Doctor Who news: The Doctor’s granddaughter fights the Daleks in Susan’s War – out now!
By James Aggas
The Doctor’s granddaughter is reunited with old friends and old enemies in brand new Doctor Who spin-off box set Susan’s War – out now!
Today’s release from Big Finish is a particularly exciting one. Back in 2017, they released the Short Trip All Hands on Deck by Eddie Robson. While this took the form of a short narrated story rather than full-cast audio, it was nonetheless hugely important in terms of Doctor Who mythology. Why? Because it finally revealed what happened when the Doctor’s granddaughter joined the Time War.
Considering that the New Series had never addressed what had happened to Susan, this story felt crucial in getting some kind of resolution. With her saying goodbye to her grandfather and flying off to take part in the Time War, it felt like an appropriate ending to her story. Certainly, up until just a few months ago, none of us were expecting today’s release.
As you can guess from the title, Susan’s War continues where All Hands on Deck left off. We get to find out exactly what Susan did in the Time War, and how she fought back against the race responsible for murdering her son…
Susan isn’t the only character from Classic Who to feature in this series, as she’s reunited with her old friend Ian Chesterton!
Image Courtesy Big Finish Productions
Clash of eras
Susan’s War is more than just a fresh perspective on the Time War. It’s also a box set that features a real clash of both Classic and New Series eras, something that’s made clear from the first episode, Sphere of Influence. Not only does Eddie Robson’s story feature the Sensorites, a race that hasn’t been seen since Season 1. But, along with Susan, it also features another regular character from that story: Ian Chesterton!
More than that: once again, Susan will be reunited with the Doctor! In the box set’s finale The Shoreditch Intervention by Alan Barnes, Susan returns to London, 1963. She has to face the Daleks again, but she’ll have help from her grandfather.
Actress Carole Ann Ford reveals what it’s like playing an older version of the character she originally played over five and a half decades ago.
"I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn’t playing a younger Susan. Otherwise she just comes leaping back. It’s difficult to eradicate. It’s difficult too for the writers as they have no experience of the older Susan being portrayed anywhere."
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A different side of the Time War
Script editor Matt Fitton reveals what makes Susan’s War distinctly different from other Time War series:
"I had an image of Susan from the special TV episode, The Five Doctors, in that trenchcoat which makes me think of her as a spy! So here we have her on diplomatic and espionage missions rather than military operations, to show another aspect of how special ops are going on behind-the-scenes in the Time War."
Getting to find out what happened to Susan in the Time War is certainly an exciting prospect. Risky, especially considering how great All Hands on Deck worked as an ending to her story, but still exciting. This is one Doctor Who spin-off that we’re certainly eager to review.
Susan’s War is now available on CD and download directly from Big Finish’s website. If you haven’t checked out short story All Hands on Deck, you can download that right now, or better still, check out The Beginning while it’s free.
The Beginning is now available for free. dark. Next
Are you eager to find out what happened to Susan in the Time War? Do you think her fate is better left a mystery? Let us know in the comments below.