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Doctor Who: Once and Future #6
Doctor Who: Once and Future: Time Lord Immemorial
The Time War. The Doctor has been injured and brought to a Time Lord field hospital. His body glows with energy, but this is no regeneration into a future form – instead, the Doctor’s past faces begin to appear as he flits haphazardly between incarnations.
Staggering to his TARDIS, the Doctor sets out to solve the mystery of his ‘degeneration’. Who has done this to him? How? And why? From the Earth to the stars, across an array of familiar times and places, he follows clues to retrace his steps, encountering old friends and enemies along the way. Tumbling through his lives, the Doctor must stop his degeneration before he loses himself completely.
Slipping between bodies, the Ninth Doctor finds his TARDIS caught between universes as the cosmos starts to break down. A Doctor from another reality arrives and they join forces with Liv Chenka and the Lumiat to find the cause. Someone has desecrated the mythical Hall of the Time Lord Immemorial, where the sands of time from the multiverse are held. And those sands are running out…
Staggering to his TARDIS, the Doctor sets out to solve the mystery of his ‘degeneration’. Who has done this to him? How? And why? From the Earth to the stars, across an array of familiar times and places, he follows clues to retrace his steps, encountering old friends and enemies along the way. Tumbling through his lives, the Doctor must stop his degeneration before he loses himself completely.
Slipping between bodies, the Ninth Doctor finds his TARDIS caught between universes as the cosmos starts to break down. A Doctor from another reality arrives and they join forces with Liv Chenka and the Lumiat to find the cause. Someone has desecrated the mythical Hall of the Time Lord Immemorial, where the sands of time from the multiverse are held. And those sands are running out…
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First published October 5, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 5, 2023
And finally the plot kicks in! So, Once and Future is Big Finish's contribution to the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary celebrations. In the first installment Doctor Who: Once and Future: Past Lives, an unknown incarnation of the Doctor (either Eighth or War) gets hit by a degeneration weapon that causes him to move between incarnations both past and future. Over the course of the series, the Doctor in different faces tries to get to the bottom of things while thrown into grab-bag style stories (Fourth Doctor/Sarah Jane/The Monk/Modern UNIT, Sixth Doctor/Jackie Tyler/Lady Christina/Harry Sullivan/The Two, etc) and while these have all been good, fun stories, we've been wondering if it's worth this being called a series. This story finally starts to give us answers after vague hints that have been in the previous installments. The degenerating Doctor, this time played by Christopher Eccleston, meets the Unbound Third Doctor (David Warner in his final role before his death in July 2022) and is taken to the Hall of the Time Lord Immemorial, a place from Time Lord legend. Also brought to the Hall are the Lumiat (a good incarnation of the Master) and Eighth Doctor companion Liv Chenka (Nicola Walker). It's a good story, if a bit dense. As I said, we finally start to get answers in the series arc. The actors bounce well off each other, though David Warner doesn't quite sound right. Still, a fun story that leaves me excited for the finale later this month.
October 2, 2025
Once & Future has been incredibly mixed with fans, but I've honestly been enjoying this since day one. I do feel like some of the answers we've been needing could have come a little earlier, but I'm really happy with what we've been given so far. Timelord Immemorial is safe to say the one I was looking forward to the most since it has Christopher Eccleston and David Warner together as their respective Doctors. I miss Warner so much, a truly incredible actor who will be dearly missed, I hope he rests in peace.
The Doctor has degenerated into his 9th incarnation, but he has another surprise in store. A Doctor from another universe has found himself in the TARDIS as well, and the two have to try to figure out what universe they are actually in. Meanwhile, Liv Chenka and The Lumiat are attacked by sand golems on an alien world, and soon they are united with the two Doctors at the mythical Time Lord Memorial. Time is running out, the multiverse is in danger and only the four of them can save it.
Lisa McMullin has written an incredibly fun adventure that's full of charm and character. This is a story that feels epic in scale and tone. Whilst I do love the bizarre, different set of characters in each story, it doesn't actually get explained why they've come together, rather than it just being a coincidence. The ideas and the new additions to Gallifreyan lore were cool here as well.
