The Doctor’s disavowed Time War incarnation first appeared, played by Sir John Hurt, in the 2013 Doctor Who TV episodes The Name of the Doctor, The Night of the Doctor and The Day of the Doctor. Hurt later reprised this role for twelve audio stories at Big Finish, before his tragic passing in 2017. 

In June 2021, Jonathon Carley took over the mantle, playing a younger version of the character in The War Doctor Begins, an origin story for the incarnation which ran for six volumes. 

Now, beginning in August 2024, Carley will reprise the role in Doctor Who – The War Doctor Rises. The War Doctor’s story will continue as he faces the ever-increasing horrors of the Time War. 

Producer David Richardson said: “The younger War Doctor has now established himself, and so we’re heading into different territory for his era. For The War Doctor Rises, I wanted us to hand over to the writer – each box set will be one writer’s vision, as they give their own take on the War Doctor and the Time War. 

“So, each volume will feel like a vast sweeping movie for audio, with richly developed characters and deeply imaginative worlds. There are no boundaries on creativity, no pressure to tie up a story within an hour. We’ve recorded two of them so far and I promise you, it’s working beautifully.” 

Jonathon Carley added: “It’s the next chapter! The War Doctor Begins was about the character finding himself and coming to terms with the choice he’s made, which has been a fascinating story to explore – the identity crisis the character has had. Now he’s going to have a harder edge, because he’s learned to let go of that past identity, and now he’s on a mission to deliver what he set out to do. 

“The longer stories add a whole different dimension in terms of the scale of the storytelling, because we can really dig deep, not just in terms of the plot and what’s going on in this complex landscape of the Time War, but also the characters who have been such a rich part of all the stories we’ve done so far – we can really explore their experiences in this chaotic space and this enormous conflict.” 

Volumes 1 and 2 of Doctor Who – The War Doctor Rises are now available for pre-order exclusively here, either as a collector’s edition triple CD box set, starting at £22.99 per volume, or as a digital download, starting at £18.99 per volume.

Big Finish listeners can save money by pre-ordering The War Doctor Rises Volumes 1 and 2 in a bundle for just £44 (collector's edition CD and download) or £36 (download only).

Further details about Doctor Who – The War Doctor Rises, including cast, writers and story details, will be announced nearer the release date. 

All the above prices include the special pre-order discount and are subject to change after general release. 

Please note that Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mailout of collector’s edition CDs will be delayed, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.