Doctor Who Aug 2020 news roundup: Christopher Eccleston returns, Ten meets Four and Time Lord Victorious

Ten meeting Four. Time Lord Victorious. And, last but not least, Christopher Eccleston’s return. It has to be said: August has proven to be quite the month for Doctor Who news.

There have definitely been quite a few major announcements and releases in the world of Doctor Who this month. Where do we even begin? Well, the first thing that comes to mind is the most obvious: the return of Christopher Eccelston as the Ninth Doctor.

This was an announcement that I don’t think any of us saw coming. For a long time, Christopher Eccleston has publically distanced himself from his iconic role. Even for the 50th anniversary, he didn’t want to come back and join David Tennant and Matt Smith for The Day of the Doctor.

So the fact that he’s coming back for a twelve-episode series on audio next year is incredibly exciting. Perhaps even more exciting than a TV return, as the medium of audio means that his Doctor can be explored in new and exciting ways. For example: how did Nine recover from the end of the Time War? When did he start calling himself the Doctor again? We can’t wait to find out!

This month, two iconic Doctors met each other for the first time in Out of Time!

Image Courtesy Big Finish Productions

Out of Time

If you’re a fan of either the Tenth Doctor or multi-Doctor stories, then August has been a good month for both. Last week saw the long-awaited release of the special audio story Out of Time. Featuring a long-overdue meeting between David Tennant’s and Tom Baker’s Doctors, the story was exactly as much fun as you’d expect. You can check out our full review of the story here.

This won’t be the last time that the Tenth Doctor will be bumping into his previous incarnations, though. In 2021 and 2022, he’ll be meeting his Fifth and Sixth incarnations, facing the Cybermen and the Weeping Angels, respectively.

Time Lord Victorious

On top of that, there’s another exciting story that we can look forward to – once again, featuring David Tennant with another Doctor. While Echoes of Extinction isn’t exactly a multi-Doctor story, it does feature two closely linked adventures – one for David Tennant, one for Paul McGann. The Time Lord Victorious double-bill will initially be released on vinyl in Nov before being subsequently released on download in Dec.

Speaking of Time Lord Victorious, we were recently given more details on the exciting event. In an interview with the official Doctor Who website, producer James Goss has revealed a lot about what we can expect.

You can read the full interview here, but the main point is this: if you only want to enjoy one particular story from the multi-platform event, you can. While there’ll be connections spread across the different mediums, you can enjoy each comic, audio, and novel on its own terms.

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Other audio news

In other audio news, this month saw the release of The Sixth Doctor and Peri Volume 1. Set after their reunion in 2014 story The Widow’s Assassin, the box set features four brand new adventures for the much-loved duo. Meanwhile, the Fifth Doctor encountered a strange temporal phenomenon while his companions faced the Slitheen in the double-bill release Thin Time / Madquake.

For spin-off news, Torchwood Soho: Parasite was released earlier this month – a rather fun spinoff that explores the secret organization during the 1950s. We also got the exciting announcement that River will be meeting K9 next year in the eighth series of The Diary of River Song.

Speaking of time-traveling archaeologists, today saw the first four series of Bernice Summerfield finally released on download. Available exclusively on CD for years, this is an exciting opportunity for fans old and new to discover some of the character’s earliest adventures. And on top of that, the first story is completely free right now!

With multiple Doctors, Time Lord Victorious details revealed, and a long-overdue return, Aug 2020 has proved to be an extremely exciting month for Doctor Who fans!

In terms of Doctor Who news, what has caught your attention most this month? What are you excited to hear more about next? Let us know in the comments below.