Big Finish has revealed new artwork, further cast, and story details for Christopher Eccleston’s audio return to Doctor Who in The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Ravagers.
Due for release in May 2021, Ravagers features three tales written by Big Finish’s Creative Director, Nicholas Briggs, and sees the Doctor on a voyage of discovery once more with new friends and adventures.
Alongside the previously-announced Camilla Beeput as Nova and Jayne McKenna as Audrey, this full-cast audio drama box set also teams Christopher Eccleston up with Jamie Parker (Callan, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child) as Captain Halloran, Dan Starkey (The Paternoster Gang, Jago & Litefoot & Strax) as Marcus Aurelius Gallius, Ben Lee (Holmes & Watson) as Lieutenant Farraday, and Clare Corbett (Jenny – The Doctor’s Daughter) as the terrifying Ravagers.
Here’s the synopsis:
On the Sphere of Freedom, the Doctor is about to shut down an evil Immersive Games business empire. He’s assisted by a valiant galley chef called Nova. But his plan spectacularly fails…
Now, the Doctor must fight back to discover what could have caused everything to go so badly wrong. His journey takes him via Piccadilly Circus in 1959, Belgium 1815 and far flung future worlds where machine intelligences regard sentient life as mere biofuel.
Where does the mysterious old-timer Audrey fit in? Is the alien beverage Charganzi safe to drink? And is there really anything the Doctor can do to stop the entire universe from being devoured?
The three tales are as follows:
Sphere of Freedom
On the Sphere of Freedom, the Doctor is about to shut down an evil Immersive Games business empire. He’s assisted by a valiant galley chef called Nova. But his plan spectacularly fails… And who exactly is Audrey?
Cataclysm
Nova is dislocated in time while the Time Eddies are out of control. Meanwhile, the Doctor is about to face the end of the universe. Or is that just the Battle of Waterloo?
Food Fight
The TARDIS is starting to get a little crowded! Audrey finds herself haunted by a ghostly Doctor.
Of joining the TARDIS as Nova, Camilla Beeput said:
“I mean, it’s Doctor Who, isn’t it? It’s iconic! It’s very energetic, it’s full of action which I really enjoy doing. And Nova is a very spunky, sparky character, she’s got a lot of attitude, she’s a lot of fun. And Chris is great, he’s so warm and friendly – the kind of person that I instantly felt like I’d known for ages, he’s got such an enveloping warmth about him.
“It’s just such a lovely environment you feel very safe working with someone like Chris who’s such a consummate professional – and that’s what it’s all about!”
Jayne McKenna added:
“I loved the script – it’s the first time I’ve been in something like this, it’s just fantastic! What’s lovely is working with people that are so invested in this, and having a chance to play a character at different stages of her life – that’s a great gift to be given as an actor. Everybody we’re working with, all the cast and the people that’s working on this, are so brilliant and efficient at their jobs, that it’s felt like we’ve been flying – everyone’s loving doing it!”
Of course, the DWC will be covering this release in a lot more detail soon.
You can now pre-order all four volumes of The Ninth Doctor Adventures, which are available in three formats – collector’s edition CD, digital download or limited edition gatefold triple LP vinyl – exclusively from the Big Finish website.
Big Finish listeners can save by pre-ordering a bundle of the entire series for just £88 (as a collector’s edition box set) or £78 (as a download).
The Ninth Doctor Adventures triple LP vinyls are strictly limited to a pressing of 1,000 per volume, and can be pre-ordered at £35.99 each, or £132 for the bundle of all four albums, again exclusively at the Big Finish website.
(Products are sold in £ sterling on the Big Finish website but will be converted to local currency upon checkout.)
The vinyl editions do not include any behind-the-scenes extras. However, listeners purchasing vinyl LP editions will receive a download of the story automatically and be given access to the CD edits as a bonus download. Episodes will be edited specifically for the vinyl format, presented as 2 episodes, one on each side, each with opening and closing music.
In addition, all pre-orders of the vinyls will also receive the behind the extras as a bonus download.
