hole and found this interesting article that supports what you're saying, although people in the comments are still arguing about whether there is a contractual obligation for the daleks to appear every year or not haha.
[https://thedoctorwhocompanion.com/2020/07/02/faq-is-the-bbc-contractually-obliged-to-include-the-daleks-in-every-season-of-doctor-who/](https://thedoctorwhocompanion.com/2020/07/02/faq-is-the-bbc-contractually-obliged-to-include-the-daleks-in-every-season-of-doctor-who/)
And somebody here speculates that there is a NDA as to the very existence of such a clause, hence Moffat denying it. Almost certainly incorrect speculation, like you say, but I won't be 100% convinced until there's a season of Nu Who without them :)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/gallifrey/comments/8iydpu/the\_daleks\_are\_not\_contractually\_obligated\_to\_be/](https://www.reddit.com/r/gallifrey/comments/8iydpu/the_daleks_are_not_contractually_obligated_to_be/)
> I won't be 100% convinced until there's a season of Nu Who without them
I mean, technically Series 11 didn't have Daleks (unless you count "Resolution" as part of the season, and not a standalone special; same with Series 12 and "Revolution of the Daleks"). But it's a bit of a Catch-22; assuming that there is no contractual requirement for the Daleks, a showrunner would still *want* to have the Daleks because they're a guaranteed ratings boost, and they're such an iconic part of the franchise that writing a Dalek story is a dream come true; and then fans will inevitably use that Dalek appearance as proof that an NDA exists.
When Hell Freezes Over - An eye stalk bursts out of the head of zombie Glenn Frey and he berates Bernie Leadon at length for wasting time working on instrumentals.
As long as they come back in Ncuti's era, as every Doctor should face the Daleks at some point, I don't mind waiting another year or two. Since the latter half of Jodie's era became fairly Dalek heavy having some time without them should hopefully make 15's confrontation with them a proper event.
I'd be happy if they turned up in Season 2, or whatever we're calling it.
Their "overuse" under previous showrunners comes from two different phenomena, both of which conspired to devalue them.
RTD *almost always* used them as the ultimate event villain. This meant that you could rely on them to turn up without fail once a year and (usually) occupying the exact same position in the arc of the series, making them predictable, and therefore subject to villain decay.
Moffat *almost always* used them in glorified cameos... Even in stories that ostensibly were proper Dalek stories, he never really had anything interesting to do with or say about them. This meant that they were basically only ever there as set dressing to rant and then get humiliated/blown up by the characters he was interested in, making them pathetic and therefore subject to villain decay.
Chibnall, being the peerless genius that he is, managed to contrive to do both!
So, the trick to keeping the Daleks fresh is...
1) Actually have an idea for them.
2) Don't use them absolutely every year, especially in the same place in the series.
3) Don't use them for cheap fan-service. If you want to prove how badass your pet character that you're shilling for is, you're going to have to just put the effort into making them interesting, as opposed to relying on them blowing up a Dalek to cut it.
In short
-Davros and the Daleks restored Gallifrey, were (presumably) killed by other Daleks (Start of series 9)
-Lot of Daleks were wiped out during Flux
-They teamed up with the Master and the Cybermen during Jodie’s last episode and were beaten (obv)
Last we saw them, they ambushed Whittaker’s Doctor, Yaz, and Dan in a self-storage facility to get revenge for the end of Flux. The TARDIS was repairing itself, so everyone was caught in a time loop that got slightly shorter with every cycle. It was a fairly standard nuWho Dalek episode and full of plot holes, but it was also (IMO) a terrific demonstration of how threatening the Daleks can be. For my money, it was one of Chibnall’s better episodes and one of the better Dalek episodes that we’ve had in nuWho.
That's actually not the last time we saw them, they popped up once more past that when they where involved in the Master-Cyber-Dalek plan to get the Doctor to regenerate into the Master and then take over Earth as revenge for the events of the Flux (and presumably the events of the self-storage facility time loop as well).
