Question for Who fans -- Another Who Thread

[Sa'ar Chasm]

Look, if they're going to use appendages that look so obviously like plungers, then there are going to be toilet jokes. Frankly they were just setting themselves up for that one fine style.

Are the Daleks robots, or are there supposed to be lifeforms inside the pepperpots? I caught a few First Doctor episodes on YTV way back when, and I remember seeing the Doctor flip back the cupola of one and amuse himself playing with the toilet plunger. In real world terms, he was playing in the prop, but as far as the Doctorverse goes, just what was he doing? Occupying an empty shell while the bioform was elsewhere, or did he scoop out the mechanical guts and brain in order to hide in it?

Am I making myself perfectly clear?