India Fisher is back for a new festive box set featuring the Eighth Doctor.

By Lidia Molina-Whyte

Published: Wednesday, 29 November 2023 at 12:00 PM


The cast for The Eighth Doctor Adventures’ latest box set, In the Bleak Midwinter, has been confirmed, and it features a much-welcome return to the Doctor Who audio universe.

That’s right, India Fisher is back. The actress played Edwardian adventuress Charlotte ‘Charley’ Elspeth Pollard in 2001’s Storm Warning.

That adventure also marked Paul McGann’s debut with Big Finish Productions.

Fisher’s return confirms that McGann’s adventures with Jaye Griffiths’s Lady Audacity take place during Charley’s original run of stories with the Doctor.

RadioTimes.com can exclusively reveal the audio’s cover, which shows the trio in costume and teases plenty of festive cheer ahead.

Doctor Who audio adventure cover featuring a range of Doctor Who characters
Doctor Who: In the Bleak Midwinter.

Speaking about the special, Fisher said: “Lady Audacity Montague – what a great name! I’ve come in at the end of their first three episodes together, and we’ve now come into a Christmassy box set.

“Jaye Griffiths, who plays Audacity, is just magnificent, and we make each other laugh far too much!

“As characters, Charley and Audacity have bonded very quickly, perhaps because they’ve very similar – they’re both quite prim, they’re quite forthright, but have a sisterly love between them, looking out for each other.”

Griffiths added: “Audacity has gone off to see the universe with the Doctor, and all of a sudden, she is introduced to Charley, this other woman who’s very modern and yet vulnerable – it’s been wonderful.

“India makes me laugh so much, we’ve had a great time in studio together. These are great stories.”

 

Producer David Richardson said: “I’m a big fan of having two companions. The trick is finding two characters who belong together, and Audacity and Charley really do.

“What we couldn’t have planned for, of course, was how much Jaye and India belong together – they came into the studio on that first day and were instant best friends. It was lovely to watch. They were practically begging me to let them do more together!”

In the Bleak Midwinter will arrive just in time for Christmas.

The box set will feature three adventures: Twenty-Four Doors in December by John Dorney, The Empty Man by Tim Foley and Winter of the Demon by Roy Gill.

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In the Bleak Midwinter is available to pre-order now. There’s a version that includes both the CD hardcopy and a download, as well as a download-only version.

December will also see the last two 60th anniversary specials air, as well as Ncuti Gatwa’s debut as Fifteen on Christmas Day.