Doctor Who: The Fugitive Doctor: Most Wanted from Big Finish Review

After a very extended break, the Fugitive Doctor is back! Of course, this has a lot to do with the fact that Big Finish have gotten the rights to Doctor Who up to the end of Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor era, so the return of Jo Martin’s popular incarnation was always going to be on the cards, but as an incarnation who more than deserves her own solo series on screen, Most Wanted is a brilliant return for the Fugitive Doctor.

Robert Valentine kicks things off with Fast Times, which sees the mysterious Division sending an agent after the Doctor, for some unclear reasons (don’t worry, though – those reasons will hopefully become clear across this series). But the Doctor narrowly escapes only, in typical Doctor fashion, to end in even more trouble, stranded in a prison in space, which very soon finds itself under attack from the Daleks. And now, when the Doctor is out of options, she has to forge uneasy alliances with the other inmates.

One could worry that including the Daleks before they met the First Doctor in 1963’s The Daleks wouldn’t work, luckily Valentine sets this far enough in the future for it not to matter and given how I’m assuming that the Doctor will have her memories wiped when this series ends, the inclusion of the Daleks before the Doctor met them as we know it can always be glossed over. But I can’t help but feel that the Daleks are a little bit bland, and the story might have benefited from them not being included. But overall, it’s a fun first outing for the Fugitive Doctor and includes some interesting side characters, one of whom it’s a shame doesn’t become a companion at the end.

The Legend of Baba Yaga by Rochana Patel is the highlight of this set, with the Doctor trying to find another way to escape the Division. She decides to seek out the Baba Yaga of Russian folklore. Of course, though it isn’t long before things start to go wrong, and the Doctor comes across a young girl called Vasilisa and is soon thrown into the Baba Yaga myth.

Doctor Who always works when it’s trying to adapt myths and legends, and The Legend of Baba Yaga works for all of those reasons and gives us a genuinely interesting story as the writer explores separating the fact from fiction. It’s not always something that writers can do, so Patel deserves all the credit for giving this myth a proper Doctor Who counterpart! And the story feels very similar to 2024’s 73 Yards, but manages to do a similar story much more effectively.

Lisa McMullin’s The Dimension of Lost Things wraps things up for Most Wanted with the Doctor finding herself stranded in another dimension. But things aren’t going to be as simple as just finding a way out, as the Division is now right behind her and the Doctor is coming face-to-face with, well, herself. There are several threats around her which threaten to destroy and weaken her memories even further, and as the cast is bumped off over the hour runtime, the Doctor finds herself in perhaps her direst situation yet!

The Dimension of Lost Things is a fun conclusion, if a little bit confusing. It did feel like this set needed a third story in the set because I felt a little like I’d missed something at points, and as a result, it’s hard to tell what was genuinely missed and what was missed in the context of this story being about lost things like memories and forgotten socks. But overall, ignoring that and just letting yourself get swept up in Jo Martin’s strong performance as two Doctors, you’ll have a blast!

Undoubtedly, though, one of the best things about this series is its lead. Jo Martin is astonishingly good, proving why she is brilliant as the Doctor. This incarnation is a little rough around the edges and just wants to move from one thing to the next, but still encapsulates what makes the Doctor, the Doctor, righting wrongs and fixing things. I can’t wait to hear what she does next throughout this series, and find out where Big Finish are going to take the Fugitive Doctor next.

It’s a shame, then, that Alice Krige doesn’t get much to do. She’s a formidable presence across the set and brings menace to her scenes, but I’m guessing, through design, we’ll discover more as the series continues. I’m not sure what her character is doing there besides just being after the Doctor. And it’s a shame because you’ve got The Borg Queen from Star Trek in Doctor Who, so please, let’s do something with her!!

But Most Wanted is a brilliant and strong start to Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor’s adventures at Big Finish. While it may feel a little confusing and inconsistent at times, I get the feeling this is how Big Finish are going to write for her Doctor. But for anyone just wanting some more stories from a character introduced in the Thirteenth Doctor’s era, you’ll be sure to have a great time!

Doctor Who: The Fugitive Doctor: Most Wanted is available on CD and digital download now from Big Finish.