Product Description

The Daleks threaten to destroy the fabric of Time itself. A dangerous chase ensures across jungles, deserts, and futuristic cities, as the Doctor and his companions struggle to prevent the Daleks plans coming to fruition. Peter Purves narrates these 13 episodes, only two of which survive in the television archives.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #77325 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-22
• Released on: 2001-10-22
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 5
• Binding: Audio CD

Customer Reviews

In one word: "Wow!"
5 discs, 13 episodes, and digital bonuses! It's almost as if this could have been a DVD audio release.... Disc 1 contains "Mission to the Unknown" which sets up the rest of the story, and also contains a wealth of digital goodies. PDF files of all of the narrative voiceover scripts, as read by Mr Purves, before and after MP3 files demonstrating the audio restoration AND 13 further MP3 files of each of the complete episodes (without the voice-overs). Just about the only thing missing is some sort of text or audio documentary on the restoration process, and/or interviews from any of the actors (Mr Purves, Mr Courtney, etc) who are still around. Perfect for listening to in a car stereo however as it certainly makes commuting go by easier, and one almost wishes one would get stuck in traffic so as to let the episodes keep playing!

"No Katerina! Not that switch...Katerina!!!"
Originally broadcast over 12 weeks in 1965 and 1966, this now mostly "lost" TV story represents some of the best DOCTOR WHO of the early 1960's. Only episodes 2,5 and 10 are still extant in the BBC's TV archives, with episode 2(DAY OF ARMAGEDDON) only just re-discovered in January of 2004.

Released now as a soundtrack with a linking narration by Peter Purves - who played the Doctor's companion Steven in the original production - this is a highly enjoyable way to experience Terry Nation and Dennis Spooner's superbly written adventure. Not only do you get the full 12 episodes, but also the bonus episode: MISSION TO THE UNKNOWN; which was broadcast a few weeks previous to the start of MASTER PLAN as a prologue to the events of the story. This unusual episode has the distinction of being the only TV episode in the history of the show not to feature either the Doctor, the TARDIS or any of his companions.

Essentially the plot consists of the attempts by the Daleks and their allies to gain possession of a rare element (known as the Tarranium Core) which will power the Time Destructor - a device enabling them to conquer the Universe. The Doctor gains possession of the Tarranium, and there then follows a game of cat-and-mouse around time and space.

This is an improved version of the formula used in a previous Dalek story - THE CHASE (1965). Here we have a similar plot with the Daleks chasing our heroes around steamimg swamps,lush jungles, futuristic cities, historical settings and harsh alien deserts. What makes MASTER PLAN so successful is the way that these whizz-bang, boy's own absurdities are taken so seriously by director,cast and writers. There is an added poignancy to proceedings in that many of the good guys die, including 2 of the Doctor's travelling companions. This gives the whole an edge of tension and tragedy that makes for compelling story-telling. Here then is what DR WHO has to offer at it's best - an exciting children's adventure series that adults adore.

The Daleks themselves sound great, and are as ruthless and devious as they have ever been. When you listen to stories like this you get a small insight into why the Daleks were as much an icon of 1960's Britain as the Beatles and the mini-skirt.

Added to this mix are some superb performances by William Hartnell, Jean Marsh, Nicholas Courtney (in his first DR WHO appearance, before his later better known role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart) and the marvellously camp Kevin Stoney as the Daleks' power-hungry ally, Mavic Chen. A magic "chemistry" between the actors is evidenced here, making the audience really care about what happens to the characters.

The sound quality is excellent and this set of 5 CD's would have got 5 stars from me were it not for the rather crass episode 7 (THE FEAST OF STEVEN)- a "comedy" episode played for laughs as it was broadcast around the Christmas period of 1965. Thankfully, this silliness doesn't last and is probably forgiveable in light of the populist nature of Christmas episodes of well-known shows.

This comes highly recommended not only to fans of DR WHO, but to anyone who likes '60's telefantasy or the other work of Terry Nation (e.g. SURVIVORS and BLAKES 7).

Daleks: The compilation show
I don't know quite what I was expecting from this twelve part story, but I have to admit that I found it remarkably drawn-out and occasionally hard to get through. The audio format may not have helped, even with Peter Purves' carefully paced narration, and the three surviving complete episodes (which I watched on the "Lost in Time" DVD set) were a relief from that format; but at the end of the day, the story is simply too long to maintain its pace throughout in any medium.
Like "The Chase" before it, Master Plan is too much of a compilation show, with an eclectic mixture of locations visited for one or two episodes at a time. The supporting characters specific to these locations are given token roles, and the actors concerned must have wondered exactly what they were doing there. It's the overarching plot that's the most interesting, and frankly it could have been dealt with in half as many episodes as this.
The story thread with the Varga plants, set up well in Mission to the Unknown, disappears at an early stage, as does the somewhat pointless character of Katarina. Sara Kingdom, who appears for the remaining eight episodes, is a far more effective addition to the cast. Sara might have made a good companion if allowed to continue for longer.
I'm glad to have experienced The Daleks' Master Plan, even if in an incomplete audio format, and I'm sure that I shall listen to it again in the future (maybe as part of a trawl through the stories in timeline order). Despite its flaws it is worth a listen - except perhaps for the extraneous Christmas episode, The Feast of Steven (what on earth were the producers up to with that one?).

This release also includes Mission to the Unknown, the one-episode "teaser" story broadcast before "The Myth Makers", the previous serial. Mission to the Unknown, even in soundtrack, is an enjoyable teaser for the epic story to follow. It's most remarkable for its complete lack of the regular cast, and whilst I was expecting it to be poor, I actually quite enjoyed it. Time passes pretty quickly and the sound design is unusually rich for a story of this era (thanks to the jungle setting of the planet Kembel).
The guest cast do their jobs pretty well, the Daleks are a familiar menace and Peter Purves' narration of the audio release isn't too intrusive, allowing the dialogue and sound effects to speak for themselves.