Overall: I enjoyed this one. 7/10
The Doctor has degenerated into his 9th incarnation, but he has another surprise in store. A Doctor from another universe has found himself in the TARDIS as well, and the two have to try to figure out what universe they are actually in. Meanwhile, Liv Chenka and The Lumiat are attacked by sand golems on an alien world, and soon they are united with the two Doctors at the mythical Time Lord Memorial. Time is running out, the multiverse is in danger and only the four of them can save it.
Lisa McMullin has written an incredibly fun adventure that's full of charm and character. This is a story that feels epic in scale and tone. Whilst I do love the bizarre, different set of characters in each story, it doesn't actually get explained why they've come together, rather than it just being a coincidence. The ideas and the new additions to Gallifreyan lore were cool here as well.
Overall: I enjoyed this one. 7/10
November 15, 2025
2023 52 Book Challenge - Christmas Mini Challenge - 5) These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things
I literally cannot describe how excited I was to read this story - the 9th Doctor, the 8th Doctor's companions, the David Warner Doctor and the Lumiat. They all bounce off of each other in a really nice way, and the plot was fast paced - and we finally started to get some answers to the overarching plot.
I literally cannot describe how excited I was to read this story - the 9th Doctor, the 8th Doctor's companions, the David Warner Doctor and the Lumiat. They all bounce off of each other in a really nice way, and the plot was fast paced - and we finally started to get some answers to the overarching plot.
October 8, 2023
Sigh.
This could have been good.
The line-up was promising and amazing.
The result?
As previously mentioned by me about other entries in the series- too many characters are vying for attention and in the end, it just falls flat, because none of the characters gets the room they deserve in these 1 hour offerings.
Plus- I am sick and tired of pseudo- mythological Time Lord macguffin shenaningans. Including a made up legendary nursery rhyme. Zagreus and the New WHO TV series did it better, and this just felt surplus to requirements.
The little we heard of each of the actors was good I guess? None of them stood out. And I agree, poor David Warner sounded very old and frail. I also had trouble recognizing him at first.
I just wish they would not have crammed so many characters into each release, this does not sound like an exciting adventure across the universe and more like a bucket list that needs to be ticked off and everyone on the list has to shout a couple of words to know they took part.
This could have been good.
The line-up was promising and amazing.
The result?
As previously mentioned by me about other entries in the series- too many characters are vying for attention and in the end, it just falls flat, because none of the characters gets the room they deserve in these 1 hour offerings.
Plus- I am sick and tired of pseudo- mythological Time Lord macguffin shenaningans. Including a made up legendary nursery rhyme. Zagreus and the New WHO TV series did it better, and this just felt surplus to requirements.
The little we heard of each of the actors was good I guess? None of them stood out. And I agree, poor David Warner sounded very old and frail. I also had trouble recognizing him at first.
I just wish they would not have crammed so many characters into each release, this does not sound like an exciting adventure across the universe and more like a bucket list that needs to be ticked off and everyone on the list has to shout a couple of words to know they took part.
October 6, 2023
What is this story actually about? A lot of stuff happens (sands of time running out! Universes degenerating! Singularity) but I couldn’t really articulate what they mean or why they matter. In any case the plot is resolved by the characters realising them simply being together matches a handy prophecy and shouting about that fact to fix everything. That’s it. That’s the plot.
The characters are once again a mishmash given to the writer to make work, but none of them feel truly necessary for this story. There’s nothing unique about it being the Ninth Doctor leading this story (barring Eccleston’s enthusiasm), Warner’s Doctor is lovely but has little to actually do and Liv could have been swapped for any companion with little change. The Lumiat has some nice interactions with the Doctor, but it’s nothing truly substantial.
All in all; another distinctly meh outing for Once and Future. On the plus side it might point more casual listeners dipping into this series for the 60th in the direction of Warner’s Doctor, who has much better stories out there for them to discover.
The characters are once again a mishmash given to the writer to make work, but none of them feel truly necessary for this story. There’s nothing unique about it being the Ninth Doctor leading this story (barring Eccleston’s enthusiasm), Warner’s Doctor is lovely but has little to actually do and Liv could have been swapped for any companion with little change. The Lumiat has some nice interactions with the Doctor, but it’s nothing truly substantial.
