Dalek Universe 1

Buying Time by John Dorney: Imagine taking all the staples of Terry Nation's obsessions in the sixties and turning it into a New Series series of adventures featuring the Tenth Doctor? How on Earth would that work? Imagine creating a companion for the Fourth Doctor who turned out to be a brainwashed Space Security Agent played by Jane Slavin who becomes a regular in this Big Finish spin off? Imagine cherry picking Mark Seven, mooted from the Dalek series in America in the mid 1960s and having him make up the third in this set of regulars. A trip to Kembel, avoiding terrifying predators, vacationing time travel and sinister businessmen. That's a ton of ingredients, both old and new, and for a moment it feels like this is (like so much of Big Finish) a massive nostalgia fest with a bit of audio polish. And yet this assignment has been handed to John Dorney, still one of the best that Big Finish has on its payroll, and he turns all this fanwank into something immediate, pacy, fun, and shocking. I really wasn't sure about this set of characters coming together at this point but somewhere along the line this becomes one of my favourite line up of regulars from ANY Big Finish range. It's a long game, this series, and it fleshes out the time period and the characters brilliantly along the way. Dorney kicks things off with a effortlessly enjoyable listen, and then just as you are starting to relax into the story, he punches you in the face with an unforgettable cliffhanger that floors you with its possibilities. Doctor Who cliff-hangers on audio are tenapenny and this is one of the very best. A strong beginning: 9/10  

The Wrong Woman by John Dorney: More magic, but Dorney turns this story on it's head and makes it a very piece about a massive con on both the audience and the characters. How he gets away with the cheat is exactly the sort of creative resourcefulness I have come to expect from this writer. Introducing another old character in such a funny way is genius and of course the Monk gets a Whittaker style spin, and Gemma Whelan is madly entertaining in the role. What's also important is how the characters start to form a team to bring down the threat of undisciplined time travel. Tennant is having an absolute ball with this, and it's exactly the sort of longform storytelling that his Doctor was afforded in the comics (remember the brilliant Magenta Pryce arc?) but couldn't really indulge in on TV where the episodes needed to be unique pieces of work with the trappings of serialisation each year. How Dalek Universe builds its own mythology using elements from The Daleks' Masterplan (this is essentially a massive love-in for that incredible story) and then runs with them, really, really works. Taken as whole, this is a showcase story for Big Finish. The most popular Doctor (in the eyes of the public), the return of an old foe, strong characters and concepts and a real sense of verve and confidence in the writing and direction. Anybody who has chipped out of Big Finish, this might be the perfect avenue back into the world of audio drama. I don't think you'd regret it: 9/10

The House of Kingdom by Andrew Smith: You know what you are going to get with Andrew Smith. A competent script with competent characterisation and functional dialogue. So imagine my surprise when I listened to The House of Kingdom and he has been touched by the Dalek Universe magic too. This is a dark little character tale that gives focus on Anya and her family. If you would have told me that Jane Slavin would convince as a space Security Agent with a heart of gold I might have laughed in your face (I would imagine her playing a character like Mrs Monyahan in The Spectre of Lanyon Moor) and yet this has turned out to be an inspired piece of casting. Her character featured in some memorable tales in the Fourth Doctor Adventures and transferring her into this range was a savvy move that takes everything that happened in that season and adds weight to it. The Varga plants were one of my favourite elements of Mission to the Unknown so it is glorious to see them getting some focus here in some memorably nasty moments. Tennant can play the empathetic Doctor so well and he gets the chance to get close to Anya here in an unexpected way. They are setting up the range for fireworks to come as secrets about the Doctor's past with Anya's family are kept under wraps for now but he is able to get to know her better. I walked away from this set with a huge smile on my face. I was expecting the usual Big Finish wank, and what I got was a fully formed spin off range with plenty of substance as well as style and lots of unforgettable moments. Go figure: 8/10