The epic audio drama saga Dark Gallifrey continues in July with a brand-new trilogy, this time centring around the evil incarnation of the Master played by Eric Roberts. 

The three episodes are set over two time periods – many years ago, when the Master took a group of Time Lord Academy students on a field trip and engaged them in a brutal experiment, and the present, when the survivors of that trip deal with the horrifying consequences. 

But there’s someone who isn’t happy with the Master’s latest manipulations… The third part of the trilogy features Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor. McGann’s Doctor and Roberts’ Master first faced off when they made their debuts in the 1996 TV Movie, and now the stage is set for a rematch across the timelines. 

The Worlds of Doctor Who – Dark Gallifrey: Master! Parts One to Three are now available for pre-order for just £8.99 (digital download to own) or £10.99 (download to own + single-disc collector’s edition CD). Please note: the collector’s edition CDs are strictly limited to 1,000 copies and will not be repressed. 

The three masterly instalments, all written by Lizzie Hopley, will be: 

Part One, due for release in July 

Several years ago, the Master, disguised as a tutor, took a group of Time Lord Academy students with promising futures on a field trip that went disastrously wrong.  Now in the present, they all turn up dead. 

Gamara is the last survivor – but to save herself, she will need to reveal the truth about the monstrous experiment the Master made them conduct all those years ago. 

Part Two, due for release in August 

Stranded on a barren planet, the students confront the devastating reality of their situation, including the Master’s dangerous plans and the mysterious entities in the psychic forest. 

In the present, Gamara and the Mind Shield try to understand the entity which had been hunting them all – the mythical Mother Quiver. 

Part Three, due for release in September 

The last survivors of the Master’s experiment struggle to navigate a fractured landscape, the Master’s experiment and the threat of the Doctor. 

In the present, Gamara must confront the consequences of her buried truths, as the monstrous Mother Quiver returns to claim her final victim. 

Writer Lizzie Hopley said: “Master! is currently fighting amid my top fave Big Finish commissions. Eric Roberts is so deliciously cruel, I shocked myself with some of the things he says. To pitch him again against McGann’s Eighth Doctor, who I’ve written for many times, was a gift and their scenes are as electric as you’d desire. 

“We recorded with an outstanding young cast, I’m so proud of them and the relationships they quickly formed. They weren’t afraid of playing the high stakes which this story insists on. Mother Quiver first appeared in my Doctor Who Audio Novel The Box of Terrors and I’ve been waiting to use (and play!) her for ages. This is a dark and twisted tale; one of the darkest moments was inspired by a Richard Matheson short story – I wonder who can spot it?” 

Big Finish listeners can pre-order all six of 2025’s Dark Gallifrey instalments – which includes the Master! trilogy as well as the previous trilogy, starring Michelle Gomez as Missy – for just £50 (download to own) or £60 (download to own + collector’s edition CD).  

The complete Dark Gallifrey pre-order bundle, including all eight trilogies, each following a different renegade Time Lord, is just £188 (download to own) or £210 (download to own + collector’s edition CD). 

All the above prices (including pre-order and multibuy bundle discounts) are fixed for a limited time only and guaranteed no later than 31 August 2025. 

Please note that Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mail-out of collector’s edition CDs may be delayed due to factors beyond our control, 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.