Daleks to be 'exterminated': Iconic mutants to be given 'a rest' by Doctor Who bosses

The iconic mutant race that terrified generations of children will not be causing youngsters - or adults - to hide behind the sofa for a very long time.
The Daleks are being given 'a rest,' Doctor Who bosses announced today.
The fictional creatures, voted the all-time greatest monster last year, have been defeated too many time and would have 'trudged away' by now, executive producer Steven Moffat says.

Exterminated: The Daleks, pictured with current Doctor Matt Smith and assistant Amy played by Karen Gillan, are to be 'given a rest' by Doctor Who bosses

Nemesis: The Daleks, pictured in a 2006 episode with David Tennant, Billie Piper and Noel Clarke, returned to the show in 2005 as the Doctor's sworn enemy

'They aren't going to make an appearance for a while,' Moffat told the Radio Times. 'We thought it was about time to give them a rest.'
'There's a problem with the Daleks. They are the most famous of the Doctor's adversaries and the most frequent, which means they are the most reliably defeatable enemies in the universe.
'They have been defeated by the Doctor about 400 times. Surely they should just see the Tardis approaching, say, "Oh. It's him again", and trudge away.'

Hide behind the sofa: The mutant race terrified audiences, and Billie Piper as Rose, with their catchphrase 'Exterminate!'

Iconic: The third Doctor, Jon Pertwee comes face to face with the Daleks in the Seventies

The Daleks first appeared in the second episode of the BBC1 show in 1963, terrifying audiences with their catchphrase 'Exterminate!'

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They were voted the scariest villains in the history of Doctor Who in a poll of 21,000 fans in 2007.
Last year a poll by science fiction magazine SFX voted them as the all-time greatest monster, above Gollum from Lord Of The Rings and Godzilla.

Nemesis: Fourth Doctor Tom Baker meets the extraterrestrial race in a 1975 episode

Legacy: Terry Nation, who created the Daleks, modelled the mutants on Nazis

Created by Terry Nation, the Daleks were resurrected as the Doctor's most feared enemy when the show was brought back in 2005.
They returned with a revamped design and came in different colours including red, blue and yellow.
Moffat admitted that Doctor Who storylines have become increasingly complex. 'Well, you have to pay attention,' he said.
'You can't watch it when you are doing the ironing. And you certainly can't watch it when you are tweeting. You have to sit down and focus, and a child audience certainly does that.'
'It is horror, but horror for children. It's scary in the way that a fairy story can be scary.
'The key is that it has to be the level of horror that a man with ridiculous hair and a bow tie can deal with.'
The latest season of Doctor Who returned to screens last month.

Starring role: The Daleks also appeared in the 1965 film version of the show, Doctor Who and the Daleks, with Peter Cushing

New enemies: The new season of Doctor Who, starring Matt Smith, returned to screens last month