The Ultimate Adventure

"You have denied the right of the Daleks to rule the universe!"

Writer: Terrance Dicks
Format: Audio
Released: September 2008
Series: The Stageplays 01

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Jason, Crystal

Synopsis

The Daleks have allied themselves with the Cybermen and a deadly band of mercenaries. The future of Earth depends upon a vital peace conference. And Mrs T knows that only one Time Lord can save the world.

There are epic battles. There are betrayals. There is love, and there are even songs.

Take your seat for... Doctor Who - The Ultimate Adventure!

Verdict

The Ultimate Adventure was a very intriguing listen! I was glad to be able to an audio for the first time in a while as I travelled to South Wales to watch Wales win in a Euro 2020 qualifier and after doing a shift at a nightclub and getting very little sleep due to an early kick-off, this was one I thought would be quite a light listen - and I was right. It was just a lot of fun and quite a barmy adventure! Colin Baker was brilliant as the Sixth Doctor once again and I thought the introduction of Jason was quite good. I would very much like to hear a story depicting their first meeting at some point in the future, but it was alluded to on more than one occasion and with him clearly knowing a lot of how the TARDIS works, the French Revolutionary native soon became familiar as we got to know Crystal. The pair soon fell for each other and we ended the story with the Doctor being joined by a couple in the TARDIS, pre-dating that occurrence by Amy and Rory by quite some time! The prospect of a Classic-era tale teaming the Daleks and Cybermen together was salivating but this one was all about the Daleks which was a bit of a shame. The Cybermen didn't really need to be there at all and I thought they were very poorly utilised which was a huge shame. The Daleks were clearly the superior force and the Cybermen sadly seemed to be relegated to the same stature as the mercenaries. I think things probably would have been better as a whole without the Cybermen which is something I was not expecting to say prior to listening! The inclusion of songs came a little randomly but with this being a stage adaptation, I had absolutely no problem with that. I actually thought the Bar Galactica song was sublime and really catchy! The Daleks wanting to finally capture Earth was a good plot but I loved how cocky the Doctor got when he was threatened with death despite him hearing orders that he was to be taken alive on more than one occasion. When the Daleks finally threatened the companions though, that was different which added a dark element to the story. Zog was a delightful addition to what quickly became a very likeable trio and I loved the moment where he was inside a Dalek! The ending was quite well-paced and simplistic with the Cybermen finding out that the Daleks always planned on exterminating them once their use was over. The mercenaries changed sides some time before that and with the Doctor making sure the Peace Conference went ahead unscathed thanks to a cuppa, everything worked out well. There was even an extended appearance of Margaret Thatcher which was quite something! Overall, a fun adventure.

Rating: 7/10