Doctor Who showrunner shuts down long-running Dalek rumor

Russell T Davies recently addressed a persistent rumor surrounding one of Doctor Who’s most iconic villains, the Daleks.

Ruthless alien mutants encased in tank-like outer shells, the Daleks debuted in 1963 as enemies of William Hartnell’s First Doctor. They quickly became one of the Doctor Who franchise’s most popular antagonists and tangled with each of Hartnell’s successors during the show’s classic run.

Despite their fan-favorite status, Daleks only made a brief, off-screen cameo in the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie that followed, but they played a major part in the subsequent series revival. Starting with the aptly named Series 1 episode ‘Dalek’, the baddies have mixed it up with every modern incarnation of the Doctor, from Christopher Eccleston to Jodie Whittaker.

Whittaker’s successor, David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor, is also set to go head-to-head with the Daleks in an upcoming Doctor Who mini-episode produced for BBC Children in Need. That said, Davies recently announced that Tennant’s own replacement, Ncuti Gatwa, won’t face the Daleks when he takes over the TARDIS in 2024.

Doctor Who showrunner shuts down long-running Dalek rumor

Davies’ announcement caught more than a few Doctor Who fans by surprise – not least of all because of a long-standing rumor surrounding the Daleks. This rumor maintains that the BBC has to include the Daleks in at least one Doctor Who story per year, or else the broadcaster loses the rights to them.

But according to Davies, this simply isn’t the case. The showrunner recently debunked the Dalek theory when responding to a fan on Instagram, stating point-blank that the BBC is under no legal obligation to keep Doctor Who’s lethal salt and pepper shakers in circulation. “That’s rubbish, sorry,” he wrote. “Completely untrue.”

As several Doctor Who devotees subsequently noted on social media, Davies isn’t the first showrunner in the franchise’s history to set the record straight regarding the Daleks. Steven Moffat – who oversaw Doctor Who from 2010 to 2017 – also previously denied being forced to incorporate the Daleks into the show.

Even so, other fans expressed skepticism at both showrunners’ claims, citing the Daleks’ frequent appearances as evidence of a BBC mandate to use them in stories. Davies shrugged this off in a later Instagram reply, arguing that there’s “nothing weird” about Doctor Who’s most well-known villains cropping up over and over again during the show’s run.

Russell T Davies teases the Daleks’ return in Doctor Who mini-episode

Whether fans believe Davies or not, the Daleks will nevertheless return soon, courtesy of the BBC Children in Need scene. The five-minute scene will air on BBC One and iPlayer on November 17, and as outlined in a recent Instagram post by Davies, will take place on the Daleks’ homeworld, Skaro.

Davies’ post also emphasized the Children in Need scene’s other ties to Doctor Who continuity. This includes its score by returning series composer Murray Gold, as well as its content and tone, with Davies clarifying that the scene is not a spoof of the franchise.

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