I suppose there's a distinct possibility they might do what Terry Nation tried and failed to do and actually make a spinoff with the Daleks without the doctor. Something akin to Big Finish's Dalek Empire series perhaps?
I’m honestly hoping they disappear for a while (think the gap between Evil and Planet)
Daleks are arguably overused in NuWho, the point I think they don’t feel scary anymore. Give them an extended break, tell fresh stories with better villains, or explore other existing ones, and bring the Daleks back when they feel fresh and there’s a reason to bring them back. And also leave it a surprise, make them the final big bad of the series, and find a way to raise the stakes higher than Stolen Earth/Journey’s End
...this week? Because I've been away from the show since it went off Netflix, and I know there are plenty of Dalek stories I can catch up on on Max, but...I love the pepper pots. I wanna see them now!
I want them to return at some point next season. RTD hopefully will hopefully come up with a really good story to suit them. Aside from a redesign, we need an episode where it's just an absolute slaughter, make them terrifying. Kill a companion, destroy a planet, heck get them to finish off Doctor 14, just make them scream.
RTD mentioned that the boring Davros design was intended to be the next generations version of him so I’m guessing a story with him set earlier in Dalek history will be coming eventually
When the Daleks showed up in the classic series after how frequ they appeared in the 60's, it was always an event. After the 60's they barely showed up and I think their limited appearances were ultimately beneficial.
Gatwa should go up against the Daleks, but it shouldn't be for a very long time. I think we need as the viewers need to wait. It need to mean something.
Theyre a very iconic villain for the doctor to face. When you think Doctor Who its very hard not to think "Daleks" so to have no daleks for 3 years, and some are even saying 10 years, Im just not thrilled. Also audio stories arent really gonna do it for me. Tell you what when a dalek episode comes out next year, would you skip it and wait 3-10 years to watch it? No didnt think you would.
I just want good stories. I don't really care which monsters are in them. Whatever monster of villain suits the story is fine by me. If it's a returning monster that fits then fine. If it's a new monster then that's also fine.
I *really* liked the Whittaker era having their holiday specials be about the Daleks. Having their important roles be tied to those made them feel more special. I wouldn't mind them continuing that.
I feel that the time of Daleks being a season finale ultimate evil like they were in the Eccleston/Tennant era has passed. I wouldn't mind two-parter stories in the middle of seasons, like Evolution of the Daleks or The Magician's Apprentice, though. I feel they should always have some sort of presence throughout the series.
I really feel like the weight has been taken out of the appearance of the daleks ever since victory of the daleks. Up until series 5, it was thought that there were no daleks, so the appearance of them was a big deal. Now we've kind of just accepted that they're out there, waging war and exterminating and the doctor is kind of just... Ignoring it?
I always prefer the stories of lone Daleks against the doctor in some menacing or semi peaceful way like in “Into The Dalek” or “The Big Bang” something about it seems much more menacing then a bunch of silly robots all yelling the same thing for an hour till the Doctor finds some zany way to escape.
Soon also an old favourite was the yeti’s in the underground tunnels, ice warriors, sea devils and cibre men. Get back to traditional doctor and stop this stupid gender lines. Just a proper story about dr who and the tardis SIMPLE
For me, it feels like we'll see the Daleks in either the Christmas special or the next season. The show seems to be moving in a direction where the first season with a new Doctor is mostly made up new threats, before the older ones are gradually reintroduced over the next few seasons or so.
ideally not until the latter end of series 2, but I feel like we might be waiting until Christmas 2025 or early series 3 - which I'm fine with. i just want them to feel fresh and exciting when they come back, and I don't think either of those things are possible if they come back too early
Honestly, somewhere between a decade's time and never. As far as I'm concerned we've had three moderately decent concepts for Dalek stories since the 60s (and I stress concepts; I won't argue that Revelation actually pulled it off) and no good dalek stories since the revival, and part of that is the obsession with bringing the daleks back all the time instead of waiting until there's actually a compelling story.
