Doctor Who: The Apocalypse Element

Big Finish: Monthly Range #11

by Stephen Cole, Colin Baker (Narrator), Maggie Stables (Narrator)

When the planet Archetryx is threatened by a Dalek assault squad, the Doctor and Evelyn become embroiled in an ever-deepening mystery. What has become of President Romana, missing for twenty years? What lurks in the vast gravity wells of Archetryx? What is the secret of the ancient element the Daleks are synthesising - and how does Gallifrey feature in the plans?

The Doctor finds that if his oldest enemies cannot conquer the universe they will watch it go up in flames...

Chronological Placement: This story takes place between the television adventures, The Trial of a Time Lord and Time and the Rani.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, Media Tie In, Time Travel

Audio Play

First published August 1, 2000

About the author

See also: Steve Cole.

Stephen Cole (born 1971) is an English author of children's books and science fiction. He was also in charge of BBC Worldwide's merchandising of the BBC Television series Doctor Who between 1997 and 1999: this was a role which found him deciding on which stories should be released on video, commissioning and editing a range of fiction and non-fiction titles, producing audiobooks and acting as executive producer on the Big Finish Productions range of Doctor Who audio dramas.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second instalment of the Dalek Empire arc sees The Sixth Doctor and Evelyn battle the Time Lord’s oldest foe.
It’s also nice to hear Lalla Ward as Romana again!

There’s plenty of action set pieces that help drive the story along, at times it’s easy to imagine this as The Time War.

It’s not the easiest story to follow, but there’s plenty of nuggets for longtime fans of the show to enjoy.
Especially The Eye of Harmony!

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gallifrey Series 6: lol remember that time we had Romana tortured and enslaved by Daleks for 20 years?

Me, choking on my third bowl of lockdown cereal: Remember when the Daleks what now???!!

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that was fucking brilliant!! 👏👏👏 everything you want from a doctor who story! Daleks, war, destruction, the doctor panicking because he doesn't know what to do and if he can actually win but he doesn't give up! This is simply perfect and add in Romana as the president and you've won at the doctor who bingo! Ooooohh boy honestly what a story 👏 😍

[April Mccaffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Life does win. Whatever the Daleks may say."
-The Sixth Doctor

The President who held Romana's seat for 20 years whilst she was enslaved by the Daleks fought for her Presidency and made sure that she had her office back upon her arrival, is perhaps one of the more noble President's Gallifrey's had.

No malice. No backstabbing. Just pure respect for a woman who has suffered a horrible, 20 years as prisoner of the Daleks who was only in her first term in office at the time of her capture.

Sixth Doctor: Vansell, let's pool our experiences.
Vansell: Very well. Telepathically?
Sixth Doctor: Telepathically. Contact.
Vansell: Contact.

Blerg blerg telepathic noises commence.

-

I haven't listened to this story in a while, so it is good to revisit it for those extra Romana feels. We were honestly robbed of not having more stories featuring Romana and Evelyn. I feel like these could have been the ultimate duo of sass against the Doctor. The three of them would have been amazing together.

This story was great, and I love Vansell in this. (And his reoccurring theme throughout the series of appearing and getting killed off.)

Whenever I'm annoyed at the current state of Who and it's plot on the Timeless child, relistening to my favourite series helps to soothe me.

