| 40th
Anniversary |
| |
 2003 is the 40th
anniversary of Doctor Who and it wouldn't be an anniversary year without
a handful of The Doctor's oldest enemies trying to bring his travels to a final
end.
As a precursor to the November 2003 anniversary adventure, "
Zagreus", Big Finish
Productions have released three stories where three Doctor's face three old
foes, but in unusual circumstances.
First
it was the turn for the Fifth
Doctor as he meets a mythical hero from Gallifrey's past
in "Omega".
Next
the Sixth
Doctor has to endure yet again the evil scientist who created
the Daleks in "Davros".
And
finally the Seventh
Doctor comes face-to-face
with his greatest archenemy again in "Master".
Rather
than full-on fights against evil, a new loose trilogy of plays sees one Doctor
involved in a more character-based drama as they, and we, get to learn a little
more about these particular recurring nemeses.
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"When I press this switch I will
die.
The poison in that projectile injector will kill me in a moment.
It
is a perfect, efficient, killing machine.
It will be painless they
say.
They tell me they know the pain I am in. As if they could?
And just
like pressing this switch I will end that suffering forever.
They say I
should be the one to do it. But they are weak.
They cannot bring themselves
to look at me let alone kill me.
They hesitate. They fear me. Even when
I am like this. And they have their perfect, pure, strong bodies.
They fear
me. And well they should.
I am no longer like them. I am above them.
I
have the ultimate power. The power of life and death.
This body is my
dominion. Mine to command. No one else's.
I can sense them. Out there in the
corridor. Cowering. Not daring to speak.
They are the frail ones. They are
the crippled.
They are the ones without choice.
They will
die.
They will lose this war and they will die.
I could join them in
defeat and death. But if I survive then something stronger will emerge.
A
new race, a supreme power in the universe.
I will not press this
switch. I will not cower. I will not die. I will not die.
This is not the
end. This is only…
The beginning."
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Davros
(Lance Parkin) |
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 "Davros" see the Sixth
Doctor pitted against one
of the most belligerent yet, capable and
intelligent enemy he has ever known -
Davros,
the evil scientist who created the Daleks,
and who is trying to claim a place in the galactic pantheon of respected
scientists.
Terry Molloy
has reprised his role as the crippled Kaled in this his fourth appearance as
the Dalek's insane creator and this time he once again finds the Sixth Doctor
opposing his schemes.
Wendy Padbury, who played
Second
Doctor companion
Zoe,
guest-stars along with Bernard Horsfall who appeared with Wendy in both "The
Mind Robber" and "The
War Games". However, Bernard's most famous Doctor Who
role is probably as the Time Lord Chancellor Goth in "The
Deadly Assassin".
Also starring are: David Bickerstaff, Eddie de Oliveira, Louise Faulkner, Karl
Hansen, Katarina Olsson, Ruth Sillers and Andrew Westfield.
This two part
feature length story has been penned by poll-winning author Lance Parkin, who
previously contributed "Primeval" to the Big
Finish Productions Doctor Who Audio range. Directed by Gary Russell "Davros"
was recorded 27th and 28th January 2003.
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| Davros |
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The stocks for Trans Allied Inc. (TAI) have shot
up by over fifteen percent on the news that the galaxy-famous scientist Davros,
the controversial creator of the Daleks, has been hired to work on unspecified
technological projects. So it seems that Davros is not dead. But there are
those who want to make it seem he is.
And then there
is The Doctor. Why is he so important to the plans which revolve around Davros,
the evil scientist who was crippled in a terrible accident a long time ago.
History records that Davros was the greatest scientist ever
to emerge from war-blighted Skaro. But is his reputation due for an overhaul?
Historian Lorraine Baynes believes so, and being married to Arnold Baynes, CEO
of the galaxy-spanning corporation Trans Allied lnc, she has huge resources at
her disposal. When The Doctor arrives on a world controlled by TAl, its
population safe under their all-embracing Dome, he soon finds that the body of
the Daleks' creator has also arrived - and that once again, rumours of Davros'
death have been exaggerated.
