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[ClivePwned]

The writers of the original series own the copyright to characters they created, including creatures. Hence, Robert Holmes gets credited whenever Autons, Sontarans and Strax are used, Robert Banks Stewart for Zygons, Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis for Cybermen, etc.

Occasionally writers also have rights to certain companions, particularly the ones that weren't originally meant to be companions but joined the TARDIS at the last minute, like K-9, Nyssa and Jamie.

 

[APZonerunner]

The writers of the original series own the copyright to characters they created, including creatures. Hence, Robert Holmes gets credited whenever Autons, Sontarans and Strax are used, Robert Banks Stewart for Zygons, Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis for Cybermen, etc.

Occasionally writers also have rights to certain companions, particularly the ones that weren't originally meant to be companions but joined the TARDIS at the last minute, like K-9, Nyssa and Jamie.

That's not actually true in all cases. It's true of the Daleks, but I don't think it's true, for instance, of the Zygons. They just credit people for stuff they created out of courtesy. See also: "(x) created by Russell T Davies" featuring in The Doctor's Wife for the Ood, or in some episodes of Sarah Jane Adventures he didn't write for The Slitheen - the modern contracts afford no copyrights either.

Even in the case of Terry Nation, the interesting thing is that he owns the name The Daleks, their concept and backstory - but he doesn't own the IMAGE of the Daleks, because they were designed by an in-house BBC chap.

 

[Quick]

Even in the case of Terry Nation, the interesting thing is that he owns the name The Daleks, their concept and backstory - but he doesn't own the IMAGE of the Daleks, because they were designed by an in-house BBC chap.

Hypothetically, does that mean the BBC could feature a Dalek, but not make any mention of its name or background to avoid paying royalties?

That would be dumb, realistically.

 

[APZonerunner]

Hypothetically, does that mean the BBC could feature a Dalek, but not make any mention of its name or background to avoid paying royalties?

That would be dumb, realistically.

I think it just meant that they were trapped, basically. If the BBC did feature a Dalek, Nation's estate could easily sue because the public perception would be that it would be a Dalek, or whatever. The point is that it was always a messy Dalek, for instance. I think that's why you hear the voice of a Dalek and hear Skaro mentioned, but never see a Dalek nor hear the name Dalek in the McGann movie, for instance.

That may not be the case any more, it's worth noting. There were some sweeping re-negotiations of it all when the series came back, because for a while Nation's estate refused to let the BBC use the Daleks because they wanted blanket editorial control over them, and RTD (rightly) felt that they might be too concerned with influencing plot lines to sell more toys to earn more revenue, and for a while it was going to be a different race (who later became the Toclafane!) who were in the Time War with the Time Lords. The BBC made concessions and stuff, I think. It was mental, really; national newspapers ran campaigns condemning the Nation estate for not allowing their use and all sorts. We never really found out what changed in those negotiations, though one of the realities appears to be that the BBC have to have a Dalek appear in every series of Doctor Who now, thus the slightly awkward cameos in The Wedding of River Song and The Waters of Mars. The battle still goes on, though - as recent as 2009 there was a court case about who held the rights to publish books about the Daleks outside the UK, for instance.

The Tocalfane thing is always fascinating to me as an idea - how different the story would've been if the race that the Doctor destroyed his own race over was humanity, his favourites, millions of years into the future...

 

[Ozium]

Hypothetically, does that mean the BBC could feature a Dalek, but not make any mention of its name or background to avoid paying royalties?

That would be dumb, realistically.

get ready for Dalechs, a feared hybrid race from the planet Sakro

 

[Lynd7]

The Nation estate should get over it. They are lucky that the show came back and made them popular again.

It's annoying that the guy who designed the look gets nothing, the look is the iconic thing after all.

 

[Ambient80]

Terry Nation's estate owns them. They also have to use the Daleks once per series or they lose the rights.

OK, I see this stated all over DW sites, but not once since 2005 have I seen actual proof that it is true. Anyone with a link for confirmation? Receipts.gif?

 

[APZonerunner]

OK, I see this stated all over DW sites, but not once since 2005 have I seen actual proof that it is true. Anyone with a link for confirmation? Receipts.gif?

It's only ever come from insiders, but it came from the same insiders who have consistently provided correct information about the series before official release, so it's almost certainly correct. It was being said by the insiders long before the weird cameos in The Specials and Series 6, too.

There's been a Dalek every year in that - 05 - Dalek / 06 - Doomsday / 07 - Evolution of the Daleks / 08 - Journey's End / 09 - The Waters of Mars / 10 - Victory of the Daleks / 11 - The Wedding of River Song / 12 - Asylum of the Daleks / 13 - Day/Time of the Doctor / 14 - Into the Dalek. It's been really carefully prepped, it seems.

