Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Chronicles, Volume 6: Victory of the Doctor

The Doctor Chronicles #11.6

by John Dorney, Felicia Barker, Alfie Shaw

A long time ago, during every second of existence, there was a war. An impossible war between gods and monsters. A war that should have killed them both. Only the gods are dead and the monsters are back, stronger than ever. The monsters are coming for all of creation. The universe’s only hope for survival lies in a blue box. The Doctor and Valarie Lockwood, the unstoppable duo, ready to stop the monsters and save the universe once again. Except this time, the price of victory might be too high. The fourth and final box set in an unexplored era in the Eleventh Doctor’s life.

6.1 Didn’t You Kill My Mother? by John Dorney - Another day, another set of clients needing arbitration. However, this case is special. It’s the kind of case that could make a career. It could definitely earn you a promotion. The case? Lockwood versus Hendricks.

6.2 Daleks Victorious by Felicia Barker - Everything dies when the Daleks arrive. Friends, loved ones, even hope itself. As the people of Medrüth are about to discover, nothing can stand in their way. After all, the Daleks won the Last Great Time War. Right?

6.3 The Last Stand of Miss Valarie Lockwood by Alfie Shaw - R.I.P Valarie Lockwood, 6th October 5324 - [REDACTED].

6.4 Victory of the Doctor by Alfie Shaw - He told them to run. They should have listened.

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook

Audio CD

Published February 1, 2024

About the author

John Dorney is a British writer and actor best known for stage roles including the National Theatre, the BBC Radio 4 sitcom My First Planet; and his scripts for the Big Finish Doctor Who range. His script 'Solitaire' was rated the most popular Doctor Who Companion Chronicle of 2010 on the Timescales website and was the runner up in Unreality Sci-fi net's poll for Story of the Year 2010-11.

As well as Doctor Who, he has written for Big Finish's Sapphire and Steel series and on radio co-wrote three series of BBC Radio 4's Recorded for Training Purposes. He won the BBC Show Me the Funny 'Sketch Factor' competition, was a finalist in the BBC 'Laughing Stock' competition, and has performed in Mark Watson's Edinburgh Comedy Award winning long shows as 'The Balladeer'. On stage, he has written plays for the Royal Court Theatre, Hampstead and Soho Theatres.

He trained at LAMDA.

Reviews

[Danny Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

So here we are at the end of the line. The 11th Doctor and Valerie's adventures are about to come to an end but first, they must face up against The Daleks. I've loved this series from beginning to end, there's only been one story throughout this entire arc that I haven't enjoyed. This series is one of the best things Big Finish has pieced together in a very long time, every single story is so different from one another and most of them are brilliant.

Didn't You Kill My Mother?:
Another day, another set of clients seeking arbitration. However this case is deep, Valerie is fighting for the justice of all the people who lost their lives to Hendrick's company. It's Valerie vs Hendricks. But where is The Timelord and who is he? The Doctor is keen to find out, but something very strange is going on here and it seems time isn't on their side.

John Dorney has written an incredible script that's very dramatic and unique with some terrific drama. Valerie and Hendrick's hatred towards one another comes to full fruition here and it's brilliant. It's a story that gets quite dark as the narrative unfolds, the twists and turns this story takes shocked me. Brilliant start to this finale. 10/10

Daleks Victorious:
The Daleks are invading Medruth and they don't intend to take anyone alive. Their war and rage against the universe has begun and only one man can stop them. But if The Daleks don't know who The Doctor is then how can he possibly be a threat to them? Time will tell but the consequences of the timelord's previous actions are about to catch up with him.

I wasn't too keen on the previous audio I listened to from Felicia Barker personally but in my eyes, this story more than makes up for it. This is a jaw-dropping and incredibly bleak blockbuster that is essentially a Dalek action movie with some really shocking surprises and imagery. It's a story that perfectly establishes how dangerous The Daleks are this time and what they mean for the universe. The cliffhanger in itself is an amazing one and has me terrified for The Doctor. 10/10

The Last Stand of Miss Valarie Lockwood:
Valerie Lockwood has finally reached the end of the road. Her time has run out, but on the way she might finally receive the answers she's been seeking.

Alfie Shaw has written an incredible story that's very emotional and beautifully pieced together. Everything that has been set up for the series arc finally comes together. This is again a very bleak episode with some heartbreaking scenes and plenty of timey-wimey shenanigans. Can't wait to see how it all concludes because The Doctor is pissed! 10/10

Victory of The Doctor:
The Doctor is angry, the universe is in chaos and The Daleks believe they have achieved victory. But all that's about to change this time The Doctor will make certain that every single Dalek is wiped out of existence and he won't stop until it's too late.

