Doctor Who review: The War Master: Hearts of Darkness is a fun and epic box set

The latest volume of Doctor Who spin-off series The War Master is an extremely enjoyable listen that makes great use of both its titular villain and the Eighth Doctor.

Last month saw the release of The War Master: Hearts of Darkness, the latest volume of Big Finish’s popular Doctor Who spin-off starring Derek Jacobi as the titular villain. We’ve had some extremely strong volumes in this series so far. Does Hearts of Darkness continue that high standard?

Absolutely. Hearts of Darkness is a lot of fun to listen to from start to finish. To be honest, I’ve listened to it twice already (it helps that it’s one of those box sets that benefits from a second listen). There are so many elements that make this epic story work, giving us another strong volume of one of Big Finish’s best Doctor Who spin-offs right now.

The first thing that stands out is the story. Written by David Llewellyn and Lisa McMullin, Hearts of Darkness feels like a truly epic journey, as the War Master is sent to find, capture, and possibly kill the Doctor, who’s currently deep in Dalek territory.

There are also a number of key twists and turns, and the box set makes excellent use of its four-part structure – particularly the third episode, which takes a rather different approach while adding something important to the story. In terms of storytelling, it’s an extremely impressive set.

The Eighth Doctor

Hearts of Darkness also features a large cast of characters – the most significant of which is Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor. This isn’t the first time that McGann has appeared in the series – he also guest-starred in last year’s box set Rage of the Time Lords.

You’re probably wondering how the Doctor could know the Master at this point – after all, his later incarnation completely failed to recognize him in the TV story Utopia. Rage of the Time Lords made sure to give a clear explanation for that, at least in the short term. Does Hearts of Darkness provide an explanation of its own?

Surprisingly, no. When the story concludes, there’s no explanation given for why the Doctor won’t remember the Master later. And honestly, I’m pretty OK with that. When an explanation was given last time, it was rather unsatisfying because it was a very short term solution. And, to be honest, McGann and Jacobi worked so well as a Doctor/Master pairing that we just knew that Big Finish would bring them together again. Especially if there was a good reason to.

And oh boy, was there a good reason to with this set. There’s a rather fantastic development in Hearts of Darkness, one that allows for both Jacobi and McGann to give truly fantastic performances. Not that they aren’t always brilliant. Just that this box set allows them to have a lot of fun with their characters.

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Distinctive characters

It’s not just the Master and the Doctor who feature in this story. Along the way, we’re also introduced to an interesting cast of characters. Particularly Captain Morski, a man who cares less about morality and more about how much you’re paying him, and the Scaramancer, someone who initially comes across as a ruthless cutthroat before her tragic past is revealed.

Both Colin McFarlane and Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo are extremely well cast as these distinctive characters, with each adding plenty of personality and depth to their roles. It’s clear that both actors had a lot of fun playing their parts, while still keeping them grounded and believable with their performances.

Overall, Hearts of Darkness is another easy win for The War Master series. It has an excellent story with a large sense of scale, distinctive characters, and a great use of Paul McGann’s Doctor. A very easy box set to recommend.

Have you listened to Hearts of Darkness or previous volumes of The War Master? Do you think Paul McGann’s Doctor works well with Derek Jacobi’s Master? Let us know in the comments below.