It’s time to listen to and discuss The Mutant Phase
Buy it online using the link above, or listen for free - you’ll find links where to listen free on the story page!
Once you’ve listened, talk about it below! Even if you listened to it before and just want to discuss it - dive right in! Just please use spoiler tags where appropriate.
Everyone who participates will get a coveted Audio Club badge! 
Just for fun, add your rating here:
I listened to this yesterday and I have almost forgotten it today. It is not that it is bad but it is not that interesting. I feel like a lot of 5 stories are like that.
I gave it 3/5 after listening but wonder if that might even been a bit high.
I listened to throughout the week, and while I still enjoyed it as much as I did the first time I think in general it was kind of boring. Might be the fact that I most of the time think that Dalek storylines are boring, or because this one feels like there are too many plot points that intertwined that kind of made the whole thing feel a bit crowded.
Other than that I think the ending is kind of confusing.
But that really doesn’t take away from the fact that I always enjoy stories with Nyssa in them.
This story really kept me engaged for 3 parts, but part 4 was rather messy, especially the end.
The concept of the story just makes me wonder why no one else has thought of it before, it just fits daleks so perfectly - mutation, purity and time travel. Oh and planet-eating dalek insect swarm is cool as hell. Daleks asking Doctor for help reminded me of Asylum of the Daleks, though it makes much more sense in this story. I really like the fact that daleks were in actual proper danger for once, and were even wiped out(?) for a moment there, the only other times I recall that happening was in seasons 1-3 of Revival. The threat they set up actually felt real and palpable, so that’s great.
On the flip side though, that whole stung thing that happened to Nyssa, that the story felt a need to remind listeners of every 10 min, really didn’t pay off and got solved in like 5 min? Part 4 was just not good, human emperor felt weird and just wrong, timey-wimey deus ex machina ending, that they even felt the need to explain again through Nyssa… yeah not a fan.
I feel this story is still pretty good soley based on the first 3 parts, they had a clear idea in mind and executed it well. The best dalek story in the MR so far for me, though that’s not a high bar unfortunately. 7/10
Yeah, I’ve kind of struggled with these early MR 5th Doctor and Dalek releases. This one isn’t quite as messy and bombastic and overambitious as The Apocalypse Element, but it does play with a lot of ideas, with vibes similar to The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Planet of the Daleks and Evil of the Daleks.
I’m still not overly excited about Davison and Sutton, but they are good together. Mark Gatiss is fun with that thick accent of his. But overall, this is a bit boring and quite forgettable.
This is 56/100 for me.
love the little panel with the tardis poking up out of the grass…very cute
Halfway through, meh. It’s fine.
An audio very close to my heart as i got a heavily abridged version free with an issue of Doctor Who Adventures and listened to it so much that I could quote the Big Finish promo and frequently did at school. So this audio will always hold a special place for me as pretty much my introduction to Big Finish
Is the unabridged version better or worse for you?
I remember that! I think I still have a copy of that—although it wasn’t my introduction to Big Finish, it was a very early listen. I had almost forgotten it! I remember the ending being much more confusing than the unabridged version when I listened to it later…
I find the unabridged audio better because theres more explanation for everything happening, the abridged version is a tad jumpy
That sounds like an abridged audio. When I worked hand-picking blueberries in my teens, had an abridged Star Wars: New Jedi Order novel that was only three discs. The novel had two main threads and the audio only featured one of them. Thankfully the two threads were mostly separate from each other so it didn’t seem like you were missing half the book.
Glad I saw the first Dalek story recently, that helped with understanding who the Thals were.
I like that the Daleks for once aren’t the dangerous all powerful unbeatable enemies here, but the ones in danger.
I also like the mystery aspects. Trying to understand how everything fits together. And the paradox is fun. Plus admitting that it doesn’t make sense. I respect that.
But this ‘mystery’ is drawn out over what feels like ages. And it doesn’t feel like things are actually happening during all that time. We do so much traveling and talking and still I’ve learned nothing about the situation.
It was almost not even a story. There are so many loose things happening. Normally those get resolved in the climax when you understand how it was all connected, but when your explanation is so many far fetched science fiction ideas it doesn’t feel satisfying. If you know your climax is gonna be paradoxical nonsense anyways, then why not have some more fun during the rest of the story? Just drop the necessary plotlines and don’t let them simmer for too long.
Basically the narrative just didn’t grab me at all. Though it has good individual character moments. I actually like it more when the nonsense time travel things start. That was at least not as boring.
How it related itself to iconic DW stories is fun. I liked Nyssa. I think it has connections to Dalek War? I’m trying to think of more good things because I remember having positive stuff to say a few minutes ago but I forgot them so until I remember those it’s a 2,5/5
I like it. It’s just good Doccy Who.
I haven’t much to say about this one tbh except I’m glad to have a Fifth Doctor episode that isn’t set somewhere cold again. It’s okay. It’s certainly not the most painful Five episode to listen to in terms of content or boredom, but it’s one that I barely remembered and will probably go on to forget about again.
Nyssa and the 5th Doctor together is a duo I really enjoy. When Nyssa gets to use her scientific background it is always a good thing. Sarah Sutton really manages to splice aristocratic haughtiness with the cool logic of a scientist when playing Nyssa.
I’d say it’s a 3/5 
These early Big Finish Dalek stories are decent enough but doesn’t reach the highs that they do later on. Also the voice modulater is slightly off.
Daleks changing their DNA is it’s own trope, and I never find that it truly works for me - not here, not in Daleks in Manhattan, not in Dalek, it always seem to lessen the impact of the Dalek mission and leave the Pepperpots as less of a threat.
The Mutant Phase is a forgettable story. I just found that there wasn’t much substance to it. Nyssa was less annoying than she had been so far in this series, but really that is faint praise. I gave it a 3/5
I haven’t really enjoyed many Dalek audio stories and this is no exception.
The mystery at first was quite intriguing, and the links to The Dalek Invasion of Earth, but ultimately that didn’t go anywhere. It just ended up being another story about Dalek DNA being impure, etc.
It may have been more original on release but by now it feels like 100th time they’ve done that particular trope.
I enjoy a bootstrap paradox, but this one was all wrapped up in the last 5 minutes and not very satisfying.
Overall it’s 2.5/5 for me.
Honestly can’t add much that anyone else has said in this thread but have to say, listening to Nick Briggs essentially choking on his own spit as a dalek during peak hour traffic sure was An Experience