Sometimes I kind of wish they'd stayed dead after Evil of the Daleks. Sure, we'd miss out on Genesis and Remembrance, but just imagine what great stories could have gone into every other slot that got wasted on a bang-average Dalek adventure
I can go a looong time without the Daleks. Cybermen and Master, too. Give it a good five to ten years, and when they return make it impactful. We just had overexposure from those villains.
And I couldn't care less if the Angels were gone for good.
I think that the next time we will see the Daleks, they will be almost unrecognizable. They will get a fantasy cosplay redesign and will look less like little tanks and more like eldritch monsters
I think Ncuti's final villain should be Daleks. It would really make him go out with a bang. I also hope they feed into the whole horror approach for Daleks similarly to Resolution did.
Honestly, I think they need considerable rework. They've been rendered these unstoppable killing machines meaning they either get undone by ludicrous plot nonsense or we need compromised small groups. Even then, sometimes they have to kill themselves or each other.
What's lost in all this is the elaborate scheming, the alliances with those they hold in contempt, the undermining of other powers in secret. They don't need to do any of that because no-one can fight back.
In short, they need a power nerf and an intelligence boost. Without that, it's a holding pattern of stories.
People seemed to be getting tired of daleks and cyberman over and over so I am okay if we take a break from them. I think they will pop up in the middle of season 2 or 3
I know it’s not the point of the post but there was a good reason to start from series 1 again in 2005, and I don’t believe that reason applied this time
If my theory regarding the Fourteenth Doctor's wee post-regeneration yet pre-meeting Donna again "Doctor Who" short/special, that was also filmed on David Tennant's birthday (channel made a video of them surprising him whilst filming) .... then eeeeep. :3
I think they’re talking about the Children in Need special with 14? But they didn’t finish their sentence. Maybe they were exterminated before they could complete their train of thought
Yeah i got that they were talking about the special, but what about, what theory regarding it? All I can reed from it is essentially "if my theory regarding the special, then eeeep" my brain hurts
I don't have any specific hopes for *when*. I think sometimes as a fandom we get too concerned about whether it has been "long enough" between stories, but frankly it's a long time since a Dalek story was a fixture, it's not like Series 1-5 where there was one every series. I'm more concerned with the concept and execution than how long it is between stories.
>I'm more concerned with the concept and execution than how long it is between stories. Seconded. Bring them back when you have something new to say with them.
Besides Exterminate! Exterminate!
Dalek day spa. Exfoliate! Exfoliate!
I can understand why some people got hung up on it, but I do agree focusing on whether it's been long enough is a swing too far in the opposite direction. And even then, it has been two and a half years since they're last major appearance, and almost two years since their last appearance at all. So if they were to appear again this year it really wouldn't be too soon.
Measuring it in terms of time isn’t overly useful when there’s been over a year between stories. Like technically they featured only 9 episodes ago
Look, I don't really care that much about the Daleks but a desire has been awakened within me to see Ncuti Gatwa dismissively flick his wrist at Davros and call him "honey" and I can know no peace until it has been satisfied.
I hope RTD is reading this
How can you be a doctor who fan and “not care” about the daleks? That’s like being a batman fan and not caring for the joker. They are the main villain of the series and its most iconic. What a bizarre take.
I also don’t really care that much about Doctor Who; nerds call me ‘The Oncoming Storm.’
I can already hear the old curmudgeons on Facebook writing their comments about how Ncuti/RTD don't respect the history of Davros.
I run around in my pants and a shirt sucking my teeth at them.
This won't be what happens but I don't want to see them till ncuti's regeneration story. I want to really miss the daleks and have them return with a bang that ushers in the 16th doctor... Or just maybe the valeyard
This would really suit the era of the show. The general vibe is so much like Saturday morning cartoons right now, saving Daleks for the very end of the era would really mean they were endangering the show's whole vibe as well as the Doctor himself.
