Barbara’s family history

Doctor Who’s very first TARDIS team returns today in an immersive six-hour audiobook, The Missing Hour, with a story that focuses on the time-travelling history teacher Barbara Wright.

Barbara lost her father at a young age, during the Second World War, when his plane went missing while defending Malta. When the TARDIS arrives just a few days before this fateful event, Barbara has a unique opportunity to spend some time with him. But she knows all too well that she can’t change history.

The Missing Hour is written by Simon Guerrier, from a storyline by Fio Tretheway and Guerrier, and is narrated by the experienced audiobook reader Barnaby Edwards.

Doctor Who – The Audio Novels: The Missing Hour  is now available to purchase as a digital download to own for £19.99, exclusively here.

June 1940 and the island of Malta is under constant bombardment. 

Flight Officer Roddy Wright is one of a handful of Hurricane pilots helping to defend the island. He knows the odds are against him.

So, too, does his daughter. In fact, Barbara knows that there are just days – hours – until her father goes missing in action.

She can’t alter history. But until that fateful hour, how can she resist spending more time with the father she lost so long ago? What could possibly go wrong?

Producer David Richardson said: “I love a substantial slice of Season One Doctor Who and The Missing Hour is just that – a deep dive into history as the original TARDIS team take up residence in Malta during World War II. It’s a chance to explore the family history of the wonderful Barbara Wright, as her father Roddy comes to the fore. Simon’s script is detailed and brilliant.”

“Barnaby’s narration is absolutely first class. If you know him best for his work as a director, writer and being a Dalek, then prepare yourself for a treat and settle back to hear one of the country’s finest audiobook readers seemingly effortlessly navigating his way through 60,000 words of text. I’m rather in awe of what he has done with this one.”

Praise for previous Audio Novels releases:

“Orman shows us that Doctor Who has room for all sorts of strange and subtle stories.” – Doctor Who Magazine on The Mirror Matter

 “A must-listen for fans of Jago & Litefoot, and a cracking Fourth Doctor tale to boot!” – CultBox on The Lord of Misrule

“A really entertaining way to spend six hours, and another fine instalment in the Audio Novels series.” – Who Review on The Chaos Cascade

Big Finish listeners can purchase The Missing Hour in a multi-buy download bundle of four Doctor Who audio novels – including the two previous releases, The Lord of Misrule and The Mirror Matter and January 2027’s The Bath Chronicles – for just £70, exclusively here.

All the above prices (including pre-order and multibuy bundle discounts) are fixed for a limited time only and guaranteed no later than 30 November 2026.

Please note that Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mailout of collector’s edition CDs will be delayed, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.