DON’T tell Doctor Who but there is likely to be another adversary to add to the army soon as one Hampshire enthusiast is restoring what is thought to be the oldest surviving dalek.
Built in 1963, the dalek has been rescued and restored and is currently residing in a garage in Dibden Purlieu.
The prop can claim to have faced the first Timelord William Hartnell when the daleks debuted on screen.
It went on to battle every Doctor in the original series, including Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison and Colin Baker, making its final appearance with Sylvester McCoy in 1988.
In its filming career the dalek was buried in sand, thrown into a tank of water, and actually stolen from the BBC studios.
Doctor Who writer and historian Jon Green said the dalek is probably the most often-seen alien prop ever used in the series.
“The theft, in 1973, was widely publicised and the BBC’s Blue Peter show broadcast an appeal for sightings, which resulted in a young viewer spotting it dumped in London.
“It had been damaged but was thankfully safely recovered”, he said.
The dalek is being restored by enthusiasts Chris Balcombe and ThePropGallery.com who between them bought all the parts of the original prop and restored it with the help of visual effects.
Owner Chris has continued subtle restoration of the dalek, in a workshop near his home in Dibden Purlieu.
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