Customer Reviews
The best Dalek story - By: Enrique Ovidio Carro Rey, 31 Oct 2006 
This Cd set is a must for any Doctor Who fan. I'm Spanish, & most of my friends say that I must be a freak to enjoy this series,in English, & onlyin audioin the case of the lost stories. But, man, this one must have been groundbreaking at the time. 12 chapters, & most of them really impressive (Mission to the unknown is a wonderful miniature, & the 5 first episodes are among the best I've seen or hear so far, counting from the First to the Tenth Doctors). Peter Purves linking narration is ideal, very helpful, & the remastering is excelent. The cast excels, with top marks to Mr. Purves, especiallyin the impressive scene of Katharina's death. And Nicholas Courtney's Vyon is a wonderful character. I am so sorry that most of these episodes are lost forever. These soundtracks allows us to have at least a hint of what they were. And, though some stories like The Macra Terror or Underwater Menace are enhanced this way (We don't have to see bad monsters, only hearing them is better),in the particular case of The Daleks' Master Plan it is a pity, because this set proves that it was a gloriously epic story. Highly recommended.
Daleks: The compilation show - By: M. Wilberforce, 11 Apr 2006 
I don't know quite what I was expecting from this twelve part story, but I have to admit that I found it remarkably drawn-out & occasionally hard to get through. The audio format may not have helped, even with Peter Purves' carefully paced narration, & the three surviving complete episodes (which I watched on the "Lostin Time" DVD set) were a relief from that format; but at the end of the day, the story is simply too long to maintain its pace throughoutin any medium.
Like "The Chase" before it, Master Plan is too much of a compilation show, with an eclectic mixture of locations visited for one or two episodes at a time. The supporting characters specific to these locations are given token roles, & the actors concerned must have wondered exactly what they were doing there. It's the overarching plot that's the most interesting, & frankly it could have been dealt within half as many episodes as this.
The story thread with the Varga plants, set up wellin Mission to the Unknown, disappears at an early stage, as does the somewhat pointless character of Katarina. Sara Kingdom, who appears for the remaining eight episodes, is a far more effective addition to the cast. Sara might have made a good companion if allowed to continue for longer.
I'm glad to have experienced The Daleks' Master Plan, even ifin an incomplete audio format, & I'm sure that I shall listen to it againin the future (maybe as part of a trawl through the storiesin timeline order). Despite its flaws it is worth a listen - except perhaps for the extraneous Christmas episode, The Feast of Steven (what on earth were the producers up to with that one?).
This release also includes Mission to the Unknown, the one-episode "teaser" story broadcast before "The Myth Makers", the previous serial. Mission to the Unknown, evenin soundtrack, is an enjoyable teaser for the epic story to follow. It's most remarkable for its complete lack of the regular cast, & whilst I was expecting it to be poor, I actually quite enjoyed it. Time passes pretty quickly & the sound design is unusually rich for a story of this era (thanks to the jungle setting of the planet Kembel).
The guest cast do their jobs pretty well, the Daleks are a familiar menace & Peter Purves' narration of the audio release isn't too intrusive, allowing the dialogue & sound effects to speak for themselves.
"No Katerina! Not that switch...Katerina!!!" - By: , 30 Sep 2004 
Originally broadcast over 12 weeksin 1965 & 1966, this now mostly "lost" TV story represents some of the best DOCTOR WHO of the early 1960's. Only episodes 2,5 & 10 are still extantin the BBC's TV archives, with episode 2(DAY OF ARMAGEDDON) only just re-discoveredin January of 2004.
Released now as a soundtrack with a linking narration by Peter Purves - who played the Doctor's companion Stevenin the original production - this is a highly enjoyable way to experience Terry Nation & Dennis Spooner's superbly written adventure. Not only do you get the full 12 episodes, but also the bonus episode: MISSION TO THE UNKNOWN; which was broadcast a few weeks previous to the start of MASTER PLAN as a prologue to the events of the story. This unusual episode has the distinction of being the only TV episodein the history of the show not to feature either the Doctor, the TARDIS or any of his companions.
