The Dalek Occupation of Winter written by David K Barnes and directed by Lisa Bowerman

What’s it about: The TARDIS lands in the capital city of a planet deep in the midst of an endless winter. The population are celebrating a new crop of candidates winning roles at the scientific research centre. Those who go there dedicate their lives to continued service and are rarely, if ever, seen again. Not everyone is happy to see them leave. As the Doctor, Steven and Vicki watch, the city leader – Majorian – invites onto the stage in front of the happy crowd their ‘friend who made all this possible’… and a Dalek appears. The people of this planet seem to be living in perfect harmony with the Doctor’s old enemies. But the TARDIS crew know this cannot be true. So what’s really going on?

Hmm: He objects to be treated as an old man. Steven doubts that anyone has called the Doctor a lad in a long time. It feels very authentic that the Doctor should investigate rather than react to the Daleks presence on Winter. He’s smart enough to see that the people here are safe and adjusted to their masters to know he has the time to ask all the right questions instead of blustering in with talk of conquering them. If there’s anyone who knows how to fight Daleks, it’s the Doctor. He is their sworn enemy. The fourth dimension is as child’s play to the Doctor as it is to the Daleks. You see the Doctor at his best not when he is opposing the Daleks but when he is trying to get through to the politicians on this world and facing their objections with intelligent debate. If you prove yourself to be unworthy of his attention, he has no qualms about telling you so. Leaving this adventure the Doctor is uncertain about their role and whether they have done any good, a situation that he is not used to.

Alien Orphan: Vicki admits she had a marvellous time in Ancient Rome until the Doctor burnt it down. It’s news to Steven, who is shocked to hear the fact (and would go on to use it against him in future historical adventures when he is plugging non-interference). When Vicki graduated, her father was so proud of her. If only he could see her now. The second you start wondering that Daleks aren’t all evil killers you’re in for a whole heap of trouble. Vicki is bright enough to know that her feminine wiles are enough to get the Doctor out of trouble when the situation arises. In her experience a lot of people get jittery when they turn up unannounced. You know that it won’t be long before the travellers opinions about the Daleks are highlighted as dangerous. It’s wonderful how Vicki so casually mentions that she has organised a revolution before.

Aggressive Astronaut: The Doctor wonders when Steven will learn to follow his example of not wandering off, which Vicki is astonished to hear. The Doctor is ALWAYS wandering off. Steven guesses that the Doctor is already whinging about him as soon as he is out of sight. Speaking as somebody who fought in the Dalek War, seeing Daleks being assembled is horrific for Steven. There’s a stunning moment when he deliberately tries to provoke one of the benevolent Daleks in order to show the colonists how evil they are. He almost gets a rise out of them too, proof that despite their apparently generous nature they are still the same ruthless killers underneath. Steven makes a speech here that is practically the antithesis of the Doctor’s speech in Genesis of the Daleks (‘Out of their evil I know must come something good…’). Everything they touch is evil, he insists. He lost good friends to the Daleks, which is bound to colour your view of them.

Standout Performance: I’ve said it before and no doubt I will say it again, Peter Purves’ affectionate portrayal of William Hartnell’s Doctor remains one of my favourite returning performances in any Big Finish line. It’s not that it is a perfect replica of Hartnell but that it is infused with the essence of him from a man who worked with him as intimately as possible for a couple of years. That shining intelligence, cheekiness (which is so often forgotten), twinkly mischievousness, tetchiness and authority are all present and correct. Purves has just captured something indefinably magical that summons up Hartnell at the height of his powers.

Sparkling Dialogue: ‘You’re the first person in our family that has actually mattered.’
‘The Daleks offer you friendship!’
‘You’re an old man, Doctor. I could break you in the time it takes to yawn.’
‘Enslave us and you waste resources. Save us and you have our gratitude.’

