The continuing adventures of the Ninth Doctor! With just two sets of stories released so far and another two on their way in the coming months, Christopher Eccleston is back as the Ninth Doctor for a second series of stories for Big Finish!
Series Two Details
Fans of Christopher Eccleston’s regeneration of the Doctor were excited to hear that the actor would be back in the role when Big Finish initially announced 12 brand new stories with his Doctor in August 2020. With 12 more stories on the way (making up four box sets), we’ll get to learn even more about the Ninth Doctor and his adventures outside his televised episodes. Christopher Eccleston had this to say about the news:
“Just before Christmas in 2020, I walked into a small recording studio in an industrial estate in North London. Me and the sound engineer looked at each other and we smiled and said, ‘Let’s go!’ Then I started playing the Ninth Doctor again, and I loved it.
It’s been one of the great joys for me of the past year. It’s a lovely way to do it, so I’m coming back to record more.”
Following the final two installments of series one of the Ninth Doctor’s audio adventures out in November 2021 and February 2022, the four sets of stories for series two will be released in May, August, and November of 2022 and February 2022. There are no story or cast details yet, but producer David Richardson had this to tease for the next batch of stories:
“I’ve spent most of my summer weekends sitting in the garden, iPad on my lap, reading the scripts for The Ninth Doctor Adventures – Series Two. Happy days indeed. No spoilers but expect emotional, character-based stories, and lots of adventure – going deep into Earth’s past and into the far future.
“From an old railway station to the seas of Titan, to a very unusual furniture store in the present day, it’s another trip of a lifetime – and I can’t wait to be back in the studio again in October, where we will bring these words to brilliant life. Recording the first season with Chris was one of my happiest times at Big Finish, and I feel privileged to be going back for more.”
In addition to the usual digital downloads and collector’s edition CDs, Big Finish will continue to release the Ninth Doctor series two stories on a limited edition LP vinyls available exclusively from their website. These always arrive with the gorgeous artwork created for each story’s cover, and though I’ve personally never bought them they’re always great to look at!
Looking Forward to the Ninth Doctor Series Two
Though I’ve only gotten a chance to listen to the first set of Ninth Doctor stories (Ravagers), I am very much looking forward to hearing what else Big Finish has in store for Chistopher Eccleston’s Doctor! They always do a great job of creating amazing stories for their actors, and it’s clear that Christopher Eccleston is having a great time despite his initial hesitation in returning to the role.
So what am I personally hoping for in this set of stories? Well, apart from the continuation of some great, inventive storylines of course! In series one, Big Finish has already confirmed that Nine will be meeting at least one character from his past and will face an old enemy he didn’t in the TV series. So I’ve got a few wish-list items for future stories!
For one, there’s something that’s already been hinted at in another Big Finish release. In series eight of The Diary of River Song, there is a brief scene in which River is at a bar with her husband- the Doctor, of course. But she does specifically mention that the version of him that she’s with that evening is wearing, well, a leather jacket! River has met nearly all of the “Classic Who” series Doctors during her time at Big Finish, so it’d be wonderful to hear Alex Kingston and Christopher Eccleston together, too!
As for an enemy that the Ninth Doctor has yet to meet (and for something possibly a bit more out there in terms of possibility), I think it’d be amazing for Nine to meet Missy. True, the Ninth Doctor does mention in the TV series that he knows he’s the last Time Lord in existence, but Big Finish does have a habit of letting characters meet that shouldn’t! Missy’s signature “bananas” nature combined with Nine’s no-nonsense attitude would be just so much fun to hear.
Of course, the biggest character on the wish list: The return of Rose Tyler. Billie Piper has returned to the role for Big Finish in the past. In 2017, she recorded the Tenth Doctor’s second set of adventures with David Tennant. And in 2019, Big Finish released a set of stories entitled Rose Tyler: The Dimension Cannon detailing a few of the parallel worlds that Rose traveled to between the events of “Doomsday” and “The Stolen Earth”. She hasn’t been a part of any Big Finish productions since, but I do hope that perhaps one day she’ll make an appearance again. And it would be utterly lovely to hear Nine and Rose together once more. Perhaps even a dimension hopping Rose? Hmm…
As always, as we hear more Ninth Doctor series two news we’ll make sure you’re kept up to date! In the meantime, be sure to check out both Ravagers and Respond to All Calls out now, and Lost Warriors and volume 4 out in the coming months.
Doctor Who- The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Series Two can be pre-ordered now from Big Finish’s website. For the pre-orders, set of stories will cost £24.99 for the collector’s edition CD, £19.99 for the digital download, or £35.99 for the limited edition triple LP vinyl. Listeners can also save by pre-ordering the Ninth Doctor series two as a bundle for £88 for the CDs or £78 for the downloads.