[Kelly McCubbin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, let's get the nerdy stuff out of the way... This story marks the return of the wonderful Lalla Ward as Romana. Yay! This story tells of the event that starts the Time War so often referenced in the new series. Neat! This is the second of the Dalek Empire saga which eventually spins-off into a separate audio series. Useful! This explains why the Doctor is NOT half human. Nobody cares anymore. This is the third of the Sixth Doctor's adventures with Evelyn Smythe, and they are adorable. Awww!
I don't much care for splody Dalek stories. Like the Cybermen, when it gets all splody, they are reduced to being generic militaristic bad guys. There's not much to them anymore. That said, their plan in this story is surprisingly complex and, well, for a while, splody is pretty fun. But then the story commits three narrative no-nos that I just can't truck with anymore. They introduce a magic wand (the gems), they forklift the techno babble like they need it to breathe and they bend over backwards, irrationally, to explain a small bit of continuity (Eye of Rassilon/Doctor doesn't have a human mother). Eventually the consistent battery from these clunky devices wears away at the fun you thought you were having and it turns, a little, into a headache.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sixie and Evelyn's first recorded (hah!) adventure in an intergalactic milieu! Lots of Time Lords whizzing about, various aliens, a missing planetoid, carnage...Daleks invading Gallifrey! Romana pops up here, the Doctor slowly builds from a simmer to a total ranter, some great dialogue ('I never thought I'd see a Dalek silly mid-off', 'It's the right body but I think I'm in the wrong order). Lots of action and one of the most terrifying Dalek plots yet. Very cool stuff, and also serves as backstory to the Time Wars. My only problem was the amount of pseudoscientific gobbledygook at times. But that's kind of a feature of this series, isn't it?

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the hell did I just listen to? This made zero sense.

[H.K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of the best audios I've listened to. Romana was just absolutely awesome in this, and the Sixth Doctor was fantastic. The battle was gripping and suspenseful too. Evelyn is quite a charming companion. Definitely a favorite.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a great audio adventure but not the worst.

The daleks felt that bit more menacing in this story and Romana is in it along with other timelord characters that won't stick out in my memory for long.

Missing planets reminds me a bit of the tenth doctor from series 4 and Davros moved the planets.

[Trin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fundamentally not my kind of story -- lots of explosions and lots of Daleks -- but well done for what it is. It's nice to see the Doctor reunited with Romana; this early Time Lord/Dalek clash gives some interesting insight into why Romana might become so "defeat the enemy at all costs" later in the EDAs (if you do consider Big Finish and the EDAs to be part of the same continuity, but that's a WHOLE other kettle of fish); and I like the cheeky explanation for why in the heck the Eye of Harmony can only be opened by a human in the TV movie. Good one, Stephen.

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Time Lords were such bores. I'm glad they're dead.

[Isaac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ultimately I do think its ending makes it worth the listen, but my god is it tedious before then. The Apocalypse Element is a Six and Evelyn story, a combination I'm usually fond of. And Colin Baker is on absolutely fine form in this story, in the second half at least. But Evelyn was not portrayed well. In the beginning she was very manic and weird, and towards the end she was far too blase - the latter was on purpose, but I found it very unbelievable. This story also reintroduces Romana... and then does absolutely nothing with her. Her reunion with the Doctor should've been emotional and poignant, but it's just a footnote in the plot. There was some truly bafflingly bad acting in this story - Trinket especially was portrayed terribly. And Romana's introductory monologue was frankly ridiculous. It was literally just Romana expositing about what she'd been through to absolutely no one, solely for the benefit of the audience. The idea that the daleks would literally refer to their superior as simply "the Black Dalek" was utterly laughable, and identifying the dalek solely by how it looks in an audio story is ridiculous. The first half of the story is intensely boring, and the mechanics of the plot are simply incomprehensible. The final plot twist is excellent, however, and completely saves the story. It's surprising that a story this mediocre manages to be one of the few stories in Who to actually do something really interesting with the daleks.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

2012: The biggest problem with this story is the amount of technobable. It also doesn't help that the crux of the plot is a random new element that can destroy the universe. There are some cool bits, since Dalek mutants get to fight in an interesting manner. The Sixth doctor does fine, but he could be swapped out for any doctor really which is kind of a shame as he doesn't get to do anything really special. Evelyn was a welcome addition, and I would say she really gets the best lines and manages to keep this grim adventure relatively light. It is fantastic to have Lalla Ward back as Romana II, but I really wish they would have done more with her. The supporting cast were okay, but largely stereotypical. I was just left with a very underwhelmed feeling which was odd considering the grand scale of this adventure.

