1. Doctor Who: Once and Future: Past Lives

For The Love Of StoriesBig Finish produce fantastic full-cast audio dramas for CD and download.

Doctor Who - Once and Future

Released May 2023

Written by Robert Valentine

Starring Tom Baker Sadie Miller

From US $12.05

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Reviews & Awards

The Time War. The Doctor has been injured and brought to a Time Lord field hospital. His body glows with energy, but this is no regeneration into a future form - instead, the Doctor’s past faces begin to appear as he flits haphazardly between incarnations...

Staggering to his TARDIS, the Doctor sets out to solve the mystery of his 'degeneration'. Who has done this to him? How? And why? From the Earth to the stars, across an array of familiar times and places, he follows clues to retrace his steps, encountering old friends and enemies along the way. Tumbling through his lives, the Doctor must stop his degeneration before he loses himself completely...

Settling as his Fourth incarnation, the Doctor goes in search of the Monk, with a vague memory that he had something to do with his degeneration.

On Earth, the Monk is meddling, bringing Sarah Jane Smith to the future UNIT HQ to steal a device for an alien race. The Doctor must help Kate Stewart and Osgood foil an invasion before he can confront the Monk about what he knows...

**This title will be going out of print when current CD stocks have been sold**

Recorded on: 2 February 2021

Recorded at: Remote recording

Producer David Richardson said: “One of the joys of this anniversary release is being able to savour things that could otherwise never happen - like the Fourth Doctor meeting Kate Stewart and Osgood, or his being reunited with Sarah Jane Smith who is living through the day she was left behind on Earth in The Hand of Fear... It sparkles with magical moments that fit beautifully within Doctor Who’s 60th year.”

Tom Baker (© Paul Midcalf)

Sadie Miller (© Tony Whitmore)

Jemma Redgrave (© Tony Whitmore)

Ingrid Oliver (© Tony Whitmore)

Reviews

Past Lives is a perfect start to the Once and Future event. It’s a Doctor Who fan’s dream come true with Robert Valentine’s script bringing together the Classic and New Series eras to fulfil the hour-long reunion, including the deliberate foreshadowing of The Day of the Doctor which takes place three years later.
Who Companion

Rob Valentine’s entertaining script fizzes with sharply-written characters and sparkling interactions.
We Are Cult

This is a literate, character-facing story. It’s subtle and broad, funny and dark and it’s one hell of a good start to the series. 9/10
Sci-Fi Bulletin

An anniversary story with lots of Doctors in it - sounds gorgeous, right up my street! This really has been written for us, the fans.
Tin Dog Podcast

Here we go into the 60th anniversary celebrating all that is Big Finish and Doctor Who... Tossing in clues and genially distributing the virtual jelly-babies to the grateful listener, this is a delightful coda to the Tom Baker years.
SF Crowsnest

Past Lives has given Big Finish’s 60th Anniversary celebrations the best possible start.
Blogtor Who

It's a nice, fun adventure to kick off the eight-part Once And Future story and left me really looking forward to whatever comes next... there are plenty many callbacks and cameos, as is fitting of an anniversary adventure.
Doctor Who Online

A superb first chapter in what is sure to be an exciting series of audio dramas.
The Cosmic Circus

This is a nostalgic romp and it thoroughly entertains. As an opening chapter it naturally asks more questions than it answers, but it also comes stuffed full of pleasing references and rips along at a pleasing place. Once and Future is off to a promising start – roll on next month! 4/5
CultBox

A superb start to the anniversary, and if this is what Big Finish have set up for the overall celebrations of the television’s 60th anniversary, imagine what they have up their sleeves for when they themselves face their silver birthday. 8.5/10
Liverpool Sound and Vision