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Escape the Daleks! was an exclusive-to-audio story from BBC Audio featuring the Third Doctor and Jo Grant, written by Steve Lyons, released on 4 January 2024.
The story was read by Katy Manning, and marked the first appearance of the Daleks in an original BBC audio drama.
Publisher's summary
An Escape room with a sting in its tail is the setting for the Doctor and Jo’s latest encounter with a familiar enemy. Three young graduates and their tutor race against time to crack the codes, open the exit door, and obtain ‘A New Life’ – at least, that’s what the publicity said.
As the Doctor observes proceedings, he begins to suspect that something far more sinister lurks on the other side of the door. To make matters worse, the room appears set to eliminate anyone who doesn’t make the grade.
Working against time, the Doctor and Jo form an uneasy alliance with the gamers. What terror lies waiting for them all? Katy Manning, who played Jo in the BBC TV series, reads this tense thriller by Steve Lyons.
Plot
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Characters
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Worldbuilding
- The 2150s Dalek invasion of Earth is stated to have occurred over a century ago.
- The Doctor explains that the more intelligent someone is, the longer they will survive as a Roboman before they inevitably malfunction.
Notes
- This story takes place between Planet of the Daleks [+]Loading...["Planet of the Daleks (TV story)"] and The Green Death [+]Loading...["The Green Death (TV story)"].
- Despite the multiple Daleks on the front cover, only one of them is active during the story, with the rest remaining in stasis.
- Additionally, the cover Daleks are Grey Daleks commonplace in 1970s productions, yet the narration at one point describes the Dalek eyestalk as contracting and dilating. This was a design feature in the 1960s but not during the 70s or 80s, when standard Dalek props had only a solid white ring on their lens.
- Although not stated directly, it is implied these Daleks are survivors of the 2150s Dalek invasion of Earth, having waited decades for rescue in the century following the invasion after the Daleks fell back, and they are still utilising Robomen. They do not express a familiarity with the Doctor.
- The concept - with lost Dalek survivors hiding in suspended animation while waiting for sufficiently intelligent explorers to unearth them and undergo enforced conversion - is similar to the plans of the Cybermen in The Tomb of the Cybermen [+]Loading...["The Tomb of the Cybermen (TV story)"].
- Previously in 2020, as part of the Time Lord Victorious event, two real-life Dalek-themed escape games, entitled A Dalek Awakens [+]Loading...["A Dalek Awakens (escape game)"] and The Hollow Planet [+]Loading...["The Hollow Planet (escape game)"] were run by Escape Hunt. The latter, a print and play game, acted as a prequel to the former immersive experience.
Continuity
- The characters discuss the Dalek invasion of the 22nd century. The Daleks continue to make use of Robomen and robotisation technology. (TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth [+]Loading...["The Dalek Invasion of Earth (TV story)"], AUDIO: Masters of Earth [+]Loading...["Masters of Earth (audio story)"])
- The Doctor reminds Jo of their incarceration by the Daleks on Spiridon. (TV: Planet of the Daleks [+]Loading...["Planet of the Daleks (TV story)"])
- The contestants recall seeing Dalek casings in a Space Museum. (TV: The Space Museum [+]Loading...["The Space Museum (TV story)"])
- The Doctor states there is no cure for robotisation. In fact, Susan Foreman, David Campbell and Jenny Chaplin discovered one on Earth not long after the First Doctor left them. (AUDIO: After the Daleks [+]Loading...["After the Daleks (audio story)"])