2021: I largely agree with 2012 me, though I am decreasing the score from three to two. Evelyn’s lines are weirdly comical given all the death. Also, the storyline is just dull with corridor running and nonsense. It’s especially weak coming after Evelyn’s first two journeys.

[Nicholas Whyte]

brings the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn - clearly one of the great pairings of Doctor Who - to the back-story of the Gallifrey audios (and a sequel of sorts to The Genocide Machine). Negotiations on a Time Treaty between Gallifrey and the other time-travelling powers are at a climax, Romana as President has been missing for twenty years, and of course it turns out that the Daleks are behind it all. OK, poor old Gallifrey has been under siege so many times now that it is surprising the place is still standing, but I really enjoyed this one - everyone seems to be on top form, and I begin to believe those who say that Colin Baker's performance in the audios shows what a great Doctor he could have been on TV, if he had given better material to work with.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should probably give this one another listen sometime when I'm in a different mood, because despite having so many good elements, it just didn't grab me. It's very reminiscent in feel to a lot of the Gallifrey audios, which I generally love, but I just had trouble focusing on what was going on. And despite the epicness of the stakes, the actual action mostly involved running around in corridors.

[Dodau · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listen to one of these every two weeks or so and there is a gap of 4 or 5 audios between the Dalek Empire series so its hard to remember what happened in the last part. A previously on recap would be good. Other than that the sixth doctor is my least favourite(sorry Colin) so I like his audios the least. I do like Evelyn though in my mind she looks like Anne Hathaway, the Governess, from The Chase.
Ultimately this was confusing and by the end I stopped caring who won.

[Jadetyger Sevea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid audio. Unfortunately, a bit convoluted at times. I had a hard time following the storyline. Still, it was good hearing Romana with the Sixth Doctor, and I could see this easily dovetailing into the Gallifrey audios(though I'm not clear if this is a direct prequel to those or not).

[Seb Hasi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story really toed the line between crushing tedium and painfully misconceived, taking an interesting premise and providing an uninspired plot. The Daleks didn’t really need to be in this is a simple realisation, especially when you realise neither did the time lords. There is the odd bit of interesting fun on Gallifrey, but for the most part it was just to have bland people provide exposition. The Doctor and Evelyn are yet again a fantastic pairing, and their charming bond and general craziness to others is what makes me love them both a lot. Romana being in this one really was just to set up the Gallifrey spin off and didn’t do much with her really. She also just stands there either providing exposition or just fretting. There isn’t great character development for anyone in this story, as it clearly used to provide set ups for later releases.

Not much occurs in part two, nor part three; it is then so f’ing much in the last two parts. The Daleks big and pointless plan really occupies most of the runtime in the latter part of the story, and the first two its just in the background. The protagonists get a lot of presence in the first half but mostly it’s running around panicking, which made no one really likeable. There were definitely far too many locations in this one, and having the cast be in fifths split evenly across was just weird. Every episode feels so frenetic and disparate which doesn’t help the episodes feel distinctive, it just made each episode jarring and continuity ruining. There is some nice music and sound design here but those are more fundamental elements, and no matter how good the Daleks sounded stuff like, them invading the same place eight times, didn’t really mask anything much.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been listening to and enjoying the Big Finish Doctor Who stories after wanting to follow the Eighth Doctor's adventures. They've ranged from good to excellent and I've been greatly enjoying them. The next Eighth story, The Time of the Daleks, is the final part in a crossover between other stories, so I've been listening to the prior ones before returning to the 8th's journey.

Part one, The Genocide Machine with the Seventh Doctor and Ace, is a great audio adventure and suitable for someone who hasn't been following that incarnation's adventures to dip into.

The Apocalypse Element, however, is a mess. The story is extremely difficult to follow and it's hard to tell what's going on where and with whom. What action is intelligible seems to be mainly running down corridors with similar characters shouting at each other. A large issue with this instalment is the difficulty in telling people apart. Colin Baker's Sixth Doctor is always nice to listen to (and his (over)acting in this is exquisite), but Evelyn, Romana and Trinket have such similar accents and delivery that it's extremely hard to tell them apart, leading to further confusion in what's actually happening.

