Ipswich Doctor Who fan lives with two homemade life-sized Daleks

Doctor Who fan Kev Handley lives with two homemade Daleks, which he built in 2000 and 2020

A Doctor Who fan who is "fascinated" by Daleks has handmade two of the famous aliens.

With the help of his sons, Kev Handley built two life-size Daleks which now live on display in his home in Ipswich.

"I just love the look of them," he said, adding he has watched the show since it first aired in 1963.

Doctor Who will be celebrating its 60th anniversary this weekend with the first of three specials airing on Saturday.

Kev Handley said his gold Dalek was "better" and more identical to the original aliens than his first, grey build

Daleks, who were created by novelist Terry Nation and designer Raymond Cusick, first appeared on our screens on 21 December 1963.

"All the science fiction stuff beforehand had been men in suits or someone dressed up as a robot," said Mr Handley.

"This was a believable alien. They never frightened me, [they] absolutely grabbed my attention and have done ever since."

Mr Handley and his sons built their first Dalek in 2000, using their own plans and materials from around the house.

"It's made mainly from MDF, aluminium tubes and fibreglass. The eye piece is one of those magic eight balls and then a tin can slotted in, with Perspex discs of different colours," he said.

Not content with his first build, he was determined to make a second Dalek identical to the onscreen aliens.

The gold Dalek is approximately 5ft 9in (1.75m) tall and lives in Kev Handley's living room

Through the online group Project Dalek, he was able to source plans based on the original props.

Using these, Mr Handley built a "better" Dalek in 2020, complete with a voice modulator to distort the user's voice and an air duster to create smoke.

He has since showcased the life-size Dalek at Trinity Park's Capcon, a cosplay and prop convention.

"Most people don't realise there's someone inside," Mr Handley said. "Just sit it there, let people come along and then the operator inside turns the head slightly and they jump."

Mr Handley believes the key to the show's longevity is the appearance of new doctors.

"It's always changing. You get a new doctor, a new personality, new companions. The show is fluid."

Sex Education actor Ncuti Gatwa will become the 15th doctor, with his first appearance on Christmas Day.