Doctor Who news: David Tennant and Noel Clarke star in the complete Dalek Empire collection
By James Aggas
Dalek Empire – the Doctor Who audio spin-off focusing on the Doctor’s oldest enemies – has been re-released in two single downloadable box sets. Here’s why you should check out the series.
Dalek Empire is a rather special series from Big Finish. Essentially, it’s the first direct Doctor Who spin-off the company made. While Bernice Summerfield – the first audio series Big Finish ever produced – was technically a Doctor Who spin-off, it was distantly related enough that the company was able to make the audios without the requirement of the Doctor Who license itself, at least initially.
But Dalek Empire was different. It was distinctly Doctor Who related, right down to its very title. Even the most casual fan can take a look at the title of Dalek Empire and see that it’s related to the original show. No, more than that – even people who’ve never watched it would know that Dalek Empire is Doctor Who related. You think “Dalek”, you think “Doctor Who“. (Well, OK, only in the UK, but the point still stands.)
Set across thousands of years and featuring a vast cast of characters, Dalek Empire presented the titular pepper pots at their most threatening. This was a universe where the Doctor wasn’t always around to save the day, leaving a small group of humans to fight back.
It’s an extremely dark and gritty series, one that was entirely written by the voice of the Daleks himself, Nicholas Briggs. It’s also a series that, along with Gallifrey, Jago & Litefoot, and The War Master, stands out as one of Big Finish’s best ever spin-offs.
One year before he would play his most iconic role, David Tennant was cast as Galanar in Dalek Empire III.
Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image obtained from: BBC Press.
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Who legends (past and future)
The cast of Dalek Empire features numerous legends of both its parent series and British sci-fi. Gareth Thomas – star of the classic BBC series Blake’s 7 – plays the key role of Kalendorf, while both Maureen O’Brien and Noel Clarke – best known to Whovians as companions Vicki and Mickey, respectively – star in Series 4 as Landen and Kade. And – just a year before he would become a legend to Doctor Who fandom and beyond – Series 3 featured the little known actor David Tennant in the role of Galanar.
All four series are absolutely worth listening to. Each episode has been available on download for years, but this week, Big Finish has released every single story in two complete box sets. Both Dalek Empire: Series 1-2 and Dalek Empire: Series 3-4 are currently £17.99 each until Nov 15, 23:59 (UK time). If you want to check out the series before purchasing either volume, make sure to check out the opening episode Invasion of the Daleks right now – currently free to listen to until next week.
Next. Bernice Summerfield: Series 1 is a fascinating early glimpse of Big Finish. dark
Have you listened to Dalek Empire before? Do you think a TV spin-off should have been made for the pepper pots? If you’ve yet to try the series, what are you hoping is included? Let us know in the comments below.