The Black Guardian is back! The Doctor’s old enemy, who appeared in the television series in 1979 and 1983, is returning for the forthcoming "Key 2 Time" season of audio adventures.

This character, originally played by Valentine Dyall, features in the second story, "The Destroyer of Delights", and this time will be played by David Troughton, son of the Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, who also recently appeared in the television series story "Midnight" and in "Cuddlesome" the special story given away free with issue 393 of the Doctor Who Magazine.

‘David was a delight to work with on "Cuddlesome"’, says "Key 2 Time" Producer David Richardson, ‘and when read Jonathan Clements’ script for "The Destroyer of Delights" I instinctively felt that he’d be ideal for a character of such great presence and menace. Fortunately Big Finish’s executive producer, Jason Haigh-Ellery, and the director, Lisa Bowerman, absolutely agreed, and David embraced the opportunity to play a Doctor Who icon’.

The "The Destroyer of Delights" is due to be relased in February 2009.

Big Finish Productions has also revealed that the "Key 2 Time" season opening story "The Judgement of Isskar" guest-stars Raquel Cassidy, from televisions "Lead Balloon", "Party Animals" and "Teachers", as the Lady Mesca. The climactic story "The Chaos Pool", which is written by Peter Anghelides, also sees the return of Lalla Ward to the audio series.

Big Finish Productions has revealed that a second series of audio adventures for the Eighth Doctor, starring Paul McGann, will be broadcast on BBC7 from Sunday 19th October at 6pm, and repeated at midnight. The stories being broadcast are currently available to buy on CD.

Although there won't be a full series on television in 2009, Big Finish Productions have announced that they plan to release five series of Doctor Who on audio in 2009. For the first time in its 12-year history Big Finish Productions will be releasing stories as consecutive collections.

‘The idea of putting things into seasons is something we've been talking about for a long time’, explains executive producer Nicholas Briggs‘ and as Doctor Who fans, let's face it, we think of stories in terms of seasons. This is the beginning of a move to, retrospectively, put all our stories into three-story blocks’.

Between January and March 2009, is the 'Key 2 Time' season, starring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor and Ciara Janson as new companion Amy - a sentient Tracer created to find the all-powerful Key to Time - first seen in television show back in 1978/79.

‘This is a very different adventure from the original Key to Time,’ says producer David Richardson. ‘It's all about consequences...’

The season begins with "The Judgement of lsskar" by Simon Guerrier, in which the discovery of a segment of the key on Mars has grave repercussions... This story sees the return of the Ice Warriors, last heard in "The Bride of Peladon" and last seen on television in the 1974 Third Doctor story "The Monster of Peladon".

The next story, "The Destroyer of Delights" by Jonathan Clements, takes the Fifth Doctor and Amy into the distant past, where they realise that a missing segment doesn't seem to exist anywhere in space and time.

The season concludes with "The Chaos Pool", in which the Fifth Doctor becomes embroiled in an epic race to save the universe.

The other collections in 2009 will be: three stories featuring the Seventh Doctor released between April and June; three stories featuring the Sixth Doctor out between July and September; at least eight stories featuring the Eighth Doctor, which will be released concurrently with other releases from March onwards; and four adventures from September to December 2009, details of which have yet to be announced.

 January 2009:

A new adventure in time and space for the Fifth Doctor and his new companion, Amy as they search for the Key to Time.

January 2009 sees the first of three back-to-back releases for the Fifth Doctor. The story for this month will herald for the first time, in its 12-year history, that Big Finish Productions will be releasing stories as consecutive collections.

‘The idea of putting things into seasons is something we've been talking about for a long time’, explains executive producer Nicholas Briggs ‘and as Doctor Who fans, let's face it, we think of stories in terms of seasons. This is the beginning of a move to, retrospectively, put all our stories into three-story blocks’.

