Following on from Twice Upon A Time, David Bradley returns ready for the new year as the First Doctor – this time for Big Finish!
In arrangement with BBC Worldwide, Bradley (whose credits include Captain America: The First America, the Harry Potter series, and Broadchurch) will feature alongside his co-stars from 2013 docudrama, An Adventure in Space and Time: Jamie Glover (Waterloo Road) plays Ian Chesterton, Jemma Powell (Foyle’s War) plays Barbara Wright, and Claudia Grant (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) plays the Doctor’s granddaughter, Susan.
Script Editor, Matt Fitton says:
“The adventures of the First Doctor are all about discovery, finding out what this infinite universe contains, and also who our fellow travellers are. As we journey with Ian, Barbara, Susan and the mysterious Doctor, we come to see what they are capable of when confronted with the strange, the unjust and the dangerous.”
Executive Producer, Nicholas Briggs teases:
“Having worked with David twice now on TV, it’s great to be working with him again. Matt and his team of writers have come up with such a beautifully authentic set of scripts. We forget how different Doctor Who was, back in those early days – and here it all is, painstakingly recreated. I find that rather thrilling. What’s fascinating about the cast and their performances is that they’re not impersonating William Hartnell and his TARDIS crew. They’re playing those parts as written in the scripts. No one can replace the brilliance of those original performances. What we’re presenting here is a kind of reinvention of that era, completely in the spirit of the original. They are new but entirely faithful interpretations of these characters.”
Big Finish has been drumming up excitement for this announcement throughout this morning (15th September), including Briggs’ teasing the title of Guy Adams’ The Great White Hurricane, as part of the First Doctor Adventures: Volume One boxset. These stories are set to pay homage to the show’s beginnings; each of the four episodes in each story will be given an individual title. Two of the four stories are historical, focusing on tales from Earth’s history pre-1963, as part of its original remit to educate and entertain.
Not only will the Doctor be exploring our history, but he will also encounter strange new life forms – the Dalmari and the Ashtallans.
And in a Big Finish exclusive, the First Doctor will encounter arguably his greatest foe: the first incarnation of the Master – played by James Dreyfus (The Sarah Jane Adventures; The Thin Blue Line)!
The Great White …
Hurt, Hurdle, Hurry, Hurricane, Hurd?— Andrew Hsieh 🇪🇺🇬🇧🇭🇰🔶 (@AndrewOnSeeAIR) September 15, 2017
Executive Producer, Jason Haigh-Ellery adds:
“I’ve always been a great admirer of David Bradley’s work, and thought that he was an excellent choice to play William Hartnell in An Adventure in Space and Time. After his brilliant performance, we immediately thought about bringing David in to play the First Doctor for Big Finish – it took us a while – but we got there in the end! I’m so looking forward to seeing David in the Christmas Special and then listening to his further adventures with us.”
Available in December, the stories in The First Doctor Adventures – Volume 1 consist of:
1.1 The Destination Wars by Matt Fitton
1.2 The Great White Hurricane by Guy Adams
The First Doctor Adventures – Volume 2 follows in July 2018:
2.1 The Invention of Death by John Dorney
2.2 The Barbarians and the Samurai by Andrew Smith
Doctor Who: The First Doctor Adventures – Volume 1 is available for pre-order now at £23 on CD or £20 on download from Big Finish and will remain at this price until general release when it will be available for £35 on CD or £30 on download. Doctor Who: The First Doctor Adventures – Volume 1 can also be purchased as a bundle with Doctor Who: The First Doctor Adventures – Volume 2, at the price of £45 on CD and £40 on download.
