Doctor Who: 10 Things Everyone Always Gets Wrong About The Daleks

10. They First Appeared In The Dead Planet

Doctor Who's second big iconic cliffhanger – after the shadowy caveman at the end of An Unearthly Child – is Barbara being menaced by a Dalek.

The cliffhanger ending to The Dead Planet is the first appearance of the Doctor's greatest enemy, the foe that would make the biggest impact on all their lives.

However, that's not technically true.

The first episode of Terry Nation's seven-part Dalek intro is certainly the first appearance of the Daleks onscreen in-universe. Behind the scenes, however, there's no full-size Dalek prop behind the camera during that iconic cliffhanger. Instead, it was actually assistant floor manager Michael Ferguson advancing upon Jacqueline Hill with a disembodied Dalek arm.

It did the job though, with Hill truly selling how terrifying her mysterious attacker was. It's a classic example of how Doctor Who is constantly inventive in its approach, given its limited budgets and resources.

The Daleks' first proper appearance would be in the very next episode, The Survivors, in that stunning scene where the First Doctor, Susan, and Ian unwittingly walk into a room full of them.