Jodie Whittaker to star in new Doctor Who audio drama spin-off

By Huw Fullerton

Published: Friday, 08 April 2022 at 12:00 am

If you thought you’d have a long wait for official Doctor Who stories after the upcoming Easter special, then we have some good news – the BBC have announced that a new 10-part audio drama based on the long-running sci-fi series is coming to BBC Sounds, and it’ll include a significant role for series star Jodie Whittaker.

Titled Doctor Who: Redacted, the new audio series will launch alongside new TV episode Legend of the Sea Devils on Sunday 17th April. And RadioTimes.com can now unveil exclusive imagery showing Whittaker with series creator Juno Dawson and the main series cast, taken near the BBC’s New Broadcasting House.

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Doctor Who: Redacted writer Juno Dawson with stars Jodie Whittaker and Charlie Craggs
BBC

“Doctor Who was my first love, and it’s an absolute thrill to add to the ever-expanding mythology in podcast form for the first time ever,” Dawson said. “What a total privilege to write for something so beloved, and put my own little flag on the landscape.”

In its main cast, the series will star Charlie Craggs, Lois Chimimba (Vigil, The One) and Holly Quin-Ankrah (Coronation Street, Grange Hill), with Whittaker joined by other Who veterans like Jemma Redgrave, Ingrid Oliver and Anjli Mohindra as their characters Kate Stewart, Osgood and Rani Chandra (Silurian Madame Vastra will also appear, played by Doon Mackichan instead of original actor Neve McIntosh).

According to the BBC, the story follows a group of friends called Cleo, Abby and Shawna, connected by a paranormal conspiracy podcast called ‘The Blue Box Files,’ which tracks the path of a mysterious object through history.

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Holly Quin-Ankrah, Lois Chimimba and Charlie Craggs
BBC

An official synopsis reads:

What if this random police public call box was actually an alien ship?

They don’t know who the Doctor is, or if aliens are real, but soon find themselves caught in a supernatural conspiracy as they learn that everyone who’s ever met the Doctor is disappearing and being forgotten.

Essentially, they’re being redacted from reality. The Blue Box Files is so unsuccessful that our heroes are the last ones to be affected by the redaction, making Cleo, Abby and Shawna the world’s only hope. Now it’s a race against time to uncover the truth. 

Set in the same universe as the main Doctor Who series, Redacted apparently “entangles past and current storylines, cameos from the Doctor’s friends and allies,” and will also feature familiar monsters and aliens from the show’s history. However, it will also deal with the personal lives of its lead characters, factoring in controlling boyfriends, romance, the trans experience and other issues that will weave into the sci-fi storyline.

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Jodie Whittaker with Doctor Who: Redacted star Charlie Craggs, London, Monday 7th March 2022.
BBC

Or, in the BBC’s words: “The audio drama primarily explores the relationships between ordinary people unknowingly immersed in the Doctor Who universe.”

Dawson is joined on writing duties by Catherine Brinkworth, Sasha Sienna, Ken Cheng, Àjoké Ibironke, Doris V Sutherland and David K Barnes. Other cast members include This is Going to Hurt’s Ambika Mod, Two Doors Down’s Kieran Hodgson, Natasha Hodgson, Siena Kelly, Clare Perkins, Alasdair Beckett-King and comedian Jacob Hawley.

Altogether, it’s a mass of new characters, stories and details to get our heads around just when Doctor Who fans might have expected to be entering a quiet period. But of course, with Doctor Who the story never really ends…

Read more about Doctor Who:

Doctor Who: Redacted begins on BBC Sounds on Sunday 17th April. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.

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