Great Ideas: Much in the style of the Hartnell years, the characterisation of the non-regulars is so strong that it takes a good seven minutes for the Doctor, Vicki and Steven to arrive. Winter is already a living breathing planet long before they arrive and it continues to be so after they leave. Some worlds in Doctor Who seem to exist purely to fill the story (Karfel), others, like Winter, feel like they exist outside of the Doctor Who universe. Winter is on the edge of the galaxy and its icy temperatures make it inimical to human life. The winters last for 500 years. There’s an element of The Krotons to this too, with selected citizens disappearing to continue their education. If the Dalek forces in nearby systems are depleted, they head to worlds like Winter for replenishment. By keeping this world happy and productive, the Daleks have a ready-made factory to swell their numbers. Is Winter a planet or a prison? The Daleks are the benefactors of Winter, ever since they came here 200 years ago. They helped the people settle here, built the city and fed them until they could pay their own way. They’ve never harmed the people of Winter. They are dependant on each other for survival. Karna is the one to watch out for. She’s the one who knows exactly what the Daleks are about; causing havoc and destruction out in the universe and yet she allows them to be mass produced on Winter regardless. A scheming, self-serving woman with a smile on her face and a knife behind her back who is bored with her life on Winter and wants to hurt somebody. Watch out for her. The story of how the Winter came to be a planet of Dalek production is fascinating; desperate pioneers abandoned by their own people reaching out to the Daleks to form an alliance. Although they are their captors, the Daleks pretended to be their friends. The illusion of freedom is given to replenish their forces. They kept their own people alive so the Daleks could slaughter millions. I’ll leave you to debate the moral implications of that one. Is there anyway of turning back when you have sacrificed yourself to evil for this long? Realistically the fate of this world, no longer in thrall to the Daleks, is left unclear.

Audio Landscape: Just listen to the moment where Vicki is introduced to the young of the Daleks. I haven’t been quite this repulsed by a soundscape in a while. Hissing, bubbling, squealing. The birth of pure evil is nauseating. A young Dalek mutant escaping and biting down on someone’s arm is as repulsive as it sounds. The Daleks aren’t used enough in terms of pure body horror and so it’s terrific to see a writer really exploiting them in such a memorably horrible way. ‘You’ve got to help me, it’s killing me!’

Isn’t it Odd: It’s a shame that the status quo on Winter has to be overthrown because it was such an interesting set up. Part of me wishes that this was one story where the Doctor did not win through and the Dalek production continued. It feels right that it is a moment of racism that exposes the Daleks to the people of Winter but saying that it is a very simple swing from the people producing these machines to them revolting.

Standout Scene: The astonishing revelation that the entire economy of Winter is making Daleks en masse. Steven’s horror that 10,000 are being made every week mirrored my own. A place that appeared so benign is perpetuating pure evil.

Result: ‘A perpetual wave of killing machines generated from the stunted ambitions of a people kept in ignorance, hmm?’ It’s almost a shame that the title advertises the presence of the Daleks (‘we love marketing’) because the cliff-hanger to the first episode is one of the best that Big Finish have ever put out. It tops of a nourishing first episode that shows novices exactly how this sort of introductory interlude should be done, setting up a compelling and convincing world, throwing in an engaging set of regulars and building to an incredible surprise. These are sneaky, manipulative, political Daleks of Power of the Daleks, much more interesting than when they are invading in great numbers. In fact with its scenes of Daleks on a factory line there is more than a touch of Power about The Dalek Occupation of Winter but what separates them is the bizarre dreamlike quality to this tale where a factory churning out war machines is performed by happy, willing workers. It’s a simple they help us and we help them morality on Winter but in steps the Doctor, Steven and Vicki who know what the consequences of the work that is being done here are. This is one of those Doctor Who stories that has so much potential when you hear its premise and it’s a spanking new type of Dalek story to boot. To put the travellers on a world where the Daleks are benevolent turns the nature of this kind of story on its head. Suddenly the TARDIS crew are the monsters that are trying to spoil the status quo. There is something special about these Early Adventures that I have a trouble putting my finger on. Maybe its how they so perfectly capture the eras they are aping or that the performances always feel a cut above the average Big Finish adventure. Dramatically, they often leave the main range in the dust. I think Lisa Bowerman has a huge part in why they are such beautifully crafted pieces. The Dalek Occupation of Winter is extremely well written and beautifully acted. As an audio drama, it sets the bar for how strong these can be. I was entranced by the work of Barnes, Bowerman, Purves, O’Brien and Hrycek-Robinson. Viewers in the sixties were lucky to have storytelling of this calibre and we’re lucky that similar material is being produced now: 9/10