The War Doctor, announced in October 2015, is a Big Finish Productions audio play series based on the TV show Doctor Who. It sees the return of Sir John Hurt as the War Doctor, a role he previously portrayed in the TV story "The Name of the Doctor" as well as more prominently in the 50th Anniversary special "The Day of the Doctor". The series consists of four box sets, each made up of three hour-long episodes, the first released in December 2015, the remaining three volumes followed across 2016 and into 2017.[1][2]
| The War Doctor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Big Finish Productions audio drama | |
| Series | Doctor Who |
| Featuring | War Doctor |
| Produced by | David Richardson |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Starring |
|
| Music | Howard Carter |
| Release date | December 2015 – present |
Big Finish Productions announced October 2020 that the War Doctor would return portrayed by actor Jonathon Carley, stepping in for the late John Hurt. Nicholas Briggs stated in relation to the recast: "I can confidently say that what Jonathon is doing here will be a fitting tribute to John, in honour of his great work in the role".. Four volumes were announced to be released beginning June 2021.[3][4]
Cast
editList indicator
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in at least one season.
- A green cell indicates the actor is a main cast member.
- A red cell indicates the actor is a recurring cast member.
- A light blue cell indicates the actor is a guest or special guest cast member.
| Actor | Character | Appearances | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The War Doctor | The War Doctor Begins | The War Doctor Rises | |||||||||||
| S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S6 | S1 | S2 | ||
| Sir John Hurt | The War Doctor | ✓ | |||||||||||
| Jonathon Carley | ✓ | ||||||||||||
| Paul McGann | The Doctor | ✓ | |||||||||||
| Jacqueline Pearce | Cardinal Ollistra | ✓ | |||||||||||
| Nicholas Briggs | The Daleks | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | TBA | ||||||||
| Dalek Time Strategist | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||||
| Louise Jameson | Leela | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||||
| Veronica Roberts | Ohila | ✓ | |||||||||||
| Lucy Briggs-Owen | Rejoice | ✓ | |||||||||||
| Carolyn Seymour | ✓ | ||||||||||||
| Beth Chalmers | Veklin | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||
| Honeysuckle Weeks | Heleyna | ✓ | |||||||||||
| Dan Starkey | General Fesk / The Sontarans | ✓ | |||||||||||
| Adèle Anderson | Tamasan | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||||
| Chris Jarman | Rasmus | ✓ | |||||||||||
| John Dorney | Biroc | ✓ | |||||||||||
| Ajjaz Awad | Case | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||||
| Angela Bruce | Andarta | ✓ | |||||||||||
| Stephen Frost | Rondig | ✓ | |||||||||||
| Ken Bones | The General | ✓ | |||||||||||
| Nicholas Le Prevost | The Barber-Surgeon | ✓ | |||||||||||
| Samuel West | Morbius | ✓ | |||||||||||
Episodes
editThe War Doctor faces the Daleks in four seasons of the Time War.
