10 Best Doctor Who Big Finish Releases

Back in 2013, we first met John Hurt's War Doctor, who went on to play a significant role in the ‘The Day of the Doctor’. Playing an incarnation of the Doctor who fought during the Time War and took over from Paul McGann’s Eighth incarnation. However, besides the odd mention in the new series, the Time War has been largely left up to the imagination.

That is until 2015, where Big Finish started their ‘The War Doctor’ series, with John Hurt reprising his role for four box-sets until his tragic passing in 2017. But it is the original and first box-set, ‘Only the Monstrous’, written entirely by Nicholas Briggs, that is a remarkable anthology which kicked it off and remains on of Big Finish’s greatest. Since then the Time War has features across several ranges and spin-off, such as ‘The Eighth Doctor – Time War’, ‘Gallifrey’, ‘The War Master’ and most recently ‘Susan’s War’, but this is the story which sets the groundwork.

More of Hurt’s incarnation is never going to be turned away but with his own series, he’s not got to contend with other Doctors and can simply be his own and oh boy does he make the part his own. Hurt absolutely captures the gruff and tough of this incarnation, whilst still keeping the charm of the Doctor.

Another stand-out of this series is Jacqueline Pearce as Cardinal Ollistra, one of Big Finish’s greatest original characters, her heartless and callous portrayal is truly captivating. Again, the potential for fan servicing is high, but yet again Big Finish pulls it off.