Time Lord Victorious (series)

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Time Lord Victorious was a "multi-platform story" released between 17 August 2020 and early November 2024. The series was set in and around the Kotturuh crisis and most prominently featured the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Doctors, as well as Rose Tyler, Brian the Ood, and the Dalek Restoration Empire.

Time Lord Victorious also featured appearances across different media from the Fugitive, War, First to Seventh, Eleventh to Thirteenth, and Fifteenth Doctors.

Overview[[edit] | [edit source]]

The series was first teased online by Big Finish Productions and Doctor Who social media on 26 April 2020,[1][2] with first details of the storyline being announced on the following day.

Big Finish's news announced that "Time Lord Victorious will tell a new and untold story, set in the Dark Times near the start of the universe, when even the Eternals were young. Following several Doctors across space and time as they defend their home planet from a terrible race, this is a story like no other."[3]

The first releases were the UNIT Field Logs from 17-20 August 2020. To date, the latest releases have been the Fifteenth Doctor edition of the escape room A Dalek Awakens - which opened some time in early November 2024 - and a tweaked version of The Hollow Planet sometime in November 2024, featuring the Thirteenth Doctor.

Media[[edit] | [edit source]]

Various stories were released, across media, by Penguin Random House, Doctor Who Magazine, Titan Comics, Escape Hunt, Big Finish Productions, Eaglemoss Hero Collector, Immersive Everywhere, Maze Theory, BBC Books and BBC Audio.[3] As ensured by series producer James Goss, the overarching story was "inclusive", so even without purchasing all of the releases, readers could still get a "completed story".[4] With the exception of the escape room and immersive theatre elements, all of the stories were available globally.[5]

The series derived its name from the Time Lord Victorious title briefly adopted by the Tenth Doctor in the 2009 TV story The Waters of Mars, when he believed that he was the victor of the Time War and therefore controlled the Laws of Time. This episode was retroactively included in the event, being promoted as a chapter in the Tenth Doctor's path.

The Time Lord Victorious series also included multiple webcasts, split across two series: UNIT Field Logs, a set of tie-ins to the immersive experience Time Fracture; and Daleks!, a series of five 10-minute episodes starring the Daleks animated by Studio Liddell and released on the official YouTube channel. Daleks! was written by James Goss and starred Nicholas Briggs, Joe Sugg, Anjli Mohindra, and Ayesha Antoine.[6]

There were a number of associated merchandise releases. Eaglemoss Hero Collector released four separate figurine sets, each of which came with a companion magazine that further explains the story.[7] Titan Merchandise also released a Brian the Ood t-shirt that tells a "very important piece of the Time Lord Victorious narrative".[8] Time Lord Victorious associated content was also made available in Worlds Apart (through a set of 50 trading cards in two packs, one featuring an unlimited supply, and a premium pack limited to 10,000 packs, featuring an exclusive TLV card frame)[9] and The Edge of Time (through updates).[10]

