Polly Wright travelled alongside the First Doctor in nine Doctor Who TV stories from 1966 to 1967. Several decades later, she’s still saving the world. 

The next instalment of full-cast audio drama series The First Doctor Adventures comprises one three-hour story, Beware the City of Illusions, written and directed by Nicholas Briggs, in which Anneke Wills returns as Polly for the first time since 2019.  

Polly has pursued a life of environmental activism after leaving the TARDIS, and sets off to investigate a seemingly utopian eco-friendly city. But all is not right in paradise – when is it ever? – and her investigation leads to the discovery of a looming threat to the planet. 

Help is on hand, though, as she encounters a very familiar face – the Doctor (Stephen Noonan). The problem is, from his perspective, he hasn’t met her yet! Polly is also reacquainted with Dodo (Lauren Cornelius) but, as this old friend is now working for the ambitious politician J-J Radcliffe (Amy Rockson), can she be trusted? 

Doctor Who – The First Doctor Adventures: Beware the City of Illusions is written and directed by Nicholas Briggs, and is now available to pre-order for just £19.99 (download to own) or £24.99 (download to own + collector’s edition CD box set), exclusively here. Please note: the collector’s edition CD box set is strictly limited to 1,500 copies and will not be re-pressed. 

The British government has a plan to drastically improve environmental conditions, thanks to the Gynt Foundation and its mysterious benefactor, ‘Mr Hammond’. But the plan is bold and crucially requires the endorsement of a prominent green campaigner to allay any public fears. 

When the Doctor’s former companion Polly sets off to investigate a fantastic new net-zero city, nothing goes quite according to plan. For one thing, the Doctor himself unexpectedly appears. And for another, the city contains a terrible secret. 

With an older Dodo working for the government, the Doctor and Polly must fight a threat that endangers the whole of humanity. 

The guest cast of Beware the City of Illusions includes Barnaby Edwards, Tom Alexander, and Becky Wright. 

Producer Mark Wright said: “Beware the City of Illusions brings to a close this trilogy of stories that see the First Doctor reunited with former companions decades after their adventures together. The return of Anneke Wills as Polly was always part of our plan, and in writing this story, Nick Briggs was keen to reflect Anneke’s own passionate interest in environmental issues, discussing the plot with her as the script developed. 

“Beware the City of Illusions features action, mystery and monsters, and above all it honours the place that Anneke holds in the worlds of Doctor Who and the hearts of fans sixty years after her first appearance.” 

On returning to play Polly, Anneke Wills said: “Lovely Nick Briggs called me up and said he would like to write a story for me, and what would Polly be doing now, in the later stage of her life? Would she be running a little tea shop in Devon? And I said, running a tea shop? No, she’ll be out there. She’ll be busy saving the planet, because God knows it needs a little help!” 

Big Finish listeners can save money by purchasing Beware the City of Illusions in a multibuy bundle with August 2026’s Second Doctor Adventures box set (title TBC) for just £38 (download to own) or £47 (download to own + collector’s edition CD box set). 

Alternatively, listeners can buy this series as part of a bundle of all 15 Classic Doctor Who box sets released in 2026 for just £285 (download to own) or £352.50 (download to own + collector’s edition CD box set). 

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

Please note that Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mail-out of collector’s edition CDs may be delayed due to factors beyond our control, 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.