Gallifrey overview: How the first six series of the Doctor Who spin-off told one epic story

Gallifrey began back in 2004 with Weapon of Choice, and ended its original serial with Annihilation in 2013. How well did the serial work as a whole?

(Image credit: Gallifrey/Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Since last year, we’ve been reviewing each story of Gallifrey, a spin-off series based on Doctor Who, from the very beginning. Before we move onto series seven – something of a fresh starting point for the series – we look at how well the first six series worked at telling one epic serial.

From the very start, Gallifrey was always going to be an ambitious Doctor Who spin-off. Having an entire series focused on the home planet of the Time Lords was risky. Especially when you think about how few stories there are set on Gallifrey that are actually good. (The Deadly Assassin being an obvious exception.)

Still, I doubt even Gary Russell – the very creator of the series – knew exactly how ambitious the series would become.

The first series was, as with many spin-offs, essentially Gallifrey finding its feet. There are hints of the greatness to come, such as having some focus on the backstabbing politics that the series would become known for.

Even better, it had a strong cast of characters from the start. There was President Romana of Gallifrey, trying to lead her home world into a more enlightened age. There was also Leela, another former companion of the Doctor. Her more savage nature made her see things differently to Romana, which made their friendship interesting to listen to and develop.

And, along with those two incredibly strong characters, we also had Braxiatel and Narvin. These two represented very different sides of politics on Gallifrey. Both were always intriguing to listen to, especially as you could never really be sure if they truly were allies to Romana. So Gallifrey clearly had potential from the very beginning.

Finding the right style

But despite that, series one starts out almost a little unsure of itself. For example, while it wants to be a serial, each of the episodes feels closer to a slightly more typical “adventure of the week” kind of story. Arc elements do carry over, but not as strongly as they would in later series.

Perhaps most surprising of all, only one episode has Gallifrey itself as the main location! The remaining episodes in the series focus heavily on other worlds, which almost feels like it’s avoiding the central hook of the series.

However, that’s not to say the first series doesn’t have its strong points. In fact, the second half does admittedly feature two brilliant episodes. The Inquiry really heavily focuses on how complicated the characters’ lives are on Gallifrey, and highlight how you can never really trust Braxiatel.

And finale A Blind Eye is absolutely fantastic. Particularly how it handles the reveal of one of the greatest twists ever. Seriously, one of the best things about the first series is how you get a completely different story on re-listen concerning one of the main characters.

But as great as that twist was, better still was to come for the series…

The major enemy of Pandora was introduced in the second series opener Lies, and pushed Gallifrey forward in a big way.

(Image credit: Gallifrey/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Pandora

From the first episode of series two, Gallifrey really kicks off in a big way. From this point on, barring the occasional episode, the rest of the series was actually set on Gallifrey, in some shape or form. Better still, it focused on the politics like never before.

There were two key elements that helped the series find its driving force. The first was Pandora, a tyrant from Gallifrey’s dark and distant history who had seemingly come back from the dead. And she wants to take Gallifrey back by any means necessary.

This character drives the major arc for much of both series two and three, and her story is handled really well. In the beginning, she doesn’t seem like too much of a threat. But through her, we see Gallifrey plunged into chaos and civil war, Time Lord against Time Lord. It’s an ambitious story to tell, but it’s handled absolutely brilliantly.

Darkel

But, perhaps even better than Pandora is the other major villain that’s featured in series two and three: Inquisitor Darkel. Now, she doesn’t make her first appearance in series two, as the character had already made a couple of appearances in series one. In fact, Gallifrey isn’t even Darkel’s first appearance: while her name hadn’t been revealed in the story, she was a major character in Sixth Doctor serial The Trial of a Time Lord.

But it’s with series two that she’s revealed to be a threat in a big way. She’s ambitious, dangerous and hates everything that Romana stands for. She’s also very clever and manipulative, and uses every trick she can to get her own way.

Lynda Bellingham was absolutely fantastic as Darkel. If I’m honest, it’s definitely my favorite role she had ever played. She helped to make the character so venomous, and really made sure to portray the classiness and intelligence of the Inquisitor very well.

Panacea left the series on a major cliffhanger. One that wouldn’t be resolved for almost half a decade…

(Image credit: Gallifrey/Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Two excellent series

Through these two key villains, Gallifrey truly found its story. Over the course of series two and three, we had stories of political intrigue, terrorist attacks, civil war, betrayal, shocking twists and so much more. It really is difficult to separate series two and three, as they develop so naturally and are both of such extremely high quality that they blend so easily into one.

I must admit, this particular era of the original serial is my favorite part of Gallifrey. It has so many elements that I just love, especially when it comes to long-form storytelling. The risks and the time that series one took to set everything up all paid off brilliantly with these two series.

Most surprising of all, when we got to the end of series three with Panacea, nothing had been resolved. In fact, Gallifrey was practically falling apart, due to both the aftermath of civil war and a virus that was rapidly spreading through the Time Lords. The final moments showed Romana and her friends trapped on a small planetoid, with no way to save their world. Considering that this was where Gary Russell had decided to end the series, that was quite a bold choice.

For five long years, fans had to wait to find out exactly what happened to our main characters. Would they find a way to save their planet? Would Gallifrey be prepared for what was coming? And would the series continue as it was, or would it take a new form?

In 2011, fans finally got their answer…

Series four pushed Gallifrey in a bold new direction. Did it work well for the spin-off?

