The Daleks have returned!
Celestin
Synopsis
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall…
A nursery rhyme through time is on the brink of causing a cosmic catastrophe. And for the Doctor, Jamie, Zoe and Raven, this is just the beginning of a final battle.
A battle which began on Skaro.
Key Facts
| Doctor | Second (Michael Troughton) | Parts | 2 |
| Companions | Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines), Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury) | Writer and Director | Nicholas Briggs |
| Range | The Second Doctor Adventures | Music and Sound | Toby Hrycek-Robinson |
| Release Date | 16th December 2025 |
Cast
| Emma Noakes (Raven), Jacqueline King (Ananke/Nurse Sally), Clare Corbett (Angela Headridge/Violet Headridge), Nicholas Briggs (Celestin/Alf Headridge/Emperor Dalek). |
Review
The fourth Second Doctor boxset opens shortly after the events of The Vanishing Point, with multiple Skaros returning to the universe and the Doctor, Zoe and Raven trapped, and Jamie disappeared. Humpty Dumpty does very little to progress this storyline massively.
If it’s insane to challenge the laws of time, to try to rewrite history, to conquer the universe, yes, then it is insane. But should we expect anything less from the Daleks?
The Second Doctor
That being said, Humpty Dumpty does give us answers to the questions that have been posed since the beginning of this storyline. We finally learn what Raven thought the missions she was sending the Doctor on were for, for instance, as well as what the Kippers truly are. I did wonder whether this story should have been combined with The Vanishing Point to provide more answers to close out the last box set and allow this one a more confident opening story, especially as the multiple Skaros cliffhanger at the end of that story is easily resolved here. It feels as though this story is just here to tread water before the return of the Daleks and throw obstacles in the way. In that way, I suppose it’s a lot like the traditional Part One of a Classic era Dalek story – you know that they are coming, but the story makes you wait before they actually appear. I guess that feels in keeping with the era.
Speaking of things in keeping with the era, the Daleks plotting their return to the universe by using a children’s nursery rhyme is quite effective. It definitely harked back to the Daleks playing with trains during Evil of the Daleks. As a myriad of horror movies have shown, nursery rhymes can be eerie in the extreme. The use of the titular nursery rhyme in this story has the same effect, especially when the ring modulation increases as the story goes on. Celestin, the re-entry point for the Emperor of the Daleks, is the only Dalek in this story, and Nicholas Briggs is suitably sinister when he poses as a doctor to treat Angela Headridge in the care home. A big part of the Daleks returning to the universe is the idea that nothing can truly be gone, and I quite liked that concept. The Daleks are too big a force to ever meet their final end, and apply sufficient pressure to the fabric of reality to find a way back. We get an answer to the question as to who the Kippers are: potential Daleks, pushing themselves against the walls of the universe to try and find a weakness.
This story reveals that Raven, and by extension, the Doctor, have been manipulated by the Daleks as part of this scheme. Both having believed that they were working for the benefit of the Time Lords, and Raven believing that she knew what the endgame was, she finds her faith ultimately shaken, damaging her confidence and bravado. This is an interesting dynamic for Raven, who has always maintained a haughty and superior demeanour throughout this range to date. That gives Emma Noakes something more to play with, and she does rise to the challenge admirably. Equally, I continue to be a big fan of Michael Troughton’s interpretation of the Second Doctor. This story sees this splinter of the Doctor trying desperately battling the inevitable return of his oldest foes. This even leads to the Doctor seriously considering sacrificing himself by entering the Time Corridor connecting 1877 and 1951. Raven could also do the same, however, as the Doctor is a splinter, his death would not affect the Web of Time.
The Doctor’s two other companions have a mixed bag. The story starts with Jamie having disappeared in The Vanishing Point, and he reappears in the TARDIS with no explanation. I have not listened to the rest of this box set since it was released, so I cannot remember if Jamie’s repeated disappearances in this range are satisfactorily concluded. It just feels as though the story doesn’t have enough for Raven, Zoe and Jamie to do, and Jamie is the one who bears the brunt of this. Hines and Troughton do get some good scenes in 1877 when separated from the other two due to the disruption to time caused by the Daleks’ efforts. They investigate a anachronistic phonograph created by Violet Headridge, allowing her to record Humpty Dumpty to calm her daughter, Angela. This allows the creation of the Time Corridor between 1877 and 1951. Zoe and Raven end up in 1951 with the TARDIS, looking for the elderly Angela in a care home. That pairing is quite a lot of fun, with Zoe being slightly softer and Raven more caustic, especially when dealing with Nurse Sally.
Verdict: Humpty Dumpty answers some questions, but doesn’t have much plot to speak of and feels as though it is filling a slot before the Daleks arrive. 6/10
Cast Notes
| Jacqueline King | King has played Sylvia Noble, mother to Tenth and Fourteenth Doctor companion Donna Noble on television and for Big Finish. She has also appeared in a number of Big Finish plays, including The Exxilons, Time’s Horizon and Eyes of the Master. |
| Clare Corbett | Corbett has also appeared in several Big Finish productions, including Cataclysm, Food Fight and The Rise of the New Humans. |
Best Quote
We were just wondering…
Yes?
…have you heard or seen anything strange recently?
Strange? What exactly do you mean by strange?
She means has anyone noticed any abnormal space-time events.
Zoe Heriot, Nurse Sally & Raven
Previous Second Doctor review: The Vanishing Point
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