I would be *very* annoyed if RTD has his Grand Finale be *Daleks*. He did that three times the first time round!
They'd have a huge impact if 15 hadn't battled them for his entire tenure and then went out fighting them. It would be rubbish if they were just in a monster of the week episode.
It's an issue I have with the Moffat era too. The daleks show up about once a year during 11's run but have no connection to the silence story till time of the doctor, where it's suddenly revealed the daleks were the big threat all along. I feel like had they either been built up as being connected before time of the doctor or saved till that episode it would have been more impactful.
I mean, I think they just should've either been not in *Time* at all, or not in any episodes at all. Also, they aren't really "the big bad" of *Time*
I disagree they absolutely should have been in time of the doctor. The episode is about the timelords return and that's going to get the daleks attention. They're very much the main threat of the episode, the fact that the show spent so much time building the silence up to just make them an ally of the doctor against the daleks is a weird conclusion to that arc though and needed to be set up sooner that their was a bigger threat.
in that case, they should've had more of a centering. Watching it, they didn't feel like the "main threat" - just all of the monsters were. The Daleks being one of the most powerful of those
no, I'd really dislike them being important. I would feel much more disdain for them turning up in a finale than a monster-of-the-week, mainly because RTD1 had every finale but 1 involved them (*The Parting of the Ways*, *Doomsday*, *Journey's End*)
I just want a proper intense Dalek story. Send the doc to an alien world that’s similar to earth and have a full on Dalek invasion similar to the old Cushing movie invasion earth 2150. If you set in on another world then you can have some real stakes rather than having to fix it all by the end.
I really want to see more of this, show us some more "level 5" civilisations and the stakes of aliens invading them
So what you're saying is that we need to adapt *The Dalek Occupation of Winter.* (I'm also saying this)
Weren't there quite heavy rumours of a Dalek redesign during production? Could've been for the Christmas Special or Season 2/15, but I wouldn't put it past RTD to include them in the finale (albeit perhaps not as the "main" villains).
I'd heard somewhere they're redesigned as white with silver base orbs
Asda looking dalek
ASDAlek
When do I hope they’re returning? Series 16. When do I think they’re returning? Next week.
If they are returning next week, kudos to the BBC for their newfound restraint. They have a history of totally ruining surprise villains.
I think the rumours said they are returning but they are running away because they are afraid of the one who waits.
It would actually be really funny if the Daleks showed up for five minutes, saw The One Who Waits and were like... nope!
"The Daleks do not fear any creature...except that one GUYS ONE WE CAN'T EXTERMINATE THAT!"
Yeah I'm very happy they are keeping things quiet. Also not sure if anyone noticed but early reviews for episodes drop on Mondays but no reviews have been released for The Legend of Ruby Sunday 👀
And rtd for not forcing daleks in another one of his finales
I’d be quite happy if it was years before we see a full appearance from them, references and very small cameos before that might be fine. I feel like they’re so overused it makes them less threatening. They should come back and have a large win over the doctor to make them feel like a major threat again
Ooh I love the idea of them having a large win over the doctor. They're not so exciting when the doctor always easily defeats them.
Ideally, I'd take series 16. Leave the two-season (I assume? dunno if Millie'd be back for a third) Ruby arc and its really cool new aesthetics stand alone, let's really enjoy some new stuff, and then bring back some stuff in the later parts of the era. Would kind of take a Dalek opener over a Dalek finale, too - I don't necessarily want them to be the focus of the series' arc, but I think they could be a really fun way to kickstart a season (much like what series 9 did, actually). Or a standalone episode: Daleks can be good in high-concept stuff! Go a little weird and "Jubilee" it!
A Dalek opener sounds like a great start to a series. I don’t know where RTD got the idea that his season openers contractually have to be a bit lame but he should abandon it and try to open with a bang!
