The Neverwhen (audio story)

The Neverwhen was the third and final story in the audio anthology Infernal Devices, produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Matt Fitton and featured John Hurt as the War Doctor and Jacqueline Pearce as Cardinal Ollistra.

Publisher's summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

On an isolated world ravaged by battle, time itself has become a weapon, laying waste to all who live and die there. Arms and technology are in a state of flux — and it seems that everlasting war is their only option.

The arrival of one battered Type Forty TARDIS inside this nightmare offers hope to the combatants trapped within.

But when he discovers the truth, the horrors of the Neverwhen will shock even the War Doctor...

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

• The War Doctor - John Hurt
• Cardinal Ollistra - Jacqueline Pearce
• General Kallix - Tim Bentinck
• Daylin - Jaye Griffiths
• Commander Thrakken - Barnaby Kay
• Valis - Laura Harding
• Commander Barnac - Tracy Wiles
• The Daleks - Nicholas Briggs

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

• The Neverwhen exists outside of normal spacetime and was built by the people who pioneered time lock technology.
• Time phasing, which sends individuals through their own evolution, is a result of the time flux, also called a "chronon flux," which is a form of time distortion.
• Kallix mentions that at one point, the Daleks evolved into the Diamond Daleks of Benvessa.
• The Time Lords move from level 5 technology to level 1, which the Doctor describes as "beyond the Dark Times."
• The Daleks evolve through several variants including Special Weapons, spider degradations, and Diamond Daleks.
• The potentiality warp is the Neverwhen's control matrix and holds its reality together. It's an engine room that exists both inside and outside of the Neverwhen, beyond most planes of existence.
• The Doctor received an "A" in quantum flux equations on the third attempt.
• The War Ollistra planned to use the Neverwhen flux with the Annihilator to break Skaro's time lock.

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

• This story was recorded at The Moat Studios.
• This story was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra on 21 January 2023.^[1] It was later edited into two parts which were first broadcast on 6 and 7 December 2023.^[2][3] The first part ends after the Doctor declares the Neverwhen to be as close to Hell as anything he has seen in the war.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

• The War Ollistra has tampered with the Doctor's TARDIS. (AUDIO: A Thing of Guile)
• Ollistra reminds the Doctor that he told her she'd find him in "the heart of the battle." (AUDIO: The Heart of the Battle)
• Kallix mentions that the Neverwhen has manifested evolutionary forms from the Dalek's past and future: Special Weapons Daleks, (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks, et al.) Temporal Weapon Daleks, (PROSE: Engines of War) and the spider-forms of the Fifth Skaro Devastation. (PROSE: Engines of War, et al.)
• The Daleks are attempting to perfect permanent extermination against the Time Lords. (PROSE: Engines of War)
• The Neverwhen's potential for mass resurrection replaces the Aldriss project. (AUDIO: Legion of the Lost)
• The Doctor uses the Anima device. (AUDIO: A Thing of Guile)
• Kallix mentions the technology of the Sisterhood of Karn. (TV: The Brain of Morbius)

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

• Official The Neverwhen page at bigfinish.com