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January 23rd, 2020 21 comments

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Big Finish Doctor Who: Susan’s War

Carole Ann Ford stars in new Doctor Who spin-off, Susan’s War

The Doctor’s first ever companion, his granddaughter Susan Foreman, takes on a new, heroic role in her very own series from Big Finish Productions, in association with BBC Studios.

Carole Ann Ford reprises the role she first created for television way back in 1963 in Doctor Who: Susan’s War, a four-part full-cast audio drama due for release in April 2020.

Gallifrey needs every Time Lord to fight the Time War. A summons has been issued across the universe to its prodigals. Whatever their skills, the war effort can use them.

Susan’s call-up papers have arrived, and, unlike her grandfather, she is willing to join her people’s battle and finally return home.

Because Susan knows the Daleks, and she will do her duty…

Doctor Who: Susan’s War is now available to pre-order as a collector’s edition box set (priced at £24.99), or on download (at £19.99) at www.bigfinish.com.

Also joining Susan in this conflict are her old friend, Ian Chesterton (played once again by original series actor William Russell) and the Doctor himself… but probably not the one she was expecting.

Actor Carole Ann Ford said: “It’s a very complex, interesting and fascinating piece of work which goes backwards and forwards in time in a way we’ve never actually done before in Doctor Who. We’re finding all sorts of extraordinary ways to chase after time machines, and the different phases in Time Lords’ lives are being investigated.

“Also, it’s Susan when she’s pushed on a few years. She has different attitudes to things and expects different behaviour from people that she’s with. So this is marvellous. She’s a much stronger person, and I really like that. ”

Producer David Richardson added: “The Time War is a mighty battle on many fronts, and we are telling that huge story on many fronts too. This is Susan’s story – drafted into the war, an agent of the Time Lords and reunited with her past, firstly with Ian Chesterton, and then later with her grandfather in his Eighth incarnation.

“How lucky was I to spend recording days with legends like Carole Ann Ford, William Russell and Paul McGann, such key figures from the classic series thrown into this compelling era of new series Doctor Who? And with them are Veklin (Beth Chalmers) and Rasmus (Damian Lynch) – two characters whose story arcs spread through a myriad of releases, and help tie together our intricate Time War range.”


Doctor Who: Susan’s War will contain four electrifying stories:

  • Sphere of Influence by Eddie Robson
  • The Uncertain Shore by Simon Guerrier
  • Assets of War by Lou Morgan
  • The Shoreditch Intervention by Alan Barnes

The box set of Doctor Who: Susan’s War are now available to pre-order in collector’s edition CD format (priced at £24.99), or on download (at £19.99) at the Big Finish website.


Categorised under: Big Finish, CD, spin-offs

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21 comments

  • Anonymous

    January 24th, 2020 - 8:39pm

    Great to see William Russel returning. At 95 he’s looking well.

    Reply
  • 3rdWorldDaleks

    January 24th, 2020 - 6:00pm

    not gonna lie, started throwing tears immediately after watching that picture.

    Reply
  • John T

    January 24th, 2020 - 12:16pm

    This is a great story idea- similar to what they did with Quinnis where it was just Susan travelling on her own with the Doctor. With this you get Ian and the 8th Doctor as well and a Simon Guerrier story ( one of my favourite Big Finish writers). I wonder if there will be more than one box set of these.

    Reply
  • Anonymous

    January 24th, 2020 - 2:52am

    They just do too much stuff. Not for me.

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      January 24th, 2020 - 6:03am

      Yeah but the idea is that you dont have to get it all. By doing so much, it allows for different people’s tastes as well as exploring the after lifes of the companions ( which keeps people like William russell and Carol Anne Ford in work and let’s us find out what Susan got up to.) Its like anything. You dont have to collect it all but dont just knock it because you think they do too much stuff.

    • Daz

      January 24th, 2020 - 11:40am

      I have only dipped in to Big Finish a handful of times (mostly the 80’s Doctors I grew up with) I’m not bothered about listening to everything they make as I only really care about the TV show I’m not an “expanded universe” type but I know Big Finish have a lot of followers and the seem to cater for a lot of fans different interests in the expanded universe so that’s pretty cool.
      This one has got interested as it’s Susan and something ideal for them to explore that the TV series wouldn’t focus on this story so there is something for all fans.

