Masters of War was the eighth Doctor Who Unbound audio story produced by Big Finish Productions.
Serving as a loose sequel to the second Unbound story, Sympathy for the Devil, this story saw David Warner reprising his role as the Unbound Doctor alongside Nicholas Courtney as the Unbound Universe's version of Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. Also featured were Terry Molloy as the Unbound Universe's Davros, and Nicholas Briggs as the Unbound Universe's Daleks.
Narratively, this story is set decades after an alternative version of the creation of the Daleks free of the Doctor's presence, in contrast to Genesis of the Daleks' depiction of the creation of the N-Space Daleks. References are also made to the Unbound Universe's version of the events of The Daleks, referred to as the "Great Siege".
Production‑wise, like A Storm of Angels, this tale is two CDs in length instead of one.
The Unbound Doctor would later appear alongside Bernice Summerfield in The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield, beginning with the anthology The Unbound Universe.
Publisher's summary[]
The Doctor and his travelling companion, retired army officer Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, take a random trip in the TARDIS and land on the planet Skaro. The Doctor once helped the Thals defeat the Daleks decades ago, so he is surprised to find the Thal city now under Dalek occupation. He resolves to aid them again—but what is the Daleks' purpose in keeping the Thals alive? And does it involve the Daleks' mythical creator, Davros?
Plot[]
Part One[]
The Doctor and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart arrive on a war-torn Skaro, finding it occupied by Daleks enforcing a strict curfew. They are quickly captured by Thal resistance fighters Gillen and Nadel. The Doctor recognises Skaro and recalls his previous encounters with the Daleks and Thals. The Thals explain their subjugation and mention broadcasts featuring the Dalek creator, Davros, whom they believed dead but the Daleks still revere.
Part Two[]
The Thals reveal their expert bio-programmer, Delt, was recently killed. The Doctor, intrigued, examines Delt's research notes on Dalek neural pathways and reprogramming possibilities. Nadel is captured by a Dalek patrol during a mission; a broadcast later confirms captured Thals face conversion into Daleks through an "incubation program". The Doctor proposes a risky plan: capture a Dalek and reprogram it to impersonate Davros, hoping to sow discord among the Dalek ranks.
Part Three[]
Gillen leads a team, including Toloc, to ambush and successfully capture a damaged Dalek patrol member. The Doctor reprograms the captured Dalek, which then broadcasts its claim to be the returned Davros, demanding leadership. This immediately causes confusion and civil war between Dalek factions loyal to the impostor and those loyal to the existing Black Dalek command structure. Amidst the chaos, alien ships belonging to the Quatch arrive and attack both Dalek factions and the Thals.
Part Four[]
The Brigadier organises the Thals, using captured Dalek saucers for a counter-offensive against the Quatch. Meanwhile, The Doctor interrogates a captured Quatch, learning they are extradimensional beings who manipulated the Kaled/Thal war, guided Davros's creation of the Daleks, and abducted him. Realising Davros is on the Quatch mothership, the Doctor infiltrates it with Toloc and allied Daleks. He confronts Davros, revealing the Quatch's manipulation. Enraged, Davros activates a hidden device, destroying the Quatch stabilizers and sacrificing himself and the mothership. The Doctor escapes. With the Quatch defeated, the Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart elects to stay on Skaro to help mediate peace between Thals and Daleks, while the Doctor departs in the TARDIS.
Cast[]
- The Doctor – David Warner
- Brigadier Lethbridge‑Stewart – Nicholas Courtney
- Davros – Terry Molloy
- The Daleks – Nicholas Briggs
- Nadel – Amy Pemberton
- Gillen – Sarah Douglas
- Delt – Jeremy James
- Toloc – Christopher Heywood
Uncredited[]
Crew[]
- Cover Art – Alex Mallinson
- Director – Jason Haigh-Ellery
- Executive Producers – Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs
- Music and Sound Design – Martin Johnson
- Producer – David Richardson
- Script Editor – Alan Barnes
- Writer – Eddie Robson
- Daleks, Davros and Thals created by Terry Nation
Worldbuilding[]
- The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver at one point.
- Alistair obtains food from the TARDIS’ food machine.
- The Quatch hail from the Quatch dimension.
- The Quatch Empire holds a foothold near Skaro.
- The Daleks mobilise flying saucers against the Quatch.
- Dalek gunsticks can detach and fire independently.
- Nadel is depicted as having bipolar disorder.
- Davros created two species of Daleks at the end of the Kaled-Thal War:
- The “Renegades”—designed to be merciless and unquestioning—turned on Davros and cast him aside before conquering the universe.
- A second species, embodying pity and mercy, abandoned by Davros for perceived weakness, later returned to Skaro to assist him.
- The Daleks plan to transform the Thals into Daleks to fight the Quatch.
Notes[]
- Recorded 11 & 12 October 2007 at the Moat Studios.
- The notion of Daleks coexisting with the Thals was dropped from Terry Nation’s original proposal for The Daleks.[1]
- The Kaled-Thal War (Unbound Universe’s equivalent of the Thousand Year War) was far shorter, and the Quatch Empire’s involvement was independent of the Doctor’s actions.[2]
- Final Big Finish drama to feature Davros until The Curse of Davros (2012).
- Only performed medium to feature both the Brigadier and Davros (as Unbound versions).
Continuity[]
- The Thals remember their liberation—known as the “[Great Siege]”—led by the Doctor; a similar event occurred on N‑Space Skaro. (TV: The Daleks)
- Alistair fought three Daleks on Earth in 1972; N‑Space saw a similar encounter in Day of the Daleks.
External links[]
- Official Masters of War page at bigfinish.com
- Masters of War at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- DisContinuity for Masters of War at Tetrapyriarbus - The DisContinuity Guide
Footnotes[]
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