What are the consequences of Davros agreeing to
work for TAI - apart from a booming share price? What concerns did those who
sent for The Doctor have regarding TAI? Is Davros capable of turning over a new
leaf and can he really be trusted? The Doctor certainly doesn't think so. But
is The Doctor always right?
More importantly how much do we really know how
Davros became crippled and what led Davros to create the Daleks in the first
place - or did he?
Called to the planet by a journalist, who fears that TAI are
about to close down their mining operation which employs over twelve billion
workers, The Doctor is shocked to discover that there are those who dare to
interfere with Davros' imprisonment. Finding himself working alongside Davros
for TAI The Doctor finds that the evil scientist has been given another chance
to redeem himself. But Davros has other plans. As humanity stands on the verge
of a new era, it needs the help of the galaxy's greatest ever scientist and so
there are those blinded by the truth.
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| Sixth Doctor |
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Why are TAI so interested in creating a better
future for humanity which involves the building a robotic army and why are The Doctor and Davros duped into creating components for them?
From the
bunkers and shelters of ancient Skaro to the gleaming Domes of the Future Earth
Empire, Davros has always been a man of destiny. Now he's working for mankind's
benefit. But how much do we really know about Davros?
Experiencing
flashbacks of his time on Skaro, both before and after the attack which
crippled him, we learn of the devastating Thal attack that left Davros crippled
and how he had to draw strength from adversity and why he drove himself onwards
and so became stronger. Davros' body may have become weakened, but his mind
remained just as active and strong. In a world where there is nothing but an
endless war that has raged so long that neither side remembers why it began it
comes as no surprise as to where Davros channelled his energies on. If he can
survive the Thal attack then surely he can go on to create something stronger -
a race which will become the supreme power in the universe.
However,
despite all his hard work to secure the Kaled's future it turns out that
another brilliant young Kaled scientist has developed a solution to ensure the
Kaled's survival, but one so daring that it involves the Kaleds own
destruction. Abandoning his own solution Davros realises that a new race can
emerge stronger from the remnants of their civilisation by adopting "The Dalek
Solution".
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| Wendy Padbury as Zoe |
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And so using the idea of another great scientist
Davros brings the Daleks into existence even though it means the death of the
real creator of the Daleks. All because of jealousy and feelings of rejection
and the need to destroy any rival who opposes him.
As current
events unfold Davros' past, before the Daleks were created, before he became
crippled and how he became the person we know, are revealed to be very much
relevant to current events.
With Davros now being treated with respect for his
work as a scientist, rather than condemned for being the creator of a ruthless
and destructive force, to be presented with the opportunity to create a better
future for mankind, Davros is tempted, much to the surprise of The Doctor. The
Doctor though knows that Davros can never change but still he waits before
acting against him until he's sure that he does have evil intentions.
When
Davros finally makes his latest attempt to grab power for himself, The Doctor
is ready to act and so prevent the highly inventive method of collapsing the
stock market that would inevitably lead to the collapse of the universal
corporations and of society as a whole.
But Davros is
aware that he can never be safe with The Doctor around but he still recognises
that The Doctor can be an asset if he can be controlled and manipulated despite
Davros admitting that the Time Lord is his equal.
But can Davros
really think this? Surely the greatest scientist in the galaxy has no equal
especially when driven by the need to be still seen as the creator of the
supreme power in the universe.
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Notes:
- Featuring the Sixth
Doctor.
- Serial Number: 6WA
- Number of Episodes: 2
- Cover Length: 150 minutes
- Episode Lengths: 1 = 73'52", 2 = 78'04"
- Total Story Length: 151'56"
- This story takes place between "The
Two Doctors"
and "Timelash".
