Daybreak

"What has an honest citizen to fear?"

Writer: John Pritchard

Format: Audio

Released: September 2019

Series: Companion Chronicles: First Doctor 3.02

Featuring: First Doctor, Ian, Barbara, Vicki

Synopsis

Everyone knows their story. They were heroes, who struck a blow for freedom at the cost of their own lives. Vicki grew up reading of their exploits. She's always hoped to be as brave as them. Now the TARDIS has brought her to their dark and desperate era. The war is still unfinished, and the story's end has not been written yet.

Can Vicki play her part in the struggle for a better future? Or is the past more complicated than she's bargain for?

Verdict

Daybreak was a fantastic continuation of the third volume of Companion Chronicles for the First Doctor! I thought this was a really impressive adventure from start to finish and it was really nice for Vicki to take the lead whilst the other three members of the TARDIS quartet took a back seat and were captured. The format of the story was very strong with Vicki being put to task by the Examiner and then recalling events that led her there, only for both to tie together when the escape moments happened. I liked that a lot. I thought this was another impressive use of understanding why history cannot be changed when it is established and whilst that seems like a little bit of a repetitive theme in the First Doctor era by now, the recalling of The Aztecs was terrific. The Doctor's humour with Ian when it came to the conundrum about two men coming down a chimney and one only being dirty was a sheer delight and perfect characterisation of the first incarnation of the Doctor. It really was glorious and I could almost hear the annoyance in Ian's answer when the Doctor asked the exact same conundrum and then changed the answer. I thought Maureen O'Brien did a magnificent job in the narration and she performed an admirable impression of William Hartnell's First Doctor. I was really impressed. I liked how the events that were featured around the war were history to Vicki with this being the 23rd century and it was a story that she had grown up on and came to idolise some figures in history. But her perception soon changed once experiencing history first hand and I felt more than a little sorry for her. The reaction she had when Janson's name was mentioned was good and she was eager to try and not influence events that she knew the result of. That's always difficult to deal with morally and the Examiner challenging her on what kind of person she would be if she didn't act to stop bloodshed. That was a powerful moment. Her understanding of the Protector and the role she actually played in history and war was brilliant and whilst she didn't really feature much, her presence was felt though the Examiner which I enjoyed. Vicki being questioned on revolution was good stuff and I loved that she recalled the events of The Space Museum as an example of her backing that. Wonderfully done. I thought the conclusion was strong and made up for a slightly uneventful cliffhanger, and the pace was really impressive and full of tension. She had bargained for the Doctor, Ian and Barbara to be spared and the dash to get in the TARDIS and the analogy with Noah's ark was excellent. I was a big fan. Vicki having her memories changed whilst she was in the TARDIS after events were now established was intriguing and the Doctor's reaction of her now experiencing history was good. Overall, this was a really enjoyable audio!

Rating: 9/10