Big Finish Productions’ epic audio drama series Dark Gallifrey focuses on the nastiest rogue and renegade Time Lords from across the worlds of Doctor Who. Its second trilogy of 2026 follows the Doctor’s arch-enemy in one of his most sadistic personas – the Decayed Master. 

Geoffrey Beevers – who first played the Master in the 1981 Doctor Who TV story The Keeper of Traken  – returns to the role for the first ever run of audio stories focusing primarily on this tortured incarnation. At the end of his natural regeneration cycle, the Master is painfully disfigured, desperate for a way to extend his life, and full of fury towards anyone who crosses him. 

Across the three distinct episodes, all written by acclaimed writers Lauren Mooney and Stewart Pringle, the villainous Gallifreyan’s latest scheme takes him from a Victorian country house to the Venetian Republic, and then on to medieval York. But what is he after, and who will step in to oppose him? 

The Worlds of Doctor Who – Dark Gallifrey: The Decayed Master Parts One to Three are now available for pre-order from just £8.99 (digital download to own) or £10.99 (download to own + single-disc collector’s edition CD). Please note: the collector’s edition CDs are strictly limited to 1,000 copies each and will not be re-pressed. 

The three horror-inflected tales will be: 

Part One, due for release in July  

Christmas 1896 at the beautiful and secluded Longmoss House. Diana Blount has lived here all her life – but since her father died, Longmoss has lost its magic. 

Now the money’s running out, and Mother says Diana must prepare to marry. This will be her last Christmas at Longmoss, running wild with visiting cousin Charlotte and evading the watchful eye of the one remaining servant, matriarchal housemaid Niamh. 

Then one day, in the shut-up East Wing, Charlotte and Diana’s games and ghost stories begin to get out of hand. The veil is thin at Longmoss, and something is trying to get through – something with a Master to serve.  

Part Two, due for release in August 

Across the canals and through the swirling balls of 18th century Venice, stories of Lupo’s genius fill the air. The greatest mask-maker in the Republic’s history, the delicate brushwork of Lupo is legendary. But Lupo has a dark past, on a burned-sienna planet galaxies away. He made a pact, and an exceedingly powerful enemy. 

And now that enemy is coming, through the ancient, legendary ‘skiproads’, to tear apart everything Lupo has built and unleash his nightmarish powers on the majestic floating city. 

Part Three, due for release in September 

With the Master bearing down, Naava flees through a skiproad to the plague-infected streets of medieval York. She’s seeking her old friend Calix, the greatest of the chronosurgeons, to warn him of the nightmare that pursues her. 

But something else is emerging from the skiproads, something twisted and deadly, tearing chunks out of the panicked city. Naava has only one hope to set things right and escape the Master’s clutches, and he’s hundreds of years in the future, listening out for ghosts of the ancient city. 

Script editor John Dorney said: “The Decayed Master doesn’t have his own series, like a lot of the other Masters we’ve dealt with in Dark Gallifrey. We’ve only seen him in the context of regular Doctor Who, so this was an exciting chance to see what he’s like when the Doctor isn’t around. And what he’s like is ruthless and pretty damn nasty! 

“There’s always an air of desperation about this Master, the determination to extend his life as much as possible. But this storyline sees him embarking on a quite personal quest, with no regards for consequences.

“The Dark Gallifrey series has been a real attempt to go deep on our favourite evil Time Lords, and Stewart and Lauren’s scripts have really leapt at the possibilities of that, with an epic tale sweeping through many times and places and even genres. It’s a rich, dark, complex web, and I think our listeners are going to love it.” 

Big Finish listeners can pre-order all six of 2026’s Dark Gallifrey instalments – which includes The Decayed Master trilogy as well as the current trilogy, starring Rufus Hound and Gemma Whelan as The Meddling Monks – for just £50 (download to own) or £60 (download to own + collector’s edition CD).  

The complete Dark Gallifrey pre-order bundle, including all eight trilogies, each following a different renegade Time Lord, is just £188 (download to own).

All the above prices (including pre-order and multibuy bundle discounts) are fixed for a limited time only and guaranteed no later than 31 August 2026. 

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.