Roberts returns in a spooky new teaser, playing the Doctor’s nemesis on-screen again after more than two decades.
He’s back! More than two decades on from his clash with Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor, Eric Roberts’ incarnation of Doctor Who villain the Master has returned in live-action.
Roberts appears in a spooky new teaser posted by audio drama producers Big Finish – making reference to being trapped (presumably within the Eye of Harmony, where he ended up at the climax of Doctor Who’s 1996 TV movie), he muses on the Earth celebration known as Halloween, “when dark spirits abound and children learn to reveal in the things that scare them”, and vows to escape his confinement.
Though he’s been lending his voice to Big Finish’s range of Doctor Who audio dramas since 2018, this teaser is the first time that Roberts has played the Master in live-action since the 1996 TV movie.
Roberts is getting his own spin-off series of audio plays from Big Finish – entitled simply Master! – in March 2021.
In this new series, this version of the Time Lord villain has escaped the Time Vortex to wreak havoc upon the universe.
Along the way, he’ll meet old enemies, new companions and the universe’s most glamorous and dangerous bounty hunter, Vienna Salvatori (Chase Masterson).
A synopsis for the series reads:
Abandoned in the Vortex, the Master’s lost incarnation is about to be thrown a lifeline.
Earth rebuilds in the aftermath of invasion, and power rests with those who innovate. Genius Lila Kreeg makes a deal with the devil to see her dreams fulfilled.
As the Master returns, there are those – like Vienna Salvatori – who wish to hunt him, and those upon whom he wishes vengeance himself…
Roberts will also appear alongside John Simm, Michelle Gomez and Derek Jacobi in the multi-Master release Masterful, set to be released by Big Finish in January next year.
Both releases can be pre-ordered now via bigfinish.com.
Doctor Who starring Jodie Whittaker will return to BBC One for festive special Revolution of the Daleks this festive season.
SCHEDULE: 20 Years of Doctor Who at Big Finish Livestream
This weekend the Doctor Who YouTube channel will host a 20-hour livestream marathon of audio dramas from Big Finish celebrating their 20 years of Doctor Who on audio.
Starting at 12:00pm (UK time) on both Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st July, the official home of Doctor Who on YouTube will stream over 10 hours per day of Big Finish audio adventures. Fans will get a chance to listen to the first episodes of over 30 different stories including spin-offs and special releases.
There will be video appearances from plenty of the Doctor’s friends past and present plus exclusives extracts and debuts from upcoming releases from Big Finish Productions. As the stories are livestreamed on YouTube, fans will be able to join in the conversation via the live chat.
Also broadcast during the event will be the first episode of Doctor Who: The Legacy of Time – a special anniversary box set release celebrating 20 years of Doctor Who at Big Finish. This first episode stars Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor, Alex Kingston as Professor River Song and Lisa Bowerman as Professor Bernice Summerfield.
See the full list of episodes that will be livestreamed below. Each episode will be the first part of a story unless stated otherwise. Schedule may be subject to change.