Romana being a Dalek slave for two decades could have added some intrigue and angst to the story, but this aspect isn't expanded on at all. The Daleks, usually compelling and threatening villains, do little more than shout, shoot and cause explosions throughout the narrative. There's a genuinely interesting revelation at the story's conclusion which without, this story wouldn't be worth the effort listening to and following.

A rare disappointing Doctor Who audio adventure.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part1

強い力に引っ張られ惑星アーキトリクスのベーシング・ポートに緊急着陸したターディス。ドクターとイブリンは侵入者として逮捕されそうになるが、タイムロードのヴィンセルが二人は会議に出席するタイムロードの大統領の個人スタッフと身分を保証。新しいエネルギーがアーキトリクスの星系の惑星エトラプライムで発見。ところが20年前に惑星が消滅。その後、惑星は行方不明、原因も未だ解明されていない。その消えた星と共にロマーナも消えたと知らされ、ショック受けるドクター。重力井戸の接近で宇宙港内の計器が狂いをみせる中、ベーシング・ポートで大爆発がおこりダーレクが侵入してくる。

Part２

重力井戸の原因は消滅したはずの惑星エトラプライムの最接近だった。ロマーナは20年間ダーレクに囚われていた。ダーレクはアーキトリクスの港で奪ったモーナン人のタイムマシンをロマーナの知識で分析させようとしていた。ドクターはロマーナを助けるために重力井戸の中へ降りていくと、トランスマットを利用して脱出したロマーナと再会。会議の出席者は一丸となって港を奪還し、各自のタイムマシンでアーキトリクスを脱出しようと試みる。ギャリフレイではダーレクから逃れてきたモーナン人が助けを求め、上陸許可を求めていた。

Part3

アーキトリクス消滅。ギャリフレイもダーレクの駆逐艦に侵入され大攻撃を受けていた。ドクターとロマーナはイブリン、アーキトリクス人とモーナン人の生き残りであるトリンケットとブリントの力をかりて、ダーレクの侵攻を食い止めるため命がけの戦いに身を投じる。

Part4

イブリンの言葉からダーレクがギャリフレイを滅ぼすのを防ぐために"アイ・オブ・ハーモニー（Eye of Harmony）を使うことを思いつくドクター。ドクターとロマーナのために、イブリンとヴィンセル、トリンケット、モーナンは時間を稼ぐために陽動作戦をしかける。一方、タイムロードの大統領はダーレクと交渉し、これ以上の殺戮を止めよう路するが、ダーレクによって殺されてしまう。

 

 

感想

この結果、大統領に返り咲いたロマーナがギャリフレイを武装化することを決意。ドクターはすべてをロマーナに押し付けてイブリンと旅に出てしまったけど、後々のことを考えるとそれでよかったのか悩むところ。ダーレクはあっさり、惑星を消滅させたり、種族を滅ぼしてしまうので本当に手に負えない。すべてを破壊するという望みを叶えたら、ダーレクはどうするのだろうと不思議に思ったり。暗い展開の中で、イブリンだけがいつもの調子を失わない。タイムロードとダーレクの戦場でも臆することのないイブリンは本当に最強。ドナを彷彿とさせ、重苦しく長い今回の作品を聴くのにもイブリンの明るさに随分と救われた気がする。タイム・ウォーとはなんだったのかを知りたいと思っていたけれど、シリアスばかりのドクターはドクターっぽくなくてちょっと辛い。

[Lachlan McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good story overall though I think near the beginning there's a lot being set up, this really feels like long term set up for the Time War in many ways and it's great to see that conflict and how powerful the Daleks can be.

