Davros
Encyclopedia
Davros is a character from the long-running British
science fiction television
series Doctor Who
. Davros is an archenemy
of the Doctor
and is the creator of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks. Davros was created by screenwriter Terry Nation
.
Davros is a mad scientist
from the planet Skaro
whose people, the Kaleds, were engaged in a bitter thousand-year war of attrition
with their enemies, the Thals
. He is horribly scarred and crippled, a condition various spin-off media attribute to his laboratory being attacked by a Thal shell. With the use of one functioning hand and one cybernetic
eye mounted on his forehead to take the place of his real eyes, which appear to have been welded shut; for much of his existence he depends completely upon a self-designed mobile life-support
chair which encloses the lower half of his body. It would become an obvious inspiration for his eventual design of the Dalek. The condition of the lower half of his body is unknown, he is physically incapable of leaving the chair without dying. Davros's voice, like those of the Dalek
s, is electronically distorted. His manner of speech is generally soft and contemplative, but when angered or excited he is prone to ranting outbursts that resemble the hysterical, staccatissimo
speech of his creations.
Davros is a megalomania
c who believes that through his creations, the Daleks, he can become the supreme being and ruler of the universe. He is a brilliant, ruthless scientist who has demonstrated mastery of robotics
, mechatronics
, metallurgy
, chemistry
, artificial intelligence
, cloning
, genetic engineering
, biology
, physics
, astronomy
, earth science
, military tactics
, cybernetics
and mechanical engineering
.
, written by Terry Nation
. Nation, creator of the Dalek concept, had deliberately modelled elements of the Daleks' character on Nazi
ideology, and conceived of their creator as a scientist with strong fascist
tendencies. The physical appearance of Davros was developed by visual effects designer Peter Day and sculptor John Friedlander, who based Davros' chair on the lower half of a Dalek. Producer Philip Hinchcliffe
told Friedlander to consider a design similar to The Mekon
from the Eagle
comic Dan Dare
, with a large dome-like head and a withered body.
Cast in the role of Davros was Michael Wisher
, who had previously appeared in several different roles on Doctor Who and had provided Dalek voices in the serials Frontier in Space
, Planet of the Daleks
and Death to the Daleks
. Wisher based his performance as Davros on the philosopher Bertrand Russell
. In order to prepare for filming under the heavy mask, Wisher rehearsed wearing a paper bag over his head. Friedlander's mask was cast in hard latex, with only the mouth revealing Wisher's features; make-up artist Sylvia James shaded the mask's tones and blackened Wisher's lips and teeth to hide the transition.
When he first encounters the Fourth Doctor
in Genesis of the Daleks, Davros is the chief scientist of the Kaleds, one of two native sentient races of the planet Skaro. The Kaleds are locked in a bitter thousand-year war of attrition for supremacy of their home-world with a species called the Thals
. Davros is the head of the Elite Scientific Division, created to devise new military strategies in order to win the war. Davros realizes that contamination from the nuclear
and biological weapons used in the war is mutating
the Kaled race, and artificially accelerates the process to examine the ultimate evolution
ary end product. The mutations are weak and crippled: no more than one-eyed brains with tentacular
appendage
s and with no hope of survival on their own. His solution is to remove all emotions pertaining to weakness, a category in which he groups such emotions as compassion, mercy and kindness, and place the mutants in tank-like "Mark III travel machines" partly based on the design of his wheelchair. He later names these creatures Daleks, an anagram
of Kaleds.
Davros quickly becomes obsessed with his creations, considering them to be the ultimate form of life, superior to all others. To stop his own people from shutting down his Dalek project, he arranges for them to be wiped out by the Thals. The Daleks then almost exterminate the Thal
victors, but ultimately turn on Davros and apparently kill him at the conclusion of the serial.
(played by David Gooderson
using the mask Friedlander made for Wisher - the mask had to be split into sections and rejoined to get as good a fit as possible). The Daleks unearth their creator — who had apparently been in suspended animation
since his "death" in Genesis — to help them break a logic
al impasse in their war against the android Movellans. However, the Dalek force is destroyed by the Doctor, and Davros is captured and imprisoned by the humans.
story Resurrection of the Daleks
, a small Dalek force aided by human mercenaries
and Dalek duplicates liberates Davros (now played by Terry Molloy
, with a new mask designed by Stan Mitchell) from his space station
prison, needing his expertise to find an antidote
for a Movellan-created virus
that has all but wiped them out. Believing his creations to be treacherous, Davros begins using mind control
on Daleks and humans, ultimately releasing the virus to kill off the Daleks before they can exterminate him. Davros expresses a desire to build a new and improved race of Daleks. However, at the end of the story, he apparently succumbs to the virus himself before he can escape, his physiology being close enough to that of the Daleks for the virus to affect him. The hypothetical creation of a viral weapon that could destroy all living creatures had been the subject of a discussion between the Fourth Doctor and Davros in Genesis of the Daleks.
preservation centre Tranquil Repose on the planet Necros in the Sixth Doctor
story Revelation of the Daleks
, where he uses frozen bodies to engineer a new variety of Daleks loyal to him, distinguished from the original Daleks by their white and gold livery and slightly changed design. In this story there appear to be two Davroses: one is a head in a tank and apparently a decoy for assassins; the other is in his usual chair (which can now hover), emerging from hiding when the decoy is assassinated. Davros can now move his neck and fire electric bolts from his hand, although the hand is shot off shortly before his original creations arrive to defeat the new Daleks and transport Davros to face trial on Skaro. In this serial and his next appearance, Davros was again played by Molloy, wearing a mask cast from Stan Mitchell's mould.
