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The Surprising First Ever Appearance of the Daleks

Je wordt uitgeroeid!

Us Doctor Who fans may forever associate the Netherlands with Omega’s trip to Amsterdam, but now we can couple the nation with our envy that it got to see exclusive photos of the Daleks before anyone else in the world.

Prior to the armoured mutants appearing on British television, or in television and radio listings magazine Radio Times, two of the props escaped their secure prison in one of the BBC’s many studios on 23rd December 1963 and attempted to flee London.

First, they were stopped in their conquest by crowds of terrified (or terrifying) children, and eventually they boarded the No. 207 bus to Hayes End at the Shepherd’s Bush Market stop. Their crafty escape did not go unnoticed, what with this being the first time a Dalek had been seen in public, and a brave photographer managed to capture the Daleks in their difficult passage from pavement to bus.

The UK press was far too scared to print images of the invaders, let alone acknowledge the existence of alien species, and it was Dutch magazine Het Parool that chose to feature the pepperpot monsters on 28th December 1963, meaning pictures of the Daleks were being distributed around the Netherlands hours before the First Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan were facing them for the first time in The Survivors – and scaring half of Britain in the process.

Rediscovering these shocking facts was Doctor Who writer Jonathan Morris, who handily shared his discovery in a delightful Twitter thread. Wait, what’s that, he’s just unearthed evidence that we’ve been giving Doctor Who episodes the wrong titles for years…?

Ida Wood

The Surprising First Ever Appearance of the Daleks

by Ida Wood time to read: 1 min
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