Details Revealed | The Eleven and the Sixth Doctor Set To Collide

Six versus Eleven!

Story and cast details are today revealed for this one-off series, in which the Doctor is pushed to his very limits when facing off against one of his own kind. 

The scene is set for the ultimate Time Lord showdown, as Colin Baker’s Sixth Doctor faces Mark Bonnar’s the Eleven in three brand-new full-cast Doctor Who audio adventures, due for release in September 2021. 

First introduced as an adversary in the Eighth Doctor’s Doom Coalition series, the deranged, murderous Time Lord, the Eleven, retains the personalities of his previous regenerations and uses them to create chaos across galaxies.

As previously announced, Miranda Raison returns as the Doctor’s companion, Mrs Constance Clarke, and Lucy Gaskell makes her Big Finish debut as mutant alien and companion to the Eleven, Miskavel.

Doctor Who – The Sixth Doctor Adventures: The Eleven is available to pre-order now from www.bigfinish.com.

The three terrifying tales are as follows:

One for All by Lizzie Hopley

The people of Molaruss are in two minds – quite literally! A world of duo-minds inside single bodies offers a unique opportunity to the Eleven, and his new wife, the mutant alien Miskavel. 

Meanwhile the Doctor and Constance discover a derelict TARDIS, but are they walking into a trap?

The Murder of Oliver Akkron by Nigel Fairs

The Global President of Molaruss has been assassinated. The authorities believe they have the killer in custody – but which of his personalities did the deed? 

The truth will emerge in the recollections of a madman – but there is more than one side to every story…

Elevation by Chris Chapman

Molaruss has a new ruler: the wise and benevolent Eleven - alongside his loving consort Miskavel – his many minds guiding every aspect of successful government. 

But the Eleven has a plan to elevate his people to a new level of consciousness. And he cannot resist inviting the Doctor and Constance to witness his ultimate triumph…

The cast for this box set is completed by Glen McCready (Missy, Callan), Simon Slater (The Bill, Sherlock Holmes), Anjella Mackintosh (The Ninth Doctor Adventures, Counter-Measures), Annabelle Dowler (The Diary of River Song, The Robots), and Big Finish newcomers Luke Barton and Eva Savage. 

Of the Eleven, Colin Baker said: “As a Time Lord, he’s a fascinating character – yes, he’s got one or two nice elevenths, but he’s also got a couple of really unpleasant ones. When the Doctor encounters him, he has to deal with a man who makes other villains look quite calm!”

“Mark Bonnar is terrific, playing eleven characters, sometimes in one scene, all talking to each other and remembering which is which. Actors love that kind of thing. In this box set, everyone is having a great time and it’s been lovely listening to them – they've done it superbly!”

Miranda Raison added: “This was really, really fun – it's a gift for any actor. Mark was amazing, playing such an extraordinary character – I kept on thinking it was somebody else! He'd come in and say something, then come in as somebody else and I'd realise that it was still him.”

“Constance and the Doctor are quite a good foil for each other. They've got quite a similar sensibility but, at the same time, she finds him chaotic. The going-backwards-and-forwards-in-time and the “let’s see how it goes!” attitude is not how her mathematical mind works, and yet they do work well together!”

DOCTOR WHO – THE SIXTH DOCTOR ADVENTURES: THE ELEVEN

Duration: 180 minutes approx. 

Released: September 2021, exclusively from the Big Finish website.

Director: Ken Bentley

Producer: David Richardson

Script Editor: Matt Fitton

Written by: Lizzie Hopley, Nigel Fairs, Chris Chapman

Executive Producers: Nicholas Briggs, Jason Haigh-Ellery

56. SOPHIE ALDRED - "Wicked!"

We are joined by the delightful Sophie Aldred to chat about her career, her time in Doctor Who on TV, her role in fan productions, reprising Ace for Big Finish audios and the recent release of her audiobook version of Doctor Who: At Childhood's End. 

Thanks Sophie, it was a pleasure speaking with you.

We played clips from the following stories:

Doctor Who: The Fearmonger

Doctor Who: Colditz (Guest starring David Tennant)

Doctor Who: Protect and Survive

Doctor Who: Nightshade (Full Cast Novel Adaptation)

Doctor Who: At Childhood's End (Audiobook)

Philip recommends Doctor Who: At Childhood's End (Audiobook)

Dwayne recommends The Lone Centurion Volume 1 (Big Finish Productions)

Dwayne's background artwork by Jeff Goddard

Subscribe to The Sirens of Audio on YouTube

Theme music by The Jackpot Golden Boys

Email: sirensofaudio@gmail.com

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Clips and music are copyright BBC and Big Finish. No infringement is intended.

Bayban The Butcher - Back Earlier Than Expected

Just when we thought we couldn't wait for Bayban to return later this year, it’s a meeting of criminal minds in The Worlds of Blake’s 7: Avalon 2, set for release in June 2021.