All in all; another distinctly meh outing for Once and Future. On the plus side it might point more casual listeners dipping into this series for the 60th in the direction of Warner’s Doctor, who has much better stories out there for them to discover.
May 7, 2024
This is the first Christopher Eccleston audio I have listened to, and I prefer his Doctor here. On TV, I felt he was too serious, which made sense narratively given that he had just survived the Time War, but it didn't make his Doctor much fun. Here, however, there's more of a lightness to his incarnation, as he is not burdened by the Time War. Christopher Eccleston is also a lot of fun alongside David Warner's incarnation, with the pair developing a great rapport.
The story itself is an exciting listen, concerning the multiverse falling apart due to the sands of time running out, and a God known as the Time Lord Immemorial. It feels like a curious mix of a 2005 story and a classic series adventure, with the Time Lord Immemorial feeling similar to other Time Lord Gods such as Omega.
The story itself is an exciting listen, concerning the multiverse falling apart due to the sands of time running out, and a God known as the Time Lord Immemorial. It feels like a curious mix of a 2005 story and a classic series adventure, with the Time Lord Immemorial feeling similar to other Time Lord Gods such as Omega.
August 22, 2024
On the plus side, the actors are great, the soundscapes too, and it has some really cool dialogue. But unfortunately the story didn’t make a lick of sense and it was often kinda boring and very convoluting. Two and a half stars.
January 19, 2025
Absolutely one of my favourites of the series so far. David Warners final performance as the unbound doctor was brilliant, I always love getting more Eccleston and learning about the "good master" was fun. The story was intriguing and truly entertaining.
October 9, 2023
As the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) searches for the mysterious Union who caused his degeneration crisis, his TARDIS crashes into another Doctor's (David Warner) - one from an alternate universe. But how has this Doctor from another universe arrived in ours? And what, exactly, is happening to the sands of time that separate the multiverse? Meanwhile, protectors of the sands of time drag Liv (Nicola Walker) and the Lumiat (Gina McKee), an all-good incarnation of the Master, into the fray. All answers lie in the hall of the Time Lord Immemorial (Robert Powell). But can the Doctors, the Lumiat, and Liv fix whatever's broken the multiverse before it's too late? While McMullin's script feels a bit unfocused at times, and never entirely explores its plot nor Once and Future's overarching plot with any real depth, it manages to deliver a fun romp nonetheless.
Time Lord Immemorial has major fairy tale vibes. The Doctors and their friends arrive in a strange, otherworldly place and have to solve a series of riddles. It's a simple story, and yet it takes a bit of time to fully grasp. If you're looking for major answers to Once and Future's overarching mystery, prepare to be disappointed once more. But this is one of the few stories in the series that has genuinely felt vital to the overarching narrative. A story that plays with the idea of combining various characters in surprising ways while also telling a coherent story. Its ideas are a bit all over the place, and its pacing leaves something to be desired. But there's a sense of experimentation at play that's been sorely missing in some of the series' previous entries.
Eccleston and Warner easily steal the show here, and it's a true delight to hear them acting opposite one another. But McKee and Walker manage to hold their own - even if Walker's given virtually nothing to do in the story. Still, the quartet makes for a fun pairing that deftly anchors what could've easily been a far-too-dense story.
Six episodes in, it's pretty clear that Big Finish is prioritizing fan service and fun character pairings with Once and Future rather than any kind of earth-shattering story. But Time Lord Immemorial manages to thread that line better than almost any other story in the range. It's not the best story, but it's among the simpler, more coherent ones. And it makes great use of its cast, setting, and story. So, perhaps, that's all an anniversary celebration really needs.
Time Lord Immemorial has major fairy tale vibes. The Doctors and their friends arrive in a strange, otherworldly place and have to solve a series of riddles. It's a simple story, and yet it takes a bit of time to fully grasp. If you're looking for major answers to Once and Future's overarching mystery, prepare to be disappointed once more. But this is one of the few stories in the series that has genuinely felt vital to the overarching narrative. A story that plays with the idea of combining various characters in surprising ways while also telling a coherent story. Its ideas are a bit all over the place, and its pacing leaves something to be desired. But there's a sense of experimentation at play that's been sorely missing in some of the series' previous entries.
