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TARDIS Guide

Review of The War Valeyard by DanDunn

13 March 2025

This review contains spoilers!

The Eighth Doctor Time War series had up until this point been very average to disappointing, but The War Valeyard and what followed as a result of it is where the series really starts to pick up. The Valeyard has been resurrected and rather than have him executed, the Time Lords see this as the ideal opportunity to deploy the perfect warrior, a man who is every bit the same as the Doctor but without his moral scruples. The Valeyard's last mission took him to a world where the Daleks had developed a weapon that could end the Time War but now he's gone dark and the Doctor is determined to find him.

I called Trial of the Valeyard the best Valeyard story I'd come across, this arguably is a close second and in many ways is the perfect ending to the Valeyard's story in the Doctor Who universe, he's spent so long on this world carrying out his mission and trying to save it's people that's he's lost all memory of what he used to be and really believes himself to be the Doctor. Honestly he's written more along the lines of how I wish Big Finish had written the War Doctor.

The story throws in a massive twist that they cleverly tiptoed around throughout the story that throws a massive curve-ball in the events of the Time War and sets up the following box set perfectly. Assuming he hasn't recorded anything prior to his passing that Big Finish have yet to announce, with this being Michael Jayston's final performance as the Valeyard it's a brilliant way for him to go out and quite the redemption arc for the Doctor's own Mr Hyde.


DanDunn

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