Doctor Who's Dalek Designer Dies At 84 106
SchrodingerZ writes "Raymond Cusick, a production designer for the BBC show Doctor Who from 1963 to 1966, has died from illness. 'Terry Nation, who died in 1997, wrote the 1963 story The Daleks, in which the "satanic pepperpots" first appeared, but it was Cusick who came up with the machines' distinctive look, including the bobble-like sensors, eyestalk, sucker and exterminator weapons.' His horrid creation has remained a prime enemy in Doctor Who for over 50 years, and have remained relatively unchanged. His tireless work however was never fully awarded, as his only pay for the project was about £100. Cusick also worked on such shows as Z Cars, Dr Finlay's Casebook and The Forsyte Saga to The Duchess of Duke Street, When the Boat Comes In and Rentaghost. He officially retired in 1987. Claire Heawood, Cusick's daughter, has said that her father was 'suffering from an illness and died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday.'"
He didn't die (Score:5, Funny)
He was ex-term-inat-ed.
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I..... I.... I want to... downvote this... and yet... its so full of WIN and Dalek based humor and demands to be voted up as funny...
We cant all be like the Cybermen and not have to make such tough decisions!
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Margin between being ex-term-inat-ed and keep going on is sometimes really thin. You have to grasp that concept well in order to continue efficiently in your journey.
The distinctive look and attitude.. (Score:5, Insightful)
...was in part mimicking the Nazis. Extermination .... Supreme race..... and the Daleks look a bit like panzer tanks. I can imagine that 50 years ago, with WWII not such a distant memory, the Daleks would have been personally terrifying to a lot of Brits.
Re:The distinctive look and attitude.. (Score:5, Funny)
They were terrifying to brits that lived on ground floors without stairs. The rest, not so much.
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Daleks don't need to levitate up stairs. They just level the building.
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^^^the actual content of the postings in the original "Trollface" comic.
Re:The distinctive look and attitude.. (Score:5, Informative)
A while ago I was researching every episode and story line the Daleks have appeared in. It's a bit of a tangle. However, the greatest source of Dalek trivia has to be
http://www.dalek6388.co.uk/ [dalek6388.co.uk]
I've no idea who put that site together, but the depth of detail (every Dalek ever made and when they appeared) is bordering on the obsessive. I read all of it...
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"I've no idea who put that site together"
Jon and Gav. Sometimes it's worth scrolling to the bottom of a page. :)
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There was never any panzer on british soil. Buch of V2s although...
Re:The distinctive look and attitude.. (Score:4, Insightful)
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eh? you know during WW II they had these marvelous devices called "cameras", they took "pictures" that were then reproduced in the "newspapers" of the times.
I'm sure much of the British public knew what Panzers looked like during the war, even more so afterwards.
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You're obviously making a ridiculous request. Of course, there aren't going to be London newspapers with titles like "we got a hell of a beating", with or without Panzers.
How about you find a source that Panzer images were censored from British newspapers?
In any case, the Daleks were introduced in 1963, so the British public would be well aware of the shapes of Panzers by then.
Re:The distinctive look and attitude.. (Score:5, Insightful)
This is a quite bizarre argument.
Of course there was propaganda during the war, and lots of censorship. On the other hand not only were there newspaper photos, the British were making action movies about the war during the war. It's unlikely that none of them contained a panzer. As you say it would doubtless be blown up, but that would involve seeing it first.
But the Daleks first appeared in 1963, 18 years after the end of the war. Pretty much everyone will have been very familiar with what panzers looked like by that time, again because of the vast number of action war films.
I'd never really thought about it before but I buy the idea that elements of the design were taken from tanks. The rotating lid, with the projecting eye stalk is very tank like. And the gun and plunger universal joint is absolutely like the one on machine guns on tanks.
Whether or not that helped to make the Daleks scary, I don't know. They certainly terrified me as a child, but it was more the inhumanness, the seeming invincibility, the likelyhood of instant death upon seeing one, and the voice I think. With the exception of the voice, they were scary in much the same way Alien is scary.
I love the design of the Daleks as a classic. But I think their scariness had more to do with Terry Nation's writing. The Daleks, including their Nazi basis, were his idea, as written in the script, before the physical design of the Daleks was thought up. "Exterminate", the supreme race etc. were his ideas.
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Strangely enough the British ened up destroying a lot of panzers in North Africa in 1942. I am sure Brits saw plemty of footage of the battle of El Alamain in the cinema newsreels that they showed before the main feature.
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Yeap, I made a mistake I figured panzer==panther. I never watched Dr. Who either...
But then again, how can anybody get scared by something that looks as fragile as a panzer tank? I didn't even know they ever existed...
