When you have a time-travelling blue box, 2005 is only a little trip. But for the rest of us Doctor Who fans, it has been a long time since we saw or heard from the Ninth incarnation of everyone’s favourite Time Lord.
In some of the most exciting news in quite some time for Doctor Who fans, Big Finish has announced that Christopher Eccleston, who played the Ninth Doctor, will return to the show for the first time in 15 years in a new series of audio dramas.
Titled “the Ninth Doctor Adventures”, it will star Eccleston in 12 new original stories made by the team at Big Finish. Big Finish is known for creating the audio series of Doctor Who for well over two decades. The adventures compiled into four boxsets, the first of which will release on May 21. It’s not clear who will be joining Eccleston in the series as of yet. Billie Piper played the Ninth Doctor’s companion Rose in the TV show, but aside from returning for a one-off in the 50th anniversary special back in 2013, she hasn’t appeared in the show for 10 years. The other three box sets are set to follow the first in August and November 2021, then February 2022.
“After 15 years it will be exciting to revisit the Ninth Doctor’s world, bringing back to life a character I love playing,” Eccleston said. He was first approached by Big Finish’s Chairman, Jason Haigh-Ellery, at a convention earlier this year.
“Christopher said he was enjoying meeting the fans and was pleased that his Doctor was remembered so fondly. I am so pleased that Christopher has decided to return to the role with us – and I’m excited to welcome him to the Big Finish family as we discover the new adventures of the Ninth Doctor.”
Big Finish’s Creative Director, Nicholas Briggs (who also is the voice of the Daleks on the TV show), added: “Working with Chris was a very special time for me. The beginning of my Doctor Who TV career. So, writing for and directing him feels incredibly exciting. He’s such a powerful performer and it’ll be amazing to work with him again.”
We have been following Doctor Who at the Nerd Stash for quite some time. You can read our reviews of each episodes of Series 12 here. Not being hipster… but we even mused the idea of the Doctor being a woman before it was even a thing.
