Now, the cover and cast details have been revealed for the fourth episode, ‘Two’s Company’, which lands in August. Directly continuing from Time Lord Immemorial, the Doctor listens to Susan’s distress call in the midst of his degeneration crisis, switching between the First (Stephen Noonan), Second (Michael Troughton), and Third (Tim Treloar) incarnations, before settling into his Eighth. He arrives at the Diamond Array, a multidimensional space station, and encounters a cybernetic Operator Zero (Michael Maloney) whom he somehow recognises behind the mask. Robert Valentine’s script for this series opener hits the ground running. Indeed, we only hear the aftermath of the incident which triggers the Doctor’s predicament. Interestingly, we don’t learn which incarnation was initially affected – but the glorious video trailer offers a strong clue.

The third instalment of Big Finish’s Doctor Who 60 th anniversary series is Once and Future: A Genius for War . Doctor Who – Once and Future: Past Lives stars Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor (with special appearances by Stephen Noonan, Michael Troughton, Tim Treloar, Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor’s other incarnations), Sadie Miller as Sarah Jane Smith, Rufus Hound as the Meddling Monk, Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, and Ingrid Oliver as Petronella Osgood. It’s clever to have the Fourth Doctor’s personality with the experience of later lives and it makes the reunion with Sarah Jane all the more charming as he explains he’s “revisiting a past life.” We look forward to further new perspectives on old friendships as the series progresses. A nostalgic romp After episodes which have taken the degenerating Doctor on some tangents, he’s focussed on seeking a cure for his condition. In the trailer, we hear him (as the Sixth Doctor) catching up with former companion and UNIT medic Harry Sullivan.

Reviewed: Big Finish’s Doctor Who, Once and Future – The Union

This story comes from writer Matt Fitton, who has script-edited the series, and will hopefully provide answers to the Doctor’s predicament. It also serves as a family reunion, as the Doctor shares the adventure with both his granddaughter Susan (Carole Ann Ford) and his future wife, River Song (Alex Kingston). While Doctor Who: Once and Future: Past Lives is a strong story from start to finish, there are some issues. You can tell that this is the first part of a much longer story. The chapters of Once and Future are being released over multiple months, in chunks like episodes of a weekly series. Many of the offerings I’ve had from Big Finish have been multiple chapters collected in one set, providing an entire story. Once and future is like getting small snippets to wet my palette, but the length of time between each part feels way too long.

Of course, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann and David Tennant all reunited already this year for ‘ The Power of The Doctor’, but it will be the first time Christopher Eccleston has joined them, or returned to the Whoniverse since his audio series The Ninth Doctor Adventures launched in 2021. It’s also Tom Baker’s first return to Doctor Who since he appeared in a rewritten story, ‘Return of the Cybermen’, for the Big Finish series Doctor Who Lost Stories last year. Tom Baker clearly sounds like he’s having a ball and it we enjoyed his interactions with the new UNIT team. Osgood’s sheer excitement at travelling in the TARDIS is a highlight. We loved Rufus Hound’s Monk too – he also sounds like he’s having far too much fun. Credit must also be given to the hard-working Ewan Bailey and Dan Starkey who voice the villains and other side-characters. We’re only at the beginning of the adventure so we’re just starting to figure out what’s going on. There are many more secrets and mysteries to be uncovered...” 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… We now also know the full cast list, with Abi Harris playing the Roboguide, John Telfer and Toom, and Messrs Baker (Colin), Noonan, McCoy, Treloar and Troughton (Michael) as their respective Doctors.

Doctor Who – Once and Future begins!

Meanwhile, River Song has made a deadly alliance to try to save her husband. And the truth about the Doctor’s degeneration will finally be revealed. Special Edition Once and Future producer David Richardson said: ‘An astonishing array of talent has come aboard to be a part of this epic eight-hour anniversary story. It’s a huge Doctor Who party and a massive celebration that has been years in the making.’ Producer David Richardson said: “This episode is a glorious collision of much-loved characters. It's chalk meets cheese in the Once and Future universe, and there’s so much fun to be had...” It’s not the first encounter for the Fifth Doctor and Jenny, the Doctor’s Daughter, as the pair met for The Legacy of Time. The Curator appears here in Colin Baker form, as adopted the final volume of Stranded, part of The Eighth Doctor Adventures. That makes it a multi-Doctor adventure of sorts, even if the Doctor himself doesn’t realise it!

However, the same cannot be said for Sarah-Jane Smith, played by Elizabeth Sladen’s daughter, Sadie Miller. For a good chunk of the story, Sarah-Jane feels like a surplus character. While she has some plot relevance and her reunion with the “Fourth” Doctor could have made for a unique encounter, I just couldn’t stop worrying that something in this story would damage that wonderful episode. And it does, in a way, for me at least, but it’s difficult to judge based on one episode. Unfortunately, Sarah-Jane isn’t utilized much beyond being needed by the Monk. Overall, The Union is a satisfying conclusion to the diamond arc. Matt Fitton brings together the best elements in the script, delivering 73 minutes of nostalgia and continuity to tie up various loose ends and unanswered questions — almost as strong as The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50, with both entries having more time to flesh out the storytelling and character development. The longer the finale, the better. We’re over halfway through 2023 and the 60th anniversary celebration for Doctor Who is just beginning. The promotional material for the anniversary specials has started to roll out, but the Doctor Who party has been in full swing all year over here at The Cosmic Circus. November is still pretty far away, but don’t worry, Big Finish has you covered for those looking for something special to celebrate the monumental occasion. Spanning eight episodes, Doctor Who: Once and Future tells an epic story that sees the Doctor facing a challenge he has never faced before. The first chapter, Doctor Who: Once and Future: Past Lives, begins our journey with a bang! The special edition CD bundle, which includes numbered CDs, special bonus artworks and additional audio content, is available here: Despite having a lead role in the previous chapter, it’s a shame that the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) wasn’t featured at all with the remaining incarnations. Considering that Once and Future was originally conceived as a six-part story arc, long before Time Lord Immemorial was written and recorded, I can only assume it was down to availability and scheduling. But in hindsight, an appearance from Eccleston would’ve been a fantastic addition, completing the set of Doctor cameos in one story; like with The Day of the Doctor.In this adventure, you’ll get to revisit one or two familiar locations from the Doctor’s past and a lot of old faces.” Terry Molloy said: “The thing I’ve always said about Davros and the Doctor is that they have a kind of a touching respect for each other as well as hatred because they know they’re both on the same intellectual level. And they know they’re both alone.