Davros appears as the Emperor Dalek in Remembrance of the Daleks
, with his white and gold Daleks now based on Skaro and termed "Imperial Daleks", fighting against the grey "Renegade Dalek" faction. By this time, Davros has been physically transplanted into a customised Dalek casing. Both Skaro and the Imperial Dalek mothership
are apparently destroyed when the Seventh Doctor
tricks Davros into using the Time Lord
artifact known as the Hand of Omega
. However, a Dalek on the bridge of Davros' ship reports that the Emperor's escape pod is being launched and a white light is seen speeding away from the ship moments before its destruction, leaving a clear route to bring Davros back in the future.
s had engaged in a mutually destructive Time War
. The concluding episodes of the fourth season, "The Stolen Earth
"/"Journey's End
", reveal that Davros was thought to have died during the first year of the Time War, when his command ship "flew into the jaws of the Nightmare Child", despite the Doctor's failed efforts to save him.
In earlier episodes, Davros is referred to (albeit not by name) twice: first in the episode "Dalek
" by the Ninth Doctor
, who explains that the Daleks were created by "a genius... a man who was king of his own little world", and again by the Tenth Doctor
in the episode "Evolution of the Daleks
", where he refers to the Daleks' creator as believing that "removing emotions made a race stronger". Davros is then shown in "Fear Her," in a drawing on Chloe's wall.
In the season four finale, Davros returned, played by Julian Bleach
, revealed to be the main antagonist
of the season. Concept artist Peter McKinstry and prosthetics designer Neill Gorton decided to base Davros's appearance on the original Michael Wisher version, which they felt was "somehow creepier — more sinister" than subsequent incarnations. McKinstry's design made the character "more sturdy" than previous versions. Gorton then translated McKinstry's drawings into a mould with a cast of Julian Bleach's face on the inside and a clay Davros face on the outside. This mould was used to cast silicone gel masks which were more responsive than the hard latex used in the original series, which had to be discarded after each day's filming. For some, the wires, head brace, and throat microphone of the previous masks were eschewed, with explanation given.
The episodes reveal that Davros survived thanks to Dalek Caan, who had escaped the Doctor via an emergency temporal shift and travelled through a temporal barricade to the events of the Time War, a feat thought impossible due to the events being 'time-locked'. With the assistance of Caan, who has lost sanity but developed prophet
ic abilities, Davros bred a new Dalek race using cells from his own body, so that he has little skin and flesh left on his chest and his ribcage and internal organs are visible. Though Davros talks about his "new empire", he at one point in time has actually been overthrown by his creatures and is kept prisoner in the Vault, being used for his scientific knowledge. The Doctor taunts him about being the "pet" of the Daleks.
Under Davros' guidance, the Daleks steal 27 planets, including Earth, and hide them in the Medusa Cascade, one second out of sync with the rest of the universe. Davros and the Daleks plan to detonate a "reality bomb", a wavelength transmitted by the stolen planets which cancels out the electrical field binding atoms, reducing the whole of creation to nothingness except for the Daleks and the Crucible, in order to achieve "ultimate victory". However, Davros has been betrayed by Dalek Caan, who having come to the realisation of the evilness of his race is using his prophecies and influence to cause the Daleks' destruction. He also manipulated events to bring the Doctor and Donna Noble
together, who manage to defeat the Daleks. Davros furiously refuses the Doctor's offer to take him to safety, accusing him of being responsible for the destruction, screaming: "Never forget, Doctor, you did this! I name you forever: You are the Destroyer of Worlds!", having previously taunted the Doctor for turning his companions into killers and having caused the deaths of countless people out of comparison to himself. Thus the Doctor is forced to leave Davros to his fate as the Crucible self-destructs.
During Doctor Who Confidential Russell T Davies explained how he believes Davros to have survived the Crucible's destruction in some way, not specifically showing his death for this reason. He explained that he would not like to be the one to kill off one of the Doctor's greatest enemies, having supposedly killed off the Master
.
printed several comics stories involving Davros. The first, "Nemesis of the Daleks" (#152-155), with the Seventh Doctor, features an appearance of a Dalek Emperor. Speaking with the Emperor, the Doctor addresses him as Davros, but the Emperor responds "Who is Davros?" The Doctor initially assumes Davros's personality has been totally subsumed, but in the later strip "Emperor of the Daleks
" (#197-202) this Emperor is shown as a different entity from Davros. Set prior to Remembrance of the Daleks
in Davros's timeline, but after in the timeline of the Doctor, the latter, accompanied by Bernice Summerfield
, together with help from the Sixth Doctor, ensures that Davros will survive the wrath of the Daleks so that he can assume the title of Emperor, allowing history to take its course. "Up Above the Gods" (#227), a vignette following up on this, features the Sixth Doctor and Davros having a conversation in the TARDIS.
audio plays
produced by Big Finish Productions
, mostly notably Davros
(taking place during the Sixth Doctor
's era), which, through flashbacks, explored the scientist's life prior to his crippling injury, which is attributed to a Thal nuclear attack (an idea that first appeared in Terrance Dicks
' novelisation of Genesis of the Daleks).
Davros, which does not feature the Daleks, apparently fills in the gaps between Resurrection of the Daleks and Revelation of the Daleks, and has the scientist trying to manipulate the galaxy's economy into a war footing similar to Skaro's. The Sixth Doctor manages to defeat his plans, and Davros is last heard when his ship explodes, an event obliquely mentioned in Revelation.
The Big Finish miniseries I, Davros, (set before Davros's trial after Revelation) also starring Molloy, further explores Davros's early life.
The subsequent play The Juggernauts
takes place between Revelation and Remembrance. There, Davros adds human nervous
tissue to robotic Mechanoids to create the Juggernauts of the play's title; he hopes to use these as an army to destroy the Daleks. At the end of the story, the self-destruct
mechanism of Davros's life-support chair explodes, destroying an entire human colony. It is not clear how Davros survives to become the Dalek Emperor as seen in Remembrance. However in the DVD, the Davros Connections, director Gary Russell points out that the explosion of Davros's life-support chair leaves the listener to believe there is little of Davros left. This fits chronologically the fact that in "Remembrance" Davros is seen as a head inside the Emperor Dalek.