Also, there's a passage in The Writers' Tale, RTD's memoirs of his time writing Who, which seems to allude to it - he's pondering if he should have Daleks in Waters of Mars OR The End of Time, clearly aware he needs to have them at some point. The idea of simply not having them doesn't seem on the table at all, though nothing is explicitly said. It's Moffat who eventually turns him off it when Moffat reveals Daleks are planned for his third episode, meaning there'd only be 4 months or so between Dalek appearances - so RTD used one earlier on instead.

 

[Rhomega Beta]

I honestly liked this episode, though I have a hard problem believing that the inside of a Dalek has "hallways" like that does. The big thing for me was the "Humans vs. Daleks in the future" set-up, which reminds me of the book Prisoner of the Dalek with the Tenth Doctor.

 

[marrec]

I really liked that episode. Except for the last 10 minutes, it was a bit too predictable... but the first part was really good. Best it's been in a very long time.

Some very good cinematography near the beginning.

 

[zychi]

Ending felt rushed, really thought it was a two parter. I enjoyed it tho.

 

[hamchan]

The more I think about this episode the more similar it starts feeling to Dalek in the first series.

 

[BocoDragon]

The new Doctor really seems to be in line with total pantheon of Doctors... It's definitely a version in line with the true character of the Doc looking at 50 years of history.

But he seems to be out of line with the young Doctor of the last decade.... I really wonder how certain segments of the fanbase are taking this.

 

[hoggert]

Episodes have been okay so far, nothing terrific, but I really hate the collar on his shirt. With points that long, he needs a bd with a damn perfect roll. I do like this new doctor, though, hopefully someone will look over Moffat's shoulder a bunch.

 

[Ozium]

Episodes have been okay so far, nothing terrific, but I really hate the collar on his shirt. With points that long, he needs a bd with a damn perfect roll. I do like this new doctor, though, hopefully someone will look over Moffat's shoulder a bunch.

I can tell you must be strictly a NU-WHO fan based on your distaste of the Doctor's outfit... shame that basically every Doctor in nu Who have been such boring dressers.

Spoiler

LOL

 

[hoggert]

I can tell you must be strictly a NU-WHO fan based on your distaste of the Doctor's outfit... shame that basically every Doctor in nu Who have been such boring dressers.

It's just his collar, to be honest. I do like the red lined, almost crombie-ish coat he's rocking, slim pants, and boots., etc. The collar just distracts me, personal taste wise. I prefer the older, more eccentric outfits even when they're more to the era and "goofy." Fifth GOAT.

 

[APZonerunner]

It's just his collar, to be honest. I do like the red lined, almost crombie-ish coat he's rocking, slim pants, and boots., etc. The collar just distracts me, personal taste wise. I prefer the older, more eccentric outfits even when they're more to the era and "goofy." Fifth GOAT.

It is actually a crombie coat. As you can imagine, there was a run on that coat when the costume was revealed... they must've sold tons of them. Like an 800 quid coat, mind.

I sort of agree with the collar, it does look a little strange to my eye. He's in a different shirt next week and it looks better, I think.

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Rewatching the episode.

"UNDER ATTACK. BY A DALEK!?"

Fucking LOL.

Rusty fucking walking away after that ether, Good Lord.

 

[V_Arnold]

I was thinking about what previous Doctor Who Episode did the "good dalek" thing better, and then it hit me.

Dark Eyes.
There is a lot to be learned from the audio books still, imho.

 

[mclem]

Just as a reminder, with a corollary:

Keep an eye on BBC Radio 4 Extra listings, they've broadcast a few of them (indeed, some of the McGann series were funded by the BBC and had their first broadcast on the radio). That said, the SF strand ("The 7th Dimension") has been cut back recently to just being on weekends rather than an hour every day.

Just checked, and they're broadcasting one of the Lucie Miller series from Sunday 31st August at 6pm (repeated at midnight), starting with "Death in Blackpool".

That was on yesterday, and should be on Listen Again for the week.

Also, I've recently been pointed at Big Finish's Official Soundcloud Page - which, notably, includes a few full stories for free.

 

[Succinct Verbosity]

I understabd why the BBC don't want to ditch the Daleks, but these days most people seem to prefer the more modern creatures like the Weeping Angels and The Silence. At this point, does Doctor Who even need the Daleks any more?

