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The
Mutant Phase
(Nicholas Briggs) |
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 The last release
in 2000 is another four-part story starring Peter Davison
and Sarah Sutton. Titled "The Mutant Phase" this story
is the third chapter in the original "Dalek Empire" series
and has been written and directed by Nicholas Briggs.
It was recorded on the 22nd and 23rd September 2000 and
was released on the 22nd December 2000.
The
cast sees the return to Big Finish of The League of
Gentlemen's Mark Gatiss. Also joining Peter Davison
and Sarah Sutton are Christopher Blake, who starred in
Love for Lydia (in which Peter Davison also appeared)
and the comedy Mixed Blessings, and Jared Morgan
who had the small role of a Bannerman in "Delta
and the Bannermen". Also starring are Andrew Ryan and Sara Wakefield.
Alistair Lock and Director Nicholas Briggs can also be
heard for the third time this year supplying the Dalek
voices.
Another
interesting fact is that this story was first produced
in the 1980's by the non-profit-making fan group Audio
Visuals.
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Nyssa |
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It is the 22nd
century and the Daleks have occupied planet Earth. But
The Doctor already knows this because he has already been
there in an earlier incarnation. By the 43rd century,
only a handful of humans survive. Still further into the
distant future, Thal scientists must choose whether to
betray their heritage, or see the universe destroyed by
a terrifying force called "The Mutant Phase". When the
TARDIS
gets caught in a time corridor The Doctor and Nyssa find
themselves trapped in this deadly chain of events and
so are forced to decide who their real enemies are. What
is certain, however, is that no matter where The Doctor
turns his arch enemy, the Daleks, are waiting for him.
What
could possibly be worse than that? The Doctor is about
to find out when he finds himself on the Dalek's home
planet Skaro which is under attack. The Doctor though
is baffled to discover the Thals working with their arch
enemy and that his arrival is keenly awaited by the Daleks.
When he is finally forced to surrender to the Daleks,
to prevent the death of Nyssa, he comes face to face with
the Dalek Emperor and discovers that the Daleks are in
a desperate situation to prevent their ultimate genetic
mutation and the destruction of the whole Dalek race.
The Doctor and Nyssa discover that the Daleks are absolutely
terrified of "The Mutant Phase" and this situation causes
The Doctor great alarm. If the dreaded Daleks fear something
then how bad can "The Mutant Phase" be?
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| A Dalek |
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When he discovers the truth behind the hopeless
situation the Daleks are in The Doctor is sympathetic and agrees to help them
defeat the mutant creatures which the Daleks themselves are unable to
exterminate. But only if he knew the compromises the Dalek Emperor and the
Daleks are expecting him to undertake so as to save them. The Doctor and Nyssa
though soon find out as they travel in time, back to 2150, to prevent the
creation of "The Mutant Phase". They need to succeed so as to prevent not only
the total annihilation of the Dalek race but that of the whole human race!
With
the Daleks in the 22nd century unaware of The Doctor's mission to help them The Doctor realises the full extremes the Dalek Emperor, in his desperation, has
planned for him and the paradox it has caused. As the full truth is revealed it
is the whole universe which becomes threatened. But how do you destroy a
creature that even the Daleks are unable to threaten? Maybe Nyssa's infection
by a wasp holds the answer. But then maybe it is time itself that is the
key...
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Dalek Empire: The Mutant Phase
(Original Cover) |
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You may be
interested to know that the above cover for "The Mutant Phase" is slightly
different to that originally planned. Big Finish Productions, after
consultations with the agents who work on behalf of Terry Nation's estate and
BBC Worldwide, felt that the Dalek Emperor featured on the original cover (see
left) was not something readily identified with either the Daleks today or the
Peter Davison era of the show in particular. Thus a similar cover with a more
traditional Dalek image was created by Clayton Hickman.
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Notes:
- Featuring the Fifth
Doctor and Nyssa.
- This story includes the Daleks.