By the time of the Eighth Doctor
audio play Terror Firma
(set after Remembrance), Davros is commanding a Dalek army which has successfully conquered the Earth. His mental instability has grown to the point where "Davros" and "the Emperor" exist within him as different personalities. His Daleks recognise this instability and rebel against Davros. By the story's end the Emperor personality is dominant, and the Daleks agree to follow him and leave Earth.
novel War of the Daleks
by John Peel
, in which an unmerged Davros is placed on trial by the Dalek Prime, a combination of the Dalek Emperor and the Dalek Supreme. In the novel the Dalek Prime reveals that the planet Antalin had been terraformed
to resemble Skaro and was destroyed in its place. It also claimed that the Dalek/Movellan war (and indeed most of Dalek history before the destruction of "Skaro") was actually faked for Davros's benefit; the Daleks had discovered records of Skaro's destruction during their conquest of Earth, but, unable to change history, had developed an elaborate plot to bring the recorded events about while ensuring Skaro's survival. However, Antalin is later seen to be intact and undamaged, and one character notes that it is quite possible the Dalek Prime is lying in order to weaken Davros's claim to leadership of the Daleks.
War of the Daleks, like the comic strips and audio plays, is of uncertain canonicity
when it comes to the television series.
At the conclusion of War, Davros was seemingly disintegrated by a Spider Dalek on the order of the Dalek Prime. However, Davros had previously recruited one of the Spider Daleks as a sleeper agent
for just such an eventuality, and even he was not certain in the end if he was being disintegrated or being teleported
away to safety, leaving the possibility open for his return.
's dark vignette in the Doctor Who Magazine
Brief Encounters series, "An Incident Concerning the Bombardment of the Phobos Colony" occurs sometime between "Resurrection of the Daleks" and his assumption of the role of Emperor.
, who had played his confederate, Nyder, reprised the role in an unlicensed one-off amateur stage production, The Trial of Davros
. The plot of the play involved the Time Lords putting Davros on trial, with Nyder as a witness.
Terry Molloy played Davros in the remounting of the play, again with Peter Miles for another one-off production, mounted in 2005. During the production, specially shot footage portrayed Dalek atrocities.
In 2008, Julian Bleach appeared live as Davros at the Doctor Who Prom, announcing that the Royal Albert Hall
would become his new palace, and the audience his "obedient slaves".
Genesis of the Daleks
Destiny of the Daleks
Resurrection of the Daleks
Revelation of the Daleks
Remembrance of the Daleks
Two Disc Special Edition
And the following Big Finish
audios;
Davros
The Juggernauts
Terror Firma
I, Davros: Innocence
I, Davros: Purity
I, Davros: Corruption
I, Davros: Guilt
The Davros Mission
footballer and manager Iain Dowie
has often been compared to Davros by football fans due to his appearance.http://www.humornanet.com/servlet/sitem?itm=795&mod=pesq&cat=20
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television
Science fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. Davros is an archenemy
Archenemy
An archenemy, archfoe, archvillain or archnemesis is the principal enemy of a character in a work of fiction, often described as the hero's worst enemy .- Etymology :The word archenemy or arch-enemy originated...
of the Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
and is the creator of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks. Davros was created by screenwriter Terry Nation
Terry Nation
Terry Nation was a Welsh screenwriter and novelist.He is probably best known for creating the villainous Daleks in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who...
.
Davros is a mad scientist
Mad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
from the planet Skaro
Skaro
Skaro is a fictional planet from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who created by the writer Terry Nation as the home planet of the Daleks and, at times, the centre of the Dalek Empire....
whose people, the Kaleds, were engaged in a bitter thousand-year war of attrition
Attrition warfare
Attrition warfare is a military strategy in which a belligerent side attempts to win a war by wearing down its enemy to the point of collapse through continuous losses in personnel and matériel....
with their enemies, the Thals
Thal (Doctor Who)
The Thals are a fictional race of humanoid aliens from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, originating on the planet Skaro.-History within the show:...
. He is horribly scarred and crippled, a condition various spin-off media attribute to his laboratory being attacked by a Thal shell. With the use of one functioning hand and one cybernetic
Cybernetics
Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to information theory, control theory and systems theory, at least in its first-order form...
eye mounted on his forehead to take the place of his real eyes, which appear to have been welded shut; for much of his existence he depends completely upon a self-designed mobile life-support
Life support
Life support, in medicine is a broad term that applies to any therapy used to sustain a patient's life while they are critically ill or injured. There are many therapies and techniques that may be used by clinicians to achieve the goal of sustaining life...
chair which encloses the lower half of his body. It would become an obvious inspiration for his eventual design of the Dalek. The condition of the lower half of his body is unknown, he is physically incapable of leaving the chair without dying. Davros's voice, like those of the Dalek
Dalek
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
s, is electronically distorted. His manner of speech is generally soft and contemplative, but when angered or excited he is prone to ranting outbursts that resemble the hysterical, staccatissimo
Staccatissimo
In musical notation, staccatissimo indicates that the notes are to be played extremely separated and distinct, a superlative staccato. This can be notated with little pikes over or under the notes, depending on stem direction, as in this example from Bruckner's Symphony No...
speech of his creations.
Davros is a megalomania
Megalomania
Megalomania is a psycho-pathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of power, relevance, or omnipotence. 'Megalomania is characterized by an inflated sense of self-esteem and overestimation by persons of their powers and beliefs'...
c who believes that through his creations, the Daleks, he can become the supreme being and ruler of the universe. He is a brilliant, ruthless scientist who has demonstrated mastery of robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
, mechatronics
Mechatronics
Mechatronics is the combination of mechanical engineering, electronic engineering, computer engineering, software engineering, control engineering, and systems design engineering in order to design, and manufacture useful products. Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary field of engineering, that is...
, metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, cloning
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
, genetic engineering
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
, biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, earth science
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
, military tactics
Military tactics
Military tactics, the science and art of organizing an army or an air force, are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics. In...
, cybernetics
Cybernetics
Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to information theory, control theory and systems theory, at least in its first-order form...
and mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
.
