In the depths of the Time War, the War Doctor is being hunted. After the antics of his recent degeneration, it seems that things aren’t over yet and someone has been given 15 hours to take him down. As the Time Lord searches for clues through unconventional means, the answers he finds vex both him & (strangely enough) his pursuer. Two Doctors are about to collide but not the two the universe is expecting & their conflict is going to be explosive in more ways than one.....

“Coda - The Final Act” is a massively important Who story, concluding “Once and Future” with the most distinctive multi-Doctor story yet. Picking up where “The Union” left off, Tim Foley’s script is stuffed to the brim including cameos from Vienna Salvatori, Bernice Summerfield, and Queen Elizabeth as played by Imogen Stubbs. The narrative is basic but makes a surprising amount of sense, even the time limit which seems arbitrary but does have a purpose, and the plot is rooted in the past with a great twist on Time Lord lore that produces one hell of a monster in the climax.

Performance-wise, while everyone is great and Carley’s Doctor is as strong as ever, the highlight is Jo Martin in her audio debut as the controversial Fugitive Doctor. Last seen in the Chibnall era with Jodie’s Doctor, she fits the bill as a far cry from any Doctor we’ve heard before. Her no-nonsense mercenary personality makes her almost the villain of the piece even though there is predictably something else manipulating things behind the scenes. Pairing these two, arguably Who’s most unique Doctors, makes for engaging drama, and the two work off (and against) each other brilliantly while in the process touching on who the Doctor is and who they could be.

‘Final Act’ then is utterly fantastic, a great story / Doctor v. Doctor battle that brings things literally full circle for the saga. Welcome Jo Martin & can’t wait for more from both these incarnations soon.

— 9.5 / 10