In a three-hour epic audio adventure, the War Doctor (Jonathon Carley) is ordered to assassinate a fellow Time Lord, the Barber-Surgeon, played by the brilliant stage and screen star Nicholas Le Prevost. But is the Doctor really capable of committing such an unforgivable crime? 

Doctor Who — The War Doctor Begins: He Who Fights Monsters is now available to pre-order for just £19.99 (collector’s edition CD box set + download) or £16.99 (download only), exclusively here. 

The star-studded cast also includes Ken Bones (as the General), Nicholas Briggs (as the Daleks) and Emmerdale and Agatha Raisin actor Jason Merrells, making his Doctor Who debut at Big Finish as a ruthless Dalek cyborg assassin! 

The Doctor is no more. A warrior has joined the Time War between the Daleks and Gallifrey. But how far will he go? What lines will he cross? How much of himself will he sacrifice? 

The War Doctor has begun to find out who he is – and the consequence of fighting with monsters… 

Each episode in this box set, all written by Robert Valentine, is titled as follows: 

The Mission 

As the Time War takes a dark new turn, the War Doctor is tasked by the Time War Council with locating and assassinating a Gallifreyan renegade waging their own private campaign against both the Daleks and the Time Lords. Who is the mysterious Barber Surgeon, and can the Doctor complete his mission without becoming all that he abhors? 

The Abyss 

The Doctor journeys towards his target through the ravages of the Time War, the trail leading him back into his own personal history. With the Daleks close behind and the mysterious Barber-Surgeon anticipating his every move, he comes to suspect that this is one mission he won't be coming back from. 

The Horror 

The Doctor is missing in action. As Gallifrey and Skaro face total destruction, Time Lord and Dalek forces converge on the realm of the Barber-Surgeon. From his junkyard fortress in a lost dimension, the renegade warmonger is about to create his ultimate weapon... Who or what can possibly stop him? 

Writer Robert Valentine said: “I’ve always had a lot of questions about the War Doctor in terms of how bad he got for the other Doctors to fear and ostracize him the way they do.  

“I think the Doctor feared entering the Time War because he knows that if anyone can finish this, it’s him. He fears that if he abandons his Doctor qualities and values, whatever is left of him would not only be unbeatable but monstrous. 

“I really wanted to test the War Doctor to the limit. With Jonathon Carley playing him and Louise Jameson directing, I knew that whatever I wrote, they would deliver.” 

Big Finish listeners can save money by pre-ordering all four volumes of The War Doctor Begins in a bundle for just £76 (collector’s edition CD box set + download) or £66 (digital download only). 

All of the above prices include the special pre-order discount and are subject to change after general release. From November 2022, new pre-order prices will apply for unreleased box sets. 

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.