The Kaled/Thal Conflict
Davros first appeared in the 1975 serial Genesis of the DaleksGenesis of the Daleks
Genesis of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was originally broadcast in six weekly parts from 8 March to 12 April 1975. It marks the first appearance of Davros, the creator of the Daleks.-Plot:...
, written by Terry Nation
Terry Nation
Terry Nation was a Welsh screenwriter and novelist.He is probably best known for creating the villainous Daleks in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who...
. Nation, creator of the Dalek concept, had deliberately modelled elements of the Daleks' character on Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
ideology, and conceived of their creator as a scientist with strong fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
tendencies. The physical appearance of Davros was developed by visual effects designer Peter Day and sculptor John Friedlander, who based Davros' chair on the lower half of a Dalek. Producer Philip Hinchcliffe
Philip Hinchcliffe
Philip Hinchcliffe is a British television producer, who brought shows including Private Schulz and The Charmer to the screen, probably best known for the overseeing of British television series Doctor Who from 1974-1977...
told Friedlander to consider a design similar to The Mekon
The Mekon
The Mekon is the arch-enemy of the British comic book hero Dan Dare, first appearing in 1950 in the Eagle comic strip Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future and created by Frank Hampson. Apart from Dan Dare himself, he is the only character to appear in every one of the numerous versions of the comic strip...
from the Eagle
Eagle (comic)
Eagle was a seminal British children's comic, first published from 1950 to 1969, and then in a relaunched format from 1982 to 1994. It was founded by Marcus Morris, an Anglican vicar from Lancashire. Morris edited a parish magazine called The Anvil, but felt that the church was not communicating...
comic Dan Dare
Dan Dare
Dan Dare is a British science fiction comic hero, created by illustrator Frank Hampson who also wrote the first stories, that is, the Venus and Red Moon stories, and a complete storyline for Operation Saturn...
, with a large dome-like head and a withered body.
Cast in the role of Davros was Michael Wisher
Michael Wisher
Michael Wisher was a British actor.He is probably best remembered for having played Davros, the wheelchair-using scientific mastermind and creator of the Daleks, in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, who had previously appeared in several different roles on Doctor Who and had provided Dalek voices in the serials Frontier in Space
Frontier in Space
Frontier in Space is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from February 24 to March 31, 1973...
, Planet of the Daleks
Planet of the Daleks
Planet of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from April 7 to May 12, 1973.-Synopsis:...
and Death to the Daleks
Death to the Daleks
Death to the Daleks is a four-part serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. First broadcast from February 23 to March 16, 1974, it comprises four 25-minute episodes. The narrative begins as the TARDIS suffers an energy drain and crash-lands on the planet Exxilon...
. Wisher based his performance as Davros on the philosopher Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
. In order to prepare for filming under the heavy mask, Wisher rehearsed wearing a paper bag over his head. Friedlander's mask was cast in hard latex, with only the mouth revealing Wisher's features; make-up artist Sylvia James shaded the mask's tones and blackened Wisher's lips and teeth to hide the transition.
When he first encounters the Fourth Doctor
Fourth Doctor
The Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
in Genesis of the Daleks, Davros is the chief scientist of the Kaleds, one of two native sentient races of the planet Skaro. The Kaleds are locked in a bitter thousand-year war of attrition for supremacy of their home-world with a species called the Thals
Thal (Doctor Who)
The Thals are a fictional race of humanoid aliens from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, originating on the planet Skaro.-History within the show:...
. Davros is the head of the Elite Scientific Division, created to devise new military strategies in order to win the war. Davros realizes that contamination from the nuclear
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
and biological weapons used in the war is mutating
Mutation
In molecular biology and genetics, mutations are changes in a genomic sequence: the DNA sequence of a cell's genome or the DNA or RNA sequence of a virus. They can be defined as sudden and spontaneous changes in the cell. Mutations are caused by radiation, viruses, transposons and mutagenic...
the Kaled race, and artificially accelerates the process to examine the ultimate evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
ary end product. The mutations are weak and crippled: no more than one-eyed brains with tentacular
Tentacle
A tentacle or bothrium is one of usually two or more elongated flexible organs present in animals, especially invertebrates. The term may also refer to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, tentacles are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like...
appendage
Appendage
In invertebrate biology, an appendage is an external body part, or natural prolongation, that protrudes from an organism's body . It is a general term that covers any of the homologous body parts that may extend from a body segment...
s and with no hope of survival on their own. His solution is to remove all emotions pertaining to weakness, a category in which he groups such emotions as compassion, mercy and kindness, and place the mutants in tank-like "Mark III travel machines" partly based on the design of his wheelchair. He later names these creatures Daleks, an anagram
Anagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
of Kaleds.
Davros quickly becomes obsessed with his creations, considering them to be the ultimate form of life, superior to all others. To stop his own people from shutting down his Dalek project, he arranges for them to be wiped out by the Thals. The Daleks then almost exterminate the Thal
Thal (Doctor Who)
The Thals are a fictional race of humanoid aliens from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, originating on the planet Skaro.-History within the show:...
victors, but ultimately turn on Davros and apparently kill him at the conclusion of the serial.
War with the Movellans
Davros proved too effective a character to be kept dead and was resurrected four years later in 1979's Destiny of the DaleksDestiny of the Daleks
Destiny of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 1 September to 22 September 1979. The story introduces Lalla Ward as the newly-regenerated Romana....
(played by David Gooderson
David Gooderson
David Gooderson is a British actor who has appeared in several television roles. As well as portraying Davros, creator of the Daleks in the Doctor Who serial Destiny of the Daleks, he has appeared in Lovejoy, Mapp & Lucia and A Touch of Frost amongst other roles...
using the mask Friedlander made for Wisher - the mask had to be split into sections and rejoined to get as good a fit as possible). The Daleks unearth their creator — who had apparently been in suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
since his "death" in Genesis — to help them break a logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
al impasse in their war against the android Movellans. However, the Dalek force is destroyed by the Doctor, and Davros is captured and imprisoned by the humans.
Release
In the Fifth DoctorFifth Doctor
The Fifth Doctor is the fifth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Peter Davison....
story Resurrection of the Daleks
Resurrection of the Daleks
Resurrection of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts between 8 February and 15 February 1984...
