Peter Davison

Big Finish Productions has revealed that the Mara, the snake-like demon from the 1980’s stories "Kinda" and "Snakedance", will be returning in the forthcoming season of audio adventures featuring the Fifth Doctor Tegan Jovanka, Turlough and Nyssa.

‘The three stories were recorded just after Christmas’, Executive Producer Nicholas Briggs has announced. ‘And everyone was on brilliant form. It was quite thrilling to hear Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson and Sarah Sutton - who hadn’t acted together since 1983 - recreating their roles so authentically. These adventures sound just like they’ve fallen through a time warp! The mood during the recording was quite rambunctious, and everyone had such a brilliant time that I wouldn’t be surprised to see this team reunited again sometime in the near future...’

The Mara returns in the release for September 2010. "The Cradle of the Snake", by Marc Platt, sees the TARDIS crew return to Manussa, a planet that they last visited in 1980’s "Snakedance".

‘When we knew we could get these characters back together, we realised we wanted to bring back the Mara because it was an iconic monster from the Davison era’, Nicholas Briggs has revealed. ‘Original writer Christopher Bailey gave us his blessing, and Marc Plat seemed the obvious choice to write it - because Marc does ‘weird’ so wonderfully!’.

Also announced by Big Finish Productions is what they have planned for the free story for subscribers. It is going to be a multi-Doctor extravaganza! Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann will all join forces in "The Four Doctors", in an epic fight against the Daleks...

Leela

Big Finish Productions have announced more reunions for their Companion Chronicles range.

February sees the release of "The Suffering", which brings together Maureen O'Brien as Vicki and Peter Purves as Steven Taylor , for the first time since 1965.

March brings "The Emperor of Eternity", starring Deborah Watling as Victoria and Frazer Hines as Jamie McCrimmon.

And in May, Louise Jameson will return as Leela, accompanied by John Leeson as K9, for "The Time Vampire". This story, by Nigel Fairs, sees the culmination of the Z-nai storyline which began in Season Two's "The Catalyst".

Zoe

Big Finish Productions has announced the return of another companion to its line-up of Doctor Who audio stories for 2010. Joining Colin Baker, as the Sixth Doctor, and Frazer Hines, as Jamie McCrimmon, in June is Wendy Padbury, reprising her role of 1960’s companion Zoe Heriot.

‘It was a personal thrill to have Wendy playing Zoe for the first time in a full-cast adventure’, Executive Producer Nicholas Briggs has revealed. ‘Jamie and Zoe were my companions from childhood, and I had a tingle down my spine when we came to record the scene in which they were reunited. It was like stepping back in time 40 years’.

Zoe will be appearing in a Cybermen story called "Legend of The Cybermen", by Mike Maddox, which is the final story of The Sixth Doctor and Jamie Trilogy that begins in April with "City of Spires". This first story – the debut Doctor Who script for Simon Bovey - guest stars Georgia Moffett (who played Jenny in "The Doctor's Daughter" and Cassie Rice in the animated adventure "Dreamland").

William Hartnell

Big Finish Productions have revealed that it will be releasing a further series of Lost Stories – audio versions of scripts that were intended, but never produced, for television.

The first release is a four-disc box set titled "The Hartnell Years", which will feature two unmade stories by Moris Farhi: "Farewell Great Macedon" (a six-part historical tale featuring Alexander the Great) and "The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance" (a one-part science fiction story set on an alien world).

Moris Farhi’s original scripts have been adapted as an enhanced audiobook, which will be performed by William Russell and Carole Ann Ford, with a guest actor portraying Alexander the Great and is scheduled for release in November 2010.

Patrick Troughton

Next up is another four-disc box set The Troughton Years, the centerpiece of which will be "Prison in Space", performed by Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury, with Susan Brown (Torchwood) guest starring as the villainous Chairman Babs. The adaptation is by Simon Guerrier, working from Dick Sharples’s original scripts that were written in 1968. It is scheduled for release in December 2010.

There will also be a very exciting bonus story in this box set as Big Finish productions have been granted the rights by the estate of Terry Nation to produce an audio version of the unmade US TV Dalek pilot, "The Destroyers". This adaptation will be a full cast drama, starring Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Daleks.”

Then moving forward two decades, the remaining productions are drawn from what would have been Doctor Who’s twenty-seventh season that was due in 1990. This season would have introduced a brand new Doctor Who companion – the young, sophisticated safecracker Raine. Big Finish Productions plan to reveal titles, casting and the story details in the New Year.