Title Part of Author Featuring Publisher Medium Release
A Dalek Awakens[11][12] (Thirteenth Doctor edition) 13th, Dalek drone Escape Hunt Escape game 9 March 2020
The Hollow Planet Unspecified Doctor, Dalek drone 30 July 2020
14681 UNIT Field Log UNIT Field Logs UNIT Immersive Everywhere Webcast 17 August 2020
14682 UNIT Field Log UNIT 18 August 2020
14683 UNIT Field Log UNIT 19 August 2020
14684 UNIT Field Log UNIT, Kate Stewart 20 August 2020
The Last Message James Goss Dalek drone 1 September 2020
Part one Defender of the Daleks Jody Houser 10th, 13th, Dalek Time Squad Titan Comics Comic 2 September 2020
The Guide to the Dark Times Paul Lang River Song Penguin Group Short story 3 September 2020
Secrets of Time Lord Victorious James Goss 10 September - 3 December 2020
Part one Monstrous Beauty Scott Gray 9th, Rose, Great Vampires, Rassilon Doctor Who Magazine Comic 17 September 2020
Episode 1 Tales of the Dark Times James Goss 10th, Brian the Ood Comic Creator 24 September 2020
The Dawn of the Kotturuh Kotturuh Short story 25 September 2020
Can I Help You? Merchandise Brian the Ood Titan Merchandise T-shirt 30 September 2020
The Knight, The Fool and The Dead Steve Cole 10th, Brian the Ood, Kotturuh BBC Books Novel 1 October 2020
Part two Defender of the Daleks Jody Houser 10th, 13th, Dalek Time Squad Titan Comics Comic 7 October 2020
Master Thief Short Trips Sophie Iles The Master Big Finish Productions Audio story
Lesser Evils Simon Guerrier The Tremas Master, Kotturuh
Episode 2 Tales of the Dark Times James Goss Dalek Time Squad Comic Creator Comic 10 October 2020
He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not Eighth Doctor trilogy[13] Carrie Thompson 8th, Brian the Ood Big Finish Productions Audio story 14 October 2020
Canaries The Wintertime Paradox Dave Rudden 8th, 11th, The Curator, Faction Paradox Short story 15 October 2020
Part two Monstrous Beauty Scott Gray 9th, Rose, Great Vampires, Rassilon Doctor Who Magazine Comic
The Restoration Empire Merchandise James Goss Dalek Emperor Eaglemoss Collections Short story 20 October 2020
The Last Message
Episode 3 Tales of the Dark Times 8th, Dalek Time Squad Comic Creator Comic 22 October 2020
Episode 4 9th, Ikalla 4 November 2020
The Enemy of My Enemy Eighth Doctor trilogy Tracy Ann Baines 8th, Dalek Time Squad Big Finish Productions Audio story 11 November 2020
Part three Monstrous Beauty Scott Gray 9th, Rose, Great Vampires, Rassilon Doctor Who Magazine Comic 12 November 2020
The Archive of Islos Daleks! James Goss Dalek Time Squad Studio Liddell Webcast
What the TARDIS thought of “Time Lord Victorious" 10th, the Doctor's TARDIS Short story 15 November 2020
The Edge of Time DLC 13th Maze Theory Video game 16 November 2020
Episode 5 Tales of the Dark Times James Goss 8th, 9th, Woman Comic Creator Comic 19 November 2020
The Sentinel of the Fifth Galaxy Daleks! Dalek Time Squad Studio Liddell Webcast
Planet of the Mechanoids 26 November 2020
Mission to the Known Merchandise 8th, Dalek Time Squad Eaglemoss Collections Short story 2 December 2020
The Minds of Magnox Darren Jones 10th, Brian the Ood BBC Audio Audio story 3 December 2020
The Deadly Ally Daleks! James Goss Dalek Time Squad Studio Liddell Webcast
Exit Strategy Merchandise 8th, 9th, 10th, Dalek Time Squad Eaglemoss Collections Short story 5 December 2020
Mutually Assured Destruction Eighth Doctor trilogy Lizzie Hopley 8th, Dalek Time Squad Big Finish Productions Audio story 9 December 2020
Day of Reckoning Daleks! James Goss Dalek Time Squad Studio Liddell Webcast 10 December 2020
Genetics of the Daleks Dalek drone Big Finish Productions
Genetics of the Daleks Jonathan Morris 4th, Dalek drone Audio story
All Flesh is Grass Una McCormack 8th, 9th, 10th, Daleks, Kotturuh, Brian the Ood BBC Books Novel
And now for a story... Kate Stewart, Brian the Ood Immersive Everywhere Short story 21 December 2020
There's been a breach... The Silence Immersive Everywhere Webcast 30 March 2021
Echoes of Extinction Alfie Shaw 8th, 10th Big Finish Productions Audio story 16 April 2021
Time Fracture Daniel Dingsdale All Immersive Everywhere Immersive event 26 May 2021[14]
Hello And Congratulations! Time Fracture Show Companion The Doctor Short story
Welcome to Operation Time Fracture Kate Stewart
INCOMING TRANSMISSION UNIT, Dr Shaw Webcast 7 July 2021
Full-Length Trailer: Time Fracture UNIT, Daleks, Zoria, Cybermen 4 November 2021
Cybermen UNIT Field Log Cybermen Feature 23 November 2021
Brolls 23 November 2021
Brian the Ood Brian 23 November 2021
Worlds Apart Reality+ Digital trading cards game December 2021
Elizabeth I UNIT Field Log Elizabeth I Immersive Everywhere Feature 9 December 2021
Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci 13 December 2021
Lord Romanadvoratrelundar Romana 6 January 2022
Zoria Zoria 8 January 2022
Nice to see our UNIT scientists have their priorities in order... H. Sullivan, Malcolm Taylor, Osgood, Shaw, Leeson 1 March 2022
Tia Kofi Enters the Time Fracture! UNIT, Cybermen, William Shakespeare, Elizabeth I Webcast 11 May 2022
This is Sergeant Robert Dudley. UNIT, Robert Dudley 17 May 2022
Dudley here. 18 May 2022
Is anyone receiving these transmissions? 19 May 2022
Incoming Transmission - February Update Video UNIT, Great Vampires, coffin ship Reality+ 7 February 2024
A Dalek Awakens[11][12] (Fifteenth Doctor edition) 15th, Dalek drone Escape Hunt Escape game Early November 2024
The Hollow Planet (tweaked/updated version) 13th, Dalek drone Sometime in November 2024

