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

There’s a metamorphosis in store for the Fourth Doctor in his second box set for 2024 as an old foe – or two – returns.

The Metamorphosis box set, out in June, takes the Doctor (Tom Baker) and his companions, Surgeon Lieutenant Harry Sullivan (Christopher Naylor) and UNIT secretary Naomi Cross (Eleanor Crooks), to the recent past and the far future, where they are caught in a deadly game.

Recently defeated on screen by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors in Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary specials, the Toymaker is resurrected on audio, this time played by Annette Badland (Doctor Who: Aliens of London, Ted Lasso). And Geoffrey Beevers returns to the role of the Master, to face the Fourth Doctor for the first time since 2015’s Death Match.

The box set’s star-studded cast also includes Lydia West (It’s a Sin, Years and Years) as Cahlo, Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Dracula) as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Nicholas Briggs as Padro.

Matryoshka by Aurora Fearnley

When a strange force drags the TARDIS to Earth, it’s clear that the Doctor, Harry and Naomi are up against an incredibly powerful being. And when they encounter Lord Pearson, inventor of games and toys, searching for his vanished daughter… it becomes clear exactly who that being might be. Hide and seek is one of the simplest games devised by man… but in the hands of The Toymaker… it may also become the deadliest.

The Caged Assassin by Matthew Sweet

It’s very unusual to find a tiger in the TARDIS. But it’s even more unusual to find one heavily dosed in radiation. But this is far from the most unusual occurrence the Doctor, Naomi and Harry are going to encounter today. Because they are about to meet Charles Jamrach, supplier of exotic animals to the rich and royal, who is unaware that his famous menagerie conceals a deadly terror. A strange creature out for blood…

Metamorphosis by Lisa McMullin

The people of the planet Jaxus are vanishing. When the Doctor and his friends land, Naomi is snatched away by a mysterious fog and taken to a prison run by a very old foe of the Doctor’s. The Master is here and he has, as ever, a sinister scheme underway… but neither Naomi nor Harry know who he is… Can the Doctor stop his plans and rescue the prisoners? Or will his companions inadvertently aid his enemy’s plans?

Director Jamie Anderson said: “Some of the Doctor’s enemies have an ‘I’m smarter than you‘ vibe about them and it’s always nice to beat villains who really think a lot of themselves. I’m very glad that the Doctor has got another chance to come up against the naughty Toymaker.”

Actor Annette Badland added: “I really engaged with this script and was intrigued from the outset by the idea of Russian dolls and changing personalities.  The Toymaker is quite fascinating – complex, unpleasant, seductive!”

Guest star Lydia West added: “It’s great to work with Big Finish again – there’s something about working with audio that’s really powerful, and the privilege of working with Tom is just dreamy!”

Doctor Who – The Fourth Doctor Adventures: Metamorphosis is now available to pre-order as a collector’s edition 3-disc CD box set (+ download for just £19.99) or as a digital download only (for just £16.99), exclusively at http://www.bigfinish.com. Please note: the collector’s edition CD box set is strictly limited to 1,500 copies and will not be repressed.