Big Finish is set to fill in another Doctor Who gap as Freema Agyeman returns for The Year of Martha Jones! Out in December 2021, this full cast audio drama will expand upon the “year that never was” between “The Sound of Drums” and “The Last of the Time Lords.” And Martha’s not the only one returning!
Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton, Doctor Who) will also be reprising her role as Francine Jones- Martha’s mum. Last seen on TV in Journey’s End, it will be interesting to hear how Francine’s story of being trapped on the aircraft carrier Valiant with the Master will be woven alongside Martha’s story of walking the Earth. Freema Agyeman had this to say about returning to the role and exploring this period of Martha’s life:
“We really didn’t know what Martha was going through during that year on Earth – we see her embark on it, and we see the conclusion of it, but it’s so interesting to really see her as an ordinary person, trying to do extraordinary things. She has incredible independence and strength so I think she can rely on that, but it’s been great to see how she does ebb and flow throughout that journey.”
The three stories that will make up this box set will be as follows: “The Last Diner” by James Goss, “Silver Medal” by Time Foley, and “Deceived” by Matt Fitton. No specific story details have been revealed yet, but the series’ producer David Richardson has teased a few additional details about what can be expected.
“I love Martha Jones and I love tales of an apocalyptic Earth, so when we secured Freema for this box set I was immediately drawn to the idea of Martha’s year on an Earth subjugated by the Master. The Doctor has lost! The Jones family in peril! Toclafane sweeping the skies, and a mission to travel the world, sharing tales of a Time Lord who defeats the monsters. There was so much dramatic potential in this story world and our writers have had a lot of fun with that.”
Expectations and what to look forward to!
Rumors about this release have been around for at least a little bit and I’m very excited that it’s finally been announced! I remember back at Big Finish’s panel at Gallifrey One 2020 that a question about Martha was sort of danced around- something they tend to do when something’s in the works but not official yet!
Of course this isn’t the first story for Martha Jones at Big Finish- nor Freema Agyeman’s first reprise of her role for them! Martha’s first appearance in a Big Finish audio came in 2018’s The Doctor Chronicles: The Tenth Doctor. The Doctor Chronicles are more audio-book than audio-drama format so Jacob Dudman voiced Martha (among many others!) in the story “Backtrack” by Matthew J Elliott. This story was set mid-series three. 2020 saw the release of Freema’s first return to the role in the audio world in “Torchwood: Dissected”. Set after the events of Journey’s End, the story explores Martha and Gwen Cooper’s friendship. And, perhaps, sets up another story to come for Martha Jones…?
I am also utterly thrilled that Big Finish is including Francine Jones in these stories. They’ve done a wonderful job with expanding upon the stories of the companions’ mothers and giving them more room to shine. The mothers of RTD-era companions all tended to play pretty similar roles in their daughter’s stories- being at least a little overbearing, overprotective, and possibly part of the reason why they wanted to get away for a while. Granted this can be partially attributed to the fact that none of them got nearly as much screen time as the show’s leads. So it’s wonderful to have more of their characters and stories explored via these audios.
Francine- particularly Francine in this part of her story- will add so much to this box set. Much like how we only see a bit of what Martha went through, what’s shown in the TV series only barely scratches the surface of what the Jones family went through during the Year. Something that newer- and particularly US fans- may not be aware of is that Francine was actually the first to pick up the gun and point it at the Master in “The Last of the Time Lords” after time was reset. In recent years, streaming services have only had the BBC America cut of the episode which results in fans missing several key scenes throughout the finale.
The Year of Martha Jones isn’t the first story to come out of this particular Doctor Who gap either. In 2008, BBC Books published The Story of Martha. The book jumps between Martha’s experiences during the Year that Never Was and stories of her previous adventures with the Doctor as she tells those to the people she meets. If you’re looking for a way to fill the wait between now and The Year of Martha Jones’ release, I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy.
While full casting hasn’t been announced yet, I do wager a guess that we’ll get at least one or two surprise cameos- if previous companion-centric Big Finish box sets are anything to go on! Big Finish has kept David Tennant pretty busy recently and John Simm returned to play the Master for Masterful, so who knows! And while Alexandra Moen has yet to work with Big Finish, I also very much hope that there will be something about Lucy Saxon in these stories. She’s often overlooked in Doctor Who and I think having even just a little bit more about her experience during the Year would be fascinating. There’s so much potential for this set of stories. I really cannot wait to get it in my ears in just a few short months!
The Year of Martha Jones is available to pre-order now on Big Finish’s website on a collector’s edition CD (£19.99) or as a digital download (£16.99).
