The TARDIS is unmoored in space-time, resulting in a rather peculiar appearance in the 19th Century, on Halloween night. The Doctor specifies that on this night, the barrier between worlds is thin, resulting in strange apparitions and occurrences.
Charles Crookshap, a novelist of science fiction, has been having dreams that his future self has been communicating with him and providing knowledge. He has redecorated his dining room at the request of his future self for a specific event that will change his life. The Doctor is puzzled by Crookshap’s story and worried by the designs on the dining room walls which are actually sub quantum computations to take advantage of the thinness of time. Crookshap had called his good friend and confident John Hobshaw by to witness the event when he would meet his future self, then this Doctor fellow showed up and things went sideways.
Creatures from outside of time attack the manor house and threaten the Doctor and the others as they attempt to find some way to bolster their defenses and close the gap. The Doctor ruminates that he has left his companions behind given the grave and dangerous nature of his travels. He realizes that perhaps he was wrong to leave them behind as they had already decided to live the mad dangerous life they live with him.
Thin Time is a thrilling and atmospheric tale combining themes of classic horror and classic Who to deliver a great adventure. There is also a surprise guest from voice actor Jacob Dudman that will have you punch the sky. A grand story, Thin Time is the first part of a double story release alongside Madquake and can be ordered directly from Big Finish.
They were separated during The Trial of a Time Lord. They were reunited in The Widow’s Assassin back in 2014; now they’re getting a new collection of stories spanning the cosmos.
In 1999, Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant first reprised their roles as the Sixth Doctor and Peri Brown for the Big Finish audio drama, Doctor Who: Whispers of Terror. While they have starred in over 30 adventures together since, this is their first box set.
Joining them for this first exciting volume of stories are, among others, Deirdre Mullins (Man Down), Hugh Skinner (W1A), Javone Prince (Horrible Histories), Sarah Douglas (Superman II) and Rosie Baker (actress daughter of Colin, in her first role for Big Finish).
Doctor Who: The Sixth Doctor and Peri volume one is now available to own as a collector’s edition CD box set (£24.99) or as a download (£19.99), exclusively from http://www.bigfinish.com.
This box set contains four brand new, one-hour adventures:
The Headless Ones by James Parsons & Andrew Stirling-Brown
When a distress call from an unknown source threatens to rip the TARDIS from the vortex, the Doctor and Peri arrive in nineteenth-century Africa hoping to find the cause of the disturbance. Instead, they meet a British expedition searching for a long lost tribe: the B’lemyae… better known to the locals as ‘the Headless Ones’.
Like by Jacqueline Rayner
On the Earth colony world Rusina, the populace strive to be popular. Likes lead to promotion, dislikes lead to demotion – and more recently, something worse. So when the Doctor investigates the truth behind their subscriber-led society, he finds himself about to become very unpopular indeed.
The Vanity Trap by Stuart Manning
Myrna Kendal used to be a Hollywood film star. Now she spends her life reminiscing on chat shows but there is always one unfinished film she refuses to talk about… at least until the TARDIS interrupts a TV interview, and the Doctor and Peri’s appearance stirs up long-forgotten memories.
Conflict Theory by Nev Fountain
Concerned by the Doctor’s increasing over-protectiveness, Peri presents him with an ultimatum: either they seek counselling or she leaves the TARDIS permanently. Reluctant to lose one of his closest friends, the Doctor seeks out one of the finest psychoanalysts in the universe: Dr Sigmund Freud.
Peri actress Nicola Bryant said: “As always it’s a delight! And it’s very easy to work with my dear friend and colleague Colin Baker. I have been working with him for over half my life – so ‘easy’ is kind of an understatement!
“I really adore all of these stories. Interesting, complex and diverse. They all tackle the inevitable change between the Sixth Doctor and Peri that would be reflected in the decades they have known each other. What is really interesting is that Peri has grown but of course the Doctor hasn’t changed at all.”
Big Finish Productions, in association with BBC Studios announces the long-awaited return of Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor.
First seen on screen in 2005, Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor introduced a whole new generation of fans to Doctor Who.
Now he’s back, with a brand-new series of twelve fantastic full-cast audio adventures in space and time, due to be released across four box sets, starting with volume one in May 2021.
Christopher Eccleston said: “After 15 years it will be exciting to revisit the Ninth Doctor’s world, bringing back to life a character I love playing.”
Story details, writers and additional guest cast are being kept under wraps at present but this Doctor Who audio series promises to be, once again, the trip of a lifetime.
Doctor Who fans worldwide can now pre-order all four volumes, which are available in three formats – collector’s edition CD, digital download or limited edition gatefold triple LP vinyl – exclusively from the Big Finish website.
