Dalek Found In Sum-merged pond

In a scene right out of a Doctor Who script, a team of volunteers clearing a pond of rubbish uncovered a long-submerged Dalek.

The Telegraph reports that sales executive Marc Oakland was pushing a rake around the bed of the shallow pool when he found the object with its distinctive eye stalk.The 42-year-old said: "I'd just shifted a tree branch with my foot when I noticed something dark and round slowly coming up to the surface.

"I got the shock of my life when a Dalek head bobbed up right in front of me."It must have been down there for some time because it was covered in mould and water weed, and had quite a bit of damage."One of the dome lights was smashed, but the eye-stalk was intact and the head and neck stayed in one piece as I carefully lifted it out.

"Pond warden Tony Brown, 70, was leading the volunteer squad clearing dumped rubbish from the pond, near Beaulieu, Hants.He said: "We made a very thorough search of the rest of the bottom of the pond and there were definitely no alien remnants lurking."We've all agreed it best to keep the pond's exact location under wraps.

"The last thing we want are sci-fi fans descending on the pond frantically seraching for other Dalek parts."Mr Brown, who trained as a pond warden with Southern Water, has been helping clear out the area for the past eight years.

He said: "We've dredged up everything from shopping trolleys, toys, and bicycles."But this is the first time a Dalek's appeared. We have no idea how it ended up in there, or how long ago."We discovered the BBC often took the Daleks out on location for filming, and they travelled to Hampshire on at least one occasion in the 1980s, when Colin Baker played the Timelord.

"Who knows, this might be the remains of one of the originals from the old TV series. I'm told they they were built to last."

VOLUNTEERS clearing up a pond pulled out branches, weeds — and the mud-covered head of a DALEK.
Workers were baffled how the Dr Who relic ended up there, but it may have been in the murky water for more than 30 years after being dumped during location filming in the ’70s.

Marc Oakland, 42, who made the discovery, said: “I’d just shifted a tree branch with my foot when I noticed something dark and round slowly coming up to the surface. I got the shock of my life when a Dalek head bobbed up in front of me.

It was covered in mould and weed, and had quite a bit of damage. One of the dome lights was smashed, but the eye-stalk was intact.”

The discovery of the Dalek — famous for its Exterminate threat — was made near Beaulieu, Hants.
Former Doctor Jon Pertwee made a number of episodes on location in the county during the 1970s.
The BBC also took Daleks there for filming in the 1980s when Colin Baker was Timelord.
Pond warden Tony Brown, 70, said: “We’ve dredged up everything from shopping trolleys to toys and bicycles. But this is the first time a Dalek’s appeared.

“We’ve all agreed it best to keep the pond’s exact location under Wraps

The last thing we want is sci-fi fans descending on the pond frantically searching for other Dalek parts.”

UNIVERSITY academics are getting a £20,000 grant from the BBC to do research on Doctor Who.
A team from the University of Glamorgan will study the economic and cultural effect the series has had on Cardiff where the series has been filmed on location.

A Dalek head thought to have been used in the classic series of Doctor Who has been discovered in a British pond.

The prop was discovered by Marc Oakland, 42, and it’s believed that it was dumped in the water after filming took place on location in the 1970s - meaning it’s been bobbing at the bottom of the murky water for over 30 years!

“I’d just shifted a tree branch with my foot when I noticed something dark and round slowly coming up to the surface,” Oakland said. “I got the shock of my life when a Dalek head bobbed up in front of me.”

Pond warden, Tony Brown, has decided to keep the pond’s exact location under wraps to avoid any sci-fi fans descending in search of other old show props.