SATURDAY (Starts at 12:00 UK)
The Sirens of Time – Part 1 starring Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy
Spare Parts starring Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton
The Marian Conspiracy starring Colin Baker and Maggie Stables
The Fires of Vulcan starring Sylvester McCoy and Bonnie Langford
The Chimes of Midnight starring Paul McGann and India Fisher
Energy of the Daleks starring Tom Baker and Louise Jameson
The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield: The Revolution (from The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield Volume 1) starring Lisa Bowerman and Sylvester McCoy
Captain Jack: Wednesday for Beginners (from The Lives of Captain Jack Volume 1) starring John Barrowman and Camille Coduri
Celestial Intervention (from Gallifrey: Time War 1) starring Lalla Ward and Seán Carlsen
The Time War: The Starship of Theseus (from The Eighth Doctor: The Time War 1) starring Paul McGann and Rahkee Thakrar
The War Master: Beneath the Viscoid (from The War Master: Only the Good) starring Sir Derek Jacobi and Nicholas Briggs as the Daleks
Jenny – The Doctor’s Daughter: Stolen Goods (from Jenny – The Doctor’s Daughter) starring Georgia Tennant and Sean Biggerstaff
The Tenth Doctor Adventures: Cold Vengeance – Part 1 (from Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures, Volume 2) starring David Tennant and Billie Piper
The Sirens of Time – Part 2 starring Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy
SUNDAY (Starts at 12:00 UK)
The Sirens of Time – Part 3 starring Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy
Blood of the Daleks starring Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith
The Phoenicians (from The First Doctor Adventures Volume 3) starring David Bradley
The Yes Men starring Anneke Wills and Frazer Hines
The Conquest of Far (from the Third Doctor Adventures Volume 3) starring Tim Treloar and Katy Manning
The Auntie Matter starring Tom Baker and Mary Tamm
Dalek Soul starring Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton
Jubilee starring Colin Baker and Maggie Stables
Master starring Sylvester McCoy and Geoffrey Beevers
The Sirens of Time – Part 4 starring Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy
Doom Coalition: The Eleven (from Doom Coalition 1) starring Paul McGann, Nicola Walker and Mark Bonnar
The Assassination Games starring Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred
The War Doctor: The Innocent (from The War Doctor: Only the Monstrous) starring Sir John Hurt
UNIT: Tidal Wave (from UNIT: Assembled) starring Jemma Redgrave, Ingrid Oliver and Katy Manning
The Diary of River Song: The Boundless Sea (from the Diary of River Song Series 1) starring Alex Kingston and Alexander Vlahos
The Legacy of Time starring Paul McGann, Alex Kingston and Lisa Bowerman
Charge your sonic screwdrivers and grab the popcorn! It’s going to be a blast.
Doctor Who celebrates 20 years on audio at Big Finish with 20 hour livestream
To celebrate 20 years of Doctor Who on audio, BBC Studios and Big Finish Productions present a 20 hour weekend live-stream marathon of Doctor Who audio dramas on YouTube. And everyone’s invited to the party!
Over two days on the 20th and 21st July, the official home of Doctor Who on YouTube will broadcast more than 20 episodes of Big Finish audio adventures, featuring David Tennant, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker,Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann and David Bradley, among many others. Plus, there will be video appearances from plenty of the Doctor’s friends, past and present, to join in the festivities. As the stories are livestreamed on YouTube, fans will be able to join in the conversation via the live chat. Save the date, as you won’t want to miss a minute of this!
Big Finish Productions was first granted a licence to create Doctor Who adventures in audio format back in 1999. Its first production was Doctor Who: The Sirens of Time, starring Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy. The company has since expanded its ranges, producing and distributing over 300 hours of audio drama each year. To date, over 850 titles from Doctor Who and its various spin-offs have been released – and that number grows by the day, with more Doctor Who stories confirmed from Big Finish until at least 2025.
In honour of this incredible achievement, over 20 hours of Doctor Who audio drama will be live streamed on the BBC’s Doctor Who YouTube channel over the 20th and 21st July. Doctor Who fans will hear stories from their heroes, as well as never before heard snippets, interviews and guest cameos from some of their favourite stars, and much much more!
Nicholas Briggs, Creative Director and executive producer at Big Finish, said:
“Has it been 20 years already? But we’ve only just got started! Honestly, it has been an absolute delight to have worked alongside the Doctor these past two decades. I started my life as a fan, in the days before on demand and downloads, recording the soundtracks of Doctor Who episodes on audio tape. And now it’s my job to place every incarnation of the Time Lord (give or take) in peril in so many exciting audio adventures. I have to pinch myself. I’d like to thank everyone, from the cast in front of the mic, to the writers, directors, sound designers and more behind it, for making it such an amazing journey. Here’s to the future! (Or is it the past?)”
Jason Haigh-Ellery, Chairman and executive producer at Big Finish, added:
“In July 1999 we released The Sirens of Time. In July 2019 we’re releasing The Legacy of Time. Those two decades have been so fulfilling for us at Big Finish – a chance to work with so many great and talented actors, writers, production crews and all of our friends at the BBC. This is a celebration of it all, with lots of surprise returns and references. Think of it as one massive Doctor Who party – and everyone is invited…”
Doctor Who: The Legacy of Time will be available from www.bigfinish.com on download and also released in an eight-disc CD deluxe package set with a limited edition of just 4,000.
