Kill the Dalek, save the world!
Alm
Synopsis
Sunspire was devastated by the Daleks centuries ago. The last of its people are returning to seek out their heritage in an underground bunker, and save their species from extinction. Case and the War Doctor join the mission, posing as a Dalek-Killer and her squire.
But the bunker has an occupant: a single Berserker Dalek, driven insane by four hundred years of solitude…
Quick Facts
| Doctor | War Doctor (Jonathon Carley) | Producer | David Richardson |
| Companion | Case (Ajjaz Awad) | Music & Sound | Howard Carter |
| Writer | Timothy X Atack | Release Date | 16 May 2023 |
| Director | Barnaby Kay | Part of | Comrades-in-Arms |
Cast
| Cast: | Lynsey Murrell (Alm), Deeivya Meir (Pera), Esmonde Cole (Yorkin) & Nicholas Briggs (The Beserker). |
Review
Berserker sees the War Doctor and his cyborg companion Case trying to assist the last remnants of a civilisation to rebuild through retrieving the gene bank contained in a bunker. The only snag is that the bunker also contains a Berserker Dalek who has been trapped for approximately 400 years. With Case returning to the War Doctor’s side in the previous story A Mother’s Love after learning that the Time Lords were simply using her, the Doctor is trying to find an answer to the Dalek programming installed in her head. Berserker might just be one of my favourite Time War stories to date, with a story that flips some Doctor Who staples firmly on to their head and has great fun with the format.
This story is an inversion of the base-under-siege style story that we are used to having in Doctor Who. Usually, the Doctor, their companions and the crew of a base are trapped by a foe, meanwhile, here, it is more of an extraction story, with the Berserker Dalek being an unstoppable force contained within. Atack has also constructed a story told in real time, compared by the production team to the 2019 film 2017, which appeared to have been shot in one take. Like with that film, there are in fact, cuts here, but we are not privy to anything that happens to the Sunspires when they are apart from the War Doctor or Case as we primarily follow the two leads through this story. Whilst this is window-dressing for the wider plot driven by the War Doctor and Case, it is still compelling enough to make you care about the fates of Alm, Pera and Yorkin, the three Sunspire survivors we spend the most time with, as they face off against the insane Dalek, and their quest to restore their race.
It’s been alone for 400 years, like a wasp in a bottle, getting more and more angry, and it will probably kill thirty to fifty percent of us the second we blow the door to the bunker.
Case
The Berserker Dalek feels like an amalgamation of the Daleks and the Cybermen. When destroyed, it can absorb what has destroyed it, making it stronger in turn. That’s a terrifying idea for the Daleks, who are difficult enough to kill at the best of times. This particular Berserker has been trapped for 400 years, driving it increasingly insane and destroying the majority of the bunker. The Berserker Daleks are a variant created by Timothy X Atack in Rewind, who are used by the Daleks to destroy planets they have conquered but have no use for. That just goes to highlight the brutality of the Dalek strategy in the Time War, not content to leave a planet untouched in their quest for universal dominance. By way of coincidence, it was interesting to listen to this story after Blood of the Daleks, as both of these stories feature the Daleks killing off the ruling classes and businessmen who are trying to preserve themselves. Nicholas Briggs relishes playing this madder Dalek. After playing Daleks for so long, it always surprises me when Briggs is able to demonstrate his ability to do more with the evil pepperpots, and that just adds to the sense of danger and stakes as the story progresses. There is also the parallel of having one Dalek being the sole antagonist, as per Dalek and Resolution, which has a proven track record of working well, and this story is no exception.
As mentioned above, the War Doctor and Case are thrust into the front and centre of this story. That allows some character development for this incarnation of the Doctor. This story shows the impact of the Time War on the Doctor, who comes across as completely weary and angry with the futility of it. Jonathon Carley continues to inhabit this role brilliantly, continuing John Hurt’s work superbly as we carry on learning more and more about this missing incarnation. Ajjaz Awad also gets a chance to shine here. Case is seeking answers and solutions to the Dalek programming that remains within her cyborg mind and will eventually kill her, and she and the Doctor believe that this can be found within a Berserker Dalek. Posing as a Dalek Hunter and her valet, Case infiltrates this mission to relaunch a civilisation with purely personal motivations, which do eventually get found out, and ends up overpowering the Berserker and becomes more powerful as a result. Case is the main focus of this box set, and whether she can resist her programming.
Verdict: Berserker is a really strong entry into the Time War series of audio stories. An inversion of a classic Doctor Who trope results in a gripping story. 9/10
Cast Notes
| Lynsey Murrell | Also appeared in The Blazing Hour and The God of Phantoms. |
| Deeivya Meir | Also played a Newsreader in 73 Yards. |
| Esmonde Cole | Also appeared in A Genius for War, playing Bosco. |
Best Quote
There’s nothing but the Time War for you, is there?
You’re correct! Literally so! Planets die, planets die and species fall. Creation blinks once, billions of lives gone.
Case and the War Doctor
Previous War Doctor review: A Mother’s Love
For more War Doctor reviews, click here.
