The
rare 1970’s BBC Television Prop “The Dalek Supreme”
(aka The Tussaud’s Dalek) sold for a staggering £36,000
today – over 3 times its estimate to benefit The Great
Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children. It was greeted with
a round of applause at Bonhams jam-packed saleroom in a sale
of Rock n Roll & Film Memorabilia at Knightsbridge, London.
It was bought by the communications agency – Indeprod.
The Dalek had fetched £4,600 when bought as a charity
lot in 1986 to benefit the BBC Red Cross Sponsored Appeal.

A spokesperson at Indeprod said “We are delighted to have
acquired a Dalek. We shall place it in our reception area for
all to see and enjoy. We have been after a Dalek for years and
this seemed to be the perfect opportunity especially as the
proceeds will go to The Great Ormond Street Hospital. We are
also very pleased that the Dalek will stay in the country.”

The Dalek said “I am so relieved that I have found a new
home without the risk of extermination although I had dreamt
of living with Billie Piper.”

Daleks were possibly the most popular on-screen villains created
by the entertainment industry. 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.

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”.

Also view Unique
Blue Dalek seeks new home without threat of extermination

For more details visit the Bonhams
web site.