The War Doctor
editSeries 1: Only the Monstrous (2015)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Innocent" | Nicholas Briggs | Nicholas Briggs | War Doctor, Rejoice, Ollistra, Daleks | December 2015 | |
|
The Doctor is discovered injured on the planet Keska and is nursed back to health by Rejoice. The planet comes under attack from an enemy and the Doctor assists with the defence. | ||||||
| 2 | "The Thousand Worlds" | Nicholas Briggs | Nicholas Briggs | War Doctor, Rejoice, Ollistra, Daleks | December 2015 | |
|
The Doctor is sent to retrieve a lost Time Lord strategist from Dalek-controlled space. | ||||||
| 3 | "The Heart of the Battle" | Nicholas Briggs | Nicholas Briggs | War Doctor, Rejoice, Ollistra, Daleks | December 2015 | |
|
The Doctor is shocked to learn that a Time Lord strategist is attempting to negotiate peace with the Daleks | ||||||
Series 2: Infernal Devices (2016)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Legion of the Lost" | Nicholas Briggs | John Dorney | War Doctor, Ollistra, Daleks | February 2016[5] | |
|
When the Time Lords make a deal with the ancient Technomancers to resurrect their dead soldiers, the Doctor learns that there is more to the Technomancers' agenda. | ||||||
| 2 | "A Thing of Guile" | Nicholas Briggs | Phil Mulryne | War Doctor, Ollistra, Daleks | February 2016[5] | |
|
Forced to work for Ollistra as a prisoner of war, the Doctor investigates a Dalek research base. | ||||||
| 3 | "The Neverwhen" | Nicholas Briggs | Matt Fitton | War Doctor, Ollistra, Daleks | February 2016[5] | |
|
The Doctor and Ollistra become caught on different sides of a conflict where Time is shifting to such an extent that their weapons are being constantly adjusted. | ||||||
Series 3: Agents of Chaos (2016)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Shadow Vortex" | Nicholas Briggs | David Llewellyn | War Doctor, Ollistra, Daleks, Dalek Time Strategist | October 2016 | |
|
The Doctor tracks a Dalek agent to Berlin in 1961 to try to prevent a plan to change history. | ||||||
| 2 | "The Eternity Cage" | Nicholas Briggs | Andrew Smith | War Doctor, Heleyna, Ollistra, Daleks, Dalek Time Strategist, Sontarans | October 2016 | |
|
The Doctor must assist a Time Lord strike team in retrieving Ollistra after she's captured by a Sontaran strike force trying to take part in the Time War. | ||||||
| 3 | "Eye of Harmony" | Nicholas Briggs | Ken Bentley | War Doctor, Helayna, Ollistra, Daleks, Dalek Time Strategist | October 2016 | |
|
The Doctor and Ollistra are trapped on an out-of-control TARDIS as they are forced to face a traitor in the ranks. | ||||||
Series 4: Casualties of War (2017)
editSir John Hurt died on 25 January 2017. Recording of the series had been completed and was released posthumously.[6][7]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pretty Lies" | Nicholas Briggs | Guy Adams | War Doctor, Ollistra, Daleks | February 2017 | |
|
Trapped on a distant planet, the Doctor and Ollistra must help defend a small colony while bothered by a time-travelling war correspondent. | ||||||
| 2 | "The Lady of Obsidian" | Nicholas Briggs | Andrew Smith | War Doctor, Ollistra, Leela, Daleks | February 2017 | |
|
The Doctor investigates strange events in the Obsidian Nebula, which reveals that his old companion Leela is still alive despite being presumed dead in the early days of the Time War. | ||||||
| 3 | "The Enigma Dimension" | Nicholas Briggs | Nicholas Briggs | War Doctor, Ollistra, Leela, the Enigma, Daleks | February 2017 | |
|
The Doctor, Leela and Ollistra must protect Gallifrey from an other-dimensional assault organised by the Daleks. | ||||||
The War Doctor Begins
editSeries 1: Forged in Fire (2021)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Light the Flame"[8][9] | Louise Jameson | Matt Fitton | War Doctor, Tamasan, Ohila, Sisterhood of Karn, Rasmus | June 2021 |
| 2 | "Lion Hearts"[8][9] | Louise Jameson | Lou Morgan | War Doctor, Tamasan, Tharils | June 2021 |
| 3 | "The Shadow Squad"[8][9] | Louise Jameson | Andrew Smith | War Doctor, Tamasan, Daleks | June 2021 |
Series 2: Warbringer (2021)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Consequences" | Louise Jameson | Timothy X Atack | War Doctor, Veklin, Case, Tamasan, Andarta | December 2021[10] |
