Jon Culshaw has returned as the Twelfth Doctor for a new Doctor Who adventure confronting the darker side of social media.
The actor and impressionist leads Big Finish’s full-cast audio drama The Beautiful and the Damned, which is available now as the third episode of The Twelfth Doctor Adventures: Run Fast, Be Kind.
Gwithian Evans also returns as the Doctor’s new companion Ash, with the TARDIS taking the pair to Mentior City — a futuristic destination designed as a haven for screen-obsessed content creators.
Visitors are promised the chance to grow their audiences and transform their appearance through a mysterious system known as the Refiner. However, the seemingly perfect city soon reveals a considerably more sinister side.
Speaking about the episode, Culshaw said Doctor Who is often at its strongest when reflecting contemporary life.
“This one has been done just right and it’s a beautiful commentary on this digital world which is so addictive and can be so corrosive,” he explained.
The actor added that the story imagines what could happen if society’s reliance on devices continued for decades, describing its setting as a “dystopian place next door”.
Writer Katherine White revealed that her own social media feed inspired the adventure, particularly the pressure to appear consistently appealing online despite the problems unfolding elsewhere in the world.
“There’s something sinister behind those messages of perfection, which strangely felt perfect for Doctor Who,” she said.
The 60-minute episode also stars Raffiella Chapman as Sky, who enters Mentior City whilst desperately searching for her sister. Ella Dale plays security chief Georgia, while Malcolm Sinclair appears as the city’s leader, Monty.
As pointed out by The Big Finish, Run Fast, Be Kind is set between The Husbands of River Song and The Return of Doctor Mysterio, following the Doctor after his final night with River Song on Darillium.
Culshaw has voiced the Twelfth Doctor for Big Finish since the 2025 Halloween release Merlin’s Trap, taking on the incarnation portrayed on television by Peter Capaldi.
The series continues next week with Wings of Steel, which will see the Doctor and Ash encounter the deadly, militaristic Ultima above a ruined world.
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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