Eccleston and Warner easily steal the show here, and it's a true delight to hear them acting opposite one another. But McKee and Walker manage to hold their own - even if Walker's given virtually nothing to do in the story. Still, the quartet makes for a fun pairing that deftly anchors what could've easily been a far-too-dense story.
Six episodes in, it's pretty clear that Big Finish is prioritizing fan service and fun character pairings with Once and Future rather than any kind of earth-shattering story. But Time Lord Immemorial manages to thread that line better than almost any other story in the range. It's not the best story, but it's among the simpler, more coherent ones. And it makes great use of its cast, setting, and story. So, perhaps, that's all an anniversary celebration really needs.
October 9, 2023
A very unique cast for this one. Not only do we have Christopher Eccleston, but also David Warner as the Unbound Doctor (possibly has last recording as the character if I’m not mistaken). It’s funny how Eccleston previously said he was not interested in doing multi-Doctor stories, a reason he declined to be in The Day of the Doctor. So what made this an exception? Is it that it’s not onscreen? Is it that David Warner is an Unbound Doctor rather than one “canonical” to the televised universe? Is it that Eccleston is playing a Doctor whose degenerating brought him to Nine’s face though he’s not in Nine’s actual lifespan? Whatever the case, I’m glad we got this.
I’m also grateful to see The Lumiat again. I was a bit worried that her story in the Missy series was a one-off. I’m glad she’s utilized again. It gives me a bit of hope that Big Finish might try to strengthen the connection between her, Missy, and the Spy Master. It was great seeing The Lumiat interact with The Doctor the way she does here.
And there’s also another familiar face in the form of Liv Chenka. Judging from a bit of dialogue, I’d say she’s from pre-Doom Coalition, while The Doctor is from post-Stranded. The Doctor also ends up having memory problems, which would explain things to keep well with continuity of the larger franchise.
The concept of the Time Lord Immemorial was also a fascinating one. It contains every moment, and this is kind of an idea I’ve had for something else. The Doctor mentions seeing the destruction of Gallifrey displayed, at which point, I thought, “Which one?”
I’ve been enjoying Once and Future very much, but this is definitely one of the better installments. Looking forward to seeing the “conclusion” with McGann. I use those air quotes because there’s supposed to be a coda released in about a year, though I’m not sure why we’ll have to wait so long. The only reasons I can speculate is that maybe it involves the Fugitive Doctor and/or the Spy Master, and Big Finish still do not have the go-ahead to release stories featuring them until presumably after the 60th anniversary craze. I suppose there’s also the possibility that the Fourteenth Doctor could be involved, and the specials would have to come first, of course. Whatever the case, looking forward to the future.
I’m also grateful to see The Lumiat again. I was a bit worried that her story in the Missy series was a one-off. I’m glad she’s utilized again. It gives me a bit of hope that Big Finish might try to strengthen the connection between her, Missy, and the Spy Master. It was great seeing The Lumiat interact with The Doctor the way she does here.
And there’s also another familiar face in the form of Liv Chenka. Judging from a bit of dialogue, I’d say she’s from pre-Doom Coalition, while The Doctor is from post-Stranded. The Doctor also ends up having memory problems, which would explain things to keep well with continuity of the larger franchise.
The concept of the Time Lord Immemorial was also a fascinating one. It contains every moment, and this is kind of an idea I’ve had for something else. The Doctor mentions seeing the destruction of Gallifrey displayed, at which point, I thought, “Which one?”
I’ve been enjoying Once and Future very much, but this is definitely one of the better installments. Looking forward to seeing the “conclusion” with McGann. I use those air quotes because there’s supposed to be a coda released in about a year, though I’m not sure why we’ll have to wait so long. The only reasons I can speculate is that maybe it involves the Fugitive Doctor and/or the Spy Master, and Big Finish still do not have the go-ahead to release stories featuring them until presumably after the 60th anniversary craze. I suppose there’s also the possibility that the Fourteenth Doctor could be involved, and the specials would have to come first, of course. Whatever the case, looking forward to the future.
