Dreaded Daleks

Press, 20 May 1987, Page 18

Dreaded Daleks

MNN Two at AN tMi cvcoiag. n. HaM> Hum .was WHWoMg_a Mll followlor. They bad tWtr ’ScUoml orfflM la the evil wttod of.ertpHed lUled oeioatM, Dovray wfeo laveated a travel maehlae la which the Kaleds, geaetlcally crippled by years of warfare, could move about In reality the Daleks, which lookzfor all the world like malevoleat pepper pots, were the brainchild of Terry Nation, One of the original scriptwriters for < *Dr Who." They Arid made an -'appearance in 1812 and almost Immediately the playgrounds of Britain were full of little boys shuffling around with arms stiffly extended intoning in metallic voices, *Ex-ter-mi-nate, Ex-ter-mlnate.” In addition to Dr Who the Daleks had to contend with another formidable foe, Mrs Mary Whitehouse, secretary of the National Viewers and .Listeners* Association in Britain, who clplmed that the Daleks were giving young children nightmares.

An estimated worldwide audience of 88 million watch “Dr Who” and, surprisingly, research indicates that 88 per cent of them are adult.

VIEWERS VIEWS

Sir,—The television programme, "Legacy,” was an excellent, thought-pro-voking series. Historical facts very Often are not available in the current history books. The prejudices and ignorance displayed by such national figures as Seddon and his contemporaries were appalling. Echoes of it are still heard in oiir corridors of power. Our worst enemies are our individual selves when we label nationalities other than our own as aliens, believing that our own culture is the best and denigrating others. We pakehas deceive ourselves that morally, spiritually and intellectually we are better than the rest We can all learn from the other fellow when we accept the natural law that we are all brothers and sisters under our variously coloured skins. — Yours, etc.,

. ERIC DENSTON.