Stories Audio Drama The Sixth Doctor Adventures The Story Demon 1 image Overview Characters How to Listen Reviews 5 Statistics Quotes 3 Overview Released Wednesday, May 7, 2025 Written by Julian Richards Cover Art by Sean Longmore Publisher Big Finish Productions Directed by Samuel Clemens Runtime 65 minutes Time Travel Future Tropes (Potential Spoilers!) Base Under Siege, Daleks pretending to be good, Human Colony, Misunderstood Monster Synopsis The Doctor and Mrs Clarke find themselves on a forest world where human settlers shelter from the night in a village built from wrecked spaceships, living in fear of the Birnamen, creatures who raid their settlement leaving death in their wake. But are the Birnamen really to blame? Or does the truth lie with the villagers' 'Story Demon', the hollow travel casing of a very familiar alien creature which they use to entertain their children... Listen Listened Favourite Favourited Add Review Edit Review Log a repeat Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Owned Save to my list Saved Edit date completed Custom Date Release Date Archive (no date) Save Characters Sixth Doctor Colin Baker Constance Clarke Miranda Raison Daleks Nicholas Briggs Show All Characters (3) How to listen to The Story Demon: Big Finish Audio The Sixth Doctor Adventures: The Cosmos and Mrs Clarke Reviews Add Review Edit Review Sort: Date (Newest First) Date (Oldest First) Likes (High-Low) Likes (Low-High) Rating (High-Low) Rating (Low-High) Word count (High-Low) Word count (Low-High) Username (A-Z) Username (Z-A) Spoilers First Spoilers Last 5 reviews 5 June 2025 · 892 words Review by MrColdStream Spoilers This review contains spoilers! Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! “THE STORY DEMON – SIX, CONSTANCE, AND THE DALEK THAT TOLD GHOST STORIES” The Sixth Doctor and Constance Clarke return in The Cosmos and Mrs Clarke, a three-part box set from Big Finish, and the opening story, The Story Demon, is a deliciously eerie blend of mythic mystery and Dalek deception. Set on a remote alien planet, the tale drops our TARDIS team into a quiet, snow-dusted village built from starship wreckage, surrounded by oppressive forests and lurking terrors. It’s part Norse folklore, part post-apocalyptic sci-fi, and it sets a beautifully bleak tone right from the start. Here, the villagers live in fear of the Birnamen – terrifying, monstrous creatures that stalk the wilderness and pounce at the village walls every night. Adding to the unsettling atmosphere is the titular Story Demon: a battered Dalek shell with a speaker box attached, whose sole purpose appears to be entertaining the village children with ghost stories. Yes, a Dalek spinning bedtime tales. No, it’s clearly not as innocent as it seems. DALEK HORROR, FABLE-FORM The central twist – that the Story Demon is, in fact, a dormant Dalek luring in a host – is no surprise, but it’s executed with effective dread. The creeping horror of the Dalek slowly reawakening, of Wyatt being coaxed into its shell by desperation and grief, is chilling. The story draws a brilliant parallel with Revenge of the Sith's Anakin Skywalker: here, too, a frightened man is seduced by power and control in a misguided attempt to protect someone he loves. Wyatt’s descent is believable, if tragic, and the moment he’s locked into the casing – and begins unknowingly powering up the Dalek with his emotional turmoil – is one of the story’s most intense beats. His sister Birch’s reaction, rushing to confront what’s left of him, is moving and painful, even if the scene ends a little too abruptly. Big Finish could have leaned even further into the horror here, but what we get still hits hard. SIX, CONSTANCE, AND THE VILLAGE OF SECRETS Colin Baker is on commanding form, and Miranda Raison continues to bring grace and steel to Constance Clarke. The story wisely splits them up for much of the runtime: while the Doctor heads out into the wilderness with Birch to uncover the truth about the Birnamen, Constance investigates the crashed Dalek ship and the dormant mutant still causing havoc. This dual structure allows for a dynamic pace and multiple revelations. Birch, meanwhile, is a standout supporting character. Brave, resourceful, and quietly rebellious, she fits right into the Doctor’s orbit. Her dynamic with Six – especially when he explains the true nature of Daleks – is wonderful. The golden line, “A Dalek could say ‘I love you’ and all you would hear is ‘Exterminate’,” is a hauntingly poetic insight into the Dalek mind