Back in the December of 1974 the Doctor Who story ‘Robot’ started the twelfth series of Doctor Who and also introduced the very much loved Tom Baker into the role of the Fourth Doctor. In December 2024, Big Finish Productions will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Fourth Doctor with a brand-new audio adventure that ties in to his very first storyline.
The Curse of Time is a special four-part adventure that takes place after the events of Revenge of the Cybermen and picks up on a story thread that began in The Ark in Space. In this new adventure the TARDIS returns to a medieval Earth after being dragged through a rip in the time vortex, but this medieval world conceals something sinister that the Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry Sullivan must investigate.
As the Doctor and his companions explore their new surroundings they find the inhabitants of the nearby village terrified of the sinister Brotherhood, a monastic order that upholds the sacred laws. There’s also Faustus Black and his troupe of travelling players and a mysterious cave in the Forbidden Forest.
Tom Baker returns as the Fourth Doctor for this anniversary special, while Sadie Miller and Christopher Naylor reprise their roles as companions Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan. Other voice talent includes Terence Wilton (who played Mark in 1974 Doctor Who story Invasion of the Dinosaurs) as Zaphiel Ixon, Angus Dunican as the magician Faustus Black, Scarlett Courtney as Arnica and Rosemary Ashe as Mother Cassava.
Producer David Richardson said: “Can it really be fifty years since the Fourth Doctor arrived in Doctor Who, in the wonderful Season 12, supported by the glorious Sarah and Harry? That really is something to celebrate, and I felt the best way to do it would be to return to 1975 and add an extra story onto the run. So The Curse of Time follows on from Revenge of the Cybermen and comes before Terror of the Zygons, as the TARDIS is diverted on its way to Scotland. Jonathan Morris has written a smashing tale that fits perfectly into both the Nerva Beacon arc and the Hinchcliffe years. Happy anniversary to the Fourth Doctor!”
Doctor Who – The Fourth Doctor Adventures: The Curse of Time is available to pre-order now from the Big Finish website for £15.99 as a double CD and digital download, or as a digital download only for £12.99.