News

Showrunner Russell T Davies confirms that Davros, the major villain in Doctor Who, has received a modern redesign to step away from stereotypes associating disabilities with evil. The decision to update Davros' appearance was made to reflect the changing world and move away from the character's original wheelchair-bound and scarred portrayal. This intentional design change respects past continuity while addressing criticisms and ensuring that everyone can see themselves in Doctor Who's stories. Davros remains faithful to his character traits despite the updated look.

Major Doctor Who villain Davros' modern redesign is confirmed, as showrunner Russell T Davies addresses why the creator of the Daleks has received a design update for the next era of the show. The villain made his debut in the 1975 Fourth Doctor adventure "Genesis of the Daleks" portrayed by Michael Wisher, where he is established as the Kaled scientist behind the creatures that would ultimately become the Doctor's greatest foes.

“… hideous, machine-like creatures. They are legless, moving on a round base. They have no human features. A lens on a flexible shaft acts as an eye, arms with mechanical grips for hands.” Terry Nation’s script for ‘The Survivors’ (aka ‘The Daleks’ Part Two)

The Daleks, along with Judge Dredd, are fictional fascists beloved by a wide audience. At their heart is a combination of terrifying concept – Nazis who always return (imagine) – with a triumph of design. The greatest Dalek stories tap into this uneasy alliance.

A quick summary of the thinking behind this article:

A. We thought people would enjoy it.

B. If a story features the Daleks in a small cameo role, I’ve not included it. I’ve removed ‘The Day of the Doctor’ and ‘The Time of the Doctor’: it seems silly to rate them based on their Dalek content.

The rankings are not based...

Andrew Reynolds is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Panini’s lavish series of bookazines – The Essential Doctor Who – continues with a 116-page issue devoted to Davros and Doctor Who’s other notorious villains. Davros and Other Villains includes exclusive interviews with Davros actors Terry Molloy and David Gooderson, Andy Wisher (son of original Davros actor Michael Wisher), Peter Miles (Nyder in Genesis of...

The post Out Now – The Essential Doctor Who: Davros and Other Villains appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Destiny of the Daleks

Davros and the Daleks made an unexpected and spectacular return to Doctor Who in the Autumn of 1979. In Destiny of the Daleks, Terry Nation’s notorious pepper pots set out on a mission to rescue their malevolent creator – Davros. The mutated scientist had only appeared onscreen once before – in the 1975 classic Genesis of the Daleks. Michael Wisher took on the role of Davros for his debut story but he was otherwise engaged when filming began for the Destiny of the Daleks. Debutant director Ken Grieve found the perfect replacement for Wisher in the form of David Gooderson. Like so many of the stars of his generation, Gooderson had burst onto the acting scene as a member of the Cambridge footlights. Over 30 years later, the multi-talented actor, writer and director still has fond memories of the show.

Were you familiar with Davros when you were cast in the role?...

Digital Spy readers named David Tennant as Doctor Who's greatest ever Doctor - now, with less than three weeks to go until the 50th anniversary, DS is embarking on a new quest... to list the top 10 Who stories of all time.

After paying heed to 'The Talons of Weng-Chiang', this week we've opted for another Tom Baker tale - the third greatest Doctor Who story of all time transports us to the battle-ravaged planet of Skaro, where a war between two races culminates in the creation of a scientific abomination...

3. Genesis Of The Daleks (1975) - Six episodes - written by Terry Nation

"Do I have the right?"

Yes, the giant clam is rubbish.

With that out of the way, let's get about appreciating everything that's amazing about 'Genesis of the Daleks' - without question, Terry Nation's best Doctor Who script and indeed one of the show's finest ever serials.

After the 26-episode story arc of The Key To Time, things get free and easy for season 17, a season that’s paradoxically had something of a turbulent press.

On the production front alone, six stories are whittled down to five, as the dreaded strike action kicks in for the season finale. Behind the scenes, the main man Tom Baker is starting to rule the roost, allegedly booming at Graham Williams, who himself is plagued by last-minute script rewrites, cost problems and directors going Awol.

No wonder the behind-the-scenes friction shows in some of the final results. Season 17 has not had the best press from fans, who have taken brickbats to some of the stories for being too lightweight and flippant or shoddily made. However, the dust has settled, as fans have recently started to reappraise the season. Looking at the stories again, the season contains a frustrating mix of genius and ineptitude.

The story contains Major Spoilers for the upcoming season finale of "Doctor Who." It also contains material considered to be Rumor which has yet to be confirmed by the studio. As The Doctor and Donna Noble take on the intergalactic code of laws known as the Shadow Proclamation, t seems that an old enemy is coming back. And he isn't the Emperor. Instead, it's Davros, the Skaros native probably best known for creating the Dalek race. Digital Spy is reporting that Julian Bleach will take on the role that has, in the past, been played by the likes of Michael Wisher, David Gooderson and Terry Molloy. This isn't Bleach's first venture into the Whoniverse. He also played the ringmaster in the "Torchwood" episode "From Out of the Rain." There have been rumors about a return of Davros for ...