“One day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine.” – The Doctor  

Since April 2022, Big Finish has been producing full-cast audio adventures for the First Doctor with Stephen Noonan taking on the role originated by William Hartnell, and Lauren Cornelius as his companion, Dodo.  

Now there are some new (old) faces back. The originals, you might say, yet slightly different. David Bradley (the Doctor) returns, joined by Jemma Powell (as Barbara Wright), Jamie Glover (as Ian Chesterton) and Claudia Grant (as Susan Foreman) in The First Doctor Unbound.   

This quartet played the roles of Doctor Who’s very first cast of actors in the 2013 biopic An Adventure in Space and Time. Then, in December 2017, they began a series of audio adventures as the actual First Doctor and friends for Big Finish Productions.   

From September 2025, they'll be unleashed in new parts of the vortex, in a series that breaks free from established continuity to tell its own surprising stories.    

The first volume of Doctor Who – The First Doctor Unbound is now available to pre-order for just £15.99 (collector's edition CD box set + download) or £12.99 (download only), exclusively here. 

Producer David O’Mahony said: “The Peter Cushing feature films of the 1960s were our stylistic inspiration here – the lighter tone, the spirit of high adventure, the true Technicolor nature of the storytelling. We want all these adventures to have that bank holiday or Sunday afternoon feeling.    

“We combined this with the brilliant cast of the BBC's anniversary special An Adventure in Space and Time, led by the legendary David Bradley. Working with such a wonderful cast and an exceptional creative team, we have created a time fracture leading to a separate universe... it might not be canon (or is it?), but it's going to be brilliant!   

“I cannot tell you how excited I am to be taking charge of The First Doctor Unbound. Similarly to the Lost Stories range, making these stories unbound to the television continuity of Doctor Who gives us a wonderful creative freedom to explore characters, stories and styles. 

“The hunger to create new stories and be inspired by various parts of the Whoniverse has driven so many wonderful Big Finish productions – to bring in this Doctor and set him on these adventures is like unearthing a treasure trove of potential and exciting tales.” 

The first volume of Doctor Who – The First Doctor Unbound, due for release in September 2025, is now available to pre-order for just £15.99 (collector's edition CD box set + download) or £12.99 (download only), exclusively here. 

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.