Lalla Ward is great though Romana is just good in this story, however Six and Evelyn once again show why they're such a good duo. The Sixth Doctor is a fully settled and great incarnation but he slips into moments of arrogance and anger in this story but it feels well written and like a flaw that was fully intentional.

Despite a great Timelords vs Daleks epic Evelyn Smithe once again steals the show at points and is instrumental in the later stages of the story despite being somewhat out of her depth.

This story isn't perfect but has some great scenes that have awesome imagery for me and The Doctor feels like he's firing on all cylinders in an impossible situation here; at his best really.

Overall, by the end I loved it even if the Timelords are a little pedestrian at points. Maybe these are the Timelords that get greater and more powerful in fear and preparation for what the Daleks can do.
Alas, a great story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Available on Spotify.

[Mh430 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot happens in this audio adventure. A lot. The Doctor is reunited with the Time Lady Romana, he returns to Gallifrey just before it's invaded by the Daleks, and the entire Universe is almost destroyed. This story could easily be spun out to twice its length so as is it moves at a frantic pace and some of the lesser plot lines don't get proper resolutions. Naturally there's a big cast of characters and another quibble with this work is that the vocalizations of a few supporting characters needed to be more distinctive because I had trouble following what was going on in some scenes. Still Colin Baker and Lalla Ward were both terrific which makes this a can't miss installment for Who fans.

[Raul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent installment of the Doctor Who series with the sixth, Colin Baker, and with companion Time Lady, Romana (Lalla Ward). Chibnall and company should have decided to spin off the series with a parallel Time Lady like a Romana instead of giving us what he did in the 13th on the BBC program. But THAT is another story. Much action and audio special effects to keep one engaged with good ol' English accents and grammatical usage to keep us 'colonists' on the edges of our seats. Loved the collaboration between the cast members and the over-the-top, universe-ending drama. I am looking forward to listening to the next in the series!

[Gareth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seems a bit of a divisive story this one, but I really enjoyed it. I think it shows well the malevolence and cunning of the Daleks, and how ruthless they are as well. Couple of points that probably pull it back to a 4.5 for me are the amount of exposition required at times due to the complexity of the Dalek's plot, and some of Evelyn's dialogue doesn't come across well, seeming somewhat glib given the situation. Otherwise, the Doctor is in good form here, Romana is a welcome return and the supporting cast help heighten the emotions. Very good Dalek story this one for me.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sixth Doctor in an adventure with Evelyn that later involves the Daleks and even Romana? That's quite the recipe for a thrilling adventure and this Big Finish audio drama does do well to deliver on that sort of a promise. It was interesting to have the Sixth Doctor face off against the Daleks with his particular brand of dealing with threats and the looming mystery of what had happened to Romana was quite intriguing. The narrative is structured pretty well as things just seem to get worse and worse despite the limited successes initially - but of course, they manage to triumph in the end.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. I enjoyed hearing Lalla Ward back (though whytf did the Doctor just leave her enslaved for 20 years?? What?? Also, not a spoiler), but I thought it was a bit...I don’t know if convoluted is the right word, but maybe a bit high on action for an audio adventure in a way that felt a bit ambiguous? Not sure. Like I said - it was fine. I thought Colin Baker in particular did some solid acting.

[David Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am perplexed about why this one is not rated higher. There are only two drawbacks for me: it is played rather on one note, and the exact nature of the Apocalypse Element never gets explained well. However, the Daleks come across in the auio format as a true menace. The story itself is an extended "assault on..." and works very well given the Daleks' reputation as military tacticians. All the acting is top quality. The plot holds together quite well.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colin Baker's inability to underact is a much better fit for this format than the previous story from Davison. You really get the sense that he's running about the studio trying to save everyone. That said, the ending feels a little like it's leaving room for another story - not quite as nearly tired off as I'd have liked.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is a canon important story for the Time War story, it just goes on too long. A lot of the drama just is not there for me. I feel the time war and 6 don't mesh the best. 8 or 10 or the War Doctor just for the environment better where as 6 in these high intensity moments do better in subtle situations.