The star reunites with his TARDIS crew for a series of “Technicolor” adventures, unburdened by series continuity.
Updated 30/05/25: Details and cover reveal for ‘Knights of the Round TARDIS’
More than a year on from the announcement, Big Finish have revealed details of their new First Doctor Unbound series.
Starring David Bradley, with An Adventure in Space and Time companions, these stories sit aside from the main Whoniverse. Instead, their “unbound” continuity draws inspiration from the technicolor tone of the 1960s Peter Cushing movies.
Here’s the synopsis for ‘Knights of the Round TARDIS’…
Thirteenth Century Oxford – courtly love, jousting knights and a golden age of Academia. What a treat for the Doctor and his companions! A chance to meet precursor of English democracy Simon de Montfort, as well as scientist, visionary and Franciscan friar Roger Bacon – a man truly ahead of his time.
Truly ahead of his time. If the TARDIS team can’t stop him, this time-meddling wolf in Monk’s clothing will alter the course of Earth’s history.
Writer LR Hay said:
“When I was offered a First Doctor escapade in the style of a 1960s movie – wow! – my mind swirled with heists, spies, ancient epics, jousting knights and cheeky romps.
“That prompted a memory – chatting with a friend once about people from history we wish Doctor Who had covered. He mentioned medieval scholar and alchemist Roger Bacon. The stout, robed figure of Friar Bacon collided delightfully into Carry On star Peter Butterworth’s time-meddling trickster, the Monk, who I absolutely love.
“And who doesn’t want to see Ian, Barbara and Susan as literal knights in shining armour, riding out to protect the future as we know it?”
‘Knights of the Round TARDIS’ is out in September 2025, and is the first in a trilogy of stories. Volumes 2 and 3 will follow in March 2026 and May 2027, respectively.
You can pre order Doctor Who – The First Doctor Unbound: Knights of the Round TARDIS now. It’s available as a download to own, or on Collector’s Edition CD (+ download to own) from Big Finish.
Original article (of 17/04/25) continues…
David Bradley returns for a new First Doctor Unbound audio series
In recent years, Doctor Who audio producers Big Finish have recast the earliest Doctors, launching them in their own ongoing ranges. Stephen Noonan plays the First Doctor, while Michael Troughton has taken on his father’s role as the Second Doctor.
Prior to this however, David Bradley was the audio First Doctor following his appearance as William Hartnell in the 50th anniversary docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time. With the actors who played his companions, Jamie Glover, Jemma Powell and Claudia Grant, he recorded ten adventures across five boxsets.
David Bradley has also appeared onscreen the First Doctor in Doctor Who proper. First, he was opposite Peter Capaldi for the cliffhanger ending of ‘The Doctor Falls’, which led into 2017’s Christmas Special ‘Twice Upon A Time’.
Later, he popped up as a “Guardian of the Edge” inside the Doctor’s mind for Jodie Whittaker’s final story.
The First Doctor Unbound
Now, David Bradley’s version is returning to audio for an intriguing new series. The First Doctor Unbound range promises stories that break free from the bounds of continuity, inspired by the spirit of the 1960s Dalek movies.
It’s an interesting move from Big Finish, framing Bradley’s incarnation in the same continuity-busting place as the late David Warner’s Unbound Doctor. Or Colin Baker’s recent Doctor of War.
Producer David O’Mahony said:
“The Peter Cushing feature films of the 1960s were our stylistic inspiration here – the lighter tone, the spirit of high adventure, the true Technicolor nature of the storytelling. We want all these adventures to have that bank holiday or Sunday afternoon feeling.
“We combined this with the brilliant cast of the BBC’s anniversary special An Adventure in Space and Time, led by the legendary David Bradley. Working with such a wonderful cast and an exceptional creative team, we have created a time fracture leading to a separate universe… it might not be canon (or is it?), but it’s going to be brilliant!
“I cannot tell you how excited I am to be taking charge of The First Doctor Unbound. Similarly to the Lost Stories range, making these stories unbound to the television continuity of Doctor Who gives us a wonderful creative freedom to explore characters, stories and styles.
“The hunger to create new stories and be inspired by various parts of the Whoniverse has driven so many wonderful Big Finish productions – to bring in this Doctor and set him on these adventures is like unearthing a treasure trove of potential and exciting tales.”
Doctor Who – The First Doctor Unbound Volume 1 is released in September 2025. It’s available to pre-order now on collector’s edition CD box set + download, or download only, exclusively from Big Finish.
To celebrate the announcement, David Bradley has recorded a version of William Hartnell’s famous speech from the end of ‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth: Flashpoint’, which was also used to launch ‘The Five Doctors’…