Doctor Who: Rassilon returns in the spin-off series Gallifrey: Time War in 2019!
By James Aggas
Big Finish Productions have finally announced the second volume in the Doctor Who spin-off series Gallifrey: Time War. And we couldn’t be more excited to discover what happens next!
I can’t lie: I’ve been waiting a long time for this announcement. Ever since the Doctor Who spin-off box set Gallifrey: Time War was given the subtitle of “volume one“, in fact.
That anticipation only grew after I finally listened to it back in February. Not only was it a very strong box set, but, of course, it ended on a major cliffhanger. And yet somehow, Big Finish continued to keep quiet about when the next volume would be released!
But finally, after months of waiting, Big Finish have revealed exactly when we can expect volume two…not to mention volumes three and four!
I’ve mentioned before that I’m a big fan of Gallifrey, so that’s a key part of the reason why I’m excited about its return in March 2019. I’m a huge fan of many of the characters, and the ongoing political drama has always been truly gripping to listen to. (The first three series are cheap to download right now from Big Finish, so if you haven’t checked them out yet, I strongly recommend it.)
But more than that, the first volume of Gallifrey: Time War explored some major mythology. In fact, it actually depicted the very beginning of the Time War itself, and even laid a clear map for various Doctor Who and The War Master episodes to take place in.
And every single episode gave us some major shocks. Seriously, by the end of each story, the status quo of Gallifrey was shaken up in a big way.
And then we got to the ending of the final episode, Desperate Measures. Where Time War gave us the biggest reveal yet: the resurrection of the founder of Time Lord society, Rassilon…
Rassilon’s return
The ending of the last box set left it open whether Rassilon would emerge as Timothy Dalton, who played the incarnation we saw in The End of Time, or as a different incarnation entirely. In this case, it turned out to be the latter. It’s almost a shame, as Dalton gave such a great and memorable performance in the role.
But on the other hand, Big Finish have picked an excellent actor for the previous incarnation: Terrence Hardiman. TV fans will recognize him from the Eleventh Doctor episode The Beast Below, but Hardiman’s played several roles for Big Finish in the past few years. He’s also excellent at playing villains with a lot of authority in general, which makes him perfect for the part of Rassilon.
For those of you who don’t know much about the character, Rassilon is quite the complex character in Doctor Who mythology. While he was in some ways key to creating Time Lord society – and unsurprisingly, practically worshiped by many Time Lords – both the New Series and even previous audios have revealed him to be a tyrant. He’s a man with a dangerously large ego, and he’s not afraid of using or even destroying others to get what he wants.
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And while he may be in a new body, it’s clear that Rassilon is no less ruthless than he was before. In fact, judging by the new trailer for Gallifrey: Time War, it’s clear that the War is already bringing out the very worst in him. Particularly with this line:
"From this day forth, all worlds that do not declare themselves allies of Gallifrey…are enemies of Gallifrey."
Wow. No wonder Cass hated the Time Lords in The Night of the Doctor. I think we’re going to start hearing the very worst of the Time Lords in Gallifrey: Time War: Volume Two. And I can hardly wait to hear it!
Gallifrey: Time War: Volume Two will be released on CD and download in March 2019. It will include the episodes Havoc by David Llewellyn; Partisans by Una McCormack; Collateral by Lisa McMullin, and Assassins by Matt Fitton.
The series will then continue in volumes three and four, released in February 2020 and February 2021, respectively. All three future volumes are available to pre-order from Big Finish now.
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Have you listened to Gallifrey before? Are you as excited for the return of Rassilon as we are? What are you hoping to hear next in the Doctor Who spin-off series? Let us know in the comments below.