Daleks exterminated from 'Doctor Who' revival

The Daleks won't be coming back for the new series of Doctor Who, the BBC has confirmed.

The announcement comes after negotations between the BBC and the estate of Daleks creator Terry Nation broke down over issues of "editorial control."

A spokeswoman for the corporation said: "After lengthy negotiations, the BBC and Terry Nation have been unable to reach an agreement on the terms of the use of the Daleks. The BBC offered the very best deal possible but ultimately we were not able to give the level of editorial influence that the Terry Nation estate wished to have."

Tim Hancock, representative of the Nation estate, said they were "bitterly disappointed" that a deal had not been reached but accused the BBC of lying over the reasons it fell through. "We wanted the same level of control over the Daleks that we have enjoyed for the last 40 years," Hancock told BBC News Online. "If the BBC wanted to re-make any of George Lucas' films, you can bet George Lucas would have something to say about it."

He added that the BBC had tried to commission a cartoon series about gay daleks for BBC Three and that they had allowed Warner Bros to use the Daleks in the movie Loony Tunes without consulting them first.

Russell T Davies, the writer charged with the script for the new series, said he was "disappointed" at the news but confirmed there would be a new enemy to face off against the doc.

"We are reinventing Doctor Who for a 21st Century audience with a fantastic writing team and exciting new challenges," said Davies. "We are disappointed that the Daleks will not be included but we have a number of new and exciting monsters. And I can confirm we have created a new enemy for the Doctor which will keep viewers on the edge of their seats."

Doctor Who is set for a comeback on BBC One early next year.