Gallifrey (audio drama series)

The series focuses on political struggles within the leadership of the Time Lords, centred on Romana's presidency. In the first series, Romana's progressive policies and desires to open Gallifrey up to the outside universe faces opposition from more conservative cultures. In addition, a terrorist group known as "Free Time", who want to break the monopoly on time travel technology shared among the Time Lords and the few other temporal powers, steals a timeonic fusion device. The inquiry into Romana's handling of the incident reveals a dark secret surrounding the Time Lords' policy of non-intervention.

The second series sees the admission of non-Gallifreyans into the Time Lord Academy, leading to even more tension within the Time Lord political elite. Romana has to deal with Free Time infiltrators as well as an attempted coup by Inquisitor Darkel. In addition, an ancient Gallifreyan evil escapes from the Matrix: Pandora, a megalomaniacal personality who manipulates Romana and others with the goal of regaining life and power. At the end of the second series, Pandora manages to manifest herself in the form of Romana's first incarnation (played once again by Mary Tamm). Both Romanas claim the title of Imperiatrix, absolute ruler of Gallifrey, leading to civil war.

In the third series, Romana traps Pandora in the Matrix once again, and destroys her by sacrificing the Matrix. After an election fraught with political manoeuvring, one Lord Matthias becomes Lord President. The series ends on a cliffhanger, with Gallifrey on the brink of economic and social collapse as well as in danger of being overrun by a Free Time virus, while most of the cast are trapped with no apparent means of escape.

At the time Big Finish's license forbid them from using aspects of the revived television series,[2] the Gallifrey series does not explicitly acknowledge the events of the Time War. However, in the final chapter of the third series Irving Braxiatel speaks of "rumours out there in the big wide universe — more than rumours, in fact — that something's coming to Gallifrey, something worse than you could possibly imagine".

Because of these rumours, Braxiatel engineers the removal of the Time Lord biodata archive from Gallifrey, in order that the Time Lords might someday be restored after their planet meets its doom. Former Big Finish producer Gary Russell indicated in the audio interviews for the fourth series that this was a reference to the television series' Time War.

The fourth series, sees Romana, Leela, K9 Mark II, Brax and Narvin unable to save the Gallifrey they know. Instead, they wander through a collection of truncated time lines, looking for answers in alternate Gallifreys.

A Fifth and Sixth Series was produced. Nicholas Briggs appeared as The Daleks in the latter.[3]

Seán Carlsen returned as Narvin in special Intervention Earth with Juliet Landau as Romana and introduces Sophie Aldred as Ace. Stephen Thorne guest star as Omega.[4]

Lalla Ward, Louise Jameson And Miles Richardson returned having remained absent in the previous release, in Enemy Line, with Seán Carlsen and Sophie Aldred continuing their roles. Celia Imrie was introduce as Livia.

Big Finish finally explored the Time War in 2018 with Ward, Jameson, Carlsen, Richardson and Aldred reprising their roles. Nicholas Briggs returned as the voice of the Daleks. Derek Jacobi guest starred as The War Master.

• List of Doctor Who audio plays by Big Finish.

• Gallifrey (audio drama series) on Tardis Data Core, an external wiki
• Gallifrey at Big Finish Guide