Doctor Who: The War Doctor: The Heart of Battle

The War Doctor #1.3

by Nicholas Briggs

Trapped in a citadel swarming with Daleks, the Time Lord rescue force must find a way to overcome insurmountable odds. With the Daleks apparently planning to rule the Null Zone, perhaps their thirst for universal conquest and victory has been quenched…
The War Doctor doesn’t believe so - but how can he prove it without destroying any chance of peace?
As the countdown to the destruction of Keska proceeds, a deadly choice must be made... A choice that will define this Doctor, and perhaps forever cast him in the role of 'monster'.

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook

Audio CD

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

Nicholas Briggs is a British actor and writer, predominantly associated with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and its various spin-offs. Some of Briggs' earliest Doctor Who-related work was as host of The Myth Makers, a series of made-for-video documentaries produced in the 1980s and 1990s by Reeltime Pictures in which Briggs interviews many of the actors and writers involved in the series. When Reeltime expanded into producing original dramas, Briggs wrote some stories and acted in others, beginning with War Time, the first unofficial Doctor Who spin-off, and Myth Runner, a parody of Blade Runner showcasing bloopers from the Myth Makers series built around a loose storyline featuring Briggs as a down on his luck private detective in the near future.

He wrote and appeared in several made-for-video dramas by BBV, including the third of the Stranger stories, In Memory Alone opposite former Doctor Who stars Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant. He also wrote and appeared in a non-Stranger BBV production called The Airzone Solution (1993) and directed a documentary film, Stranger than Fiction (1994).

Briggs has directed many of the Big Finish Productions audio plays, and has provided Dalek, Cybermen, and other alien voices in several of those as well. He has also written and directed the Dalek Empire and Cyberman audio plays for Big Finish. In 2006, Briggs took over from Gary Russell as executive producer of the Big Finish Doctor Who audio range.

Briggs co-wrote a Doctor Who book called The Dalek Survival Guide.

Since Doctor Who returned to television in 2005, Briggs has provided the voices for several monsters, most notably the Daleks and the Cybermen. Briggs also voiced the Nestene Consciousness in the 2005 episode "Rose", and recorded a voice for the Jagrafess in the 2005 episode "The Long Game"; however, this was not used in the final episode because it was too similar to the voice of the Nestene Consciousness. He also provided the voices for the Judoon in both the 2007 and 2008 series. On 9 July 2009, Briggs made his first appearance in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood in the serial Children of Earth, playing Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Rick Yates.

Reviews

[Dalek1J · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Where only the monstrous survive”

I. Bloody. Love. This. Set. The final part, “The Heart of Battle” is a spectacular spectacle. It is gripping, beautifully acted, written, and it’s pacing and scheme of the Daleks are impeccable. I don’t want to spoil this story because the less you know about it going in, the better. This was an absolutely incredible feat for Big Finish Productions. This set was a blockbuster. It’s pacing, it’s actioj pieces, it’s interlocking story, it’s all there and I am here for it all. This is easily in my top 5 sets (along with Jago & Litefoot Series 4 and The Last Adventure.) The plot is brilliant, the performances are brilliant, the music is brilliant, the whole thing is brilliant. I give “The Heart of Battle” a 10/10 and Only the Monstrous a 9.5/10.

[Rob Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carolyn Seymour is a highlight in this third installment of the War Doctor stories.