And....

Surprise! It's Bayban, back a little earlier than you might have been expecting. As a juicy appetiser to his own box set, due for release in December 2021, the man at the top of the Federation's most wanted list (after Blake, of course) bursts back onto audio in an audacious adventure with an uneasy ally – Avalon. 

The Worlds of Blake’s 7 – Avalon 2 is now available to pre-order as a collector's edition CD or digital download, exclusively at www.bigfinish.com.

Thieves, killers, mercenaries and psychopaths all feature in the climactic box set of the Avalon saga. The closing episode, Heart of Ice, also features the return of two fan favourites. Stephen Greif reprises his role as scheming strategist Travis, a role which he has played on television and audio, and Hugh Fraser returns as the Federation President, whom he has voiced since the 2014 audio adventure Cold Fury.

And in Bayban’s Bounty, Colin Baker returns as the rebel whose reputation for straightforward mayhem is second to none. He first appeared in the television episode City at the Edge of the World, and is now brought back to life in these full cast audio dramas.

The three tales in the second box set are as follows:

Bayban’s Bounty by Niel Bushnell

A sacred stone might inspire revolution on a recently subjugated planet – if Avalon can only retrieve it from a high-security prison. 

She enlists the help of the Vankberg Vault’s only escapee, the madman at the top of the Federation’s Most Wanted list…

Mercenary by Christopher Cooper

Funding a crusade isn’t easy, and one of Avalon’s debts has just come due. 

She and Madison undertake a dubious mission, in the company of an even more dubious gun-for-hire, a man who has betrayed them once before…

Heart of Ice by Steve Lyons

What is the Federation President doing on a frozen backwater world? Avalon is determined to uncover the secret buried in Cryonax’s mines. 

By the time she realises that Travis is setting a trap, it might just be too late…

As previously announced, Olivia Poulet returns as the rebel leader who first appeared in the TV episode Project Avalon, originally played by Julia Vidler. Olivia took on the role of Avalon in the 40th anniversary audio special Blake's 7: The Way Ahead in 2018.

Actor Colin Baker said: “Bayban the Beserker, Bayban the Butcher, Bayban the Bold, Bayban the Bad, Bayban the Everything Beginning with B apart from Benevolent! The scenery-chewing Bayban is deemed worthy of another outing.

“He’s good at what he does, he’s strong, he’s powerful, he has a will to endure, and so far, he endures!”

Producer John Ainsworth added: “Part of the way we constructed these Avalon stories was that we could have guest appearances by the surviving cast of the television show as well as guest actors. 

“The Bayban episode with Colin Baker was huge fun to do, as was the episode with Stephen Greif as Travis – and of course there will be many opportunities in the future for other characters to make surprise appearances!”

The Worlds of Blake’s 7 – Avalon 2 is available to pre-order as a collector's edition CD or digital download, exclusively from the Big Finish website.

The Worlds of Blake’s 7 – Avalon 1 is also due for release in May 2021.

Big Finish listeners can save money by pre-ordering both volumes together in a bundle.

Sir Rory Joins Camelot!

Rory is set to switch the Roman robes for the glistening armour of the Knights of the Round Table. 

The Lone Centurion is back in Volume Two: Camelot, set for release in July 2022.

This second volume of full-cast audio adventures finds Rory Williams in the court of King Arthur, where wizardry and quests await him, all whilst he protects the Pandorica. This box set also features Hugh Skinner (W1A, Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again) as Sir Lancelot, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo (Devs, The War Master) as Queen Guinevere, Sam Stafford (The Box of Delights, Philip Hinchcliffe Presents) as King Arthur and Richard Clifford (It’s A Sin, The Crown) as Merlin. 

The cast are completed by Barnaby Edwards (Gallifrey, Sherlock Holmes), Rosie Baker (Torchwood, The Sixth Doctor Adventures), Harley Viveash (The Robots, Cicero), Maanuv Thiara (Line of Duty), Henry Nott (The War Master, Cicero) and Tom Alexander (UNIT, The Eighth Doctor Adventures). 

The Lone Centurion – Volume Two: Camelot is now available to pre-order as a collector's edition CD or digital download at www.bigfinish.com.

Rory Williams – the Lone Centurion. A man trapped in a body not his own and stranded in history. His one job is to guard the Pandorica, the tomb of his fiancée. But life gets in the way, even when you're immortal.

The Once and Future Nurse by Alfie Shaw

Camelot is in trouble. Lancelot is wounded and Merlin warns that dark times are ahead. The wizard’s convinced the solution lies in the mythical Pandorica. Meanwhile, Lancelot owes his life to a humble servant named Rory.

The Glowing Warrior by Tim Foley

Arise Sir Rory! Every new knight must embark upon a quest, and soon Sir Rory (and his noble squire Lancelot) head out to solve the mystery of the Glowing Knight and save a damsel in distress. But are they walking into a trap?

