Daleks on Castors was a stroke of genius!
The designer of Doctor Who’s Daleks died last month, and his passing has been marked with acclaim that his Dalek design for the Doctor Who series back in the 1960’s was a stroke of genius.
The designer of Doctor Who’s Daleks died last month, and his passing has been marked with acclaim that his Dalek design for the Doctor Who series back in the 1960’s was a stroke of genius. How often do we hear tributes to a designer heralding the phrases, iconic, genius, revolutionary and immortal? But that has been the headlines recently describing the work of Raymond Cusick, the designer of Daleks on castors, whose evil alien imagery is instantly recognisable by both young and old alike. Apparently the story goes that back in the 1960’s the write Terry Nation came up with the idea of an alien invading race, but it was Raymond Cusick that built the iconic daleks. He only had an hour to build it, as was apparently inspired by a pepper pot on his table. So was born the unique alien, a monster that had no human redeeming features, and whose shape, and sound struck terrifying fear into many children hiding behind cushions, myself included!
What I find amusing about the Dalek story, is the realistic practicalities of filming such an alien monster. To children in the 1960’s and 1970’s this gliding Dalek was the ultimate alien. However to the production team, despite their on screen success, off screen the creations did not work quite so well. Mr Cusick admitted that moving the Daleks over bumpy pavements made them ‘rattle like a biscuit tin’. The team added castors to the base of the Dalek to enable smoother movement around the set. Outside broadcasts posed an altogether different issue as Daleks were expected to float over a variety of floor surfaces. The team added extra pneumatic wheels to stabilise the models, which resulted in a much smoother and quieter Dalek movement.
This year celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Doctor Who Series, which makes Raymond Cusicks passing even sadder. However his iconic Dalek design lives on. With the catch phrase ‘exterminate’ the Daleks have made an indelible stamp on the Doctor Who Series. Just ask anyone in the street what one word describes the programme, they would most probably will say ‘exterminate’. Such phrases as genius, iconic revolutionary and immortal do seem to be fitting to this alien invaders design. Smooth, cold, evil on the outside, but pushed by a man sitting on a chair on the inside, surrounded by gaffa tape, plungers, and castors and wheels. Aliens swivelling around on castors and pneumatic wheels may not be as terrifiying to our street wise kids today. In fact in recent years the Dalek on castors has had a bit of a revamp. Souped-up and high tech, modern Doctor Who fans will note Daleks can even fly now! This does solve one of the Daleks age old problem of how they climbed up stairs. Had alien Daleks done their research, they would have found a clever invention called a stair climbing castor. These triangular frame with three wheels ensures a really smooth ascent!
