Editing The Time of the Daleks (audio story)

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{{real world}}{{You may|Time of the Daleks (game)|n1=the board game}}
{{Infobox Story SMW
|image           = The Time of the Daleks cover.jpg
|range           = Main Range
|number in range = 32
|series          = ''[[Main Range]]''
|number          = 32
|doctor          = Eighth Doctor
|companions      = [[Charlotte Pollard|Charley]]
|featuring       = William Shakespeare{{!}}Will
|featuring2      = Matrix Rassilon{{!}}Rassilon
|enemy           = [[Dalek]]s, [[Mariah Learman]]
|writer          = Justin Richards
|director        = [[Nicholas Briggs]]
|producer        = [[Gary Russell]], [[Jason Haigh-Ellery]]
|setting         = {{il|[[London]], [[New Britain]], [[2050s]]|[[Stratford-upon-Avon]], [[19 September]] [[1572]]}}
|music           = [[Nicholas Briggs]]
|sound           = [[Ian Potter]]
|cover           = [[Clayton Hickman]]
|publisher       = Big Finish Productions
|release date    = 21 May 2002
|format          = 2 CDs<br/>Download
|production code = [[List of production codes#Big Finish production codes|8K]]
|isbn            = ISBN 978-1-90365-461-3 (physical)<br/>ISBN 978-1-84435-736-9 (digital)
|prev            = Embrace the Darkness (audio story)
|next            = Neverland (audio story)
|series2         = ''[[Main Range]]'' ''[[Dalek Empire (audio series)|Dalek Empire]]''
|prev2           = The Mutant Phase (audio story)
|epcount = 4
}}{{audio stub}}
{{spotify|album=3TQ4ZSkk1Ru2FvQpymN2RP|height=350}}
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the thirty-second story in [[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]]'s [[Main Range|monthly range]]. It was written by [[Justin Richards]] and featured [[Paul McGann]] as the [[Eighth Doctor]], [[India Fisher]] as [[Charlotte Pollard]] and a cameo from [[Don Warrington]] as [[Rassilon]].

It was the fifth in a series of 6 audio stories featuring the Eighth Doctor.

==Publisher's summary ==
[[Eighth Doctor|The Doctor]] has always admired the work of [[William Shakespeare]]. So he is a little surprised that [[Charlotte Pollard|Charley]] doesn't hold the galaxy's greatest playwright in the same esteem. In fact, she's never heard of him.

Which the Doctor thinks is quite improbable.

General [[Mariah Learman]], ruling [[Britain]] after the [[Eurowars]], is one of Shakespeare's greatest admirers, and is convinced her time machine will enable her to see the plays' original performances.

Which the Doctor believes is extremely unlikely.

The Daleks just want to help. They want Learman to get her time machine working. They want Charley to appreciate the first-ever performance of Julius Caesar. They believe that Shakespeare is the greatest playwright ever to have existed and venerate his memory.

Which the Doctor knows is utterly impossible.

==Plot ==
===Part one===
Inside a ship, [[Daleks]] detonate a [[Temporal Extinction Device|temporal extinction device]] to release temporal energy to change time whilst the famous 'dogs of war' speech from [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare's]] play, '[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]', is being recited. However, the device malfunctions, causing the time fissure to destabilise and the daleks to activate temporal shielding to protect themselves. The temporal corridor collapses, though the Dalek strategist and pilot escape. Meanwhile, [[Eighth Doctor|the Doctor]] and [[Charlotte Pollard|Charley]] encounter a time wave, and Charley reveals that she has never heard of Shakespeare. 

[[Ferdinand (The Time of the Daleks)|Major Ferdinand]] hushes the [[William Shakespeare|kitchen boy]] of [[Viola Learman|Viola]]. They are on air, listening to [[Mariah Learman|General Mariah Learman]] making a speech about delaying an upcoming election whilst [[England]] is under [[martial law]]. [[Priestly]] quietly protests that this is unconstitutional, but Ferdinand says that it must be done to restore democracy and get [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] back, who few remember. Meanwhile, [[Eighth Doctor|the Doctor]] has found a [[time fissure]] that starts in the mid [[21st century]] and ends in the mid [[16th century|16th]]. They go to [[New Britain]] (in the mid 21st century) under Mariah's "benevolent dictatorship" following the [[Eurowars]]. 

