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Big Finish: Monthly Range #121
Doctor Who: Enemy of the Daleks
Bliss used to be a paradise planet. The Galapagos Islands of space. But when the TARDIS brings the Doctor, Ace and Hex to Bliss, it’s been over-run with ironweed plants, and the air is heavy with the stench of burnt silk and static electricity.
Worse, the Daleks are coming, on the trail of a lost patrol of starship troopers. Holed up in the Roarke 279 research facility, Lieutenant Beth Stokes is preparing her last stand against the invaders.
But there’s a secret on Bliss, a secret guarded by the obsessive Professor Shimura…
Worse, the Daleks are coming, on the trail of a lost patrol of starship troopers. Holed up in the Roarke 279 research facility, Lieutenant Beth Stokes is preparing her last stand against the invaders.
But there’s a secret on Bliss, a secret guarded by the obsessive Professor Shimura…
Audiobook
First published May 1, 2009
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About the author
David Bishop
133 books39 followersDavid James Bishop is a New Zealand screenwriter and author. He was a UK comics editor during the 1990s, running such titles as the Judge Dredd Megazine and 2000 AD, the latter between 1996 and the summer of 2000.
He has since become a prolific author and received his first drama scriptwriting credit when BBC Radio 4 broadcast his radio play Island Blue: Ronald in June 2006. In 2007, he won the PAGE International Screenwriting Award in the short film category for his script Danny's Toys, and was a finalist in the 2009 PAGE Awards with his script The Woman Who Screamed Butterflies.
In 2008, he appeared on 23 May edition of the BBC One quiz show The Weakest Link, beating eight other contestants to win more than £1500 in prize money.
In 2010, Bishop received his first TV drama credit on the BBC medical drama series Doctors, writing an episode called A Pill For Every Ill, broadcast on 10 February.
He has since become a prolific author and received his first drama scriptwriting credit when BBC Radio 4 broadcast his radio play Island Blue: Ronald in June 2006. In 2007, he won the PAGE International Screenwriting Award in the short film category for his script Danny's Toys, and was a finalist in the 2009 PAGE Awards with his script The Woman Who Screamed Butterflies.
In 2008, he appeared on 23 May edition of the BBC One quiz show The Weakest Link, beating eight other contestants to win more than £1500 in prize money.
In 2010, Bishop received his first TV drama credit on the BBC medical drama series Doctors, writing an episode called A Pill For Every Ill, broadcast on 10 February.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 19, 2023
Enemy of the Daleks - The (Seventh) Doctor, Ace and Hex are attempting to vacation on the planet Bliss, but it’s not exactly as restful as The Doctor expected. Filled with swarms of Piranha Locusts and … Daleks. I know everyone who loves Doctor Who is supposed to love the Daleks, but I find them rather irritating, and probably the most pathetic monsters the Doctor has to face again and again ad nauseam. This story was a prime example of how their presence can descend the production into a cacophony of chaos. I’m just happy when it’s over. And another release that listed the character of Thomas Brewster in the credits, yet he doesn’t appear.
This release also includes an additional short story. The Three Companions: In Memorium - While it doesn’t say so anywhere, this is a second chapter to the story included as a bonus feature in Doctor Who: The Magic Mousetrap. Although this time, there isn’t even a similar quick closing cameo for Brewster. Otherwise it’s still an interesting story for the (Second) Doctor, Polly, Ben & Jamie - and another cliffhanger.
Update: I’ve since learned that this short, is another chapter of a serial featuring Polly, the Brigadier and Thomas Brewster that ran month-by-month for about a year, threading through the Doctor Who Monthly range.
This release also includes an additional short story. The Three Companions: In Memorium - While it doesn’t say so anywhere, this is a second chapter to the story included as a bonus feature in Doctor Who: The Magic Mousetrap. Although this time, there isn’t even a similar quick closing cameo for Brewster. Otherwise it’s still an interesting story for the (Second) Doctor, Polly, Ben & Jamie - and another cliffhanger.
Update: I’ve since learned that this short, is another chapter of a serial featuring Polly, the Brigadier and Thomas Brewster that ran month-by-month for about a year, threading through the Doctor Who Monthly range.
June 13, 2009
The first two episodes of this are as fine as anything Big Finish has ever produced, with lots of action and a slowly building sense of anticipation and menace.
Episode 3 is a somewhat weaker, as characters pause with Daleks and other baddies in hot pursuit to deliver loads of exposition, and Lieutenant Stokes makes a startlingly rapid turnaround in attitude. However, episode 4 brings things to a satisfying, if rather downbeat, conclusion.
Ace gets to do some Dalek fighting here, recalling her character from the New Adventures in a way that I found pleasantly nostalgic. Hex, confronted with the Daleks for the first time, gets to show his own very distinct brand of heroism.
Couple all of this with a high-energy, guitar-driven soundtrack from Steve Foxon, and it makes for quite a listening treat.