and perhaps the story’s most memorable moment. Her brother Wyatt is a more volatile presence, his arc driven by protectiveness and fear. His mental fragility, and the way the Dalek manipulates it, adds layers to what could have been a simple victim role. OF MONSTERS AND MEN The Birnamen, initially positioned as the big threat, are later revealed to be protectors in a symbiotic relationship with the villagers – each linked to a single person. This is a familiar Doctor Who twist, but it works nicely here, especially when the true enemy – the Daleks – emerge and the Birnamen rise to defend their people. Their connection to the villagers adds a tragic weight: every time one of them dies in the wilderness, so does their human counterpart inside the walls. It creates a sense of ever-present threat, even within the supposed sanctuary of the settlement. And speaking of the settlement – the Viking-meets-Face-of-Evil aesthetic is brilliant. Snow, scrap metal, and looming wooden gates give the village a tangible, tactile sense of place. It feels ancient and futuristic at once, a world that has lost its past but still clings to old traditions and superstitions. DALEK PATHOS AND POSTMORTEMS One of the more fascinating elements is the exploration of Dalek identity. The idea that a Dalek mutant could feel love or sorrow, but that the casing translates all emotion into hatred and violence, is a brilliant concept. It adds a tragic edge to the monsters, suggesting that deep within every Dalek may be a shred of something else – something lost or buried. This might not be entirely in line with Dalek canon across all media, but as a thematic exploration, it’s stunning. The final showdown – where the Dalek recognises the Doctor and explodes into a fury, only to be crushed by a charging Birnaman – is a satisfying climax. It doesn’t try to outdo the emotional weight of earlier scenes, instead giving the story a final burst of catharsis. 📝 VERDICT: 94/100 The Story Demon kicks off The Cosmos and Mrs Clarke with a powerful mix of classic Doctor Who tropes and fresh psychological horror. It’s a story about how fear erodes reason, how love can be twisted into violence, and how monsters aren’t always what they seem. With excellent performances, strong world-building, and a genuinely unsettling take on the Daleks, this is a sharp, thoughtful, and memorable opener – not quite a fairytale, but something far darker and far more satisfying. MrColdStream View profile Like Liked 0 31 May 2025 · 138 words Review by No311 1 A good character piece of a story, with a nice mystery and a very insidious Dalek threat. It uses some of the same ideas as Dalek and the Witch's familiar, but manages to be distinct enough to be entertaining in its own right. The story is straightforward but effective, leaving room for the acting to shine. All secondary characters are compelling and keep you guessing whether there will be a secondary bad guy, as well as hoping there won't be. The Doctor and Constance are in good form, and Briggs gives a truly unhinged and creepy performance as the Dalek of the play. A good play, and notably a very good introduction for the Daleks if someone has never heard of them. Note: the story alone would net 3.5 stars, I think it deserves 4 stars for the memorable performances. No311 View profile Like Liked 1 19 May 2025 · 14 words Review by EBP Admittedly bummed the villain is just a Dalek, but the worldbuilding here is interesting. EBP View profile Like Liked 0 10 May 2025 · 56 words Review by Guardax Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! A Dalek telling kids stories? For only being two parts, this story still packs in the memorable moments from a hyper-cruel Dalek to Constance dressing down the Doctor for his hypocrisy always running off. The idea of mystical forest creatures protecting humans is interesting too. Ultimately nothing special, but a good character story for all involved. Guardax View profile Like Liked 1 7 May 2025 · 26 words Review by Rock_Angel Loved how interesting this story was it’s a mix concepts which the show as done before but this merges them and makes them so much better Rock_Angel View profile Like Liked 0 Open in new window Statistics AVG. Rating47 members 4.02 / 5 Member Statistics Listened 55 Favourited 1 Reviewed 5 Saved 0 Skipped 0 Quotes Add Quote Link to Quote Favourite DALEK: ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY? GOOD. THEN I’LL BEGIN. ONCE UPON A TIME... — Daleks, The Story Demon Show All Quotes (3) Open in new window