, a small Dalek force aided by human mercenaries
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
and Dalek duplicates liberates Davros (now played by Terry Molloy
Terry Molloy
Terry Molloy is an English actor known predominantly for his work on radio and television.Molloy has been a member of the cast of BBC Radio 4's The Archers playing Mike Tucker since 1973 and has won awards for his work as an actor on radio.On television, Molloy is perhaps best known for his role...
, with a new mask designed by Stan Mitchell) from his space station
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
prison, needing his expertise to find an antidote
Antidote
An antidote is a substance which can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek αντιδιδοναι antididonai, "given against"....
for a Movellan-created virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
that has all but wiped them out. Believing his creations to be treacherous, Davros begins using mind control
Mind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
on Daleks and humans, ultimately releasing the virus to kill off the Daleks before they can exterminate him. Davros expresses a desire to build a new and improved race of Daleks. However, at the end of the story, he apparently succumbs to the virus himself before he can escape, his physiology being close enough to that of the Daleks for the virus to affect him. The hypothetical creation of a viral weapon that could destroy all living creatures had been the subject of a discussion between the Fourth Doctor and Davros in Genesis of the Daleks.
The Great Healer
Davros emerges as "The Great Healer" of the funeral and cryogenicCryogenics
In physics, cryogenics is the study of the production of very low temperature and the behavior of materials at those temperatures. A person who studies elements under extremely cold temperature is called a cryogenicist. Rather than the relative temperature scales of Celsius and Fahrenheit,...
preservation centre Tranquil Repose on the planet Necros in the Sixth Doctor
Sixth Doctor
The Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
story Revelation of the Daleks
Revelation of the Daleks
Revelation of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on 23 March and 30 March 1985...
, where he uses frozen bodies to engineer a new variety of Daleks loyal to him, distinguished from the original Daleks by their white and gold livery and slightly changed design. In this story there appear to be two Davroses: one is a head in a tank and apparently a decoy for assassins; the other is in his usual chair (which can now hover), emerging from hiding when the decoy is assassinated. Davros can now move his neck and fire electric bolts from his hand, although the hand is shot off shortly before his original creations arrive to defeat the new Daleks and transport Davros to face trial on Skaro. In this serial and his next appearance, Davros was again played by Molloy, wearing a mask cast from Stan Mitchell's mould.
The Dalek Civil War
Remembrance of the Daleks
Remembrance of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 October to 26 October 1988....
, with his white and gold Daleks now based on Skaro and termed "Imperial Daleks", fighting against the grey "Renegade Dalek" faction. By this time, Davros has been physically transplanted into a customised Dalek casing. Both Skaro and the Imperial Dalek mothership
Mother ship
A mother ship is a vessel or aircraft that carries a smaller vessel or aircraft that operates independently from it. Examples include bombers converted to carry experimental aircraft to altitudes where they can conduct their research , or ships that carry small submarines to an area of ocean to be...
are apparently destroyed when the Seventh Doctor
Seventh Doctor
The Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....
tricks Davros into using the Time Lord
Time Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
artifact known as the Hand of Omega
Hand of Omega
The Hand of Omega is a fictional device from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who.In Remembrance of the Daleks the Seventh Doctor explains that the "Hand of Omega" is the mythical name for the remote stellar manipulator invented by Omega, the first of the Time Lords of the...
. However, a Dalek on the bridge of Davros' ship reports that the Emperor's escape pod is being launched and a white light is seen speeding away from the ship moments before its destruction, leaving a clear route to bring Davros back in the future.
Revived series
By the 2005 series, the Daleks and the Time LordTime Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
s had engaged in a mutually destructive Time War
Time War (Doctor Who)
The Time War, more specifically called The Last Great Time War, is a conflict within the fictional universe of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
. The concluding episodes of the fourth season, "The Stolen Earth
The Stolen Earth
"The Stolen Earth" is the twelfth episode of the fourth series and the 750th overall episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The episode was written by show runner and head writer Russell T Davies and is the first of a two-part crossover story; the concluding episode is...
"/"Journey's End
Journey's End (Doctor Who)
"Journey's End" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who first broadcast on BBC One on 5 July 2008. It is the second episode of a two-part crossover story featuring the characters of spin-off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane...
", reveal that Davros was thought to have died during the first year of the Time War, when his command ship "flew into the jaws of the Nightmare Child", despite the Doctor's failed efforts to save him.
In earlier episodes, Davros is referred to (albeit not by name) twice: first in the episode "Dalek
Dalek (Doctor Who episode)
"Dalek" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was first broadcast on 30 April 2005. It should not be confused with the first Dalek serial, The Daleks...
" by the Ninth Doctor
Ninth Doctor
The Ninth Doctor is the ninth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by Christopher Eccleston....
, who explains that the Daleks were created by "a genius... a man who was king of his own little world", and again by the Tenth Doctor
Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
in the episode "Evolution of the Daleks
Evolution of the Daleks
"Evolution of the Daleks" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 28 April 2007, and is the fifth episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series. It is the conclusion of the two-part story begun in "Daleks in...
", where he refers to the Daleks' creator as believing that "removing emotions made a race stronger". Davros is then shown in "Fear Her," in a drawing on Chloe's wall.
In the season four finale, Davros returned, played by Julian Bleach
Julian Bleach
Julian Bleach is an English actor who is best known as co-creator and "M. C." of Shockheaded Peter, a musical entertainment based on the works of Heinrich Hoffmann, which won the 2002 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.Bleach trained at LAMDA...
, revealed to be the main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
of the season. Concept artist Peter McKinstry and prosthetics designer Neill Gorton decided to base Davros's appearance on the original Michael Wisher version, which they felt was "somehow creepier — more sinister" than subsequent incarnations. McKinstry's design made the character "more sturdy" than previous versions. Gorton then translated McKinstry's drawings into a mould with a cast of Julian Bleach's face on the inside and a clay Davros face on the outside. This mould was used to cast silicone gel masks which were more responsive than the hard latex used in the original series, which had to be discarded after each day's filming. For some, the wires, head brace, and throat microphone of the previous masks were eschewed, with explanation given.