Set the date! July 20th is going to be a weekend to remember…
Tom Baker and Adric reunite for new Doctor Who audio adventures
Brace yourselves, Doctor Who fans: Tom Baker’s Time Lord and companion Adric are set to reunite in a new series of audio adventures.
For the first time since 1981, the fourth incarnation of The Doctor and the boy genius played by Matthew Waterhouse will join forces for more stories set in parallel universe E-Space.
As part of the ninth series of Big Finish’s Fourth Doctor Adventures, the audio play producer will release two volumes of stories featuring the characters.
Set just before Tom Baker’s Doctor’s last televised adventure – between State of Decay and Warrior’s Gate – the audio stories are set to depict the start of the relationship between the Fourth Doctor and Adric, the self-assured 15-year-old and mathematical mastermind.
Originally from Alzarius, a planet existing in the parallel universe of E-Space (as opposed to our universe’s N-Space), Adric first became a companion of The Doctor in 1980’s State of Decay after sneaking aboard the Tardis.
Adric and The Doctor won’t be alone, however. The two will be joined by Time-Lady Romanadvoratrelundar II (Romana to us humans), played by Lalla Ward, while John Leeson will reprise his voice role as robo-canine companion K9.
While both K-9 and Romana have previously appeared in Big Finish adventures with the Fourth Doctor, the new stories will mark the first time Tom Baker and Matthew Waterhouse feature together in an audio drama.
“I’ve always found that when recording a Doctor Who on audio, it felt like coming home,” Waterhouse said about returning to work with Baker. “I absolutely loved it, and this [new series] is another development of that. I love the idea of E-Space with the Fourth Doctor, Romana, Adric and K9 travelling together.”
Explaining what listeners can expect from the new stories, producer David Richardson said: “We’re returning to another much-loved era in Series 9, as the E-Space trilogy gets a massive extension on audio and we explore strange and wonderful worlds in another universe with the genius team of the Doctor, Romana, Adric and K-9.
“It’s been such fun recreating the tone and high-concept style of that era, as the travellers begin the search for a CVE (Charged Vacuum Emboitment) which can take them (or at least most of them) home.”
Volume one of series nine of The Fourth Doctor Adventures, set for release in January 2020, will feature two stories:
Purgatory 12 by Marc Platt
Chase the Night by Jonathan Morris
And volume two, set for release in February 2020, will feature these adventures:
The Planet of Witches by Alan Barnes
The Quest of the Engineer by Andrew SmithRemove term: series nine of The Fourth Doctor Adventures serieRemove term: series nine of The Fourth Doctor Adventures series nine of The Fourth Doctor Adventures nine of The Fourth Doctor Adventure
Big Finish has also confirmed series 10 of The Fourth Doctor Adventures will be released in January and February 2021.
Each volume is available as a 4-disc CD box set for £25 or on download at £20 from www.bigfinish.com. Or you can get both sets together in a pre-order bundle for £45 on CD or £40 on download. Each of these stories are also available at an individual download price of £12.99.
Professor Bernice Summerfield returns in new audio drama boxset!
Bernice Summerfield is back this September with four new adventures from four new authors in a Big Finish audio boxset starring Lisa Bowerman as Bernice and David Warner as the Doctor from an alternate universe!
The authors of this boxset are all new to Big Finish. “Last year we ran a Bernice Summerfield short story competition with The Time Ladies,” explains producer James Goss, “And we were so impressed by the finalists that we asked all of them if they wanted to write an episode of the next boxset. And luckily they said yes, coming up with a set of very different, very fresh ideas.”
The new authors were paired up with established Big Finish writers as mentors. “Everyone worked very hard to bring a great set of scripts by four new voices into the studio,” says James.
1. Pride of the Lampian by Alyson Leeds
Bernice Summerfield finds the last relic of a lost civilisation. One that the Doctor is worried may never have existed.
2. Clear History by Doris V Sutherland
The people of Civitas-G have retreated into an idyllic recreation of their homeworld. And they’re refusing to believe that it is now breaking down.
