October 20th, 2026 1 comment

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Big Finish The Third Doctor Adventures The Planet Killers

The Third Doctor and Jo together again

Tim Treloar and Katy Manning meet Chekhov and Daleks in The Third Doctor Adventures: The Planet Killers, a box set of two brand-new audio stories available now.

The travels of the Third Doctor (Tim Treloar) and Jo Jones (Katy Manning) – formerly Jo Grant, now reunited with her Time Lord friend later in her life – continue today in The Planet Killers, a box set comprising three hours of brand-new full-cast audio drama.

First, the TARDIS lands on an island off the east coast of Russia, where the time travellers meet the famed playwright Anton Chekhov (Joe Eyre). The conditions in the penal colony here are grim, but things only get worse when a mysterious monster begins to howl.

Then, the Doctor and Jo arrive on a paradise planet and find it scheduled for demolition. Worse, they’re soon in conflict with one of the Doctor’s oldest enemies – the Daleks (Nicholas Briggs)!

Doctor Who – The Third Doctor Adventures: The Planet Killers is now available to purchase for just £19.99 (download to own) or £24.99 (download to own + collector’s edition CD box set), exclusively from www.bigfinish.com. Please note: the collector’s edition CD box set is strictly limited to 1,500 copies and will not be re-pressed.

The two full-cast stories in this box set are:

The Beasts of Sakhalin Island by Jez Fielder (four parts)

The Doctor and Jo Jones are drawn to Sakhalin Island in 1890, where the dramatist and writer Dr Anton Chekhov is chronicling the plight of the inmates in the penal colony there.

But something else is arriving on the island… A strange infection develops and the howls of a tortured beast can be heard…

The Planet Killers by Andrew Smith (two parts)

When the Doctor and Jo Jones arrive on a beautiful planet, little do they suspect they’ve landed right in the middle of events involving planetary destruction, ruthless exploitation of minerals, slavery and betrayal.

A merciless Dalek plan is in motion, and the struggle to defeat them will cost many lives.

The Beasts of Sakhalin Island guest stars Sasha Alexandra as Dr Anna Petrovna, Jez Fielder as Dmitri, George Weightman as Commandant Konovich, Alexander Ballinger as Polkovnik Gedrus/Prisoner Yuri, and Bruce Alexander as Time Monitor Prendar.

And, The Planet Killers has a guest cast comprised of students from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School – Emily Hurst as Zeb Skander, Peter Devlin as Mercatious Grib, Tom Brace-Jenkins as Polk, Ellie Carnaby as Kasper, and Kieran Devine as Councillor Voster.

Lead actor Tim Treloar said: “It was amazing working with these students. It’s an amazing thing for them to have their first job doing this. They bring out that youthful hope and fresh energy, and they’re all really, really good. And, it’s always wonderful working with Katy – she brings such an energy to the studio and she’s wonderful.”

Katy Manning, the voice of Jo Jones, added: “I’m back with my Doctor! I love being Jo Jones with the Third Doctor, because they did have a fantastic quirky relationship right from the get-go and it’s lovely to be able to carry that on, but with more age and experience. The banter is now very comfortable and it’s a rather joyous relationship.”

Praise for the previous Third Doctor Adventures box set, The Imposters:

“It’s almost redundant by this point to talk about how good Jon Culshaw and Tim Treloar are in these parts, but… be assured they are both excellent throughout.” – Doctor Who Magazine

“A rip-roaring ride that’ll keep you guessing from start to finish … Doctor Who at its most fun.” – Who Review

Big Finish listeners can purchase The Planet Killers in a bundle with The Third Doctor Adventures: The Imposters (which was released in February), for just £38 (download to own) or £47 (download to own + collector’s edition CD box set).

Alternatively, listeners can buy this series as part of a bundle of all 15 Classic Doctor Who box sets released in 2026 for just £285 (download to own).

Categorised under: Big Finish, CD, Monthy Series