Shane Richie will be re-teaming with his former EastEnders co-star Nina Wadia for a Doctor Who audio adventure, opposite Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor.
Big Finish has announced that the pair have been cast alongside McGann, Nicola Walker and Hattie Morahan, who are all returning for a brand new run of the Eighth Doctor Adventures called Connections.
Richie will play Time Lord wheeler-dealer Drax – who was originally played by Barry Jackson in the 1979 Fourth Doctor story The Armageddon Factor – in the run’s opening adventure Here Lies Drax. Meanwhile, Wadia will voice the glamorous widow Mimi in the same story.
Richie said: “Who wouldn’t want to do a job like this? It’s the truest form of being an actor and I could do it every day. When I was approached, I moved heaven and earth so I could do it. Big Finish is synonymous with Doctor Who, so now I can tick Doctor Who off of my bucket list!”
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He continued: “Drax is a working man’s Han Solo. Imagine a cross between Alfie Moon, Arthur Daley and a little bit of Ray Winstone. He’s a lovely character and the script is so well-written. Playing in it is a great honour.
“I’ve bumped into some old friends who I’ve not seen in years, like the lovely Nina Wadia. We had a lot of catching up to do and it’s been a wonderful experience.”
Wadia said: “I thought the script was brilliant! It’s always a lot of fun and what was nice about this particular one was reuniting with Shane Richie.
“He’s always a good laugh and you know you’re going to have a good time when he’s on board. It’s nice to be back in the studio with fellow actors – I’ve missed that.”
The synopsis for Here Lies Drax says: “The Doctor, Liv and Helen are surprised to get a letter delivered to the TARDIS from the Doctor’s old school friend, Drax.
“They’re even more surprised when it’s followed by a parcel also sent by the intergalactic con-man, asking them to keep its contents safe. Contents that seem to be a lot of worthless junk.
“And their surprise gets even bigger when this parcel is itself followed by an invitation… to Drax’s funeral. And that’s just where the surprises start.”
The cast for Connections also includes Jeff Rawle (Hollyoaks), Hugh Ross (Outlander) and Jamie Zubairi (Cucumber).
This comes at a busy time for the Whoniverse – Jodie Whittaker is set to bow out as the Thirteenth Doctor on screen this week, David Tennant is about to make a comeback for the show’s 60th anniversary next year, and on the audio side Michael Troughton has stepped into his father Patrick’s shoes to voice the Second Doctor.
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