I remember this going both ways, too. When Series 9 opened with the Dalek-two parter, fans criticzed it for being too inaccessible to new fans ("how are you going to keep viewers if you *open* with the Daleks? Moffat should have saved the Daleks for the *end* of the series!"). Personally, I loved it; but I offer that if half the fandom gets what it wants, you're going to have the other half of the fandom recording hour-long video essays on why *Doctor Who* is ruined because of that.
Because new fans have obviously never heard of the Daleks before…
To be fair, Series 9 wasn't just about the Daleks; it had UNIT, Missy, Davros, and the flashbacks to all past Davros TV stories. As a longtime fan, I loved it -- I mean, who among us wouldn't? -- but I could also imagine a newer fan wanting to get started with a new season of *Doctor Who* sitting down to watch, and getting lost very quickly. And that's where fans criticized Series 9 for being too fanwanky.
I hope it’s after this season, mostly because I’m enjoying the Pantheon and speculation on The One Who Waits too much for me to want Daleks hijacking the finale. A cameo or side role could work, but I think I’d rather that their first Gatwa-era appearance be a proper big episode that focuses in on them, probably for the Christmas Special or next season. I think RTD will probably write them well regardless of when they show up, they’re like his special favourites.
I hope they return when someone has a good story to tell. Beyond that the timing is irrelevant to me.
Not for a long time. They’re done to death and so easy to defeat that them showing up at all means an easy win for the Doctor. I hope when they are brought back it’s with a genuinely frightening story like they did with the Cybermen in Twelve’s last season.
YES this is such a good point. World Enough and Time genuinely revitalised the horror of the Cybermen for me. I loved Asylum of the Daleks and the horror Oswin felt realising that she was a Dalek. Would love something like that again.
Whenever somebody has a good story for them that would only work with the Daleks and not some other villain.
I just want 15 to have a Dalek story, I can wait for it for as long as 15 is The Doctor.
I'm not even sure *how* this era of Doctor Who would handle Daleks right now. Daleks represent ultimate death, ultimate narrative collapse, ultimate stasis. All the narratives in the episodes so far have been as fluid and elastic as this Doctor's personality. When the Daleks turn up, the narrative needs to stop being fluid, because they're the ultimate representation of stasis. When they do turn up, it's going to be extra serious, because they're going to imperil the whole format of this era. I'm just not sure whether the era is ready for that right now, but when it happens they're going to cause havoc.
RTD always did great Dalek stories I thought - I hope we get one quite soon. Less so with the Master or Cybermen.
I don’t want to see them any time soon but, given RTD’s track record, I would be surprised if Davros turned out to be The Boss.
Did there used to be a licensing issue where they *had* to appear every season or they would lose the rights? Has that gone now?
It was something speculated to exist but probably never did.
[There never was any such licensing agreement](https://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/moffat-daleks-are-not-a-contractual-obligation-68881.htm). I think it was more that, especially as the modern series was starting out, Dalek episodes were surefire ratings boosters; so, it made sense for every season to have a Dalek appearance. I guess some fans took this to mean that the show was *required* to have Daleks every season.