Together the three stories form a new three-part mini-series featuring an all new quest for the Key to Time - first seen in television show back in 1978/79. The Fifth Doctor, played by Peter Davison, is joined by a brand new companion called Amy, played by Ciara Janson, a sentient Tracer created to find the all-powerful Key to Time. But Amy is a companion with a twist - this time The Doctor is the assistant.

‘This is a very different adventure from the original Key to Time’, says producer David Richardson. ‘It's all about consequences...’

The Judgement of Isskar (Simon Guerrier)

The first story in this mini-series is "The Judgement of Isskar" by Simon Guerrier, in which the discovery of a segment of the key on Mars has grave repercussions and sees the return of the Ice Warriors, last heard in "The Bride of Peladon" and last seen on television in the 1974 Third Doctor story "The Monster of Peladon".

"The Judgement of Isskar" has been directed by Jason Haigh-Ellery and was recorded on the 24th and 25th April 2008.

Big Finish Productions has revealed that this story guest-stars Raquel Cassidy (from television’s Lead Balloon, Party Animals and Teachers) as the Lady Mesca. Also starring are: Laura Doddington, Nicholas Briggs, Andrew Jones, Jeremy James and Heather Wright.

The Doctor finds himself on a planet where Time stands still. There he meets a woman who is just a few minutes old. She is a Tracer, sent into our Universe by her makers to locate the six segments of the Key to Time. This being without a name wants The Doctor to be her assistant, but she doesn’t tell him the whole truth. Not at first. Their first port of call is Mars, where a society that one day will become Ice Warriors lives in peace and civility.

On a planet where Time stands still, the Doctor meets a woman who is just a few minutes old. She is a Tracer, sent into our Universe by her makers to locate the six segments of the Key to Time. This being without a name wants the Doctor to be her assistant, but she doesn’t tell him the whole truth. Not at first.

Their first port of call is Mars, where a society that one day will become Ice Warriors lives in peace and civility. But the Doctor’s arrival will change all that. The universe is dying, a choice must be made, and the Judgement of Isskar will be declared. The price must be paid - even if it takes centuries…

This story takes place between the television adventures, "Planet of Fire" and "The Caves of Androzani".

The Destroyer of Delights (Jonathan Clements)

 February 2009:

The second part of the 'Key 2 Time' season, is released in February. Titled "The Destroyer of Delights" this story is written by Jonathan Clements and takes the Fifth Doctor and Amy into the distant past, where they realise that a missing segment doesn't seem to exist anywhere in space and time.

This story has been directed by Lisa Bowerman who played the New Adventures companion Bernice Summerfield in "The Shadow of the Scourge" and"The Dark Flame". She also starred in Big Finish's 50th regular CD release "Zagreus", as well as the Bernice Summerfield spin off series.

"The Destroyer of Delights" was recorded on the 21st and 22nd April 2008.

The Black Guardian is back! The Doctor’s old enemy, who appeared in the television series in 1979 and 1983, is returning in this story.

This character was originally played by Valentine Dyall, but in "The Destroyer of Delights", it will be played by David Troughton, son of Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton. This is not the first time David Troughton has been in Doctor Who - having appeared as King Peladon in the Third Doctor 1972 story "The Curse of Peladon", 1967's Second Doctor story "The Enemy of the World" (as an uncredited extra in the first, fifth, and sixth episodes), and as Private Moor in 1969, in his father’s last regular story "The War Games". More recently he guest stared in the television story "Midnight" and in "Cuddlesome" the special story given away free with issue 393 of the Doctor Who Magazine.

‘David was a delight to work with on "Cuddlesome"’, says "Key 2 Time" Producer David Richardson, ‘and when I read Jonathan Clements’ script for "The Destroyer of Delights" I instinctively felt that he’d be ideal for a character of such great presence and menace. Fortunately Big Finish’s executive producer, Jason Haigh-Ellery, and the director, Lisa Bowerman, absolutely agreed, and David embraced the opportunity to play a Doctor Who icon’.

Also staring are: Jason Watkins, Jess Robinson, Bryan Pilkington, Paul Chahidi, Will Barton and David Peart.