They are welcomed by Ferdinand, who believes the Doctor is [[Marcus (Seasons of Fear)|Marcus Hastings]]. The real Hastings arrives, but the Doctor explains him away. Some rebels who believe Mariah is responsible for the memory loss discuss more people losing their memories of Shakespeare, and the nightmares they have. They go to the library to meet Mariah's niece, Viola, who gives them a folio on Shakespeare. Viola believes, as the Doctor does, that Shakespeare has somehow been taken out of time. The Doctor explains that Shakespeare being lost to time due to the fissure hasn't happened yet, but as it becomes more likely to occur, more and more people forget him. 

Mariah reveals she's been experimenting with time travel. She introduces them to Professor [[Osric (The Time of the Daleks)|Osiric]], who has 111 [[Orthopositronium|orthopositronium-coated mirrors]] and over 1600 [[Clock|clocks]] used to attempt [[time travel]]. There is also a 'Master Clock' to which time is enslaved. However, it doesn't work- except for once about a month ago. They plan to try again tonight. Meanwhile, Viola tells Priestly, a rebel, about the Doctor. Mariah reveals that they have partners in this: enthusiastic Shakespearean scholars who came through the portal created by the time machine- and the Doctor hears the voice of some Daleks. The [[Daleks]] claim to venerate Shakespeare. 

Viola tells the Doctor that she doesn't trust the Daleks, but that she needs to focus on the country before Shakespeare. She then tells the Doctor about the nightmares: a world of conformity, no individuality, no imagination, no love. The Doctor says the nightmares will come to pass unless he can stop the Daleks. He to the library, where there is a Dalek, telling him to be careful. The kitchen boy shakes the Doctor out of his stupor, and they check the folio: it's just blank pages. While the main mirror of the time machine shows one of Shakespeare's plays, the Doctor interrupts them, attempting to shut down the machine, but it's too late- the time portal has formed, and Daleks begin coming through. 

===Part two===


The Daleks tell Mariah that their agreement is still in place, and they will return Shakespeare to time if the Doctor builds them a [[temporal stabiliser]] to fix their ship. The Daleks begin exterminating humans elsewhere in the palace, and the Doctor agrees to build the stabiliser. He goes with Viola and Charley to the library to read up on how to build it. The Daleks find that the palace gets it's energy from a [[nuclear reactor]], which they need for mastery over time. Ferdinand tells Mariah that he's distrustful of the Daleks, and knows she's hiding something.

Viola wants to leave. A Dalek orders her to remain, but lets her leave when she says her aunt wants her. The Daleks detect a transmission from Viola, who they take prisoner. Priestly tells [[Hart (The Time of the Daleks)|Hart]], a fellow rebel, how their transmission with Viola ended, but only after she told them it was time to act. Charley and the Doctor go to the time machine, and the Daleks demonstrate good knowledge of Shakespeare. Priestly, meanwhile, attempts to save Viola. The Daleks arrest the Doctor and Charley, whilst Viola runs to get the master clock. They all get to the lab, where Viola holds the Master Clock hostage. Ferdinand delays the Daleks whilst Priestly and his men escape. Viola acivates the Master Clock, and she and Charley have been transported with it.

Charley realises that Viola brought them there on purpose, to the 19th of September [[1572]], and that Viola knows the area. She tells Charley that there's an entrance to another mirror about half a mile away, that will lead them to an outhouse by the palace. The Doctor and Osiric begin building a temporal stabiliser to get them back. The Doctor is taken to a room where Ferdinand is being kept, and notices a mirror in the room. He turns it into a time corridor. They go through it and find Priestly, who has his own mirror.

