

Nothing like waiting nearly 40 years to bring on a lawsuit.

Memories fade. People die. But yet, Steven Clark feels he has a case as he takes BBC to court over his claims that it was he who created Dalek leader Davros, not Terry Nation. And while he is demanding money, the self-proclaimed lifelong “Doctor Who” fan says it’s more about getting credit than it is about receiving a check.

“The money aspect of it is not my primary motivation,” Clark said, according to the Daily Mail. “I am proud of the character I created, and I just want my work to be recognized. It would be nice to be finally linked to the character after all this time.”

Clark said he first submitted his idea of Davros in a 1972 competition run by TV Action magazine, which was judged by then “Doctor Who” actor Jon Pertwee, writer Terrance Dicks and series producer Barry Letts. His essay, which apparently included a sketch of Davros (which you can see here courtesy of Genre Addict), was called “The Genesis of the Daleks: The Creation of Davros,” according to Clark’s claim.

It wouldn’t be until 1975 that “Doctor Who” would release its miniseries “Genesis of the Daleks,” which featured Davros.

So waiting 36 years to file a lawsuit is a long time. What took so long?

Apparently, Clark was too young to sue in 1975, as he would still be considered a minor. By the time he was of age to sue, he said he lost the original contest entry. It wasn’t until recently that he was able to dig it up and then decide to pursue credit for the creation of Davros.

The character debuted in 1975, officially announced as being designed by visual effects designer Peter Day and sculptor John Friedlander, based on the character created by Nation.

Davros would make a number of other appearances in “Doctor Who” throughout the years, including most recently in the fourth season of the revived “Doctor Who” series, played by Julian Bleach.

BBC has not commented on the lawsuit, and claims of the lawsuit should be deemed unsubstantiated until ruled on by a judge.