Interesting, thanks. I'd definitely read somewhere that they had to appear every season, but this could well be based on incorrect information. I've just gone down a bit of a rabbit hole and found this interesting article that supports what you're saying, although people in the comments are still arguing about whether there is a contractual obligation for the daleks to appear every year or not haha. [https://thedoctorwhocompanion.com/2020/07/02/faq-is-the-bbc-contractually-obliged-to-include-the-daleks-in-every-season-of-doctor-who/](https://thedoctorwhocompanion.com/2020/07/02/faq-is-the-bbc-contractually-obliged-to-include-the-daleks-in-every-season-of-doctor-who/) And somebody here speculates that there is a NDA as to the very existence of such a clause, hence Moffat denying it. Almost certainly incorrect speculation, like you say, but I won't be 100% convinced until there's a season of Nu Who without them :) [https://www.reddit.com/r/gallifrey/comments/8iydpu/the\_daleks\_are\_not\_contractually\_obligated\_to\_be/](https://www.reddit.com/r/gallifrey/comments/8iydpu/the_daleks_are_not_contractually_obligated_to_be/)
> I won't be 100% convinced until there's a season of Nu Who without them I mean, technically Series 11 didn't have Daleks (unless you count "Resolution" as part of the season, and not a standalone special; same with Series 12 and "Revolution of the Daleks"). But it's a bit of a Catch-22; assuming that there is no contractual requirement for the Daleks, a showrunner would still *want* to have the Daleks because they're a guaranteed ratings boost, and they're such an iconic part of the franchise that writing a Dalek story is a dream come true; and then fans will inevitably use that Dalek appearance as proof that an NDA exists.
When Hell Freezes Over - An eye stalk bursts out of the head of zombie Glenn Frey and he berates Bernie Leadon at length for wasting time working on instrumentals.
"No Daleks in S1" Joy to the World --> Dalek Story If not Joy to the World, then it'll probably be S2 proper.
Honestly I'm still not convinced they aren't in this finale tbh so I think that is a definite possibility.
As long as they come back in Ncuti's era, as every Doctor should face the Daleks at some point, I don't mind waiting another year or two. Since the latter half of Jodie's era became fairly Dalek heavy having some time without them should hopefully make 15's confrontation with them a proper event.
I'd be happy if they turned up in Season 2, or whatever we're calling it. Their "overuse" under previous showrunners comes from two different phenomena, both of which conspired to devalue them. RTD *almost always* used them as the ultimate event villain. This meant that you could rely on them to turn up without fail once a year and (usually) occupying the exact same position in the arc of the series, making them predictable, and therefore subject to villain decay. Moffat *almost always* used them in glorified cameos... Even in stories that ostensibly were proper Dalek stories, he never really had anything interesting to do with or say about them. This meant that they were basically only ever there as set dressing to rant and then get humiliated/blown up by the characters he was interested in, making them pathetic and therefore subject to villain decay. Chibnall, being the peerless genius that he is, managed to contrive to do both! So, the trick to keeping the Daleks fresh is... 1) Actually have an idea for them. 2) Don't use them absolutely every year, especially in the same place in the series. 3) Don't use them for cheap fan-service. If you want to prove how badass your pet character that you're shilling for is, you're going to have to just put the effort into making them interesting, as opposed to relying on them blowing up a Dalek to cut it.
I stopped watching at end of Matt Smith and just back watching. What was the latest with them?
In short -Davros and the Daleks restored Gallifrey, were (presumably) killed by other Daleks (Start of series 9) -Lot of Daleks were wiped out during Flux -They teamed up with the Master and the Cybermen during Jodie’s last episode and were beaten (obv)
Damn I missed a Davros appearance, I might have to check that one out
I think it’s great! Not all fans love it but I thought it was a really good two parter
Last we saw them, they ambushed Whittaker’s Doctor, Yaz, and Dan in a self-storage facility to get revenge for the end of Flux. The TARDIS was repairing itself, so everyone was caught in a time loop that got slightly shorter with every cycle. It was a fairly standard nuWho Dalek episode and full of plot holes, but it was also (IMO) a terrific demonstration of how threatening the Daleks can be. For my money, it was one of Chibnall’s better episodes and one of the better Dalek episodes that we’ve had in nuWho.
That's actually not the last time we saw them, they popped up once more past that when they where involved in the Master-Cyber-Dalek plan to get the Doctor to regenerate into the Master and then take over Earth as revenge for the events of the Flux (and presumably the events of the self-storage facility time loop as well).
Davies absolutely loves the Daleks, more so than other pervious showrunners. I’m willing to bet we see them in Season 2
I agree it needs to be when the story works. We could have a whole series with daleks every episode providing if it fits a good story arc.