The Daleks and Mariah talk as in 1572, Viola tells Charley that the rebels have their own mirror. They see Daleks, enslaving humans and exterminating 'weak' workers: the Daleks have changed history so that they've always been the rulers of Earth. This is what the nightmares were of. Daleks see them and begin chasing them. Through Priestly's mirror, the Doctor sees Charley and Viola, banging on the other side of the glass. He and Ferdinand go to Osiric's lab through the mirror and make adjustments so Charley and Viola can try to come back. He tells Osiric to tell Priestly's men to attack the palace. Osiric is able to retrieve them all, including Priestly, who has come through the rebel mirror. 

They see a version of history without the Daleks, which gives them hope. However, they can do nothing while the Daleks kill Osiric, having heard the rebel plans through the mirror. Mariah and the Daleks are now in the hall of mirrors with the Doctor and Ferdinand. Viola comes through the mirror, and, seeing it's a trap, calls back through the mirror to tell Charley not to come through with the Master Clock. However, she does, and she and the rebels refuse to surrender. The rebels start shooting, so the Daleks shoot back, and chaos ensues. 

=== Part Three===


The Daleks persue the rebels as Viola and the Doctor check on Charley, who is unconscious: the clock has absorbed the Dalek attack. Mariah worries that it will be damaged as Charley wakes. Viola and the kitchen boy take Charley away to rest. Elsewhere in the palace, Priestly leads his men onwards, but Hart has forgotten Shakespeare. The Daleks plan to go through the portal to find Shakespeare, but the Master Clock is broken so they cannot. They order the Doctor to fix it, but he threatens to go on strike if he can't see Charley, so they go to her.

Dalek Supreme contacts the Emperor and tells him the extinction device will be powered by the nuclear reactor, once they have the full temporal ability restored. Hart is absolutely convinced of the new timeline: no Shakespeare, but the Daleks have been here forever. They go to the reactor. Meanwhile, Ferdinand and the Doctor talk to Viola, the kitchen boy, and Charley. They send the boy to get food, and a mirror of sorts- he returns with reflective foil. They escape, except for the Doctor and Charley, who are ordered onto the Dalek ship, and the kitchen boy, who stays there. Priestly's men prepare to blow up the reactor. Mariah also goes to the Dalek ship. 

The Doctor is ordered to repair the clock. They sneak away and hack into the systems so they overhear Mariah declaring that she wants Shakespeare dead, with only her remembering him. Meanwhile, the rebels hand out grenades. The Doctor views archived foorage that shows an entire Dalek fleet stuck in the time corridor. 3 Daleks escaped (though the Doctor only found 2 on Earth). The grenades are detonated, though Hart is exterminated. The Daleks note that the clock appears to be fixed, and Mariah and the Daleks come to the Doctor and Charley to activate the mirrors and clocks. They see flashes of History through the mirrors, and then it begins shifting to show the Daleks  ruling history as their victory becomes more certain.

Priestly and the others begin to move into the reactor, ready to blow it- and themselves- "sky high". Meanwhile, Mariah launches into a villainous monologue. The Doctor realises that if the reactor is blown up, the explosion will travel through the mirrors, back in history. The Daleks would be blown up, too, as it would travel into the time corridor to blow up all 1700 Dalek ships. This would "rupture the web of time". The Dalek deploys the assassination squad to the year [[1585]], ready to exterminate Shakespeare as the rebels' sacrifice draws ever nearer. The reactor's explosion is the moment that drew the Doctor's attention, and is the point where everything will change, ensuring the Daleks' victory. 

=== Part Four===


Charley and the Doctor manage to reset the Master Clock, buying them time as the explosion is trapped. The Daleks reach the rebels and kill Priestley. Some Daleks are trapped in the reactor, but others catch the humans. The Daleks in the past are being destroyed in the [[1940s]] and with the Romans (specifically whilst [[Sebastian Grayle|Grayle]] was trying to make a sacrifice). The Dalek says that their ships are now powered by Harmonic Energy, as they created an Eye of Harmony from the technology they stole from the Time Lords when they invaded Gallifrey. The Doctor realises that the Daleks must be trying to create a time fissure with an enormous source of energy so they can have full mastery of time. 