October 23, 2025
The sixth in this 60th anniversary series sees the Doctor transform into his Ninth self. In each episode up this point, the Doctor has been joined by former companions, associates, and antagonists from the TV series. Here, however, the accompanying characters are all from Big Finish's own audio productions - the Unbound Doctor, Liv Chenka, and the Lumiat. Who they are is described in general terms, but there's no detail, and Liv, in particular, comes across as more generic than she actually should (there's no hint as to where she comes from, for instance). Doubtless, it's all down to the constraints of fitting them all into a one-hour story, but for those new to the audios, it's hard to see the appeal... and that shouldn't really be the case in an anniversary special that should be pulling casual listeners in.
The story sees the characters thrown about between different uninhabited places that exist in some privileged location in space and time, not unlike Logopolis or Castrovalva. Arguably, nothing much happens and while, yes, there's a threat to the fabric of the universe to be dealt with, it never feels particularly real. The setting is just too abstract for that. I'll give it a star for the strong performances, with Eccleston, in particular, right on form, but otherwise, there's nothing much that stands out here. It's the weakest episode in this anniversary series so far, and perhaps of most interest to those with a particular fondness for Nine.
The story sees the characters thrown about between different uninhabited places that exist in some privileged location in space and time, not unlike Logopolis or Castrovalva. Arguably, nothing much happens and while, yes, there's a threat to the fabric of the universe to be dealt with, it never feels particularly real. The setting is just too abstract for that. I'll give it a star for the strong performances, with Eccleston, in particular, right on form, but otherwise, there's nothing much that stands out here. It's the weakest episode in this anniversary series so far, and perhaps of most interest to those with a particular fondness for Nine.
December 1, 2024
Listened to this because I’m nearly at the end of David Warner’s run as one of the greatest Doctors in all of Who. Sadly this is only one part in a massive, and it seems, complicated storyline.
As an entry in the run of the Unbound Doctor, this is a rather poor showing. David Warner is great as usual but he is treated as a sidekick to Eccleston and rarely ever gets a chance to show off his versions great personality and ruthlessness.
This is the first Big Finish with Eccleston I’ve listened to and I’m happy to report that he’s basically perfect. He sounds exactly like he did back in 2005 and the writing mimics the feel of Russell T Davies dialogue brilliantly.
There’s a new and interesting version of the Master present. He’s a favorite character of mine so that’s cool for me. The story is this big Dr Strange/Jim Starlin/Jack Kirby cosmic thing that… didn’t really work for me despite how awesome that sounds when I write it out.
I would compare listening to this as a packet of m&ms. Maybe it’s more meaningful if you listen to the whole series, but on its own it’s a pleasant and inoffensive time waster. It made my heart happy to hear Eccleston, and Warner. And that’s about it.
As an entry in the run of the Unbound Doctor, this is a rather poor showing. David Warner is great as usual but he is treated as a sidekick to Eccleston and rarely ever gets a chance to show off his versions great personality and ruthlessness.
This is the first Big Finish with Eccleston I’ve listened to and I’m happy to report that he’s basically perfect. He sounds exactly like he did back in 2005 and the writing mimics the feel of Russell T Davies dialogue brilliantly.
There’s a new and interesting version of the Master present. He’s a favorite character of mine so that’s cool for me. The story is this big Dr Strange/Jim Starlin/Jack Kirby cosmic thing that… didn’t really work for me despite how awesome that sounds when I write it out.
I would compare listening to this as a packet of m&ms. Maybe it’s more meaningful if you listen to the whole series, but on its own it’s a pleasant and inoffensive time waster. It made my heart happy to hear Eccleston, and Warner. And that’s about it.
October 6, 2023
Oh, I'm so happy to see the Lumiat. She was so adorable and I wanted to hug her. (The Master has and always need all the hugs)
October 11, 2023
Love the Lumiat. Love Liv Chenka. Love the Unbound Doctor. Love Christopher Eccleston's Doctor. Hate whatever this mess was.
October 15, 2023
Should dock it a star for only being 52 minutes and no Benny.
