Multi-award-winning actor Sir Derek Jacobi CBE returns as the sinister Time War incarnation of the Master (first glimpsed in the 2007 Doctor Who TV episode, Utopia) in a brand-new collection of four audio adventures entitled Solitary Confinement.

The opening tale reunites Derek Jacobi with Dame Siân Phillips, his former I, Claudius co-star – the series which won them both a BAFTA in 1977 – who makes a special appearance as a wise galaxy coder called Mendrix.

Also guest starring in the box set are Jason Flemyng (Boiling Point, Save Me, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Jacob Dudman (The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die, The Stranger), and Silas Carson (Doctor Who, The Gold).

Producer Scott Handcock said: “Ever since I started working with Sir Derek, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to reunite him with his I, Claudius co-star Dame Siân Phillips. I’ve been lucky enough to work with them both separately before, but I knew it would be a treat to get them together again. I just had to wait for the right script... and The Walls of Absence is a stunning piece for them both.

“And it’s not the only reunion. Jason Flemyng, who’ll be no stranger to sci-fi and fantasy fans, also gets to play off against Sir Derek again in The Long Despair. Then Jacob Dudman and Silas Carson, who have both appeared alongside the War Master in previous box sets, return to play two very different parts. It’s a performance tour de force from everyone!”

The War Master: Solitary Confinement is now available to pre-order for just £24.99 (collector’s edition 4-disc CD box set + download) or £19.99 (download only), exclusively here.

The Drane Institute is home to the galaxy’s most criminally deranged. Patients are kept locked away for the protection of themselves and the rest of the universe... with their most dangerous kept in active isolation.

The Master is one such convalescent. He has no memory of how he came to be there. All he knows for certain is he should be: his presence is part of a greater design.

Confiding in the institute’s staff, the Master shares stories of love and loss, madness and glory... but there’s still a final twist in the tale: one the Master’s waiting to share with his enemies.

The Walls of Absence by James Goss

The Code Purgers of Chift have made a fortune cleaning up the galaxy’s code: subroutines assessed, and errors repaired. So when the Master loses his mind, quite literally, there is only one place he can turn.

The Long Despair by Tim Foley

On the ocean world of Mehr Kee, the Master enlists the help of a captain to voyage across its seas. Their target: a beacon on a distant isle, shining across the waves. But what deadly trials await?

The Life and Loves of Mr Alexander Bennett by Alfie Shaw

Alexander Bennett lives a normal life. He has a job, a girlfriend, a plan for the future... and a new home assistant — Maisu — that offers all the advice he could ever need... whether he wants it or not.

The Kicker by Trevor Baxendale

When a member of the Temporal Inquisition arrives at the Crane Institute, they discover more to the Master’s madness than meets the eye — and his secrets now threaten them all.

The stellar cast also includes Eva Pope (Bad Girls, Coronation Street), Lois Chimimba (The Outlaws), Kae Alexander (Bad Education), and Neve McIntosh (known to Doctor Who fans as Madame Vastra).

Praise for the previous release, The War Master: Escape From Reality:

“One of my favourite releases of this year. Nearly every story in this set offers something new and nuanced, using the audio medium in interesting ways.”

– Indie Mac User

“Everything I want from a War Master story.”

– Hogan Reviews

“Thanks to the solid scripts, Jacobi's range of performances, and how good it all sounds, Escape From Reality might be this reviewer's new favorite War Master set.”

– Warped Factor

“Derek Jacobi is, of course, deliciously evil as usual.”

– Who-Review

Big Finish listeners can pre-order Solitary Confinement with the following two box sets in the range together in a bundle for just £72 (collector’s edition CD box set + download) or £58 (download only).

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

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.