The Last King of Camelot by Kate Thorman

Camelot is under attack. Arthur and Guinevere have fled and Merlin's direst prophecies have come true. Can Rory prevail before the kingdom falls?

Director and producer Scott Handcock said: “It was lovely reintroducing Rory to the Doctor Who universe in the first volume of The Lone Centurion and now we follow the character a few centuries on to his adventures in Camelot. It’s a brilliant backdrop for an alternative-timeline universe. We get to play with the legend of King Arthur and have assembled a brilliant supporting cast alongside our other Arthur (Darvill) including Sam Stafford, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, Richard Clifford and a scene-stealing performance from Hugh Skinner as Lancelot!”

The Lone Centurion – Volume Two: Camelot is now available to pre-order as a collector's edition CD or digital download), exclusively from the Big Finish website.

Big Finish listeners can save money by ordering both volumes of The Lone Centurion: Rome & Camelot together in a bundle.

Matthew Waterhouse Writes Adric Audiobook!

We’re time-travelling back to 1981 for the second audiobook in the Doctor Who – The Audio Novels range, set for release in January 2022.

Matthew Watterhouse (c) Tony Whitmore

Best known in the Doctor Who universe as Alzarian maths whizz Adric, Matthew Waterhouse narrates his own audiobook, Watchers, which finds the Fourth Doctor and his boy companion trapped in the Time Vortex. With time running out, they encounter one of the Doctor’s most terrifying foes – and in the shadows, someone is watching...

This enhanced audiobook of over seven hours takes place between two 1981 Doctor Who television stories, The Keeper of Traken and Logopolis. It also features specially composed music and sound effects, plus a guest appearance by Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Daleks.

Doctor Who – The Audio Novels: Watchers is now available to pre-order as a digital download exclusively from www.bigfinish.com.

When the TARDIS is trapped in the Vortex, the Doctor and Adric realise that there is something immensely powerful that is draining time itself from the universe. 

The wrecks of other time ships – the products of countless experiments in time – exist in a fused cluster in the Vortex. None of them can escape and many of their crews are dead. As the Doctor tries to free the TARDIS, he and Adric encounter threats from other groups, desperate to escape, including a hostile reptile species, mechanically enhanced cyborgs – and Daleks! 

But there is someone from the Doctor's own world who is watching. 

Someone who will prove useful when this Doctor reaches the end of his life…

Producer David Richardson said: “I’m always excited by brilliant story ideas, and when Matthew delivered his pitch for Watchers I was hugely excited indeed. The script truly delivered on that – Matthew has created the most brilliant story world, with rich, interesting and bold characters and breathtaking visuals. We’ve all wanted to see where the Doctor and Adric headed after Traken – and now we can, as the TARDIS lands within the vortex itself and the preparations begin for the Doctor’s end.”

Writer and narrator Matthew Waterhouse added: “It’s been very exciting to do this project. When we decided we were going to do a novel set in the second half of Tom Baker’s last year, specifically between The Keeper of Traken and Logopolis, I wanted to write something that would fit with the tone of that season – that slightly minor-key, mournful quality – something that fits in to that spirit.”

Doctor Who – The Audio Novels: Watchers is now available to pre-order as a digital download exclusively from the Big Finish website.

Linda Thorson is BACK in the World of The Avengers

 Tara-ra Boom-de-ay!

There’s espionage aplenty in the new series of The Avengers, as legendary actress Linda Thorson returns to the series in a brand-new role.

Linda Thorson (c) Tony Whitmore

Released today from Big Finish, Julian Wadham is back as spy-about-town John Steed alongside Emily Woodward as his trusty sidekick, Tara King, who was originally played in the 1960s TV series by Linda Thorson. These four brand new, full-cast audio adventures are adapted from The Avengers comic strips originally published in TV Comic.

The Avengers – The Comic Strip Adaptations Volume 5: Steed & Tara King is now available as a collector’s edition four-disc box set or digital download at www.bigfinish.com. 

The four fables in this fantastic volume are as follows: 

Whatever Next? By John Dorney

After an eccentric scientist correctly predicts an imminent asteroid collision, John Steed and Tara King are dispatched to uncover the basis of his precognitive powers. The answer is stranger than they could possibly have expected...

How Does Your Garden Grow? By Dan Starkey

When the plants around an Air Force base grow to prodigious proportions over-night, an explanation is required. The trail leads to an out of the way farm and a potential scientific break-through - but there might just be a snake in the grass...

A Very Civil War by Roland Moore

Steed and King are summoned to investigate a most unusual robbery - where the robbers don’t seem to have been interested in taking the money. How does the mystery tie in to a local Civil War reenactment society?

