Summary
Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor finally makes her long-awaited Big FinishDoctor Whoaudio drama debut, with the task of hunting down one of her future incarnations in a multi-Doctor adventure. Martin’s Doctor made her television debut during season 12 in “Fugitive of the Judoon,” where Jodie Whitaker’s Thirteenth Doctor uncovers her long-lost incarnation hiding as a human in modern England. The Fugitive Doctor is an incarnation who existed before William Hartnell’s First Doctor as an operative of the clandestine Time Lord organization Division, conducting covert and secretive missions to ensure Gallifreyan dominance before her defection.
Over two years after Martin was confirmed to be reprising herDoctor Whorole forBig Finish, the company has revealed her first audio drama aspart of a conclusion to their 60th-anniversary storyline,Once and Future.While the younger War Doctor (Jonathon Carley) resolved the mystery surrounding his degeneration condition,Once and Future: Coda - The Final Actsees theTime Lord hunted by the Fugitive Doctor for unknown reasons. Martin will be joined in her Big Finish debut by not only Carley but also Lisa Bowerman and Chase Masterson as Big Finish regulars Bernice Summerfield and Vienna Salvatori.
CouldOnce and FutureSet Up The Fugitive Doctor’s Big Finish Status Quo?
There Are Still A Lot Of Questions About The Fugitive Doctor.
With her coming face to face with her later militaristic incarnation, it is clear the Fugitive Doctor’s debut may become one of Big Finish’s most highly anticipated titles of 2024.
While much of the Fugitive Doctor’s life is wrapped in mystery, it brings delight to see Martin reprise her role and expand upon the few details that were given during the Thirteenth Doctor’s era. Currently, the Fugitive Doctor’s sole physical appearance has been her debut story, with her others either being memories or holographic/mental duplicates. Furthermore, her few expanded media appearances have beenset closer to the events of “Fugitive of the Judoon,“leaving much of her time on Earth unexplored.
Doctor Who: Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor Deserved So Much More
Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor could’ve carried her own TV adventures. Instead, she may be reduced to another medium somewhere down the Doctor Who road.
As such,Once and Future: Coda - The Final Actcould establish the status quo for Martin’s long-awaitedDoctor Whoaudio drama line. The description seemingly establishes her asunder the Division’s command, suggesting her audio dramas will indeed be focused on her career as an agent in their earlier releases.Her latest adventure ahead of her appearance in “Fugitive of the Judoon” is the comic miniseriesOrigins, which tells the story of the assignment that would ultimately lead to her defection and self-imposed exile to Earth, meaning an audio drama series could explore the events leading to her disillusionment with the Time Lord’s ways.
While many elements of Chris Chibnall’s tenure asDoctor Whoshowrunner were met with controversy, further exploration of story beats, such as the cataclysmic Flux event andthe Timeless Child prophecy, have been more warmly received. As such, there is anticipation to see Martin’s Doctor receive a similar expansion to fully flesh out her story. With her coming face to face with her later militaristic incarnation, it is clear the Fugitive Doctor’s debut may become one of Big Finish’s most highly anticipated titles of 2024.
Doctor Who: Once and Future: Coda - The Final Actreleases on Big Finish’s website in November, while Martin’sDoctor Whotelevision appearances can be found through Max’sDoctor Whocollection.
Doctor Who
Cast
Doctor Who: Released on August 12, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
