John Hurt returns as the War Doctor in September 2016, in three full cast audio plays from Big Finish productions. Doctor Who - The War Doctor 3: Agents of Chaos is the third volume in the ongoing saga, in which the War Doctor and Cardinal Ollistra (Jacqueline Pearce) are thrown deeper into the Time War.

The set opens with The Shadow Vortex by David Llewellyn, in which the Time Lords have detected that their quantum shield protecting Earth has been breached by the Daleks, and the War Doctor is sent to Berlin 1961, at the height of the Cold War, to investigate. There he finds that the Daleks have their own agent on the scene… That agent is played by Neve McIntosh, best known to Doctor Who fans as Madame Vastra of the Paternoster Gang, while the cast also includes Honeysuckle Weeks as Heleyna.

‘I was given a very open brief: Send the War Doctor to Earth,’ says David. ‘So then I started thinking, "Where on Earth (literally) can I picture the War Doctor?" and the first image that came to mind was Berlin's Brandenburg Gate in the early '60s - checkpoints in place, the boundary between East and West. Time War meets Cold War. Then I pictured a Dalek saucer landing right in front of it. Then I pictured the skies above Berlin swarming with Daleks. Then I got really, really excited and I started to write.’

In The Eternity Cage by Andrew Smith, the Sontarans continue their campaign to join the Time War - while the Time Lords and the Daleks refuse to allow them to join in. This may change, however, when the Sontarans score a victory over both sides…

The story will be Andrew's second set in Time War after the upcoming release of The Sontaran Ordeal in Doctor Who: Classic Doctors, New Monsters Volume 1.

Dan Starkey (also known for playing the Paternoster Gang’s butler Strax) is the Sontarans, while Josh Bolt (Last Tango in Halifax, Benidorm) plays Kalan.

‘I was asked to write a story taking for its inspiration Alistair MacLean’s Where Eagles Dare,’ says Andrew. ‘So we have an apparently impenetrable fortress on a mountaintop, and the Doctor leading an elite group on a rescue mission. But instead of the German army trying to stop them, it’s Sontarans! With the Daleks not far away either.’

The fate of Gallifrey hangs in the balance in Eye of Harmony by Ken Bentley, in which the Daleks gain the upper hand, while the Doctor and his allies fight to stay alive against all odds.

‘I grew up watching war films,’ says Ken. ‘They were a staple of weekend viewing when I was a boy, so it was great to have the opportunity to explore the genre in Doctor Who, where we generally avoid anything too dark. But even more exciting is that fact that I've written a play for John Hurt. JOHN HURT!! If you'd told me that might happen when I first started working for Big Finish I wouldn't have believed you.’

The box-set also introduces a new player into the Time War - the Dalek Time Strategist, who is voiced, as with the Daleks, by Nicholas Briggs

‘At the end of Dark Eyes, and the defeat of the Dalek Time Controller, it was hinted that a new 'Time Strategist' would be created in its wake…’ explains script editor Matt Fitton.

‘Daleks never go to war without a plan, and a Time War needs a special kind of planner, capable of viewing the field of conflict through four dimensions and beyond. This is the Dalek Time Strategist: a time-sensitive war-leader, utterly dedicated to achieving Dalek victory over the Time Lords by any means it can.’

The Legends of River Song
Written by Jenny T Colgan, Jacqueline Rayner, Steve Lyons, Guy Adams and Andrew Lane
Published by BBC Books in hardback on 2nd June 2016 [preorder from Amazon in United Kingdom or North America]


'Hello sweetie!'

With those words, the indominitable River Song crashed into the Doctor's life, and has stayed there ever since. Archaeologist, time-traveller, thief, and murderer, River Song has had more adventures (and got into much more trouble) than most other people in the universe. And she's written a lot of it down. Well, when you're (possibly) married to a Time Lord, it's important to keep track of what you've done and when. Especially as it may not have happened to both of you yet. Sometimes she's with the Doctor, and sometimes she's on her own. But wherever and whenever she may be, she's never far from danger ... and excitement!

From an eventful Picnic at Asgard with the Eleventh Doctor, to a solo escapade Death in New Venice, these are just a few tales from River Song's impossible life, recounted by bestselling Doctor Who writers including Jenny T Colgan and Guy Adams.

After months of speculation it is now official, the Twelfth Doctor’s Second Sonic Screwdriver is to be part of the Character Options’ toy collection. The first images have been released with confirmation that the eagerly awaited Sonic will be on sale within weeks!

This new toy version is a faithful recreation of the current Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver which debuted in the Series 9 Episode ‘Hell Bent’. This is the first Sonic to have 4 light modes and four sound FX. The model has been designed as a replica from the Series 9 Prop.

As all fans would know, the Doctor has carried many Sonic Screwdrivers of various designs throughout his lifetimes, ranging from a simple silver coloured tube to more complex illuminated and articulated versions.

This second Sonic for the Twelfth Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, was ‘gifted' to him by the TARDIS itself after his previous version was lost. Although we are yet to discover all of the new Sonic’s abilities, like the Doctor himself, it has become ever more complex and mysterious. This multipurpose tool features numerous settings and can open most locks, detect all manner of deadly rays, read bio-signs and generate Sonic waves of great power.

Alasdair Dewar, Head of Product Development at Character Options commented: “Since this Twelfth Doctor’s Second Sonic Screwdriver appeared at the end of series 9, we have been inundated by fan requests to produce a toy replica as part of our toy range. We are therefore very proud to finally be able to reveal it. The Sonic Screwdriver has historically been one of the most sought after toys for fans and collectors alike and we hope they will be as delighted with it as we are.”

The Character Options’ Twelfth Doctor’s Second Sonic Screwdriver is available from for pre-sale orders from Doctor Who merchandise retailers from today.