And so it begins… the greatest conflict in the history of the universe…

There have been two schools of thought regarding the Great Time War ever since Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor revealed very early on in the revived show that he was – at that point – the sole survivor of the conflict between the Daleks and the Time Lords. One was that it should remain a mystery, with a few hints being dropped here and there (such as when the Doctor encountered a Dalek, or fellow Time Lords); the other was that it was a ripe area for expansion… And who better to do this than Big Finish? All the hints and explicit material from The Day of the Doctor have been brought into service in the various series we’ve had so far – Eighth Doctor, War Doctor, War Master – but the obvious home for an explanation of the geopolitical roots of the war is Big Finish’s own Gallifrey series.

This first episode doesn’t waste time explaining the backstory, but throws new listeners in at the deep end. Romana’s now Coordinator of the CIA (the Celestial Intervention Agency), with former Coordinator Narvin her Deputy. Leela is on the War Council as a liaison, and Livia (now played by Pippa Bennett-Warner) is President, apparently caught between the CIA and the War Council. Romana is suspicious of the War Council as it is – but when she and Narvin inadvertently learn of a secret base on Gallifrey itself, their suspicions are heightened… leading to a discovery that shows just how far the War Council will go. That tactic is something that we know of from the TV show, but David Llewellyn’s script goes into the ramifications, both moral and physical.

Lalla Ward, Seán Carlsen and Louise Jameson are at the heart of the story and function in different ways as the moral guardians of Gallifreyan and Time Lord behaviour. It’s the first time we’ve actually “seen” the events that led to the declaration, and it’s clear that although the Time Lords are sort of aware of what they’re getting into, the true horrors are yet to be revealed…

Verdict: A good reminder of the shades of grey on the Time Lord side of the Time War. 9/10

Paul Simpson