The Dalek Protocol

"The Daleks have planted a lie in your mind."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: April 2021

Series: Dalek Universe 1.0

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela, K9

Synopsis

The Earth mission to Exxilon is nearing completion after many long years. Enough parrinium has been mined to stop the spread of the deadly space plague. But suddenly, the power-draining beacon from the Exxilon city is inexplicably reactivated, stranding the humans.

The Doctor, Leela and K9 are stuck too, right on top of the remains of the city – under attack!

Somewhere nearby, the android Mark Seven is enacting his secret orders while the Doctor's estranged future companion, Anya Kingdom, is hoping for redemption.

And heading inexorably towards them all... the Daleks!

Verdict

The Dalek Protocol was an excellent audio adventure to kickstart the Dalek Universe range! I'm really intrigued as to what this range is going to be and having the Fourth Doctor and Leela kick it off in a sort of prequel here was a lot of fun. I am aware that there will be considerable connotations for the Doctor regarding the eighth series of the Fourth Doctor Adventures given Anya Kingdom's appearances and I really enjoyed her role here and how she was avoiding the Doctor. She was aware of the ramifications if she met him at an earlier point in his timeline and Leela's presence confirming that fact to her was terrific. It was nice to know that the Doctor talked a lot about Leela after she departed and the savage hearing about that at the end of the story was a really nice moment, even though it confirmed to her that she would one day leave the TARDIS. I loved that this was essentially a sequel to Death to the Daleks with the Exxilons featuring heavily in the first half of the story. The return of Bellal was brilliant and I loved the reaction of the Doctor when he saw his old acquaintance after such a long time. Getting to Exxilon in the first place was magnificent with Leela wanting the Doctor to prove that he was in control of the TARDIS. He offered her a past history of everywhere the TARDIS landed and her proximity to the Exxilons was a good way for her to choose that planet. The Doctor referencing the events of his last visit was good and I liked how he ensured that they arrived quite a while after the business with the beacon. Except, there was a new beacon now and the planet was once again being taken advantage of for its power. And this time the Daleks had the opposite intent! That was a fun little twist that their position altered between saving and destroying the city. The presence of the space plague was excellent and I really like how even the Daleks are impacted by it. They need the cure and would do anything to ensure they got it. Mark Seven was an intriguing character and after listening to the story I did a little research and understand he featured prominently in the early Dalek Annuals and TV Comic adventures. I like the continuity of him appearing and having him alongside Anya worked well and sets us up nicely for the Tenth Doctor's adventures in the Dalek Universe. Gislen was a brilliant villain and Leela challenging him and showing that she was a warrior was wonderful. The shock shown by Bellal when he realised what Gilsen had done was fantastic stuff. Seven having been imprinted with the Dalek Protocol was a fun concept and living his past memories through the Doctor was terrifically done. It was a good use of the audio format to have both the memories and the Doctor speaking them audible concurrently. I was a little surprised the Doctor let the Daleks run away before being hit by the beacon blast, but I guess that was needed to set us up for the rest of the series once it kickstarts. The Doctor helping Seven flesh out the Protocol in the same way a virus would be treated was good as well. Overall, a really strong audio to start an intriguing series!

Rating: 9/10