Audio company, Big Finish, has revealed the cover artwork and synopsis for the upcoming boxset, The War Master: Solitary Confinement.
Due for release in June 2023, the set features award-winning actor Sir Derek Jacobi CBE returning as the sinister Time War incarnation of the Master (first seen in Utopia), alongside Dame Siân Phillips, his former I, Claudius co-star – the series which won them both a BAFTA in 1977. She makes a special appearance as a wise galaxy coder called Mendrix.
Also guest starring in the box set are Jason Flemyng (Boiling Point, Save Me, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Jacob Dudman (The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die, The Stranger), Silas Carson (voice of the Ood in Doctor Who, The Gold), Eva Pope (Bad Girls, Coronation Street), Lois Chimimba (The Outlaws), Kae Alexander (Bad Education), and Neve McIntosh (Madame Vastra in Doctor Who)
Producer Scott Handcock said:
“Ever since I started working with Sir Derek, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to reunite him with his I, Claudius co-star Dame Siân Phillips. I’ve been lucky enough to work with them both separately before, but I knew it would be a treat to get them together again. I just had to wait for the right script… and The Walls of Absence is a stunning piece for them both.
“And it’s not the only reunion. Jason Flemyng, who’ll be no stranger to sci-fi and fantasy fans, also gets to play off against Sir Derek again in The Long Despair. Then Jacob Dudman and Silas Carson, who have both appeared alongside the War Master in previous box sets, return to play two very different parts. It’s a performance tour de force from everyone!”
Here’s what to expect:
The Drane Institute is home to the galaxy’s most criminally deranged. Patients are kept locked away for the protection of themselves and the rest of the universe… with their most dangerous kept in active isolation.
The Master is one such convalescent. He has no memory of how he came to be there. All he knows for certain is he should be: his presence is part of a greater design.
Confiding in the institute’s staff, the Master shares stories of love and loss, madness and glory… but there’s still a final twist in the tale: one the Master’s waiting to share with his enemies.
The Walls of Absence by James Goss
The Code Purgers of Chift have made a fortune cleaning up the galaxy’s code: subroutines assessed, and errors repaired. So when the Master loses his mind, quite literally, there is only one place he can turn.
The Long Despair by Tim Foley
On the ocean world of Mehr Kee, the Master enlists the help of a captain to voyage across its seas. Their target: a beacon on a distant isle, shining across the waves. But what deadly trials await?
The Life and Loves of Mr Alexander Bennett by Alfie Shaw
Alexander Bennett lives a normal life. He has a job, a girlfriend, a plan for the future… and a new home assistant — Maisu — that offers all the advice he could ever need… whether he wants it or not.
The Kicker by Trevor Baxendale
When a member of the Temporal Inquisition arrives at the Crane Institute, they discover more to the Master’s madness than meets the eye — and his secrets now threaten them all.
The War Master: Solitary Confinement is available to pre-order for £24.99 (as a 4-disc CD box set and download) or £19.99 (download only).
