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

Big Finish are releasing a very special story this December to mark 50 years since Tom Baker’s first full story as the Doctor.

Baker returns as the Doctor, while Sadie Miller and Christopher Naylor reprise their critically acclaimed performances as companions Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan – as originally played by Elisabeth Sladen (Miller’s mother) and Ian Marter in the classic TV series.

This special four-part adventure, written by Jonathan Morris, is set immediately after the events of Season 12’s final serial Revenge of the Cybermen, and picks up on a story thread which began in The Ark in Space, as the time travellers discover what happened to humanity long after the events of The Sontaran Experiment.

After being dragged through a rip in the time vortex, the TARDIS returns the Doctor, Sarah and Harry to Earth. They are in medieval times, but something strange is afoot.

The villagers live in fear of the sinister Brotherhood, an order of monks that upholds the sacred laws. Then there’s Faustus Black, with his troupe of travelling players. What connects them is a terrible secret hidden in the Forbidden Forest… a cave from which nobody has ever returned…

The story guest stars Terence Wilton (who played Mark in 1974 Doctor Who story Invasion of the Dinosaurs) as the megalomaniacal Zaphiel Ixon, as well as Angus Dunican as the creepy magician Faustus Black, Scarlett Courtney as Arnica, and Rosemary Ashe as Mother Cassava.

Producer David Richardson said: “Can it really be fifty years since the Fourth Doctor arrived in Doctor Who, in the wonderful Season 12, supported by the glorious Sarah and Harry? That really is something to celebrate, and I felt the best way to do it would be to return to 1975 and add an extra story onto the run.

“So The Curse of Time follows on from Revenge of the Cybermen and comes before Terror of the Zygons, as the TARDIS is diverted on its way to Scotland. Jonathan Morris has written a smashing tale that fits perfectly into both the Nerva Beacon arc and the Hinchcliffe years. Happy anniversary to the Fourth Doctor!”

Doctor Who – The Fourth Doctor Adventures: The Curse of Time is now available to pre-order for just £15.99 (collector’s edition double CD with slipcase + download) or £12.99 (download only), exclusively from 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.