Big Finish’s Chairman, Jason Haigh-Ellery said: “I first talked to Christopher about returning to the role of the Doctor at a fan convention in February this year. Christopher said he was enjoying meeting the fans and was pleased that his Doctor was remembered so fondly. I am so pleased that Christopher has decided to return to the role with us – and I’m excited to welcome him to the Big Finish family as we discover the new adventures of the Ninth Doctor.”
Big Finish’s Creative Director, Nicholas Briggs, added: “Working with Chris was a very special time for me. The beginning of my Doctor Who TV career. So, writing for and directing him feels incredibly exciting. He’s such a powerful performer and it’ll be amazing to work with him again.”
Each of the four volumes in Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures will be released as a 4-disc collector’s edition box set or download containing three brand-new full cast audio adventures, plus a selection of behind-the-scenes extras.
Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures is now available globally for pre-order exclusively at the Big Finish website (www.bigfinish.com), from just £19.99.
Big Finish listeners can save by pre-ordering a bundle of the entire series for just £88 (as a collector’s edition box set) or £78 (as a download).
The Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures triple LP vinyls are strictly limited to a pressing of 1,000 per volume, and can be pre-ordered at £35.99 each, or £132 for the bundle of all four albums, again exclusively at the Big Finish website (www.bigfinish.com). Please note: the vinyl editions do not include the behind-the-scenes extras.
The Eighth Doctor has enjoyed an unprecedented second life in audio adventures. With only two outings on screen he is one of the most mysterious incarnations of the Doctor, but the Big Finish productions have fleshed out this dashing romantic adventurer with flying colors. His latest adventure, however, will set him against a new foe, pedestrian life.
The TARDIS is gone. Stranded in one time and place, the Doctor, Liv and Helen seek refuge in Baker Street. But the house has changed: they now have neighbours – not all of them welcoming. And someone has a dire warning for the future.
The Doctor and friends face their greatest challenge yet: living one day after another, in 2020 London.
1.1 Lost Property by Matt Fitton
Trying to find a way to resume his travels, the Doctor calls in some old favours.
As the residents get to know the new arrivals, something else finds its way into Baker Street, seeding suspicion.
Helen meets a man with a very familiar face – and a terrible warning.
1.2 Wild Animals by John Dorney
After weeks of London living, some of the TARDIS crew are finding it easier to adjust than others.
Liv has found a new friend, but Helen is worried about the Doctor.
And when a tragic crime takes place, the Time Lord must learn the limits of his powers.
1.3 Must-See TV by Lisa McMullin
There are new arrivals in Baker Street: Sergeant Andy Davidson, and the helpful Mr Bird.
The Doctor isn’t happy that someone else in the house is more useful than him. When the residents’ TVs start to malfunction, he suspects foul play.
Someone is watching…
1.4 Divine Intervention by David K Barnes
As the Doctor becomes desperate, Helen and Liv advise him to accept their situation.
Liv makes a date – but gets more than she bargains for when the whole household comes along.
And when a threat from the future finally arrives, the Doctor is placed in real danger. It’s time for the truth to emerge…
Separated from his companions, the Doctor attempts to find solace in the history of his favourite planet – Earth – but instead discovers new threats lying in wait.
Travelling from twentieth-century East Berlin to sixteenth-century Strasbourg, the Doctor encounters creatures from other realities: monsters beneath the waves, and human beings determined to exploit their fellow man.
But how long can he survive without a friend?
Producer Scott Handcock said: “These adventures are loosely connected in that they see the Doctor travelling alone (having left his companions at the end of an earlier story), and zipping back and forth through the history of his favourite planet.”
“There are some lovely historical details in these adventures. We have one set in an abandoned underground station in East Berlin; one that deals with a superstition about shadows from British folklore; the third meeting Mary Wade (the youngest convict to be transported to Australia); and finally arriving during the Dancing Plague of Strasbourg.”
The four thrilling stories in this anthology are as follows:
Deep beneath the streets of East Berlin, Peter Meier patrols the border in an old underground station. But when the TARDIS materialises nearby, Peter realises he is far from alone.
Writer Steve Lyons said: “Scott wanted a story for the Fifth Doctor who is travelling solo because he feels his friends are better off without him. I made a few suggestions, and Ghost Station was both Scott‘s favourite and mine.
“It’s a ghost story set in an abandoned underground train station beneath East Berlin in 1975. It feels odd to call it a ‘historical’ story, when it’s set in a year that I remember! The story is a two-hander between the Doctor and an East German border guard called Peter – whose partner has just been killed by something lurking in the shadows.”
When the Doctor’s shadow is sacrificed by villagers, he brushes it off as medieval superstition —until he begins to grow weak. Can he uncover the truth behind the bridge master’s curse before it’s too late?
