Christopher Eccleston left Doctor Who after just one season in 2005. Since then, Whovians have been hoping and waiting for his return to the TARDIS. Now thanks to Big Finish Productions, the Ninth Doctor finally returns!
Big Finish is an audio production company. They produce new Doctor Who stories featuring the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Tenth Doctor starring the original cast. Since 1999, they’ve produced hundreds of stories. In 2021, they will add the Ninth Doctor to their line-up. Announced last summer, Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures, starring Eccleston, features 4 volumes, each with three complete stories. Volume 1, Ravagers, comes out this month, and fans were treated to a little snippet as to what to expect:
Here’s a little treat for your Friday! Sound on ? for a snippet from #DoctorWho: The Ninth Doctor Adventures – Ravagers: Sphere of Freedom https://t.co/Du8stUnsnL pic.twitter.com/F906EOvPQF
— Big Finish (@bigfinish) April 30, 2021
A synopsis of the first set of the Ninth Doctor Adventures was previously released. You can read them below:
On the Sphere of Freedom, the Doctor is about to shut down an evil Immersive Games business empire. He’s assisted by a valiant galley chef called Nova. But his plan spectacularly fails…
Now, the Doctor must fight back to discover what could have caused everything to go so badly wrong. His journey takes him via Piccadilly Circus in 1959, Belgium 1815, and far-flung future worlds where machine intelligence regard sentient life as mere biofuel.
Where does the mysterious old-timer Audrey fit in? Is the alien beverage Charganzi safe to drink? And is there really anything the Doctor can do to stop the entire universe from being devoured?
Eccleston’s departure from the series could best have been described as contentious. Since then, it has been revealed that his relationship with the show’s producers was to blame. Then, in 2013, new showrunner Steven Moffat approached Eccleston about returning for the show’s 50th anniversary special, Day of the Doctor. Anniversary specials often feature multiple Doctors meeting. Even though none of the producers he had worked with were still there, he turned down the opportunity to return.
Christopher Eccleston had just begun to attend conventions and fan events in 2019. At those events, he was amazed to see how much his brief time as the famous Time Lord meant to the fans. He was approached by Big Finish Chief Jason Haigh-Ellery about playing the Doctor again for audio. “I first talked to Christopher about returning to the role of the Doctor at the Gallifrey One convention in February [in 2019]… He indicated he would be open to discussing a project with Big Finish.” Then the pandemic happened, and everyone’s 2020 schedule became wide open, allowing for a deal to be quickly made, and production to begin.
“After 15 years it will be exciting to revisit the Ninth Doctor’s world, bringing back to life a character I love playing.”
– Christopher Eccleston, on returning to play the Doctor for Big Finish
Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures – Ravagers comes out this month. Three more volumes will be coming, one every three months. Volume 2 comes out in August 2021 and Volume 3 arrives in November. The fourth and final volume will materialize in early 2022. Each will be available as downloads, CDs, and special edition vinyl records.