(Image credit: Gallifrey/Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

A fresh start?

Series four took Gallifrey in a bold new direction, both figuratively and literally. For this particular series, there was less focus on the politics or character buildup that had made the spin-off so successful. Instead, the main characters would explore parallel versions of Gallifrey, with a different version featured in each episode.

This was quite a bold approach, but at the same time, I can see why it was done. When series three ended with Panacea, the cliffhanger was huge. And it wasn’t a cliffhanger that could be quickly resolved, either. Not without feeling like a massive cop-out, at least.

So the driving narrative for series four was Romana, Leela, Narvin, K9 and Braxiatel exploring multiple Gallifreys for two reasons – to find a cure to the virus ravaging their planet or, alternatively, find a new home.

Reassessment

I must admit, I initially wasn’t sure what to make of this approach the first time I heard it. Series two and three were absolutely brilliant. Series four moved away a great deal from what I enjoyed about the series.

But, considering the five-year gap between Gallifrey‘s third and fourth series, I can see why a different approach was needed. And I must admit, the series has grown on me. Disassembled was a particularly excellent episode that explored both Braxiatel’s past and a very interesting alternative life for the Doctor.

One episode that definitely grew on me was Annihilation. This dark and bleak episode seemed a little too grim for Gallifrey when I first listened to it, even when compared to the civil war episodes in series three.

But then I suddenly realized: we had a story of Time Lords versus vampires! And while Geoffrey Beevers as “Lord Prydon” instead of the Master was initially distracting, I must admit, I’ve been able to listen to him as a completely different character on subsequent listens. And it’s a role that he plays so brilliantly, too.

So as radically different as series four was, I must admit, it was entertaining. And it also helped that it changed direction by the end of the series…

Series five saw our heroes trapped on a very different Gallifrey. How well did this series explore this world?

(Image credit: Gallifrey/Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

A new home?

Forever, the finale to series four, had the regular characters arrive on a world more savage than their own, and without time travel. (As a result, the Gallifreyans on this world were called “Regenerators” instead of “Time Lords.) There were even slaves on this version of Gallifrey. Nevertheless, it was on this particular parallel that the main characters suddenly found themselves stuck on for the whole of series five.

Series five was an interesting little box set. In some ways, it was still very different to the earlier series, due to how different this version of Gallifrey was. There was also the fact that it was only three episodes long, so we had less time to really explore it and grow attached to new characters compared to series two and three.

But at the same time, it did try to bring the political storytelling and intrigue back to the series. And I was very happy about that. While none of the stories were exactly was as strong as what came before, they were still enjoyable, overall.

What particularly stood out was, while each episode was very slow-paced, they would also explore the world of the Regenerators in-depth. Across several episodes, we learned about how their politics worked, how their slaves were treated, how civilized and yet aggressive their society was etc. I’m a huge fan of world-building, and I think the fifth series did a great job of that.

Still, I’d be lying if I said that the huge cliffhanger it left on wasn’t the most exciting moment in all three episodes…

Ascension the original serial in a big way. Was it a satisfying resolution to the series?

(Image credit: Gallifrey/Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Resolution

Series six ended Gallifrey, or at least, the original era of the spin-off, in a big way. Extermination kicked off the final three episodes of the original story, and you can probably guess who the main enemies are in that one.

It was a really big moment, too. While it wasn’t the first time that the Daleks had invaded Gallifrey (that would be Sixth Doctor story The Apocalypse Element), it was the first time they had appeared in the spin-off series.

But perhaps even more important was the fact that these weren’t just your regular Classic Series Daleks. As the cover art revealed, these were distinctly of the bronze variety as seen in the New Series. So while the final episodes didn’t explicitly refer to anything from the New Series due to rights issues, it was clear that things were generally moving closer in that direction.

The final episodes

As for the episodes themselves, they were each satisfying in their own distinct way. Extermination not only had our main characters against the Daleks, but also nicely resolved the arc of the Regenerators.

Renaissance offered something a little darker and more character focused. It also introduced a brand new Romana, played by Juliet Landau. That was definitely another major step for Big Finish, and left us intrigued to learn more about this particular incarnation.

More from Winter is Coming

But perhaps the most satisfying episode was the grand finale itself: Ascension. Because it finally brought the characters back home. We heard so many familiar voices return, and we learned so much about what had happened on the true Gallifrey after the events of Panacea.

The ending is particularly satisfying, as it hints very strongly that, for our favorite characters, the Time War is coming. And it’s all due to a one very big mistake that one of our heroes makes…

The whole series

It’s interesting looking back on the first six series. Yes, I will admit that I do prefer the first half more than the second. But then again, that’s kind of true of a lot of my favorite series. (For this particular writer, The Dark Tower by Stephen King definitely springs to mind.)

And there’s still a lot to enjoy about the second half. The multiple parallel worlds gave us wonderfully different takes on Gallifrey in series four. We also got to look at one particular Gallifrey in much more depth with series five. And series six provided a very satisfying conclusion to the series.

I think that’s something I’m particularly impressed by. That, as radically different series four and five were, series six was able to tie the whole thing together and make all twenty-four episodes feel like one epic story. While Gallifrey isn’t without its flaws, it was still a hugely enjoyable serial, one that was given a very satisfying resolution.

But what of the subsequent series? Do they jump the shark, or do they provide fresh starts for the Doctor Who spin-off? Expect our review on the seventh series, Intervention: Earth, very soon.