1. Doctor Who: The War Doctor Rises: Morbius the Mighty

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Doctor Who - The War Doctor

Released August 2024

Written by Tim Foley

Starring Jonathon Carley

From US $27.85

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The War Doctor has been forced out of the fight and the battle has moved on in his absence. There are new powers, new anomalies, and new excuses from him to keep his distance. With only Cora, his nurse, to keep him company on the forest planet of Lull, the War Doctor is content to leave his old life behind.

But something is stirring in the depths of a twisted planet. An old, embittered foe harbours a terrible grudge against the Doctor. And when a chance encounter gives this enemy the chance to escape, nobody is safe in his quest for vengeance.

From the depths of the stormy Valley, Morbius will rise...

Recorded on: 11-13 December 2023 and 8 February 2024

Recorded at: The Soundhouse

Writer Tim Foley said: "With Dark Gallifrey, I really got my teeth into Morbius - the way he approached everything, that ego of his that was bubbling out over the script. There was just so much of him that I wanted to write another script to put more of him in. So I asked, please let me write for Morbius again!

"Because Dark Gallifrey: Morbius was inspired by Frankenstein, it felt like a natural fit to put Morbius in another epic story. A large part of Morbius the Mighty is inspired by The Wrath of Khan, which itself has its genesis in Moby Dick. Both are fabulous revenge stories, and basically boil down to a one-on-one. I thought about what Morbius was angry at the War Doctor about, what was driving him, and that's where the drama stems from."

Jonathon Carley said:"Morbius is a legendary character in Doctor Who. So, to throw that character - a big Time Lord tyrant - into the Time War, is a recipe for high-stakes action drama. The history between Morbius and the Doctor is huge, and to go up against him is a big deal - it's a bit intimidating.

"He's from a different time, before the Time Lords stepped back and said, 'OK, we're going to put some rules in here'. And he didn't like it. He was the original rebel. And now he's back at the worst possible time - the Time War - and could destabilise everything. He's got no love for the Daleks, no love for the Time Lords, and he wants to take his rightful place as supreme power in the universe."

Samuel West, the BAFTA-nominated actor who plays Morbius, added: "You can't keep a bad Time Lord down, can you? He has history, you understand how he became who he is, but he's still totally sociopathic, and will calmly and enjoyably pull the wings off flies.

"Morbius has an obsession with the Doctor, and a complex about being unworthy, and what he really needs is a lie down on a nice couch and some care. But he doesn't get that, he gets lots of people telling him he's marvellous. And so his obsessions grow and take him over - the explosions have to be bigger, the conquering needs to be more total, and the victories need to be absolute."