Guilt

The final chapter brings us right up to events clearly preceding Genesis of the Daleks, possibly by only a matter of months. Davros’ experimentation on Kaleds takes a gruesome turn when he requests the Council grant him access to all children under 5. Ostensibly this is because Davros has predicted that the Kaled race will mutate and these mutations need to be spotted as early as possible. In reality, it transpires that he wishes to advance that mutation as quickly as possible rather than waiting for nature to take its course (which Davros surmises could take up to two generations).

The council, unsurprisingly, refuse Davros’ initial request and as a consequence, Davros murders them, including the Supremo, and takes control himself. He delivers the edict that all children under 5 are to be handed over to the Paediatric facility, never to see their parents again.
I found this part of the story utterly horrific – far more than I remember feeling on my first listen. I think it’s the fact I am now a father of an under 5 and even the thought of him being taken away from us permanently, let alone experimented on by some mad scientist, is something which makes me sick to the stomach.

Guilt also sees the first appearance of Nyder, Davros’ right hand man in Genesis of the Daleks. Peter Miles slips effortlessly back into the obsequious role of Davros’ ultimate sidekick as if the 40 odd years separating the two productions never happened. The manner in which Nyder feeds Davros’ sense of self-absorption and single-mindedness presents a man who is clever enough to know where the real power in the Kaled city lies and who may finally wipe the Thals from the face of Skaro. Nyder is clearly as ‘patriotic’ as Davros and they are the perfect match.

The downside to Guilt is the inclusion of Nick Briggs as Thal spy Barran. I have nothing against Nick Briggs or his performance but the character of Barran seems to merely be included so that Nick Briggs can play a Thal who becomes the first Dalek (do you see what they did there?). Nick Briggs says as much in the behind the scenes feature. Unfortunately, although this could have been a nice cameo, we have to suffer the character wandering around the Kaled base for half of the story, occasionally being confronted by other characters, but usually talking to himself. Characters talking to themselves on audio are an occasional necessary evil, but when it happens in scene after scene is becomes far too noticeable. It’s particularly grating in the scene where Barran is ‘reading’ the files about Davros.

The only other minor issue I have, with the whole series in fact, is the Supremo. In the Behind the Scenes material, Gary Russell states that he chose the actor, John Stahl, due to his ability to be (to paraphrase) ‘determined and powerful’ in Purity and become ‘old, doddery and ineffectual’ by the time of Guilt. I, however, felt he managed the opposite and stayed as a fairly identical character throughout the 3 stories he is in and, in fact, was relatively bland and unaffecting when placed up against the other actors in the mini-series.

These, however, are two very minor gripes and, on the whole, I, Davros is easily one of the best productions that Big Finish has released. The cast, scripts, sound design – even the covers – all work together to produce something rather special. Filling in the blanks of major Doctor Who characters is always a risky business. It can smack of fanwank far too easily. With I, Davros, Big Finish – and Gary Russell in particular – have got it pitch perfect.

And so the history of the universe enters the well worn (at least in BBC repeats) territory of Genesis of the Daleks. The chemical soup of a sky and barren wasteland below alluded to by Davros in the final instalment will see visualisation and we will meet further members of the Kaled and Thal race as the Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry find themselves on a mission for the Time Lords.