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The Third Doctor Adventures
Doctor Who: The Imposters
The Doctor and the Brigadier are on the trail of stolen, advanced technology. Sarah Jane Smith is convinced an informant is leading her to a top-secret space tracking station. And Dr Elizabeth Shaw is wearing a metal helmet, covered in tin foil. It’s a deadly puzzle, involving a precocious schoolgirl, a Saturday night all-in wrestling star and a high-ranking military officer. There’s a plot to control the Earth’s weather and somewhere in all this, there’s a connection to the constellation of Centaurus. To defeat an enemy with no regard for human life, the Doctor must battle on all fronts, but not before a lethal encounter with the Venusian karate Downward K-klak!
Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart © Haisman & Lincoln and used under licence. With thanks to Hannah Haisman and Candy Jar
Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart © Haisman & Lincoln and used under licence. With thanks to Hannah Haisman and Candy Jar
- GenresDoctor WhoAudiobook
Audio CD
First published February 17, 2026
3 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Alan Barnes
99 books15 followersAlan Barnes is a British writer and editor, particularly noted for work in the field of cult film and television. Barnes served as the editor of Judge Dredd Megazine from 2001 until December 2005, during which time the title saw a considerable increase in the number of new strip pages. Among other strips, Barnes originally commissioned The Simping Detective. He also wrote a handful of Judge Dredd stories involving alternate universes or featuring a young Dredd.
He worked for five years at Doctor Who Magazine and progressed from writing strips to becoming joint editor in 1998 and sole editor from 2000 until 2002. He subsequently contributed the ongoing Fact of Fiction series of articles to the magazine. Barnes has also written or co-written a number of Doctor Who audio plays for Big Finish Productions.
He has written a number of books on cult films (including James Bond, Quentin Tarantino and Sherlock Holmes) and his book The Hammer Story, co-written with Marcus Hearn, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction in 1997.
He worked for five years at Doctor Who Magazine and progressed from writing strips to becoming joint editor in 1998 and sole editor from 2000 until 2002. He subsequently contributed the ongoing Fact of Fiction series of articles to the magazine. Barnes has also written or co-written a number of Doctor Who audio plays for Big Finish Productions.
He has written a number of books on cult films (including James Bond, Quentin Tarantino and Sherlock Holmes) and his book The Hammer Story, co-written with Marcus Hearn, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction in 1997.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 25, 2026
Doctor Who: The Imposters — 4/5 ⭐️
Writers: Alan Barnes
Starring:
• Tim Treloar — The Third Doctor
• Jon Culshaw — Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart
• Sadie Miller — Sarah Jane Smith
• Daisy Ashford — Dr Elizabeth Shaw
• Full supporting cast including:• Wendy Craig
• Clive Hayward
• Lucy Goldie
• Glynis Barber
• Nicholas Briggs
Big Finish has done it again—The Imposters is a confident, energetic return to the UNIT era, packed with charm, mystery, and that unmistakable 1970s flavor. The story hits the ground running with stolen tech, strange signals, and a conspiracy that stretches from Earth’s weather systems to the constellation of Centaurus. It’s a proper Third Doctor adventure: scientific intrigue, military tension, and just enough absurdity to make it delightful.
Tim Treloar continues to impress as the Third Doctor, capturing the authority, warmth, and velvet swagger of Jon Pertwee without ever slipping into imitation. Jon Culshaw’s Brigadier is equally strong—steady, dry, and wonderfully exasperated in all the right places. Sadie Miller and Daisy Ashford shine as Sarah Jane and Liz Shaw, bringing a lovely sense of continuity and legacy to their mothers’ iconic roles.
The plot itself is a fun puzzle box: a precocious schoolgirl, a wrestling star, a suspiciously shiny helmet, and a weather-control scheme that feels ripped straight from the golden age of UNIT stories. It’s playful without being silly, and dramatic without losing the era’s charm. And yes—there’s even a moment of Venusian karate, complete with a lethal Downward K-klak.
