‘The Curse of Time’ will fit into Tom Baker’s celebrated first season.

The indomitable Tom Baker first burst onto our screens as the Fourth Doctor in 1974. Across seven years he redefined the role, bringing an otherworldly charm to the Time Lord and creating an indelible mark on the series.

While The Fourth Doctor Adventures have been a going concern since 2012, Doctor Who audio producers Big Finish have announced a special release to celebrate Tom Baker’s five decades as the Doctor. The four-part tale ‘The Curse of Time’ takes place in Baker’s debit season, with companions Sarah and Harry.

Here’s the synopsis for ‘The Curse of Time’:

After being dragged through a rip in the time vortex, the TARDIS returns the Doctor, Sarah and Harry to Earth. They are in medieval times, but something strange is afoot.

 The villagers live in fear of the sinister Brotherhood, an order of monks that upholds the sacred laws. Then there’s Faustus Black, with his troupe of travelling players. What connects them is a terrible secret hidden in the Forbidden Forest… a cave from which nobody has ever returned…

The story, from writer Jonathan Morris’, takes place immediately after Season 12’s final serial ‘Revenge of the Cybermen’. It picks up on a story thread which began in ‘The Ark in Space’, as the time travellers discover humanity’s fate after the events of ‘The Sontaran Experiment’.

Sadie Miller stars as Sarah Jane Smith, with Christopher Naylor playing Surgeon Lieutenant Harry Sullivan.

The guest cast are Terence Wilton as the megalomaniacal Zaphiel Ixon, and Angus Dunican as the creepy magician Faustus Black. Plus, Scarlett Courtney as Arnica, and Rosemary Ashe as Mother Cassava.

Producer David Richardson said:

“Can it really be fifty years since the Fourth Doctor arrived in Doctor Who, in the wonderful Season 12, supported by the glorious Sarah and Harry? That really is something to celebrate, and I felt the best way to do it would be to return to 1975 and add an extra story onto the run.

“So The Curse of Time follows on from Revenge of the Cybermen and comes before Terror of the Zygons, as the TARDIS is diverted on its way to Scotland. Jonathan Morris has written a smashing tale that fits perfectly into both the Nerva Beacon arc and the Hinchcliffe years. Happy anniversary to the Fourth Doctor!”

Doctor Who – The Fourth Doctor Adventures: The Curse of Time is out in November 2024 and up for pre-order now. It’s available as a collector’s edition double CD with slipcase (+ download) or on download only, exclusively from Big Finish.