The Dalek tells the Emperor that they have another Temporal Extinction Device, and just need a pilot: Mariah. The Doctor looks through the mirror to see how the Daleks arrived and met Mariah and Osiric in the first place. They see that the pilot Dalek died by temporal implosion. The Daleks take Mariah to the irradiated reactor area, so she can become a Dalek. They have a memory sphere containing Shakespeare's works that she will have access to, so she remembers him. The Daleks begin blaming each other, and one Dalek leaves its casing and dies so the casing can be used for the now mutated Mariah Learman, who recites Shakespeare within the casing.

Charley and the Doctor go to the library to talk to the kitchen boy, who is revealed to be William Shakespeare. Viola went back to 1572 and took him to the present to protect him from the actions that she herself caused- a paradox. A Dalek then arrives and brings them to the hall of clocks and mirrors, where Viola is. The Master Clock does not work, but the Daleks don't know this, and plan to use it to return to the time corridor and activate their temporal extinction device (TED). The Daleks take Charley with them to ensure the Doctor doesn't try to stop them. They try to close down the time corridor once in the vortex, and to deploy the TED. In the hall of clocks and mirrors, guarded by two Daleks, Ferdinand has grenades, and the Doctor cleverly uses them and the mirrors to kill the Daleks. However, Ferdinand blows himself up in the process.

Going through the mirror to the Dalek ship in the vortex, they find the TARDIS, and the Doctor explains that the master clock "working" the first time was actually residual energy from the Daleks' first attempt. The other times, the clock set a date and time, but the thing acting as a temporal stabiliser to allow travel was actually Charley, who is a rich source of chronons and present at every other success of the clock. They reach her and push her Dalek guard out into the vortex. The Doctor, Viola, little Shakespeare, and Charley make it into the TARDIS and escape before the Daleks set off their TED. Learman-Dalek recites the 'Dogs of War' speech. Without Charley to stabilise it, they destroy themselves. Several Daleks escape- the ones who reached Earth at the beginning- completing the loop. 

The Doctor tells Charley that she is the "eye of the storm" at the centre of their recent problems with time. They confess to each other that they are scared as they take young Shakespeare and Viola home. 

== Cast==
*[[Eighth Doctor|Doctor]] - [[Paul McGann]]
*[[Charlotte Pollard|Charley Pollard]] - [[India Fisher]]
*[[Mariah Learman|General Mariah Learman]] - [[Dot Smith]]
* [[Ferdinand (The Time of the Daleks)|Major Ferdinand]] - [[Julian Harries]]
* [[Viola Learman|Viola]] - [[Nicola Boyce]]
*[[William Shakespeare|Kitchen Boy]] - [[Jem Bassett]]
*[[Priestly]] - [[Mark McDonnell]]
*[[Hart (The Time of the Daleks)|Hart]] - [[Lee Moone]]
*[[Osric (The Time of the Daleks)|Professor Osric]] - [[Ian Brooker]]
*[[Dalek|Dalek Voice]] - [[Nicholas Briggs]]
*[[Dalek|Dalek Voice]] / [[Yokel (The Time of the Daleks)|Yokel]] - [[Clayton Hickman]]
*[[Marcus (Seasons of Fear)|Marcus]] - [[Robert Curbishley]]
*[[Mark Anthony]] / [[Army officer (The Time of the Daleks)|Army Officer]] / [[Tannoy (The Time of the Daleks)|Tannoy]] - [[Ian Potter]]
*[[Matrix Rassilon|The Orator]] - [[Don Warrington]]

== Crew==
*Cover Art - [[Clayton Hickman]]
*Director & Music - [[Nicholas Briggs]]
* Executive Producer - [[Jacqueline Rayner]]
*Producers - [[Gary Russell]] and [[Jason Haigh-Ellery]]
*Sound Design - [[Ian Potter]]
*Writer - [[Justin Richards]]

==Worldbuilding==
===Conflicts ===
*The Daleks mention they gathered data from their attempted invasion of [[Gallifrey]].