On a side note, this is at least the second Big Finish story I've heard that addresses the Doctor's decision not to destroy the Daleks in Genesis of the Daleks and very strongly implies that the Doctor now thinks that that was the wrong decision. It's interesting how many Dalek stories revisit that critical decision - although, of course, the Doctor can't ever really destroy all the Daleks, because then we'd have to stop making Dalek stories.
Episode 3 is a somewhat weaker, as characters pause with Daleks and other baddies in hot pursuit to deliver loads of exposition, and Lieutenant Stokes makes a startlingly rapid turnaround in attitude. However, episode 4 brings things to a satisfying, if rather downbeat, conclusion.
Ace gets to do some Dalek fighting here, recalling her character from the New Adventures in a way that I found pleasantly nostalgic. Hex, confronted with the Daleks for the first time, gets to show his own very distinct brand of heroism.
Couple all of this with a high-energy, guitar-driven soundtrack from Steve Foxon, and it makes for quite a listening treat.
On a side note, this is at least the second Big Finish story I've heard that addresses the Doctor's decision not to destroy the Daleks in Genesis of the Daleks and very strongly implies that the Doctor now thinks that that was the wrong decision. It's interesting how many Dalek stories revisit that critical decision - although, of course, the Doctor can't ever really destroy all the Daleks, because then we'd have to stop making Dalek stories.
June 29, 2017
This is an unremarkable dalek story, although not one entirely without merit. The format is the traditional base-under-siege, complicated by one of the 7th Doctor's secret agendas - although, in this instance, it's not terribly clear why he's being all mysterious about it to his companions.
The daleks themselves are well written here, bringing out their merciless and murderous qualities, and giving them quite a sense of real menace as they advance through the base. It's a nice touch that this is then inverted by the reveal of the titular "enemy", and it's good to see something that treats the daleks with such utter contempt.
The incidental music is another positive point, with a rock guitar theme not commonly seen in Big Finish productions. As is the way that the story impacts on Hex, unable to save those he sees as being in his charge. (One can, perhaps, see something of Rory in this, although it was written back in the Tennant era, and, if anything, Hex's role as a nurse comes to the fore more often than Rory's did).
It's somewhat let down, unfortunately, by some of the guest acting, with those playing the Valkyrie soldiers being largely to blame. I confess that I found the main villain's thick accent somewhat distracting, too, although, given the actor's name, it's presumably not a fake one. The fact that the cast is quite a bit smaller than the number of characters supposed to be in the story is also rather too obvious at points, and the sub-plot concerning the Valkyrie commander is resolved too easily and quickly for it to be at all believable.
The main story is followed by a ten-minute segment of a Second Doctor story read by Polly, following on from the introduction in the previous release, The Magic Mousetrap. Perhaps a little more happens in this one than in the first segment, but the characters are still wandering around in search of a plot. One gets the feeling that these might be rather better when listened to together, rather than in such short chunks, but it's how they were released.
The daleks themselves are well written here, bringing out their merciless and murderous qualities, and giving them quite a sense of real menace as they advance through the base. It's a nice touch that this is then inverted by the reveal of the titular "enemy", and it's good to see something that treats the daleks with such utter contempt.
The incidental music is another positive point, with a rock guitar theme not commonly seen in Big Finish productions. As is the way that the story impacts on Hex, unable to save those he sees as being in his charge. (One can, perhaps, see something of Rory in this, although it was written back in the Tennant era, and, if anything, Hex's role as a nurse comes to the fore more often than Rory's did).
It's somewhat let down, unfortunately, by some of the guest acting, with those playing the Valkyrie soldiers being largely to blame. I confess that I found the main villain's thick accent somewhat distracting, too, although, given the actor's name, it's presumably not a fake one. The fact that the cast is quite a bit smaller than the number of characters supposed to be in the story is also rather too obvious at points, and the sub-plot concerning the Valkyrie commander is resolved too easily and quickly for it to be at all believable.
The main story is followed by a ten-minute segment of a Second Doctor story read by Polly, following on from the introduction in the previous release, The Magic Mousetrap. Perhaps a little more happens in this one than in the first segment, but the characters are still wandering around in search of a plot. One gets the feeling that these might be rather better when listened to together, rather than in such short chunks, but it's how they were released.
April 15, 2022
This was actually pretty refreshing for a Dalek story. There's some neat electric guitar music during suspenseful moments. Once again, The Doctor has to be careful about interfering with history. And there's also a question of whether it's better to be killed by a Dalek right away or to be imprisoned by one with slim chance of fighting back. It caught my ear hearing a Dalek say "Mercy," something the Twelfth Doctor would say is not in the Dalek vocabulary. Of course, the writer of this story couldn't have foreseen what would be added onscreen.
May 10, 2014
Gripping story, which posed several questions of the morality of science. Loved the character interaction, and noticing very much with these stories the different between Hex and Rory - they're both nurses, but Hex uses his knowledge/experience in a big way where Rory's often got sidelined by the plot. The incidental music drove the pace of the story and really added to the atmosphere.
February 24, 2021
Really enjoying these big finish productions at the moment. They are really well made and make for a great listening experience!
September 9, 2025
The music is cool, and Hex finally gets to meet the Daleks and witness the horror they bring first hand, but aside from that I thought it was a fairly basic and borderline redundant story.
