The Tertiary Console Room: Review - Doctor Who

"You think you're a reformed character?"
"Not yet, but I have been given a new chance and I intend to take it."

The introduction of the Daleks is often cited as one of the prime factors behind Doctor Who's enduring success, yet it wasn't until 1975 that their origin was explored in Terry Nation's Genesis Of The Daleks which introduced their creator, a crippled Kaled scientist named Davros, who in that story became one of the series' most memorable villains. While Big Finish were quick to introduce the Daleks into their range of audio adventures for the good Doctor and utilising them in their own spin off series in Nicholas Briggs' Dalek Empire, their creator was always absent. But given the potential of the character and his enduring appeal, it should be no surprise that he now returns as part of the 'villains trilogy' in Lance Parkin's Davros.

The story's premise is simple. In the future, the CEO of Trans Allied Inc. (TAI), Arnold Baynes, and his historian wife, Lorraine, rescue Davros' corpse in order to give him a new chance to enact their vision for a better future for humanity. Can Davros really turn over a new leaf? As the opening monologue from Davros shows, this is a story where the emphasis is resolutely on characterisation with Parkin exploring both Davros' past in how he became the man we know and how he copes with the idea of trying to work for the force of good. As a character study of this demented genius, Davros is breathtaking in its perceptiveness in examining the struggle to beat an individuals own nature itself.

Parkin is aware that the targeted audience knows the outcome before the commencement, as anyone who has seen the Sixth Doctor's other encounter with Davros, Revelation Of The Daleks, knows he's back up to his old tricks there. This existing knowledge informs the story to a significant degree, as while it limits Parkin's scope plot-wise, it defiantly frees him to concentrate utterly on characterising his villain, which ensures that Davros is a sustained and extremely involved investigation of Davros as an individual.

The opening monologue takes place in the wake of the devastating Thal attack that left Davros crippled, where he is contemplating his existence. Parkin begins the story with this as it embodies Davros' character totally with his belief in drawing strength from adversity and he uses his own pain to drive himself onwards and become stronger. His body is weak, but his mind and will are strong. If he can survive, he can go on to create something stronger - a race which can become the supreme power in the universe. These are in effect the defining moments of Davros both as a character and as a story with its dark, character-based introspection. Parkin deliberately echoes the Dalek's ominous speech from the conclusion of Genesis Of The Daleks, showing how much of their creator was programmed into them.

Parkin opts for a dual approach to the progression of the narrative, with the current events of Davros' experience at TAI mixed in with flashbacks, accompanied by the familiar and foreboding sound of the Dalek control room, to Skaro both before and after the attack which crippled him. This results in comparative scenes between the two timeframes, demonstrating the events that moulded Davros into the man who he is today and how he is still influenced by his past.

By witnessing the world built upon conflict that was Skaro, we can see the environment that Davros was raised in. A world where there is nothing but an endless war that has raged so long that neither side remembers why it began. These scenes set in this scenario are quite startling, not only because we get to hear Terry Molloy's voice without the influence of the modulator, but because it solidifies the idea that Davros was at one time just an ordinary man. Yet, even as he and his colleague Shan explore the outer world beyond the Kaled Dome, we can see there is a cold logic to his thinking through his indifferent attitude to the practice of recycling the corpses of the dead to feed the living - something which repulses Shan. Even before the accident, Davros was always looking for ways in which to ensure the survival of his people and recognised that radical means were necessary.

His meeting and association with Shan proved to be extremely pivotal in shaping his thinking, and also demonstrated that he is at his best (which is also his worst) when working in tandem with an equal mind to challenge him. Shan, a brilliant young Kaled scientist herself, has developed a solution to ensure the Kaled's survival, but one so daring that even Davros abandons his own solution to co-operate with the Thals. Her thinking is that to survive, the Kaleds must be prepared to destroy themselves so a new race can emerge stronger from the remnants of their civilisation. She calls her paper outlining this theory The Dalek Solution...

