Doctor Who news: Fourth Doctor audio made in lockdown out in May

A brand new Doctor Who story, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, has not only been entirely recorded during the lockdown but will be released next month!

Well, this is a nice surprise. Not only has Big Finish been able to record an entire Doctor Who story with Tom Baker during the coronavirus lockdown. But they’re even releasing it next month! Considering that there are entire series worth of Fourth Doctor audios already recorded but won’t be out for several years yet, this is a fantastic bit of news.

Shadow of the Sun stars Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Louise Jameson as Leela and John Leeson as K9. Written by Robert Valentine, the TARDIS crew arrive on a luxury star-liner. The Doctor finds out that the ship is heading for disaster…so why is no one worried? And what’s really going on?

Robert Valentine reveals what lead him to write this audio:

"This is a story inspired by the modern trend of giving the same value to opinion as fact – including everything from climate change denial to the anti-vaccination movement – but specifically the recent (and ultimately fatal) rocket launch experiments intended to prove that the Earth is flat. The Doctor is about to find himself in a situation where the true enemy is pseudo-scientific hubris, and for once it might be an enemy he hasn’t the tools to overcome."

Tom Baker stars as the Fourth Doctor in this brand new audio.

Image Courtesy Big Finish Productions

Core message

It sounds like Robert Valentine has written a story with a particular core message. Sometimes, a Doctor Who story can be ruined by its message, especially if it’s placed higher than simply telling a good story.

But there are a couple of reasons why this could work. For one, the message of making sure that you don’t go blindly believing everything you hear is a simple but important one. It also sounds like the kind of message that would suit Doctor Who very nicely, even in Tom Baker’s era.

But even more important than that is that the story itself sounds promisingly old-school, as director Nicholas Briggs reveals.

"More from Winter is ComingFor All Mankind finally gives us information in Episode 405, “Goldilocks”Watch a stunning VFX breakdown of The Wheel of Time season 2Of course Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon) thinks Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen) should rule WesterosConfirmed: The Last of Us season 2 will air in 2025Final season of Star Trek: Discovery will have “a lot of action, a lot of adventure, a lot of fun”[Shadow of the Sun] has a flavour of the often talked about ‘base under siege’ setting, which adds an appealing claustrophobia to the storytelling. It makes the situation more extreme and therefore more of an exciting ride for the audience."

I’m definitely keen to listen to this one. Especially since it’s the first full-cast Doctor Who drama entirely produced by remote recording methods at Big Finish. This could be a good step for the company. While I’m sure actors will be working at the studio once more once the lockdown is over, it’s still amazing to know that Big Finish can create drama from home if needed. It’s another highlight of what they can do with audio that can’t be done on television.

Doctor Who: Shadow of the Sun is available to pre-order on CD or download now, and will be released on May 12.

Will you be checking out the Fourth Doctor’s latest adventure? Does its core message appeal to you? Do you think Big Finish recording entire stories remotely could be a good move for the future? Let us know in the comments below.