MDBCs 21 Dec 2024

Considered to be one of the biggest enemies of Doctor Who, the time travelling lord, the robotic Daleks made their debut on December 21, 1963 in a 7 part serial aptly called The Daleks.

These salt and pepper shaker shaped creatures were created by another enemy of the Doctor - Davros, who genetically modified his own people, the Kaleds and removed all emotions from them. The Daleks were then left to operate just on hate and vengeance.

Frightening Villains

Known for repeatedly saying exterminate and for wanting to destroy every other race in the universe, the metal covered, aggressive Daleks are popularly considered by science fiction fans as one of the most frightening villains ever shown on television. A 2010 survey by the sci-fi magazine SFX found that the Doctor's arch-enemies were the most popular fantasy creatures on television and the big screen.

Today, Daleks are easily recognized icons in popular culture especially in the United Kingdom. Being or sounding like a Dalek is sometimes used as a way to refer to someone who's behavior or voice sounds mechanical or robotic.

Remembrance of Daleks

Remembrance of Daleks is a 4 part serial in the 25th season of the British science fiction show. In the serial, Doctor Who returns to 1963 to retrive the Hand of Omega, a device that can fuel time travel by converting stars into supernovas.

Another popularly celebrated Doctor Who inspired holiday is Impossible Astronaut Day.

How to Celebrate?

Spend the day doing a Doctor Who marathon.
Host a Doctor Who party. Decorate the venue with Doctor Who inspired decorations and invite all the Whovians in your life.

Did You Know…

…that originally Daleks could not go up stairs? This lack of stair-climbing abilities was one way that Doctor Who characters could save themselves from these monstrous creatures. In a more recent avatar of the Daleks, the creators of the TV show have given them hovering capabilities, which they employ while uttering escalate in the same tone as they say eliminate.

***

The last year I entered a marathon. The race started and immediately I was the last of the runners. It was embarrassing. The guy who was in front of me, second to last, was making fun of me.

He said, "Hey buddy, how does it feel to be last?"

I replied, "You really want to know?"

Then I dropped out of the race.

***

A man came in to give his application to the manager.

But the manager asked, "Why is there a four-year gap in your application?"

And the man responded, "Yale."

The manager hired him and the guy said, "Thanks. I needed a yob."

***

An elderly farmer had an old bull that lost its usual desire and no longer went near the cows. The farmer called the vet, who prescribed a pill to stimulate the bull’s interest.

A few weeks later, the farmer ran into a friend, who asked, “How’s that bull?”

“Great!” said the farmer. “The bull is back to his former frisky self.”

“That’s fantastic. What miracle drug did the vet prescribe?”

“I don’t know,” said the farmer. “But it tastes like licorice.”

***

I took our 4-year-old granddaughter, Halle, to the corral on pregnancy testing day to watch as the veterinarian did ultrasounds on our cows. After a positive test, the vet shouted out, “Call it good!”

I explained to Halle this meant there was a baby in the cow’s tummy.

She replied, “I don’t want to call the baby Good; I want to call it Queen Elsa.”