Dalek Universe 2 is a Doctor Who audio boxset from Big Finish Productions and has David Tennant return to the role as the Doctor. Jane Slavin and Joe Sims are also back as Anya Kingdom and Mark Seven, agents of the Space Security Service. Ken Bentley is in the director’s seat for this trio of episodes. The Doctor has found himself separated from his TARDIS in a universe where the Time War has yet to happen, and the Daleks remain as large a threat as ever.
Roy Gill starts off with Cycle of Destruction which explores the origins of Mark Seven, the android agent of the SSS. Nina Toussaint-White, John Banks, Avita Jay, and Nicholas Briggs make up the guest cast. This episode turned out to be a pretty good start to this collection. Mark Seven apparently had his start in the comic books or something and was given a voice by Joe Sims. Tennant has been able to recapture the energy that made him so acclaimed on the television series.
John Dorney is the writer for the second story, The Trojan Dalek, which has some vocal assistance from the likes of Blake Ritson, Pippa Bennett-Wilson, Barnaby Edwards, and Nicholas Briggs. The Doctor and his two companions make it to a space station where the thought that the way to defeat the Daleks is to create more Daleks. This seemed to start off with a bit of humor, but the story takes a tragic and gruesome turn when the Doctor finds out what lengths are being taken to defeat the darkest of foes. This one has a very unexpected twist at the end. Dorney is a very prolific writer for Big Finish and is usually quite reliable. He does a bit better than that this time with this contribution. The performances are compelling, and I had a bit of the chills when the Doctor discovers who is in the Dalek casing. Anyway, Dorney delivers a solid one with this one.
Finally, Robert Valentine closes out this set with The Lost. The Doctor and Anya come to terms with a loss and the history of their first encounter. Of course, there is a troubling alien presence known as the Lost. Kevin McNally, Leighton Pugh, and Nicholas Briggs are the guest cast for this one. This is a strangely moving story as well. Anya Kingdom was at one time known as Anne Kelso and traveled with the Doctor, who was in his fourth incarnation, at the time. It ends on a cliffhanger which will be resolved in the next set.
Tennant being back in the role is rather fun. This follows some interesting threads that begin in earlier sets. The Doctor finally has to admit his knowledge of Anya’s family members, Sara Kingdom and Bret Vyon, who were significant to the era of the First Doctor. This set was a bit of a treat for the long-time fans of the series. This particular saga has one more release before the Doctor makes his way back to his proper place in time and place.
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