Daniel Mansfield reviews 2024’s instalment in the First Doctor Adventures
Last time we saw the First Doctor, he vanished from the TARDIS, leaving his companion Dodo alone. Now we pick up in ancient Carthage, where former companion Vicki stumbles across her old friend in a bad way. Soon, the two are fleeing across the universe as the Daleks pursue them. But why are they so intent on capturing the Doctor alive? And what terrible monster is locked away in the TARDIS, banging on a door to be let out?
It’s difficult to talk about this story without spoiling some fairly major twists, but suffice it to say nothing is as it seems. While the first three parts might trick you into thinking this is a cosmic runaround (with Daleks!) in the vein of The Chase, the final three parts settle into something a little different, as the reason for the Doctor’s sudden disappearance at the end of the last set becomes clear.
Underpinning these twists are the performances of the core cast, which are sublime throughout. Stephen Noonan gives his most assured performance as the First Doctor yet, perhaps bolstered by the presence of Maureen O’Brien as Vicki. O’Brien herself is excellent as ever, giving us an older version of Vicki than we’re used to, but still embodying the cheekiness and resourcefulness of the younger version of the character. Meanwhile, Lauren Cornelius is delightfully bolshy as Dodo, who doesn’t appear until the story’s third act, but who makes her presence felt immediately.
The rest of the guest cast perform their parts well, but the scattershot nature of the story means that we don’t get to know any of their characters very much before moving onto the next location. There are also a few too many silly voices for my liking, which hampered my enjoyment of the story somewhat. Nicholas Briggs puts in a good performance as the Daleks too, though they don’t really get to do anything new here, just sort of popping up every now and then to threaten the characters before they run away again.
Overall, Fugitive of the Daleks is a really entertaining listen, though a little uneven. Although the first half is fun, bouncing around the universe, it feels a little too much like a retread of The Chase, while the second half feels a little talky. Nevertheless, there are some good ideas here, and a glorious final twist that will have fans of the First Doctor era grinning ear to ear. Recommended.
Fugitive of the Daleks is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com
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