Watch out, peoples of the universe! The most deadly incarnation of Gallifrey’s most notorious renegade Time Lord is all set for eight new and terrifying adventures in the Time War.  

Sir Derek Jacobi returns as the War Master in two new volumes of full-cast audio dramas from Big Finish, and must first face his arch-enemy, the Doctor, in the shape of Paul McGann.  

Sent on a mission by the Time Lords, the War Master hurtles toward his destiny and will ultimately learn more about his nemesis than ever before…  

The War Master: Hearts of Darkness is due for release in October 2020, and is now available for pre-order as a collector’s edition four-disc box set (on CD at £24.99) and as a digital download (at £19.99), exclusively from www.bigfinish.com.   

“Find the Doctor… stop the Doctor… and, if necessary, kill the Doctor!” 

Recruited by the Celestial Intervention Agency to track down his oldest enemy, the Master finds himself thrown into a mission that will take him into deepest Dalek territory. 

Abandoned on the planet Redemption, he assembles a crew and acquires a ship – the journey that follows is certain to test them all… and not everyone will survive. 

But space pirates and living corpses are the least of their worries. Their biggest threat remains at large: a Time Lord who likes to call himself ‘the Doctor’. 

Also starring alongside Sir Derek Jacobi and Paul McGann in volume five are Seán Carlsen (Narvin), George Fletcher (Grondak), Sam Hallion (Kriket), Sandra Huggett (Dorada), Alex Jordan (Domdaniel Computer), Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo (The Scaramancer), Colin McFarlane (Morski), Tanya Moodie (Kilda), Henry Nott (Dieter), Julia Sandiford (Ilya), and Amanda Shodeko (Meri). 

The four adventures in volume five, The War Master: Hearts of Darkness are as follows:  

The Edge of Redemption by David Llewellyn 

The Scaramancer by Lisa McMullin 

The Castle of Kurnos 5 by David Llewellyn 

The Cognition Shift by Lisa McMullin 

Producer, Scott Handcock said: “I’m immensely proud of the work we’ve done on The War Master series to date, so it’s a greater thrill to be able to reunite with Derek and tell even more stories with his particular incarnation across two brand-new box sets. Speaking of reunions, he’ll be encountering a few familiar faces along the way! 

“Volume 5: Hearts of Darkness, sees the Master pitted once again against the Eighth Doctor! It’s an epic four-disc tale, written by David Llewellyn and Lisa McMullin, with the Master recruited by the Celestial Intervention Agency to track the Doctor down in deepest enemy territory. It goes without saying that working with Derek and Paul individually is always a pleasure but watching them fire off one another in studio is extra special.” 

The series continues with volume six, The War Master: Killing Time, featuring the following exciting new stories, due for release in August 2021:  

The Sincerest Form of Flattery by James Goss 

A Quiet Night In by Lou Morgan 

The Orphan by Lou Morgan 

Unfinished Business by James Goss 

Producer, Scott Handcock added: “Volume 6: Killing Time finds the Master struggling to seize command of an empire… and features a couple more faces familiar to fans of the classic era of Doctor Who. But that’s all I’m saying for now! They’re four beautiful, character-driven scripts from James Goss and Lou Morgan that use horror and humour in equal measure. I can’t wait to reveal more!” 

More story details, photos, clips and cover artwork will be revealed nearer to the release date.  

The War Master: Hearts of Darkness and The War Master: Killing Time are each now available for pre-order as collector’s edition four-disc box sets (on CD at £24.99) and as digital downloads (at £19.99), exclusively from the Big Finish website.  

Big Finish listeners can save money by pre-ordering a bundle of both forthcoming volumes of The War Master series for £48 as collector’s edition box sets or £39 as digital downloads.  

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.