- Cover Illustration: Clayton Hickman
- Recorded: 27th and 28th January 2003
- Recording Location: The Moat Studios
- Released: August 2003
- ISBN: 1-84435-030-4
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On the Back Cover:
TAI stock has
shot up by over fifteen percent on news that galaxy-famous
scientist Davros, controversial creator of the Daleks,
has been hired to work on unspecified technological projects.
Davros
has been given the chance to redeem himself.
Humanity
stands on the verge of a new era, but it needs the help
of the galaxy's greatest ever scientist. But Davros is
dead... isn't he?
From
the bunkers and shelters of ancient Skaro to the gleaming
Domes of the Future Earth Empire, Davros has always been
a man of destiny. Now he's working for mankind's benefit.
But how much do we really know about Davros?
Has
Davros really turned over a new leaf? The Doctor certainly
doesn't think so. But is The Doctor always right? |
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On the Inside Cover:
DAVROS HAS ALWAYS
BEEN one of the characters your man in the Street remembers
about Doctor Who It's just one of those snippets of knowledge
about the show that people have rattling around - I've
discovered this again when I've mentioned that I was working
on this script 'Davros... oh, the guy in the wheelchair
who created the Daleks?'. Indeed. It's been an interesting
exercise telling a Davros story without the Daleks - was
a bit worried that it was Hamlet without everything but
the prince at first, but Davros is a fascinating character
in his own right, and a worthy adversary for The Doctor
even without an army of killer dustbins to do his dirty
work Doing this story, with Davros centre-stage, means
we can finally get into his head a bit more, explore what
makes him tick (beyond an artificial heart that's no doubt
powered by mercury and static electricity). And I couldn't
resist the opportunity to have us all hear the true voice
of Davros for the very first time.
|
Lance Parkin,
March 2003 |
Lance Parkin has written an awful lot of words
about Doctor Who. A number of
extremely popular Doctor Who novels for both
Virgin and BBC Books, plus his acclaimed A History
of the Universe guidebook and of course his previous
Doctor Who audio, Primeval, have made
him one of the hottest talents in Doctor Who
writing today. He’s recently co-authored a huge
programme guide for all the different Star Trek
series and also the thirtieth anniversary of Emmerdale. |
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Production Notes:
As
soon as we did our first Dalek story;
back In 2000, people began wondering if Davros would
return to lead his armies once more. Producer Gary
Russell, however, was not keen
- believing that in many ways, by putting Davros as their
spokesman, the Daleks lost a lot of their cunning and
skill. Similarly, he felt that Davros was not always
best served by having to focus on yet more ways to
play internal
politics with the various Dalek factions that surrounded
him ever since his first appearance back in the mid-seventies.
That said, a story about Davros the man, Davros the scientist,
Davros the philanthropist appealed greatly; Truly The
Doctor's intellectual and scientific equal, yet possessing
the one thing The Doctor lacked - amorality, the willingless
to go that extra mile just to see what happened if...
Lance Parkin
was always the first choice for writing this story, as
we believed he would be able to get to the core of Davros,
find out what makes him tick. And why... |
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Full Cast List:
| The Doctor |
Colin Baker |
| Davros |
Terry Molloy |
| Scientist Ral |
David Bickerstaff |
| Willis |
Eddie de Oliveira |
| Kaled Medics |
Louise Faulkner and
Karl Hansen |
| Arnold Baynes |
Bernard Horsfall |
| Shan |
Katarina Olsson |
| Lorraine Baynes |
Wendy Padbury |
| Kimberly Todd |
Ruth Sillers |
| Pilot |
Andrew Westfield |
The Production Team:
| Writer |
Lance Parkin |
| Director |
Gary Russell |
| Sound/Music |
Jim Mortimore and
Jane Elphinstone |
| Theme Music |
David Darlington |
| Producers |
Gary Russell and
Jason Haigh-Ellery |
| Executive Producer for the BBC |
Jaqueline Rayner |
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