Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan

Doctor Who: BBC Radio Collection

by Terry Nation, Dennis Spooner, Peter Purves (Narrator)

William Hartnell is the original Doctor in the most epic Doctor Who story ever made, in which his arch-enemies the Daleks threaten to destroy the fabric of Time itself! In their quest to gain control of the Solar System, the Daleks have taken posession of the Time Destructor, a weapon which threatens the safety of all who stand in their way. As they head up an alliance of alien races bent on destroying the human race, in their midst is none other than the treacherous Guardian of the Solar System, Mavic Chen. A dangerous chase ensues across volcanos, jungles, deserts and futuristic cities, as the Doctor and his companions struggle to prevent the Daleks' plans coming to fruition. The stakes are high, and for the first time in the programme's history the lives of two TARDIS travellers are lost...Peter Purves (who played Steven in the story) narrates these thirteen episodes, only two of which survive in the television archives.

Included is the special 'teaser' Mission To The Unknown, which was transmitted some weeks before the master plan itself was unleashed...This story marks the first appearance, here playing space agent Bret Vyon, of Nicholas Courtney who would later create the recurring role of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Jean Marsh and Adrienne Hill also star as companions Sara Kingdom and Katarina

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Time Travel, Fiction

6 pages, Audio CD

First published January 29, 1966

About the author

Terry Nation was a Welsh screenwriter and novelist. After briefly joining his father's furniture-making business and attempting stand-up comedy, Nation turned his hand to writing and worked on radio scripts for The Goon Show and a range of TV dramas such as The Saint, The Avengers, Z Cars, The Baron, The Champions, Department S and The Persuaders. He went on to write about 100 episodes of Doctor Who and wrote scripts for the American TV series MacGyver (1985) and A Fine Romance (1989).

He is probably best known for creating iconic villains the Daleks in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who. Nation also created two science-fiction shows - Survivors and Blake's 7.

Terry Nation moved to Los Angeles, California, United States in 1980. He died from emphysema on 9 March 1997, aged 66.

Reviews

[Marie]

I'm not going to give this a rating as it's not a book. But I will say that after having attempted to watch the reconstruction of this serial, I highly prefer this format. I was able to follow along fairly well, and Peter Purves (Steven) provided excellent narration.

[Adam Duclos · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part, I loved listening to this old Doctor Who serial! It was great following William Hartnell's First Doctor as he lands smack dab into and out of trouble, foiling the Daleks as best he can!

Steven is great too, and the actor who plays him narrates the action!

However, it is very sad that this serial features the first deaths of the Doctor's companions. First, Katerina, a newcomer from ancient Homeric Greece and who never had the chance to truly figure out what was going on around her in the futuristic environment (she thought the Doctor was the god of death, and the Tardis his temple) sacrificed herself to save the others by bunging herself and an attacker out of an airlock.

Later, Bret Vyon (I feel like he should be counted as a companion, even though he never gets to travel in the Tardis... He is in the Tardis for a bit, and he does travel with the Doctor!) gets killed by his own sister, Sarah Kingdom! Then Sarah becomes a companion, but dies saving the Doctor! Compelling stuff!

There are some downsides to this serial though.

First, they include a terrible Christmas episode, that has no real plot, everyone just runs around shouting for a while, and William Hartnell ends it by saying hello to the viewers at home.

Second, the serial itself:

First, Mavic Chen is the 'Guardian of the Solar System'... or at least he is now. However, he started mining for that super powered ore 50 years ago! How old is he, and how did he start in on this before having any power? It is fun to watch this delusional bad guy devolve into extreme denial though, as the Daleks start exterminating his fellow galactic leaders. He should have realized his usefulness was at an end as soon as he handed over the tarranium! On the other hand, no reason was ever given for the other galactic leaders in the first place. I guess they were just there to give Chen a false sense of security?

How is the Time Destructor supposed to help defeat the Solar System anyway? It's only good for one shot and can't be turned off! They state at the beginning that they're going to have to defeat each of the worlds in the solar system...

Finally, I have to admit... the first time I watched this series, I could have sworn that the Doctor was immune to the effects of the Time Destructor, and that Sarah Kingdom ran out of the Tardis against orders and got caught up in the super weapon's effects. Evidently not! First, this serial comes before we know that the Doctor is a Time Lord, or can regenerate, or is extremely long lived (although his longevity could make for a great retconned reason for his survival). Second, it turns out that she went back to help much earlier, and helped the Doctor continue towards the Tardis when he faltered, getting him close enough to be saved by Steven. Cool... But still, there's no real reason for the Doctor to have turned the thing on... He could have just picked it up and relied on the Daleks not wanting to shoot the power core, which had worked just fine several times already. Given that he did turn it on, why didn't he just keep doing what Steven eventually did, and flip the switch from forward to reverse? If he kept doing that, he'd be all set! Plus, why didn't Sarah Kingdom - who had previously been turned to dust by violently advancing age - not come back when it was put into reverse? Like so many of the early serials, it ends with the Doctor lamenting how sad it all was, then moving on. Basically, for 13 episodes, there's not much in the way of explanation.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure that this was the last we ever saw of the Meddling Monk. Just as well, I guess, because he was a jerk! Although, it is pretty ominous that their rivalry, which was as serious as a series of pranks could be, would culminate in the Doctor attempting to get the Monk captured by the Daleks. Considering the Monk ends up on that ice planet, possibly forever, I wonder if the Doctor ever looks back and wonders if he got the guy killed after all...

