Lost Warriors will right a wrong from the Ninth Doctor’s television stint.
The Ninth Doctor will finally face off against the dreaded Cybermen in Big Finish’s next batch of stories starring Christopher Eccleston.
Though Eccleston’s version of the Time Lord never encountered the iconic foes during his time on the TV series, that box will finally be ticked by November 2021’s Doctor Who – The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Lost Warriors.
According to audio drama producers Big Finish: “The next box set of full cast audio adventures for Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor invites listeners to follow the TARDIS to a 1930s country mansion, the Scottish Highlands and an iconic movie set – where he runs into one very familiar face…”
The spectacular cover art for Lost Warriors all but confirms that this “very familiar face” is a Cyberman.
!["Doctor]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/08/DW09D01C_lostwarriors_1417SQ-d38f9f5.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C620" "\"Doctor")
This latest boxset – following May release Ravagers and August’s Respond to All Calls – is comprised of three stories: The Hunting Season by James Kettle, The Curse of Lady Macbeth by Lizzie Hopley, and Monsters In Metropolis by John Dorney.
“It’s just magical to me, to be playing a hero again,” said Eccleston. “There’s a great positivity and optimism to the Doctor, and what Doctor Who can do with these audios by reaching out to those young hearts and minds, to those young imaginations – it’s beautiful.”
Director Barnaby Edwards added: “These three stories see the Ninth Doctor, himself a lone veteran of a great war, encountering three other ‘lost warriors’. Each adventure works as an entirely separate entity with great plots, fun characters and surprising villains, but together they present a fascinating dialogue on how conflict can change a person. And that’s especially true of the Doctor himself.
“I love all three scripts. They’re so varied and so perfect for the Ninth Doctor. All are period pieces, which is an area where Chris’s very modern Doctor works so brilliantly, and all have a background of conflict, be it the aftershock of the First World War, the genesis of the Second World War or the innumerable battles in 11th-century Scotland. And, hey, where else could you find the Doctor encountering not only Macbeth and Lady Macbeth but also Fritz Lang?”
Joining Eccleston in these new adventures will be Unforgotten actor Alex Jennings and EastEnders star Don Gilét. Annette Badland – who previously appeared opposite Eccleston on TV as Margaret Blaine / Blon Fel-Fotch Pasameer-Day Slitheen – will also take on the new role of cook Mrs Goose in The Hunting Season, while Neve McIntosh – who played Madame Vastra on television – will play brave ruler Guach in The Curse of Lady Macbeth.
Monsters in Metropolis will also, of course, feature Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Cybermen.
Doctor Who – The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Lost Warriors is now available for pre-order exclusively at the Big Finish website, from just £19.99.
Doctor Who will return to BBC One later in the year. Visit our Sci-fi hub for more news and features, or find something to watch with our TV Guide.