We’re very happy to present another free book extract this weekend — exclusive to The Doctor Who Companion, this time from the excellent The Black Archive series, courtesy of Obverse Books!
This site is celebrating its 9th anniversary, and so, we’re giving away an exclusive sample from The Black Archive #54: Dalek, appropriately a Ninth Doctor adventure in which the most iconic monsters from the show returned for the 21st Century.
This complete first chapter looks at the actual name Dalek, as well as the power of names and words in the story, including how Van Statten uses them to hold power over everyone around him; for example:
“That status ‘Henry van Statten’ holds can also be tied back to his name. It’s a Dutch name, with ‘van’ simply translating to ‘of’ or ‘from’. The ‘Statten’ should then be a place of origin and could refer to Staten Island in New York. This island was named by the Dutch ‘Staaten Eylandt’ to mean ‘States Island’ in honour of Dutch Parliament, but it ends up giving Henry the name that could be translated to ‘Henry of the States’. Henry is a Germanic name that means ‘ruler’. The man who owns the internet is the true ruler of the United States, having a name that privileges himself above all others.”
You can download the full free PDF completely free by clicking here.
Alternatively, you can access it by copying this URL into your address bar: https://thedoctorwhocompanion.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/The-Black-Archive-Dalek-DWC-EXCLUSIVE-EXTRACT.pdf
The book is written by Billy Seguire, co-host of the podcast, Scooby Dos or Scooby Don’ts. Here’s the full blurb:
‘If you can’t kill then what are you good for, Dalek?’
Scriptwriter Robert Shearman’s only televised Doctor Who story, and a rare example of an adaptation from an earlier source, Dalek (2005) reintroduces the iconic monster in an open conversation between the revived series and its parent. This Black Archive looks at fandom and the internet, the nature of museums, the Daleks’ crisis of faith, the Doctor’s post-war trauma and how it applies to the audience, and the ethics of suicide.
Download the full PDF for free here.
A massive thank you to Stuart Douglas and Billy Seguire for letting us share this exclusive extract!