3. Dead and Breakfast by April McCaffrey
Bernice and the Doctor are trapped on a planet where people who are unusual have a habit of dying. They’re in trouble.
4. Burrowed Time by Lani Woodward
Centuries ago the Byrinthians were wiped out. Apart from one underground train which is still travelling the tunnels of this long-dead world. With a passenger on board.
One of the authors is April McCaffrey. “It’s been wonderful,” says April. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it – Benny’s such an independent character to write for.”
“April’s the number one expert on Bernice Summerfield,” enthuses Lisa Bowerman. “The story works really well and she really understands Benny,”
The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield: Volume 5 – Buried Memories will be released in September 2019 and is available for pre-order now from the Big Finish website.
Two classic Doctor Who television stories that didn’t get past the pre-production stage are being resurrected this year as full-cast audio productions. Peter Davison and Colin Baker return as the Fifth and Sixth Doctors in two fantastic releases by Big Finish Productions in association with BBC Studios.
The iconic British science fiction series of Doctor Who has been running for over 55 years, and it has inspired and nurtured numerous writers, directors, performers and creatives. Throughout the process of producing the TV series, however, many stories didn’t make it to our screens for a variety of reasons. Big Finish Productions is now bringing back two of the stories that were previously abandoned in a production office drawer in the 1980s.
The Ultimate Evil by Wally K Daly The Doctor and Peri’s holiday plans go awry when they cross paths with the slimy super-salesman Mordant and his scheme to start a war.
Nightmare Country by Stephen Gallagher The Doctor wakes up on a planet of relics, a dead world, a hostile world… He has no memory of who he is, or how he got to be here.
He’d better remember soon, because the very structure of reality is at risk and it all has something to do with that strange blue tomb with the light on top.
Wally K Daly tells us more: “I wroteThe Ultimate Evilfor TV in 1984 but sadly it was never made because Michael Grade decided to take Doctor Who off the air. I adapted it as a novel some years later, but am delighted to bring it back now as an audio play. It’s proof that it’s impossible to kill Doctor Who!”
And Stephen Gallagher told us: “Nightmare Country was my detailed pitch for Season 21 and would have been my third story for the show, but for a terse note from the production office that read, ‘You’ve sent us another million-dollar movie and we just can’t do them‘. Some ideas you can recycle, some parts you can reuse; but where do you find another show like Who? So my million dollar movie went into the files and I moved on, until the day my and the Doctor’s paths crossed again. Sometimes, it seems, you just have to stay ready and keep the faith.”
“Wind forward to 2019 and we now have Wally adapting his own script of The Ultimate Evil, which will be released alongside Stephen Gallagher’s Nightmare Country. The latter was brought to me by Guy Adamswho has script edited Stephen’s adaptation, and it’s a wonderful piece of Season 21 mind-blowing fantasy. How brilliant to be able to launch them both in the range’s tenth anniversary year!”
Out for release this November (the month that Doctor Who was first broadcast back in 1963), these two Lost Storiesare available for pre-order now at £14.99 on CD or £12.99 on download each.
Or why not save money and purchase both stories together in a bundle priced at £28 on CD or £25 on download.
The Doctor and Donna are back – and more titles for May!
Mags returns to her homeworld with the Seventh Doctor
The Doctor has returned Mags, formerly of the Psychic Circus, to her native world: Vulpana. Back to a planet dominated by werewolves. And the moons of Vulpana are always full…
The Doctor and Donna are back – this time with family!
Three new adventures await the Tenth Doctor and Donna in Volume 3 of the Tenth Doctor adventures. We’ll go to an underwater city guarded by Judoon, back to the great smog of 1950s London, and an adventure with Donna’s mum Sylvia and Wilfred Mott, her grandfather!
3.1 No Place by James Goss
It’s Haunted Makeovers! The home improvement show with a spooky twist. The Noble family are hoping to cast out a few spirits along with the old bathroom suite, as presenter Justin joins Donna, Wilf, Sylvia and the Doctor for the latest edition of his reality TV series. Of course, Justin knows that any supernatural phenomena can be faked. Ghosts can’t possibly be real. Can they..?
