A Doctor Who Dalek spinoff would be a great idea - if it explored the Dalek invasion of Earth, or even its aftermath. The world's longest-running science-fiction TV series, Doctor Who is set to become bigger than ever before. Russell T. Davies is returning as showrunner, with the BBC entering a co-production deal with Bad Wolf Studios. Even better, from next year the show will stream internationally on Disney+, with Doctor Who's budget reportedly tripling.
Disney and the BBC have started talking about the Whoniverse, making many viewers hope Davies intends to launch a range of spinoffs to boot. This would be a repeat of the strategy Davies employed during his original tenure as showrunner, from 2005 through to 2009, when he launched Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures; he's already noted that he seemed to be ahead of his time. The latest rumors suggest the first wave of spinoffs will be focused on villains such as the Daleks and the Cybermen, a somewhat surprising idea; villain shows are something of a hard pitch. But there is one approach that would surely make a Dalek series a real success.
The Dalek Invasion Of Earth Would Be A Thrilling Story
When Russell T. Davies originally relaunched Doctor Who in 2005, he understood that the science-fiction TV series had to be grounded in the real world. "What I want to bring it is more what a modern, young audience want to watch, to feel what's going on," he explained in one interview with TVZone at the time. "If you're on Planet Zog, and the Zog people are fighting with the Zog Monster, I don't give a toss! Who cares about that? If you tell me that there's a human colony on Planet Zog, fighting off the elements and trying to survive, then actually I'm interested." Davies believes science-fiction works best when it is grounded in human emotions, simply because those emotions lead viewers to care about the story and its characters. This is why Davies' Doctor Who told so many invasion plots, and it is why so many of the show's unforgettable monsters are essentially real-world concepts given a sinister twist - shop window dummies, statues, even shadows.
A Dalek story could retain its human edge by being set during the Dalek invasion of Earth. Back in 1964, the First Doctor and his companions arrived on Earth in the 22nd century, only to discover it had been conquered by the Daleks. They had enslaved the human race, using them as slave labor while they worked to convert the planet into a mobile battle-station. It was one of the most iconic Doctor Who stories of all time, with powerful visuals that seared themselves into popular consciousness - such as a Dalek rising from the River Thames. Davies' Doctor Who spinoff could reveal how the Daleks conquered Earth, and how the resistance fought against them. This could exist in the shadow of the classic story The Dalek Invasion of Earth, setting up its events and inspiring viewers to revisit it.
Doctor Who's Spinoff Could Focus On The Legacy Of The Daleks
Alternatively, Davies could draw inspiration from a Doctor Who novel published back in 1998. Davies has never been averse to drawing on other Doctor Who mediums, even adapting one book into the two-parter Human Nature and The Family of Blood. This time, though, he could base his series on John Peel's excellent novel Legacy of the Daleks. Starring Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor, this saw the Time Lord travel back to Earth in the aftermath of the Dalek invasion. It featured the return of Susan, the Doctor's granddaughter, who he had left on Earth after the Daleks' defeat. Human society had fragmented, and Susan was struggling to navigate the ever-shifting power dynamics of this England. Worse still, one faction disturbed a Dalek site, and they unwittingly awoke some Daleks from their slumber.
An adaptation of this idea - even one without the Doctor - would be a compelling addition to the Whoniverse's lore. It would have the advantage of truly feeling like a spinoff, an untold adventure launched by the Doctor's previous time on Earth, and it could use Susan as its protagonist. The actress Carole Ann Ford would need to be recast, of course; she is 82, while the Susan of this story would still appear to be a teenager, given Time Lords age at a slower rate than humans. Davies could develop one of Peel's smartest concepts, that Earth had become notably anti-alien after the Daleks left Earth and that Susan needed to hide her lack of aging with make-up. The Doctor thought he left Susan to live out a Happily Ever After with a freedom fighter she had fallen in love with, but in reality he had placed her in a very dangerous position, where humans were as much a threat to her as Daleks.
Either of these two approaches would work well under Russell T. Davies, because they both provide an opportunity to tell stories that explore human nature. One is a resistance story, telling the tale of how the human race struggled to survive under even the most adverse conditions; the other is a reflection on power and fear, using the Daleks as a plot device to drive human factions to war. Either would make a brilliant Doctor Who spinoff.