The Kiseibyaa feel like a redux of the Mechanoids so far as a threat to the Daleks is concerned, and in all honesty the Daleks don't really feel suited to this script. I think the Cybermen would've been a better choice, given how the Kiseibyaa also used to be human and we have never really had a Mechanoid threat equivalent for the Cybermen.
It's kind of like a messy mix of "The Juggernauts" and "The Mutant Phase", but nowhere near as good as either of those stories.
On the topic of the Kiseibyaa, I had no idea how to envision them because they are never described. Not once.
The Kiseibyaa feel like a redux of the Mechanoids so far as a threat to the Daleks is concerned, and in all honesty the Daleks don't really feel suited to this script. I think the Cybermen would've been a better choice, given how the Kiseibyaa also used to be human and we have never really had a Mechanoid threat equivalent for the Cybermen.
It's kind of like a messy mix of "The Juggernauts" and "The Mutant Phase", but nowhere near as good as either of those stories.
On the topic of the Kiseibyaa, I had no idea how to envision them because they are never described. Not once.
July 25, 2019
Parts of this are outstanding, parts are fairly standard Dalek story. I wish a few of the promises made early paid off a bit more later, but it was still a fun listen. For our full review, visit http://travelingthevortex.com/?p=8786
March 16, 2020
Kind of a weird one, but okay overall.
February 2, 2024
Enemy of the Daleks ****
In Memoriam ****
In Memoriam ****
June 20, 2024
I wish more Big Finish stories had a kick-ass soundtrack like this one.
February 9, 2025
I do enjoy a good pepper pot story!
Read
December 23, 2009"Came close to being an interesting story of the Seventh Doctor being manipulative with the time stream again (and trying to shield his companions), with some surprisingly good good John-Foxon-tries-to-be-Keff-McCullough music. Unfortunately it is badly let down by two terrible performances from the guest cast - Kate Ashfield and Bindya Solanki, who are both fairly well known actors but utterly fail to convince here as the officer and sergeant in charge of fighting off the Daleks. (Solanki is slightly better in the scenes on her own without Ashfield, but this is not saying much.) BF occasionally gets an under par performance (indeed, more often than not the regulars are the ones to blame) but it's rare to have two of them in the one play.[return][return]The second episode of The Three Companions was a bit dull in getting Two, Polly, Ben and Jamie together on the planet where Something is Going to Happen."
October 5, 2025
This feels like the kind of think Classic Who would have done if it had a bigger budget. It feels like a classic Dalek story like Death to the Daleks or Destiny of the Daleks but slightly darker and done in the New Who era.
We get to see original companion Hex meet the Daleks, and even with the threat of extermination, he's still keen to help sick patients. We also have an original concept of a race of giant insects’ bread to kill the Daleks which is something we haven't seen yet. Plus, we have a Japanese character in a Dalek story which feels really fresh in my mind.
This is nothing new for the Daleks, even with the overall concept, but I feel this was fun enough to keep your attention. I had to listen to this one a second time in order to appreciate it, but once I did, I felt like I'd got my money's worth.
We get to see original companion Hex meet the Daleks, and even with the threat of extermination, he's still keen to help sick patients. We also have an original concept of a race of giant insects’ bread to kill the Daleks which is something we haven't seen yet. Plus, we have a Japanese character in a Dalek story which feels really fresh in my mind.
This is nothing new for the Daleks, even with the overall concept, but I feel this was fun enough to keep your attention. I had to listen to this one a second time in order to appreciate it, but once I did, I felt like I'd got my money's worth.
November 6, 2015
I was often distracted by the soundtrack, all-guitar rock so reminiscent of that of the Doof Warrior that I kept expecting Max and Furiosa to show up (and the incidental companions here are all female soldiers, so yeah, Vulvalini, too), and so giggled a lot, but the music does work for this story, which features Seven at his shouty angriest, Ace at her wargirliest, and Hex as Rory before Rory. Plus a mad scientist engineering biological control for Daleks and, well, Daleks!
April 15, 2016
This was a very weak story. It did have the feel of a late 80's 7th Doctor episode, complete with the right type of incidental music. But, the story was very predictable. I gave it one star for the Daleks. I always have a soft spot for them. Their dialog is predictable as ever. The new aliens, the Kiseibya, are silly. There is not much of a plot. I recommend that you skip this one.
July 21, 2015
The Doctor commits justifiable genocide ... Is it justifiable to wipe out a species that would become a threat to all others? Here the Doctor takes an opposite approach to when he failed to destroy the Daleks at birth. Web of time and all that.
January 21, 2016
The Doctor, Hex and Ace land on Bliss and end up in the middle of a fight between the Daleks and the inhabitants coming face to face with a creature that is supposed to eat the Daleks to eraticate the Daleks.
February 28, 2014
This was quite good. An interesting take on a dalek story where they became prey instead of predators. There was also nice gender dynamics with Ace handling the weapons and Hex nursing people in sex bay. The doctor was good and manipulative. But there was just something missing in it.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews