Back in Gallifrey’s history Morbius was defeated… but he’s a villain who doesn’t intend on staying dead!
2024 sees the beginning of a multi-year, multi-part series entitled Dark Gallifrey. Set in the Whoniverse, it showcases Time Lord villains who have troubled the timelines over the show’s long history.
As the saga rolls out we’re promised various Masters and the Monk, but it begins with a legendary criminal.
Morbius
We first met Morbius through the Fourth Doctor’s encounter with his brain. Saved by a mad scientist, it was transplanted into a new body after his defeat and execution at the end of a Gallifreyan civil war. Tim Foley’s three-part tale begins in that time period, rooted in the worldbuilding of ‘The Brain of Morbius’. Not quite the Dark Times, as the Doctor says, but not far off.
Dark Gallifrey: Morbius concerns the fate of the final Gallifreyan ship which was tasked with bring the last of Morbius’ forces back to Gallifrey for trial. It sets out from the planet Karn, home to the mysterious Sisterhood, keepers of the eternal flame which provides a life-saving elixir.
The scene is framed by the Sisterhood’s aptly named Narrata (Janet Henfrey), who returns at the start of each of the story’s eight chapters. We learn that Morbius was a charismatic but overlooked Time Lord from a house of poor standing who arose to take on the sitting President, Rassilon’s successor in a bloody conflict.
The Proteus
Abord the Proteus, a curious fusion of temporal technology and old-fashioned sailing ship capable of traversing the time vortex, all is not well. The crew are restless and her Captain, newly granted a regeneration for wartime heroics, is struggling. Plus, in the hold, among the prisoners being returned to face justice, is Veritas – a Hydran who carries the mind of Morbius within his own.
Rolka (Mina Anwar) is the voice of the crew, while Mr Middlewitch (Hywel Morgan) runs the ship, sitting between them and the troubled Captain Argento (Rachel Morgan). Into this mix comes a young acolyte of the Sisterhood; Gilda (Lara Lemon) is our introduction to this complex world of scatter masts and shifting internal dimensions.
As the journey begins, tensions are revealed between the crew and its captain, stoked by the sinister presence in the hold. Morbius knows how to divide and conquer…
The cast
Director Samuel Clemens marshals an excellent ensemble cast, with us granted ample time to get to know their characters. The star turn is undoubtedly the brilliant Samuel West though. His Morbius is charming and persuasive, but also brutal practical when the need arises. Full of delicious self-belief, he’s dangerously insane. West inhabits three different versions of the character, from a whispering insistence possessing Vertias’ mind, to the slippery charm of the temple host, to the bitter arrogance of his full manifestation.
In part three, Tom Baker’s arrival (thanks to the Horn of Rassilon!) adds a new impetus to the tale. He’s introduced in novel fashion, as a hard-light projection from the Matrix – possible since he communed with the repository of all Time Lord knowledge as President. His flippancy against the intense Morbius is a delight to hear.
For her part, as the audience’s identification figure, Lara Lemon’s Gilda is a sympathetic character who rises to the occasion as the threat develops. She has a great rapport with both Rachel Morgan’s ill-fated Captain Argento and the Doctor too.
In Summary
Tim Foley is one of Big Finish’s greatest storytellers and he excels in creating long multi-part tales. This trilogy is no exception and he provides a slow burn, deep dive into the characters and their motivations. It feels suitably mythic in nature, with a satisfying temporal twist or two. To that end, while released in three monthly instalments, there’s a benefit to listening to it all in quick succession. The broad storytelling tells us about ancient Gallifrey and its complex history; these aren’t yet the regimented, inflexible hierarchy of Time Lords from the Doctor’s time.
It also explores the titular villain from different angles. While he’s undoubtedly a self-obsessed egomaniac, we understand the events that shaped Morbius into the monster. In part, the approach taken here makes us think of Harry Potter’s Voldemort. Like the evil wizard, Morbius laid plans for his own survival. Rather than splitting his soul across horcruxes, Morbius laid one plan for his brain and another for his mind.
Chock full of suspense and horror, Dark Gallifrey: Morbius is worlds away from the usual tone of the Doctor’s adventures. It is well worth diving in to.
Dark Gallifrey
The story also serves as an intriguing curtain raiser, with a few mysteries remaining unsolved. At its conclusion, we still don’t know precisely what Dark Gallifrey is, save for talk of its legions. Also, the villain was acting on instructions from his future self, something we’ll presumably hear play out later.
The series continues with a trilogy for the War Master. Remarkably, it also features Bernice Summerfield, David Warner’s Unbound Doctor, the War Doctor and Torchwood‘s Captain John Hart.
The Worlds of Doctor Who – Dark Gallifrey: Morbius Parts One, Two & Three are out now. They’re available on collector’s edition CD (+ download), or on download only, from Big Finish.
Coming soon: The War Doctor Rises: Morbius the Mighty
Tim Foley enjoyed writing for Morbius so much that he’s also penned another box set featuring the villain. It’s a Time War set revenge tale inspired by Star Trek’s The Wrath of Khan!
The War Doctor Rises: Morbius the Mighty is released in August 2024.