The fact that Davros created the Daleks yet another person had the idea to do that is an intriguing revelation. Davros brought them into existence, yet he did not have the necessary vision to think outside of the box to create a solution so radical. His relationship with Shan forms the basis of Davros' tragedy as ultimately it was his jealousy and his inability to articulate his feelings that were his weaknesses. Shan created such feelings within Davros that it opened his mind to the possibility of a great future, where the Kaleds become the Daleks and the supreme beings yet his inability to tell her how he felt led to jealousy when she began an intimate relationship with another. When he turns on her, Davros tries to justify it as eliminating a threat to his plans as Shan would eventually surpass his achievements as the greatest scientist in Skaro's history, but is his feelings of rejection that are his prime motivation. The fact that Davros cannot admit this to himself, show how cold he is emotionally and the tragic elements of his decent into true evil are compounded by the fact that petty jealousy over a woman who he'd never even admitted his feelings to should solidify his attitude to destroy any rival who opposes him, when he was at one time contemplating peace.

The events of the present form an interesting companion piece to the flashbacks as Parkin inserts Davros into an unconventional situation, where he is being treated with respect for his work as a scientist rather than condemned for being the creator of a ruthless and destructive force. When presented with the opportunity to create a better future for mankind, Davros is tempted, much to the surprise of the Doctor who immediately assumes that he's plotting once more against humanity.

In these scenes set in the TAI Dome, Davros is adamant that he wants to change, asking to be judged only by his actions and not whatever acts he has committed in the past. While this leads to some bizarre scenes where the Doctor and Davros are working together on Baynes' project, but as the story progresses Davros confides in Lorraine Baynes that he can never be safe with the Doctor around.

This shows again how Davros' mindset is driven by competition and the presence of his long time rival is responsible for the moves taken to eliminate him. Davros achieves this subtly at first, planting the seeds of discontent into the minds of the Baynes', but he still recognises that the Doctor can be an asset if he can be controlled. As Davros develops, it is clear to see that Davros hasn't changed, as expected, but it begs the question of whether he was ever sincere in his desire to help or were all his actions here part of a scheme to enable him to seize the power he senses nearby?

Parkin never emphatically states the true situation, preferring to leave the listener to decide, yet it does seem that the idea of becoming recognised as a great humanitarian and "the greatest hero the universe has ever seen", if he can solve the famine crisis, appeals to him because of his drive to be seen as unique and a supreme being, above the common man. These ideas obviously stay with Davros, as he finds a way to overcome the universe's hunger in Revelation Of The Daleks, but here he changes tact as soon as he comes across a way he can gain absolute power through the unconventional method of using the stock market.

One possibility that presents itself is that Davros may have been sincere in his intent, but the presence of the Doctor ensured that these intentions would fail. Without an equal to rival him, Davros feels there is no challenge and so does the Doctor being there provoke Davros into trying to outwit him? Perhaps. It is certainly plausible given that his confessions of fear regarding the Doctor as a possible source of danger which are his first real signs of the fact that he isn't playing nicely. Given that he turned viciously on Shan because she would eventually pose a threat to him, it seems likely Davros' rivalry with the Doctor was a significant contributing factor to instigate a scheme to bring the universe before him.

One problem with Davros' statements, is how much credibility do we attach to it? Davros is an extremely manipulative individual and you only have to witness his manner towards Lorraine Baynes, which takes full advantage of her high regard for him, to see how cunning he can be in dealing with others to ensure he can use them as if they were mere commodities. This degree of unreliability in Davros' dialogue raises the tension and builds the sense of danger surrounding this character.

Parkin uses Davros' situation to address the idea of the rehabilitation of criminals by posing the question of what crime is so great that atonement can't be possible. The Doctor takes the view that Davros is never going to change, yet he doesn't act against Davros until he's sure that he has evil intentions. Davros' struggle with his nature to strike against anyone who he feels is inferior to him is a battle that can never be won in his case, as his true instincts forged in the battle with the Thals will always triumph over any apparent good intentions.

