Doctor Who: Ride or Die

The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures #4

by Rochana Patel, Jodie Whittaker (Narrator )

The Doctor and Yaz have been sent a list of coordinates, each one pointing to a location in time and space where people are disappearing - but why? The trail leads to a war-torn world, where conscripted humans battle the terrifying Banshee.
Can the Doctor end this conflict before she loses her best friend?

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Time Travel

Audio CD

First published January 13, 2026

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and excellent story in which the thirteenth Doctor and Yaz find themselves in a situation that the Doctor sees as a trap. She receives a set of coordinates and when visiting there is an interdimensional rip in time and space. When Yaz by accident falls into such a rift the Doctor goes into pursuit. Where Yaz finds herself and of course the Doctor is a place in war for more than 300 years.
And the Doctor refuses to partake into war and she is recognized as specialist of UNIT.

Nobody who knows about the Doctor will be surprised that she is anti-war and very wary of violence. This story tells you about capatalism and the economy of war, which is a very current theme these days.

This is in my humble opinion an excellent story and so far the best tale told in this series. Looking forward to see if BF keeps up this curve of quality and sheer fun.

[P.J. Benney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series has finally hit its stride!
The opening scene was pretty bland/wasted but holy crap, bear with it because we got:
- pacifist/anti-war Doctor
- Yaz backstory
- Yaz BEING a police officer
- a very funny throwaway Torchwood reference that make me CACKLE
- a very timely anti-war theme
and
- hints about the overall arc and a cliffhanger/teaser.

This one is a 4.5 rounded down because of the opening, making it slightly less than perfect, but I love the Doctor up against military types. The best episode yet. We have finally arrived. Really captures the freshness and randomness of 13s era. Will gladly revisit this episode.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was SO GOOD. My favourite so far! No notes! 🙌

[FaclessOneLN · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s the beginning of a new year, and you know what that means? That’s right, another bimonthly release from the Thirteenth Doctor Adventures range.

Hoping to start the year on a high note, Rochana Patel’s Ride or Die is a pivotal instalment that finds The Doctor and Yaz hot on the heels of a mysterious being known as The Tourist.

Having been sent a set of coordinates by persons unknown, the adventure begins with The Doctor and Yaz discovering that people are being kidnapped and taken to another dimension. While this setup is necessary for the sake of the plot, the constant jumping from place to place leaves little time for anything else, coming across as a bit of a tick-box exercise.

Once the story is done with introductions, however, it begins to find its feet on the planet Rock. Rock is a war-torn world besieged by Banshees, and the attitude of its populace reflects this. It’s highly militarised, and there is mandatory conscription for all residents, which affects both The Doctor and Yaz’s character journeys.

Separated from The Doctor for a period, Yaz is particularly affected by this world’s stringent policies. Left at the planet’s mercy alongside her old friend Megan, we’re given a clear view into how Yaz’s life has changed by being with The Doctor.

Given confidence and the ability to think critically, when she is forced to conscript in the efforts to fight the Banshees, she questions authority and makes clear that killing is a red line. Megan, meanwhile, without a journey with The Doctor, becomes a model cadet as a coping mechanism to survive the unknown.

As their story progresses, the themes surrounding their relationship morph (perhaps jarringly) when Megan is killed in action. Her sudden death becomes a vehicle for Yaz to question her future priorities. No longer wanting to neglect her life on earth, she decides that spending some more time at home in between travelling with The Doctor would be a good thing for when her time in the TARDIS comes to an end.

The Doctor has her own hang-ups about war, and they are also explored during this story. Forced through many terrifying battles herself, she uses her time on the planet to find a way towards a peaceful conclusion. The highlights of these scenes are not her efforts towards peace, but instead, the strong world-building created by Patel. In an unusual twist, the planet Rock isn’t home to recent kidnap victims, but rather, The Doctor arrives once generations have been and gone, setting a 41 million-strong civilisation. This type of world-building brings with it different stakes and forces the Doctor to make difficult decisions because she can’t just whisk them all away in the TARDIS.

Despite its strong character journeys, Ride or Die isn’t without fault. One problem that becomes apparent by the end of the story is its inclusion of too many different themes. War, morality, greed, and Yaz’s need for an anchor on Earth are all major themes that require time to develop. In this adventure, however, they’re all vying for the same amount of attention, and as a result, they lose some of their impact. The inclusion of the Banshees, too, leaves something to be desired. Although they are described with an interesting design, their motivations can be boiled down to “kill all humans”, with little subtlety for anything else.



