GOODBYE, DALEK

As kids, we were first introduced to the BBC DR. WHO series via PBS. It was a strange, borderline hokey show, we thought, and sometimes referred to it as Dr. What. Over the years, occasional casual viewing of a few shows here and there -- never a season's worth -- have softened my opinion. It's an acquired taste for some like me and has become a fanatical following by lots of others.

One thing you could say about Dr. WHO is that there was no shortage of monsters. From Tarans to Thals, from Voords to Dido humanoids to the "Great Intelligence", the good doctor faced a veritable Dr. Who's Who of monsters and aliens every time he stepped outside his time-warping police box, fondly known as TARDIS.

The man responsible for the creation of the most famous of these imaginative creatures, Ray Cusick, passed away last month. Just another employee at BBC, he was asked to come up with a monster for the show on a budget of a couple hundred dollars. What he gave the world of science-fiction was the Dalek.

Scan provided by "Hall of Flame" Doug.