Why You Need to be Listening to Dalek Empire
Big Finish are currently offering a number of stories free from their back catalogue to enjoy. So, over the next few weeks, I'll give you a review of the individual episode in question, as well as some reasons why you should be listening to the range or series the story hails from in full. We continue the series with - Dalek Empire…
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| The CD cover for "Invasion of the Daleks", the first part of Dalek Empire Series 1, designed by Clayton Hickman. |
Back in 2001, Doctor Who spin-offs were quite rare. In 1981, John Nathan-Turner had failed to launch K9 and Company, a spin-off centered around K9 and Sarah Jane, while Big Finish had been producing Bernice Summerfield audios since 1998, although these were often disconnected from the larger Doctor Who universe due to rights issues. As such, when Big Finish launched Dalek Empire, a full-on spin-off was had never been seen before. Dalek Empire, however, quickly went on to become a firm fan favourite, with its gritty tone, ruthless opponents and its almost trigger-happy glee with regards to dispatching its regular cast of characters. Focusing on the Daleks' activities without the Doctor to stop them gave the metal monsters a ruthless streak rarely seen in the programme, and our heroes are forced to risk everything in order to try and stop them. It's a series that's gone on to great critical acclaim, and, despite ending over ten years ago, is still fondly remembered and loved today.
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| The CD cover for "Dalek War: Chapter 1", the first part of Dalek Empire Series 2, designed by Clayton Hickman. |
The first episode of Dalek Empire, "Invasion of the Daleks", sets the series up wonderfully, with a story that introduces a world and characters within that world, and then plunges those people into a Dalek invasion. Through the eyes of Alby and Suz, we get to see different sides of the invasion, and what happens afterwards to the people of Vega VI: while one is trapped on planet, and forced to mine for the Daleks, the other drowns their sorrows in alcohol, all the while trying to escape from the Daleks' reach. These two contrasting stories run parallel to each other, and you get an immediate sense of how wide-ranging this conflict is right from the get-go. The Daleks are at their most ruthless level here, as they happily go through the citizens of Vega VI with ruthless efficiency. Writer Nicholas Briggs somehow manages to have his cake and eat it here with the Daleks, as they fulfill both roles they normally can fulfill in Doctor Who stories: being mindlessly destructive, exterminating everything and everyone in sight, and being ruthlessly calculating and devious, using their cunning and intellect in order achieve their desired aims. Both sides of the Daleks get an outing here, and both portrayals are allowed to co-exist in the same story, without overlapping or contradicting each other. The Dalek Emperor, particularly, embodies this approach: with his incredible intellect, he makes a very different type of Dalek, while being perhaps the most bloodthirsty Dalek we've ever encountered. However, despite its title, "Invasion of the Daleks" focuses on the characters of Alby and Suz, and, through them, the characters of Pellan and Kalendorf. If you are familiar with Big Finish's very first Doctor Who release, "The Sirens of Time", then you will have heard of the Knights of Velyshaa, which is what Kalendorf is. Beautifully played by Blake's 7 legend Gareth Thomas, Kalendorf is probably my favourite character from the Dalek Empire series. He's an old soldier that gets dragged back into conflict with the Daleks, and, despite his curmudgeonly exterior, he is a hardened and dedicated soldier who will do anything to defeat the Daleks. Together with Susan Mendes (wonderfully played by Sarah Mowat), they make for an effective 'chalk-and-cheese' contrast, and are the beating heart of the Dalek Empire series. But, don't worry if that sounds a little too cerebral for you - because it also has plenty of hardcore Dalek action. It takes the tone of those Dalek annuals from the 1960's, as well as Dalek stories like "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" (especially "The Dalek Invasion of Earth"...) and "Planet of the Daleks", and gives them a 21st Century update and dust-down. Like a lot of spin-offs at Big Finish, you won't get a complete story with this first episode. But what you will get is enough to wet your appetite for more. And, really, isn't that what a good first episode should do?
