REVIEW: I, Davros: Innocence (Doctor Who Audio Spin-Off)

With all the rumours surrounding Doctor Who Series 9 about the Doctor potentially meeting a young version of the creator of the Daleks, I decided it was a good time to take another look at one of the best explorations of the character in the Big Finish audio series, I, Davros.

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The series gets off to a rather strong start and sets the scene well. Taking place on Skaro, the story is set during the centuries long Thal/Kaled war that was explored in the classic Tom Baker serial, ‘Genesis of the Daleks’. We’re given a deep exploration on the effect this war has had on the people of Skaro, particularly when we’re introduced to Davros and his family.

Despite its title, there’s a surprisingly large cast of characters in this story, and there even seems to be greater focus on some of these new characters than on Davros himself, at least in this first episode. That’s not a criticism, however, as we get to know some really interesting characters. There’s Davros’s sister Yarvel, eager to join the military like their father and constantly failing to match up to her younger brother, at least in their mother’s eyes. There’s Magrantine, a Kaled scientist who’s not only strangely keen to tutor Davros, but has a different definition of the word ‘volunteering’ than the rest of us do, especially when it comes to his experiments.

However, my favourite original character of all is definitely Davros’s mother, Calcula. A politician, she wants nothing but the best for her son, fully aware of how intelligent he is and a great believer in the importance of science in the war. As you can probably tell by her name, she’s a devious woman who’s constantly working towards her own agenda, and will stop at nothing – using deceit, betrayal, even murder – to get what she wants. Considering the monster we all know her son grows up to be, it’s not entirely surprising he’d have a mother like Calcula.

Which brings us back to the Dalek creator himself. At this point, Davros is 16 years old and is portrayed in this episode by Rory Jennings (perhaps best known to New Series fans at least as Tommy in the David Tennant episode ‘The Idiot’s Lantern’). He’s clearly a remarkably clever boy already and has a keen interest in becoming a scientist.

Now, with any story that delves into the history of a truly iconic villain, there’s always a danger that they’re portrayed as being too sympathetic. That the way they are isn’t entirely their fault, and that their backstory is in fact terribly tragic. Now, a tragic villain is by no means a bad thing, but for villains like Davros, whose key appeal is how deliciously evil they are, there’s the potential for ruining that, especially when revealing their childhood. Does Davros lose some of his power by having his childhood revealed to us?

Actually, no. In fact, if anything, not only does he become even more believable, but even creepier, too. Because while Davros isn’t the horrifically scarred man in the Dalek chair just yet, there’s still something that’s more than just a little bit…’off’ about him. There’s a detachment to his view on life, particularly when it comes to science, that comes across as rather creepy. The ending in particular leaves a horrifying impression on the listener – he may still be a boy, but he’s certainly not an innocent one.

Full of great characters and great themes, including politics, betrayal and revenge, I, Davros: Innocence is a wonderful start to the series, and a chilling look at the childhood of one of Doctor Who‘s most iconic villains. If the rumours about Series 9 are true, then I hope that this excellent spin-off isn’t contradicted by the show or, at the very, very least, gives us as great a portrayal of his character as this story does.

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