DALEK UNIVERSE Volume One

United Kingdoms

RELEASED OUT NOW!

240 minutes | Vinyl/cd/download

Publisher Big Finish

One of classic Who’s more soap opera moments comes when Sara Kingdom reveals that (spoilers!) Bret Vyon is her brother during 1966’s “The Daleks’ Master Plan”. If you found this confession just as exciting as the story’s quest to stop the Time Destructor, Dalek Universe could be the saga for you.

Mining the back catalogue of Terry Nation Dalek stories for all its worth, this first set of three hour-long stories explores the Kingdom dynasty even further. Fourth Doctor Big Finish companion Anya Kingdom and fellow Space Security Service agent Mark Seven – an android who first appeared in 1966’s

The Dalek Outer Space Book

– encounter the Tenth Doctor, who’s once again mysteriously found himself displaced in time. Together they uncover conspiracies surrounding corporate time travel, run into old friends and enemies, and find themselves stranded on a planet where terraforming Mechonoids are the least of their worries.

Strangely though, the pepperpots themselves appear for all of 20 seconds, prompting the question: does Big Finish plan to have Daleks in its Dalek box set? As it is, we’re treated to a roster of characters and creatures that are familiar, if not particularly interesting, if you’ve ever leafed through a Dalek annual.

Despite all this, the fictional universe explored here feels smaller and less madly imaginative than its source materials because, well, those made new stuff up. So despite a truly eyebrow-raising cliffhanger and a clever feint concerning a piece of casting, Dalek Universe struggles to engage while it (presumably) takes a very long run up to the introduction of its headline act. Dom Carter

The Daleks themselves appear for all of 20 seconds

According to the annuals, Mark Seven could hear a pin drop from seven miles and maintain a sprint for over 100 miles.