Anyway, overall it was still great to listen to this!

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot was interesting: Doctor, Stephen, Katarina, and then later Sarah Kingdom; try to unravel a secret plot between the Daleks and a council of solar system leaders to take over the Galaxies using a Time Destructor.

The pace is slow though. At 12 episodes (including one rather silly Christmas one the has no bearing on the plot) this is a lot of running around and repetition.

There are multiple times, for example, when the Daleks really should have just killed Mavek Chen but they always let him linger and it is not very Dalek-esque how many second chances they give this guy.

The linking narrator was the actor who played Steven and while he was good at it; the linking narrative script was sadly lacking. There are full minutes when there are just noises and no explanation so some of the thrill is lost in these frequent spots.

Overall it could be fun for the few notable Who moments: Deaths of first teo companions: Katarina and Sarah Kingdom but so much of the plot drags and the lacking narrative makes it worse so I'd only suggest it to die-hard fans.

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the audio of an epic Dr. Who story from 1966. It is linked with narration from Peter Purves who was in it with the First Doctor. If you like early Who and Daleks, you will like this audio adventure. If you are more used to new Who, you probably will not like this.

[Brooke A Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was like listening to an old radio drama. I think I would have liked it better if I hadn't been so thoroughly distracted while I was trying to listen to it. But I still laughed, which is an impressive point.

My favorite moment, spurred on because I wasn't listening super closely, was in ancient Egypt. I mouthed off at several of the characters because they were ridiculous.

I also, despite how much I do like the First Doctor, haven't spent a lot of time with his stories. I know his companions' names, which made me rather confused because I wasn't entirely sure when it was taking place. I mean, obviously, I know it's somewhere between after Susan leaving and before Steven leaves.
The First Doctor was actually rather warm, considering how crotchety he tends to be. I appreciated that, and I really enjoy the fact that these were the audio from the episodes.

But this is kind of a wild and crazy ride. And it also includes the Monk, who I really want to come back and mess with the modern Doctors.

If you like radio dramas and/or Doctor Who, I recommend.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Daleks have formed an alliance to create a time destructor, a weapon that will destroy all life on a planet by accelerating time. What ends up happening is the Doctor steals the power source and after realizing from the Tardis sensors that he is being followed, goes through a series of jumps through time and space. It's very much like the earlier story, "The Chase", in which the Daleks created their own time machine and hunted the Doctor down. This time, it is not the Daleks, but the Monk from "The Time Meddler", who had repaired his Tardis and is looking to extract revenge.

This was an okay story, though the parts about the Monk felt like they just took an unused story and plopped it in the middle of another one. Katarina who just became a companion is killed of early because her character lacked any intelligence so that the Doctor had to explain everything to her and so she got written off. Sara Kingdom, an Earth security agent/spy, replaces Katarina as a companion. Though by the end she too is killed off. It's a pity as she had a strength and intelligence the other female companions didn't have up to this point.

[George Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novelization of one of the lost series from the Classic Doctor Who show.

I listen to this in audio form and it used audio from the original show with descriptions of what was going on added by a narrator. It felt a lot like an old time radio drama. I found it really enjoyable.

It is a shame that the episodes are lost. This had one of the early Christmas specials. As well as a full comedy episode that the Tardus shows up in a film set and shenanigans ensue. I have been listening to or reading the novelization of all of the lost episodes and honestly, this is the first one that I wish was available. The story is longer than most with lots of characters. However, the film studio episode alone would have been worth seeing.

I really enjoyed this I am glade I took the time to pick it up.

[Charles Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was the first DW attempt at an epic story at 12 episodes plus a Doctor-less prequel, Mission to the Unknown. this features the first Doctor (William Hartnell) and Steven (Peter Purves) along with temporary companions Katarina and Sara Kingdom, the first and second companions to die on the show.
the early episodes also introduce a young pre-brigadier Nicolas Courtney as galactic agent Brett Vyon.
even amidst the plot to destroy the Galaxy the TARDIS crew find themselves in some so-ridiculous-it's-funny situations fleeing through time to escape the Daleks.
Hartnell's descent into dementia is becoming more evident as he stumbles over lines more frequently. despite that, this mostly missing serial deserves it's place among the landmark stories of this venerable sci-fi series

[David Sutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very lengthy 13 episode adventure is the longest story arch thus far in Doctor Who. It is not likely to receive an animated reconstruction anytime soon due to its length, so this audiobook is the best way to experience the missing story. Although I wish there were visuals, I enjoyed imagining settings like the dangerous and exotic alien jungle. I pictured diplomatic meetings in the Dalek city with Dalek emissaries surrounded by colorful flags as if the United Nations motto was "EXTERMINATE!!!!" It's not my favourite Dalek adventure, but keep calm and Doctor Who on....