Paul McGann

Big Finish Productions have announced that the February 2010 Doctor Who release, which stars Sylvester McCoy, as the Seventh Doctor, and Tracey Childs as companion Elizabeth Klein, will feature a very special guest star - none other than Eighth Doctor Paul McGann himself!

‘The CD contains the three-part tale "Survival of the Fittest", and the one-part "Klein’s Story"’, producer David Richardson has explained, ‘Paul will be appearing in "Klein’s Story", playing the enigmatic role of Johann Schmidt... Someone who we discover is a key player in Klein’s life!’

Colditz (Steve Lyons)

This story is written by John Ainsworth and Lee Mansfield. ‘Klein first appeared in "Colditz"’, John Ainsworth has said, ‘and anyone who has listened to that adventure will already have an inkling as to who exactly Schmidt is and why Paul is playing him. It's been great to take the bare bones of Klein's back-story and flesh it out in to a full episode. I think Paul's guest appearance makes it quite a special little story’.

"Colditz" is a Seventh Doctor and Ace story and was released in October 2001. "Klein's Story" and "Survival of the Fittest" is the second of the forthcoming 'Klein Trilogy' due to be released in February 2010.

Jamie

Following on from the announcement that Nazi scientist Elizabeth Klein (played by Tracey Childs) will be joining the Seventh Doctor for a season of three audio stories (Click Here for details), Big Finish Productions has released more news concerning its output of their Doctor Who audio adventures in 2010.

‘We’re trying something a little different next year’, Executive Producer Nicholas Briggs has announced, ‘with some surprising combinations of Doctors and companions. So it’s with great pleasure that I can announce that Frazer Hines will be reprising the role of Jamie McCrimmon, joining the Sixth Doctor for four brand new adventures. Naturally that presents some gargantuan continuity issues to consider, but never fear, we know what we’re doing!

Tegan Jovanka

Jamie mainly accompanied the Second Doctor in his travels on television between 1966 and 1969. He did though return alongside the Second and Sixth Doctors in the 1985 story "The Two Doctors". And so it is during the events of this story that Big Finish Productions will be able to use for a Sixth Doctor/Jamie paring.

2010 also brings another season of three stories, reuniting another team for the first time in 26 years. ‘Janet Fielding will be back as Tegan Jovanka’, Nicholas Briggs has revealled, ‘for three stories that include Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa and Mark Strickson as Turlough’.

‘Getting these actors together in one studio is a first for us - Janet has only done one play with us before, while Mark now lives in New Zealand. But they’ve all committed to the project and we couldn’t be more excited’.

Big Finish Productions has confirmed most of the line-up for "Doctor Who: The Lost Stories", series of full-cast audio plays adapted from scripts that were written for television in the 1980s but were never made.

Colin Baker will reprise the role of the Sixth Doctor and Nicola Bryant will return as Peri in eight adventures, that will begin a monthly release from November 2009.

See below for more details on each story.

The Nightmare Fair

The Nightmare Fair (Graham Williams, adapted by John Ainsworth)

Released: November 2009

Written by: Graham Williams, adapted by John Ainsworth

The Story: The Doctor and Peri battle The Celestial Toymaker among the rides and games of Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Producer’s Notes: ‘The Nightmare Fair was novelised by Graham Williams’, says David Richardson. ‘So John Ainsworth has used a few scenes from that book, as well as the original script, in his adaptation.We’ve got a new Toymaker – the original, Michael Gough, is long retired and nearing his centenary year! – in the form of David Bailie, who many will know as Dask from "The Robots of Death". We felt that David had just the right mix of cold authority and charismatic presence for such an iconic role.’

Mission to Magnus (Philip Martin)

Mission to Magnus

Released: December 2009

Written by: Philip Martin

The Story: The female rulers of the planet Magnus want time travel technology from the Time Lords; meanwhile Sil and the Ice Warriors are on the planet for their own ends.

Producer’s Notes: ‘Like the previous story, this one was novelised’, says Richardson, ‘so many may already be familiar with it. But, with the recording now in the can, it’s great to hear it brought to life by Colin, Nicola, and the inimitable Nabil Shaban as Sil. Philip Martin’s story has some huge set pieces, which I’m sure may have tested the limits of special effects back in the ‘80s, but on audio they’re all in the mind’s eye!’

