Doctor Who and Big Finish: What can we expect in 2021 and beyond?

Big Finish has told many stories featuring the First Doctor. But there’s one companion that we’ve seen relatively little of…

(Photo by Chris Ware/Keystone Features/Getty Images)

We’ve recently been given hints about what to expect from Big Finish’s Doctor Who audios over the next couple of years. And all of them sound extremely exciting.

On Monday, Big Finish announced that it was relaunching its vast number of Doctor Who ranges in a big way. The monthly range will end in 2021, but we’ll be seeing all the ranges relaunched in Jan 2022, with each of the first twelve Doctors getting a box set throughout the year.

We’ve covered the huge change and why it’s happening. However, there a few other details that were revealed in that announcement – details that, quite honestly, are worth discussing on their own. This is what Senior Producer David Richardson has revealed about what to expect in future releases.

"There are so many exciting new directions ahead. Where did the First Doctor and Dodo go next after leaving the planet of The Savages? What happened to the Second Doctor after The War Games? What new adventures await the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith? What happened on the Seventh Doctor’s Last Day? The adventures are only just beginning…"

Honestly, there is a lot to unpack from this. Richardson’s statement is just a paragraph long, and yet it’s given us so many exciting things to look forward to from Big Finish – none of which have been given a press release yet.

The First Doctor and Dodo

Getting stories of the First Doctor and Dodo is quite significant news on its own terms. We don’t really hear much of Dodo, mostly because actress Jackie Lane has never returned to the role. The companion has appeared in some of The Companion Chronicles, but only in ones featuring Steven Taylor, with actor Peter Purves usually voicing both his original role and the First Doctor.

David Richardson asking what happened to the First Doctor and Dodo after The Savages is significant, because that was the story when Steven left. It should also be noted that Dodo left in the next story on TV, The War Machines, although there’s certainly room for more adventures between the two.

So has Lane returned to the role? Possibly not, although it’s not completely impossible. Perhaps what’s likelier is a recasting. It could be that Richardson is only referring to the purely narrated range of Short Trips, where worries over casting wouldn’t even be required. Still, it’s definitely intriguing news. We can only hope that the character gets treated a lot better in Big Finish’s stories than in the novels, such as Who Killed Kennedy?

Will Big Finish be exploring a popular theory with the Second Doctor?

Image Courtesy BBC Studios, BritBox

Season 6b

However, the announcement of more Dodo stories is just the tip of the iceberg. David Richardson has also asked what happened to the Second Doctor after The War Games – a story that, for years, was believed to be his regeneration story.

At the end of The War Games, the Doctor called for help from the Time Lords for a problem that was simply too large for him to deal with on his own. However, for his continual interference in the affairs of other planets, the Time Lords had sentenced him to exile on Earth, with his regeneration being part of the sentence. The final moments showed the Second Doctor being sent to Earth, apparently with his regeneration starting.

But what if that wasn’t quite what we saw?

One of the most popular fan theories is Season 6b – based on major discrepancies in later multi-Doctor stories, the idea is that, for a while, the Doctor’s sentence had been delayed and he was for a time working for the Time Lords. This was an idea that writer Terrance Dicks actually supported with his novel World Game, which takes place explicitly within this gap.

It’s surprising that Big Finish are exploring it now. Back in 2015, they seemed to find a workaround with the story The Black Hole, which was not only set before The War Games but actually helped to resolve some of the biggest discrepancies shown in the Sixth Doctor story The Two Doctors.

But the new statement by David Richardson strongly hints that they will be exploring the gap after all. Personally, I’m not sure how I feel about the idea. I used to be a big fan of Season 6b. But then I watched The War Games, and honestly, it’s one of the best regeneration stories if seen that way. It’s big, it’s epic and it’s got an incredibly emotional ending. So I’ve become less keen on the idea of a gap taking place after that for the Second Doctor. Still, I am keen to see what Big Finish will do with the concept, at least.

Big Finish has given us at least one story of the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane in the Short Trips range. But can we be expecting more?

Image Courtesy Big Finish Productions

The Third Doctor and Sarah Jane

David Richardson’s reveal about new adventures for the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith is certainly intriguing. Technically, Big Finish has given us at least one story featuring this particular pairing already, in the form of the purely narrated Short Trip, Decline of the Ancient Mariner. But could they be giving us full-cast stories of this particular duo, too?

It’s definitely possible. Not only do we have Tim Treloar currently voicing the lead role in The Third Doctor Adventures. But Big Finish has also cast Sadie Miller as Sarah Jane Smith for next year’s story Return of the Cybermen. This is particularly fitting casting, as Miller is Elisabeth Sladen’s daughter.

So we know that we’ll be hearing from Sarah Jane in at least one brand new adventure. Is it possible that we’ll be hearing from her even more in the future? More adventures with Tom Baker’s Doctor wouldn’t be surprising at all, especially if they worked well together on Return.

Admittedly, we’re probably years away from hearing brand new stories for the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane, even if they’ve recorded an entire series already. After all, Big Finish has recorded several complete series with Tom Baker that we won’t be hearing for years, featuring not just Leela but even a completely new companion!

But there wouldn’t be anything to stop them from giving us more stories of Three and Sarah. Indeed, it’d be fascinating to explore the early days for the Doctor and his most iconic companion. We only got a few stories of this particular pairing before the Doctor’s regeneration in Planet of the Spiders, so it’d be nice to explore their friendship further, at least. And if it’s full-cast stories, even better.

Earlier this year, Dark Universe hinted at the end of the Seventh Doctor. What could we expect from his Last Day?

Image Courtesy Big Finish Productions

The Seventh Doctor’s Last Day

Honestly, this is the release that I’m most intrigued by. Because while we know how the Seventh Doctor regenerated thanks to the TV movie, we don’t know much about the circumstances that lead up to that.

Dark Universe was an audio that certainly hinted towards those events. It very strongly implied at the end that the Seventh Doctor’s days were numbered. This wasn’t surprising, since Dark Universe was essentially expanding on a flashback scene in Doom Coalition – one that ended with the Doctor being summoned by the President for “a final request”. The subtle implication was that this “request” was to pick up the Master’s remains from Skaro and bring them back to Gallifrey – essentially leading directly into the TV movie.

But to know that Big Finish will be exploring the Seventh Doctor’s last day is extremely exciting. While his regeneration was ultimately disappointing, the story that leads up to it could be exciting to hear. What was the Doctor’s reaction upon finding out this “request”? What happened when the Doctor reached Skaro? How much was he “welcomed” by his old enemies, the Daleks?

Seven’s swansong

Maybe these questions will be answered in the upcoming release, maybe they won’t be. But, based on 2015’s major release The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure, Big Finish has proven that they know how to give a Doctor the proper sendoff that they didn’t quite get on television. While they can’t give a regeneration story properly to McCoy’s Doctor, this could be the next best thing.

Out of all the stories hinted at by David Richardson, this is the one that I’m looking forward to the most. I’m also hoping that we’ll get to hear it next year – especially in May. Just a few days ago, we had the 24th anniversary of the TV movie. It would be perfect timing if they released a direct prequel to it during the same month as its 25th anniversary.

Regardless, as always, there’s plenty to be excited about regarding Big Finish and its future Doctor Who releases. And we can’t wait to listen to them.

dark. Next. Covers for upcoming Fifth and Seventh Doctor audios revealed

Are you excited by the upcoming storylines that Big Finish will be exploring over the next couple of years? Which are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below.

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