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

Destiny marches inexorably toward the Ninth Doctor in the latest set of full-cast audio adventures, released today by Big Finish .

“The Doctor is a legend woven throughout history. When disaster comes, he’s there. He brings the storm in his wake and he has one constant companion. Death.”

As the first series of The Ninth Doctor Adventures draws to a close, the Time Lord faces ghosts from the past and the future in two exciting, brand-new adventures.

In Fond Farewell, the deceased attend their own funeral, while in the two-part finale, Way of the Burryman/The Forth Generation, the dead come back to life in the form of terrifying, reanimated Cybermen.

Luckily, the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) isn’t alone. He reunites with his old friend Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Jon Culshaw) and Lieutenant Sam Bishop (Warren Brown) to tackle the emerging threat. But at what cost? Fate has drawn them together, in this one place and time, and not everyone will make it through the fight intact.

Travelling the universe alone, the Doctor can’t help running into people he has met before. Some are new acquaintances, and some have a much longer history, back through all of his lives. But every one of them knows that in the face of danger, and when the monsters arrive, there’s no better friend to have by their side. 

The three episodes in this box set are:

Fond Farewell by David K Barnes 

Fond Farewell is the intergalactic funeral parlour with a difference: the deceased attend their own wake! Invited by celebrated naturalist Flynn Beckett to his memorial, the Doctor finds he’s not quite the man he was. But who would steal the memories of the dead?

Way of the Burryman by Roy Gill 

Young Sam Bishop is at a crossroads with girlfriend Fiona: she’s staying in Scotland and he wants to travel the world. As the Burryman celebrations begin, ghosts haunt the Forth Bridge. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart arrives to investigate – and so does the Doctor…

The Forth Generation by Roy Gill 

The Forth Generation have emerged. The Doctor, the Brigadier, Sam and Fiona are at their mercy.  Is there a way to defeat them? Has UNIT learned from the past? And can the enemy’s nature be changed for the future?

Joining the adventures are Juliet Stevenson (as Winifred Whitby), Sienna Guillory (as Idara Beckett) and Elinor Lawless (as Fiona). And the cast is completed by James Doherty (Professor Flynn Becket), Emily Taaffe (Sasha Yan), Charlie Hamblett (Thomas), Amanda Drew (Commander Jane Wardie), Martin Quinn (Cameron Lawther), Alexander Cobb (Sergeant Lowe) and Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Cybermen.

Christopher Eccleston said: “I remember the Cybermen well and the strange beauty of them was fascinating to me as a child. I suppose what I was responding to was the idea that these things were in some sense human. The Doctor’s fascination – and the debate in Doctor Who – is ‘What it is to be human?’ and, to me, the answer is: to be empathetic.

“I’ve had a great time being creative with the Ninth Doctor in these audio adventures – it’s a character that I’ve always loved so much – and interacting with all of these great and imaginative writers.”

“It’s also been quite freeing not having a companion. I like the loneliness of the Doctor and it was one of the things that drew me to him in the first place. I never want him getting too domesticated. I like his solitary lone-wolf quality.”

Director Helen Goldwyn added: “The Way of the Burryman and Forth Generation is a two-parter by the fabulous Roy Gill. It has his usual depth, complexity and atmosphere. It’s an origin story for Sam and I was delighted when I realised we were finally understanding how he came to UNIT and why he’s such a maverick.

“It’s been such a genuine privilege to work with Christopher Eccleston and a joy to have been asked to be involved. The energy when Christopher is playing the Doctor is just so high and fun. I’ve laughed so much when recording these sessions with him. I just hope that people will be delighted, enthralled and love hearing the Ninth Doctor again.”

Doctor Who fans can now order all four volumes of The Ninth Doctor Adventures series one, 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 at http://www.bigfinish.com.