Browse the WBW Podcast
Browse the WBW Podcast
Browse Audio Who reviews
Browse Audio Who reviews

19-year-old Lucie is dumped on The Doc, and they travel to Red Rocket Rising where two sets of Daleks are having a plunger measuring contest.

Quick Update: Badabing! Who Back When has regenerated into a three-man crew. That’s right; JD, aka MariusKane, aka one of the greatest Whovian connaisseurs I’ve ever met, has stepped onboard, and he and I (Ponken) will be taking charge of a second set of Doctor Who reviews. Henceforth, while our TV serial reviews continue, JD and I will also be reviewing the audiobooks, starting with The 8th Doctor Adventures. And here’s the first one.

A001 Blood of the Daleks Cover
The Doctor, portrayed by Paul McGann, is surprised to find that Lucie Miller, a 19-year-old from Blackpool, suddenly materialises next to him in the TARDIS – but not nearly as surprised as she is. Lucie, it transpires, was en route to her first day at work when suddenly she popped up in the time-traversing blue box.

While The Doc tries to get her back to her native UK of 2006, the universe will not let him. Instead, they’re bounced across space-time to the post-apocalyptic human colony of Red Rock Rising, where not one but two races of Daleks are about to blow a massive load on mankind.

As previously mentioned, this is the first of many Big Finish Doctor Who Audiobooks. Full disclosure: I could have done a better job with this one. Zero note-taking lead to me stepping back a tad, but on the other hand, what a fantastic Whovian we have in JD to have stepped up and delivered, and thus to have made up for my shortcomings! Muchas gracias, JD. Next time, I’ll be more prepared, though. Promise.

Enjoy, folks!

The Ratings-and-Reviews Section of the this podcast episode kicks off at:
1 Hour 6 Minutes 15 Seconds

Here's what we think of A001 Blood of the Daleks

We rate Doctor Who stories on a scale from 0.0 to 5.0. For context, very few are excellent enough to merit a 5.0 in our minds, and we'd take a 0.0 Doctor Who story over a lot of other, non-Whovian stuff out there.

Leon | @ponken

4.0

jD | @mariuskane

4.1

Here's what we think of A001 Blood of the Daleks

We rate Doctor Who stories on a scale from 0.0 to 5.0. For context, very few are excellent enough to merit a 5.0 in our minds, and we'd take a 0.0 Doctor Who story over a lot of other, non-Whovian stuff out there.

Leon | @ponken

4.0

jD | @mariuskane

4.1

Here's what you think 4 Responses to “A001 Blood of the Daleks”
  1. Brilliant! I am so very happy that Big Finish stories are getting the WBW treatment. As much as I love TV Who, the audio dramas really resonate for me. Kudos. I’ll get back to listening to the podcast (8m30s in and needed to express to you guys my enthusiasm).

  2. Blood of the Daleks is the Dalek story I’ve always wanted in Doctor Who. It has all the elements of Dalek stories I love and it’s so fun and well written and it was my introduction to Big Finish and I love it. Lucie Miller is a great companion and she’s wonderful. If Big Finish keeps up this kind of quality, I could keep watching. I honestly think this is one of my favorite Dalek stories ever.

  3. Paul Fauber @wordsmithpaul

    Hey guys,

    I thought I’d chime in on the question of the Doctor taking sides in a Dalek v Dalek conflict while listening to this podcast and polishing a review of another story. Anyway, when the sixth Doctor and Peri arrived on the planet Necros and discovered Davros making Daleks with the human biomatter there, he solved the problem by summoning the Daleks, who arrived to behave predictably. Does that story count? The Doctor and the classic Daleks don’t have an alliance, but DO have the same agenda.

  4. Peter Zunitch

    I’ve listened to a fair amount of Big Finish productions. With the Doctor Who series I’ve listened to about 10 or so and I’ve never found that one story that I could say, “this is a phenomenal production and story”. This changed all that.
    Blood of the Daleks has a simple plot, yet is a very complex story. It’s constructed with intense detail and performed with care. There’s just the right balance between action, dialog, music and sound effects to make the world really come alive in one’s imagination. There was also just a touch of fan service, enough to make one smile, but not too much that all the tension is ripped away. The descriptions and expositions were done subtly, and the producers bothered to let you hear what happens sometimes rather than just telling you.
    It’s not perfect, I never felt an intense emotional moment that some productions provide, the audio drama is a very personal experience after all. I also failed to invest myself fully in one or two of the characters, but others more than made up for that.
    In contrast to the classic reviews, I’ve decided to listen to the podcast before writing my audio reviews, although I’ve already “written down” my rating before I do. That said, I totally agree tha throwing trash on Daleks was a half-baked solution, something worthy of TV-New-Who (not in a good way). I’d rather just have seen the remaining Daleks eventually overrun by overwhelming numbers, or trapped under the debris and eventually dismantled by the mobs.
    So perhaps I’ve been listening to the wrong Dr Who Big Finish stories. This one is certainly good enough to make me want more, and I’m glad it’s the first of the 8th Dr. series. I can’t wait to experience more McGann, and Lucie as well. This story earns a, “Tin foil hats are unaffected by acid rain” 4.0.

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