Leviathan (Brian Finch, adapted by Paul Finch)

Leviathan

Released: January 2010

Written by: Brian Finch, adapted by Paul Finch

The Story: The Doctor and Peri arrive in a medieval village terrorised by the local Baron. But is everything what it appears?

Producer’s Notes: ‘A bonus Lost Story, and one we’d not heard of before. After we first announced the series, Paul Finch – a novelist and scriptwriter – got in touch via Doctor Who Magazine to tell us about his father’s script, which was commissioned and written for Season 22. You may remember Brian Finch’s name for The Tomorrow People (he wrote "The Vanishing Earth") and a host of other TV dramas. Paul sent me the script, I read it, and commissioned an adaptation right away.’

The Hollows of Time (Christopher H Bidmead)

The Hollows of Time

Released: February 2010

Written by: Christopher H Bidmead

The Story: The TARDIS arrives in the sleepy town of Hollowdean, where The Doctor meets an old friend, while there are sightings of mysterious sand creatures out on the dunes...

Producer’s Notes: ‘An intriguing story from Bidmead ("Logopolis"/"Castrovalva"), which finds The Doctor once again up against the Tractators ("Frontios"). The story has a very unusual structure – but beyond that I’m not willing to give much away.’

Paradise 5 (PJ Hammond and Andy Lane)

Paradise 5

Released: March 2010

Written by: PJ Hammond and Andy Lane

The Story: The Doctor and Peri investigate mysterious disappearances on the holiday planet Paradise 5.

Producer’s Notes: ‘PJ Hammond originally wrote "Paradise 5" for Season 24: he got as far as a detailed storyline and the script of episode one. It was Gary Russell who suggested I contact PJ,who then sent me his materials and I was struck by a great story that was waiting to be made – albeit one that would need a few changes, as we’d have to lose the "Trial of a Time Lord" framing sequences. PJ was too busy to complete the script, but I brought in one of my favourite writers, Andy Lane, to do the job, with PJ involved every step of the way. The result looks like being something very special indeed’.

Point of Entry (Barbara Clegg and Marc Platt)

Point of Entry

Released: April 2010

Written by: Barbara Clegg and Marc Platt

The Story: The TARDIS lands in England in 1589, where the travellers meet Kit Marlowe and The Doctor and Peri must foil an attempt by the Omnim to escape their ancient prison.

Producer’s Notes: ‘Many will remember Barbara Clegg for "Enlightenment", one of the very best stories from the Peter Davison era. "Point of Entry" is actually the only story from this series that is not taken from an original script in any form – instead Barbara sent us a detailed story breakdown, which was too good not to make. We’ve drafted in Marc Platt ("Ghost Light") to complete it, as Marc’s great imagination seemed a wonderful match for Barbara’s.’

The Song of Megaptera

(formerly titled "The Space Whale")
Released: May 2010

Written by: Pat Mills

The Story: The TARDIS is sucked into a factory spaceship, where Captain Greeg and his crew are luring the Ghaleen – the only creatures capable of living in the vacuum of space – to their doom.

Producer’s Notes: ‘The Space Whale was a story with a long and complicated gestation – it was originally written for the Fourth Doctor, then the Fifth, and then the Sixth. It was during the recording of the Paul McGann story "The Scapegoat" that I invited Pat Mills to finally finish the script, and he admitted that the Sixth Doctor version was by far his favourite as early attempts had been complicated by having too many companions.’

The Macros

Released: June 2010

Written by: Ingrid Pitt and Tony Rudlin

The Story: TBA.

Producer’s Notes: ‘The one story we can’t quite announce yet, as we’re in the process of negotiating the delivery date on the script’.

The Architects of History (Steve Lyons)

March 2010:

The release for March 2010, "The Architects of History", is a four-part story is the dramatic climax for the trilogy for the Seventh Doctor and new companion Elizabeth Klein (played by Tracey Childs). This story has been written by Steve Lyons and is set in Earth’s future.

Reunited with the character that he created, Steve Lyons eagerly took the opportunity to write "The Architects of History" and bring Klein’s story to an exciting conclusion.

As well as Klein, Steve Lyons has also employed some of his other creations from the past. For the first time on audio, The Doctor will come face-to-face with his old enemies, the Selachians - a race of aquatic aliens that the Second Doctor previously met in Steve Lyons’s Past Doctor novels "The Murder Game" and "The Final Sanction". As Steve Lyons has revealed: ‘I'm thrilled to be back writing the Selachians ten years on, and to be pitting them against a new Doctor in a new medium. I originally created them for a Second Doctor base-under-siege story, and so designed them to be very typical old-school Doctor Who monsters. Their hobbies are stomping around, firing guns and shouting. Hopefully, though, they still have a few surprises up their sleeves!’

