Return to Skaro

"These are the travellers of legend."

Writer: Andrew Smith

Format: Audio

Released: March 2020

Series: First Doctor Adventures 4.01

Featuring: First Doctor, Susan, Ian, Barbara 

Synopsis

A new plan to return to Earth actually returns the TARDIS to another place its crew have recently visited – Skaro, homeworld of the Daleks.

But it is some time after their previous visit. The Thals have moved on with developing their species... Yet the shadow of the Dalek city always looms large over them.

Venturing into the abandoned metropolis, the Doctor and his friends discover the Daleks aren't as dead as they might have thought... and it isn't only their enemies who have secrets.

Verdict

Return to Skaro was a sensational start to the fourth series of First Doctor Adventures! I didn't know what to expect from a sequel to The Daleks, but I know I was incredibly excited for it and I certainly wasn't let down. I loved the trepidation at the start of the story with the use of the fast return switch after all of the complications it caused in The Edge of Destruction, but it seemed to burn out after use. The Doctor suggestion they wouldn't necessarily arrive back at Totters Lane and could be on Barnes Common was a nice allusion to Doctor Who and the Daleks, but they were far from either location as they'd arrived on Skaro! I absolutely adored the landscape of the Dalek planet and the idea of bringing the original TARDIS team back to the forest that wasn't so petrified anymore was outstanding. This is essentially the second Dalek story when it comes to chronology which I really enjoyed, and the contrasts were fantastic. Radiation levels on Skaro had lessened and the lightning coming from the tower being unnatural was a new addition. The idea of ionising the atmosphere was good and a fun explanation of why radiation wasn't a problem anymore. Damadus as the leader of the Thals was good and I loved that he was a descendant of Alyson and Dioni. The continuity from the travellers' first visit was excellent and we were introduced to some strong new characters with the likes of Kreos as the head of Thal military and Tyrana as the cautious scientist. Barbara pondering on the Thals no longer being pacifists was really good stuff. I liked how in the fifty cycles since the Doctor and co were previously on the planet that the Thals had utilised Dalek technology to aid their development, but they stayed away from the derelict Dalek city. Jyden was a decent character as the son of Tyrana and his wanting to take Susan into the city because of her past knowledge and experience was a little eery for her. The threat of varga plants was good continuity with The Daleks' Master Plan, and I loved the foreshadowing of Planet of the Daleks with how revered the TARDIS quartet were with the Thals and how their historical standing amongst their people. The Daleks watching them made for a good cliffhanger and I liked how Jyden wanted to go down to the levels that previously held the Daleks. The control room was in pristine condition which didn't add up with Susan recalling the damage it endured, and there was an alternative power source on a level even below the floor plan which all pointed towards the Daleks returning. It was nice to hear Susan's enquiring mind in action and it soon led them to getting locked in. Onwards they went! It was good for the Doctor to find Jyden's backpack and the have the increasingly shady Tyrana find the way in feigning innocence, and it was terrific for the Doctor to show that he suspected her all along. The Doctor, Ian and Tyrana was a fantastic trio and dynamic and their going below to the Dalek level was good. I liked how the Doctor knew he saw would Susan would have and she was able to showcase her abilities. The pool was chilling as it contained Dalek mutant creatures and their survival being drawn from the nutrients in the Lake of Mutations was superb. Ian's exclamation of "they survived!" was a tremendous moment and I was just loving everything about this adventure. Tyrana being in league with the Daleks was not a big surprise but I still enjoyed the confirmation, and the Dalek Supreme emerging as a larger mutant within the pool made for a brilliant cliffhanger! From there we had some fantastic Dalek deception with them not even being armed and positioning themselves as the Thal benefactors wanting peace. I appreciated the explanation of them no longer needing radiation with the Supreme having been in the fluid for so long, and Tyrana working with them for over two years surprised the Doctor in a big way. His wanting to see the source of power Tyrana had granted them from the Thal city was very good and I thought David Bradley was outstanding with his first Dalek story. I'm definitely a fan of his take on the First Doctor now. The discovery of the secret tunnel that could lead the Daleks into the Thal city was tremendous and I loved that the ambush had been planned all along. This was the early Daleks at their finest and it was so well done in capturing the feel of that first Dalek serial. I was hugely impressed. Hearing what was essentially the birth of the Black Dalek as it encased for the first time was wonderful stuff. The simplicity in which Tyrana was exterminated was telling for the Daleks and they kept the Doctor alive because they wanted time travel, something it was worth remembering they didn't have at this point in their timeline. Damadus address the Thals as they seemed to welcome peace with the Daleks was met with shock and awe before the massacre ensued in typical Dalek fashion. Jyden going inside the Dalek with Ian as his prisoner was fun to have happen again on Skaro, and the Doctor showing his brilliance in reprogramming the nano particles so the towers would target pure Dalekanium was outstanding. When full power mode was initiated, the Daleks were destroyed once and for all which was a fitting conclusion to a sublime audio! This was certainly the best First Doctor Adventure so far. A wonderful listen.

Rating: 10/10