Makeup Effects Archive: Doctor Who (1963)

Continued from Doctor Who (1963) - Season 2

'Galaxy 4'

The Chumblie robots were constructed by Shawcraft Models, based on drawings by designer Richard Hunt. Shawcraft made four Chumblie props, operated like the Dalek props. The operator inside could manipulate the two prongs or lift the top of the Chumblie from inside. Due to the small size of the Chumblie props, only little people could operate them on the set.

The Rill aliens meanwhile were the work of freelance costume-maker Jack Lovell based at the request of costume designer Daphne Dare. Lovell explained in The Doctor's Effects:

'We built up four of these on thin fibreglass frames, which we covered with rubber and painted a very dark green. The Rills weren't designed to be mobile, so the only real movement came from the actor's hands and feet positioned inside the creature's flippers.'

'Mission to the Unknown'

It was the costume and makeup departments who were tasked with the council of alien delegates that are seen holding a conference to ally with the Daleks. The most 'alien' of the delegates was 'Sentreal', which was realized as a tall abstract costume.

(The other delegates were realized as obiously actors in costume, such as Robert Cartland in a makeup painted over his face and a bald cap in his role as 'Malpha'.)

Daphne Dare designed the predatory alien Varga plants, realized as large costumes over an actor. The Varga plant costumes were reused in 'The Daleks' Master Plan'.

'The Daleks' Master Plan'

The costume department were tasked with a new alien delegate, Zephon, a plant-like creature with no face. This was achieved by having actor Julian Sherrier in a veil-like mask made of plant-like material. Strands of the same material on gloves completed the look.

(The below photos also show Kevin Stoney in a 'yellowface' makeup for his role as Mavic Chen; this racially insensitive makeup technique was all too common in the 1960s).

The costume department also handled the invisible 'Visian' aliens - there is actually little information about these costumes. I believe these were for brief shots showing the true form of the Visian when the screen goes negative as they are shot by Daleks.

As per the title, the Daleks were the serial's main villains, and Shawcraft Models yet again had to lend their services to the BBC. The serial was also one of Shawcraft's heavier workloads, as they also had to create several special miniatures, as well as a miniature volcano erupting!

A stunt Dalek prop being prepped for filming.

The Dalek props used in both 'Mission to the Unknown' and 'The Dalek's Master Plan' were the same ones used previously for 'The Chase'; two of them originally made for 'The Dead Planet' and two made for 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth'. A collapsible dummy prop was made too.

Just like in 'The Chase' and 'Dalek Invasion of Earth', one prop was painted black for scenes as the Dalek Supreme. The props were also fitted with real flamethrowers for the first episode!

'The Ark'

Jack Lovell fabricated the alien Monoid costumes on Daphne Dare's request, and explained the construction in detail in The Doctor's Effects;

'Daphne Dare had drawn them out as a basic humanoid shape, but without a mouth and only one eye. We built the body and head sections of the costume separately and then permanently fixed them together into one-piece suits to save time and maintenance in the studio.

You got into the thing at the back, putting the trouser part on first and then pulling the upper part over your had to be zipped up along the spine. The Monoids eye was just a ping-pong bal level with the actor's mouth, so with the aide of a wooden peg fixed in the back of the ball, the eye could be moved from inside the costume.

Originally the Monoids were going to be bald, but we couldn't disguise the holes we'd included in the creature's forehead to allow the actor to see out of the costume. As a solution to the problem, the Beatle-like yak hair was added.'

'The Celestial Toymaker'

John Wood, the serial's production designer, called on Shawcraft to construct several giant sentient toy props. The 'Toymaker' of the title is assisted by several giant toy robots, some of them fitted with CRT monitors. Wood said about Shawcraft's work;

'Shawcraft would have really loved that one because of the assocation with toys. One of the giant toys was a robot, which was virtually a copy of a toy product robot, so they were able to see right away how it worked. They liked that sort of thing.'

Shawcraft also constructed the Toymaker's mechanical toy desk, which could move around at his bidding. Perhaps this is more in the realm of a 'special prop', but again this counts as an example of how wide Shawcraft's range was. John Wood said;

'They also made the pedestal desk that moved around by itself, which was great fun. Also it sparked, a lot of toys would spark at that time, so therefore this desk would spark when it was called towards the Celestial Toymaker.'

'The War Machines'

The tank-like 'war machines' were constructed by Shawcraft Models from designs by the serial's set designer Ray London. Only one prop was made, and it was operated by Gerald Taylor in a similar fashion to the Dalek props.

Shawcraft also constructed the 'WOTAN' supercomputer props, based on designs by Ray London. The WOTAN props were fitted with lighting mechanisms like a real computer.

I suppose the WOTAN props would technically count as more 'set design' or 'special props', but I'm including it here to give an idea of just how heavy Shawcraft's workload on Doctor Who!

Curse of the Daleks (1965)

Shawcraft continued to make more Dalek props for non-BBC productions; when the stage play 'Curse of the Daleks' opened in London's Wyndham Theatre, Shawcraft made five new Dalek props from a slightly different mould similar to the original 'Dead Planet' design.

Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966)

In late 1966, Amicus Productions greenlit a sequel to Dr. Who and the Daleks, Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD, a film adaptation of 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth'.

Shawcraft wasn't able to reuse the props made for the first Amicus picture, as most of the 'hero' props had either been given away to children as competition prizes, or loaned for tours across the country. Shawcraft would have to make several more Dalek props.

Nineteen props were supplied for the sequel film, but five of them were the props Shawcraft made for the 'Curse of the Daleks' stage play, converted with new lights, fenders and slats.

Many of the props were fitted with claw attachments, just like the ones on the first Amicus film. Three of the props were given unique paintjobs to distinguish them as the leaders; red with silver trim, black with silver and gold trim, and gold with silver and black trim.

After production of the film completed, four of the new props ended up in the possession of Terry Nation, who would loan them out to public events. One of Nation's props, heavily modified by that point, appeared in the 1973 Doctor Who serial 'Planet of the Daleks'.