 

[V_Arnold]

I understabd why the BBC don't want to ditch the Daleks, but these days most people seem to prefer the more modern creatures like the Weeping Angels and The Silence. At this point, does Doctor Who even need the Daleks any more?

The most important story in Doctor Who history involves them. Until they are EXTERMINATED*, they will always be a needle in the doctor's heart. So to speak.

*Or just left alone somewher where they can evolve into peace, whatever

 

[D_prOdigy]

I like how they've just given up coming up with an explanation for why they're not all dead yet.

I guess we just take 'remnants who didn't die in the Time War' as read at this point.

 

[obin_gam]

I like how they've just given up coming up with an explanation for why they're not all dead yet.

I guess we just take 'remnants who didn't die in the Time War' as read at this point.

Well now that The Doctor didnt blow up Gallifrey and everyone around it, everything about "being the last of some kind" isnt real.

 

[D_prOdigy]

Well now that The Doctor didnt blow up Gallifrey and everyone around it, everything about "being the last of some kind" isnt real.

Well everything around it kind of did still get blown up. Wasn't that part of the whole point?

 

[Ein Bear]

Didn't the first Dalek story under Moffat's tenure (The WW2 one) wrap up the whole 'Daleks who escaped the time war' thing? It's been a while since I've seen it, but I think it ends with the Daleks just being 'back' in force, and not needing an excuse for turning up anymore.

 

[D_prOdigy]

Didn't the first Dalek story under Moffat's tenure (The WW2 one) wrap up the whole 'Daleks who escaped the time war' thing? It's been a while since I've seen it, but I think it ends with the Daleks just being 'back' in force, and not needing an excuse anymore.

Yeah, I remember it vaguely, but then I thought they completely dropped the implications of that episode because the neo Daleks were so naff.

Or maybe they just dropped those Balamory designs.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

Just watched the episode. I loved it. Capaldi was great, Clara was great and I can't wait to see what Danny brings to the table in the future (love that he is going to travel with two teachers from Coal Hill like he did when he was the first Doctor).

I also hope they do something great with Rusty in the future and doesnt turn out like another daughter of the doctor scenario (both were dead in the original scripts by the end of the epsiode but saved for possible future use).

 

[tuffy]

Yeah, I remember it vaguely, but then I thought they completely dropped the implications of that episode because the neo Daleks were so naff.

Or maybe they just dropped those Balamory designs.

Seems like the new not-so-great redesigns were pretty much phased out after a cameo in "Asylum of the Daleks", but the general implication of the "Victory of the Daleks" ending has held. The Daleks are back full-time and the show isn't going to try to string them along as the "very last ones" any longer.

 

[Succinct Verbosity]

The most important story in Doctor Who history involves them. Until they are EXTERMINATED*, they will always be a needle in the doctor's heart. So to speak.

*Or just left alone somewher where they can evolve into peace, whatever

Yeah. I realise the Daleks historical importance to both the Doctor and the show, but they have been brought back and defeated so many times that they've lost any sense of importance now. Interestingly, however, I think most people want to see more of the Cybermen because they have been horribly handled since the relaunch.

 

[gabbo]

The new Doctor really seems to be in line with total pantheon of Doctors... It's definitely a version in line with the true character of the Doc looking at 50 years of history.

But he seems to be out of line with the young Doctor of the last decade.... I really wonder how certain segments of the fanbase are taking this.

Is he really though? He seems to be like the flip side of Tennant and Smith, in that he's angrier and snide first, goofy and humourous second. That said, both sides are still there. Still puns too.
Andy Zaltzman vs The Doctor in a PunRun

 

[peanutbutterlatte]

I love that The Doctor overwriting the Dalek's brainwaves might have been a Akathen, soaring speech with emotional symphonic music in the background with Matt Smith, but with Capaldi it's just a very powerful, imperative speech.

And y'know. The Doctor fails. After so many cringe worthy episodes like James Corden bursting out of a Cybersuit with the power of love (a force from above), it's refreshing to see pure hatred out, and the episode to end on a bittersweet note.

Oh yeah, and Rusty > the entirety of the fucking insufferable Paternosters.

 

[D_prOdigy]

Seems like the new not-so-great redesigns were pretty much phased out after a cameo in "Asylum of the Daleks", but the general implication of the "Victory of the Daleks" ending has held. The Daleks are back full-time and the show isn't going to try to string them along as the "very last ones" any longer.

Good

And yeah, I'd bet my house on Rusty returning at some point. Still not got over Handles

 

[Slowdive]

New Robot of Sherwood trailer.

 

[pootle]

Looks like some fun saturday night telly. And was that more clockwork robots at the end there? That seems to be something this season.