Alfie Shaw has written an incredible finale that is experimental, clever, action-packed, intense, bleak, and emotional. The ending of this story almost brought me to tears but in a good way. It's sad to see this series come to an end but it's been an amazing rollercoaster all the same. All the writers, actors, directors, and everyone else on the production of these sets should be incredibly proud of themselves! 10/10

Overall: 40/40

[Jamie Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story 1 - 4.5*
Story 2 - 4*
Story 3 - 5* (fave of the set)
Story 4 - 4.5*

[Drew · Rating 1 out of 5]

You might like this if you are entertained by a story where increasingly angry lesbians constantly blame the Doctor for failing to save the universe from the Daleks because "you promised you'd save us!" constantly berate and accuse him of failing to do his job, actually threaten to kill him for not saving the universe, and reduce him to regularly groveling before them.

And then they get married.

I am not entertained by this trend of deconstructing the Doctor into a weak character who is treated like garbage by his companions. But hey, if you liked the anniversary special on tv where the Doctor gets lectured about pronouns, gets put down for being "male presenting" while a trans character saves the day simply by being trans . . . you're gonna love this.

I also was not entertained by an often-confusing plot that relied way too much on timey wimey technobabble magic. I couldn't even figure out how the Doctor saved the universe, but after the lesbians threatened to kill him for not saving the universe, I suppose he felt he had no choice. Me? I would have shoved them both into that pocket universe he created and sealed it away from the rest of the world. Then they could make kissy noises for all eternity and I could have my show back.

This 14-episode series started well, but devolved into angry nasty woke bigoted garbage before the end. But hey, if you like angry nasty woke bigoted garbage, you might like this.

[ava · Rating 5 out of 5]

7V.10 Didn’t You Kill My Mother? - 4/5

For what I imagine is going to be a very heavy and explosive final few episodes, I like the choice to begin the end with a relatively quiet and intimate story focused on a few characters just talking. The scenes with Hendricks and Valarie were by far my favourites, they just have such an interesting dynamic and I loved hearing them argue with one another. The scenes with the Doctor and Tim are ok but their confrontation was brilliant. I’ve said this before but I love how much this series is focused on the ramifications of the Time War and the Doctor’s choice to end it; establishing another (extra) path to the 50th in a brilliant way.

7V.11 Daleks Victorious - 5/5

This was an incredibly bleak episode and I loved every second of it. I really enjoyed the exploration of the new paradigm Daleks and their differing roles/personalities which we never got to see onscreen and I loved how this episode served as a sequel to many previous stories (“Victory of the Daleks”, “Asylum of the Daleks” and “The Yearn”); makes everything so satisfyingly connected and big. Hearing the Daleks actually committing genocide in real time gives them back a terrifying edge that I think wasn’t really present in their previous episodes onscreen. It was heartbreaking to hear the deaths of Hayden and Hoster and all the Medrüthians, it was hard to hear Roanna break down, and it was genuinely hard to hear the Doctor being tortured for basically the whole episode. The Daleks really suck.

7V.12 The Last Stand of Miss Valarie Lockwood - 4.5/5

So I accidentally listened to this episode before the previous one making this whole series order a little weird from my pov…don’t ask my why I ended up making this mistake I just figured the destruction of Medrüth happened offscreen (offradio??) which I thought was an odd choice but just ran with it but oh well 😭 Anyways…

This episode concludes Valarie’s story, or at least one version of Valarie’s story, because there’s two of them!! In true timey-wimey fashion, there’s space/time hijinks and bootstrap paradoxes that leads a version of Valarie to Chicago and timelines splinter and yeah…you get it. I actually really loved how this episode solves what was essentially the series arc. I think it’s especially fitting for Eleven’s era, which had so many paradoxes and destiny traps, that this series arc ended with similar resolutions and explanations. As the title suggests, this was Valarie’s finale (of sorts) and Safiyya Ingar did a brilliant job. But I’m so happy that it looks like Valarie and Roanna might get their happy ending after all.

