Katy Manning and Sophie Aldred have written short stories for an upcoming Doctor Who book — about their respective characters, Jo Grant and Ace!

The book, Origin Stories, features 10 stories about a range of Doctor Who characters, including much-loved companions and equally-loved villains like Dalek creator, Davros, and the Doctor’s equal and opposite, the Master.

Here’s the blurb:

Ten stories telling the origins of the very best of the Doctor’s friends (and some enemies!). Including:

Sarah Jane Smith
Clara Oswald
Amy Pond
Davros
and . . . The Master.

With stories about Ace and Jo Grant written by the actors themselves – Sophie Aldred and Katy Manning!

‘We all change, when you think about it. We’re all different people all through our lives’

Whisked away from their lives on Earth, the Doctor’s friends sail alien seas, save countless lives and remind the Time Lord that he’s a bit . . . well . . . human.

But who were they before the Doctor? What adventures did they have before bumping into the untimely Time Lord?

Dive into a collection of tales about the childhood’s of the Doctor’s friends (and a couple of enemies!). These are the origin stories you’ve been waiting for . . .

We can imagine this will go down a storm (despite the fact anything with “Doctor Who” and “origin” in the title makes us horribly tense), seeing as Jo and Ace are both perpetually popular companions and the latter is returning to the TV show later this year, alongside Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka, for Jodie Whittaker’s last episode.

And of course, this isn’t the first time Aldred has written for Ace — her At Childhood’s End novel caught up with the character some years after she left the TARDIS.

Doctor Who: Origin Stories is set to be released in hardback and as an ebook on 22nd September 2022.