Peter Davison takes on the Daleks in special Doctor Who story adapted for lockdown
Shadow of the Daleks had to be produced under special circumstances.
Doctor Who audio producers Big Finish have announced a new release recorded and produced entirely in lockdown – though you wouldn't know it from the epic scale of the storytelling.
Doctor Who: Shadow of the Daleks, a story split across two releases, will be available in late 2020 as part of the Big Finish Monthly Adventures range.
Each "part" contains four one-episode adventures, making up an exciting "mini-season" for Peter Davison's fifth Doctor as he is caught up in the Time War and once again battles old foes the Daleks.
Each of the stories was recorded remotely during lockdown with a small "rep company" of actors including Doctor Who TV series veterans Dervla Kirwan and Anjli Mohindra, Olivier Award winner Jamie Parker and Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Daleks.
Producer David Richardson said: "Necessity really is the mother of invention. In the very early days of lockdown, we knew we would have to adapt some of our plans for the Monthly Adventures range. What we needed were two releases that could be achieved with one Doctor and four guest cast members, recording remotely in a block. When you have a brief like that, it’s not at all restricting - it forces you to do something different, something bold, something fun.
"So what we have in Shadow of the Daleks Parts 1 and 2 are eight half-hour stories, in which the Doctor lands in different times, different places... and keeps meeting the same faces, but as different people. The mystery is heightened by the oblique appearances of Daleks. And not only that - these are Time War-era Daleks!
"And so we had a lot of fun with these stories - weaving them together, pushing in different directions, and getting to play with the audacious concept. And Peter Davison really enjoyed it - we had a fantastic and esteemed guest cast, and by the end of recording it was almost like we were at the studio together, sipping coffee in the green room and chatting like old friends."
Shadow of the Daleks: Part 1 – due for release in October – will comprise the following stories: Aimed at the Body by James Kettle, Lightspeed by Jonathan Morris, The Bookshop at the End of the World by Simon Guerrier, and Interlude by Dan Starkey.
The stories making up Part 2 – out in November – are: The Echo Chamber by Jonathan Barnes, Towards Zero by Roland Moore, Castle Hydra by Lizzie Hopley, and Effect and Cause by John Dorney.
Doctor Who: Shadow of the Daleks Parts 1 and 2 are now available to pre-order as collector's edition box sets (on CD at £14.99 each) and as digital downloads (at £12.99 each) from the Big Finish website.
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Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across the brand's digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
