Big Finish Productions have announced something very special for the third series of their Doctor Who spin-off, The War Master: a special guest appearance by the Eighth Doctor himself, Paul McGann!
Across many places, many times and, most importantly, many lives, the Doctor has battled his former friend and his greatest enemy, the Master. Usually, the Doctor always comes out on top.
But will even he be prepared to fight one of the most dangerous incarnations of his nemesis? Especially when he’s caught in the middle of a war across the whole of space and time?
That’s the question we’re asking ourselves after Big Finish’s latest announcement concerning the third series of their popular spin-off, The War Master. Up until this point, few details had been revealed about Rage of the Time Lords, as Big Finish were keeping very secret about it.
But today, they’ve finally revealed what makes this box set so special. We’ve heard so many stories about the War Master now. Not just in his own series, but also in other spin-offs, such as Gallifrey or UNIT. We’ve heard him meet so many brilliant characters and wreck havoc across the universe.
But there is one person he hasn’t met in the audios yet: the Doctor. Which isn’t surprising, considering that in Utopia, the Tenth Doctor didn’t even recognize him. So surely they could never have met, right?
Doctor vs Master
Well, it turns out that they did meet. Back towards the start of the Time War, when the Doctor was in his Eighth incarnation. But how? And why doesn’t the Doctor remember later?
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I’m sure these will be questions that will be answered in this box set. We certainly have our own theory on how the Doctor could have met his arch-enemy during the Time War, without necessarily “forgetting” about it. Regardless, I’m excited to hear how these two will face each other!
So, aside from an exciting confrontation, what else do we know about Rage of the Time Lords? Well, like the previous box set, The Master of Callous, it has only two writers, this time Tim Foley and David Llewellyn. We’ve got four stories to look forward to – The Survivor, The Coney Island Chameleon, The Missing Link and Darkness and Light. We’ve also got a curious little synopsis, too.
"With all of space and time in chaos, the Master plots his most audacious project yet. Only one other Time Lord has ever been able to stop him. But where is that Time Lord when the universe needs him?"
This definitely sounds like it will be a highlight of the year. Sir Derek Jacobi has rapidly become one of my favorite Masters thanks his audio stories, so the fact that he’s working with my favorite Doctor is incredibly exciting. With Big Finish’s twentieth anniversary spectacular, The Legacy of Time, released in the same month, it looks like July will be a very exciting time for Doctor Who fans.
Are you excited for the War Master to meet the Eighth Doctor? Do you have any ideas on how it will happen? And, with it taking place in the War Master’s own series, do you think that this time, the Master will actually win against his greatest enemy? Let us know in the comments below.