7V.13 Victory of the Doctor - 4.5/5

A really good finale to an excellent run of stories. I can’t believe it’s over but at the same time it feels completely right to end the series here. I really loved the Doctor’s final showdown in the Dalek parliament and Valarie’s exit was perfectly written and made so much sense. I’d say the overall story is a strong 4/5 but I’m giving it an extra half star for the final few scenes which were brilliantly written, acted and produced (finally, a beach scene in Doctor Who that’s not traumatising or really sad). Roanna and Valarie’s wedding was perfect and Valarie and the Doctor’s goodbye was perfect. I’ve really enjoyed this bonus series and it’s a perfect bridge between 7A and 7B. I’m hopeful we’ll see (hear) more Valarie in the future.

Overall: 4.5 stars (rounded to 5). Loved this boxset and it bookends the series pretty perfectly. I’d give the series overall a 4.5/5 too.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

6.1 Didn't You Kill My Mother 4.5/5
Didn't You Kill My Mother is an excellent story that starts the fourth and final Eleven & Valarie box set. Similar to All of Time and Space from the second set, this tale is an imaginative and different take on a Doctor Who story. It's a quirky and imaginative opening part of what seems to be a four part story. The twists and turns in interesting ways, and really starts to pay off the entire Eleven & Valarie series. The themes it explores are fascinating and a welcome expansion on what has been explored already in this run. The voice cast does a magnificent job, with guest actors Lara Lemon and Homer Todiwala giving amazing performances. If the rest of this box set stays at this level, it should be a perfect ending to an already exceptional series.

6.2 Daleks Victorious 4.5/5
Another excellent entry in the final box set of the Doctor & Valarie series. This story picks right up from where the last story ended, and features a lot of elements from the previous entries in the series. The plot is simple, but with enough things going on to really keep you on the edge of your seat. Very little is predictable, and that leads to a generally fast-paced experience. The hour really flew by. The voice cast does a magnificent job all around, with the only problem being that the Dalek voices by Nicholas Briggs sometimes sound almost like his natural speaking voice. But overall this is a minor quibble. This, what appears to be a four part story, is shaping up to be one of the best in all of Doctor Who.

6.3 The Last Stand of Miss Valarie Lockwood 5/5
The Last Stand of Miss Valarie Lockwood is the superb penultimate entry in the Doctor & Valarie series. This story is a great first part of a two part finale, and ties up a lot of loose ends to the series as a whole. As a story in its own right, it works very well, with enough twist and turns to keep you guessing. There were a lot of surprises that I didn't see coming, which is hard considering that the series so far has set a lot of pieces in place for this ending. Safiyya Ingar is the MVP of the cast, with a great performance which will wow most listeners. They embody a companion so well that Valarie Lockwood is now up there with my favourite companions from all of Doctor Who.

6.4 Victory of the Doctor 4.5/5
Victory of the Doctor is an excellent finale to the Eleven & Valarie series. The last serial, The Last Stand of Miss Valarie Lockwood, tied up the dangling threads in the overall mystery for the series, while this serial tied up the threat from this box set. With my mind's eye, I was able to picture the plot very easily, and the epic spectacle didn't disappoint. It really played into the tropes of a series finale, and it lived up to them in an epic way that was above and beyond what had been presented here before. While I will miss the chemistry between Jacob Dudman, Safiyya Ingar and Mia Tomlinson, this story does send them out with a band. While I wish we could get more of this series, what we have is brilliant, and it wouldn't feel amiss in any marathon of the Eleventh Doctors run.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good story from start to finish, with great production in all parts. An audio story featuring the Daleks rarely misses the mark and this is no exception, with a great overarching plot and just the right amount of sci-fi points to make it entertaining without losing the itself in the limitations of the audio drama format.
While it’s a shame they couldn’t get Matt Smith to reprise his role as The Doctor here, Jacob Dudman does such a phenomenal performance that I doubt most people would notice a difference, especially with how he nails the many bits of emotional dialogue that make up the story.
The supporting cast is great as well, with Tim being a really fun side character and his impact on the plot being very satisfying. I won’t talk about it here since it would be a massive spoiler but it’s a really great bit of character writing.
Valorie and Roanna are pretty well written and expertly voiced at times and it’s always nice to see companions from older audio dramas pop up in newer ones, even if the character development for Roanna in particular is rather wooden at times.
The only real issue I have here is that we, as an audience, know that Valorie and Roanna’s romance can’t last because of the implications that it would have on the timeline. Whenever the Doctor has saved someone from death in the past it has almost always happened anyway. An example would be the character of Lobus Caecillius from the episode Fires of Pompeii. While the Doctor did save his life when he was meant to die, the universe eventually corrected this error, closing the loop when his decedent, John Frobisher, committed suicide during the Children of Earth storyline of Torchwood.
Because of this, we know that in the end Roanna is going to die and Valorie will end up back with Hayden in the correct timeline where she was originally supposed to die, making the entire romance plot feel rather pointless in the end.
Despite this it’s still a very good story throughout all of its parts with great voice perform the entire cast and near-perfect production.