| 2 | "Destroyer" | Louise Jameson | Andrew Smith | War Doctor, Veklin, Case, Tamasan, Daleks | December 2021[10] |
| 3 | "Saviour" | Louise Jameson | Jonathan Morris | War Doctor, Veklin, Case, Rondig, Daleks | December 2021[10] |
Series 3: Battlegrounds (2022)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Keeper of Light"[11] | Louise Jameson | Phil Mulryne | War Doctor, Tamasan, Dorothy, David | May 2022 |
| 2 | "Temmosus"[11] | Louise Jameson | Rossa McPhillips | War Doctor, Tamasan, Thals, Daleks | May 2022 |
| 3 | "Rewind"[11] | Louise Jameson | Timothy X Atack | War Doctor, Tamasan, Daleks | May 2022 |
Series 4: He Who Fights with Monsters (2022)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Mission"[12] | Louise Jameson | Robert Valentine | War Doctor, The General, The Barber-Surgeon | December 2022 |
| 2 | "The Abyss"[12] | Louise Jameson | Robert Valentine | War Doctor, Leela, The Barber-Surgeon, Daleks | December 2022 |
| 3 | "The Horror"[12] | Louise Jameson | Robert Valentine | War Doctor, The Barber-Surgeon, Daleks | December 2022 |
Series 5: Comrades-in-Arms (2023)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Mother's Love" | Barnaby Edwards | Noga Flaishon | War Doctor, Case, Veklin | May 2023 |
| 2 | "Berserker" | Barnaby Edwards | Timothy X Atack | War Doctor, Case, Daleks | May 2023 |
| 3 | "Memnos" | Barnaby Edwards | Phil Mulryne | War Doctor, Case, Daleks, Dalek Time Strategist | May 2023 |
Series 6: Enemy Mine (2023)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Hybrid's Choice" | Helen Goldwyn | Ajjaz Awad-Ibrahim | War Doctor, Case, Daleks, Dalek Time Strategist | December 2023 |
| 2 | "Fear Nothing" | Helen Goldwyn | Mark Wright | War Doctor, Case, Tamasan, Daleks, Dalek Time Strategist | December 2023 |
| 3 | "Exit Strategy" | Helen Goldwyn | Matt Fitton | War Doctor, Eighth Doctor, Case, Daleks, Dalek Time Strategist | December 2023 |
The War Doctor Rises
editSeries 1: Morbius The Mighty
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Part One" | Bethany Weimers | Tim Foley | War Doctor, Morbius, Daleks | August 2024 |
| 2 | "Part Two" | ||||
| 3 | "Part Three" | ||||
Series 2: Unknown Soldiers
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Part One" | Helen Goldwyn | Timothy X Atack | War Doctor, Daleks | December 2024 |
| 2 | "Part Two" | ||||
| 3 | "Part Three" | ||||
Awards and nominations
edit| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Work(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audie Awards | 2017 | Best Audio Drama | Only the Monstrous | Nominated | [13] |
| Scribe Awards | 2023 | Best Audio Drama | He Who Fights with Monsters | Nominated | [14] |
References
edit- ^ "Doctor Who: The War Doctor". Big Finish Productions. 5 October 2015.
- ^ "Doctor Who? John Hurt To Return As The War Doctor In New Stories". Forbes. 5 October 2015. Archived from the original on 8 October 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "Doctor Who's War Doctor to be recast for new prequel series from Big Finish". Radio Times. 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "Doctor Who is recasting one of the Doctors for all-new Time War series". Digital Spy. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "John Hurt returns to battle the Daleks in new War Doctor trailer". Radio Times. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- ^ "John Hurt's War Doctor Returns in Final Audio Tales". geek.com. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "John Hurt's Final Performance As The War Doctor". Bleeding Cool. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ a b c "Back to the beginning of the War Doctor". Big Finish Productions. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ a b c "1. Doctor Who: The War Doctor Begins 1". Big Finish Productions. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "2. Doctor Who: The War Doctor Begins 2". Big Finish Productions. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "3. Doctor Who: The War Doctor Begins 3". Big Finish Productions. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "The Time Lord Who Fights Monsters". Big Finish. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ "2017 Audie Awards® - APA (En-US)".
- ^ Hughes Media Internet Limited (13 July 2023). "Big Finish Scribe Award Nominations 2023 - News". Big Finish. Retrieved 13 July 2023.