When Davros finally makes his latest attempt to grab power for himself, it takes the form of a highly inventive method of collapsing the stock market and in the age where the corporations are the backbone of the universe, this would inevitably lead to the collapse of society. While Parkin shows the ingenuity of this plan, he also shows how Davros' mind is limited in other ways as once he has done all that, he plans to use TAI to enforce a new model on the universe based upon war, with its new role "to exterminate the opposition and become the supreme power in the galaxy", demonstrating a palpable lack of imagination as he simply wants it to become the new Daleks.

In a move that befits a story falling within season 22 well, Parkin introduces the Doctor in a delightfully subversive way. He is called to the planet by the journalist Willis, who fears that TAI are about to close down their mining operation which employs over twelve billion workers, and in true Colin Baker style, the Doctor chooses to break his covert hiding place when he sees the Baynes' with the corpse of Davros. Showing the Sixth Doctor's bullish tendencies as he charges across the docking bay and instantly admonishes those who have been foolish enough to interfere with Davros' imprisonment, shows just how bold and brash and brilliant this Doctor can be and Baker plays it superbly.

Here, the Doctor shows his pragmatism as while he adamantly believes that Davros is never going to change, he is prepared to work with him to try and see whether he is being sincere in his claims that he is going to take this second chance that the Baynes have presented him. But even the Doctor can be surprised by Davros, especially when he admits that the Time Lord is his equal. Whether it is that Davros thinks that or that he is prepared to admit it is never made clear, but it is this fact which seems to convince the Doctor that he needs to assess the situation carefully and results in his counter-offer to Baynes to employ himself instead of Davros.

Like Nev Fountain with Omega before him, Parkin draws comparisons between the Doctor and Davros to show how there is a degree of similarity between them. They are both great scientists, visionaries amongst their own people and Davros feels this makes them equals. This leads to an intriguing revelation that Davros considers the Doctor the closest thing that he has to a friend, which perhaps shows his state of mind more clearly than anything else.

Of Davros' supporting characters, the two that are the far the most interesting are the married couple Arnold and Lorraine Baynes. They are an odd pairing, with both determined to succeed whatever the cost, as demonstrated by their dispatching of the Pilot in the opening minutes of the play to cover their trail as they spirit away Davros' seemingly dead body.

Arnold Baynes is in some ways the typical businessman of Doctor Who in that killing is part of parcel of his endeavours to succeed, yet Parkin subversively makes him into someone who is genuinely hoping to improve the conditions of mankind rather than using the powerbase TAI affords him to take over the universe as so many corporate people do in modern Who. This conflicting sense of morality shapes him into an intriguing figure, appealing yet treacherous, and we see that he is a proponent of the adage that the ends really do justify the means. Baynes' ultimate downfall comes about because he is the perennial businessman who believes he can attempt to salvage an uncontrollable situation through bargaining. However, he is dealing with Davros and he is someone who doesn't tolerate allies unless he can use them for their own purposes...

Baynes' wife, Lorraine, is a historian and in some respects her role in Davros is reminiscent of some of the themes prevalent in Omega where the idea of historical perception was a key issue. Her purpose here is to offer an alternative perspective on Davros himself. Like the contemporary historians who deny the holocaust, Lorraine's historical interest in Davros and his Daleks has led her to conclude that they were both misunderstood and praises their great achievements, which leads the Doctor to dismiss her as merely "an apologist for the Daleks" but her perception of Davros has gone even further than that. She has romanticised him into this truly tragic figure; a great scientist, who hampered by the inadequacies of those around him, was never recognised for the vision of his creations.

