Big Finish Review – Doctor Who – “The Curse of Davros”

NAPOLEON: Who told you I loose at the Battle of Waterloo? FLIP: Abba.

(special thanks to Big Finish for providing me with a review copy!)

It’s been a year since Philippa ‘Flip’ Jackson found herself transported by Tube train to battle robot mosquitoes on a bizarre alien planet in the company of a Time Lord known only as ‘the Doctor’.

Lightning never strikes twice, they say. Only now there’s a flying saucer whooshing over the top of the night bus taking her home. Inside: the Doctor, with another extraterrestrial menace on his tail – the Daleks, and their twisted creator Davros!

But while Flip and the fugitive Doctor struggle to beat back the Daleks’ incursion into 21st century London, Davros’s real plan is taking shape nearly 200 years in the past, on the other side of the English Channel. At the battle of Waterloo…

Starring Colin Baker (The Doctor), Lisa Greenwood (Flip Jackson), Terry Molloy (Davros), Ashley Kumar (Jared), Jonathan Owen (Napoleon Bonaparte), Rhys Jennings (Captain Pascal), Granville Saxton (Duke of Wellington), Robert Portal (Marshal Ney), Christian Patterson (Captain Dickson), Nicholas Briggs (The Daleks)

Ah, good ole Davros. What a fun guy he is. Ever since he first popped during the Fourth Doctor adventure “Genesis of the Daleks“, it’s been nigh impossible to have a TV story without him. Well, at least until the new series, and even then they trotted (rolled?), him out at one point. There’s a good reason for this. He’s a very interesting character, when used right, and can provide a much better antagonist for the Doctor than the daleks do by themselves.

This story is a great example of one where he’s very well-used. I really liked this story because basically everything about Davros’ plan made sense from his twisted perspective. Yes, within the first five seconds or so of the Doctor’s first appearance, I figured out what was going on, but even then I had only half of the plan. The time travel stuff wasn’t something I was expecting, but I enjoyed it, particularly Flip’s reaction to Napoleon. And of course I loved the snippy dialogue between Davros and the Doctor.

Of course the performances are excellent as usual, with particular kudos to Baker and Molloy for pulling off two very difficult tasks. Baker continues to prove time and again that his performance as the Doctor was not why the show got cancelled and he got fired. I also really liked Greenwood as Flip and Kumar as Jared, though their relationship frequently put me in mind of Rose and Mickey, and it doesn’t help that Flip’s accent is more than a little like Rose’s. And, of course, it’s always fun hearing Briggs (who also directed), doing the voice of the daleks, though it does mean that in my mind’s eye I often picture the more modern dalek design than the old one, but, well, such is life.

I don’t have any real complaints about this story at all. It really hit on all cylinders. Excellent all around and a great example of Big Finish’s work. In fact, if you’re someone who is completely new to the audios, I suggest you follow this link and buy a copy. Only $13 to download. What’s not to like?