This story was recorded on the 1st and 2nd August 2009 and has been directed by John Ainsworth.

Guest stars have been confirmed as, Lenora Crichlow (who appeared in the 2007 television story "Gridlock") is Rachel, Lloyd McGuire (who guest starred in the 1977 story "The Face of Evil") is Tendexter while Jamie Parker (who starred in the movie The History Boys) plays Richter. Also starring are: Ian Hayles, Chris Porter, Rachel Laurence and David Dobson.

The year is 2044. Earth is enjoying a Golden Age of peace, prosperity and technological advancement… but somebody is plotting to destroy all that. The Selachians, shark-like alien monsters, launch a crippling attack on Earth’s Moonbase, using deadly weapons from the future.

Help is at hand. A police telephone box appears in a Moonbase hangar. A time-travelling hero has returned in the hour of Earth’s greatest need. Now, Elizabeth Klein must fight to save not only the Galactic Reich but Time itself from the mysterious prisoner who has orchestrated these fateful events... the Doctor.

This story takes place after "Survival" and the Big Finish audio "Survival of the Fittest".

City of Spires (Simon Bovey)

April 2010:

As announced (in August 2009) by Big Finish Productions Frazer Hines will be reprising the role of Jamie McCrimmon. He will be joining the Colin Baker, as the Sixth Doctor, for four brand new adventures. As revealed by Executive Producer Nicholas Briggs ‘Naturally that presents some gargantuan continuity issues to consider, but never fear, we know what we’re doing!’

Three of these stories will comprise a season of full-cast plays, to be released between April and June. The fourth will be a tie-in Companion Chronicle story, to be released in May, performed by Jamie McCrimmon alongside an as yet unnamed guest star. Jamie, of course, accompanied the Second Doctor in his travels on television between 1966 and 1969, and returned alongside the Second and Sixth Doctors in the 1985 story "The Two Doctors".

This Sixth Doctor and Jamie Trilogy begins in April 2010 with "City of Spires", in which the two travellers are reunited on the moors in Scotland, where all is not as it should be... This debut Doctor Who script by Simon Bovey guest stars Georgia Moffett (who played Jenny in "The Doctor's Daughter" and Cassie Rice in the animated adventure "Dreamland") as Alice. Also starring are: Richard Earl, James Albrecht, Russell Floyd, Sam Graham and Charlie Ross.

Directed by Nicholas Briggs this story was recorded on the 12th and 13th October 2009.

Arriving in a hail of musket fire, The Doctor unexpectedly finds himself in the highlands of Scotland, where the ruthless Black Donald and his band of rebels are fighting the Redcoats. But the highland warriors no longer fight for the Jacobite cause and the English officers answer only to the mysterious Overlord. What has happened to Scotland and why are its moors littered with advanced, oil-pumping technology?

Reunited with his faithful companion Jamie McCrimmon, The Doctor must venture into the sinister City of Spires to find the answers. But standing in his way is the deadly Red Cap…

The Wreck of the Titan (Barnaby Edwards)

May 2010:

This month sees the second of three stories starring Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Frazer Hines as Jamie.

"The Wreck of the Titan", which is written and directed by Barnaby Edwards, finds The Doctor and Jamie investigating a mystery at sea. The stellar cast includes Alexander Siddig (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and Miranda Raison ("Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks" and Spooks). Also starring are: Christopher Fairbank and Matt Addis.

'It's the biggest ship the world has known - and in just twenty minutes' time it's going to hit an iceberg the size of Ben Nevis!'

The North Atlantic is a treacherous place at the best of times. 14 April 1912 is the very worst of times. The Doctor and Jamie find themselves trapped aboard the RMS Titanic, 400 miles off Newfoundland and heading towards a conclusive appointment with destiny.

But the iceberg isn't their only problem. Down in the inky depths, something is hunting: something huge, hostile and hungry. This should certainly be A Night To Remember.

June 2010:

This month sees the third, and final, of three stories starring Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Frazer Hines as Jamie.