“You will be always looking in the wrong place. I have searched through all of Time and I cannot find it.”

In this adventure, the Doctor and Amy find themselves at an impasse as the search for the Key to Time has stalled: the next segment does not appear to exist anywhere in the Universe. Forced into a temporary alliance with one of his greatest enemies, The Doctor suggests a course of action that is a validation of chaos itself.

Thrown at random across Space and Time, The Doctor and Amy arrive in 9th Century Sudan, where the greedy Lord Cassim is hoarding gold from the Legate of the Caliph. But why does Cassim look so familiar? What is the mysterious Djinni that lives out in the desert? And why does it need so much treasure?

This story takes place between the television adventures, "Planet of Fire" and "The Caves of Androzani" and after "The Judgement of Isskar".

The Chaos Pool (Peter Anghelides)

 March 2009:

The third and final part of the 'Key 2 Time' season, is released in February. Titled "The Chaos Pool" this story sees the Fifth Doctor become embroiled in an epic race to save the universe. It has been written by Peter Anghelides and sees the return of Lalla Ward, as companion Romana, to the audio series.

This story also sees the return of Laura Doddington, as Zara, and David Troughton, as The Black Guardian. Also starring are: Ben Jones, Toby Longworth and Cate Hamer.

"The Chaos Pool" has been directed by Lisa Bowerman and was recorded on the 22nd and 23rd April 2008.

The ageless leader of a dying race believes that salvation lies within The Chaos Pool, a place that even the Guardians of Time have been unable to locate. Meanwhile Commander Hectocot and his Teuthoidian followers move in for the kill - again and again and again...

Two different races from opposite ends of Time - so how can they co-exist?

In their search for the final segment of the Key to Time, the Doctor and Amy become caught in the crossfire. As the end of everything approaches, old friends and enemies reveal themselves and the final battle between the forces of Chaos and Order ignites…

This story takes place between the television adventures, "Planet of Fire" and "The Caves of Androzani" and after "The Destroyer of Delights".

The Magic Mousetrap (Matthew Sweet)

 April 2009:

Following on from November 2008’s "Forty-Five", the Seventh Doctor, Ace and Hex return to the Doctor Who range in the spring of 2009, in a season of three new adventures.

April’s "The Magic Mousetrap", by "The Year of the Pig" author Matthew Sweet, sees The Doctor end up at a Swiss sanatorium in the year 1926, where director Ludovic ‘Ludo’ Comfort uses parlour games to keep his rich and famous patients busy. The Doctor soon suspects, however, that someone’s playing a more sinister game. Someone with a score to settle…

As ever, The Doctor is played by Sylvester McCoy, Ace by Sophie Aldred and Hex by Philip Olivier.

This four-part story guest stars Nadim Sawahla (father of Julia, and best known for playing the role of Doctor Hamada in Dangerfield), Nadine Lewington (holby City) and Paul Antony-Barber (Doctor Kendrick in the season 28 story "Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel").

 May 2009:

Skaro’s deadliest are back in May 2009. "Enemy of the Daleks", is an all-action space adventure by Judge Dredd/Sarah Jane Smith writer David Bishop, and has the TARDIS travellers fall in with starship troopers struggling to defend a remote research facility from an all-out Dalek attack. But this time, could it be the Daleks need saving…?

As ever, The Doctor is played by Sylvester McCoy, Ace by Sophie Aldred and Hex by Philip Olivier.

 June 2009:

The final story in this mini-series of back-to-back adventures for the Seventh Doctor, in June 2009, see the TARDIS arriving at the scene of one of history’s greatest military disasters - the Crimean War - in an as-yet-untitled epic by Paul Sutton, author of adventures including "Exotron" and "No More Lies".

Separated from his friends in time and space, Hex has to deal with the horrors of life in a Crimean field hospital - as an assistant to Florence Nightingale!

As ever, The Doctor is played by Sylvester McCoy, Ace by Sophie Aldred and Hex by Philip Olivier.