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From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M4_Sherman [wikipedia.org]
The original Shermans were able to defeat the relatively small German tanks such as the Panzer III and IV they faced when first deployed in North Africa. Later, they found themselves more evenly matched against the newer up-gunned and up-armored Pz.Kpfw. IV medium tanks. Shermans were often outmatched by the 45 ton Panther tank and wholly inadequate against the 56 ton Tiger I and later 72 ton Tiger II heavy tanks, suffering high casualties against their heavier
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never? 8D http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tank_Museum [wikipedia.org]
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You think about the Nazis a lot, don't you?
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The War of the Worlds didn't take any inspiration from the Nazis, given that H G Wells wrote it in the 1800s.
You may be thinking of the 1950s movie version. That did have changes from the book, including moving it from Victorian England to contemporary America, but AFAIR it didn't add anything Nazi like that wasn't already in the book.
It's the same word repeated twice.
You mean tautology. Like for example: "repeated twice".
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That means nothing. After all, H. G. Wells invented the time machine. :-)
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The War of the Worlds didn't take any inspiration from the Nazis, given that H G Wells wrote it in the 1800s.
Specifically, it was actually a very obvious metaphor for the various conquests of peoples living in Africa, Asia, and America by much more modern European armies. The basic musket was as alien to the first North Americans to encounter them as the Martian machines were to the Victorian Brits, and part of the point of Wells' novel was to give those respectable Victorian Brits the same emotional response as, say, the Arawaks.
That's what a lot of good sci-fi does: It examines a contemporary problem by changing
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Who are you quoting there with "alien race bent on the destruction of humanity"? Because the post you replied to wasn't talking about that. It was talking about the concept of them being inspired by the Nazis specifically.
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
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I think Panzer means armour or armoured.
The full title of a tank in german is Panzer Kampf Wagen
often abbreviated to PKW
The PKW mark III and IV were in use in North africa
PKW mark V was known as the Panther
PKW mark VI was the Tiger
Disclaimer IANAG (I am not a German
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I think Panzer means armour or armoured.
Google translate says Panzer can mean armoured, carapace, shell, or shield.
Panzer *is* German for tank (Score:2)
And you're also right, "Panzer" means armor.
I don't know if the German military uses PKW as an abbreviation for Panzer, but I think it's highly unlikely because most Germans will definitely NOT think of a Panzer when they hear "PKW".
PKW is the very, very common abbreviation for "Personenkraftwagen", i.e. it refers to ordinary passenger cars.
A somewhat literal translation of PKW would be "people motor vehicle".
The most common and general way to classify ca
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Pzkw VI (Tiger) was also used in North Africa, toward the end.
For that matter, pzkw-II was used in North Africa too. Possibly even a few -I's as well, but they were mostly phased out by then.
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Also, Panzer is German for tank. To a German, an Abrams is a Panzer.
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Actually, "Panzer" is the German word for "tank"; in fact, it is the best translation in this context.
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Oddly enough, the proper designation for the "Tiger tank" was "Panzer VI".
Note, by the way, that "Panzer" was short for PanzerKampfWagen, a generic German term for tank (which means literally "armoured war vehicle".
So, no, it's not correct to say "Panzer tank", unless you're the kind of person who knows nothing to speak of about the subject.
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Actually, it's the same word, repeated once.
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...was in part mimicking the Nazis. Extermination .... Supreme race..... and the Daleks look a bit like panzer tanks. I can imagine that 50 years ago, with WWII not such a distant memory, the Daleks would have been personally terrifying to a lot of Brits.
I watched Dr. Who as a kid with me dad. Daleks were certainly frightening for me, but I was only about 5 at the time. I doubt I even knew what a panzer tank was at the time.
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During the "Master Trilogy" of a few years back- the one in which the Master rejiggers the TARDIS as a paradox machine so as to allow the distant seed of humanity to travel back in time to conquer the Earth- there is a scene in Germany where Daleks are flying through the air screaming "EXTERMINIEREN," to bring that image more fully to life, so to speak...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGx7c-QBotE [youtube.com]
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The return of the Master and the Dalek in Germany were two different season finales.
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You're right- this was the return of Davros, moving the Earth + all the other planets to create the Universe Eraser Button, right?
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Yeah, the season with Donna.
thanks! (Score:5, Informative)
I love Doctor Who and the series has entertained me for decades.
Always thought the Daleks had a great look, even if going up/down stairs was a problem. But thanks to the Daleks, I got Davros, and my namesake, Nyder.
Of course, we can't forget the picture of Jo Grant (Katy Manning) posing with a Dalek: https://www.google.com/search?q=jo+grant+doctor+who+dalek+nude+picture&hl=en&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=iBYrUYz4OuKXiQLN74DoCQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1133&bih=844 [google.com]
Anyways, thanks for the Daleks and may you not come back as a zombie.
