Doctor Who: The Dalek Occupation of Winter

The Early Adventures series of partially narrated stories moves back a little chronologically from the previous release, here again featuring Vicki and Steven as the companions. Both O'Brien and Purves provide the narration, and the latter also plays the First Doctor. Compared with the First Doctor audios, with the all-new cast, the format of this now seems to be creaking a little, although some may prefer the original actors, even if they no longer sound like they did in their twenties. But it's this, and the fact that narration adds very little, that leads me to give this four stars rather than the full five.

Because, honestly, it's a very good story.

Although they don't turn up until about 30 minutes in, there's no prize for guessing what monsters are used in this story. Up until then, we have the usual, somewhat leisurely exploration of the setting - in this case a lone city on an isolated planet, currently in the midst of a joyous festival - that was so common in the First Doctor's era. Once they do show up, however, there's an intriguing story about how the Daleks have subjugated the planet in a way rather different than their usual modus operandi.

To be sure, there are some themes that have been used here before, notably in the TV stories Victory of the Daleks and The Krotons but the details here are different, and there's a real sense of menace from the tinpot monsters. What makes the story good is that things are not clearcut. Certainly the Daleks are bad, and so is one of the humans helping them, but there is a question of what it's really possible for the inhabitants of the planet to do about it, even if they understood what was going on.

Surely they're too far gone, and have little other choice given their situation? These questions are properly explored, and the planet's ruler is also very well portrayed as a weak and vainglorious man who may not be likeable, but isn't entirely the villain that he could be. There are some good moments of drama and tension, and a great subplot with a factory worker and her brother. It's far from the most upbeat story of the series, but it's also something more complex than we typically see with Dalek stories on TV.

Although there's no real cliffhanger ending, there is a teaser for the next episode included before the closing credits. (As was, of course, the case in the first season of the TV show, although not the third, which is the one being emulated here).