The trilogy concludes with "Legend of the Cybermen" by Mike Maddox, in which the travellers are joined by Wendy Padbury, reprising her role of 1960’s assistant Zoe Heriot. Nicholas Briggs is also on double duty of directing and playing the Cybermen, while the cast includes Ian Gelder (Torch wood: Children of Earth).

‘It was a personal thrill to have Wendy playing Zoe for the first time in a full-cast adventure’, Executive Producer Nicholas Briggs has revealed. ‘Jamie and Zoe were my companions from childhood, and I had a tingle down my spine when we came to record the scene in which they were reunited. It was like stepping back in time 40 years’.

Full cast and production details to follow as soon as they have been announced by Big Finish Productions.

Cobwebs (Jonathan Morris,)

July 2010:

This month sees Peter Davison, in the first of three releases, as the Fifth Doctor, reunited, for the first time in the Big Finish Doctor Who audio range, with three companions. Nyssa played by Sarah Sutton and, making a welcome return to Big Finish Productions, Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka and Mark Strickson as Turlough.

This will mean the reuniting of this team for the first time in 26 years. Executive Producer Nicholas Briggs had revealed. ‘Getting these actors together in one studio is a first for us - Janet has only done one play with us before, while Mark now lives in New Zealand. But they’ve all committed to the project and we couldn’t be more excited’.

The idea it seems first came about during the recording of Companion Chronicle story "Ringpullworld" with Mark Strickson. As revealed by Producer David Richardson. ‘He and I were chatting in the green room, and he mentioned the fact that he’d be willing to fly back again from New Zealand to record a season of stories. And wouldn’t it be nice, if Janet was willing too, to get the whole team back together? I rang Nick and script editor Alan Barnes, and both thought it was a great idea, So I got hold of Janet’s number, and rang her up at home one Sunday. Imagine our delight when she agreed!’

‘The three stories were recorded just after Christmas’, Nicholas Briggs has revealed. ‘And everyone was on brilliant form. It was quite thrilling to hear Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson and Sarah Sutton - who hadn’t acted together since 1983 - recreating their roles so authentically. These adventures sound just like they’ve fallen through a time warp! The mood during the recording was quite rambunctious, and everyone had such a brilliant time that I wouldn’t be surprised to see this team reunited again sometime in the near future...’

The season begins with "Cobwebs" by Jonathan Morris, in which the travellers land on a scientific base which they have clearly visited before. The only thing is it hasn’t happened yet... The guest cast includes Helen Griffin ("Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel"), Raymond Coulthard (Hotel Babylon) and Adrian Lukis (Pride and Prejudice, Peak Practice).

This story has been directed by Barnaby Edwards and was recorded on the 29th December 2009 and 4th January 2010.

Full cast and plot details to follow as soon as they have been announced by Big Finish Productions.

August 2010:

This month sees the second of three stories starring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka and Mark Strickson as Turlough.

"The Whispering Forest", by Stephen Cole, is set on an alien world where a colony has become obsessed with cleanliness - while strange creatures are prowling among the trees.

Guest stars include Hayley Atwell (who stars in the remake of The Prisoner and appeared in the Doctor Who audio story "Blood of the Daleks"), Paul Shelley ("Four to Doomsday") and Harry Melling (the Harry Potter films) - who just happens to be the grandson of Second Doctor Patrick Troughton!

This story has been directed by Barnaby Edwards and was recorded on the 30th December 2009 and 5th January 2010.

Full cast and plot details to follow as soon as they have been announced by Big Finish Productions.

September 2010:

This month sees the third, and final, of three stories starring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka and Mark Strickson as Turlough.

"The Cradle of the Snake" by Marc Platt, sees the return of the Mara, the snake-like demon from the 1980’s stories "Kinda" and "Snakedance".

In this story the TARDIS crew return to Manussa, a planet that they last visited in "Snakedance".

‘When we knew we could get these characters back together, we realised we wanted to bring back the Mara because it was an iconic monster from the Davison era’, Nicholas Briggs has revealed. ‘Original writer Christopher Bailey gave us his blessing, and Marc Plat seemed the obvious choice to write it - because Marc does ‘weird’ so wonderfully!’.

This story’s guest stars include Dan Stevens (The Line of Beauty, Dracula), Vernon Dobtcheff ("The War Games") and Hugh Fraser (Poirot and the Doctor Who audio story "Circular Time").

This story has been directed by Barnaby Edwards and was recorded on the 6th and 8th January 2010.

Full cast and plot details to follow as soon as they have been announced by Big Finish Productions.