# The War Doctor (audio drama series)

The War Doctor is a Big Finish Productions audio play series based on the TV show Doctor Who. It sees the return of Sir John Hurt as the War Doctor, a role he previously portrayed in the TV story "The Name of the Doctor" as well as more prominently in the 50th anniversary special "The Day of the Doctor". The series consists of four box sets, each made up of three hour-long episodes, the first released in December 2015, the remaining three volumes followed across 2016 and into 2017.
Big Finish Productions announced in October 2020 that the War Doctor would return portrayed by actor Jonathon Carley, replacing John Hurt. Four volumes were announced to be released beginning in June 2021.

## Cast

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in at least one season.
* A green cell indicates the actor is a main cast member.
* A red cell indicates the actor is a recurring cast member.
* A light blue cell indicates the actor is a guest or special guest cast member.
| Actor | Character | Appearances | Appearances | Appearances | Appearances | Appearances | Appearances | Appearances | Appearances | Appearances | Appearances | Appearances | Appearances |
| Actor | Character | The War Doctor | The War Doctor | The War Doctor | The War Doctor | The War Doctor Begins | The War Doctor Begins | The War Doctor Begins | The War Doctor Begins | The War Doctor Begins | The War Doctor Begins | The War Doctor Rises | The War Doctor Rises |
| Actor | Character | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S6 | S1 | S2 |
| Sir John Hurt | The War Doctor | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Jonathon Carley | The War Doctor | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Paul McGann | The Doctor | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Jacqueline Pearce | Cardinal Ollistra | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Nicholas Briggs | The Daleks | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Nicholas Briggs | Dalek Time Strategist | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Louise Jameson | Leela | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Veronica Roberts | Ohila | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Lucy Briggs-Owen | Rejoice | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Carolyn Seymour | Rejoice | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Beth Chalmers | Veklin | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Honeysuckle Weeks | Heleyna | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Dan Starkey | General Fesk / The Sontarans | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Adèle Anderson | Tamasan | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Chris Jarman | Rasmus | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| John Dorney | Biroc | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Ajjaz Awad | Case | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Angela Bruce | Andarta | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Stephen Frost | Rondig | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Ken Bones | The General | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Nicholas Le Prevost | The Barber-Surgeon | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear |
| Samuel West | Morbius | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | Does not appear | ✓ | Does not appear |

## Episodes

The War Doctor faces the Daleks in four seasons of the Time War.

### The War Doctor
#### Series 1: Only the Monstrous (2015)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
| 1 | "The Innocent" | Nicholas Briggs | Nicholas Briggs | War Doctor, Rejoice, Ollistra, Daleks | December 2015 (2015-12) |
| The Doctor is discovered injured on the planet Keska and is nursed back to health by Rejoice. The planet comes under attack from an enemy and the Doctor assists with the defence. ||||||
| 2 | "The Thousand Worlds" | Nicholas Briggs | Nicholas Briggs | War Doctor, Rejoice, Ollistra, Daleks | December 2015 (2015-12) |
| The Doctor is sent to retrieve a lost Time Lord strategist from Dalek-controlled space. ||||||
| 3 | "The Heart of the Battle" | Nicholas Briggs | Nicholas Briggs | War Doctor, Rejoice, Ollistra, Daleks | December 2015 (2015-12) |
| The Doctor is shocked to learn that a Time Lord strategist is attempting to negotiate peace with the Daleks ||||||

#### Series 2: Infernal Devices (2016)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
| 1 | "Legion of the Lost" | Nicholas Briggs | John Dorney | War Doctor, Ollistra, Daleks | February 2016 (2016-02) |
| When the Time Lords make a deal with the ancient Technomancers to resurrect their dead soldiers, the Doctor learns that there is more to the Technomancers' agenda. ||||||
| 2 | "A Thing of Guile" | Nicholas Briggs | Phil Mulryne | War Doctor, Ollistra, Daleks | February 2016 (2016-02) |
| Forced to work for Ollistra as a prisoner of war, the Doctor investigates a Dalek research base. ||||||
| 3 | "The Neverwhen" | Nicholas Briggs | Matt Fitton | War Doctor, Ollistra, Daleks | February 2016 (2016-02) |
| The Doctor and Ollistra become caught on different sides of a conflict where Time is shifting to such an extent that their weapons are being constantly adjusted. ||||||

#### Series 3: Agents of Chaos (2016)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
| 1 | "The Shadow Vortex" | Nicholas Briggs | David Llewellyn | War Doctor, Ollistra, Daleks, Dalek Time Strategist | October 2016 (2016-10) |
| The Doctor tracks a Dalek agent to Berlin in 1961 to try to prevent a plan to change history. ||||||
| 2 | "The Eternity Cage" | Nicholas Briggs | Andrew Smith | War Doctor, Heleyna, Ollistra, Daleks, Dalek Time Strategist, Sontarans | October 2016 (2016-10) |
| The Doctor must assist a Time Lord strike team in retrieving Ollistra after she's captured by a Sontaran strike force trying to take part in the Time War. ||||||
| 3 | "Eye of Harmony" | Nicholas Briggs | Ken Bentley | War Doctor, Helayna, Ollistra, Daleks, Dalek Time Strategist | October 2016 (2016-10) |
| The Doctor and Ollistra are trapped on an out-of-control TARDIS as they are forced to face a traitor in the ranks. ||||||

