Richard Armitage is to join the Doctor Who universe, playing Rassilon, Lord President of the Time Lords, in the last Gallfrey: Time War set from Big Finish.
The Time Lords and the Daleks have opposed one another across millennia. But now, as their conflict tips into an all-out Time War, nowhere across the universe of space-time is safe.
You’ll recognise Armitage for appearing in a number of high-profile TV shows like Robin Hood, Spooks, and Strike Back, as well as films like Captain America: The First Avenger and The Hobbit trilogy.
Alongside Armitage, many familiar names will be returning for this final reckoning, due for release in February 2021, including Louise Jameson (Leela), Pippa Bennett-Warner (Livia), Seán Carlsen (Narvin), Miles Richardson (Braxiatel), Samuel Clemens (Mantus), and, of course, Nicholas Briggs as the Daleks.
The set will feature four stories:
- Deception by Lisa McMullin
- Dissolution by Lou Morgan
- Beyond by David Llewellyn
- Homecoming by Matt Fitton
Here’s the synopsis:
Romana is lost to the Time War though Leela and Narvin still fight to survive.
A resistance, caught between Rassilon’s fury and the Dalek Emperor’s mania, have a desperate plan to stop the conflict.
Everything ends. And for some on Gallifrey, the Time War will soon be over.
Producer and director, Scott Handcock said:
“It’s been a pleasure to induct Richard Armitage into the Doctor Who universe! He’s such a brilliant actor. I loved him in Hannibal and most recently The Stranger, plus of course Big Finish’s own adaptation of The Martian Invasion of Earth, so he’d been on my wish list for a while. I’d just been waiting for the right role to come along. And he’s fantastic as Rassilon: powerful, headstrong and overflowing with self-conviction. ”
Armitage said:
“Rassilon is one of those defining spines of this lore. I’ve watched enough sci-fi to know that there has to be an omnipotent being that has a self-aggrandising mental state which puts him above everybody else, like a malevolent, maniacal dictator.
“I grew up with Doctor Who. The Daleks and the Cybermen were definitely my ‘hiding behind the sofa’ baddies. But I loved being frightened. Tom Baker was my Doctor Who. He had that voice. In a way, what I have tried to do with Rassilon is a little bit Tom Baker-esque.”
Gallifrey: Time War 4 is now available to pre-order at the special price of £22.99 as a collector’s edition five-disc CD box set or £19.99 as a download, exclusively from Big Finish.