===Daleks === 
*The Daleks are able to transform people, in this case Learman, into a Dalek via drugs and exposure to [[radiation]].
*Learman causes a Dalek to [[Temporal implosion|temporally implode]] when she touches its arm, as it is a mutated version of her from the future.

===Governments=== 
*The [[Eurozone]] is mentioned.

===Individuals===
* The Doctor makes mention that [[Orson Welles]] did not recognise [[William Shakespeare]].

===Locations===
*The Daleks mention the Library of [[Kar-Charrat]].

=== Technology===
*The Daleks have constructed their own [[Eye of Harmony]].
*[[Omega]] built a function into the Eye of Harmony projecting it fractionally into the future.

===Time travel ===
*[[Time wind]]s rip apart a Dalek.
*[[Chronon]]s appear when there is a working time machine, except chronons are needed to make a time machine work.
*The Daleks plan to use a [[Temporal Extinction Device]] to enlarge a [[temporal rift]] and harness its power for their own time travel craft.
*The Daleks and Learman need a [[temporal stabiliser]] to make their time machines work.
*[[Orthopositronium]] coats the mirrors of Learman's time machine.
*The time portal connects to [[305]], [[1572]], [[1585]], [[1599]], [[1666]] and [[1940]].

==Gallery==
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
File:The Time of the Daleks cover.jpg|Original cover.
File:The Time of the Daleks DWM 609 promo cover.jpg|[[DWM 609]] digital promo cover.
File:Doctor Who Magazine 317 timeofthedaleks.jpg|Art by [[Martin Geraghty]] featured in DWM 317
</gallery>

==Notes==
* [[File:032 The Time of the Daleks credits.jpg|thumb|CD booklet credits.]]This story is marked as being "[[Dalek Empire (audio series)|Dalek Empire]] Part Four".
*Justin Richards originally scripted Learman as a man, but Nicholas Briggs wanted to cast Dot Smith in the role.
*[[Orthopositronium]] exists in real-world physics.
*This story marks the first credited appearance of the [[Matrix Rassilon]] in an audio story, albeit not credited as that. The Doctor talks to him during the narration in ''[[Seasons of Fear (audio story)|Seasons of Fear]]'', and Rassilon is heard towards the end of the narration sequence, but he is not credited there.
*This audio drama was recorded on [[22 January (production)|22]] and [[23 January (production)|23 January]] [[2001 (production)|2001]] and [[27 February (production)|27 February]] [[2002 (production)|2002]] at [[The Moat Studios]].<ref name=":0">'Backstage' tab of [https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-the-time-of-the-daleks-3 the official ''The Time of the Daleks'' page] at [https://www.bigfinish.com bigfinish.com].</ref><ref name=":2">'Backstage' tab of [https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-the-time-of-the-daleks-dwm609-promo-3162 the official ''The Time of the Daleks (DWM609 promo)'' page] at [https://www.bigfinish.com bigfinish.com].</ref>
*This story is set after the [[Doctor Who (TV story)|1996 TV Movie]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />
*The Daleks recite the dialogue from ''Hamlet'' while working on a time machine with [[Professor]] [[Osric (The Time of the Daleks)|Osric]].
*This story was made available for free in [[DWM 609]] via an access code. It expired on 31 December 2024.<ref name=":1">'About' tab of [https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-the-time-of-the-daleks-dwm609-promo-3162 the official ''The Time of the Daleks (DWM609 promo)'' page] at [https://www.bigfinish.com/ bigfinish.com].</ref>

