Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, John Leeson, Jane Slavin, Joe Simms, Jez Felder, Anna Mitcham, Nicholas Briggs.
Every ending must have a beginning, and every person you have ever said goodbye to, at some point said hello for the first time, such is the issue with Time that sometimes it can feel as though these moments are the wrong way round, maybe even inside out, and our minds have to catch up, have to adapt, or we might find that Time will find a way to erase us from the future to come.
The introduction of Anya Kingdom and Mark Seven has already been established, now it seems, in Doctor Who’s Dalek Universe: The Dalek Protocol that the pair are being seen for the first time, it is just that the Doctor doesn’t know this yet.
Dalek Universe: The Dalek Protocol is the fascinating prequel to the much anticipated David Tennant series in his incarnation of the mad man with a box from Gallifrey, and whilst this particular adventure is only one story, it is one that takes the Doctor back to a time when Sarah Jane Smith was by his side and he wore a different face, but one that is very much immersed in the Tom Baker era and with the sheer bravery of Leela aiding him in his adventures.
The return to Exxilon, to once more gaze upon a city that had Daleks and humans fighting over a substance that could save them both from the feared space plague, and yet in the background are two characters who have weaved themselves into the folklore of the long running science fiction, two that have been indispensable as allies to the Doctor before, and in the continuation of the tale with David Tennant’s incarnation at the helm, will do so again.
As a stand alone prelude to an expected large arc Dalek Universe: The Dalek Protocol works well, the writing and knowledge of Nicholas Briggs is never in doubt, and the performances of Jane Slavin as Anya Kingdom and Joe Sims as Mark Seven carry enough weight to keep the listener interested without getting side-tracked by the excellent Louise Jameson as she powers her way through the mystery with her usual charm and fierce interpretation of Leela.
The twisted metal flesh hybrid psychopaths from Skaro are never truly defeated, and if The Dalek Protocol is anything to go by, they are meaner and more frightening to behold than ever.
Ian D. Hall