Doctor Who – Thin Time

By Dan Abnett

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.

Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant reunite in Doctor Who Big Finish box set

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.”

Doctor Who: The Sixth Doctor and Peri volume one is now available to own HERE as a collector’s edition five-disc box set (£24.99) or as a download (£19.99).

Doctor Who and The Minds of Magnox

This is a great announcement as Dudman is an incredible voice actor. I think fans will be very pleased with this one.

Via BBC Studios:

BBC Audio and Demon Records have announced that they will be publishing a brand new Doctor Who audio story for the Tenth Doctor as part of the Time Lord Victorious multi-platform adventure. Doctor Who: The Minds of Magnox will be released on CD and digital download by BBC Audio on 3rd December and will be released on vinyl by Demon Records on 4th December, marking the first simultaneous publication of a BBC Audio title across CD, digital and vinyl formats. The CD and digital editions will also feature a short Coda to the story.
The audio story is available to pre-order on Amazon and Audible now and will be available to purchase globally.
In this original story, the Doctor travels with Brian, the Ood assassin, to the planet Magnox, one of the greatest receptacles of knowledge the universe will ever know, and home to the Minds of Magnox. The Doctor needs to ask a vital question, but the answer is Grade 1 Classified. In order to gain an audience with the Minds of Magnox he must take a dangerous test.
Meanwhile, Brian gets involved with a criminal group and is asked to assassinate the Minds of Magnox. However, others also have the planet within their sights…
Doctor Who: The Minds of Magnox is written by Darren Jones and narrated by Jacob Dudman.
Darren Jones has written several previous Doctor Who stories for BBC Audio, including Doctor Who: Paradise Lost, Sleepers in the Dust and The Eye of the Jungle.
Jacob Dudman has previously read Doctor Who: Paradise Lost for BBC Audio, and has recently starred in Netflix’s The Stranger alongside Richard Armitage.
Michael Stevens, Doctor Who Range Editor for BBC Audio, said: “We’re delighted to tell this part of the epic Time Lord Victorious story, which is a unique and thrilling adventure for us all. Darren Jones has created the world of Magnox for the Tenth Doctor and Brian to visit, and Jacob Dudman brings it to life pitch-perfectly.” About Time Lord Victorious:
Time Lord Victorious is a multi-platform Doctor Who multi-platform adventure in which partners including Penguin Random House, Doctor Who Magazine, Titan Comics, Escape Hunt, Big Finish Productions, Eaglemoss Hero Collector, Immersive Everywhere, Maze Theory, Demon Records, BBC Books and BBC Audio, unite to tell a brand new Doctor Who story.
Launching in Autumn 2020, Time Lord Victorious will tell a new and untold story, set within the Dark Times at the start of the universe, when even the Eternals were young. Following several Doctors across space and time as they defend their home planet from a terrible race, this is a story like no other.
The story will feature the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Doctors, companion Rose Tyler and monsters including the Daleks and the Ood, with more revealed over the coming months.
Further information about Time Lord Victorious can be found on DoctorWho.TV, where a timeline of product releases will be collated as products are announced.Bibliographic information:Pre-order links CD and download: 
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3gz6P7h
Audible: https://adbl.co/2Z3qkPs

Christopher Eccleston Returns to Doctor Who

Via DoctorWhoMerchandise:

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.

CLASSIC DOCTOR WHO LOCKDOWN | Interlude | “The Time Meddler”

Set just after the Time Meddler, the final serial of the second season, the interlude shows Steven Taylor coming to grips with life in the TARDIS. Having just come on board in the previous story, The Chase, Steven is a bit overwhelmed and befuddled with his new life. The Doctor acts as guide to the young astronaut and introduces him to much of the bewildering magic of the TARDIS and the dangers they will encounter, such as the Daleks.

The Lockdown interlude is a wonderful story set within the 60’s era of Doctor Who. Please enjoy.

