Doctor Who and Dalek Empire crossover in Seventh Doctor audio Return of the Daleks
By James Aggas
The Seventh Doctor enters the dark and gritty world of Dalek Empire in the Doctor Who audio adventure Return of the Daleks.
Return of the Daleks was a little story released back in 2006. It was originally a free bonus CD to anyone who had subscribed to Big Finish’s monthly range of Doctor Who audios during that time. These subscriber specials would usually have something to get the listeners interested, such as featuring a team-up of five companions, or even a reunion between the Eighth Doctor and his granddaughter Susan.
But when Return of the Daleks was originally released, I actually had no clue what was special about it. (At least, not initially.) The title of it sounded quite bland for a Dalek story. And the description of the story was vague, to say the least:
"No one could ever know. We had to erase the past. Change everything. Start again.But even though it’s been centuries now… in our hearts, none of us feels truly… safe. I think, even if our people were to survive until the end of time itself, we would still fear… the return of the Daleks."
That’s literally the whole description for the story. So it wasn’t a story that I rushed to get when it first came out.
Of course, this was before I listened to the spin-off series Dalek Empire. Before I became a huge fan of the series. And before I realized that Return of the Daleks was in fact a direct crossover with the spin-off.
Return of the Daleks takes place in the middle of the first Dalek Empire series and features characters from the spin-off.
(Image credit: Dalek Empire/Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.
Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)
Dalek Empire
If you’re haven’t listened to Dalek Empire, you’re probably wondering what makes Return of the Daleks any more of a crossover than your usual Dalek story. Well, the story of Dalek Empire – at least for the first two series – focuses on the three characters of Susan Mendes, Kalendorf and Alby Brook. These three people are key figures during the Daleks’ invasion of the galaxy, and are essentially the real heroes of the story.
Return of the Daleks is set right in the middle of the first series. Alby doesn’t appear in this one, as a key arc of that series was him looking for Susan. But Susan and Kalendorf – both people who are slaves to the Daleks at this point – play a major role in this story.
Of course, another character plays a major role in this story, one that we’re all familiar with. The Doctor has arrived on a world to deal with some unfinished business. The Daleks are digging for something, but what? And how involved in events should he become?
One thing I like about Return of the Daleks is that it addresses a key point about Dalek Empire – namely, why didn’t the Doctor ever show up during the events of the series? The lack of the Doctor wasn’t a huge problem during the series – in fact, it was a key reason why it was such a strong spin-off, since there were none of the easy fixes that we’d expect whenever the Doctor’s around. But it’s nice that Return of the Daleks mildly addresses that.
The term “fixed point” isn’t used – in fact, I don’t think it had even been used in the TV series when this was released. But the way the Doctor describes his situation seems to be along those lines. That to him, the events of Dalek Empire are as much of a part of established history as the fall of the Roman Empire.
Facing the Daleks in this story is the Seventh Doctor, as played by Sylvester McCoy.
(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)
The right Doctor
As for the Doctor himself, Nicholas Briggs made a very smart choice by using the Seventh Doctor for this story. As much as the Doctor has fought the Daleks before, the overall tones of Doctor Who and Dalek Empire are very different. While there are a few exceptions, with Doctor Who, we expect the Doctor to save the day, to always come out on top. He or she might not always be able to save everyone, but they always do their best.
However, the world of Dalek Empire is much darker. It’s a world where there are no easy solutions. When terrible situations aren’t resolved within a few hours, but across many years. Where characters die, characters that we’ve grown deeply attached to. Sometimes, it’s from making a noble sacrifice. But just as often, it’s for no good reason at all. So the Doctor entering this world is difficult to imagine. Certainly, if it was one of the newer Doctors.
But the Seventh Doctor has always been one of the darker incarnations, anyway. Someone who works on grand schemes, and isn’t afraid of doing what’s necessary. He has no illusions about “saving the day” this time, at least as far as the Dalek occupation is concerned. But he does want to make sure that history happens the way that it should do. And he’s willing to do anything to ensure that.
A perfect balance
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Nicholas Briggs finds exactly the right balance between Doctor Who adventure and Dalek Empire grittiness with Return of the Daleks. The story doesn’t feel too much like one or the other. The Doctor’s unique relationship with the Daleks instantly makes this different to your standard Dalek Empire story, but at the same time, this isn’t your regular light-hearted adventure, either.
The story does work well on its own, but I would recommend listening to Dalek Empire before listening to Return, as you’re likely to get more out of it. Not only is the Doctor aware of what happens in the spin-off series, he’s also aware of what will happen. But the Seventh Doctor works well when he’s acting mysterious anyway, so as I mentioned, the story still works as its own thing.
Overall, Return of the Daleks is an interesting mix of two very different series. It’s not an essential Seventh Doctor audio to listen to, but it is an enjoyable one, especially for Dalek Empire fans. An interesting little crossover.
Next. Classic Second Doctor story to be animated. dark
Have you listened to Return of the Daleks? Do you enjoy crossovers between Doctor Who and its spin-offs? Which series would you like to see Doctor Who crossover into? Let us know in the comments below.