Doctor Who: Christopher Eccleston’s Next Adventures Announced

Christopher Eccleston is back as the Doctor in a new series of The Ninth Doctor Adventures from Big Finish Productions. Big Finish already released Eccleston’s first series of audio adventures — marking Eccleston’s first return to Doctor Who since departing the series after its first relaunch season — and he’ll back for a second titled Respond to All Calls. Each of the three episodes in the series sees Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor answering cries for help from across the galaxy. The series’ cast also includes Forbes Masson (The High Life, Catastrophe), Mirren Mack (Sex Education, The Nest), Damien Lynch (Giri/Haji, EastEnders), Gemma Whelan (Upstart Crow, Inside No 9), Adrian Schiller (The Last Kingdom, Silk) and Jan Francis (Just Good Friends, Secret Army).

The series is now available to pre-order. Here are the episode descriptions from Big Finish:

• “Girl, Deconstructed” by Lisa McMullin: Marnie is missing. But she hasn’t run away, as her dad fears – Marnie is still very much at home. But not quite as she was. The Doctor joins forces with Missing Persons detective Jana Lee to help solve the mystery of a girl who’s gone to pieces.
• “Fright Motif” by Tim Foley: In post-War Paris, musician Artie Berger has lost his mojo, but gained a predator – something that seeps through the cracks of dissonance to devour the unwary. Luckily for Artie, the Doctor is here. Unluckily for everyone, he needs bait to trap a monster…
• “Planet of the End” by Timothy X Atack: The Doctor arrives on a mausoleum world for sightseeing and light pedantry, correcting its planetary records. The resident AI has other ideas. Deep within a tomb, something stirs. Occasus is the last resting place of a species far too dangerous to exist. And the Doctor is its way back.

“Girl, Deconstructed” writer Lisa McMullin said in a press release, “It was so exciting to get to write for the Ninth Doctor, but also quite daunting! But it’s such a privilege and I just feel really lucky to have been asked to do this.

“There’s something about the energy and sheer joy that Christopher brings to the role – you get the sense from watching and listening to him that he’s just having an absolute ball, and it’s infectious!”

“Fright Motif” writer Tim Foley said, “I’ve been a Doctor Who fan from a young age – as soon as the television show came back with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor, it just became this huge juggernaut that shook everything up.

“Before this, I don’t think I’d ever properly understood what other Big Finish writers meant when they talked of writing for their Doctor Who childhood heroes – but when I came to sit down and write a Ninth Doctor story, it felt like I was immortalising this childhood glee, and it felt addictive. I could do this forever, especially with Christopher Eccleston!”

“Planet of the End” writer Timothy X Atack said, “Back in 2005, I remember being taken by how fun Chris’ Doctor was, full of life but with this alternating steely and chirpy energy to him that felt so new. The Ninth Doctor was so much more irreverent than I expected, and the whole effect was just delightful – so that’s what I had in my head when the call came from Big Finish to write for the Ninth Doctor.

“And this is such a great box set to be part of – I feel in such excellent company. Lisa’s script has this captivating and bittersweet feel right from the start and, with Mr Foley, his story had me seething with jealousy about the way he uses sound. It’s just too much, I love it!”

What do you think? Let us know in the comments. The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Respond to All Calls releases in August.