The episodes reveal that Davros survived thanks to Dalek Caan, who had escaped the Doctor via an emergency temporal shift and travelled through a temporal barricade to the events of the Time War, a feat thought impossible due to the events being 'time-locked'. With the assistance of Caan, who has lost sanity but developed prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
ic abilities, Davros bred a new Dalek race using cells from his own body, so that he has little skin and flesh left on his chest and his ribcage and internal organs are visible. Though Davros talks about his "new empire", he at one point in time has actually been overthrown by his creatures and is kept prisoner in the Vault, being used for his scientific knowledge. The Doctor taunts him about being the "pet" of the Daleks.
Under Davros' guidance, the Daleks steal 27 planets, including Earth, and hide them in the Medusa Cascade, one second out of sync with the rest of the universe. Davros and the Daleks plan to detonate a "reality bomb", a wavelength transmitted by the stolen planets which cancels out the electrical field binding atoms, reducing the whole of creation to nothingness except for the Daleks and the Crucible, in order to achieve "ultimate victory". However, Davros has been betrayed by Dalek Caan, who having come to the realisation of the evilness of his race is using his prophecies and influence to cause the Daleks' destruction. He also manipulated events to bring the Doctor and Donna Noble
Donna Noble
Donna Noble is a fictional character played by Catherine Tate in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A secretary from Chiswick, London, she is a companion of the Tenth Doctor, appearing in one scene at the end of the final episode of the 2006 series,...
together, who manage to defeat the Daleks. Davros furiously refuses the Doctor's offer to take him to safety, accusing him of being responsible for the destruction, screaming: "Never forget, Doctor, you did this! I name you forever: You are the Destroyer of Worlds!", having previously taunted the Doctor for turning his companions into killers and having caused the deaths of countless people out of comparison to himself. Thus the Doctor is forced to leave Davros to his fate as the Crucible self-destructs.
During Doctor Who Confidential Russell T Davies explained how he believes Davros to have survived the Crucible's destruction in some way, not specifically showing his death for this reason. He explained that he would not like to be the one to kill off one of the Doctor's greatest enemies, having supposedly killed off the Master
Master (Doctor Who)
The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
.
Comic strips
Doctor Who MagazineDoctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
printed several comics stories involving Davros. The first, "Nemesis of the Daleks" (#152-155), with the Seventh Doctor, features an appearance of a Dalek Emperor. Speaking with the Emperor, the Doctor addresses him as Davros, but the Emperor responds "Who is Davros?" The Doctor initially assumes Davros's personality has been totally subsumed, but in the later strip "Emperor of the Daleks
Emperor of the Daleks
Emperor of the Daleks was a black-and-white comic strip based on the television series Doctor Who. It ran primarily in the pages of Doctor Who Magazine, written by John Freeman and novelist and future television series writer Paul Cornell...
" (#197-202) this Emperor is shown as a different entity from Davros. Set prior to Remembrance of the Daleks
Remembrance of the Daleks
Remembrance of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 October to 26 October 1988....
in Davros's timeline, but after in the timeline of the Doctor, the latter, accompanied by Bernice Summerfield
Bernice Summerfield
Bernice Surprise Summerfield is a fictional character created by author Paul Cornell as a new companion of the Seventh Doctor in Virgin Publishing's range of original full-length Doctor Who novels, the New Adventures...
, together with help from the Sixth Doctor, ensures that Davros will survive the wrath of the Daleks so that he can assume the title of Emperor, allowing history to take its course. "Up Above the Gods" (#227), a vignette following up on this, features the Sixth Doctor and Davros having a conversation in the TARDIS.
Audio plays
Terry Molloy has reprised his role as Davros in the spin-offDoctor Who spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
audio plays
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
produced by Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
, mostly notably Davros
Davros (Doctor Who audio)
Davros is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
(taking place during the Sixth Doctor
Sixth Doctor
The Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
's era), which, through flashbacks, explored the scientist's life prior to his crippling injury, which is attributed to a Thal nuclear attack (an idea that first appeared in Terrance Dicks
Terrance Dicks
Terrance Dicks is an English writer, best known for his work in television and for writing a large number of popular children's books during the 1970s and 80s.- Early career :...
' novelisation of Genesis of the Daleks).
Davros, which does not feature the Daleks, apparently fills in the gaps between Resurrection of the Daleks and Revelation of the Daleks, and has the scientist trying to manipulate the galaxy's economy into a war footing similar to Skaro's. The Sixth Doctor manages to defeat his plans, and Davros is last heard when his ship explodes, an event obliquely mentioned in Revelation.
The Big Finish miniseries I, Davros, (set before Davros's trial after Revelation) also starring Molloy, further explores Davros's early life.
The subsequent play The Juggernauts
The Juggernauts
The Juggernauts is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
takes place between Revelation and Remembrance. There, Davros adds human nervous
Nervous system
The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central and peripheral. The central nervous...
tissue to robotic Mechanoids to create the Juggernauts of the play's title; he hopes to use these as an army to destroy the Daleks. At the end of the story, the self-destruct
Self-destruct
A self-destruct is a mechanism which causes a device to destroy itself under a predefined set of circumstances.Self-destruct mechanisms are also found on devices and systems where malfunction could endanger large numbers of people...
mechanism of Davros's life-support chair explodes, destroying an entire human colony. It is not clear how Davros survives to become the Dalek Emperor as seen in Remembrance. However in the DVD, the Davros Connections, director Gary Russell points out that the explosion of Davros's life-support chair leaves the listener to believe there is little of Davros left. This fits chronologically the fact that in "Remembrance" Davros is seen as a head inside the Emperor Dalek.
By the time of the Eighth Doctor
Eighth Doctor
The Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
audio play Terror Firma
Terror Firma
Terror Firma is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The story follows on directly from the previous Eighth Doctor audio drama The Next Life and flashes back to scenes that takes place before the first Eighth Doctor...
