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A 'Doctor Who' Dalek documentary is in the works, but it depends on you

Trevor Mogg
By
The Undiscovered Daleks
A feature-length documentary revealing everything you never needed to know about Doctor Who‘s Daleks is coming to the big screen. Maybe.

It’s hard to convey the enormity of the Daleks’ impact on British popular culture in their 54-year lifespan, their pepper-pot appearance and wobbly voices terrifying generations of children who dared peek at the TV from behind the safety of the sofa whenever the Skaro natives showed up on screen.

One of their biggest fans, British writer and filmmaker Victor Lewis-Smith, is keen to set to work on a tell-all Dalek documentary for cinema release. But he needs your help.

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The unexpurgated history 

Lewis-Smith says that while the BBC has commissioned a ton of programming from him over the years,  “there’s one proposal they have always rejected. That’s the unexpurgated history of the Daleks. Why? What secrets about the Daleks do they want to keep hidden?”

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He’s therefore turning to crowdfunding in a bid to cobble together the cash to get the movie — called The Undiscovered Daleks — off the ground.

The filmmaker says that, to his amazement, no documentary maker has ever taken the Daleks on despite their enduring fame and popularity.

Lewis-Smith is clearly up for the challenge, claiming that “it’s time to investigate the myths, misunderstandings, and unknown stories that surround these cybernetic monsters.”

Harveysart/123RF
Harveysart/123RF

The weirder side

Besides delving into the Daleks’ fictional and real life stories, the movie will also explore “the weirder side, such as The Gay Daleks, pop star Daleks, and Dalek merchandise.” It also plans to include interviews with famous Dalek fans, among them former Doctor Who actor Tom Baker, occasional Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss, and the multitalented Stephen Fry.

“Every aspect of Dalek culture will be explored,” the filmmaker promises.

The project is hoping to raise 250,000 pounds (about $320,000) in funds, which will go toward restoring and transferring archive material onto modern formats as well as travel costs for interviews with Doctor Who writers, actors, and designers, and of course to pay a professional film crew.

Dalek message

Pledge 10 pounds ($13) and you can download the movie within a month of its theater release. For an extra 15 pounds you’ll get your name in the credits. Truly dedicated Dalek fans can spend a day with the production team for 5,000 pounds ($6,400), while 1,000 pounds ($1,275) will get you a two-minute personalized video message from a Dalek. Now what proper Dalek fan wouldn’t want a personalized video message from a Dalek?

The plan is to premiere The Undiscovered Daleks at a London movie theater, followed by a limited nationwide release in major cities. Shortly after that, it’ll be available to supporters as either a download or a DVD before going on general sale.

But take note, Dalek fans. The project must hit its target by July 7 to get made. If it fails, the plan will be exterminated.

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Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
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