With the return of Christopher Eccleston as the beloved Ninth Doctor just around the corner, Big Finish has revealed new details about his first volume of stories as well as some new casting news! The first of four announced volumes arrives this May, less than a year after the news broke that Eccleston would be returning to the world of Doctor Who. Let’s take a look at what Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures- Ravagers has in store.
What to expect from The Ninth Doctor: Ravagers
Ravagers will be comprised of three connected stories, all penned by Big Finish’s Creative Director Nicholas Briggs (who has directed the box set as well): “Sphere of Freedom”, “Cataclysm”, and “Food Fight.” Christopher Eccleston will be joined by fellow cast members Camilla Beeput (Save Me, Writers Retreat), Jayne McKenna (The Band, London Road) , Jamie Parker (Callan, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Dan Starkey (The Paternoster Gang, Jago & Litefoot & Strax), Ben Lee (Holmes & Watson), and Clare Corbett (Jenny- The Doctor’s Daughter). Exact details on the arc of this box set are still scant, but here is what we do know so far:
On board the titular “Sphere of Freedom,” the Doctor and new friend and chef Nova (Beeput) are enacting a plan to shut down the Immersive Games company. This company is apparently an “evil business empire.” So, this is a normal outing for the Doctor! However, the plan goes horribly wrong. Having failed but never giving up and never giving in, the Doctor will travel to Piccadilly Circus in 1959, Belgium in 1815 (the Battle of Waterloo!), and into a nightmarish future where humans and other forms of life are just seen as fuel for machines.
Details for the later two stories are even more vague with the Big Finish website only giving away two sentences for each, but the descriptions are still intriguing. “Cataclysm” will be the episode that takes the Doctor to the Battle of Waterloo, but I find the mention of Nova being lost in time due to “Time Eddies” more intriguing. Big Finish and Doctor Who have both done some really interesting things with various ideas of the fallout and consequences of time travel. It’ll be interesting to see how that is brought to life. “Food Fight” has even fewer details with only a mention of the TARDIS being “crowded” (perhaps Nine’s origins of “I don’t do families”) and another new character Audrey (McKenna) being “haunted by a ghostly Doctor.”
Thoughts on what is to come!
I have been so excited for this release ever since Big Finish announced it back in August 2020. Truly, Christopher Eccleston returning to the role is something I never expected to happen (and completely understood given what he’s discussed in the past). I was shocked and delighted to open Twitter to the news! The Ninth Doctor is no small part of why I love Doctor Who so much. I started watching the show on Netflix in 2011, beginning at “Rose” at the suggestion of various friends and family members. Nine’s “Do you know like we were saying- about the Earth revolving?” speech deeply intrigued me. It is still probably one of the best summations of the show. The humor of the “iPod” in “The End of the World” coupled with the Doctor’s goofy dancing showed me that I would love this show for SURE.
I’m also excited about Ravagers as I have loved the other stories that Big Finish has told with the Ninth Doctor so far: The stories in The Doctor Chronicles: The Ninth Doctor are incredible. The short trips “Battle Scars” by Selim Ulug and “Her Own Bootstraps” by Amy Veeres are also excellent and well worth a listen while you wait for May. In particular, I’ve been intrigued by the stories that take place before “Rose.” Those would be The Doctor Chronicles’ “The Bleeding Heart” by Cavan Scott in addition to the two stories in the Short Trips range.
While it’s not been officially confirmed yet that the stories in Ravagers are pre-“Rose” stories, it is probably safe to assume that they are. However, I have seen a theory floating around the internet here and there over the past few years that there may be more between Nine’s “See you around,” to Rose at the end of his first TV episode and the TARDIS re-materializing only for the Doctor to poke his head out again to say “By the way, did I mention it also travels in time?” than the few seconds we see on screen. It does seem like the type of canon-gap that Big Finish could easily take advantage of to tell more stories! Time will tell, I suppose… but I have a feeling it will be fantastic!
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