This admiration, and, indeed, adoration, she demonstrates for Davros plays an important part in Davros' decision to turn treacherous again. She flatters him so much that it opens his eyes to new perspectives he had never really considered and lets him develop his new and unusual approach to gaining power. She has no objectivity when it comes to Davros - for Lorraine Baynes he can do no wrong, which leads her to dismiss the Doctor's view that Davros even looks evil as an example of him being culturally biased, as he's been taught that Davros is evil and therefore he looks evil. She also shares some of Davros' ruthlessness when it comes to dealing with troublesome elements, as she is the advocate of killing the Doctor when it is clear his meddling is becoming a problem, while her husband simply wants to deport him.

Her adulation also blinds her to the truth that Davros is a megalomaniac who will willingly kill anyone to get what he needs. It is interesting that her viewpoint of him only changes when it is someone she cares about, her husband, who is under threat from Davros as while she has seen him laughing at how easy it is to kill the workers in the Dome, it is only when Arnold Baynes is endangered that she begins to realise the true horror of Davros' actions.

Structurally Davros is presented in two feature length parts spanning the entirety of each disc, but given the extremely long running time (over two and a half hours!), this seems like a move made out of necessity rather than a desire to emulate the format of the season this adventure takes place within. Unlike the previous 'villains' release, the long running time is not a deterrent to the play's overall success because Parkin's script is so detailed and so involved that the time passes effortlessly. The two part formation aids the story's ability to involve because it forgoes the usual break for the mid-disc cliffhanger, and while it's obvious where these should be, the fact that the action is continuous ensures the smooth flow of the drama and without the distraction of the break caused by the reprise of the title music, Davros becomes ever more engrossing.

While Colin Baker may have top billing, there's no mistaking the real star of this audio which is Terry Molloy as Davros. His three television appearances as Davros have often been unfavourably compared with that of Michael Wisher in Genesis Of The Daleks, yet thanks to the insightfulness of the script, Molloy brings out hidden depths in the character never hinted at before, making an already interesting individual into a far more fascinating one. Baker might be eclipsed by Molloy's intensity, but he nevertheless delivers a powerful performance which is tempered by the edge of arrogance that was such a part of the Sixth Doctor's characterisation on television and this strength helps to show just how believable a rival, and threat, he is to Davros.

The Baynes' are portrayed by two actors very familiar to Doctor Who, making their debuts in the audio series, namely Bernard Horsfall, who was brilliant as the malevolent Goth in The Deadly Assassin (1975), and Wendy Padbury who was the Second Doctor's final companion, Zoe, in the late 1960's. Horsfall can be a very strong performer, yet he chooses to underplay his role here which has a two pronged effect on how the listener perceives the character of Baynes in that it emphasises his public image of being a good and decent man, but also strengthens the dangerous side of him which rears its head when his interests are significantly threatened. Padbury is excellent as the misguided historian, her voice full of an eloquence and superiority which enriches the character no end.

Jane Elphinstone's music is enthralling and provides a dramatic accompaniment to the unfolding performance with its smouldering intensity. Jim Mortimore's post-production work is, as ever, distinctive and dynamic however with the setting of the TAI Dome being very self-contained there isn't much scope for anything really radical. He conjures up some very effective sound design for the automated production line discovered here, but Mortimore very occasionally goes overboard with the result that the effects drown out the dialogue but this may have been intentional as given the situation in question it may have been difficult for the characters to hear each other talking and so Mortimore is ensuring the listener shares in this experience.

As the second part of the so called 'Villains trilogy' Davros has similar parallels to its predecessor, Omega, in how it approaches the morality of the villain in question, yet Parkin's script is the more successful because he encapsulates Davros so completely that his words and Molloy's performance discover untapped depths in a character so often portrayed as a one-note megalomaniac. The plot to Davros is almost incidental, although still well constructed, for it is Davros' character that is important here and this story explores that with such clarity and sophistication that the effect is profoundly insightful. We know that Davros will return again in the chronology of Doctor Who, but hopefully the triumphant success of this story will encourage Big Finish to revive this fascinating character again but hopefully without his famous creations - they're better off without Davros and Davros is certainly better off without them...