And then it was gone!

This article appeared in the Southend Evening Echo on 13th November, 1975:



"This Dalek's been zapped - by a callous thief with an eye for space monsters. The hi-jacker has stolen the model from its builders Richard Nunes (left) and Sheyne Lucock.


"The two students are pictured here recently with their space-age pal. They were proud of their version of one of the metal-clad evil-doers who plague television's zany timetraveller Doctor Who. It took them six weeks to build.


"But the mystery of its disappearance is a Whodunnit that would baffle even the Doctor. The Dalek was snatched at Imperial College, London, where 20-year old Richard, of Wyatts Drive, Thorpe Bay, is studying physics with Sheyne."


The Dalek's disappearance received wide publicity at the time. It was featured on Shaw Taylor's 'Police Five' crime show, Capital Radio's 'Police Call', and a major item on BBC 1's Blue Peter, with Lesley Judd, Peter Purvis, and John Noaks. Embarrassingly,  they even played a recording of my own 'Dalek-voice' yelling 'Exterminate! All Humans Will Be Destroyed!' live on the programme.


Once the Dalek was recovered, there was a follow-up item on Blue Peter to reassure viewers that the Dalek was safe and sound.

First Press Outing for Dalek in 1975

I recently discovered an old press clipping from the Southend Evening Echo dating back to 23rd July 1975. The article read:


Watch out - Dr. Who's greatest enemy, the Daleks, are back. Invading the streets of London, no less. But they won't be exterminating anybody. It's just a rag-week stunt by Thorpe Bay student Richard Nunes, left, and his friend Sheyne Lucock. They built a 6ft wooden and fibreglass Dalek with the intention of taking it to the Royal Albert Hall. Richard, 20, of Wyatts Drive, is studying Physics at the Imperial College. He said: "The original idea was to scare a few people in London and have a laugh. But the laugh's on us. The Dalek cost more than we bargained for - £100."

New publishing venture

For many years I have been planning to get around to transcribing and publishing on the Internet a wonderful little book that has been in my family for many years. It is a handbook used by a practising Physician in the 17th century, and liberally annotated in the margins with comments and additions to the many and varied treatments and remedies. If nothing else, it helps to explain the high mortality rate associated with visits by a doctor! I have chosen to publish this as a blog, as the work is time consuming and will therefore be completed intermittently. When it is finished, I will present it on my own website in a tidier format.