The penultimate story in Big Finish’s main range of Doctor Who tales – started back in 1999 – is released today, and in a neat symmetry, features the same Doctor and companion as their second ever story, Mark Gatiss’ Phantasmagoria.

Peter Davison and Mark Strickson return in a four-part full cast audio drama about a planet holding all the power, set for detonation at any moment. Teaming up with them are Rakie Ayola (Torchwood, The Tenth Doctor Adventures), Donna Berlin (Survivors, Bernice Summerfield), Raj Ghatak (Time Lord Victorious, Stranded) and Big Finish newcomer Lynsey Murrell.

The TARDIS brings the Doctor and Turlough to a high-tech scientific installation on the planet Testament in the distant future. The human race have become intergalactic buccaneers, thanks to their ability to generate vast amounts of power for long-distance travel. Testament is the source of that power – and the Doctor has never quite understood how it works.  
 
But experiments are underway on Testament – experiments with potentially explosive and devastating consequences. And even the Doctor may be too late to stop it.  
 
With politicians and bureaucrats getting in the way, the race is on. Not to stop a disaster – but to save as many people as possible. 

The Fifth Doctor himself, Peter Davison said: “The Blazing Hour is a bit of a thriller. Whenever there’s a story like this, which is about everything bad about humanity, you immediately think of the present world situation. It’s about the greed and narcissism of humanity.”

Producer David Richardson agreed: “I love this script. Writer James Kettle pitched the idea to me and I instantly said yes – it’s just such a different kind of story and yet it feels totally suited to Doctor Who. At its core, The Blazing Hour is about a group of characters faced with – and some denying – the oncoming apocalypse. It never lets up, takes brilliant turns, and puts the Doctor and Turlough into the most precarious circumstances. It’s just thrilling.”

Writer James Kettle added: “We’re in the far future and the Doctor’s dealing with humans who in some ways are very different from 21st century people, but depressingly share a lot of the same faults! I guess a lot of Doctor Who is about trying to avert disaster, but The Blazing Hour is about what the Doctor does when the disaster has already happened. It’s a story full of tough choices and shocking events – but it’s also got a shop that sells snowglobes.”

Doctor Who: The Blazing Hour is now available exclusively from the Big Finish website, priced at £14.99 (as a collector’s edition CD) and £12.99 (as a digital download).

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