(set after Remembrance), Davros is commanding a Dalek army which has successfully conquered the Earth. His mental instability has grown to the point where "Davros" and "the Emperor" exist within him as different personalities. His Daleks recognise this instability and rebel against Davros. By the story's end the Emperor personality is dominant, and the Daleks agree to follow him and leave Earth.
Novels
Terror Firma seemed to contradict the events of the Eighth Doctor AdventuresEighth Doctor Adventures
The Eighth Doctor Adventures are a series of spin off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. 73 books were published overall...
novel War of the Daleks
War of the Daleks
War of the Daleks is an original novel written by John Peel, published in 1997, based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor and Sam. This novel was the first appearance of the Daleks in an original Doctor Who novel; they had not...
by John Peel
John Peel (writer)
John Peel is a British writer, best known for his books connected to several television series. He has written under several pseudonyms, including John Vincent and Nicholas Adams. He lives in Long Island, New York and his wife is a U.S...
, in which an unmerged Davros is placed on trial by the Dalek Prime, a combination of the Dalek Emperor and the Dalek Supreme. In the novel the Dalek Prime reveals that the planet Antalin had been terraformed
Terraforming
Terraforming of a planet, moon, or other body is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying its atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology to be similar to those of Earth, in order to make it habitable by terrestrial organisms.The term is sometimes used more generally as a...
to resemble Skaro and was destroyed in its place. It also claimed that the Dalek/Movellan war (and indeed most of Dalek history before the destruction of "Skaro") was actually faked for Davros's benefit; the Daleks had discovered records of Skaro's destruction during their conquest of Earth, but, unable to change history, had developed an elaborate plot to bring the recorded events about while ensuring Skaro's survival. However, Antalin is later seen to be intact and undamaged, and one character notes that it is quite possible the Dalek Prime is lying in order to weaken Davros's claim to leadership of the Daleks.
War of the Daleks, like the comic strips and audio plays, is of uncertain canonicity
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
when it comes to the television series.
At the conclusion of War, Davros was seemingly disintegrated by a Spider Dalek on the order of the Dalek Prime. However, Davros had previously recruited one of the Spider Daleks as a sleeper agent
Sleeper agent
A sleeper agent is a spy who is placed in a target country or organization, not to undertake an immediate mission, but rather to act as a potential asset if activated...
for just such an eventuality, and even he was not certain in the end if he was being disintegrated or being teleported
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
away to safety, leaving the possibility open for his return.
Short fiction
Paul CornellPaul Cornell
Paul Cornell is a British writer best known for his work in television drama as well as Doctor Who fiction, and as the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield....
's dark vignette in the Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
Brief Encounters series, "An Incident Concerning the Bombardment of the Phobos Colony" occurs sometime between "Resurrection of the Daleks" and his assumption of the role of Emperor.
Theatre
In 1993, Michael Wisher, the original Davros, with Peter MilesPeter Miles
Peter Miles is a British actor. He has played many television roles including several different characters in Z-Cars and Doctor Who. His other television work has included Survivors, The Sweeney, Dixon of Dock Green, Moonbase 3, Poldark and Bergerac.In the science fiction series Blake's 7 he played...
, who had played his confederate, Nyder, reprised the role in an unlicensed one-off amateur stage production, The Trial of Davros
The Trial of Davros
The Trial of Davros was an amateur theatrical production based on the long-running British BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and the character of Davros created by screenwriter Terry Nation...
. The plot of the play involved the Time Lords putting Davros on trial, with Nyder as a witness.
Terry Molloy played Davros in the remounting of the play, again with Peter Miles for another one-off production, mounted in 2005. During the production, specially shot footage portrayed Dalek atrocities.
In 2008, Julian Bleach appeared live as Davros at the Doctor Who Prom, announcing that the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
would become his new palace, and the audience his "obedient slaves".
List of appearances
- Genesis of the DaleksGenesis of the DaleksGenesis of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was originally broadcast in six weekly parts from 8 March to 12 April 1975. It marks the first appearance of Davros, the creator of the Daleks.-Plot:...
: March 8 – April 12, 1975 - Destiny of the DaleksDestiny of the DaleksDestiny of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 1 September to 22 September 1979. The story introduces Lalla Ward as the newly-regenerated Romana....
: September 1 – September 22, 1979 - Resurrection of the DaleksResurrection of the DaleksResurrection of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts between 8 February and 15 February 1984...
: February 8 – February 15, 1984 - Revelation of the DaleksRevelation of the DaleksRevelation of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on 23 March and 30 March 1985...
: March 23 – March 30, 1985 - Remembrance of the DaleksRemembrance of the DaleksRemembrance of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 October to 26 October 1988....
: October 5 – October 26, 1988 - "The Stolen EarthThe Stolen Earth"The Stolen Earth" is the twelfth episode of the fourth series and the 750th overall episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The episode was written by show runner and head writer Russell T Davies and is the first of a two-part crossover story; the concluding episode is...
"/"Journey's EndJourney's End (Doctor Who)"Journey's End" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who first broadcast on BBC One on 5 July 2008. It is the second episode of a two-part crossover story featuring the characters of spin-off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane...
": June 28 – July 5, 2008
Comic strips
- Nemesis of the Daleks, Doctor Who Magazine (suggested but later contradicted)
- Emperor of the DaleksEmperor of the DaleksEmperor of the Daleks was a black-and-white comic strip based on the television series Doctor Who. It ran primarily in the pages of Doctor Who Magazine, written by John Freeman and novelist and future television series writer Paul Cornell...
, Doctor Who Magazine - Up Above the Gods, Doctor Who Magazine
Audio plays
- DavrosDavros (Doctor Who audio)Davros is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
- The JuggernautsThe JuggernautsThe Juggernauts is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
- Terror FirmaTerror FirmaTerror Firma is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The story follows on directly from the previous Eighth Doctor audio drama The Next Life and flashes back to scenes that takes place before the first Eighth Doctor...
