Big Finish kicks off the festive season in November with The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures: Lionesses in Winter, which sees the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill) heading to Henry II’s court.
In this third episode of the brand-new audio adventures of the Thirteenth Doctor, the TARDIS lands in December 1183, where King Henry II is preparing to spend the festive season with his family.
But the Plantagenets aren’t the kind of family who have peaceful Christmases – there’s plenty of drama and intrigue in the king’s court, and that’s before the Doctor and Yaz discover they’re not the only visitors from somewhere else in time and space.
Lionesses in Winter guest stars Kevin Mathurin (Emmerdale) as Henry II and Prince Richard, and Debra Barker (Supacell) as Eleanor of Aquitane, as well as Dolly Webb as Henry’s ward Alys, and Ammar Duffus as Prince Philip and Prince John.
Here’s the blurb:
England, 1183 – The court of Henry II. The Doctor and Yaz gatecrash a right royal – if terrifyingly dysfunctional – family Christmas as Henry’s estranged wife Eleanor returns to spend Yuletide with the fam. The Doctor and Yaz uncover an imposter amongst them, but who are they really? And what do they want?
Writer Lisa McMullin said:
“Since the Thirteenth Doctor was all about her ‘fam’, I wanted to write a story with family at the very heart of it. And Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine and their children are the ultimate dysfunctional family. The most melodramatic soap has nothing on them.
“Eleanor has been banished from court after helping her son raise an army against his father (the King – her husband!), but she’s been allowed home for Christmas. And then the Doctor and Yaz rock up.
“On the surface it’s a festive romp – deck the halls and grab a mince pie for a right royal family Christmas. But the banter is barbed and, underneath, the story is an exploration of how a family copes with grief and loss.”
The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures: Lionesses in Winter is now available to pre-order for £9.99 (as a digital download to own) or £11.99 (download to own and on CD). The CD is strictly limited to 1,500 copies and will not be repressed.
