Big Finish Review: The War Doctor 1 - Only the Monstrous

With expectations running high, can Big Finish bring us the Christmas present we’ve been hoping for? can they capture a war that many believe can’t truly be portrayed? or will we be saying “no more” once it’s all said and done? read on!

For a little while it seemed that Sir John Hurt’s War Doctor was destined to become almost a footnote in Doctor Who history, to be relegated to the status of a well-acted plot device. Paul McGann got a book range and his own Big Finish audios, and while Sir John got the excellent Engines of War, it seemed we’d hear little more of this unique incarnation… until today. With Big Finish planning four box-sets, spanning 12 episodes in all (a full series!), it seems we’ll have plenty of Time War shenanigans for some time to come. With expectations running high, can Big Finish bring us the Christmas present we’ve been hoping for? can they capture a war that many believe can’t truly be portrayed? or will we be saying “no more” once it’s all said and done? read on!

Beginning in somewhat overall quieter and more reflective terms that we might have expected, the first story in this four disc set, The Innocent, sees the War Doctor replacing two Time Lords on a suicide mission to strike against the Dalek fleet as they mass for a final assault on Gallifrey. Starting the audio with an action packed pre-credits sequence plays into the audiences expectation and the new War Doctor opening theme by Howard Carter meanwhile will either be adored or hated. With definite nods to the Paul McGann TV Movie (and the recent Damaged Goods release), the theme cuts a suitable militaristic and darker tone than we’re used to.

Seemingly killed in action however and given a full funeral (though in reality, injured on the planet Keska), we’re given the opportunity to get reacquainted with the War Doctor, hear his nightmares of the Time War and gain a deeper understanding of just what makes this unique incarnation tick.

The Thousand Worlds is possibly the weakest story of this initial trilogy, occupying the unenviable middle position of the set. Building further on the War Doctor’s character as he returns to Keska, The Thousand Worlds is somewhat standard fare in terms of story, bridging the gap and building up the final episode, yet one with an excellent plot twist. Assigned to rescue the high-ranking Time Lord Seratrix, the War Doctor finds only betrayal and a deadly alliance as he returns to Keska. Beth Chalmers as the deliciously villainous Veklin is the highlight of this second instalment and the return of Rejoice, who fulfilled the companion role admirably in the previous adventure, was welcome.

Can the Daleks be truly planning a peace? The War Doctor doesn’t think so in the final part of this opening trilogy, The Heart of the Battle. Would it be a spoiler to say that the Doctor is right and the Daleks aren’t really after peace? discovering a plot to destroy Gallifrey itself, not everybody will leave the episode alive. Fast paced and with an excellent resolution where just desserts are served, The Heart of the Battle continues and expands on the character studies developed throughout the set.

John Hurt’s performance as The War Doctor is, as you would expect, sublime, with Hurt recapturing the role as if he’d played it a thousand times and adding new layers of development. Possibly even more maverick and rude than his appearance in The Day of the Doctor, this incarnation shows a manipulative side, an irritability and writer Nicholas Briggs has woven a suitably complex make-up to this near blank slate. Hurt is joined by Jacqueline Pearce as the manipulative Cardinal Ollistra, Pearce is, as always, great value and puts in a show stealing performance in every scene, the listener questioning her motivations and true nature throughout (there needs to be more of her!), the Time Lord’s war here portrayed as far more complex and morally ambiguous than many may have expected.

Only the Monstrous ends up as something more of a character piece than the bombastic Hollywood action spectacle we might have expected, combining the best elements of Big Finish’s Gallifrey range with new series scope and grandeur. With stand-out performances from Sir John Hurt and Jacqueline Pearce, Only the Monstrous builds both on the mythos of the Time War and that of the War Doctor, which Big Finish make their own here. With strong nods to Time Lord political shenanigans and strong action sequences, Only the Monstrous is quite firmly the opening salvo of a much longer story, yet it bodes well for the rest of this series and the ongoing legend of the War Doctor.

The War Doctor 1 - Only the Monstrous is available now from BigFinish.com.