Timelines[[edit] | [edit source]]

Paths[[edit] | [edit source]]

Different exploration paths were officially promoted[15] although not all announced merchandise were displayed (note: default sorting is in order of release date):

Title 8th 9th 10th 13th Daleks Brian Kotturuh
TV: The Waters of Mars 02
GAME: A Dalek Awakens x 12
WC: The Last Message 10
COMIC: Defender of the Daleks 01 x 03
PROSE: The Guide to the Dark Times 02
COMIC: Monstrous Beauty 01
PROSE: The Dawn of the Kotturuh 01
PROSE: The Knight, The Fool and The Dead 04 03 03
AUDIO: Master Thief 06
AUDIO: Lesser Evils 07
AUDIO: He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not 02 02
PROSE: The Last Message 01
PROSE: Mission to the Known 07
AUDIO: The Enemy of My Enemy 03 05
WC: Daleks! 02
PROSE: Exit Strategy 09
AUDIO: The Minds of Magnox 06 05 05
AUDIO: Mutually Assured Destruction 05 08
PROSE: All Flesh is Grass 04 02 05 06 04 04
AUDIO: Genetics of the Daleks 11
AUDIO: Echoes of Extinction 01 07
GAME: Time Fracture 03 x 04 01

Story order[[edit] | [edit source]]

Story order promotional image

Following this, a main story order was released, although still not containing every story:[16]

Time Lord Victorious: The Road to the Dark Times[[edit] | [edit source]]

Furthermore a Time Lord Victorious Blu-ray collection titled "The Road to the Dark Times" contained the following stories selected by producer and writer James Goss, including a guide to explain how they build to the Time Lord Victorious storyline:[17]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Even as the series was announced and was beginning to roll out, Doctor Who licenses were still coming to Goss with ideas on how to expand the event because of how enthused they were with the idea.[18]
  • The Brian the Ood T-shirt was something James Goss was quite interested in making sure worked out, teasing ahead of time that there were meetings concerning putting a story on a T-shirt, and making sure that such a thing was possible.[18][19]
  • The genesis of this project was described by Goss as the BBC calling him in, saying they wanted this project, "it should probably be called Time Lord Victorious, good luck!" He came back with some ideas, they liked them, nothing happened for a few months, and then they just gave him the green light out of nowhere.[18]
  • Due to the COVID-19 crisis there was a very real worry that this entire project would have to be cancelled in its entirety.[18]
  • On 25 July 2020, Goss noted that both the Immersive Theater and the Escape Room were working to find ways to open in a safe way given the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]
  • Goss told the Radio Times that the BBC had been covertly digitally focus grouping ideas for what fans actually wanted in spin-off media through sneaking questions into certain events. When Goss was first brought to a meeting regarding this topic, he was given a list of things that fans were interested in seeing, Doctors, monsters, etc, based on this practice. While this influenced broad story beats, such as having interest in more of the Eighth Doctor or the Daleks, it didn't specifically cause them to include a story involving the two of them together.[20]
  • Goss stated that the BBC had been trying to get a project like this working for "four or five years now".[21]
  • When asked, Goss revealed that his favourite part of this project was the creation of the toy for the Dalek Emperor.[21]
  • Goss revealed that the Tales of the Dark Times series, created by himself and published on the Comic Creator app, takes place during a 'big gap' after the Battle of Mordeela, which takes place during All Flesh is Grass.[22]
  • The 2022 Doctor Who TARDIS advent calendar contained two objects depicting the Emperor of the Restoration which it described as "tributes" to Time Lord Victorious: a bottle opener shaped like its casing and an art print.

Cover gallery[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]