Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

When the Big Finish Doctor Who spin-off audio series Graceless returns with its fourth set in January, there’ll be two new leads.

Annie Firbank and Siân Phillips will be stepping into the roles created by Laura Doddington and Ciara Janson. Picking up decades after the end of Graceless III, this four-disc box set will relate how the sisters, now at the end of their lives, find themselves plunged into a universe of adventure once more.

Created by the Grace to help locate the six segments of the Key to Time,  Abby and Zara were eventually stripped of their extraordinary powers by the Grace, and left to see out the rest their lives as ordinary mortals “Amy” and “Joy”. But nothing is ever so simple with those two. As long as they’re together, anything might befall them…

“Just when we thought we were out…” producer Mark Wright told Sci-Fi Bulletin. “If there’s one thing I’ve learnt with Graceless over the course of four series is that there are always surprises. Simon Guerrier came up with an elegant way to continue Abby and Zara’s adventures, and Lisa Bowerman’s Rolodex of top acting names came up trumps again with Annie and Sian. Legends both, and such a joy to have with us – although explaining three series’ worth of backstory was interesting!”

Annie Firbank plays Amy, while Siân Phillips takes on the role of Joy. Annie’s many film and TV credits include a regular role in TV soap Emergency Ward 10, Doomwatch, Midsomer Murders, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and as Anne Elliot in an acclaimed adaptation of Persuasion. Siân Phillips gave a BAFTA-winning performance as Livia in the BBC’s I, Claudius amongst countless film, TV and stage credits that also include Goodbye, Mr Chips, Churchill: the Wilderness Years, Smiley’s People and a memorable appearance as the Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam in Dune.

Writer Simon Guerrier says of returning for a fourth series: “This series of Graceless is something really special. It’s been a delight to get the gang back together, Lisa’s pulled out all the stops with an extraordinary guest cast, and Mark has worked wonders to bring the whole thing together – not made any easier by me being four months late with scripts and then, um, including a song. Oh, but wait till you hear the song…”

The guest cast for the series includes appearances from one of the stars of Big Finish’s Counter Measures – Hugh Ross – as well as Petra Markham (Ace of Wands), Carolyn Pickles (Broadchurch, Harry Potter) and Nichola McCauliffe (Doctor Who, Victoria).