Writer, Jacqueline Rayner said: “It’s got a slight folk-ish, fairy tale-ish vibe. Bridges feature in a lot of myths and legends and this is inspired by some of those.”
“I was quite nervous, actually. I’d only written for the Doctor once before, for a River Song box set, and here he is all on his own, in the spotlight! I was worried I wouldn’t get him right. People talk about the Second Doctor being hard to write for because of the physicality of Patrick Troughton’s performance, but I think that goes for Peter Davison too – there’s so much restless energy in his portrayal. I think I did him justice, though.”
On the waves of the Indian Ocean, all the prisoners aboard the Lady Juliana have fallen into a trance… except a single girl. Mary Wade desperately needs a doctor –and only one will help her.
What Lurks Down Under is written by the late Tommy Donbavand, who sadly passed away in 2019.
Producer Scott Handcock paid tribute to the writer: “It was my first, and regrettably only, time working with Tommy Donbavand, who passed away shortly after delivering an early draft.
“Tommy was aware of his illness and very keen to fulfil his ambition of writing a Doctor Who audio but wasn’t sure how much he could commit to, so an episode in this anthology was ideal. It was obviously hugely upsetting to see Tommy‘s condition deteriorate as quickly as it did, and I’m sad he won’t hear his words brought to life, but I hope we brought him some positivity at an extremely difficult time. The story serves as a fitting tribute to a brilliant author.”
Arriving in Strasbourg at the height of the Dancing Plague, the Doctor finds himself thrust into a world of paranoia. Can he bring peace to a city at odds with its own people?
“My title gives away a bit of what it’s about: the mysterious dancing plague of 1518 – Strasbourg, in Alsace. Determined to find the alien source of the long-unsolved plague that’s wiping out the medieval city, the Fifth Doctor misses the very human threats around him.
“I was also interested in writing a story where the Doctor didn’t have all the answers, and where we played with the way humans respond to crisis (ha!), so that was cool to get to do. It’s still very escapist, though, I promise!”
A new ‘lost’ Doctor Who adventure is on the way from Big Finish, this time from legendary TV producer John Lloyd. Featuring the Fourth Doctor voiced by Tom Baker, the story is sure to be an audience pleaser.
Doctor Who fans will finally get to experience a story developed but never made for television in the 1970s – a Fourth Doctor adventure written by famed TV producer John Lloyd.
Lloyd is now known as creator of Not the Nine O’Clock News and co-creator Spitting Image, as well as for producing Blackadder and QI.
But in the late 1970s, Lloyd was the flat-mate of Doctor Who script editor Douglas Adams (of Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy fame) and pitched a story for the BBC sci-fi series, The Doomsday Contract.
Though the story was never produced, it will finally see the light of day as an audio play produced by Big Finish, with Tom Baker, Lalla Ward and John Leeson reprising their roles as the Doctor, Romana and K-9 and writer Nev Fountain adapting Lloyd’s pitch.
A synopsis for The Doomsday Contract reads:
Earth – a small, insignificant planet. Entirely devoid of intelligent life.
At least that’s according to the legal documents. The Doctor, Romana and K9 find themselves at the centre of a most unusual trial.
A intergalactic corporation want to bulldoze the planet for a development project. Only a previous court’s preservation document is standing in their way. The Doctor has been summoned as an expert witness. If he can prove Earth contains intelligent life, the whole world will be saved.
But with a fortune at stake… it was never going to be that simple.
Director Nicholas Briggs said: “The Doomsday Contract is a tremendous example of the best kind of story from that era of Doctor Who where the brief was to veer from overt violence and threat to wit and fun.
“When I was a teenager, I was far too serious for this sort of thing. But what we have in this story is a tremendously witty script by Nev Fountain that made me laugh out loud when I read it. But it’s not simply a comedy. It’s loaded with threat and adventure and brilliant characters all mixed up in a really special story. I loved it.”
Doctor Who: The Doomsday Contract is due for release in 2021 and is now available for pre-order exclusively at bigfinish.com.
Actor Time Treloar has been lending his voice to the Third Doctor for some time now and the latest volume looks to be a blockbuster of adventure. Teaming up with Katy Manning as Jo Grant, Jon Culshaw as the Brigadier, and Ian McNeice as Winston Churchill the set also features the Daleks! If you have not heard this era of the series in audio form this is a good time to jump in and enjoy.
The Third Doctor Adventures Volume 6 is available for direct download at BigFinish.com.
When Zoe reattaches an old piece of equipment to the TARDIS console, she, Jamie and the Doctor are very lucky to avoid a collision.