== Continuity == 
*The Daleks using mirrors for time travel first appeared in [[TV]]: ''[[The Evil of the Daleks (TV story)|The Evil of the Daleks]]''.
* [[Orson Welles]] did not recognise a Shakespearean quotation when the Doctor met him in [[New York City]] on [[30 October]] [[1938]]. The Doctor comments on this incongruity by referring to the fact that Welles made several Shakespearean films in the proper timeline. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Invaders from Mars (audio story)|Invaders from Mars]]'')
*The Daleks serve refreshments, and pretend not to be threats, which unnerves the Doctor. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Power of the Daleks (TV story)|The Power of the Daleks]],'' ''[[Victory of the Daleks (TV story)|Victory of the Daleks]]'')
*The [[Dalek]]s use information gathered on the [[Eye of Harmony]] from their invasion of [[Gallifrey]] ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Apocalypse Element (audio story)|The Apocalypse Element]]'') and on the time barriers at the [[Kar-Charrat]] library ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Genocide Machine (audio story)|The Genocide Machine]]'') to construct their [[Temporal Extinction Device]].
*A [[Dalek (Seasons of Fear)|Dalek]] which goes through the mirrors ends up in a [[Rome|Roman]] fort in [[Britain|Britannia]] in [[305]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Seasons of Fear (audio story)|Seasons of Fear]]'')
*[[AUDIO]]: ''[[Neverland (audio story)|Neverland]]'' reveals the identity of the narrator quoting Shakespeare as well as the cause of the time disruptions.
*[[PROSE]]: ''[[Trading Futures (novel)|Trading Futures]]'' makes reference to Learman.
*[[TV]]: ''[[Revelation of the Daleks (TV story)|Revelation of the Daleks]]'' first demonstrated how humans could be turned into Daleks.
*Mirrors were also used by [[UNIT]] for the purpose of time travel in [[TV]]: ''[[Turn Left (TV story)|Turn Left]]''.
*Later in his personal timeline, Shakespeare would meet the [[First Doctor]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Empire of Glass (novel)|The Empire of Glass]]'') the [[Fourth Doctor]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Empire of Glass (novel)|The Empire of Glass]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[Planet of Evil (TV story)|Planet of Evil]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[City of Death (TV story)|City of Death]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Stranger, The Writer, His Wife and the Mixed Metaphor (short story)|The Stranger, The Writer, His Wife and the Mixed Metaphor]]''), the [[Fifth Doctor]], ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Kingmaker (audio story)|The Kingmaker]]'') the [[Ninth Doctor]] ([[COMIC]]: ''[[A Groatsworth of Wit (comic story)|A Groatsworth of Wit]]'') and the [[Tenth Doctor]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Shakespeare Code (TV story)|The Shakespeare Code]]'') With the exception of the latter two incidents, all of these encounters occurred many years earlier in the Doctor's personal timeline than the events of ''Time of the Daleks''.
*Later in his personal timeline, Shakespeare would travel in the TARDIS once again in the company of the [[Fifth Doctor]], [[Peri Brown]], [[Erimem]] and [[Richard III of England|King Richard III]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Kingmaker (audio story)|The Kingmaker]]'')
*The Doctor once again observes, "Lead on, McDalek!" ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[We Are The Daleks (audio story)|We Are The Daleks]]'')
* After dropping off Shakespeare in 1572, the Doctor detected a [[Time Roach]] and followed it to an [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] in [[Scotland]] in the [[1970s]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Foreshadowing (audio story)|Foreshadowing]]'')
*The First Doctor encountered another group of [[Dalek Executioner]]s, also known as the [[Pursuer-Dalek]]s, in [[TV]]: ''[[The Chase (TV story)|The Chase]]''. The [[Thirteenth Doctor]] encountered another group in [[TV]]: ''[[Eve of the Daleks (TV story)|Eve of the Daleks]]''.

==External links==
{{bigfinish|releases/v/the-time-of-the-daleks-3|The Time of the Daleks}} 

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150309055056/http://www.chakoteya.net/8Doctor/main32.html The Time of the Daleks Transcript]
{{dwrefguide|who_bf32.htm|The Time of the Daleks}}
*{{tetrap|8/time.html|The Time of the Daleks}}
*[http://arxiv.org/abs/hep-ex/0311031 An apparatus to search for mirror dark matter via the invisible decay of orthopositronium in vacuum]

==Footnotes==
<references />{{BFA monthly}}
{{BFDE}}
{{Dalek audio stories}}
{{Rassilon stories}}
{{TitleSort}}

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