Available exclusively from the Big Finish website to buy and download today, Doctor Who – The War Doctor 1: Only the Monstrous sees John Hurt return as the Doctor's secret incarnation, back in action on the front lines of the Last Great Time War.

Taking place before the apocalyptic events portrayed in the 2013 Doctor Who TV special The Day of the Doctor, this new four-disc box set finds the War Doctor recruited for the war effort by the scheming Cardinal Ollistra (Jacqueline Pearce). A desperate mission will send the Time Lord deep behind enemy lines – where the Daleks await!

Written and directed by Big Finish Executive Producer Nicholas Briggs, Doctor Who – The War Doctor 1: Only the Monstrous contains the following three stories, along with a bonus documentary disc.

1.1 The Innocent

As the Daleks mass their time fleet for a final assault on Gallifrey, something ancient is waiting for them at Omega One. And a sacrifice must be made.

Arch-manipulator and Time Lord strategist, Cardinal Ollistra receives shock news of the Doctor’s death.

Meanwhile, on the planet Keska, a parochial war has returned to plague a peaceful civilisation after decades of tranquillity. But how can such a war have any connection with the great Time War which, at any one moment in the whole of eternity, could threaten to tear the universe apart?

If only the Doctor were still alive.

1.2 The Thousand Worlds

With the high-ranking Time Lord Seratrix behind enemy lines, the War Doctor finds himself assigned to a rescue mission. But any room for manoeuvre is severely restricted by an area of space known as the Null Zone.

Times have changed on Keska, and a countdown to destruction is beginning.

But who are the Taalyens and what is their part in the great and terrifying Dalek plan?

1.3 The Heart of the Battle

Trapped in a citadel swarming with Daleks, the Time Lord rescue force must find a way to overcome insurmountable odds. With the Daleks apparently planning to rule the Null Zone, perhaps their thirst for universal conquest and victory has been quenched…

The War Doctor doesn’t believe so — but how can he prove it without destroying any chance of peace?

As the countdown to the destruction of Keska proceeds, a deadly choice must be made... A choice that will define this Doctor, and perhaps forever cast him in the role of ‘monster’.

Big Finish proudly present John Hurt, Jacqueline Pearce, Lucy Briggs-Owen, Carolyn Seymour, Beth Chalmers, Alex Wyndham, Kieran Hodgson, Barnaby Edwards, Mark McDonnell, John Banks and Nicholas Briggs in Doctor Who – The War Doctor 1: Only the Monstrous, available to buy and download now – exclusive to the Big Finish website!

You can still order this release as part of the Time War Saga bundle. The bundle contains all four box sets from the War Doctor series, along with the five-disc prequel Doctor Who - The Eighth Doctor: The Time War starring Paul McGann. And remember, when you buy any of these titles on CD directly from Big Finish, you will also unlock access to a digital copy for download on day of release.

Doctor Who – The War Doctor 1: Only the Monstrous is available exclusively from Big Finish until 28th February 2016.

The War Doctor's battles continue in Doctor Who – The War Doctor 2: Infernal Devices, coming February 2016.