Exterminate
Apr 7, 2006
One of the best bits of news in the past week has been that BBC TV is to show a new series of Dr Who.
Let me explain. Dr Who was a classic science-fiction programme on children’s television in the 1970s. Dr Who and his companions traveled the universe in time and in space, battling the forces of evil. The most frightening of these were the Daleks, who were killer robots that floated along as if they had little wheels underneath. Most of the time they shouted “Exterminate!” Someone once said that the Daleks would take over the whole universe as soon as they discovered how to climb stairs. A generation of British schoolchildren grew up watching Dr Who, fascinated and terrified, often hiding behind the sofa in the really frightening parts. Last year the BBC screened a new series of Dr Who. It was brilliant. And, yes, in one episode there was a Dalek – the last Dalek in the universe – and, yes, it still shouted “Exterminate!” And this was the really scary bit – it had learned how to float up stairs. Our blood ran cold. We hid behind the sofa.
The new 2006 series starts next month. We can hardly wait. You can read all about it, and see video clips, at the BBC website.
Thank you all for listening to these podcasts, and for your e-mails and the comments on the website. I am so pleased that over 2000 of you download each episode. I am now going to take a short break until after Easter. I shall post the next episode on Monday 24 April. In the meantime, I shall borrow Dr Who’s time-travel machine, the Tardis, and go on holiday to a distant galaxy.
