User Reviews

With the release of Dr Who and the Daleks and the Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 AD in 4k as well as special showings in the cinema.

This documentary from 1995 celebrated the Dalek movies from Amicus films.

Dedicated to Peter Cushing and Roy Castle. With the non appearance of Bernard Cribbins.

It was left to Roberta Tovey who played granddaughter Susan to do more of the heavy lifting. There were interviews with other actors such as Barrie Ingham as well as an archive interview with Terry Nation.

This were unofficial Doctor Who films based on Nation's BBC scripts. It was not licenced by the BBC. Amicus were clearly taking advantage of the Dalekmania of the time.

So Doctor Who is an earth scientist who built a Tardis. Nation found Cushing too nice and cuddly as Doctor Who. Lacking the irascibility of William Hartnell.

There were nice anecdotes from Tovey who was barely a teenager when the first Dalek film was released. She was clearly dazzled by the huge sets.

The first movie was a big hit and the second Dalek movie went into production with product placement funding from Sugar Puffs. That was not such a big hit.

This documentary originally released on video looked a bit cheap. There were contributors from Doctor Who magazine who were not even born at the time of Dalekmania.

It is for Doctor Who fans and at least it provides more background information for these unofficial movies.

Dalekmania, filmed in 1995, is a wonderful 57-minute exposé of the birth and the longevity of the most feared Sci-Fi creations to have landed within our imaginations. Filmed around the concept of two young children going to see a Dr. Who movie, during the sixties, all in 1960's costume. This is a historical time travelling documentary on the Daleks that ventured onto the big screens during those hedonistic years of colour and new horizons of the 1960's.

Starting with a dedication to the memories of Peter Cushing (1913 – 1994) and Roy Castle (1932 – 1994), we see the young Dr. Who fans being dropped of by their mother at the local cinema, after paying their 3/- to the Commissionaire. Michael Wisher, as the Commissionaire, who himself played in ten Dr.Who episodes during the 1970's, even playing the evil Dalek leader Davros, in the 1975 shows Genesis of the Daleks.

Showing the original UK trailers of both Dalek movies, including rare clips of the Italian, French and the USA cinema trailers, this is a neat and plentiful package, with many flashbacks and fond memories for all concerned.

The first person to introduce themselves is Roberta Tovey (1953 -), who played the young Susan in the two Dr.Who movies of 1965 and 1966. With major contributions from the likes of Marcus Hearn, magazine editor for Bizarre & Hammer Horror, Gary Gillatt editor of Doctor Who Magazine, and the man himself, the creator of the Daleks, the late Terry Nation (1930 – 1997). Then we have Barrie Ingham (1934 -) and the attractive Yvonne Antrobus who played Alydon and Dyoni, respectively, in the first movie, adding their historical memories together.

With wonderful nostalgic black and white newspaper cuttings of the London Première of Dr. Who and the Daleks, and the national reports of the Dalek phenomenon, to "Beatle John Lennon meets Dalek" newspaper clippings and photos.

As the Dalek phenomenon took momentum, the plan for the second Dr. Who and the Dalek movie was in full swing, before the first had even been finished.

For the second showing, we meet Jill Curzon, as Louise in Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 A.D., and stuntman and Co-ordinator Eddie Powell (1927 – 2000). Who both give an interesting view on the life of the stuntman and one particular scene in Invasion Earth, who also worked on greats as The Guns of Navarone 1961, to many, many James Bond movies and 1979s Sci-Fi classic Alien, playing the Alien creature itself.

With each individual giving their own unique insight into the two Dalek movies, such as creation, Production, casting, behind the scenes and personal opinions, Dalekmania is truly for the fan of both Dr. Who and the dreaded Dalek.

A bit amateurish as if it was not made by professionals. The titles seem to have been made using a Sinclair Spectrum computer and were very jerky. The interview footage of Miss Tovey, judging from her clothes and hair, was filmed in the early 1980s and looking at her age, born in 1953, she did not look anywhere near the 42 she would have been in 1995. She just might look very young for her age but it's probably just old footage recycled for this film. Has to be watched by all Doctor Who fans regardless of how badly made it is. I saw it on Talking Pictures TV so watch out for it being repeated there.