Doctor Who Short Trips “Downward Spiral” audio story is available now

Doctor Who –Short Trips are audio short stories, many written by some of Doctor Who’s most popular authors from the worlds of television, print, comics and audio, and read by a host of favorite Big Finish actors.

This time, the TARDIS picks up a distress call. The Doctor and Nyssa materialize on board a primitive and fragile spaceship with a solo crewmember…

Sarah Sutton, who originally played the Doctor’s aristocratic companion on TV from 1981, narrates this brand new psychological short story by Alan Flanagan. “It can be a hard thing, hanging on to your sanity. When you’re on your own. When you’re millions of kilometres from home. When you’re in zero gravity. Everything becomes… unmoored.”

Doctor Who Short Trips "Downward Spiral" cover art with Nyssa and the Doctor
Short Trips “Downward Spiral” cover art from Big Finish

Short Trips – Downward Spiral synopsis

Doctor Who –Short Trips: Downward Spiral is now available to download exclusively from the Big Finish website.

Travelling through space on your own can be lonely. It’s why Siobhan Matthews’ ship has been installed with COMPANY, an artificial intelligence that has stored personalities of Siobhan’s nearest and dearest. It’s someone to talk to when the silence is overwhelming. Siobhan has other guests today, which is impressive considering she didn’t let them onboard. They’re called the Doctor and Nyssa, but they’ve arrived at the worst possible time. Siobhan’s ship is spiraling towards something in the dark… and it’s hungry.

Thoughts from the creative team

Writer Alan Flanagan said:

“I originally came up with the idea when reading interviews with astronauts preparing for the isolation of space travel. While the TARDIS is infinite swimming pools all the way down, I thought it’d be interesting to explore what it’s like to spend months on end in a glorified tin can, completely alone. It seemed like the perfect way to present a battle that’s more psychological than just deep-space monsters (though there is one of those!), seeing how Siobhan deals with being a solo astronaut millions of miles from home. And indeed how the Doctor and Nyssa can pull her back from the edge. Writing monologues is always fun, and putting it in the hands of Sarah Sutton just made the whole process even sweeter.”

Short Trips "Downward Spiral" Narrator Sarah Sutton and writer Alan Flanagan
Doctor Who – Short Trips: “Downward Spiral” Narrator Sarah Sutton and writer Alan Flanagan for Big Finish

Producer Alfie Shaw added:

“Alan’s story is a showcase for the immense acting talent of Sarah Sutton. Watching Sarah flit between the many distinct voices required was mesmerizing, and everyone in the studio was in awe. It’s an oddly prescient tale, about how people cope with being cut off from contact with anyone else. Little did we know when we recorded that it was something we would all experience so soon!”

 

Cast of the sci-fi classic “Farscape” celebrate their love for the series

First look at “Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe”

Time Lord Victorious: The Doctor Who multi-platform story coming soon!

Author

  • Maddie Morrow

    Maddie Morrow (she/they) plays a vital role on the Temple of Geek Team. As a jack-of-all-trades and Creative Director, she actively participates in nearly every project and facet of the organization. From fostering community and interviewing on red carpets, to managing backend operations, Maddie contributes across almost every department. Find her on Instagram and TikTok at @maddie_whovian and on Twitter @mad_whovian

    View all posts
Maddie Morrow

Maddie Morrow

Maddie Morrow (she/they) plays a vital role on the Temple of Geek Team. As a jack-of-all-trades and Creative Director, she actively participates in nearly every project and facet of the organization. From fostering community and interviewing on red carpets, to managing backend operations, Maddie contributes across almost every department. Find her on Instagram and TikTok at @maddie_whovian and on Twitter @mad_whovian

More From Author

Wakanda Forever: The psychological issues addressed in “Black Panther”

Problematic Fandoms and the Importance of Diversity and Inclusion

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.