Rainbow Daleks revamped to 'target toy shops'

The Daily Mail

On screen, they have undergone a multi-coloured makeover as part of their continuing plan for universal conquest.

Critics are claiming, however, that the revamp of the Daleks may have more to do with the BBC's wish to increase its share of the merchandising market.

The alien menace has seen a number of changes since first appearing in Doctor Who in 1963, but these have generally been minor.

But the new Daleks unveiled in last week's episode now not only come in a range of eye-popping primary colours but are considerably bigger.

Fans complained that they looked like Fisher Price toys, with one adding: 'It's a padded Dalek. A soft toy Dalek. It looks like half marshmallow and half plastic.'

Another added: 'What a shame to see a genuinely menacing Dalek design scrapped.'

Some fear that they have been changed simply to generate more toy sales, a point reinforced by the fact that the Doctor himself has been given a new-look Tardis and sonic screwdriver.

Merchandise connected to Doctor Who has always been a big seller for the corporation, from sweets and bubble bath to DVDs of episodes.

A BBC spokesman said: 'The scripts always come first and the coloured Daleks were in the script. This is not new, we have had different colour Daleks on the show before.

'The script specified the colour of the Daleks.'

Source.