Celebrate International Women’s Day with a brand-new anthology, out today from Big Finish. The Eighth of March 2 places the most determined and brilliant women in the Whoniverse centre stage
Big Finish creative stalwarts, Helen Goldwyn and Louise Jameson, join forces to direct a brand-new box set. The Eighth of March: Protectors of Time celebrates the women of Doctor Who both in-universe and behind the scenes. All three stories are scripted and produced by women, with two of the writers – Abigail Burdess and Nina Millns – making their Big Finish debut.
Romana (Lalla Ward) takes centre stage in the opening adventure, Stolen Futures. The story picks up the immediate aftermath 1981’s Warriors’ Gate, as Romana steps out on her own. Then Prism brings together two characters from the Tenth Doctor’s era for the first time; the Doctor’s daughter Jenny (Georgia Tennant) and the notorious Lady Christina de Souza (Michelle Ryan). Finally, Turn of the Tides marks the first time Big Finish has featured an original character from The Sarah Jane Adventures. It features Rani Chandra (Anjli Mohindra) teaming up with old friend Jo Jones (Katy Manning) and UNIT’s Jac (Jaye Griffiths).
“These women save the day”
Helen Goldwyn, director of Prism and Turn of the Tides, said: “It’s such a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the female characters of The Worlds of Doctor Who – to have characters meeting, like Jenny and Lady Christina, who wouldn’t normally encounter each other, and to see the dynamic there.
“These are strong women who are independent and can still save the day. It’s very rare, certainly in a Big Finish drama, that you’ll hear a female Doctor Who character say, ‘What do we do now?’”
Producer Emma Haigh is one of the rising stars at Big Finish
Senior Producer David Richardson added: “Emma Haigh, producer of this box set, has become one of our rising stars at Big Finish – she was nominated for Best Producer at the Audio Production Awards last year alongside many leading lights in the industry, no less! It’s always a joy to watch one of her projects as it develops.
“And this release is special: a celebration for International Women’s Day with a focus on inspired women from the worlds of Doctor Who. There are some exciting firsts in here. Like everyone else, I can’t wait to hear it.”
The Eighth of March: Protectors of Time
Scattered through time and space, many women have crossed paths with the Doctor. Some were fellow TARDIS travellers, some were allies defending the Earth, and one was the Doctor’s daughter…
Crossing the bounds of E-Space, from a mysterious space-station to a London bus, and from the Amazon to the Moon, this 8th of March, three very different adventures unfold.
Stolen Futures by Lizbeth Myles
Romana and K-9 have stayed in E-Space to help an ancient and noble people, freed from their shackles.
But first they must heal divisions in the ranks, and those who see a very different future for the Tharil race…
Prism by Abigail Burdess
Lady Christina de Souza is crashing an exclusive party in search of a priceless diamond. Out in deep space, time travellers Jenny and Noah collide with a strange diamond-shaped vessel.
What is Prism? And what does it want with the Earth?
Turn of the Tides by Nina Millns
In the footsteps of Sarah Jane Smith, Rani Chandra is investigating strange weather phenomena, calling on an old friend for help –Jo Jones!
But UNIT is also on the case, led by science officer Jac. Soon all three women will be on a mission to the Moon…
The Eighth of March: Protectors of Time is available to own for just £19.99 (CD box set + download) or £16.99 (download only), exclusively from the Big Finish website.
Big Finish listeners can save money by pre-ordering both of The Eighth of March box sets together in a bundle for just £45 (CD + download) or £40 (digital download).
All the above prices include the special pre-order discount and are subject to change after general release.
Please note that Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mailout of collector’s edition CDs will be delayed, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.
