Tim Treloar and Katy Manning are back as the Third Doctor and Jo Grant in The Third Doctor Adventures Volume Five. But when they return they will be back with UNIT as The Brigadier, Benton and Dr Liz Shaw retrun.
Jon Culshaw has been cast as UNIT commanding officer Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. Jon has previously told senior producer David Richardson and executive producer Nick Briggs that the thing he’d most like to do for Big Finish would be to play the Brigadier.
‘After checking his rendition of the character in the BBC Audiobook of The Five Doctors, we just gave him the job!’ explains Nick. ‘It was a very tricky thing casting someone to do justice to Nicholas Courtney’s brilliant, original performance. Jon has done this with honour and love for what the splendid Mr Courtney did all those years ago.’
Katy Manning, who plays Jo Grant), was over the moon to be working with the these beloved characters once again. “It was a joy working with Jon Culshaw, and working with Tim has been so much fun, watching him become the Doctor more and more. But Jon came in and in an instant (and I won’t tell him how!) caught the Brigadier immediately!”
The Haisman Estate who owns the licence for the character, Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart were happy with the choice. “We thrilled at the choice Big Finish have made. We’ve always admired Culshaw’s voice work, and in particular enjoyed his rendition of the Brigadier in The Five Doctors audiobook. We look forward to hearing the Brigadier returning to Big Finish in such a substantial way!”
Dr Liz Shaw, the Third Doctor’s previous companion will be portrayed once again by Daisy Ashford, the daughter of the original Liz Shaw actress, Caroline John (who played the role on TV and returned to the role for several Companion Chronicles at Big Finish). Daisy Ashford was thrilled to be back on set. “I’m really excited and honoured to have been asked to play Liz, and to step into my Mum’s brilliant shoes!”
Also returning is John Levene as Sergeant Benton. Levene first appeared in the Second Doctor TV adventure The Invasion. He became a regular during the Third Doctor era, when the Doctor was exiled by the Time Lords on Earth. He has previously reprised Benton twice for Big Finish.
The two adventures for the boxset, Primord by John Dorney and The Scream of Ghosts by Guy Adams, are written by two fan favourite authors for the series. The Primords first appeared in the Third Doctor TV story Inferno. They interrupt the Doctor and Liz Shaw’s reunion, and become one of the fiercest tests of UNIT and the Doctor to date. The Scream of Ghost is just that – a ‘ghostly’ adventure where the population of a village are apparently being spirited away in the oddest of manners.
“It’s been so rewarding to see how Doctor Who fans have embraced these new Third Doctor stories,” says David Richardson, producer of The Third Doctor Adventures. “We knew Tim’s performance (and it is a performance, not a mere impersonation) as the Third Doctor was extraordinary – and it’s clear that listeners feel the same way too.”
Doctor Who: The Third Doctor Adventures Volume Five will be released in May 2019, available for pre-order now at £25 on CD and £20 on download.