- I, Davros: InnocenceI, Davros: InnocenceI, Davros: Innocence is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It stars Terry Molloy reprising his role as Davros, the twisted creator of the Dalek race. "Innocence" is the first in a four-part mini-series exploring...
- I, Davros: PurityI, Davros: PurityI, Davros: Purity is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It stars Terry Molloy reprising his role as Davros, the twisted creator of the Dalek race. "Purity" is the second in a four-part mini-series exploring Davros'...
- I, Davros: CorruptionI, Davros: CorruptionI, Davros: Corruption is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It stars Terry Molloy reprising his role as Davros, the twisted creator of the Dalek race...
- I, Davros: GuiltI, Davros: GuiltI, Davros: Guilt is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It stars Terry Molloy reprising his role as Davros, the twisted creator of the Dalek race. "Guilt" is the final part of the mini-series exploring Davros' early...
- The Davros MissionThe Davros MissionThe Davros Mission is a Doctor Who audio play written and directed by Nicholas Briggs exclusive to the Complete Davros Collection DVD box set released on 26 November 2007. It is set between the Sixth Doctor audio play The Juggernauts and the Seventh Doctor television story Remembrance of the...
(Available in the limited edition "The Complete Davros Collection" box set) - Masters of WarMasters of War (Doctor Who audio)Masters of War is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The Doctor Who Unbound dramas pose a series of "What if...?" questions.-Cast:*The Doctor — David Warner...
(Doctor Who Unbound series, out of normal Doctor Who continuity) - The Curse of DavrosThe Curse of DavrosThe Curse of Davros is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
Short fiction
- An Incident Concerning the Continual Bombardment of the Phobos Colony by Paul CornellPaul CornellPaul Cornell is a British writer best known for his work in television drama as well as Doctor Who fiction, and as the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield....
, Doctor Who Magazine #168
Original novels
- War of the DaleksWar of the DaleksWar of the Daleks is an original novel written by John Peel, published in 1997, based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor and Sam. This novel was the first appearance of the Daleks in an original Doctor Who novel; they had not...
by John PeelJohn Peel (writer)John Peel is a British writer, best known for his books connected to several television series. He has written under several pseudonyms, including John Vincent and Nicholas Adams. He lives in Long Island, New York and his wife is a U.S...
(Eighth Doctor AdventuresEighth Doctor AdventuresThe Eighth Doctor Adventures are a series of spin off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. 73 books were published overall...
)
Video games
- Dalek AttackDalek AttackDalek Attack is a computer game based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which the player plays the Doctor and fights the Daleks...
(later told that is in fact a Davros made up by the Doctor in the Land of Fiction)
Theatrical productions
- The Trial of DavrosThe Trial of DavrosThe Trial of Davros was an amateur theatrical production based on the long-running British BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and the character of Davros created by screenwriter Terry Nation...
, mounted 1993, 2005 - Doctor Who Prom, July 27, 2008
DVD/Big Finish box set
On the November 26, 2007, a Davros boxset was released featuring the following TV stories;Genesis of the Daleks
Genesis of the Daleks
Genesis of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was originally broadcast in six weekly parts from 8 March to 12 April 1975. It marks the first appearance of Davros, the creator of the Daleks.-Plot:...
Destiny of the Daleks
Destiny of the Daleks
Destiny of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 1 September to 22 September 1979. The story introduces Lalla Ward as the newly-regenerated Romana....
Resurrection of the Daleks
Resurrection of the Daleks
Resurrection of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts between 8 February and 15 February 1984...
Revelation of the Daleks
Revelation of the Daleks
Revelation of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on 23 March and 30 March 1985...
Remembrance of the Daleks
Remembrance of the Daleks
Remembrance of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 October to 26 October 1988....
Two Disc Special Edition
And the following Big Finish
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
audios;
Davros
Davros (Doctor Who audio)
Davros is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
The Juggernauts
The Juggernauts
The Juggernauts is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
Terror Firma
Terror Firma
Terror Firma is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The story follows on directly from the previous Eighth Doctor audio drama The Next Life and flashes back to scenes that takes place before the first Eighth Doctor...
I, Davros: Innocence
I, Davros: Innocence
I, Davros: Innocence is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It stars Terry Molloy reprising his role as Davros, the twisted creator of the Dalek race. "Innocence" is the first in a four-part mini-series exploring...
I, Davros: Purity
I, Davros: Purity
I, Davros: Purity is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It stars Terry Molloy reprising his role as Davros, the twisted creator of the Dalek race. "Purity" is the second in a four-part mini-series exploring Davros'...
I, Davros: Corruption
I, Davros: Corruption
I, Davros: Corruption is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It stars Terry Molloy reprising his role as Davros, the twisted creator of the Dalek race...
I, Davros: Guilt
I, Davros: Guilt
I, Davros: Guilt is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It stars Terry Molloy reprising his role as Davros, the twisted creator of the Dalek race. "Guilt" is the final part of the mini-series exploring Davros' early...
The Davros Mission
The Davros Mission
The Davros Mission is a Doctor Who audio play written and directed by Nicholas Briggs exclusive to the Complete Davros Collection DVD box set released on 26 November 2007. It is set between the Sixth Doctor audio play The Juggernauts and the Seventh Doctor television story Remembrance of the...
In popular culture
The Northern IrishNorthern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
footballer and manager Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie is a former footballer and manager. He is currently without a club. He has previously managed Hull City and Queens Park Rangers and was assistant manager of Newcastle United...
has often been compared to Davros by football fans due to his appearance.http://www.humornanet.com/servlet/sitem?itm=795&mod=pesq&cat=20
External links
- Some quotes from Genesis of the Daleks.
- First History of the Daleks (and Second).
- Information on I, Davros on Big Finish's website
- BBC Norfolk — Watch interview with Terry Molloy discussing I Davros — November '06
- BBC Norfolk — Davros gallery with Terry Molloy interviews
- The Davros Connections DVD, documentary included in the Davros Collection DVD box set, goes into depth about the Davros audios by Big Finish.