Raymond Patrick Cusick (28 April 1928 – 21 February 2013) was an English designer for the BBC. He is best known for designing the Daleks, a race of aliens who move around in tank-like travel machines, for the science fiction television series Doctor Who.
Born in the Lambeth district of London, Cusick became interested in engineering while still at art school and began attending evening classes. However, his father wanted him to follow a more regular career, so Cusick took a course in mathematics and science at Borough Polytechnic,
In the late 1950s Cusick briefly took a position teaching art but applied and was accepted for a post at the Wimbledon Theatre as a staff designer and was responsible for the set design of many Doctor Who stories, creating not just futuristic settings but also historical sets and dioramas. Another BBC in-house designer, future filmmaker Ridley Scott, had been assigned to design the Daleks in 1963, but scheduling conflicts saw the job handed to Cusick. When Cusick left Doctor Who in 1966, unhappy with the lack of recognition he had received for his work on the series, the show's producer and head designer did arrange for the BBC to recognise his contribution with an ex-gratia payment of around £100.
The end titles of the 2016 animated reconstruction of The Power of the Daleks (1966) give official credit to Cusick for designing the Daleks.
Personal life
Cusick was a widower with two daughters and seven grandchildren. He died of heart failure in his sleep after a short illness on 21 February 2013 at age 84.