Doctor Who Watch exclusive: The Fifth Doctor will face the Cybermen once more!

October sees the first release of two double bills for the Fifth Doctor: Interstitial/Feast of Fear.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Today, we can exclusively reveal two upcoming Doctor Who audio stories starring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor – one of which features the return of the Cybermen!

We’ve got some exciting news at Doctor Who Watch today. Later this year, we can expect three more audio stories starring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor. While the last trilogy was set just after Season Twenty and focused on his companions Tegan, Turlough and Kamelion, the next trilogy rewinds the clock a little, when he’s just travelling with Tegan and Nyssa towards the start of the same season.

We know that the opening story, Tartarus, will have the Doctor meet Roman historical figure Cicero. But today, we can now reveal details on the two remaining Fifth Doctor releases: Interstitial/Feast of Fear by Carl Rowens and Martyn Waites, and Warzone/Conversion by Chris Chapman and Guy Adams.

Interstitial/Feast of Fear

"InterstitialWhen the TARDIS is drawn off-course by temporal disruption, the Doctor and his companions discover a research facility conducting dangerous experiments. But how do you fight the future when time itself is being used as a weapon?Feast of FearAt the height of the Irish famine, a carnival travels the country bringing cheer to all they encounter. But it also brings something else along with them… and it already has the Doctor."

With Interstitial, the first question that leaps to mind is this: Is that Space Station Nerva on the cover? If it isn’t, then it’s something very, very close to it.

For those of you who don’t know, Space Station Nerva was originally introduced in the much-loved Fourth Doctor story The Ark in Space. We then saw the station at an earlier point in Revenge of the Cybermen, and the Fourth Doctor later returned to it on audio in Destination Nerva, the first release in The Fourth Doctor Adventures.

If it is Nerva, and Interstitial is set at a “research facility”, it’s most likely featured in this particular story. It would definitely be exciting to have Davison’s Doctor re-visit a location that his previous incarnation visited.

As for Feast of Fear, while the description is vague, the image of Nyssa in full carnival gear is certainly attention grabbing. The carnival setting could add something interesting, and if Nyssa gets possessed, it could be something different for actress Sarah Sutton to play with.

However, as interesting as October’s release sounds, it’s November’s that sounds the most exciting…

The Fifth Doctor faces the Cybermen once more in November’s double bill Warzone/Conversion.

(Image credit: Tom Webster/Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Warzone/Conversion

"WarzoneAt Warzone, competitors gather from across the galaxy to test the limits of their endurance and achieve their personal best. So when the TARDIS materialises in the middle of a race track, the Doctor and his friends must literally run for their lives.ConversionOn the fringes of the galaxy, techno-pirates and research medics fight for the secrets of advanced extraterrestrial technology. For the Doctor, however, a more personal battle awaits as he confronts his own guilt and the creatures that killed a friend: the Cybermen."

Warzone sounds like an intriguing story from Chris Chapman, a writer who’s given us quite a few solid stories over the past couple of years, including Sixth Doctor story The Middle and UNIT story Hosts of the Wirrn. Warzone sounds like a distinctly Doctor Who take on stories like The Long Walk by Stephen King. Stories that usually focus on endurance and survival are usually thrilling, so this could be a strong fast-paced story to listen to.

However, the one that really grabbed my attention? Conversion. The story where the Fifth Doctor faces the Cybermen once more.

There are a couple of key reasons why fans should be excited about this one. Firstly, it has David Banks and Mark Hardy reprising their roles of Cyber Leader and Cyber Lieutenant, respectively. As far as Eighties era Cybermen are concerned, they are still the voices for the classic monsters. That was proven in the Sixth Doctor story Hour of the Cybermen, one of my favorite audios of last year.

Earthshock aftermath

However, there’s an even bigger reason for fans to be excited about this. As we know, the Doctor has reunited with the Cybermen many times over the years. The Fifth Doctor even briefly encountered them in The Five Doctors.

But this story is set even earlier than that. In fact, as the description reveals, it’s the first time he’s met them – or at least, this particular era of Cybermen – since Earthshock. In other words, it’s the first time he’s facing them since the death of his companion, Adric.

That’s some major emotional ground to cover with Davison’s Doctor. It’s actually surprising that something like this wasn’t explored on television. In Attack of the Cybermen, the next story on television where the Cybermen were the main villains, the Doctor had not only regenerated, but there was hardly any mention of Adric.

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Now admittedly, there was a lot going on during that story – particularly as it featured the return of Commander Lytton from Resurrection of the Daleks. But it’s still surprising to think that the series never explored the emotional consequences of what happened in Earthshock.

So it’s great that something like this is finally being explored with Big Finish. Peter Davison’s Doctor was at his best when he was vulnerable, and I’m sure that side of him will be explored in this story. With Nyssa and Tegan also featuring in this story – two companions who actually witnessed Adric’s death with the Doctor – I think we can expect a very emotional story.

Interstitial/Feast of Fear will be released in October, and Warzone/Conversion will be released in November from Big Finish’s website on download and CD.

Which story grabs your interest the most? Are you excited to hear the Fifth Doctor face the Cybermen once more? Let us know in the comments below.