Re:thanks! (Score:4, Informative)
Uhm, NOT SAFE FOR WORK, link opens to nude photos, tasteful nudes, but still nude.
MY GOD (Score:1)
Someone linked somewhere on the Internet, that has NAKED people!?
CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT!
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Well the search query is - jo grant doctor who dalek nude picture
And there's also safe=off in the url, so yeah I would figure it's NSFW.
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I watched Doctor Who in the 70s. I don't remember the episode those pictures came from. Is it available on DVD?
Tireless, only £100, etc. *yawn* (Score:1)
If they remained relatively unchanged, how was his work on them "tireless", and how can you assume it was never "fully" rewarded? Kids today think if they make something famous they automatically get rich? No, that's not how it works, and I don't recall Cusick ever complaining, so let's not pepper his memory with our own assumptions about what he would/should have wanted, eh?
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Maybe it's a typo: "timeless"
Legacy (Score:5, Insightful)
I, along with many other children, hid behind a sofa because of this guy. An interesting legacy. Both creative and terrifying and I cannot think of anyone who has does similar and touched so many in the process. Cusick had a good innings and, as reformed juvenile sofa dweller, thanks for the memorable scares.
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I, along with many other children, hid behind a sofa because of this guy.
My mum tells me my uncle hid behind the sofa. My grandma says my mum hid behind a cushion, sometimes.
What I don't understand is why the show is currently popular with 20-something adults. I've watched a couple, and found it pretty boring. I don't see the attraction.
(The original theme music [youtube.com] is fantastic. The newer music [youtube.com] is disappointing. It sounds like the Pirates of the Caribbean formed an indie rock band to cover the CNN theme but tripped over a cheap synth.)
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I loved it as a kid, as a 20-something there were more interesting things to do. But now as a parent I find it is one of the few programs we all can sit down together and watch.
The REAL creator... (Score:1)
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The physical design was great. But the concept of the Daleks, the Nazi theme, that they were mechanical things that glided across the floor etc was Terry Nation.
Cusick was the designer. Terry Nation was definitely the creator.
Oh for f... do some bloody research (Score:5, Funny)
His horrid creation has remained a prime enemy in Doctor Who for over 50 years
That's quite a trick, considering the 50th anniversary is in November this year. Timey wimey, wibbly wobbly...
A bit late but... (Score:2)
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Favourite Dr Who monster (Score:2)
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Re:disappointed... (Score:4, Funny)
British humour are top class, don't get me wrong.
British grammar are even better.
But this is not funny.
FYI: You are not everyone.
If any of your favourite shows has a laughter box in it, you are fail too.
Whereas believing your opinion to be worth more than everyone else's makes you such a win?
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Really, the tightly constrained budget probably improved the show. They couldn't fall back on stunning effects or even visually stunning locations. The show had to sink or swim on the strength of the writing and acting alone.
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"Cheap" means "low budget" so you don't need to repeat yourself.
Not necessarily; Dr Who and Red Dwarf are both low budget, but Dr Who is cheaper, in my opinion, because it uses a half an hour of material to fill an hour of airtime. Although there are certainly other factors at play, I find Red Dwarf to be very entertaining, while Dr Who is rather tedious and predictable.
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As usual, cutting edge journalism from the Gruanid (Score:1)
If You Find This Announcement Stressful (Score:2)
A Brilliant Man (Score:1)
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Come on, pay a little respect anyway. I tried to watch it a few times and my impressions match yours although.
Now, that he is dead, I might try to watch it again and maybe I will get the message. Who knows?
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If you are looking for an entry point into Doctor Who, watch the episode Blink [wikipedia.org], it's incredible well done and probably the most fun take on time travel since Back to the Future. If you don't like that one, then yeah, Doctor Who ain't for you, as it doesn't get better then that, but that episode it worth a try either way.
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Thanks for the advice.
(take 2)
Slashfilter otherwise refuses it as:
"This exact comment has already been posted. Try to be more original..."
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Concur. Blink is the episode everyone talks about. Great time travel and humor. And also some very suspenseful horror elements. Those angels are plain creepy.
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I agree.
Plus "Silence in the Library" ("I'm the Doctor, this is the largest library in the Universe. LOOK. ME. UP")
Or "Girl in the Fireplace" (Rennet - "What do monsters have nightmares about", the Doctor "Me...").
Yes, I've been re-watching a lot of Doctor Who recently....
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Thanks for the advice.
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You don't like it. So what?
I disagree with your opinion, but why is your comment so venomous? Did somebody rape you with a toy sonic screwdriver?
Here's something interesting for you to try, compare the Doctor Who episodes from a particular year with that years episodes of another sci-fi.
Anyhow, happy trolling to you, and just remember, a majority of the sci-fi fans disagree with your opinion.
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That's cute. Too bad for you the good Dr. will still be on the air long, long after you're dead.