ALISTAIR McGOWN
Agents Brit and Arthur Lippert are challenged by a Dalek in The Secret Struggle, a story in The Dalek World (1965). Illustration by John Wood.
When Terry Nation’s first Dalek story began on 21 December 1963 it was television history in the making. Doctor Who’s ratings jumped and in January 1964 licensing agent Walter Tuckwell approached the BBC for exploitation rights. Nation had already been commissioned to write another, non-Dalek, Doctor Who serial (ultimately titled The Keys of Marinus) and in March the BBC announced the Daleks’ return to TV at the end of the year. In April, Nation’s canny agent Beryl Vertue negotiated a 50/50 royalty split between Nation and the BBC, covering merchandise and other opportunities. How did Nation ride the wave of the ensuing Dalekmania craze, and how did he expand his Dalek universe along the way?