[Samael Kovacs · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final collection of stories with Eleven and Valerie. I’ve grown quite font of them together.

Tale #1 3/5

I’m disappointed with the fact that this is another story were some time shit is going on where Eleven and Valerie are playing almost different characters. Half forgotten, half remembering. It’s been done to death in this set.

Thankfully we stop that nonsense pretty fast but what we’re left with is a so, so starting point for this final batch of episodes. Nothing new nor interesting is done here I feel like.

Tale #2 4/5

Yeah, this was a giant step up from the previous story. Some actual stakes and consequences for things. I’ve missed consequences in Doctor Who.

The Daleks themselves, look I’m never gonna love them. Perhaps someday when I haven’t seen nor heard them for ages but they’re bloody everywhere. Nothing interesting can be done with them anymore.

But they were used fine here.

This turned out to be so bloody bleak, adored it.

Tale #3 4/5

It’s really the beginning of the end here. So much is happening it all feels so grand and epic.

I never thought I could imagine someone else playing the Eleventh Doctor, but Dudman is brilliant, utterly brilliant here. So sad he’s gone after this. Would’ve adored a Trenzelore series with him. Imagine the potential. Pity.

Anyhow this tale was great.

Tale #4 3/5

This probably the weakest one of the bunch. Yes, it’s funny and grandiose and epic like the others but it’s so much technobabble and timey winey stuff in ways that’s clearly meant to emulate Moffat’s writing, but it just didn’t get all there.

The constant kissing noises between Rowana and Valerie were cringe on top of cringe, never heard them before in an audio drama before this series and they really took me out of it. God those were awful.

Apart from that it’s a solid ending. Dudman is great.

Probably more to say but I just binged this whole thing in one sitting and I am very tired.
I’ll probably finish Dark Eyes now.

[Ellen Schoener · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was VERY good.
However, it got pretty dark and depressing half-way through.
This is a very emotional ride.
If you want to compare, this is pretty much "The Empire strikes back" of the Who world- the Daleks conquer all and are victorious! All is lost and over.
How in the world could the Doctor even start to save anyone?
The Doctor and Valerie and most of the supporting cast are put through the wringer. There are several tough emotional outbursts, especially from the Doctor. In parts, this makes this very hard to listen to. This is NOT an enjoyable relaxation story. This is full on tragedy and drama (with a few rare laughs in between).
I do not want to spoiler too much, because this audio play has to be experienced to appreciate it.
The performances are SUPERIOR, and even Nick Briggs as the various Daleks is firing on all cylinders (I often bemoan Nick and the Daleks, but here, he is really making an effort; this alone makes this worth listening to).
The ending is VERY clever. I had to listen to the last part again and listen to the interviews (where they explain in detail) later to actually understand what has happened and how awesomely clever it was.
Impressive work.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Big Finish! Lots of epic moments here as The Doctor faces the Daleks and Valerie has to make some tough choices. More than any of Matt Smith's seasons, these audios have really delved into how the Eleventh Doctor looks back at the Time War. The goodbyes were very emotional. I can't say enough great things about this set.

[Ryan Walton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5/5

What an absolute brilliant way to end this range and say farewell to Jacob Dudman as the 11th Doctor.
Everything from writing, acting, sound design, music was superb.

Can't fault this release at all, obviously it's a series finale so it's linked to the other releases, but well worth it.

[Joseph S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacob's Doctor and Safiyya Inga's Valarie Lockwood managed the best run in the 11th Doctor's run. While it is a shame that Jacob is giving up the mantle--and means Big Finish won't ever have an 11th Doctor run again--he's leaving on QUITE the swan song.

[Tali · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great set to wrap up the Doctor and Valerie Lockwood era. Recommend Valerie’s whole Big Finish run.

[Marcel Driel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful ending of both The Eleventh Doctor and Valarie Lockwood, and Jacob Dudman and Safiyya Ingar. Perfect run of stories from the beginning till the end. Wonderful.