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The rare 1970’s BBC Television Prop “The Dalek Supreme” (aka The Tussaud’s Dalek) will be sold to benefit The Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children at Bonhams sale of Rock n Roll & Film Memorabilia on Wednesday 16 November 2005.

Daleks were possibly the most popular on-screen villains created by the entertainment industry. This unique prop, estimated at £7,000-10,000.

The dalek naturally swivels with flashing lights, it has a painted wooden body with plastic hemispheres and is mounted with exterminator gun, suction arm and an articulated eye stalk – preparation for the sale, it now also comes with a suitable voice box to warn those in close in proximity of impending extermination.

Significantly, this actual model is the King of all Daleks, having starred in period – painted in menacing black and silver livery – as The Dalek Supreme. It was also the Dalek used in the BBC-assisted display at Madame Tussaud’s Waxworks Museum in the 1980 (finished in its current blue and silver) and accompanied the figure of Dr. Who actor, Tom Baker.

It has developed a complex provenance of its own: In 1979, four Daleks were required for the BBC Dr. Who story, Destiny of the Daleks‚ starring Tom Baker. The BBC production unit had no budget to build new props so had to make use instead of three old 1960s Daleks along with four so-called Goon Dalek props made for the filming of Planet of the Daleks‚ in 1973.

One original Dalek was butchered to provide moulds for vacuum-forming more Dalek parts. Two of the four Goon props were in such bad condition they were scrapped, and the base section of one of the others was badly damaged. Consequently, the BBC unit found itself with two 1960s Dalek props, one Goon‚ and only the top half of another in useable condition.

The BBC had previously made an exhibition Dalek which was now used to make up the shortfall. The good top half of the Planet of the Daleks Goon‚ was then grafted on to the exhibition Dalek skirt and so this Dalek was born! An interesting point is that this evil entity was blown up‚ in Destiny of the Daleks, by a pyrotechnic fire flash, the scorch marks still remain visible under the prop’s interior seat. It was subsequently repaired for future use.

After Destiny of the Daleks ‚ this prop passed to Madame Tussaud’s Waxwork Museum to accompany the figure of Dr. Who actor, Tom Baker. It was displayed there from 1980 until summer 1981, painted in its unique blue, silver and black livery in which it featured on the front cover of the Radio Times in 1983 for the 20th Dr. Who Anniversary.

No other Dalek was painted in these colours. The specific shade - traced recently - is Porsche Riviera Blue and surprisingly can apparently only be mixed to order. Meanwhile this prop’s period on display earned it the name by which it has subsequently become known – “The Tussaud’s Dalek”.

In February 1984, it was re-painted black with white hemispheres to feature in Resurrection of the Daleks as the Dalek Supreme. It was then featured in promotion for this story‚ having been again painted in the standard dark grey of normal Daleks in which form it had also appeared briefly during the fight sequences in the last episode.

In March 1985 it made its final TV appearance, in Revelation of the Daleks.

The Tussaud’s Dalek was sold in 1986 as part of a BBC charity auction, for the Red Cross Sudan Appeal, to a private UK Collection where it has remained since. Unfortunately it had been only commercially refurbished for the Sale, losing many original features and was painted an incorrect pale grey.

In 2004, following extensive research, it was painstakingly restored to its correct Tussaud’s display form, with the addition of a voice-box.

Distinguishing marks today:
1. The Tussaud’s Dalek skirt is block-board and ply, unlike the other Daleks which wore fibreglass skirts.
2. The skirt has a similar angle at the back and front
3. The skirt has an extra lip around the bottom of the skirt section
4. The hemispheres are 4.5-inches in diameter. All other Daleks featured 4-inch diameter hemispheres.
5. The misalignment of the hemispheres is unique and makes this Dalek easy to track from one story to another.
6. The shoulder section had four bolts around the oval until it was refurbished in 1986 - the lower right bolt was larger than the other three.
7. The Tussaud’s Dalek has three rows of bolt heads between the hemispheres on the skirt. These were actually filled prior to the refurbishment and have been subsequently reinstated.

For more details visit the Bonhams web site.