Scott Lopes reviews the first instalment in a new series for the War Doctor

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The War Doctor Rises: Morbius the Mighty, is yet another fantastic story for both the War Doctor (Jonathon Carley), and for Morbius (Samuel West), who we most recently heard in his very own Dark Gallifrey trilogy.

This set follows the events of that trilogy, throwing Morbius into one of the most interesting settings for his character yet: the Time War. Few ideas explored in the Time War era ranges have felt as perfect as this. There’s just something so perfect about hearing Morbius command an army against a Dalek fleet in his own insane way. It’s really a shame we only got the War Morbius for one boxset.

Morbius is absolutely the highlight of this set, with Samuel West giving his best performance since his first appearance in the Eighth Doctor Adventures. One of the weaker aspects of Morbius’s Dark Gallifrey trilogy was that, at times, it felt a little unfocused on the titular character, and didn’t really let him shine as much as he could have, so it was really nice to see that here. His personality and ambitions really feel fully on display here for the first time in a long time. It’s safe to say Tim Foley has cemented himself as not only one of the best writers at Big Finish, but the perfect writer for Morbius.

That’s not to say the War Doctor himself wasn’t fantastic as well. Jonathan Carley as always is wonderful in the role and continues to prove he’s the best choice to take over from the much-missed John Hurt. This set specifically gives him a really interesting conundrum the Doctor has to work around: being being allergic to time in a Time War. It really felt like something that could have been stretched a few sets as an extra challenge for the Doctor, but it was still a very interesting concept in this set alone.

The production values are excellent as well. With top quality voice acting, and as usual great music from Howard Carter, the production absolutely feels high quality. 

The weakest part of this set is unfortunately also one of its coolest parts; it’s unfortunately just a little too connected to Dark Gallifrey. A little connection is fun but this set is very much a direct sequel to the Morbius trilogy, and many listeners who haven’t heard Dark Gallifrey and are just keeping up with the War Doctor may come out of this feeling like they’re missing something without that being properly explained.

Overall, Morbius the Mighty is a really fun set with very few low points. While it may have benefited from being branded as its own Dark Gallifrey trilogy or being slightly less connected, it’s a really fun, clever set that leaves me desperately wanting more of this version of Morbius. Anyone enjoying Dark Gallifrey or anyone who is interested in learning more about the War Doctor is sure to have a good time, just make sure you check out Dark Gallifrey: Morbius first

Morbius the Mighty is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com