In the latest audio adventure starring the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and her companion Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill), time-travelling duo head to London, 1926, where they’re in for a few scares… 

Having survived the Great War and the Spanish flu, the city’s residents are dealing with their losses, and reaching out to the dead is a popular interest. When a medium is mysteriously killed, the Doctor and Yaz enter a world of seances, ghosts, and grief, and discover an alien danger that puts everyone at risk. 

The Violet Hour, the fifth episode of the audio drama series The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures, is a spooky and suspenseful tale written by Rafaella Marcus. It guest stars David Robb (known for I, Claudius and Downton Abbey) as the grieving Colonel Maltravers, as well as Liv Andrusier as the medium Esther, Olivia Marcus as her sister Miriam, Joseph Arkley as the weaselly doctor Kidney, and Anna Crichlow as Nellie. 

Doctor Who – The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures: The Violet Hour is now available to purchase for just £9.99 (as a digital download to own) or £13.99 (download to own + collector’s edition CD), exclusively here. Please note: the collector’s edition CD is strictly limited to 1,500 copies and will not be re-pressed. 

The Doctor and Yaz arrive in the East End of London, 1926. There’s grief in the air: not only the years of war and sickness, but a more recent death.  

A strange message prompts them to investigate the murder of a medium. A young woman whose seances hide deeper secrets – and an unearthly power that threatens the entire city. 

Lead actor Jodie Whittaker said: “It’s a really beautiful script, with ghostly elements explored in a very unique way, and so many different characters of different ages as well – people whose grief is through loss of a family, and young people who’ve lost someone instantly. And it touches on the Spanish flu, which, now we all know what it’s like to live through a pandemic, feels incredibly relevant.” 

Her co-star Mandip Gill added: “When I first read The Violet Hour, I was a bit scared because I’m actually scared of ghosts! But then I got quite excited because we’ve not touched on this before, and it’s exciting to pop back to the East End in the 1920s.” 

And, producer Noga Flaishon said: “Working with Rafaella Marcus was wonderful. I adore their work across theatre and audio, and they were amongst the first writers I pitched for this series. The plot is so suspenseful and spooky, and this was the first – and so far only – time I shed tears in the control room during a recording... the words ripped my heart out on this one.” 

Praise for the previous Thirteenth Doctor Adventures release, Ride or Die: 

“Rochana Patel’s character-led script interrogates Yaz’s relationship to both the Doctor and her own sexuality, giving Mandip Gill some really strong material to work with.”
SFX 

“The closest the Big Finish range has come yet to feeling like part of a lost Series 12B, but more importantly, it would have been a highlight of that season.”
Blogtor Who 

“One of the highlights of this new audio series is that both the Doctor and Yaz get more time to breathe and fully develop as characters.”
Clearing Out the Clutter 

“It really is a joy to hear this series using science fiction to address real contemporary concerns, and it leaves us in hope that the tantalising cliffhanger will lead to even greater things.”
Doctor Who Magazine 

The Violet Hour is the fifth of twelve full-cast audio drama adventures for the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz, released bimonthly. Big Finish listeners can save money by pre-ordering all twelve releases in a multibuy bundle for just £102 (digital download to own) exclusively from the Big Finish website. Additional three-release multibuy bundles are available from just £27 (download to own) and £33 (download to own + collector’s edition CD), exclusively here. 

All the above prices (including pre-order and multibuy bundle discounts) are fixed for a limited time only and guaranteed no later than 31 May 2026. 

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.