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| The CD cover for "The Healers", the second part of Dalek Empire Series 3, designed by Clayton Hickman. |
And, if you enjoyed "Invasion of the Daleks", then here is a list of 3 reasons why you need to be listening to the rest of Dalek Empire:
1. The Daleks:
This kind of goes without saying, really, but the Daleks have got to be one of the key reasons why you would even think about listening to a series called Dalek Empire. What I will say is that, freed from the Doctor having to defeat them every week, the Daleks' menace is so much more insidious than in Doctor Who more generally, and they have the chance to stretch long-term ambitions out over the course of a series. The metal monsters aren't just coming up with an insane plan because it's something the Daleks have never done before: writer Nicholas Briggs (who knows the Daleks inside out) has to be a little bit cleverer than that. The Daleks want to conquer our galaxy, and they will subjugate any world and every world they come across in order to do so. It's as simple as that. Briggs doesn't use any gimmicks, he just makes the Daleks implacable, insidious and unstoppable through sheer military might and their fierce intellect. This is where the Daleks work best in my opinion: the approaches of Terry Nation and David Whittaker combined. And Dalek Empire plays into this perfectly. And, with Nick Briggs on Dalek vocals throughout, they sound as intimidating as you would expect. I would say the Daleks have rarely been bettered (in terms of their presentation) than here, and, even if you aren't a fan of the Daleks, this series will give that opinion a run for its money.
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| The CD cover for "The Fearless: Part 1", designed by Alex Mallinson. |
2. A Realistic Lead Cast:
While the Daleks' are the main reason you're going to want to get Dalek Empire, the other characters the Daleks interact with are just as interesting. Because of the nature of the series (it following one story over the course of many episodes), you get the chance to see them not just develop, but also explore the consequences of their actions. For the first two series, our main focus is the three-way relationship between Sarah Mowat as Suz, Mark McDonnell as Alby and Gareth Thomas as Kalendorf, and we get to see all three characters develop in surprising and interesting ways as the stories go on. While they are often kept apart, it is their desire to reunite that runs throughout the series, and it is only late into the second series that this even happens. There are plenty of interesting secondary characters in these two series as well: especially the Mentor, who appears in the second series, who I shan't say any more about for fear of spoilers, just... expect the unexpected, that's all I will say. It does mean that you may find the third series a bit of a jarring transition, as we lose all of those characters in favour of new ones, the most interesting of whom is Galanar. Not necessarily because of who his is in the series, however, but because of who plays him: a pre-Tenth Doctor David Tennant. Recorded in 2004, Dalek Empire III came just before Tennant was cast as the Doctor, and it shows him in a very different light to his version of the Doctor (of course, the upcoming Dalek Universe saga may revisit some of this territory...). Series 4 once again features a whole new cast, taking more Doctor Who legends and placing them in unfamiliar roles, this time companion actors Maureen O'Brien (Vicki Pallister) and Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith). The various different casts, and the complex characters they play, are a huge part of why this series was, and continues to be, so successful, perhaps even more so than the Daleks, in many ways.
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| The CD cover for "Dalek War: Chapter 4", the fourth part of Dalek Empire Series 2, designed by Clayton Hickman. |
3. A Space Opera Scale:
Like all good space operas, Dalek Empire plays out on an absolutely huge scale. From the very first episode, set over multiple worlds and locations, this series operates on a grand scale, and series creator and writer Nicholas Briggs never lets you forget that. This series creates so many dynamic and varied worlds in order to create its stories, while at the same time maintaining that individual, personal feel to the storytelling I mentioned above. These stories are all about war, and they maintain their setting amongst that broadest of canvases throughout the four series. However, they never loose the desire to tell original stories, something that is also paramount to the series' success. You have to remember that, at this point, the new series was still some way away, and we had never seen the Daleks presented and used like this before, except in the TV Century 21 Dalek comics, maybe. We'd never seen them in the context that Nick uses them for, and I think that it may even have inspired Russell T Davies' use of the Daleks in the new series. This big, gritty, space opera style has been a tone for a lot of Doctor Who spin-offs since, and they can trace their way back to this amazing series.
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| The CD cover for "The Fearless: Part 2", designed by Alex Mallinson. |
Dalek Empire is honestly a blast of a series, and is a vital listen for anyone who is a fan of the Daleks. Taking the metal monsters away from the safety net of Doctor Who, and making them into the cold, brutal killers we always knew they could be is guaranteed results on its own, never mind the fact that writer Nicholas Briggs creates a gripping series full of well-developed characters and exciting action. Dalek Empire is an absolute must-listen, and is well worth investing your money and time in.
Until the 16th of November 2020, you can get "Invasion of the Daleks", the first episode of Dalek Empire, from Big Finish completely free. You can find it here:
You can also save up to 20% on Dalek Empire Series 1-4 until the 16th of November 2020 too. You can find a full list of the titles here:
Happy listening!
All pictures copyright to the BBC/Big Finish Productions. Thank you very much for reading.
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