- Serial Number: 6C/C
- Number of Episodes: 4
- Cover Length: 110 minutes
- Episode Lengths: 1 = 31'52", 2 = 28'59", 3 =
31'38", 4 = 28'18"
- This story takes place between "Time-Flight"
and "Arc
of Infinity", and after "Land
of the Dead".
- Third story in the "Dalek Empire" series.
- Cover Illustration: Clayton Hickman
- Recorded: 22nd and 23rd September
2000
- Recording Location: Skylight Studios
- Released: December 2000
- ISBN: 1-903654-21-1
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On the
Back Cover:
In the 22nd century, the Daleks have occupied
planet Earth. By the 43rd century, only a handful of humans survive. Still
further into the distant future, a Thal scientist must choose whether to betray
his heritage, or see the universe destroyed.
When The Doctor
and Nyssa find themselves trapped in this deadly chain of events, they must
decide who their real enemies are. What is certain, however, is that no matter
where The Doctor turns... his arch enemies, the Daleks, will be waiting for
him.
What could possibly be worse than that? The Mutant Phase...
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On the
Inside Cover:
Many Doctor Who authors have complained
over the years about how dreadful the Daleks are to write for. But to my mind,
their single-minded lust for power through the most ruthless means possible
makes for the most fantastically nasty dialogue and outrageously evil plots.
That said, my central idea here was to explore a slightly
different role for the Daleks, by posing the questions: "What if there was
something even more terrifying than the Daleks? And what if the Daleks were
frightened of that?" Immediately, the Daleks are forced to think in a different
way, and, more importantly, The Doctor's relationship with them changes.
Furthermore, the problem for the Daleks is that they just want to be their
normal, menacing, psychotic selves, exterminating people; but now they're the
ones who have to think themselves out of a scary situation.
It was very
nearly my idea of heaven to work on the previous two Dalek stories - directing,
doing the music, getting a sore throat making Dalek noises - but this time,
having the chance to write the script as well has made the whole experience an
absolute delight. If you experience only a fraction of the fun listening to
this story that I've had creating it, you should still be in for a rip-roaring
time.
Quick, hide! Here come the Daleks! |
Nick Briggs,
October
2000 |
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Full Cast
List:
| Part One |
| The Doctor |
Peter Davison |
| Nyssa |
Sarah Sutton |
| Professor Ptolem |
Christopher Blake |
| Commander Ganatus |
Jared Morgan |
| Albert |
Andrew Ryan |
| Delores |
Sara Wakefield |
| Dalek Voices |
Alistair Lock
and
Nicholas Briggs |
| |
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| Part Two |
| The Doctor |
Peter Davison |
| Nyssa |
Sarah Sutton |
| Dalek Voices |
Alistair Lock
and
Nicholas Briggs |
| Commander Ganatus |
Jared Morgan |
| Professor Ptolem |
Christopher Blake |
| Albert |
Andrew Ryan |
| Delores |
Sara Wakefield |
| Professor Karl Hendryk |
Mark Gatiss |
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| Part Three |
| The Doctor |
Peter Davison |
| Nyssa |
Sarah Sutton |
| Dalek Voices |
Alistair Lock
and
Nicholas Briggs |
| Professor Ptolem |
Christopher Blake |
| Albert |
Andrew Ryan |
| Commander Ganatus |
Jared Morgan |
| |
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| Part Four |
| The Doctor |
Peter Davison |
| Nyssa |
Sarah Sutton |
| Professor Ptolem |
Christopher Blake |
| Commander Ganatus |
Jared Morgan |
| Dalek Voices |
Alistair Lock
and
Nicholas Briggs |
The
Production Team:
| Writer |
Nicholas Briggs |
| Director |
Nicholas Briggs |
| Sound/Music |
Nicholas Briggs |
| Theme Music |
Mark Ayres |
| Producers |
Gary Russell and
Jason
Haigh-Ellery |
| Executive Producer for the BBC
|
Jaqueline Rayner |
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