British TV icon Peter Purves returns to the role of Steven Taylor, who he originally played on Doctor Who from 1965 to 66, in today’s brand-new The First Doctor Adventures audio drama box set, The Living Darkness. 

In this six-part full-cast story, scripted by Jacqueline Rayner, an elderly Steven, his days travelling with the Doctor long behind him, is among a disparate group of people who wake up on an unknown spacecraft. 

Steven takes the lead in investigating this strange situation, but before long, he discovers that among those onboard is none other than his old friend, the Doctor (Stephen Noonan). The pair have a lot to catch up on, and a new mystery to solve. 

The Living Darkness also features Lauren Cornelius (Gavin and Stacey) as Dodo, another companion of the Doctor with whom Steven is reunited. 

Doctor Who – The First Doctor Adventures: The Living Darkness is now available to purchase for just £24.99 (collector’s edition CD box set + download) or £19.99 (download only), exclusively here. Please note: the collector’s edition CD box set is strictly limited to 1,500 copies and will not be repressed. 

Steven Taylor thought he’d left a life of adventure behind when he said goodbye to the Doctor and forged his future as the leader of a world. But decades later, when a broken and grieving Steven awakes aboard a mysterious spacecraft, terror is close at hand. 

What is the purpose of the ship’s voyage and why has it collected a random group from different points in time and space? What sinister presence lurks within the darkness that smothers its corridors? And can Steven really trust the new arrival claiming to be the Doctor…? 

In the guest cast of The Living Darkness are Dido Miles as Arva, Laura Rollins as Umbriel, Jack Ayres as Qyz, Helen Phillips as Nanny, Daon Broni as Mish, and Trevor Littledale as Compuvac. 

Peter Purves, who stars alongside First Doctor actor Stephen Noonan for the first time, said: “Stephen is very close to sounding like Bill Hartnell in terms of rhythm and delivery. He’s quite vigorous in performing it, really quite intense as the Doctor – it’s easy to play off that because he’s giving so much. He’s done a huge amount of research; he knows more about my era of Doctor Who than I ever have. I’m very impressed with his professionalism and his approach. 

“This story involves a lot of things from the era I was in, and it’s a story like no other that’s been in Doctor Who, because don't expect the TARDIS to come to the rescue – it ain’t here. It’s an extraordinary story. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I hope you enjoy listening to it.” 

Stephen Noonan added: “This is thrilling, not only because Peter’s a Doctor Who companion but, for those of my generation, he’s as much a part of the mental furniture of our childhood as anybody else. I was very much looking forward to meeting him, and it's been an absolute dream. 

“It’s a really good script and really interesting stuff for the Doctor. There are emotional areas that haven’t been explored in previous stories, which has been fascinating to work on and to play with Peter.” 

Big Finish listeners can pre-order The Living Darkness along with 2025’s Second Doctor Adventures box set (title TBC) together in a bundle for just £47 (collector’s edition CD box set + download) or £38 (download only). 
 
The Living Darkness is also available to pre-order as part of a 15-release 2025 Classic Doctor bundle for just £335 (collector’s edition CD box set + download) or £275 (download only). 

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

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.