Let's face it, galactic übervillains the Daleks are not noted for their charity work. They have not to our knowledge distributed teddies and balloons in the wards of Great Ormond Street hospital, nor have they ever done a bungee jump in aid of leukaemia research.

We are, therefore, surprised to learn that at 9.30am on Saturday 25 September the nation's favourite climacophobes will make an appearance at the Doctor Who exhibition on Blackpool's Golden Mile - not for the purpose of exterminating roving bands of drunken Liverpudlian stagnighters, agreeable as that would be - but rather in aid of the BBC's Children in Need and the NSPCC.

The press call has been arranged to publicise charitable Sci-Fi outfit The Hyde Fund Raisers' forthcoming stage extravaganza The Trial of Davros - a fusion of live performance and pre-recorded video footage - which kicks off on 16 July 2005 at the Tameside Hippodrome, Ashton-under-Lyne, Hyde.

The Trial of Davros features Terry Molloy as the eponymous anti-hero, here reprising his original TV role. There are rumours that Leslie Grantham (aka Eastenders' Dirty Den) will also tread the boards, schedule permitting, to once again delight audiences with his interpretation of engineer Kiston from Resurrection of the Daleks.

The play has the full backing of the Beeb and the Estate of Terry Nation, and all proceeds from tickets will, as already noted, go to kids' charities. Full details are available on The Hyde Fund Raisers' website.

Good stuff. So, if you fancy supporting this worthwhile charitable exercise, book yourself some tickets for The Trial of Davros. In the meantime, mosey on down to Blackpool for a chat with the cast. Be warned, though: Daleks are more volatile than a mothership full of Russell Crowes, and have been known to deal summarily with persistent autograph hunters. ®

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