Many have sought the legendary Dark Gallifrey over the millennia... but most have been lucky enough to fail. There is another who has his eyes on that glittering prize, however; one who knows how such power could be wielded - the Master himself!
Intrigued by rumours of a hidden Gallifrey - the Dark Gallifrey of Time Lord myth - Bernice Summerfield resolves to find it.
But as the Doctor points out, some things should never be found, and some doors should never be opened. Especially ones that want to be...
Recorded on: TBC
Recorded at: TBC
Producer Scott Handcock said: "David Richardson asked me to do a Dark Gallifrey box set with the War Master, and there were certain other characters he wanted in the mix. So I turned to James, with a Terrance Dicks-style Five Doctors shopping list, and asked, can you work up a story featuring the War Master, Captain John Hart, Bernice Summerfield, and the David Warner Doctor, and even a little cameo from the young War Doctor? Very quickly, he came up with a storyline that accommodated everyone, that made sense and celebrated those combinations of characters.
"The lovely thing about the first episode is it really celebrates the dynamic between the David Warner Doctor and Lisa Bowerman as Benny, and taps into Benny's hubris of wanting to make a discovery for herself."
Writer James Goss added: "Only Big Finish would be able to go, 'We'll get that man from Buffy and that national treasure and we'll have them acting together'. They're both great actors but from very different worlds.
"I love the idea that the War Master is the effective Master. All the other Masters come with ridiculous, overarching plans which never come to fruition, but the War Master is meticulous - when he makes a shopping list, he sits down and goes - kale, must it be kale? Captain John is the anathema to the Master. He's never had a plan in his life. They both have a different approach to their goals, they're forced to work together, and it doesn't quite work.
"The joy of Benny and David Warner's Doctor is that he is her companion. Bernice has never actually made a big archaeological discovery, and here she makes a discovery that should not be discovered. The Doctor is aware that this is a very bad idea, but also that he is able to sort the problem out, working backwards to the beginning."
David Warner, Lisa Bowerman (archive photo)