#### Series 4: Casualties of War (2017)

Sir John Hurt died on 25 January 2017. Recording of the series had been completed and was released posthumously.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
| 1 | "Pretty Lies" | Nicholas Briggs | Guy Adams | War Doctor, Ollistra, Daleks | February 2017 (2017-02) |
| Trapped on a distant planet, the Doctor and Ollistra must help defend a small colony while bothered by a time-travelling war correspondent. ||||||
| 2 | "The Lady of Obsidian" | Nicholas Briggs | Andrew Smith | War Doctor, Ollistra, Leela, Daleks | February 2017 (2017-02) |
| The Doctor investigates strange events in the Obsidian Nebula, which reveals that his old companion Leela is still alive despite being presumed dead in the early days of the Time War. ||||||
| 3 | "The Enigma Dimension" | Nicholas Briggs | Nicholas Briggs | War Doctor, Ollistra, Leela, the Enigma, Daleks | February 2017 (2017-02) |
| The Doctor, Leela and Ollistra must protect Gallifrey from an other-dimensional assault organised by the Daleks. ||||||

### The War Doctor Begins
#### Series 1: Forged in Fire (2021)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
| 1 | "Light the Flame" | Louise Jameson | Matt Fitton | War Doctor, Tamasan, Ohila, Sisterhood of Karn, Rasmus | June 2021 (2021-06) |
| 2 | "Lion Hearts" | Louise Jameson | Lou Morgan | War Doctor, Tamasan, Tharils | June 2021 (2021-06) |
| 3 | "The Shadow Squad" | Louise Jameson | Andrew Smith | War Doctor, Tamasan, Daleks | June 2021 (2021-06) |

#### Series 2: Warbringer (2021)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
| 1 | "Consequences" | Louise Jameson | Timothy X Atack | War Doctor, Veklin, Case, Tamasan, Andarta | December 2021 (2021-12) |
| 2 | "Destroyer" | Louise Jameson | Andrew Smith | War Doctor, Veklin, Case, Tamasan, Daleks | December 2021 (2021-12) |
| 3 | "Saviour" | Louise Jameson | Jonathan Morris | War Doctor, Veklin, Case, Rondig, Daleks | December 2021 (2021-12) |

#### Series 3: Battlegrounds (2022)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
| 1 | "The Keeper of Light" | Louise Jameson | Phil Mulryne | War Doctor, Tamasan, Dorothy, David | May 2022 (2022-05) |
| 2 | "Temmosus" | Louise Jameson | Rossa McPhillips | War Doctor, Tamasan, Thals, Daleks | May 2022 (2022-05) |
| 3 | "Rewind" | Louise Jameson | Timothy X Atack | War Doctor, Tamasan, Daleks | May 2022 (2022-05) |

#### Series 4: He Who Fights with Monsters (2022)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
| 1 | "The Mission" | Louise Jameson | Robert Valentine | War Doctor, The General, The Barber-Surgeon | December 2022 (2022-12) |
| 2 | "The Abyss" | Louise Jameson | Robert Valentine | War Doctor, Leela, The Barber-Surgeon, Daleks | December 2022 (2022-12) |
| 3 | "The Horror" | Louise Jameson | Robert Valentine | War Doctor, The Barber-Surgeon, Daleks | December 2022 (2022-12) |

#### Series 5: Comrades-in-Arms (2023)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
| 1 | "Mother's Love" | Barnaby Edwards | Noga Flaishon | War Doctor, Case, Veklin | May 2023 (2023-05) |
| 2 | "Berserker" | Barnaby Edwards | Timothy X Atack | War Doctor, Case, Daleks | May 2023 (2023-05) |
| 3 | "Memnos" | Barnaby Edwards | Phil Mulryne | War Doctor, Case, Daleks, Dalek Time Strategist | May 2023 (2023-05) |

#### Series 6: Enemy Mine (2023)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
| 1 | "The Hybrid's Choice" | Helen Goldwyn | Ajjaz Awad-Ibrahim | War Doctor, Case, Daleks, Dalek Time Strategist | December 2023 (2023-12) |
| 2 | "Fear Nothing" | Helen Goldwyn | Mark Wright | War Doctor, Case, Tamasan, Daleks, Dalek Time Strategist | December 2023 (2023-12) |
| 3 | "Exit Strategy" | Helen Goldwyn | Matt Fitton | War Doctor, Eighth Doctor, Case, Daleks, Dalek Time Strategist | December 2023 (2023-12) |

### The War Doctor Rises
#### Series 1: Morbius The Mighty (2024)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
| 1 | "Part One" | Bethany Weimers | Tim Foley | War Doctor, Morbius, Daleks | August 2024 (2024-08) |
| 2 | "Part Two" | Bethany Weimers | Tim Foley | War Doctor, Morbius, Daleks | August 2024 (2024-08) |
| 3 | "Part Three" | Bethany Weimers | Tim Foley | War Doctor, Morbius, Daleks | August 2024 (2024-08) |

#### Series 2: Unknown Soldiers (2024)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
| 1 | "Part One" | Helen Goldwyn | Timothy X Atack | War Doctor, Daleks | December 2024 (2024-12) |
| 2 | "Part Two" | Helen Goldwyn | Timothy X Atack | War Doctor, Daleks | December 2024 (2024-12) |
| 3 | "Part Three" | Helen Goldwyn | Timothy X Atack | War Doctor, Daleks | December 2024 (2024-12) |

## Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee(s) of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Work(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Audie Awards | 2017 | Best Audio Drama | Only the Monstrous | Nominated | |
| Scribe Awards | 2023 | Best Audio Drama | He Who Fights with Monsters | Nominated | |