Doctor Who – Stranded

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…

Available on Big Finish

More Time Lord Victorious release details

As the release date gets closer more details about the mega multimedia Doctor Who event Time Lord Victorious are being released including the Eighth Doctor audio adventures and two centered on the Master.

Via DoctorWhoTVNews

He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not

On the desert world of Atharna, the Doctor’s life is about to be changed forever.

Looking to visit one of the Seven Hundred Wonders of the Universe, the Doctor is quickly embroiled in a web of deceit. Worse than that, this Wonder of the Universe is missing, leading the Doctor to encounter one of his most dangerous and duplicitous adversaries.

The Doctor is about to meet Brian.

You can pre-order He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not here

The Enemy of My Enemy

The people of Wrax are happy to begin peaceful negotiations with the Dalek Empire. The two species are preparing to engage in an alliance that will last throughout the ages.

The only one who seems to object to this happy union is the Doctor. He knows that you can never trust the Daleks.

But more than that, he knows that the Wraxians should never have existed…

You can pre-order The Enemy of My Enemy here

Mutually Assured Destruction

The fallout of the great battle.

Outnumbered and alone, on a Dalek time-ship careering through the vortex, the Doctor must use all his cunning to survive. As the saucer disintegrates around them, the Doctor is trapped with a crew of increasingly desperate Daleks.

Or are the Daleks trapped with him?

You can pre-order Mutually Assured Destruction here

Master Thief by Sophie Iles

The Master wants to plunder one of the most secure vaults in the universe, the Repository. He’s got a plan, and a deadly new weapon to assist him. However, as the Master quickly discovers, getting in might be easy, but getting away with it might cost him everything.

Lesser Evils by Simon Guerrier

The Kotturuh have arrived on the planet Alexis to distribute the gift of the death to its inhabitants. The only person standing in their way is a renegade Time Lord, who has sworn to protect the locals. A Time Lord called the Master…

You can pre-order the Short Trips here

The Fifth Doctor is solo in his newest adventures

Due for release in July 2020, Doctor Who: Time Apart is a four-part anthology written by Steve LyonsJacqueline RaynerTommy Donbavand and Kate Thorman.  

Doctor Who: Time Apart is now available to pre-order as a collector’s edition boxset (on CD at £14.99) and as a digital download (at £12.99) HERE!

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:  

Ghost Station by Steve Lyons 

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.” 

The Bridge Master by Jacqueline Rayner

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.” 

What Lurks Down Under by Tommy Donbavand

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.” 

The Dancing Plague by Kate Thorman 

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!” 

Doctor Who: Time Apart is now available to pre-order as a collector’s edition boxset (on CD at £14.99) and as a digital download (at £12.99) HERE!

Doctor Who Out of Time pairs Tom Baker with David Tennant

Via RadioTimes

Doctor Who: Out of Time is the first of a trilogy from audio drama producers Big Finish. Ten-Four! David Tennant and Tom Baker are teaming up for a new Doctor Who story.

The first volume of Doctor Who: Out of Time is due for release in August 2020, with future releases pairing up different Doctors.

“Tom Baker was obviously the first Doctor that I knew,” said Tennant. “I was small when he took over and I grew up through the seven years that he was the Doctor. I was a massive fan. I met him in John Menzies in Glasgow and he signed my book. I had a doll of him. All that. Tom Baker was very much the Doctor. There is something about the way he is associated with the character that seems utterly timeless.”

A synopsis for Out of Time: Volume One reads:

The Cathedral of Contemplation is an enigma, existing outside time. It turns through history, opening its doors across the universe to offer solace to those in need.

Occasionally, the Doctor drops in – when he’s avoiding his destiny, it’s an ideal place to get some perspective. Only, he’s already there several lives earlier, so when dimension barriers break down, his past and present collide.

And when the Daleks invade and commandeer the Cathedral, two Doctors must unite to stop them – or face extermination twice over!

Big Finish to produce lost Fourth Doctor adventure

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.

Via RadioTimes

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.