After the release of the trailer for the first volume of The Ninth Doctor Adventures last Friday, today Big Finish has shared even more news about future releases with the Ninth Doctor! Between returning villains, an old friend, and confirmation on when these stories take place, there’s lots to be excited about! So let’s dive into today’s reveals.
The New Details!
We already know some of the story details for the first volume of stories, but there are some big surprises in store for volumes three and four! To start with, volume three will conclude with the Ninth Doctor facing off against the Cybermen! Interestingly, this encounter will take place during the filming of the 1927 silent film Metropolis. One of the first feature-length sci-fi films, Metropolis is famous for the robot in its story. Many who have not seen the movie may recognize the design. With the movie’s story partly centered on this robot that was created to sow discord among the working-class of a dystopian city, it will be interesting to see how the Cybermen are worked into its filming. Writer John Dorney had this to say about his episode:
“I know everyone was very keen for the Ninth Doctor to have an encounter with the Cybermen, and as they were the only Doctor and monster I hadn’t written for at Big Finish, I was very keen to be the one to write it! It was a real honour getting to script their meeting… particularly as it gave me the chance to dive into my love for the movies and write a bit of a celebrity historical.”
Volume four will have a very special reunion indeed. Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart will get to see his old friend the Doctor once again. Originally played by Nicholas Courtney, the Brigadier is a very much loved character in the Whoniverse. The character originally met the Second Doctor as Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart in “The Web of Fear”. Later, he became a series regular in the Third Doctor’s era as head of UNIT. The Brigadier has popped up in numerous Doctor Who stories through the years. However, this will be his first time meeting the Ninth Doctor in audio form. Roy Gill, the writer for this story said:
“The Brigadier is an iconic character from the Classic Series, whereas the Ninth Doctor arrives at the very forefront of the New Series. They may initially seem very different, but there’s an interesting connection: both forthright and deeply decent, they’ve been through conflict and are still fighting for what’s right… It was a privilege to write their first meeting for Big Finish.”
Of course, since Nicholas Courtney sadly passed away in 2011, the part is now played by another actor. Jon Culshaw will play the part in this release, just as he has in several other recent Big Finish productions.
In addition to these returning characters, Big Finish has also confirmed when these stories take place within the Doctor’s timeline. Producer David Richardson has said:
“We are talking the Ninth Doctor pre-Rose. These are the adventures some time after his regeneration, travelling alone, starting to discover himself after all that time being the War Doctor.”
Thoughts On The New Details!
While the mere existence of more Ninth Doctor stories has me excited, these details bring it up to another level! I am a little sad that we won’t be getting any stories with Rose in these releases. However, it will be interesting to see that gap filled in with these stories. Especially the ones mentioned in today’s news!
The story of Nine’s encounter with the Cybermen sounds very intriguing. While I’ve only seen Metropolis once and several years ago (sound design class in college), it is a very creepy film. I did have to head over to Wikipedia to remind myself of the story details, but it sounds like an excellent setting for a story with these classic monsters. Looking at some of the details regarding the filming of this movie, there seems to be ample room to tell a great story alongside it. Apparently, it took over 300 days and 60 nights to shoot thanks to a very exacting director, Fritz Lang! It’ll be very interesting to see how it all pieces together! I wonder if the film’s famous multiple edits and lost footage will factor in as well.
I am super excited for the Ninth Doctor and the Brigadier to meet, though. To be honest, I might’ve teared up a little when I read that news. While I am still working my way through Classic Who, I’ve seen quite a few episodes with the Brig. Even aside from that, it’s hard to be a fan of the show and not know how important he is.
Sure I didn’t have a clue when I first watched and heard the line “It’s times like this I could do with the Brigadier.” in “The Sontaran Stratagem.” And I don’t think I knew who he was when I watched “The Wedding of River Song” and Eleven called him only to be informed that he’d passed away. However, between my first watch of the “New Who” series and now, I’ve learned more about the Brigadier. And I’ve seen how much he is loved by the fandom! I certainly knew who he was by the time I watched “The Power of Three” when it first aired!
The Brigadier is one of the Doctor’s oldest (human) friends. He was there for the Doctor throughout the Time Lord’s exile on Earth. Though they butted heads at times, too! It’s going to be so amazing to hear these two meet again. The quote from Roy Gill has me preparing for some tear-jerker moments as well. It’s apparent that we’ll be hearing stories from a very early Ninth Doctor who’s still struggling with everything the War Doctor did and was during the Time War. So Nine seeing an old friend from a far simpler time in his life has the potential to be very emotional. I only wish we didn’t have to wait until February 2022 to hear it!
Between Friday’s trailer and these new details, I can’t wait to listen to these Ninth Doctor stories! While he may have only had one series on TV, there are many stories yet to be told with this regeneration of the Doctor. True it does seem like a long wait between now and May 2021 (volume one), August 2021 (two), November 2021( three), and February 2022 (four) but it’s going to be well worth it, and… fantastic!
