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February 18th, 2023 18 comments

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Big Finish Once and Future Guest Stars Announced!

Once and Future Guest Stars Announced!

Revealed today at the Gallifrey One convention in Los Angeles: a stellar line-up of actors will feature in Big Finish’s forthcoming Doctor Who audio anniversary series, Once and Future.

As previously announced, the original TV leads – Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant – each reprise their role as the Doctor for this epic, eight-part extravaganza marking 60 years of adventures in space and time.

Joining them are guest stars Stephen Noonan as the First Doctor, Michael Troughton as the Second Doctor and Tim Treloar as the Third Doctor. The series also includes the final performance recorded by David Warner as the Unbound Doctor.

The impressive ensemble cast boasts some very familiar names from Doctor Who series past and present, including:

  • Michelle Gomez (as Missy)
  • Nicola Walker (as Liv Chenka)
  • Georgia Tennant (as Jenny, the Doctor’s Daughter)
  • Michelle Ryan (as Lady Christina)
  • Camille Coduri (as Jackie Tyler)
  • Neve McIntosh (as Madame Vastra)
  • Catrin Stewart (as Jenny Flint)
  • Dan Starkey (as Strax)
  • Sadie Miller (as Sarah Jane Smith)
  • Christopher Naylor (as Harry Sullivan)
  • Ken Bones (as The General)
  • Beth Chalmers (as Veklin)

With many more guest stars yet to be announced.


Doctor Who – Once and Future will be released monthly, with the first seven parts materialising between May and October 2023, and a final coda in November 2024, as follows:

  • Past Lives by Robert Valentine
  • The Artist at the End of Time by James Goss
  • A Genius for War by Jonathan Morris
  • Two’s Company by Lisa McMullin
  • The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50 by Jonathan Barnes
  • Time Lord Immemorial by Lisa McMullin
  • The Union by Matt Fitton
  • Coda – The Final Act by Tim Foley

The series’ script editor, Matt Fitton, said: “It was a massive honour to be asked by producer David Richardson to help coordinate this mammoth undertaking. For me, it was a chance to work again with many of Big Finish’s barnstorming writers, all of whom I’d had great fun working with before. It’s always a joy to send that email inviting someone onto an exciting project like this, and then seeing the number of exclamation marks in the response!

“There were certain characters I felt just had to be involved in such a significant anniversary, but over the course of the whole series, we aim to pay tribute to every single era of the show across its 60 years. The Doctor might not quite be himself at the start, but we’ve an army of allies and enemies to help remind him what he stands for.”

Doctor Who fans worldwide can pre-order all eight full-cast audio adventures as a special edition bundle on CD + download (for just £75) or as digital downloads only (for just £62), exclusively from www.bigfinish.com.

The special edition CD bundle is strictly limited to just 3,000 pressings and includes numbered

CDs, special bonus artworks and additional audio content, including music suites and extended behind-the-scenes interviews.

All eight stories can be pre-ordered as separate single releases on standard collector’s edition CD (and download for £10.99 each) or digital (download only for £8.99 each), exclusively from the Big Finish website. A standard bundle is also available to pre-order for just £72 (on CD and download) or £60 (download only). The standard edition does not include the extras contained in the special edition but does include behind-the-scenes features.

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.


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18 comments

  • Doctor Mysterio

    February 22nd, 2023 - 10:53pm

    I’d love to hear more about the packaging tbh.

    Reply
  • Michael

    February 21st, 2023 - 1:34pm

    Surely the coda is in Nov 2024 as it is the end of the anniversary year…bringing it to a conclusion.

    Reply
  • Lewis Frisby

    February 21st, 2023 - 11:01am

    Why is there a year gap between the penultimate and final part

    Reply
    • Whofan44

      February 21st, 2023 - 12:21pm

      From what I understand the “final” part. The main story is the ones out this tear with the one out next year more of a bonus epilogue.

  • Robert

    February 19th, 2023 - 10:27am

    Stephen Noonan sounds nothing like the First Doctor, why on earth cast him.

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      February 19th, 2023 - 12:59pm

      Possibly his age, availability and costs mean that Stephen Noonan is better for Big Finish than David Bradley. I don’t think that either sound like the First Doctor. Just my opinion but I’m not that excited about this release, it just seems like the usual Big Finish stuff.

    • Gordon

      February 19th, 2023 - 2:45pm

      Because big finish wanted someone who embodied the character of the first doctor which Stephen noonan does. More to it than just sounding like him. From what I heard David Bradley doesn’t want to do big finish without the adventure and space and time cast mates. It’s very telling that outside of a couple of lines cameo in legacy of time he hasn’t done any big finish without them.

    • Doctor Stu

      February 20th, 2023 - 9:46am

      To be honest there are quite a lot of the cast for this that sound nothing like who they’re trying to portray. 1st Doctor, 2nd Doctor, third doctor, Sarah Jane, Harry Sullivan

    • TheKandyMan

      February 20th, 2023 - 5:21pm

      The Second Doctor and Third are perfect recasts imo. The rest I agree with.

    • Doctor Stu

      February 21st, 2023 - 10:20am

      Frazer Hines does a decent second doctor I wish he’d been available

  • Anonymous

    February 19th, 2023 - 9:30am

    Seeing the speculation around why the final part is so late, I wonder if it’s to include Jo Martin. We still have no release date for the Fugitive Doctor series and it usually takes at least a year after an era ended for Big Finish to legally be allowed to release stories connected to it.

    Reply
  • Auton

    February 18th, 2023 - 9:50pm

    I think its so far in advance so that they can have David Tennant as the 14th doctor

    Reply
    • Auton

      February 18th, 2023 - 9:51pm

      The November 2024 coda release

  • The Fishmonger

    February 18th, 2023 - 6:16pm

    Is the final episode really November 2024 or is that a misprint?

    Reply
    • Star Lord

      February 18th, 2023 - 6:41pm

      It’s been confirmed as Nov ’24 several times now in BF’s Twitter replies.
      Guess we’ll have to wait and see why.

    • The Fishmonger

      February 18th, 2023 - 7:57pm

      Hopefully an appearance by some of the unmentioned Doctors. Probably not that but one can dream.

    • Anonymous

      February 18th, 2023 - 9:31pm

      It’s basically an Epilogue. The Main Story Ends in Episode 7, which is out in October, along with Episode 6.

    • Anonymous

      February 18th, 2023 - 9:49pm

      I think its so far in advance so that they can have David Tennant as the 14th doctor

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