Doctor Who: How Big Finish made the Daleks threatening again

The Genocide Machine was Big Finish’s first ever Dalek story. But it was far from the last…

(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

When Big Finish got the rights to the Daleks in 2000, they did more than simply tell stories of the iconic Doctor Who monsters. They helped to revive them in a big way…

It’s easy to overlook how important Big Finish’s earliest Dalek stories were in their monthly Doctor Who range. It wasn’t simply the fact that, outside of comics and novels of course, these were the first Dalek stories that we’d had in over a decade. But the arc they formed – the Dalek Empire arc – was specifically designed to remind listeners of exactly what made them such a brilliant enemy in the first place.

Since Genesis of the Daleks, the iconic monsters had often been overshadowed by their creator, Davros, who had appeared in every Dalek story after his debut in the Classic Series. Admittedly, their last story, Remembrance of the Daleks, only revealed the character at the end, and arguably went some way towards repairing the Daleks’ image as creatures who were perfectly evil and dangerous in their own right.

Even in the novels, the Daleks could still be overshadowed. During the long gap between the end of the Classic Series and the start of the new, only original two novels were published that featured the Doctor’s oldest enemies, both written by John Peel.

The first, War of the Daleks, was focused on bringing Davros back. (Naturally.) Now, the character seemed to be killed off permanently at the end, but he was still heavily focused on in the story.

The second novel, Legacy of the Daleks, didn’t feature Davros at all, and was actually clever in how it built up to the Daleks’ eventual appearance. Of course, the appearance of Roger Delgado’s Master might have overshadowed them, especially as he was facing McGann’s Doctor. But in some ways, it was a step in the right direction by reminding the readers that you didn’t need Davros to appear in every Dalek story, at least.

However, it was when Big Finish were finally able to tell stories of the pepper pots that their image really started to be repaired…

The Apocalypse Element is another major story for the Daleks, as they invade Gallifrey for the first time.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

The Dalek Empire arc

Beginning with The Genocide Machine, Big Finish’s earliest Dalek stories were focused on the Dalek Empire: how they used the most ruthless and cunning tactics to conquer more worlds and enslave more races.

More than that: the Daleks were finally a huge threat once again. Using their intelligence, patience and even double bluffs, we were reminded of what made the Daleks so brilliant in the first place.

The Apocalypse Element particularly stands out because, not only do they finally invade Gallifrey. They also win. In a surprising move, they achieve exactly what they had set out to do. It’s a bold move, but it works, and really shows why they’re always the Doctor’s most dangerous enemies.

Eventually, after three years of just focusing on the Daleks themselves, Big Finish did bring Davros back. But even then, they made sure to focus on just him first in the aptly named Davros. It was over a year before they gave us stories that featured the Daleks with their creator once again.

But even with the stories where he has appeared with his creations, surprisingly, they have been very few. While Big Finish have given us countless Dalek stories for almost two decades, only a handful of them have featured Davros.

As I pointed out in my analysis of Dalek stories following Genesis, even the New Series has taken this approach concerning the Daleks’ creator. While we’ve had a huge number of Dalek stories since Doctor Who came back on television, only two of them have featured Davros at all.

Big Finish have even told Dalek stories outside of Doctor Who with their own spin-off series, Dalek Empire.

(Image credit: Dalek Empire/Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Beyond Doctor Who

While I do want the iconic villain to show up a little more often, I am glad that the Daleks have been re-established as a dangerous threat themselves once more, both thanks to the New Series and to Big Finish.

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The latter of which has been really effective at creating not just brilliant stories that show us exactly what the Doctor’s worst enemies are capable of, but even has even given them their own spin-off series. (How well does a series focusing primarily on the Daleks work? Expect to find out soon, as we review Dalek Empire from the very beginning.)

If there’s any indication that the people who’ve worked on the New Series had taken notice of Big Finish – particularly with their Dalek stories – then it would have to be the casting of Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the monsters.

By 2005, Briggs had been officially voicing the pepper pots for half a decade already. So it was no surprise when he was cast for the same role in the New Series. Today, on both TV and on audio, he’s still the distinctive and iconic voice of the Daleks, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. Considering that Briggs continues to do such a brilliant job of voicing them, that’s something I have absolutely no complaints about.

Overall, when it comes to the Daleks, there’s a lot to be grateful to Big Finish for, and I hope that they continue telling great stories featuring the Doctor’s greatest enemies for a long time to come.

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Do you think Big Finish had a key role in making the Daleks threatening again? Have you listened to Big Finish’s Dalek stories? Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.

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