3.2 One Mile Down by Jenny T Colgan
Donna and the Doctor take a holiday – in the beautiful underwater city of Vallarasee. Things have changed since the Doctor last swam through it: Vallarasee is now enclosed inside an airdome. Judoon patrol historic sites, and instead of tourists wearing helmets to breathe, the native Fins are forced to adapt. But leaks have begun to trickle into the dome, and the Doctor and Donna must convince the Judoon that disaster is imminent. Or else thousands will be trapped, as the waters rise…
3.3 The Creeping Death by Roy Gill
London, 1952, and a deadly smog envelops the capital. But something even more dangerous – and alien – is hiding within the mists. When the Doctor and Donna get lost in the fog, they find a motley group of Londoners trying to make their way home. Soon the stakes are raised, as death creeps along fume-choked streets and not everyone will make it out alive….
Out for release in May 2019, we’ll pop back into history where menacing threats lurk in 1950s London’s smog in an entrancing tale by Roy Gill, we’ll explore dangerous underwater worlds with the Judoon in a thriller by Jenny T Colgan, and James Goss takes the Doctor, Donna and family on their most treacherous journey yet… into the horrifying world of reality television!
Jacqueline King who plays Donna’s mother, the incomparable Sylvia Noble, told Big Finish about returning to the role:
“Doctor Who has been the gift that keeps on giving. I started, believing I was to appear in one Christmas episode, then was thrilled to appear in more. I recently returned to the role with Big Finish and it was like putting a cherished old sweater back on. That old sweater will have to be washed and conditioned ready for this episode with the A team back in full. Can’t believe my luck. I’m guessing it might actually feel a bit emotional.”
Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures Volume 3 is available for pre-order now from the Big Finish webstite. A five-disc collector’s edition – limited to 5,000 copies – is available on CD in deluxe bookset packaging.
The Third Doctor and Jo reunite with Liz Shaw and the Brigadier!
This is a special volume for classic Doctor Who fans! The Third Doctor reunites with his first companion (played by Caroline John’s daughter, Daisy Ashford). The Brigadier is voiced impeccably by legendary impressionist John Culshaw. Plus, the Primords from classic Doctor Who story return!
“Welcome to ODIN Megastore, where everything is for sale. Even your planet.” Peri and the Sixth Doctor find themselves trapped in a complex yet comfortable super mega store.
Suzie Costello, the black sheep of the Torchwood team, meets the most duplicitous of the Slitheen – Margaret, mayor of Cardiff. Together, they’ll be tied at the hip. Literally. And Cardiff is set to blow!
John Barrowman has long been a fan-favourite star of the Doctor Who universe – but could he actually play the Doctor himself?
That’s the question raised in a new Big Finish audio adventure starring Barrowman, which will see his dashing Time Agent Captain Jack Harkness forced to take on the Time Lord’s mantle – specifically, the many coloured coat of Colin Baker’s Sixth Doctor – when his old friend is incapacitated.
Called Piece of Mind and written by James Goss, the new audio story will form one of three parts of The Lives of Captain Jack Volume Two, which also sees Barrowman’s Jack Harkness head to the trenches of the First World War and tackle, er, fake news.
“As we had such a great time doing the first volume it seemed a lovely idea to do another,” Goss said of the new collection of stories, which he also produced.
“Amazingly, John managed to find time for us AND capture a nation’s heart in the jungle. Hearing him face off against Colin Baker’s Doctor is the joy we’ve all been waiting for.”
See below for a full list of synopses for the new Captain Jack adventures:
Piece of Mind by James Goss
When the Sixth Doctor falls dying into his arms, Jack must carry on in his place. Is the universe ready for a whole new kind of Doctor?
What Have I Done? by Guy Adams
On the battlefields of World War I, something is hunting in the trenches. Jack must try and save the life of a wounded soldier.
Driving Miss Wells by James Goss
Alien invasions, stolen planets and burning skies – Newsreader Trinity Wells used to tell everyone the world was ending. One day she stopped believing it. Will her new chauffeur change her mind?
The Lives of Captain Jack Volume Two will be released in June 2019
