Doctor Who: The Daleks Master Plan

The Dalek's Master Plan is one of the most amazing stories in Doctor Who history. But most of it was lost to time and idiots who let the episodes rot away. But the audio track HAS survived! We get to hear William Hartnell as the First Doctor, Peter Purves, who helps narrate the story, as Steven, Kevin Stoney as Mavic Chen, Jean Marsh as Sara Kingdom and so much more. We get toe hear the Daleks, hear they talk, hear they attack, hear them roll around the set. 5 hours and 20 minutes on 5 audio CDs. The tiny booklet lists cast and credits and gives some information about the episodes. If you already love Doctor Who and the Daleks you know the story, you know the background and how the story came about. The only reason to buy these CDs is to turn on the player, close your eyes and listen to the story unfold in the theater of your mind! Enjoy the rich, almost gleeful plotting of William Hartnell, the exhausted, almost whining of Steven, and the harsh, commanding voices of the DALEKS! You've seen the surviving episodes, you have the novel, now hear it come to life!

I listened to this just yesterday. I spent 3 days listening to it. I listened to the Mission to the Unknown on Friday, The first half of the Daleks Master Plan on Saturday and then the other half on Sunday. I've been skeptical for a long time of audio dramas and how they'd match-up compared with the original TV serials -- this one matches up pretty well! Peter Purves does a fine job of narrating this 12 episode epic and makes it really enjoyable. We are taken from planet to planet and to different time zones on earth. When listening to this story, the companions get lifted to a more major role and are very critical in their fight against the daleks. In fact in the prequel, Mission to the Unknown, there is no Doctor or companion in it! As the basic plot goes they travel through time and all over the galaxy to stop Mavic Chen (and the others on the supreme council from other planets) as well as the daleks from using the time destructor, as part of their plan, to take over the universe! It's nice to experience the pre-Brigadier role of Nicholas Courtney (Bret Vyon.) William Hartnell at his best! He shouts so much his voice gets rather "croaky" after a while! I was terrified all the way through and in the midst of listening to it, you feel apart of the action and it seems like it's the end of everything Doctor Who! A lot of shouting in fear is heard from Steve, disagreeing with the doctor on many occasions on how to defeat the daleks and his role as a companion, who saves Tensions are stretched out you wonder if Steven is kicked out as a companion -- does he? Things I miss from the TV Footage: *The firey, volcanic planet the monk (from 1066) follows the doctor to; and see them shout from one side of the mountain to the other! *It would have been brought about a good end of year, Christmas feeling to have the doctor tell his viewers at home "and incidentally a very merry Christmas to all of you at home." *Going from scene-to-scene in the early days of cinema! This is hard to get a picture in your mind -- Maybe because it felt like I was caught up in the mayhem myself! *The extremely dramatic ending of the epic! I won't go into details but you have a great sense of satisfaction that it's all over and of course by the fact that it's a great epic! In retrospect, whatever film footage is lost, is kept in the magnificent cast and crew who kept the acting so real you think you were there yourself and you put aside the negatives of the missing TV episodes. I was surprised of how difficult it is to listen to something rather than having the privilege of watching it. I took regular breaks inbetween the episodes and kept coming back for more epic style terror. I am glad there is a narrator, unlike episode 2 and 4 with the video release of The Crusade. You need a narrator to guide you through the story. Peter Purves does a wonderful part and because he was a major part of this story, it's like as if he is telling a story of his own experiences!

The Daleks` Master Plan is a true classic. The story is absorbing and is a great addition to any Doctor Who collection. The strong narration by Peter Purves helps to bridge the gap between audio and video. Viewing any of the (now) three episodes on video would also be worthwhile for anyone who did not see the original airing back in 1966. Master Plan borrows some ideas from the previous Dalek story "The Chase", these being the Dalek time machine, the ensuing pursuit through time and the alternative episode ("Journey into Terror" and the comic relief "Feast of Steven" respectively, for the Chase and Master Plan stories). Master Plan also sees the return of the time travelling monk. All of these ingredients work well.Master Plan has many varied and interesting situations. Clearly, a lot of effort was put into this story. I like the idea of the lead-in episode "Mission to the Unknown", although this idea loses something without having the "Myth Makers" story that followed it. It is a pity also that the identity of the main protagonists was revealed so early on. Keeping us guessing until the end of this first episode would have made it more exciting and still served its purpose. The Master Plan story progresses through a series of separate situations, each with their respective characters. This works well and adds interest, but the demise of so many companions along the way is a negative. As with The Chase, there is also an improbable sequence of short stays on Earth.The worst part of the story for me is the ending. Although the climax is exciting enough all we know at the end is that the patrol of four Daleks was destroyed. It may well have been that the main Dalek force deep in the mountains survived. The story ending would have definitely benefited from a final scene depicting the fate of the Daleks in their underground control center.

The Daleks, possibly one of the most evil, vile, and dangerous creatures to ever emerge in the world of science fiction. In their first appearance one might almost laugh at their appearance, until soon realizing just how deadly they truly are. In this incredible 13 part epic story (I include Mission to the Unknown as part of the whole story) the good Doctor (William Hartnell) once more does battle against his arch-enemies the Daleks, as he is chased once more through time and space, attempting to prevent the Daleks from completing activation of the Time Destructor, a terrible device which harnesses the very forces of time itself into a weapon. Although the visuals are currently missing, with the exception of two episodes, it is still very effective as an audio drama, with linking narration by Peter Purves. the performances are top notch, including William Hartnell as the Doctor, Peter Purves as Steven Taylor, Nicholas Courtney as Bret Vyon (the future Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart) and Kevin Stoney as Mavic Chen. in addition the wonderfully joyful Christmas episode 'Feast of Steven' is definitely a nice break from the dark and impending doom of the main story plot. this is definitely a must have for any Doctor Who fan.

The Daleks' MasterPlan is an exciting yet long 12 part adventure. Similar to the Keys of Marinus and the Chase, Terry Nation, who wrote most of the story, was able to create another great story where the Doctor and his companions must leave one dangerous place for another in each unfolding episode of the Daleks' MasterPlan.