Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor makes new friends and foes in a brand-new box set of full-cast audio adventures
He’s back! The Ninth Doctor’s second series of audio adventures from Big Finish Productions begins with three emotional stories that examine what it means to be human. The Earthbound travels of Doctor Who: Back to Earth begin with the Time Lord encountering spine-chilling demon known as the Grimminy-Grue. From there, he faces a mysterious robot army and gets caught in the middle of family affairs.
Joining Christopher Eccleston is Hayley Tamaddon (Emmerdale), Wendy Craig CBE (Butterflies), Leah Brotherhead (Hullraisers), and Alexander Arnold (Skins). Also starring are Ian Bartholomew (Coronation Street), Indigo Griffiths (Still So Awkward), Greig Johnson (Lore) and Katy Brittain (Ten Percent).
“The Doctor is there but other people take the stage.“
Christopher Eccleston said: “What’s struck me recently is the element of the Doctor stepping back and being a straight man for the various exotic personalities and creatures that come by. The Doctor is there but other people take the stage. I like that ensemble feel. I liked it on television and I like it on the audios. You have actors coming in doing spectacular alien turns and your job as the Doctor and an actor is to support and encourage that.
“I always connected with the Doctor’s love for humanity, even though he refers to them every so often as ‘stupid apes’. I think that was a very clever device to give this alien with two hearts a fascination and concern for the human race and their funny little customs. It’s interesting to play a character inside and outside the foibles of humanity.”
“The Grimminy-Grue is one of the most disturbing creations the Doctor has ever faced”
Producer David Richardson added: “The core of these stories is all about humanity – how diverse we are, what we need from life, and who we love. And of course, it’s about great big, exciting adventure too – and lots of scary stuff.
“I think Station to Station might be just about as scary as we should dare go with Doctor Who– to my mind the Grimminy-Grue is one of the most disturbing creations the Doctor has ever faced! So, this box set has it all – fear, fun and just masses of heart and soul. They are emotional scripts that won’t leave a dry eye.”
Doctor Who: Back to Earth
Time and again, the Doctor finds himself returning to his favourite planet. Dropping in on history or the present-day, whether it’s kings, commuters or ordinary people, he’s never met anyone who wasn’t important…
Station to Station by Robert Valentine
A deserted railway platform can be the loneliest place on Earth. But when Saffron is stranded at Underbridge station, she meets echoes of the past – and a fellow lost traveller. And the Doctor knows that something is hunting them…
The False Dimitry by Sarah Grochala
Moscow, 1605: the old Tsar is dead – but some blame unnatural forces. Perhaps the mysterious Doctor in the palace can help?
A successor advances on the Kremlin with an army, preparing the country for war. But Tsarevich Dimitry is not what he seems…
Auld Lang Syne by Tim Foley
Every December, Mandy Litherland gathers the family at Foulds House to see in the New Year. Not everyone appreciates her efforts. At least the caretaker seems friendly – if a little weird.
Mandy hopes she’ll see him again next year – but perhaps she already has…
Back to Earth is available on CD, vinyl, as a download, and on the Big Finish app
Doctor Who — The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Back to Earth is now available to own for just £24.99 (collector’s edition CD box set + download) or £19.99 (download only), exclusively from the Big Finish website.
Big Finish listeners can save money by purchasing all four volumes of The Ninth Doctor Adventures series two together in a bundle at £88 (collector’s edition CD box set + download) or £78 (download only).
Doctor Who — The Ninth Doctor Adventures triple LP vinyls are strictly limited to a pressing of 1,000 per volume, and can be ordered at £35.99 each, or £132 for the bundle of all four albums, again exclusively at www.bigfinish.com.
Please note: 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. They’ll also have access to the CD edits as a bonus download. The Episodes are special vinyl format edits, presented as 2 episodes, one on each side, each with opening and closing music. In addition, all pre-orders of the vinyl will also receive the behind the extras as a bonus download.
Products are sold in £ sterling on Big Finish’s website but are converted to local currency upon checkout.
All the above prices include the special pre-order discount and are subject to change after general release.
Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. Factors beyond Big Finish’s control may delay the mail-out of collector’s edition CDs. But all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy listeners can immediately download or play on the Big Finish app from the release date.
