Earlier today saw the Scottish premiere of Asylum of the Daleks as part of the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival. After the screening, the story’s writer, Steven Moffat, took part in a Q&A where he addressed the contentious issue of the Daleks and their return.

“I think our response was, ‘What do we do with the Daleks?’ They just became, and I think I contributed to that, cosier every time. As I kept saying, they were the most reliably defeatable monsters that Doctor Who has.”

Although Asylum of the Daleks is the writer’s first Dalek story proper, as showrunner he brought them back in 2010’s Victory of the Daleks where many fans criticised the design of the New Paradigm Daleks.

Moffat discussed the more friendly nature of the Daleks in recent times: “Kids are supposed to be frightened of Daleks but they take them to bed. And it becomes sort of like buses or taxis or pillar boxes. I thought, ‘Is there a way we can just make them a bit scarier? And get them back to being more monstery?'”

He continued: “My fondest hope is that kids will leave Daleks outside their bedroom doors rather than take the mad little bastards with them. There’s a tremendous temptation to go kitsch or sweet with the Daleks and you shouldn’t, you should remember they’re insane tanks.”

Steven Moffat’s Asylum of the Daleks airs at 7.20pm on Saturday 1st September on BBC One.

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