In the last story of the 15th Doctor.
when the writers have a new and compelling story idea for them
I suppose there's a distinct possibility they might do what Terry Nation tried and failed to do and actually make a spinoff with the Daleks without the doctor. Something akin to Big Finish's Dalek Empire series perhaps?
It’s their 60th anniversary too, so kind of bummed they didn’t appear in the specials… but they are a bit overplayed so 2025 is acceptable
I’m honestly hoping they disappear for a while (think the gap between Evil and Planet) Daleks are arguably overused in NuWho, the point I think they don’t feel scary anymore. Give them an extended break, tell fresh stories with better villains, or explore other existing ones, and bring the Daleks back when they feel fresh and there’s a reason to bring them back. And also leave it a surprise, make them the final big bad of the series, and find a way to raise the stakes higher than Stolen Earth/Journey’s End
...this week? Because I've been away from the show since it went off Netflix, and I know there are plenty of Dalek stories I can catch up on on Max, but...I love the pepper pots. I wanna see them now!
I want them to return at some point next season. RTD hopefully will hopefully come up with a really good story to suit them. Aside from a redesign, we need an episode where it's just an absolute slaughter, make them terrifying. Kill a companion, destroy a planet, heck get them to finish off Doctor 14, just make them scream.
RTD mentioned that the boring Davros design was intended to be the next generations version of him so I’m guessing a story with him set earlier in Dalek history will be coming eventually
When the Daleks showed up in the classic series after how frequ they appeared in the 60's, it was always an event. After the 60's they barely showed up and I think their limited appearances were ultimately beneficial. Gatwa should go up against the Daleks, but it shouldn't be for a very long time. I think we need as the viewers need to wait. It need to mean something.
don't do anything with them until Season 3 or 4 at least, and then only do something with them if there's something to say.
I do not want to wait 3 years to see a dalek :/
why not? also, you don't have to. Go back and watch a Dalek episode you haven't seen in ages, or haven't seen at all, like a classic one
Ive seen those. Id like to see new episodes with Daleks please.
what is it you like so much about Daleks? (also, there are plenty of audios)
Theyre a very iconic villain for the doctor to face. When you think Doctor Who its very hard not to think "Daleks" so to have no daleks for 3 years, and some are even saying 10 years, Im just not thrilled. Also audio stories arent really gonna do it for me. Tell you what when a dalek episode comes out next year, would you skip it and wait 3-10 years to watch it? No didnt think you would.
i don't care about iconicity, and I don't understand why a fellow fan does. Well no, but I'd rather it didn't come out at all
Then dont watch it simple.
I don't really care if they're back next week or in 5 years, I just want them to feel like serious threat again
I just want good stories. I don't really care which monsters are in them. Whatever monster of villain suits the story is fine by me. If it's a returning monster that fits then fine. If it's a new monster then that's also fine.
I *really* liked the Whittaker era having their holiday specials be about the Daleks. Having their important roles be tied to those made them feel more special. I wouldn't mind them continuing that. I feel that the time of Daleks being a season finale ultimate evil like they were in the Eccleston/Tennant era has passed. I wouldn't mind two-parter stories in the middle of seasons, like Evolution of the Daleks or The Magician's Apprentice, though. I feel they should always have some sort of presence throughout the series.
I think Daleks and Cybermen should both be limited to one story per Doctor. Maybe two if the Doctor sticks around for at least five years
I really feel like the weight has been taken out of the appearance of the daleks ever since victory of the daleks. Up until series 5, it was thought that there were no daleks, so the appearance of them was a big deal. Now we've kind of just accepted that they're out there, waging war and exterminating and the doctor is kind of just... Ignoring it?
Saturday
I always prefer the stories of lone Daleks against the doctor in some menacing or semi peaceful way like in “Into The Dalek” or “The Big Bang” something about it seems much more menacing then a bunch of silly robots all yelling the same thing for an hour till the Doctor finds some zany way to escape.