    • Anonymous

      January 24th, 2020 - 12:05pm

      Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for those who like the expanded universe but I just find less is more. The other thing is people forget that big finish is separate from the TV series. Yes there are minor mentions but legally the BBC can’t directly link say an episode of the TV series to a audio story as that breaches the advertising code. So when big finish is contradicted by tv stories you have to accept it as the TV series takes precedence. I sometimes think who should have adopted the star trek policy of saying only tv/films are officially canon and everything else is outside. Would make arguments much shorter! I hope people who get these enjoy them.

    • Anonymous

      January 24th, 2020 - 7:24pm

      Have you ever heard of ‘The Night of the Doctor’? You should watch it someday as you’ll find the names the Doctor mentions rather interesting…

    • Anonymous

      January 24th, 2020 - 9:26pm

      I did say minor mentions. Name checks of characters are very different to advertising specific stories. You will never see an ad after TV who that mentions big finish.

    • Anonymous

      January 24th, 2020 - 10:50pm

      Can a narrative explicitly reference an event in big finish as a key plot point. Kinda of like what they wanted to do with Duel of the fates for Star Wars referencing the clone wars show.

    • Anonymous

      January 25th, 2020 - 1:46am

      I don’t think they can. Think about the episodes dalek and rise of the cybermen/age of steel. In the case of dalek Robert shearman used elements of his big finish story jubilee. In the cybermen story an acknowledgement in the credits mentioned Marc Platt as spare parts was used as the inspiration for the story. But both are vastly different from the CDs and no explicit advertising of those CDs occurred at the end of the episodes. The BBC is expressly forbidden by its charter to advertising other companies products. So they mentioned the new sophie aldred book as it’s a BBC book they can’t mention big finish as it’s a private company making a non-bbc, albeit licenced product.

    • Anonymous

      January 25th, 2020 - 3:27pm

      Some people are so ungrateful. 11 NEW EPISODES OF DOCTOR WHO SINCE 01/01/19. Thank God for big finish.

      People complained and complained by the lack of time war content in TV. Big finish do a small number of stories, time war 8, gallifrey timer, war master and war doctor IN THE LAST 4 YEARS and suddenly we are oversaturated according to the 1% of fans.

      BIG FINISH IS CANON always was and was again confirmed in night of the doctor (7 years ago) after moffatt got bored of this pointless argument of canon.

      Appreciate what you get, when all these actors are no longer here you will always complain that they didn’t do this.

      Pre ordered the second I saw it. Susan vs the daleks again……IN THE TIME WAR. 8 reunion with susan since 2009, YES PLEASE

    • Anonymous

      January 25th, 2020 - 4:07pm

      Er, did I say anything about this not being made? For those who like these great. Personally I find a limited number of new stories suits me. When I did buy big finish I reached a point where I was getting bored of who. Since I stopped I appreciated the DVDs more and any new TV that came along. Also you do realise that big finish has a small customer base? It takes on average two years to recoup the costs of a single story release. There is a much larger fan base that doesn’t consider them canon purely because they have never bought one. If you like them great but don’t assume everyone buys them.

  • Anonymous

    January 23rd, 2020 - 8:43pm

    Surprised nobody has thought of this before, what a great idea for a story, make total sense. Looking forward to this.

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      January 24th, 2020 - 10:40am

      It was teased back in 2017 with the short trip of time war 8 trying to stop Susan entering the war and her promise to see her grandfather again but she must fight. Honestly I expected it sooner

    • Anonymous

      January 24th, 2020 - 10:41am

      It was teased back in 2017 with the short trip of time war 8 trying to stop Susan entering the war and her promise to see her grandfather again but she must fight. Honestly I expected it sooner

  • Anonymous

    January 23rd, 2020 - 7:19pm

    We have not heard William Russell for quite a while. He is glorious to listen to so this is so so welcome.

    Reply
  • Daz

    January 23rd, 2020 - 7:14pm

    Sounds really interesting, Susan is a very important character in Doctor Who and it’s such a shame she’s been so overlooked since she left (apart from her appearance in the Five Doctors which wasted her).

    Susan is a Timelord like the Doctor she’s a great character and I’d love to see her in the TV series one day even if she has regenerated but this Big Finish set sounds cool dealing with the version of Susan we all know from the First Doctors time.

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      March 12th, 2020 - 8:28pm

      I don’t think she’s actually a timelord, I think she’s just a regular Gallifreyan

  • Anonymous

    January 23rd, 2020 - 4:48pm

    Great

    Reply
    • Bring Back Susan Campaign

      January 23rd, 2020 - 7:02pm

      Surely we are overdue for Susan to appear on the main TV show. But would she call the 13th Doctor ‘Grandmother’ ?

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