''Doctor Who Unbound'' is a series of

audio plays Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...

produced by Big Finish Productions. Free from the constraints of continuity, the ''Doctor Who Unbound'' audios present a series of "What if...?" scenarios, and cast new actors in the role of the Doctor.

Background

In '' Exile'',

Arabella Weir Arabella Weir (born 6 December 1957) is a Scottish comedian, actress and writer. She played roles in the comedy series '' The Fast Show'' and '' Posh Nosh'', and has written several books, including ''Does My Bum Look Big in This?'' Weir has al ...

plays a female incarnation of the Doctor. American alternative weekly ''

Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...

''s Jef Rouner described her portrayal as "one of the most melancholy of all the Doctors." Other actors who played the Doctor included

Geoffrey Bayldon Albert Geoffrey Bayldon (7 January 1924 – 10 May 2017) was an English actor. After playing roles in many stage productions, including the works of William Shakespeare, he became known for portraying the title role of the children's series '' ...

David Collings David Collings (4 June 1940 – 23 March 2020) was an English actor. In an extensive career he appeared in many roles on stage, television, film and radio, as well as various audio books, voiceovers, concert readings and other work. He garnered ...

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as ''Hamlet'', ''Much Ado About Nothing'', '' Macbeth'', ''Twelfth Night'', '' The Tempest'', ''Kin ...

, and

David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to: Sports * Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor * David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier * David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer Oth ...

. ''

Sympathy for the Devil "Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones and the opening track from the band's 1968 album ''Beggars Banquet''. The song is a product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership. It is consi ...

'' features

UNIT Unit may refer to: Arts and entertainment * UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' * Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation Music * ''Unit'' (a ...

during the

transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony. Hong Kong was established as a special admini ...

in 1997. David Warner played an alternate Third Doctor in the story, which also saw

Nicholas Courtney William Nicholas Stone Courtney (16 December 1929 – 22 February 2011) was an Egyptian-born British actor. He was known for his long-running role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Ea ...

play an alternate version of The Brigadier and

Mark Gatiss Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. His work includes writing for and acting in the television series ''Doctor Who'', ''Sherlock (TV series), Sherlock'', and ''Dracu ...

play an alternate version of The Master. Warner and Courtney reprised their roles for the eighth story in the range, ''Masters of War''. In 2016, Warner and Gatiss reprised their roles as the Doctor and the Master respectively for ''

The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield Bernice Surprise Summerfield (later Professor Bernice Summerfield or just Benny) is a fictional character created by author Paul Cornell as a new companion of the Seventh Doctor in Virgin Publishing's range of original full-length '' Doctor Wh ...

'' audio drama series: '' The Unbound Universe'' and its sequel '' Ruler of the Universe'' in 2017. After being pulled from the ''Unbound'' universe into the regular continuity of the Doctor Who universe, both characters have made ongoing appearances in various Big Finish ranges. In February 2022, after a 14 year hiatus, Big Finish Productions announced the return of Unbound. Two boxsets, compromising of 3 stories in each, feature

Colin Baker Colin Baker (born 8 June 1943) is an English actor who played Paul Merroney in the BBC drama series '' The Brothers'' from 1974 to 1976 and the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series ''Docto ...

as an alternate ''Warrior'' Doctor known as "The Doctor of War" in a universe where the Fourth Doctor made the ultimate decision on Skaro, destroying the Daleks and showing how events may have unfolded after that fateful decision was made. These boxsets were announced to be released in April and September 2022 respectively.

Cast and characters

Episodes

Original series (2003–08)

''Doctor of War'' (2022)

Reception

''Den of Geek''s Andrew Blair selected ''Doctor Who Unbound'' as one of the ten ''Doctor Who'' stories that would make great musicals. ''The Mary Sue''s Alan Kistler said "fans enjoyed imagining these alternate Doctors" of

and

. American alternative weekly newspaper ''

''s Jef Rouner said the series "fielded a fantastic set of stories."

Fandom

In 2016,

BBC America BBC America is an American basic cable network that is jointly owned by BBC Studios and AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from the BBC (such as its nature documentary seri ...

s ''Anglophenia'' featured a fan-made version of the ''Doctor Who'' theme music for ''Unbound''s alternate

Second Doctor The Second Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor Patrick Troughton. While the Troughton era of ''Doctor Who'' is well-remembered by fans an ...

References

{{Doctor Who Big Finish Audio plays based on Doctor Who Big Finish Productions Doctor Who spin-offs