Daleks seen off by lawyers

In a move that would impress any Time Lord it seems as though the Daleks have been seen off for good - by lawyers.

11:33 02 July 2004

In a move that would impress any Time Lord it seems as though the Daleks have been seen off for good - by lawyers.

The iconic enemy of the "Dr Who" series, which is set to return to our screens this Christmas, will not feature in any of the new episodes after a legal dispute.

Talks have broken down between the estate of their creator, Terry Nation, and the BBC.

Nation died in 1997, and shared the copyright to the Daleks with the BBC.

His estate has reportedly demanded absolute control over any storylines featuring Daleks, amidst fears that the Doctor's arch-enemy would be cast as "too evil".

A BBC insider told The Sun: "It's hard to imagine Dr Who without Daleks, but it seems we have no choice.

"The Nation estate's demands were unacceptable. They care a lot about the Daleks. We fear they have been lost forever."

The new series of the classic show is set to start filming next month, with Christopher Eccleston as the latest incarnation of the Doctor and Billie Piper as his companion Rose Tyler .