In a Doctor Who Watch exclusive, we reveal details about the upcoming third series of audio spin-off Gallifrey: Time War – which will feature the return of Louise Jameson as Leela!

Series two of Gallifrey: Time War left our heroes in a desperate situation. Where will they go from here?(Image credit: Gallifrey/Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

One thing you should know is that, at Doctor Who Watch, we’re huge fans of the spin-off series Gallifrey from Big Finish. Beginning in 2004, it’s strange to think that the audio series is already fifteen years old. In that time, we’ve had ten series so far – two of which have been firmly set in the Time War.

It’s with this particular era of the series that we focus on for our latest exclusive. Coming out in February 2020, the third series of Gallifrey: Time War will be released on CD and download – and we can exclusively reveal what to expect!

During the last series, Romana and Narvin – two major long-running characters of the series – had continually found themselves at odds with Gallifrey’s current President: Rassilon, the founder of Time Lord society itself. Forced into exile after a failed assassination attempt, Romana and Narvin head deep into the Time War to find another old friend of theirs: Leela, who disappeared during the events of Time War 1…

Life away from Gallifrey

Here’s what we can expect from the first half of the upcoming series.

3.1 Hostiles by David Llewellyn

Exiled from Gallifrey, Romana and Narvin are fleeing from their own people and the Time War.

Seeking refuge on a derelict wreck they find they are not alone. And that Time Lords have enemies everywhere… 3.2 Nevernor by Lou Morgan

Narvin and Romana reach the distant, rural world of Njagilheim. But even here the Time War follows – and there are more things to fear in the Vortex than warships and weapons.

The Orrovix have caught a scent and they are hunting…

So for the first two episodes, it looks like it’s going to focus on Romana and Narvin trying to survive a life away from Gallifrey. This is a radically new direction for the series. After all, most of the focus of the series has been, unsurprisingly, on Gallifrey itself.

There have been some exceptions to this, of course. You’d have the occasional off-world trip, especially in the first series, when the spin-off was still finding its feet. And even Time War has seen some of the regular characters go on missions on distant worlds.

But Gallifrey has always been home for these characters, and they could always go back there. Even in series four to six – when the regulars traveled far away from their own version of Gallifrey – they still traveled to different versions of their home planet in wildly different timelines.

But now, there’s less of a safety net than ever before. Not only are Romana and Narvin completely rejected by Time Lord society by this point. But we also know that the Time Lords aren’t exactly popular during the Time War – The Night of the Doctor was proof enough of that. Certainly, this seems to be a key aspect that opening episode Hostiles looks set to explore.