Classic ‘Behind the Couch’ Moments #101: Dr Who and the Daleks

Apparently The Economist actually went so far as to present this notion of "hiding behind the sofa whenever the Daleks appear" as a British cultural institution on an equal par with Bovril and ‘tea-time’. Indeed, the phrase is so strongly associated with Doctor Who in the UK, that in 1991 the Museum of the Moving Image in London named their exhibition celebrating Doctor Who "Behind the Sofa".

The Daleks are alien organisms from the planet Skaro. They dwell within tank-like mechanical casings and despite not being able to manoeuvre stairs, they became a powerful force intent on universal conquest and destroying, nay, EXTERMINATING anything and everything that stood in their way. They were the Doctor’s main nemeses. The Daleks had every emotion mechanically removed except hate; leaving them with a desire to purge the universe of all non-Dalek life. The reason they were perhaps so disturbing for young viewers was their distinct lack of reasoning or empathy. Appearing on screen for the first time in The Dalek Invasion of Earth and subsequently sending the younger viewers of the show, and some of the older ones too I’ll bet, scurrying behind the couch, the Daleks became a main staple of the show and continue to appear in it even today.
Doctor Who is one of those shows that are remembered for its moments that induce not only a palpable dread but also inspire a loving nostalgia – the two often combine to create a potent effect. Indeed, the idea of being scared is linked in with notions of growing up and rites of passage. Child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim remarked on this notion of being scared by certain things as a child when he said 'As children, we need monsters to instruct us in the ways of the world.' Images of bizarre alien races and hideous beasts were broadcast directly into our living rooms as we ate dinner on a Saturday evening thanks to Doctor Who. Back in those days, most families probably only had one TV and everyone would have gathered around it – it was a ‘family experience.’ Nostalgia mixed with memories of feeling spine-tingling dread whilst trying to eat your fish fingers and chips for many people, myself included, all stems back to Doctor Who…

I myself recall being frightened when watching Doctor Who as a youngster. As you can see from the photo below, I had a rather close encounter with a Dalek that, at the time, proved to be an experience with which I wasn’t particularly enamoured. I recall much screaming and crying and kicking and generally not being very cooperative, to the point where the person inside the Dalek felt so bad he actually climbed out of it to apologise for scaring me. For some reason this, far from abating my fear of Daleks and shattering the illusion that they were real, still filled me with an unnamed dread and prompted my parents to recognise a wonderful Kodak moment I will forever be thankful for...
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Me (aged 4 or 5) with a Dalek. Good times! |
Comments
Used to love Dr Who - wish it had never come back...
First off, that picture is sublime!
I also love the history. I haven't seem much in the way of the original Dr. Who (even though I am obsessed with the new ones), so I love reading about its initial reception and how steeped in the culture it became.
Thanks for sharing!!
Really enjoying the new Matt Smith incarnation by the way. Seems to me much closer to the classic series in style and feel than the RTD years.