The Conquest of Far

The moment you attack, you and your entire force will become mindless servants of the Daleks!

The Third Doctor

Synopsis

Earth Alliance, the future… Fleet commanders receive their orders from the President of Earth. Operation Far is ‘go’. As soon as the planets are suitably aligned, the attack will go ahead.

The Doctor and Jo arrive on the planet Far. The Doctor wants to attend the grand opening of one of the human race’s greatest achievements. A huge Hyper Gateway built to make travel around Earth’s great empire more convenient, bringing relief to many starving outer colonies.

But they land in the wrong time period, long after the Gateway has been in service, and the Daleks have conquered Far! It’s the middle of a war and a deadly game is underway. When everyone has an agenda, betrayal can happen at any time, from any side. The endgame is approaching and maybe this time no one will survive.

Review

The Third Doctor’s Dalek stories are a bit of a mixed bag. The first, Day of the Daleks, is amongst my favourite Dalek stories. Notably, the others were all penned by their creator, Terry Nation, who I have mixed opinions of. Terrance Dicks and Barry Letts were fond of saying that Nation would essentially just give them the same script year after year.

To that end, The Conquest of Far feels somewhere between the two camps. It doesn’t get to the heights of Day of the Daleks, but I preferred it to Planet of the Daleks and Death to the Daleks. Nicholas Briggs has managed to create a story that feels at home in the Third Doctor era

Verdict: Whilst nothing revolutionary, The Conquest of Far is an entertaining Third Doctor Dalek story. Treloar continues to improve and Nicholas Briggs knows how to create a story that evokes the Third Doctor’s era. 7/10

Cast: Tim Treloar (The Doctor), Katy Manning (Jo Grant), George Watkins (Delralis/Naltrox/Thruskan Special Ops), John Banks (Jickster/Kennet), Amy Newton (Elaquon) & Nicholas Briggs (Daleks/Aslarn/Earth President/Medi-Robot/Troopers).

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Director: Nicholas Briggs

Music: Jamie Robertson

Sound: David Nagel

Release Date: 17 August 2017

Behind the Scenes

• The story picks up immediately after Planet of the Daleks.
• It is highly hinted to take place in the Second Dalek War.

Cast Notes

• George Watkins would go on to play Fifth Doctor audio companion Marc. He is the nephew of Peter Davison. He has also appeared in Infamy of the Zaross, Purgatory 12 and Time in Office.
• John Banks

Best Quote

The Daleks must be defeated. One day. Yes, they must be!

The Third Doctor

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