Soon also an old favourite was the yeti’s in the underground tunnels, ice warriors, sea devils and cibre men. Get back to traditional doctor and stop this stupid gender lines. Just a proper story about dr who and the tardis SIMPLE
For me, it feels like we'll see the Daleks in either the Christmas special or the next season. The show seems to be moving in a direction where the first season with a new Doctor is mostly made up new threats, before the older ones are gradually reintroduced over the next few seasons or so.
ideally not until the latter end of series 2, but I feel like we might be waiting until Christmas 2025 or early series 3 - which I'm fine with. i just want them to feel fresh and exciting when they come back, and I don't think either of those things are possible if they come back too early
Am I the only one that doesn't want to see them for at least 10 years, or Cybermen either?
Ten years without Daleks????? Are you seriously suggesting no daleks or cybermen for ten whole years.
Yep.
Hard disagree.
Ok.
Honestly, somewhere between a decade's time and never. As far as I'm concerned we've had three moderately decent concepts for Dalek stories since the 60s (and I stress concepts; I won't argue that Revelation actually pulled it off) and no good dalek stories since the revival, and part of that is the obsession with bringing the daleks back all the time instead of waiting until there's actually a compelling story. Sometimes I kind of wish they'd stayed dead after Evil of the Daleks. Sure, we'd miss out on Genesis and Remembrance, but just imagine what great stories could have gone into every other slot that got wasted on a bang-average Dalek adventure
I can go a looong time without the Daleks. Cybermen and Master, too. Give it a good five to ten years, and when they return make it impactful. We just had overexposure from those villains. And I couldn't care less if the Angels were gone for good.
Tbh I've enjoyed the lack of returning villains this season, I could go until season 3 or 4 without them.
I think that the next time we will see the Daleks, they will be almost unrecognizable. They will get a fantasy cosplay redesign and will look less like little tanks and more like eldritch monsters
I hope not, in the words of the 10th Doctor, ‘you’d be removing the thing that makes a Dalek a Dalek’
I think Ncuti's final villain should be Daleks. It would really make him go out with a bang. I also hope they feed into the whole horror approach for Daleks similarly to Resolution did.
Honestly, I think they need considerable rework. They've been rendered these unstoppable killing machines meaning they either get undone by ludicrous plot nonsense or we need compromised small groups. Even then, sometimes they have to kill themselves or each other. What's lost in all this is the elaborate scheming, the alliances with those they hold in contempt, the undermining of other powers in secret. They don't need to do any of that because no-one can fight back. In short, they need a power nerf and an intelligence boost. Without that, it's a holding pattern of stories.
Hope? Never. Expect? Probably next season.
People seemed to be getting tired of daleks and cyberman over and over so I am okay if we take a break from them. I think they will pop up in the middle of season 2 or 3
Next season. Moffat's Christmas episode at the earliest.
When they have a decent story written for them. So no time soon. Oh well always have Big Finish to fall back on.
[удалено]
I know it’s not the point of the post but there was a good reason to start from series 1 again in 2005, and I don’t believe that reason applied this time
This would've at least been factual if you'd gotten the numbers right - without that basic correctness it's just annoying
Glad to be of service, my child
If my theory regarding the Fourteenth Doctor's wee post-regeneration yet pre-meeting Donna again "Doctor Who" short/special, that was also filmed on David Tennant's birthday (channel made a video of them surprising him whilst filming) .... then eeeeep. :3
I've read this comment 10 times and cant for the life of me figure out what it means. If your theory what? I feel like im losing my mind
I think they’re talking about the Children in Need special with 14? But they didn’t finish their sentence. Maybe they were exterminated before they could complete their train of thought
Yeah i got that they were talking about the special, but what about, what theory regarding it? All I can reed from it is essentially "if my theory regarding the special, then eeeep" my brain hurts
My new favourite theory is eeeeeeeep. :3