Lofty Dalek Bid

According to the Sun, "A Doctor Who Dalek toy left in a loft for nearly 40 years has been sold on eBay for a whopping £3,200. " It seems that, of all the Dalek merchandise produced over the years, this one is particularly rare because only a very small number were ever made.

The "suit" - a Dalek casing in which an elated brat could wander around screaming EXTERMINATE - cost £8 in 1963, but the factory that made them burned down after shipping only a very small quantity. This one is even more valuable, apparently, because it comes with the original Police Box shaped TARDIS box.

Owner John Jackson, who sold the suit after clearing it from his loft, said he was only expecting to get a tenner.

Nice work if you can get it, isn't it? Don't get me wrong, I think Daleks are something of a design classic, an iconic form that has a lot to say about the modern age. And I've always wondered what these "suits" looked like, having heard of them many years ago but never actually seen one (at a quick glance it looks like a fairly reasonable replica of a Mk I Dalek, certainly as good as you'd expect for £8).

But would I pay over £3k for one? No way! Even if I were inclined to part with the cash for it, which I wouldn't be, Mrs S would have something to say. Well, no, probably not say. Not SAY, as such. It'd be more a LOOK. You know, the kind guys get when their other half wishes to silently imply that they, the male 50% of the equation, have lost the plot.

It has overtones of "You MUST be joking," implies that "You'd BETTER be joking," and hints that if you're NOT joking life will cease to be in any way amusing in very short order. Guys have no known defence to it, having found out early in their marriage that, despite this being the age of equality, the female's typical "you would if you loved me" line is unaccountably ineffective for them.

For this reason, I, and many other guys, remain happily married, Dalek free and £3k better off!

Billy Seggars.