32. The Time of the Daleks

This is rather dull and predictable, I’m afraid. The world in which it is set is never explored but would’ve been far more interesting than the Dalek story itself. I found myself playing Dalek-trope bingo throughout:

“12 rels to detonation....Human female... Time corridor is operational....”

Justin Richards and Shakespeare. He's been mining his Shakespeare obsession for Who stories since "Theatre of War". This is not one of his most successful efforts, but I do think it's underrated, especially compared with the previous Dalek stories in the Main Range. Personally, I don't think any of them really works, but this one is the best of the bunch. Not that it doesn't have problems, but they all do.

Part of what I like about this one is the Shakespeare angle. It's a great MacGuffin, and hearing Daleks spouting out quotations is the best kind of madness. It's so ludicrously incongruous, and "Doctor Who" has always gotten incredible mileage out of ludicrous incongruity (like finding a Police Box in a junk yard). It's ultimately a bit of red herring, but that's to be expected, and the way the script hides Shakespeare in plain sight is a wonderful touch.

I could forgive someone for being a bit sick of paradoxes at this point in the Eighth Doctor Adventures, but this story gives us a proper causal paradox unlike the more nebulous paradoxes of previous stories. Of course, paradoxes notoriously don't make sense (one of their defining features), and that tends to make the plot feel a bit arbitrary. In this case, the story ends up exactly where it began, and the whole thing is one of those aggravating closed-loops that runs forever in both direction... it never began, and it's never going to end. Sometimes I find that frustrating, but not here. I find it to be a reasonably satisfactory way of resolving the threat posed by the Daleks, as long as you don't try to think about it too deeply. I also find General Learman's place in the paradox to be superficially clever and interesting.

But it's not a great story. It's muddled and difficult to follow, and it relies too much on ridiculous bogus science. The performances just aren't as sharp as they need to be. The best thing about it is the lead-in it provides for "Neverland".

'The Time of the Daleks' was directed by Nick Briggs and written by Justin Richards who also wrote the dismal 'Red Dawn' and the inspired 'Whispers of Terror', so a bit hit and miss in terms of the main range but has quite an illustrious writing career outside of the Big Finish main range. This audio drama was recorded on 22 and 23 January 2001 and 27 February 2002. Orson Welles did not recognise a Shakespearean quotation when the Doctor met him in New York City on 30 October 1938 – 'Invaders from Mars'. The Doctor comments on this incongruity by referring to the fact that Welles made several Shakespearean films in the proper timeline.

Half the world has forgotten Shakespeare. The Daleks have damaged their ship and landed on Earth in the 2050s where they have stuck up a deal with General Mariah Learman. In exchange for her cooperation they agree to save Shakespeare from disappearing from time. Meanwhile after discovering a massive crack in time running from 1752 till the 2050s it becomes apparent that Charley has had her memory of Shakespeare wiped. The Doctor decides to investigate.

The soundtrack by Nick Briggs with pulsating beats, whistling flutes and howling synths plays an active part in generating a strong atmosphere for this story. Unfortunately it's completely the wrong atmosphere for this story. The atmosphere is creepy and laid back, yet this supposed to be an exciting story with a few gun battles at the end, there is nothing creepy about it. It's a total tonal mismatch. I do wonder what Nick Briggs is thinking sometimes.

Justin Richards had written Mariah Learman as a man but Briggs changed it as he wanted to cast Dot Smith in the role. Smith also plays Milvas in the Dalek Empire series. Unfortunately she gives a rather stilted performance and lacks any maniacal glee when she reveals her plans; probably because she knows they are bullshit – more on that later. Charlie does nothing except ask questions till the last ten minutes having little or no impact on the story. I don't know how Paul McGann would have kept a straight face during this, and the Daleks lack any real menace. The acting on the whole is rather lacklustre.

So the Daleks are operating under the pretence that they want to fix their temporal stabiliser and in exchange are using mirrors and clocks (à la 'Evil of the Daleks' and 'Wrong Turn') to create time corridors to save Shakespeare for General Learman. What is really happening is that they are linking corridors to a fleet of suicide ships to blow a up the crack in time and destroy time because...well just because...And General Learman is helping because the empire is on decline so she wants to be the only one who remembers Shakespeare so his memory won't be lost and he live on in her memories. The Daleks betray Learman but feel compelled to keep their promise so when they turn her into a Dalek the fit a memory device with the complete works of Shakespeare in her casing.

Some basic science is crammed into explain certain things and it really does feel crow barred in at times. The plot is utter dross and one of the daftest things I have heard. There are lots of Daleks quoting Shakespeare.

This is a somewhat typical Dalek story although with a Shakespearean twist . When the Doctor finds that while Charley is aware of Ben Johnson, she has not the foggiest idea who Shakespeare is, he looks for the source of the problem which can be found in the twenty-first century in a plot involving the Daleks, a dictator of London, and rebels trying to save Shakespeare.

This isn't a great story, but it's not a bad one, certainly not as bad as some people make out. There's some humor value in the Daleks quoting lines from Shakespeare. The Daleks do act out of character in the final act, which is incongruous but perhaps it's not as odd as we'd think given this story is leading up to the big events of Neverland. Overall, while not perfect, story was a fun way to pass a couple hours on a drive.