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Nick Caldwell, "Dalekmania! Investigating a Special Effects Moment in 1960s British Culture" This paper traces the reception patterns of, and aesthetic responses to, the brief rise and fall of one of 1960s Britain's strangest fads: Dalekmania. This fad, originating in, but not exclusive to the BBC science fiction television programme, Doctor Who, takes as its object the Doctor's primary nemeses: the Daleks. During a three year period, the Daleks were an astounding merchandising and promotional force, even starring in two colour films with Peter Cushing, not to mention a number of execrable novelty singles. I will argue that this fad is a unique opportunity to understand the way in which aesthetically complex (if cheaply made) special effects artefacts circulate as affective commodities in particular historical periods. Biography: Nick Caldwell is a founding member of the premier media and cultural studies journal, M/C. His MPhil was a study of computer strategy games, but his PhD project is in the messy analogue world of British television special effects. |
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