Essentially the plot consists of the attempts by the Daleks & their allies to gain possession of a rare element (known as the Tarranium Core) which will power the Time Destructor - a device enabling them to conquer the Universe. The Doctor gains possession of the Tarranium, & there then follows a game of cat-and-mouse around time & space.
This is an improved version of the formula usedin a previous Dalek story - THE CHASE (1965). Here we have a similar plot with the Daleks chasing our heroes around steamimg swamps,lush jungles, futuristic cities, historical settings & harsh alien deserts. What makes MASTER PLAN so successful is the way that these whizz-bang, boy's own absurdities are taken so seriously by director,cast & writers. There is an added poignancy to proceedingsin that many of the good guys die, including 2 of the Doctor's travelling companions. This gives the whole an edge of tension & tragedy that makes for compelling story-telling. Here then is what DR WHO has to offer at it's best - an exciting children's adventure series that adults adore.
The Daleks themselves sound great, & are as ruthless & devious as they have ever been. When you listen to stories like this you get a small insight into why the Daleks were as much an icon of 1960's Britain as the Beatles & the mini-skirt.
Added to this mix are some superb performances by William Hartnell, Jean Marsh, Nicholas Courtney (in his first DR WHO appearance, before his later better known role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart) & the marvellously camp Kevin Stoney as the Daleks' power-hungry ally, Mavic Chen. A magic "chemistry" between the actors is evidenced here, making the audience really care about what happens to the characters.
The sound quality is excellent & this set of 5 CD's would have got 5 stars from me were it not for the rather crass episode 7 (THE FEAST OF STEVEN)- a "comedy" episode played for laughs as it was broadcast around the Christmas period of 1965. Thankfully, this silliness doesn't last & is probably forgiveablein light of the populist nature of Christmas episodes of well-known shows.
This comes highly recommended not only to fans of DR WHO, but to anyone who likes '60's telefantasy or the other work of Terry Nation (e.g. SURVIVORS & BLAKES 7).
The Daleks' Master Plan - By: Nicholas Mellish, 05 Apr 2004 Absolutly amazingly brilliant from start to finish (Well, alomst. Let's ignore 'The Feast Of Steven'...)
The sound quality is just superb & the narration really helps to bring the story to life, as it were. Having seen recons for all the episodes, plus Mission To The Unknown (also included on the CD) I can honestly say that this is one of the best Doctor Who stories ever, & the CDs are a real must have item.
Daleks` Master Plan - By: , 17 Jan 2004 The Dalek`s Master Plan is a true classic. The story is absorbing & is a great addition to any Doctor Who collection. The strong narration by Peter Purves helps to bridge the gap between audio & video. Viewing any of the (now) three episodes on video would also be worthwhile for anyone who did not see the original airing backin 1966.
Master Plan borrows some ideas from the previous Dalek story "The Chase", these being the Dalek time machine, the ensuing pursuit through time & the alternative episode ("Journey into Terror"and the comic relief "Feast of Steven" respectively, for the Chase & Master Plan stories). Master Plan also sees the return of the time travelling monk. All of these ingredients work well.
Master Plan has many varied & interesting situations. Clearly, a lot of effort was put into this story. I like the idea of the lead-in episode "Mission to the Unknown", although this idea loses something without having the "Myth Makers" story that followed it. It is a pity also that the identity of the main protagonists was revealed so early on. Keeping us guessing until the end of this first episode would have made it more exciting & still served its purpose.
The Master Plan story progresses through a series of separate situations, each with their respective characters. This works well & adds interest, but the demise of so many companions along the way is a negative. As with The Chase, there is also an improbable sequence of short stays on Earth.
The worst part of the story for me is the ending. Although the climax is exciting enough all we know at the end is that the patrol of four Daleks was destroyed. It may well have been that the main Dalek force deepin the mountains survived. The story ending would have definitely benefitted from a final scene depicting the fate of the Daleksin their underground control centre.