Its over-indulgence for themes and generic villains aside, Ride or Die is the strongest entry in the Thirteenth Doctor Adventures range to date. Heavily focusing on both Yaz and The Doctor, it creates two engaging character journeys and introduces an intriguing new threat.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Thirteenth Doctor’s audio adventures continue in Rochana Patel’s Doctor Who: Ride or Die, a nail biting descent into the depths of war. When the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and Yaz (Mandip Gill) receive a list of coordinates where people have disappeared into thin air, the trail leads straight to a war-torn planet in a desolate corner of space. But what’s brought all of these missing people to this planet and why are they in a centuries-long war with the mysterious Banshee? It’s a race against time as the Doctor tries to put an end to the conflict before the tides of war consume her closest friend. Rochana Patel’s Ride or Die is equal parts gritty war story and immensely captivating character drama. It’s the kind of story the Thirteenth Doctor’s televised era desperately needed; one that really pushes the Doctor and Yaz’s relationship out of their comfort zone and into uncharted waters.

Doctor Who has a long tradition of mining the Doctor’s aversion to war for drama but rarely has that aversion been explored quite as effectively as it is here. And that’s mostly because this isn’t really a story about the Doctor’s aversion to war, but one where she has to try her very hardest to stop Yaz from falling prey to the temptations of war’s twisted sense of justice. And the drama that comes out of that push and pull gives Whittaker and Gill some truly meaty scenes to sink their teeth into as the Doctor and Yaz navigate these uncharted murky waters. On the whole, Ride or Die proves to be a thorny little story that’s quite reminiscent of a recent Fifteenth Doctor episode, “Boom”, in ways that are far too spoilery to go into but are immediately obvious as the story plays out. And like “Boom”, really luxuriates in the world it creates, with Patel confidently steering events to a deeply satisfying climax that pushes the Doctor and Yaz into a new chapter of their relationship.

Doctor Who: Ride or Die offers everything you could hope for from a Thirteenth Doctor adventure—a rip roaring plot kept grounded by some nice, quiet character beats. And for the longtime listeners, there’s even a hint of an ongoing arc to thrust us into March’s adventure, The Violent Hour. Until then, Ride or Die is a must-listen for all Thirteenth Doctor fans—and even some of her skeptics.

Reviewed as part of Geek Vibes Nation’s January 2026 book round-up.

[Danny Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 13th Doctor Adventures have been really solid so far and in many ways an improvement over Jodie Whittaker's run on TV which is both a positive and a shame because whilst I enjoyed her era, the writing at times really wasn't it and went against the first female Doctor and rather damaged what could have been a great start to a whole new era. 'Ride or Die' is an audio that intrigued me upon announcement. Rochana Patel's a really solid writer who never fails to produce something fun.

The Doctor has received numerous coordinates from a mysterious messenger that lead to different planets throughout Earth. Why are temporal storms whipping away people, and where are they going to? On the planet Rock, humans and a mysterious race nicknamed the Banshee are fighting on another, but how did the war start and why?

Rochana Patel has written a fun story that criticizes the capitalist side of war and how futile any conflict is. It's a solid script that introduces a friend of Yaz into the narrative, further showing more of her ordinary life whilst also helping to start the arc that was promised to us day one for this range.

Overall, a solid story. 8/10

[Toby Sutton-Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Above all else, this is such a good concept! One that probably couldn't quite work for the TV show but was very enjoyable to listen to. It's a bit of an archetypal Who concept that could fit any TARDIS team, but I'm glad that it's a story for Thirteen and Yaz as Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill really suit this kind of thing. Top marks to Rochana Patel and to Big Finish as a whole, I'm really enjoying the 13DAs and 9DAs at the moment!

[MrColdStream · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strong Thirteenth Doctor audio with effective horror elements, welcome focus on Yaz’s police background, and thoughtful themes about war and exploitation. However, it leaves intriguing settings underexplored, underuses its monsters and supporting cast, and occasionally stumbles with exposition-heavy dialogue and slightly uneven performances.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moment in the series where it feels like we’re starting to get overarching stuff. I like how this brought up The Doctor’s UNIT redundancy money. This must have been written after the Fourteenth Doctor specials aired.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this one starts off rather uninteresting lay, at least for me, it slowly develops into something much more interesting. When I get around to listening to it again, I’ll probably end up raising my rating. Knowing where this is going, makes me feel the appreciation from the listener will rise.

[deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly strong installment in Thirteen’s audiodramas thus far. This was a fast paced story with plenty of time spent on Yaz and Thirteen, and I really enjoyed the fact we get to hear Megan talking to Yaz about her relationship with the Doctor. :3 The themes of the episode were also very timely (if a little bit too over explained).

[Brian Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting stuff! Sounds like we're starting to get a recurring story in these new 13th Doctor Adventures. Always fun to see.
Tempted to deduct points from it for burying its gay, but despite the short running time, the story earns it. I liked it.

[Marcel Driel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this one! Good story, really great dialogue, intriguing ending.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now thats a fucking dr who story #thasminbeliever

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[A Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

this one story makes better use of yaz and 13's characters than the entirety of chibber's run

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 (rounded up to 5 because I LOVE THEM)