The saga continues, drawing in Bernice Summerfield, Torchwood’s Captain John and the War Doctor.
2024 has seen the start of Dark Gallifrey – a multi-year, multi-part series set in the Whoniverse. Taking the focus from the Doctor, the saga instead shines a light on their greatest foes – villainous Time Lords.
First up was a terrific Morbius trilogy set in Gallifrey’s past, now it’s the turn of a more contemporary villain.
The War Master
Sir Derek Jacobi played his iteration of the Master on screen in 2007’s ‘Utopia’. Hidden as Professor Yana, his gloriously sinister true nature reawakens just before he regenerates.
Ten years on, Jacobi returned to the role and has now starred in ten box sets of his own audio adventures, as well as popping up in other ranges.
Backwards
Oddly, the first part of the trilogy doesn’t mention the War Master at all. Instead, it’s an unusually told tale for Professor Bernice Summerfield (Lisa Bowerman) and her sometime travelling companion, David Warner’s “Unbound” Doctor from another universe.
The story unfolds backwards, and we slowly get to grips with the situation as it un-develops. It centres on Bernice’s quest to find the fabled “Dark Gallifrey”, a place whose existence she has intuited due to its absence, rather than presence, throughout various cultures.
What they find there is monstrous, but truthfully this is more of a character piece between the two leads. The relationship between Benny and her Doctor, more her companion than she is his, comes under strain as the tough choices of her life are examined. It is David Warner’s final outing as the Time Lord to be released – we were so lucky to have an actor of his remarkable talent play the role.
It would be easy to criticise this as thin, without the backwards trick there isn’t all that much going on, but it’s also a curtain raiser for the whole set. This is another case where the monthly release pattern doesn’t help, as it initially forces the episode to stand on its own rather than serve as the lead in to the trilogy.
Forwards
The remainder of the story begins in more conventional fashion, with Benny lecturing at the Braxiatel University. There, she becomes the object of the affections a student and confides in the University’s Provost. However, the Provost is the War Master, playing an incredibly long game, while her amorous student is the rogue former Time Agent Captain John Hart.
The story has lots of fun with Benny handing John’s advances, while also pitting the Master and Captain John against each other behind her back. Both are desperate to wheedle out the secret of Dark Gallifrey’s location from her. They do so, of course, and the finale plays out with the pair stuck on Dark Gallifrey, fighting for their very lives…
Bonkers
Firstly, it’s worth saying that box set is a universe away from the trilogy that preceded it. Tonally, that was dark, gothic and brutal, while this deals with boundless impossibilities of imagination.
Spinning on the paradoxical, to expect the plot to play out conventionally would be foolish. Instead, James Goss’ script goes in wonderfully bonkers and bizarre directions. For one character in particular, it’s a development that a review ought not to spoil.
Once he enters the fray, the War Master dominates this tale as he manipulates those around him to achieve his ends. It’s almost redundant to say how terrific Derek Jacobi’s performance is, but there are some terrific scenes as he cruelly exerts his control over that reluctant TARDIS. It’s fun too hearing him play off against James Marster’s Captain John too; their fragile alliance is ever only moments away from betrayal on either side.
In a guest appearance, as a ghost of Gallifrey, it was great to hear from the War Doctor, played by Jonathon Carley. He serves as a cheerleader to Captain John, although he does share a brief scene with the Master. However, it’s hardly the War Doctor/War Master encounter we’d hoped for – perhaps that inevitable confrontation demands a whole box set of its own? It’s interesting that in both Dark Gallifrey stories so far, only echoes of the Doctor have appeared, rather than a fully-fledged incarnation.
In the guest cast, Tariyé Peterside personifies the Inbomination, a distillation of paradoxes with a desire to wreak havoc on the universe. It’s an impressive performance with a child-like quality, and we also loved Homer Todiwala’s reluctant and seemingly terrified TARDIS.
Dark Gallifrey
Two box sets (out of eight) in, and it’s reasonable to say that the nature of the Dark Gallifrey storyline still remains as mysterious as ever. According to the interviews, this set, although second in the running order, serves as a sort of coda to the main action of the saga. However, as it plays out over four years, it will be a while until we understand how all the puzzle pieces fit together.
Events continue in 2025, from April onwards, with no details released as yet. However, we know that the TV Movie Master, Missy and the Monk are joining the action at some point.
The Worlds of Doctor Who – Dark Gallifrey: The War Master Morbius Parts One, Two & Three are out now. They’re available on collector’s edition CD (+ download), or on download only, from Big Finish.