Samuel West returns as Morbius, as the epic event series Dark Gallifrey begins today, in a full-cast audio drama from Big Finish Productions.
Dark Gallifrey is a wide-ranging audio drama series composed of eight trilogies. Each trilogy will focus on a different renegade Time Lord and will be written by a single writer. Tim Foley kicks off the series with a Frankenstein-inspired tale following the original renegade, the Time Lord of old who caused Gallifrey’s first civil war – Morbius.
The first of the three instalments in Dark Gallifrey: Morbius is released today, and the story begins not long after that terrible conflict.
The time has come for the last Time Lord battleship, the Proteus, to leave the planet Karn and return to Gallifrey victorious. But her voyage home will not be easy. The Captain is sick, the crew is restless, and there are dark forces lurking in the hold below…
Rachel Atkins plays Captain Argento, tasked with bringing the Proteus home following Morbius’s defeat and execution. By her side are Sisterhood of Karn handmaiden Gilda (Lara Lemon) and first mate Mr. Middlewitch (Hywel Morgan). They soon learn that their victory wasn’t quite as secure as they’d thought, and that Morbius is a very difficult Time Lord to kill.
Dark Gallifrey: Morbius – Part One is now available to own for just £10.99 (collector’s edition CD + download) or £8.99 (download only), exclusively from www.bigfinish.com.
Morbius first appeared in 1976 television story “The Brain of Morbius,” and is voiced for Big Finish by BAFTA-nominated actor Samuel West, who was recently seen in TV series All Creatures Great and Small and Slow Horses. He previously played Morbius in 2008 Eighth Doctor Adventures story The Vengeance of Morbius.
West said: “I remember seeing The Brain of Morbius when I was nine years old. I remember of course the final mental duel – the visual effects were so cutting edge at the time, it was brilliantly acted by both of them, and it was properly frightening, not just for a nine-year-old.
“I’m enjoying playing Morbius again very much. It’s a really fine script. Morbius is a revolutionary who believes that in order to make things better, you have to destroy them. He has an extra portion of chips on his shoulder about the way he was treated by Gallifreyan society, which has become twisted out of all proportion. World domination is a byproduct of cleansing society, but he’ll take it.”
Writer Tim Foley added: “Imagine Dark Gallifrey: Morbius as a nautical gothic novel with twists and turns ahoy. We’ll explore Morbius’s origins, hear of Gallifrey’s recent civil war, and meet Time Lords old and new. Imagine Dan Simmons’ The Terror meets Doctor Who Magazine’s The Tides of Time. These three releases form a standalone mini-series, but they do set up events and questions for the Dark Gallifrey stories to come.”
The first part of Dark Gallifrey: Morbius also stars Andrew French as Veritas, Mina Anwar as Rolko, Justin Avoth as the Shimmering Man, and Janet Henfrey as Narrata.
Big Finish listeners can pre-order all six of 2024’s Dark Gallifrey instalments – which includes Morbius Parts One to Three and a second trilogy featuring Sir Derek Jacobi as the War Master – for just £60 (on collector’s edition CD + download) or £50 (download only).
The complete Dark Gallifrey pre-order bundle, including all eight trilogies, each following a different renegade Time Lord, is just £210 (on collector’s edition CD + download) or £188 (download only).
All of time and space …
Big Finish Productions’ Doctor Who audio drama releases
| Range | Title | Starring | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sontarans vs Rutans | “The Battle of Giant’s Causeway” | Paul McGann, India Fisher, Conrad Westmaas | Jan. 10, 2024 |
| First Doctor Adventures | “Fugitive of the Daleks” | Stephen Noonan, Maureen O’Brien | Jan. 23, 2024 |
| Doctor Who audio novels | “The Chaos Cascade” | Dan Starkey, Beth Chalmers, Rebecca Root | January 2024 |
| Eleventh Doctor Adventures | “Victory of the Doctor” | Jacob Dudman, Safiyya Ingar | Feb. 6, 2024 |
| Ninth Doctor Adventures | “Buried Threats” | Christopher Eccleston, Lisa Bowerman | February 2024 |
| Third Doctor Adventures | “Revolution in Space” | Tim Treloar, Sadie Miller | Feb. 13, 2024 |
| Sontarans vs Rutans | “The Children of the Future” | Tim Treloar, Sadie Miller, Jon Culshaw | Feb. 8, 2024 |
| Torchwood | “Another Postcard from Mr Colchester” | Paul Clayton | February 2024 |
| Torchwood | “Sabotage” | Sophie Aldred, Paul Clayton | February 2024 |
| Master! | “Planet Doom” | Eric Roberts, Chase Masterson | Feb. 20, 2024 |
| Twelfth Doctor Chronicles | “You Only Die Twice” | Jacob Dudman, Bhavnisha Parmar | March 2024 |
| Sontarans vs Rutans | “Born to Die” | Colin Baker, India Fisher | March 2024 |
| Fourth Doctor Adventures | “Storm of the Sea Devils” | Tom Baker, Christopher Naylor, Eleanor Crooks | March 5, 2024 |
| Sixth Doctor Adventures | “The Quin Dilemma” | Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Bonnie Langford, Miranda Raison, Lisa Greenwood) | March 22, 2024 |
| Fifth Doctor Adventures | “The Dream Team” | Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, Matthew Waterhouse | April 9, 2024 |
| The Paternoster Gang | “The Casebook of Paternoster Row” | Neve McIntosh, Catrin Stewart, Dan Starkey, Tom Baker | April 12, 2024 |
| Dark Gallifrey | “Morbius – Part 1” | Samuel West, Hywel Morgan, Andrew French, Mina Anwar, Justin Avoth, Janet Henfrey, Tom Baker | April 3, 2024 |
| Sontarans vs Rutans | “In Name Only” | Jonathon Carley, Dan Starkey, Christopher Ryan, John Banks, Debbie Korley | April 2024 |
| Torchwood | “I Hate Mondays” | Tracy-Ann Oberman, Gareth David-Lloyd, Tim Bentinck | May 2024 |
| Missy | “Bad Influence” | Michelle Gomez, Paterson Joseph, Natalie Gumede, David Shaw Parker | May 2024 |
| Eighth Doctor Adventures | “Echoes” | Paul McGann, Nicola Walker, Hattie Morahan | May 2024 |
| Dark Gallifrey | “Morbius – Part 2” | Samuel West, Rachel Atkins, Hywel Morgan, Andrew French, Mina Anwar, Justin Avoth, Janet Henfrey | May 2, 2024 |
| Fourth Doctor Adventures | “Metamorphosis” | Tom Baker, Christopher Naylor, Eleanor Crooks | June 2024 |
| The Novel Adaptations | “Goth Opera” | Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, | July 2024 |
| The Lost Stories | “Deathworld” | Stephen Noonan, Michael Troughton, Tim Treloar | July 2024 |
| The Lost Stories | “Operation Werewolf” | Michael Troughton, Frazier Hines, Wendy Padbury | July 2024 |
| Sixth Doctor Adventures | “Trials of a Time Lord” | Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Bonnie Langford, David Banks | August 2024 |
| Fourth Doctor Adventures | TBA | Tom Baker, Christopher Naylor, Eleanor Crooks | September 2024 |