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the Audible version, the soundtrack to a lost episode. My son enjoyed it but I could not get into it and quit halfway through. I don't know if it was me or if the story just didn't grip me. I have been very distracted lately. However I found other stories easier to follow.

[Candyce Sweet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this is really for only the most die-hard of fans, who love Doctor Who no matter what.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We at this table pledge our allegiance to the Dalek cause. Our armies will reduce the galaxies to ashes, their people to dust. And Earth we will conquer first!”

On the planet Kembel in the 41st century, the Doctor and the agents of the solar system’s Space Security Service come across a fully formed plan to conquer the Milky Way, organized by the Daleks. And right in the midst of the plot is the Guardian of the Solar System, Mavic Chen. The head of the government is giving not only comfort to the enemy, but aid as well in the form of taranium, a rare substance found only on Uranus. It’s needed to power the Daleks’ ultimate weapon, the Time Destructor! When the Doctor snatches the taranium and takes off, it begins an epic chase through space and time: to the penal planet Desperus, to Mira with invisible eight-foot tall unfriendly inhabitants, to a volcanic planet, and to Earth in the 41st and 20th centuries and Egypt during the Fourth Dynasty. In the midst of this extended chase another Nemesis in the form of the time-meddler shows up still in his monk’s robes from 1066 to fiddle around with the history of the 41st century.

According to the Doctor Who Wikia, “Only Day of Armageddon (Episode 2), Counter Plot (Episode 5) and Escape Switch (Episode 10) survive on 16mm film telerecordings.” This audio adaptation uses the soundtrack connected by narrative done by Peter Purves who plays Steven in the original show. It’s quite an entertaining romp through space-time.

[Tom Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course, The Daleks' Master Plan is a triumph of the First Doctor era, and hopefully gets the animation treatement; because of the unfortunate unlikeliness of the episodes returning. We can hope. Some of the episodes in this serial are possibly the best performances in all of Doctor Who history. The Day of Armageddon, The Traitors and The Destruction of time are Doctor Who at its best.

If I could rate each part:
1. The Nightmare Begins: 9/10
2. The Day of Armageddon: 10/10
3. The Devils Planet: 9/10
4. The Traitors: 10/10
5. Counter Point: 9/10
6. Coronas of the Sun: 9/10
7. The Feast of Steven: 5/10 (Eh, who cares about it. Nothing to do with the story)
8. Volcano: 7/10 (Personally don't count Feast of Steven. Then I consider Volcano the weak episode)
9. Golden Death: 8/10
10. Escape Switch: 9/10
11. The Abandoned Planet: 9/10
12. The Destruction of Time: 10/10

Like I stated, I don't count Feast of Steven. So, I consider Volcano to be the weakest episode related to The Daleks' Master Plan. It certainly has faults, (Maybe in a BIG in-depth look in the episode is in order) but what it sets out to deliver made a big impact in the show and a story to remember. 10/10 personally, because it does what it's suppose to do.

A big detailed look into The Daleks' Master Plan by myself is something I am considering doing.

[Min · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using the remaining audio tapes, the episode is reconstructed with narration by Peter Purves of the original episode.
Hearing Nicholas Courtney in his first Doctor Who role added a thrill for me. I may have disliked the Brigadier as a character, but knowing he was with the show nearly 50 years, is unique among characters. Also, that he, like a few others, played more than one role on the show, adds to his prowess.
The cobbling of the episode, isn't as disjointed as I had imagined. Listening to the audiobook first did spoil me as it is a much more complete story, including inner dialogue, used to great affect.
The interim Christmas special, and time hopping into a few time, and space locations before resuming the show's plot line still feels like a jerk out of an otherwise suspenseful, and gripping story.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a terrible slog which improved a bit towards the end (or was that just because I'd heard that part of the story before in a different form) and I appreciated the non-saccharine outcome. The Daleks at the beginning were almost unbelievably bad, and the contemporary atonal music excruciating. I continue to be bemused about the monk but he is some sort of light relief. Peter Purves does a decent job of the linking narration although I keep wondering about a tongue tie.

One for the completists.

[DeAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting from a historical perspective. I was surprised at the seriousness of the story (although there were funny parts as well, the Doctor and Steven had some good lines!)