Following on from the reveals and revelations brought up in Humpty Dumpty, Mark Wright’s first contribution to the boxset, you’ll be happy to know, contains a lot more story! I only wish it was engaging.  

The Daleks have returned… or have they?

Following the lingering trail of the Daleks’ space-time corridor, the time travellers are surprised when the TARDIS arrives on a tropical forest world. Taking refuge with the population of a peaceful village, the Doctor wonders if he has finally defeated his most terrible enemy.

Is the secret of the Daleks about to be revealed?


Big Finish Synopsis

Continuing to chase down the emerging Daleks throughout the universe, the second story in the Potential Daleks trilogy sees the TARDIS team travel to a forested world. Ready to face any danger that the Daleks may have cooked up, they are surprised to discover that the world they’ve landed on is a peaceful one, with primitive villagers and not a Dalek in sight. This isn’t the full story, however, and deep within the forest, a Dalek resurgence is forming around a new Emperor with a very familiar visage.

Like many of the Dalek stories that have come before it, the Secret of the Daleks can be split between before and after the Daleks appear. The ‘before’ sections take place within a village on the forested planet and are undoubtedly the strongest part of the story. While they mingle with villagers, it becomes all too clear that the main aim of this part of the plot is to build a degree of trust between The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe, and their new travelling companion, Raven. Having not seen eye to eye up until this point, the looming threat of the Daleks means that they need to start trusting each other fast; otherwise, they’ll stand no chance of defeating them.

On this point, the story mainly succeeds in its aims. The conscious decision to pair The Doctor and Raven together during their initial investigations of the planet allows the two of them to settle their differences. With The Doctor convinced of where her loyalties lie, Jamie and Zoe quickly follow suit, as they obviously trust his judgement of character.  

However, once The Daleks make their inevitable appearance, the tone shifts alongside my engagement. While the Emperor’s plans to rebirth the Dalek race through The Doctor’s memory of the Vanishing Point are fine and in keeping with their species’ motivations, the Emperor’s extended explanations are wordy and ultimately unengaging as a result. During these rather boring, dialogue-heavy sections, I often found myself losing concentration, taking the immersion away and leaving me wishing that the story would end rather than continue.