Maybe they're all robots?

 

[SigmasonicX]

I didn't like the beginning up to the point where Clara joins up with the Doctor, but I really liked the rest of the episode. It was a real return to form for the Daleks as legitimate threats, after they just kind of durdled around the past few seasons. Hard to believe that this is the first time in years that a Dalek has killed someone on screen! I did notice that there were a lot of callbacks to "Dalek", from the way the Dalek was chained up to, of course, "You are a good Dalek." I'm glad that they apparently changed the ending to let Rusty live, since otherwise it would have been too close to that episode for my taste. While I did like the darker Doctor, especially the, "He was dead already, I was saving us," part, but I do hope he lightens up a bit; it looks like the next episode will be doing that, though.

 

[Slowdive]

High-res Robot of Sherwood promo pics. More here.

 

[Exterminieren]

Today in daftness- Steven Moffat to be replaced by Anthony Horowitz for series 9?

Spoiler

No.

 

[The Scollard]

I liked the episode, however, I admit that it was very derivative, taking it's ideas from past episodes or other stories. I mean, the "good Dalek" was done better in Evil of the Daleks, as well as Dark Eyes. The "getting really small" plot was also done in Planet of Giants. However, that being said, I still enjoyed the episode, and it was nice seeing the plot NOT being resolved through the power of love, but instead the power of hate. Capaldi's speech was also pretty fantastic.

I would have appreciated if either Morgan or Journey had died, though. They were the only characters who didn't seem like Red Shirts, and their deaths would have had impact. Note: giving a character a name doesn't make them stop being a Red Shirt, as was the case with the soldier who sacrificed herself.

 

[Superblatt]

I'm brand new to Dr Who. Where can I watch this season from the beginning?

 

[Slowdive]

I'm brand new to Dr Who. Where can I watch this season from the beginning?

Iplayer. But you'll probably have to use something like Hola to access it if you're outside the UK.

 

[SigmasonicX]

It's available on Netflix. Depending on how much you want to watch before you catch up, you can either start from:
Super Easy Mode - New series season 8 episode 1, as in this season's first episode
Easy Mode - New series season 5, the first episode with the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith
Normal Mode - New series season 1, the first episode of the new series with the Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston
Super Hard Mode - Old series season 1, episode 1. There are several lost episodes, and only a few are on Netflix.

EDIT: Oh, this season. Never mind then.

 

[IdreamofHIME]

Who will then be wiped out by an army of the people the Doctor has saved over the years, ala The Wedding of River Song. Because Moffat.

Spoiler

(Not that I'm complaining, I love Moffat, but yeah, that's how he would end it.)

And I kind of echo someone from a previous page in saying this, but I can't imagine what they would do with the Daleks if the BBC were willing to let those rights go. You can't have the Daleks without the Doctor any more than you can have the Doctor without the Daleks. I mean, I imagine it's probably just a negotiation ploy to ensure that the BBC continuously sends a check every season, but if the BBC were willing to say, "Well, no more Daleks, for reals this time," what on earth would the estate even do?

Make a shitty spinoff?
http://youtu.be/N8uqKLA6ObU

 

[M.Bluth]

High-res Robot of Sherwood promo pics. More here.

I'm digging the design of those robots...

 

[Tansut]

Wait so is Little John actually going to be a little person?

I don't know if that's awesome or the stupidest thing. Probably both.

 

[zeemumu]

Is Missy going to confront him with the souls of all of the people who die in this season?

 

[IdreamofHIME]

No one think they should have tried to get the cast of BBC's Robin Hood back together for an awesome cross over?

 

[Trike]

Is Missy going to confront him with the souls of all of the people who die in this season?

Maybe it will be more than just this season, and it can lead into a 10th Anniversary of NuWho where he confronts all of his failures.

Spoiler

naw jk it will probably be resolved this season

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Maybe it will be more than just this season, and it can lead into a 10th Anniversary of NuWho where he confronts all of his failures.

That fits into my big fat hope that the 10th anniversary features McGann, Eccleston, and Capaldi, with Captain Jack as the "companion" for the episode, as all of those characters have some pretty big "Failings" they have yet to address to their own satisfaction (McGann chose to abandon the name he gave himself, for example, Jack abandoned Torchwood after Children of Earth, etc. etc)

 

[Maddocks]

Eccleston returning even for 10 minutes would be amazing. Have him just show up in a tv screen like they did for the 1st doctor. Show up, tell the doctors they missing something very simple and smile and fade out.

But sadly, it will probably never happen.