The Doctor and the Brigadier are on the trail of stolen, advanced technology. Sarah Jane Smith is convinced an informant is leading her to a top-secret space tracking station. And Dr Elizabeth Shaw is wearing a metal helmet, covered in tin foil. It’s a deadly puzzle, involving a precocious schoolgirl, a Saturday night all-in wrestling star and a high-ranking military officer. There’s a plot to control the Earth’s weather and somewhere in all this, there’s a connection to the constellation of Centaurus. To defeat an enemy with no regard for human life, the Doctor must battle on all fronts, but not before a lethal encounter with the Venusian karate Downward K-klak!
Happy reading from The Void 🚀🪐📚
Writers: Alan Barnes
Starring:
• Tim Treloar — The Third Doctor
• Jon Culshaw — Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart
• Sadie Miller — Sarah Jane Smith
• Daisy Ashford — Dr Elizabeth Shaw
• Full supporting cast including:• Wendy Craig
• Clive Hayward
• Lucy Goldie
• Glynis Barber
• Nicholas Briggs
Big Finish has done it again—The Imposters is a confident, energetic return to the UNIT era, packed with charm, mystery, and that unmistakable 1970s flavor. The story hits the ground running with stolen tech, strange signals, and a conspiracy that stretches from Earth’s weather systems to the constellation of Centaurus. It’s a proper Third Doctor adventure: scientific intrigue, military tension, and just enough absurdity to make it delightful.
Tim Treloar continues to impress as the Third Doctor, capturing the authority, warmth, and velvet swagger of Jon Pertwee without ever slipping into imitation. Jon Culshaw’s Brigadier is equally strong—steady, dry, and wonderfully exasperated in all the right places. Sadie Miller and Daisy Ashford shine as Sarah Jane and Liz Shaw, bringing a lovely sense of continuity and legacy to their mothers’ iconic roles.
The plot itself is a fun puzzle box: a precocious schoolgirl, a wrestling star, a suspiciously shiny helmet, and a weather-control scheme that feels ripped straight from the golden age of UNIT stories. It’s playful without being silly, and dramatic without losing the era’s charm. And yes—there’s even a moment of Venusian karate, complete with a lethal Downward K-klak.
The Doctor and the Brigadier are on the trail of stolen, advanced technology. Sarah Jane Smith is convinced an informant is leading her to a top-secret space tracking station. And Dr Elizabeth Shaw is wearing a metal helmet, covered in tin foil. It’s a deadly puzzle, involving a precocious schoolgirl, a Saturday night all-in wrestling star and a high-ranking military officer. There’s a plot to control the Earth’s weather and somewhere in all this, there’s a connection to the constellation of Centaurus. To defeat an enemy with no regard for human life, the Doctor must battle on all fronts, but not before a lethal encounter with the Venusian karate Downward K-klak!
Happy reading from The Void 🚀🪐📚
February 23, 2026
I’ve always had a strained relationship with the Third Doctor Adventures range. Never being the biggest fan of the era’s television run has meant I’ve only ever dipped into their extended universe series whenever I find a story that takes my fancy. So, imagine how my curiosity piqued when it was announced that there would be a team-up involving two companions who never met on screen – Sarah and Liz. Unfortunately, The Imposters is an adventure with a clear case of ‘offering something that it never manages to deliver’.
The adventure begins interestingly enough, with each of the story’s main characters being led down different mystery strands revolving around alien technology. There are wrestlers with alien fighting styles to investigate, a precocious teenager to interrogate, and a secret space-tracking station, all involved in something nefarious. Hinting at how they converge throughout, these strands help create an engaging start to the narrative. However, these strands end up being the most interesting part of the story, as things get shakier the further we get through its six parts.
As the adventure progresses, we learn that two different alien species have come to Earth, created a TV show, and are fighting against one another for supremacy over their galaxy’s resources. While these developments are commendable as an idea, it quickly becomes clear that nobody knew which direction this idea should take, and everything gets a little bit muddled in the process. This uncertainty takes its toll on all aspects of the story, but perhaps none more so than the two alien antagonist species. Neither the Sinoshaw (?) nor the Echelons show any signs of complex motivations or character beyond their need to win the contest. Consequently, both species are completely forgettable, and at times it is difficult to differentiate the two.
