This title was released in January 2025. It will be exclusively available to buy from the Big Finish website until 28 February 2025, and on general sale after this date.
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...?
**Please note: the collector's edition CD boxset is strictly limited to 1,500 copies**
Recorded on: 18-20 March 2024
Recorded at: The Soundhouse
Producer Mark Wright said: “What an honour to reunite Steven Taylor with the First Doctor in an adventure paying tribute to that rich era of 1960s Doctor Who. The Living Darkness is a terrific script from Jacqueline Rayner, full of suspense, terror and rich emotion.
“Peter Purves is a true icon of not just Doctor Who but of British popular culture, and it was a joy to see Peter and our First Doctor, Stephen Noonan, working together so effortlessly. We also had a superb company of guest actors joining us for this epic story, adding to the warm and collaborative atmosphere that typifies the Big Finish green room.”
Peter Purves 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."
Stephen Noonan (the First Doctor), Dido Miles (Arva), Peter Purves (Steven Taylor)
Dido Miles (Arva), Jack Ayres (Qyz), Laura Rollins (Umbriel), Stephen Noonan (The Doctor), Peter Purves (Steven Taylor), Lauren Cornelius (Dodo), Trevor Littledale (Venner, Computer)