Mother’s Day by Sarah Grochala

Mother has been called back to his Alma mater to present the school prizes - but someone doesn’t want him to survive the ceremony. It’s down to Steed and King to go undercover and stop the assassins from spoiling the day...

Of working with Linda Thorson, actress Emily Woodward said: “She’s just the loveliest lady – so generous with her time, she’s interesting and very complimentary – any kind of fears I had were completely burst because she was just fab!”

“Recording these adventures is never a chore, always a joy, with the added fact of meeting the real Tara King which has been amazing!”

Actor Julian Wadham added: “I came in a bit later than the other actors, so the girls had already had a chance to establish their relationship, and I could hear immediately Linda’s special affection for Emily and how relaxed and easy it was between them, with such a sense of the fun!”

“The Avengers is always a pleasure – it’s just one of those jobs which is relaxed, fun and playful, so I always look forward to it!”

Actress Linda Thorson added: “The back-and-forth between Tara and Steed is there wonderfully in these scripts. I’m thrilled to be a part of it. What a wonderful thing that this classic series has this new life with these wonderful actors, Julian Wadham and Emily Woodward.”

Producer David Richardson said: “Picture this: there I was booking Emily for the recording days, and her lovely agent Phil just happened to say, ‘I also represent Linda Thorson, I’m sure she’d love to do one of these.’ I could not reply fast enough! And so thanks to Phil, Linda is our guest star in the episode Mother’s Day, and what an utter joy she is to work with.

“She was so delighted to be acting with Julian and Emily (she’s been a friend of Emily’s mum Michelle Dotrice for many years), and she kept us laughing and shared many stories of her time on the TV series. What a legend – I’d love to work with her again.”

Joining the cast alongside Christopher Benjamin (Jago & Litefoot) as Mother are Mina Anwar (The Lone Centurion, The Sarah Jane Adventures), Timothy Bentinck (The Archers, The Box of Delights), Jacob Dudman (The Eleventh Doctor Chronicles, The Lives of Captain Jack), Dan Starkey (The Paternoster Gang, The Ninth Doctor Adventures) Samuel Clemens (Callan, Gallifrey: Time War), Louisa Clein (Emmerdale, Survivors), Nicholas Day (UNIT, Minder), Clive Hayward (The Diary of River Song, Timeslip), Glen McCready (Master!, The Robots), Greg Patmore (Coronation Street, Dark Shadows), John Scougall (Missy, Unforgotten) and Robert Whitelock (Marcella, Transference).

The Avengers – The Comic Strip Adaptations Volume 05: Steed & Tara King is now available as a collector’s edition four-disc box set or digital download, exclusively from the Big Finish website. Big Finish listeners can save money by purchasing volumes 3-5 together as a single bundle.

The Fifth Doctor Turns Forty!

We’re smelling a flower, watching a sunset, eating a well-prepared meal and releasing two brand-new volumes of full-cast audio adventures to celebrate forty years of Peter Davison’s Fifth Doctor.

Comprising two anniversary box sets released in April and September 2022 respectively, Doctor Who: The Fifth Doctor Adventures – Forty celebrates four decades since the Fifth Doctor made his first regular appearance in Doctor Who. 

The dynamic dramas are plucked from various points in the Fifth Doctor’s timeline, as he adventures alongside beloved companions Tegan (Janet Fielding), Turlough (Mark Strickson), Nyssa (Sarah Sutton), Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) and Kamelion (Jon Culshaw) across the episodes. 

Doctor Who: The Fifth Doctor Adventures – Forty Volume 1 and Doctor Who: The Fifth Doctor Adventures – Forty Volume 2 are now available to pre-order individually as a collector’s edition CD or on download, exclusively at www.bigfinish.com.

Expect to hear fearsome adversaries, the Cybermen, Ice Warriors and Autons in the trio of TARDIS tales across the two volumes.

 Volume 1

Secrets of Telos by Matt Fitton

God of War by Sarah Grochala

Volume 2

The Auton Infinity by Tim Foley

Opening story, Secrets of Telos, is a direct sequel to the Doctor Who television episode Tomb of the Cybermen (1967).

Producer David Richardson said: “It’s always fascinated me that Tomb of the Cybermen isn’t a story that definitively ends. There’s a loose strand of story left floating at the end of episode four – and that strand of story launches us straight into Forty, a lavish celebration of forty years of the Fifth Doctor. What strange force is pulling the Doctor forwards through his incarnation? The mystery will be solved but along the way enjoy spending time with Tegan, Nyssa, Adric, Turlough and Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. As birthday parties go, this is going to be a spectacular one!”

Doctor Who: The Fifth Doctor Adventures – Forty Volume 1 and Doctor Who: The Fifth Doctor Adventures – Forty Volume 2 are now available to pre-order individually as a collector’s edition CD or on download from the Big Finish website.

Big Finish listeners can save money by ordering both volumes of Forty together in a bundle.