A further selection of tales from the Daleks’ past…

This third compilation of stories written by Terry Nation widens its remit slightly, not purely drawing from the 1977-1979 annuals produced by World Distributors. Notably, we’ve got The Secret Invasion, originally published in the London Evening News in 1974 (a date that’s nailed down by it being “Mr Wilson’s turn” to be Prime Minister) and then reprinted in the Dalek Special.

That’s the longest of the stories here with Jon Culshaw once again demonstrating his vocal talents and having fun with a very recognisable figure (and making the line about Mike Yarwood in the text feel extremely meta!). We won’t ask how the kids recognise a Dalek so easily – as with a story in the previous collection, it’s taken as read that everyone on Earth knows who they are. Think of it like an undercover secret agent being known worldwide…

Nicholas Briggs gives us The Castaway, a tale of man vs. Daleks invading his homeworld; Terry Molloy performs The Solution – a bleak tale that shouldn’t be such a shock, given that Nation’s longest Dalek story features the deaths of two of the Doctor’s companions; and Steven Pacey  delivers The Seeds of Destruction, a very Doctor Moreau-like tale that feels like a comic strip come to life.

There’s also the usual set of “facts” drawn from various sources – at times inevitably contradicting some of televised Doctor Who (so what does rel actually mean, we’re left wondering). The lack of female narrator is noticeable (Louise Jameson has contributed to the previous two releases) and hopefully that will be rectified on the next batch of stories from the depths of the archives.

The production and sound design on all stories works well – LA Productions produced The Secret Invasion; Neil Gardner the others, with David Darlington providing design across the board – and the balance of stories and features is good.

Verdict: Another enjoyable dip into the Daleks’ past. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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