But the place they find themselves in may be even more dangerous – because there they encounter another Doctor, a space pilot named Steven…and a young woman called Katarina who really shouldn’t be there….
Katarina is having bad dreams that she is dead. She tries to explain this to her two lords Steven and the Doctor, but neither understand and chalk it up to culture shock from retrieving her from the time of the Trojan Wars. But there is something more to Katarina’s dreams and it is all coming to a head.
The story begins with the Doctor’s junk drawer-room where he puts all the assorted bric-a-brac that he accumulates throughout his travels (the Second Doctor, that is). While he is entertained with a remote control car, Zoe is more concerned with a device that belongs in the console; an instrument that would alert the travelers to another vessel in the time space vortex. As she installs the device, it picks up another craft that looks hauntingly like a Police Box. The vessels collide, causing a crash landing.
After exiting the TARDIS in search of a dematerialization circuit to fix the ship, the travelers are caught up in a mass evacuation led by a very familiar face, Steven Taylor. But if Steven is here, thinks the Doctor, ‘he’ must also be here and he doesn’t remember ever travelling to this planet.
Jamie is separated from the others and narrowly fends off a gang who are troubling a young woman, Katarina. Katarina is on her way to her temple and brings Jamie along as it will be a safe place from the chaos on the planet. When Jamie sees that the temple is the TARDIS, wheels start to turn in his head. Is she from his future or past? How does she know the Doctor? It’s quite a quandary.
While the Doctor attempts to explain himself to Steven without giving too much away, he is interrupted by a face on a video screen proclaiming that everyone must exit the planet. The face is his, or at least it was. It’s his previous self, the First Doctor.
Daughter of the Gods is an incredibly ambitious story, combining the first two eras of the classic program, something that has never been attempted before. Bringing the world of the First Doctor to that of the Second Doctor is a bit of a head spin and the two incarnations of course do not get along.
It is a delight to hear Frazer Hines and Peter Purves pull double duty as Jamie and Steven as well as the Second and First Doctors respectfully. They pull off the mannerisms and vocalizations with ease and make you yearn for this adventure to be on the small screen. What a fifth anniversary this would have been. The inclusion of the Daleks is icing on the celebratory cake and they bring the required source of menace to tale.
If you are a fan of 60’s Dr Who, this is an audio story that belongs on your shelf. It’s available for download directly from BigFinish.com.
On Friday 1 May at precisely 7pm (UK time), the very first Big Finish listening party will get underway, with a free livestream of Doctor Who: The Chimes of Midnight, the Doctor Who Magazine poll-winning audio drama starring Paul McGann as the Doctor and India Fisher as his Edwardian adventuress companion, Charley.
For the duration of the listening party, this entire classic four-part Eighth Doctor audio adventure will be available to stream for free on SoundCloud, so that Doctor Who fans worldwide can join in and listen together simultaneously. (Of course, people who have previously bought the story may prefer to listen to their own personal CD, download or vinyl copy.)
Meanwhile, on Twitter, writer Robert Shearman, director Barnaby Edwards, and stars Paul McGann and India Fisher will be tweeting along, chipping in facts and memories of the story using the hashtag #PlumPudding. (If you haven’t heard the story before, all will soon become clear.)
The latest from Big Finish is a surprise May release starring (Fourth Doctor) Tom Baker, (Leela) Louise Jameson and (K9) John Leeson. Produced entirely during lockdown, the program is a first for Big Finish in these remote conditions but given their track record, I’m sure it will be a quality release.
More from the Radio Times below:
Doctor Who audio drama producers Big Finish have announced a special project to be released next month – the company’s first release recorded entirely during lockdown.
Doctor Who: Shadow of the Sun – starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Louise Jameson as Leela and John Leeson as K9 – will be released on 12th May and is the first full-cast audio drama to be produced by Big Finish using remote recording techniques.
The company announced in March that they would be halting studio recording sessions amid the coronavirus pandemic in favour of remote recording, with Shadow of the Sun being the first release completed under these new circumstances.
Also featured in the cast is Fenella Woolgar (Call the Midwife) as bored socialite Lady Malina Rigel-Smythe, one of many passengers on board a luxury liner with a difference.
The official synopsis for Shadow of the Sun reads as follows…
After an accident, the TARDIS lands on a luxury star-liner. Leaving their ship to repair itself, the Doctor, Leela and K9 find themselves facing a great terror: mingling at a cocktail party.
Something seems awry behind the pleasantries however. Guests are going missing, and equipment is breaking down. When the Doctor investigates further he discovers that the star-liner is literally on course for disaster.
But no-one seems surprised by this information, still less troubled. What’s going on? And can the Doctor and his friends save everyone… when nobody wants to be saved?
The Daily P.O.P. 