There’s also no let-up for this story’s problems in the much-anticipated interactions between Sarah Jane and Liz Shaw. Despite the story being six parts, the two never spend much time interacting with one another, and from what I can tell, there’s no particular reason to have these two in this story together beyond advertising purposes. This smells of a cheap Big Finish gimmick!
The adventure begins interestingly enough, with each of the story’s main characters being led down different mystery strands revolving around alien technology. There are wrestlers with alien fighting styles to investigate, a precocious teenager to interrogate, and a secret space-tracking station, all involved in something nefarious. Hinting at how they converge throughout, these strands help create an engaging start to the narrative. However, these strands end up being the most interesting part of the story, as things get shakier the further we get through its six parts.
As the adventure progresses, we learn that two different alien species have come to Earth, created a TV show, and are fighting against one another for supremacy over their galaxy’s resources. While these developments are commendable as an idea, it quickly becomes clear that nobody knew which direction this idea should take, and everything gets a little bit muddled in the process. This uncertainty takes its toll on all aspects of the story, but perhaps none more so than the two alien antagonist species. Neither the Sinoshaw (?) nor the Echelons show any signs of complex motivations or character beyond their need to win the contest. Consequently, both species are completely forgettable, and at times it is difficult to differentiate the two.
There’s also no let-up for this story’s problems in the much-anticipated interactions between Sarah Jane and Liz Shaw. Despite the story being six parts, the two never spend much time interacting with one another, and from what I can tell, there’s no particular reason to have these two in this story together beyond advertising purposes. This smells of a cheap Big Finish gimmick!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2026
A strange story to reveiw in that it doesn't feel super original. It felt like it had ideas from several TV stories and even an audio story, i.e., Spearhead from Space, The War Games, The Long Game, and Trials of a Timelord. I liked how Liz coming back in this story felt nonchalant to me and it wasn't a big puffed up thing like you'd see in TV where in TV she comes back and doesn't really serve a purpose but for fan service. In this, she's written like how her character was in Season 7 and in the prior audio dramas so that's good.
A big rant I could have is how music is done in big finish dramas. First doctor stories have a orchestral instrumental music, third doctor stories have this almost synth, harpiscord. Fifth doctor stories have that electronic incidental music. And my main issues is that it never goes outside of that. For a show about time travel, why are they so afraid to change the instrumental music to music that isn't appropriate to the era of broadcast. In terms of Third Doctor stories and music, this story was borderline insufferable. The best story was the one in the Sontaran vs Rutan set where the music was more orchestral and it helped give the story a more serious tone. Big Finish are never going to be able to produce a story that is to be taken seriously if they have the most insufferable noise being played everytime someone asks a rhetorical question.
Villains were mid but inventive though the War Lords kinda did it first.
A big rant I could have is how music is done in big finish dramas. First doctor stories have a orchestral instrumental music, third doctor stories have this almost synth, harpiscord. Fifth doctor stories have that electronic incidental music. And my main issues is that it never goes outside of that. For a show about time travel, why are they so afraid to change the instrumental music to music that isn't appropriate to the era of broadcast. In terms of Third Doctor stories and music, this story was borderline insufferable. The best story was the one in the Sontaran vs Rutan set where the music was more orchestral and it helped give the story a more serious tone. Big Finish are never going to be able to produce a story that is to be taken seriously if they have the most insufferable noise being played everytime someone asks a rhetorical question.
Villains were mid but inventive though the War Lords kinda did it first.
February 26, 2026
With a title like this, I really should've been on my toes, in retrospect. This is easily my least enjoyed Third Doctor Adventures release. It became a slog to get through as it went on. Hate to say it.
February 21, 2026
I love the Doctor, but this was a little too slap-stick for me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews