Dark Gallifrey’s first trilogy focusses on the fallen Time Lord President Morbius. 

The highly-anticipated Dark Gallifrey series launches today, with a four-year mission to explore evil renegades of the Doctor’s own race.

The first trilogy in the saga focusses on Morbius, with the former Time Lord President and warmonger once again brought to life by Samuel West, who reprises the role after 16 years.

Samuel West said:

“I remember seeing The Brain of Morbius when I was nine years old. I remember of course the final mental duel – the visual effects were so cutting edge at the time, it was brilliantly acted by both of them, and it was properly frightening, not just for a nine-year-old.

“I’m enjoying playing Morbius again very much. It’s a really fine script. Morbius is a revolutionary who believes that in order to make things better, you have to destroy them. He has an extra portion of chips on his shoulder about the way he was treated by Gallifreyan society, which has become twisted out of all proportion. World domination is a byproduct of cleansing society, but he’ll take it.”

Writer Tim Foley adds:

“Imagine Dark Gallifrey: Morbius as a nautical gothic novel with twists and turns ahoy. We’ll explore Morbius’s origins, hear of Gallifrey’s recent civil war, and meet Time Lords old and new. Imagine Dan Simmons’ The Terror meets Doctor Who Magazine’s The Tides of Time. These three releases form a standalone mini-series, but they do set up events and questions for the Dark Gallifrey stories to come.” 

Dark Gallifrey: Morbius Part 1 is out now, with Parts 2 and 3 following in May and June respectively.

A second trilogy, starring Sir Derek Jacobi as The War Master then follows across July, August and September.

The saga continues until 2027 and it’s all available to pre-order now from Big Finish.

Original article (of 28/02/24) follows…

Dark Gallifrey: Morbius – Big Finish reveal trilogy story details

The epic series begins with a trilogy starring Samuel West as the despotic former Time Lord President.

Earlier this month, Doctor Who audio producers Big Finish revealed its plans for a new four-year series named Dark Gallifrey. The epic 24-part saga will feature villainous renegades from the Doctor’s own race and explore them across eight trilogies.

The action begins in April 2024 with the first story focussing its spotlight on Morbius, the former Time Lord President.

Morbius

On screen, Morbius first appeared, Frankenstein-like, in 1976’s ‘The Brain of Morbius’, opposite Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor. There, we learned that he was a warmonger and despot who had been defeated and executed… although his brain had been saved and kept alive by an acolyte.

Despite being just a brain in a monstrous body, he challenged the Doctor to a mindbending contest, before apparently falling to his death.

He rose again to menace the Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller on audio in 2008 for ‘The Vengeance of Morbius’. He was played on that occasion by Samuel West (All Creatures Great and Small), who returns to the role for Dark Gallifrey.

Here’s the plan for Dark Gallifrey: Morbius

The three instalments in the trilogy, all from writer Tim Foley, are:

Part 1

The time has come for the last Time Lord battleship, the Proteus, to leave the planet Karn and return to Gallifrey victorious. But her voyage home will not be easy. The Captain is sick, the crew is restless, and there are dark forces lurking in the hold below…

Part 2

When disaster strikes the Proteus, Captain Argento and her crew must fight for their lives and the fate of all Time Lords. What is out there on the ice? Who hides in the impossible temple? As loyalties shift and secrets emerge, the cult of Morbius lies in wait to bring about the General’s return…

Part 3

Morbius has been brought back to life on the Isle of the Dead. But a desperate Captain Argento has called for help and received an unlikely ally. Here is a stranger who knows the tyrant of old and is the only one who can put his plans on ice. But perhaps even the Doctor cannot stop the threat of Dark Gallifrey…

Joining Samuel West, the cast includes Rachel Atkins (as the recently regenerated Captain Argento), and Lara Lemon (as Gilda, a meek Sisterhood of Karn apothecary). Additionally, there’s Hywel Morgan, Andrew French, Mina Anwar, Justin Avoth and Janet Henfrey.

Plus, Part 3 promises a guest appearance by Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor.

Writer Tim Foley said:

“I was delighted to be asked to write for Morbius. He is largely a blank slate, and what little we know about him is infused with vague, strange Time Lord lore that’s all to play for and a joy to explore.

“He’s famously inspired by Frankenstein, so I thought about the sections which bookended that original novel – on Captain Walton’s ship exploring the North Pole. My pitch for this three-hour epic was not the typical paragraph I usually deliver – it was a picture of the Caspar David Friedrich painting The Sea of Ice.

“I also thought about the format of the gothic thriller as a whole. This informed the way I approached the telling of my tale. It’s a series of moody, murky chapters exploring the voyage home after the defeat of Morbius. He’s a complex character and there is much to dissect.  I reckon this is the most experimental project that Big Finish has undertaken yet.”

The Dark Gallifrey: Morbius trilogy begins in April 2024 and releases monthly. It’s followed by a trilogy starring Sir Derek Jacobi as the War Master.

The saga continues until 2027 and it’s all available to pre-order now from Big Finish.