October 20, 2023
マルチバースのドクターと9がターディスの中で遭遇。
ディリジェネレーションが今度は横に動き出したか？となりつつ。黒幕はUNIONでドクターにこの現象がとめることができるはずとすでに絵に描かれている。
ミッシーがドクターみたいにリジェネしたルミナットとドクターのバンターが楽しかった。
ディリジェネレーションが今度は横に動き出したか？となりつつ。黒幕はUNIONでドクターにこの現象がとめることができるはずとすでに絵に描かれている。
ミッシーがドクターみたいにリジェネしたルミナットとドクターのバンターが楽しかった。
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2023
So weird to hear David Warner over a year after his death
November 30, 2023
The worst one yet.
December 7, 2023
The weakest entry of the series so far - lacklustre writing and guest characters that felt out of place. Eccleston deserves better than this!
December 20, 2023
Love 9th Doctor stories and now I know more about Unbound Doctor that need to follow-up on.
Great set-up for 'Union' story up next...
Great set-up for 'Union' story up next...
December 18, 2024
the best cast and a strong story !!
4/5
4/5
December 31, 2024
Épique et ce n'est même pas le dernier épisode encore.
March 29, 2025
3.5 stars
September 17, 2025
Out of all the Once and Future stories, this one had the most characters I wasn’t familiar with and I think this is strongly reflected in my review. As much as I did find the Big Finish characters outside of the 9th Doctor fascinating, this felt like a terrible introduction to them. Not from a writing or acting perspective but moreover, there’s just so much going on. To be able to give everyone a fair shot of the limelight, you’d need this story to be twice the length at least!
This is only exacerbated by the choice of theming for the story itself. As suggested in the title, this adventure dives more into Galifrayian lore, which is already really messy. Although the story itself is fun enough, (I’d love to see more multiversal madness in Doctor Who!) adding more backstory to The Time Lords is a convoluted experience at the best of times. The whole experience just left me asking ‘Why?’ and felt very akin to the ending of The Flux arc from Chibnalls era of the main series. Just like in Flux, lots of important things are hinted at but nothing is wrapped up in a satisfying way. Maybe this will change after listening to the last two stories in the series! But right now, this is easily the weakest part of Days of Future Past for me.
This is only exacerbated by the choice of theming for the story itself. As suggested in the title, this adventure dives more into Galifrayian lore, which is already really messy. Although the story itself is fun enough, (I’d love to see more multiversal madness in Doctor Who!) adding more backstory to The Time Lords is a convoluted experience at the best of times. The whole experience just left me asking ‘Why?’ and felt very akin to the ending of The Flux arc from Chibnalls era of the main series. Just like in Flux, lots of important things are hinted at but nothing is wrapped up in a satisfying way. Maybe this will change after listening to the last two stories in the series! But right now, this is easily the weakest part of Days of Future Past for me.
October 27, 2024
Christopher Eccleston. Gina McKee. Nicola Walker. Robert Powell. David Warner. I need write no more.
Sadly though, I believe this was Warner’s last production with Big Finish and it makes this whole magical adventure (the Ninth Doctor in a multiple Doctor adventure!) so bittersweet.
Update: I’m listening to this series a second time in anticipation of the soon to be released final chapter. This one, as I already mentioned, features Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor and the legendary David Warner as The Doctor from a variant universe, an alternate universe, an unbound universe. And as if THAT combination wasn’t more than enough, this one is filled with absolutely delightful meta humor that quite literally embraces the whole concept of watching, or in this case, listening to Doctor Who. So come along, and … RUN!
Sadly though, I believe this was Warner’s last production with Big Finish and it makes this whole magical adventure (the Ninth Doctor in a multiple Doctor adventure!) so bittersweet.
Update: I’m listening to this series a second time in anticipation of the soon to be released final chapter. This one, as I already mentioned, features Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor and the legendary David Warner as The Doctor from a variant universe, an alternate universe, an unbound universe. And as if THAT combination wasn’t more than enough, this one is filled with absolutely delightful meta humor that quite literally embraces the whole concept of watching, or in this case, listening to Doctor Who. So come along, and … RUN!
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