TDP 1461: 15A. Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures Series 15: The Ministry of Death REVIEW

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This title was released in March 2026. It will be exclusively available to buy from the Big Finish website until 30 April 2026, and on general sale after this date.

Summoned back to Earth by the Space-Time telegraph, the Doctor and Sarah Jane find themselves assisting their old friends at UNIT not once but twice. But exactly how willing will a Time Lord be to be stuck in a single place once more?

15.1 The Ministry of Death by Robert Valentine (4 parts)
When the Brigadier uses the Space-Time Telegraph to summon the Doctor and Sarah Jane from their travels, they know it'll be for something unusual. But neither could expect something quite this strange.

An electronics expert has died after being struck by lightning. But how could this possibly happen in his office? And that’s only the first death they discover.

A wild scheme is underway. A case of twisted science and revenge. That's about to hit closer to home than they could possibly anticipate.

15.2 The Inhuman Empire by Phil Mulryne (2 parts)
Sarah is contacted by an old friend who knows her predilection for 'rum goings on', asking her to investigate unusual activities at the National Museum. Sarah agrees to look into it, with the Doctor tagging along - but they soon discover things are worse than they thought.

Because the Museum is host to alien activity - very familiar aliens at that. And if they don't stop these relic hunters quickly, then humanity itself might not survive.

Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart © Haisman & Lincoln and used under licence. With thanks to Hannah Haisman and Candy Jar

Please note: the collector’s edition CD box set is strictly limited to 1,500 copies and will not be re-pressed.

 

Recorded on: 23 and 27 October, 3,10, 16 and 30 November, and 14 December 2020

Recorded at: The Soundhouse and Remote Recoding

 

Producer David Richardson said: "Now this is my era! I was 12 years old when the Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry were flying out into the universe, and those years remain some of my most treasured Doctor Who memories.

"How brilliant that, at last, 15 seasons into The Fourth Doctor Adventures, we can bring those characters back together again for new stories. This season has been sitting 'in the can' for a while now - we made it at the height of lockdown, and it proved the most joyous diversion from bleak times. Imaginative, brilliant escapism - just what Doctor Who should be."

The Ministry of Death writer Robert Valentine added: "There is a certain magic to these lead characters of the Fourth Doctor, Sarah, Harry and the Brig. The Fourth Doctor is a far less clubbable personality than the Third Doctor was, and he's this chaotic force who wants to leave, and the Brig is a force of order who wants him to stay.

"And stuck between them are Sarah and Harry, who are a very different couple of characters, who nevertheless get on extremely well. But Harry is a throwback to an earlier time, not unlike John Steed in The Avengers, and Sarah is a thoroughly contemporary woman who's bang up to date for the 1970s. Or is it the 1980s?"

Actor Christopher Naylor described The Ministry of Death: "It has a real adventure serial feel to it. It moves at a good pace and it's very reminiscent of those early stories in Tom's tenure, like Robot. You can imagine those very brightly lit sets and the jeeps zooming all over the place and lots of colour separation overlay of actors and creatures getting bigger."

Sadie Miller, who plays Sarah Jane Smith, agreed: "It's a really fun adventure. It reminds me of Roger Corman movies - that sort of creature feature element, which I absolutely adore, and a gothic spooky element to the sci-fi, with a mad scientist character, which I've always really enjoyed as a viewer and as a listener."