Big Finish Productions, in partnership with BBC Studios, today announces the first ever Thirteenth Doctor audio dramas as Jodie Whittaker returns to the Whoniverse alongside Mandip Gill as Yasmin Khan.

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Big Finish listeners can now pre-order The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures, starting at just £11.99 (per story on collector’s edition CD + download) or £9.99 (download only) exclusively from www.bigfinish.com.

A complete series multibuy bundle of all twelve releases is also available to pre-order at the specially discounted price of £126 (on collector’s edition CD + download) or £102 (download only), again exclusively from the Big Finish website.

So, it sounds like her double-casting won't be part of some season-long mystery:

"It’s one of those very simple situations, like with Freema [Agyeman, who appeared in Army Of Ghosts before being cast as Martha Jones]: when you cast a great actor, you need a new companion...

...I was thinking, 'Should we go back to the 51st century, could we meet her again?' and then I suddenly went, 'Oh, let’s just cast her again. We’ve done that before. Lovely.' The relief that went around the entire production and the BBC, everyone went, 'Oh, great.' It was the most instant 'yes' you’ve ever seen...

...We had a great meeting. She was kind of amazed and delighted. Lovely. Good stuff ahead. Completely new character, again, a completely new story, and that’s a great new story that will run across eight episodes."

This is the c/doctorwho discussion thread for "Wild Blue Yonder" - join the conversation in the replies!

Written by: Russell T Davies

Directed by: Tom Kingsley

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/14191622

The final 7-day ratings for an episode of Doctor Who season 14 are in, with the season finale, Empire of Death, being watched by 3.69 million people across the period.

The episode was originally watched overnight by 2.25 million people, but this didn't account for iPlayer viewings, which as a proportion have been up considerably this season, due to the show's new release schedule.

This 7-day consolidated rating leaves the episode in around the middle when it comes to viewership this season, with it getting more viewers than Boom, Dot and Bubble, Rogue and The Legend of Ruby Sunday.

It got less viewers than Space Babies and The Devil's Chord, which were both released on the same day on BBC iPlayer, and 73 Yards, which was the season's high-mark when it comes to viewership.

Showrunner Russell T Davies and the BBC itself have both commented on the show's recent ratings, with Davies saying that "it's not doing that well in the ratings, but it is doing phenomenally well with the younger audience that we wanted".

I normally don't post rumours, but this seems like credible information from a credible outlet.

Written by: Russell T Davies

Directed by: Rachel Talalay

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/13874961

The first series of Russell T Davies’s return to Doctor Who – and Ncuti Gatwa’s first season at the helm of the world’s longest-running sci-fi show – came to an end with Saturday’s Empire of Death. But what did the show’s superfans make of the first Disney-backed season?

We spoke to four: Tony Jordan, 65, the coordinator of the Doctor Who Society, who’s watched since he was four years old; Lauren Amelia Miller, 31, a disabled writer and actress who’s been a fan since she was five and owns a Dalek nicknamed Woody; Zoe Butler, 23, a civil servant who started watching in 2005 and cites David Tennant as her favourite Doctor; and JJ, 28, who works in digital media, blogs on Doctor Who and has been a fan since 2012.

Archive

NARRATOR: It did work.

One of the all-time great episodes for my money, though I can absolutely see why that script would make them nervous.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/13856135

While the future of Doctor Who is already confirmed in the short term - with the show returning for a Christmas special this year and another season next year - beyond that, things are currently less certain.

This is because the show's fate in its current form rests with Disney Plus, who the BBC did a deal with for the new era.

Not only does Disney distribute the series internationally, it also helps to finance it, meaning that while the show could continue without the streamer, its budget may have to be slashed.

The question of the show's future following what have been described as season 14's "underwhelming" ratings was raised in a recent article in The Times, and now the BBC has weighed in.

A BBC spokeswoman told the publication: "Overnight ratings no longer provide an accurate picture of all those who watch drama in an on-demand world.

"This season of Doctor Who premiered on iPlayer nearly 24 hours before broadcast, and episode 1 has already been viewed by nearly 6 million viewers and continues to grow.

"Doctor Who remains one of the most-watched programmes on iPlayer and is the BBC’s top drama for under-35s this year, making it one of the biggest programmes for the demographic across all streamers and broadcasters."

...

Hopefully these assurances will calm fans' nerves about the show's future. It certainly appears that Davies seems hopeful, as he has already started writing season 16.

The writer has also confirmed that "there are offices that exist" that are dedicated solely to planning potential spin-offs, although what these would be focused on is currently unclear.

From the tense landmine of Boom to uncovering the events of the night that Ruby was born in Empire of Death, this season of Doctor Who certainly had it all – but which episode was the best?

Well, we posed that exact question to RadioTimes.com readers, who have responded in their droves.

With the likes of Space Babies, The Devil's Chord, Dot and Bubble and all the other season 14 episodes to choose from, there was one clear winner.

After more than 4,000+ votes in total, [redacted] was the winner of the best episode in our exclusive poll.

Look, I'm not trying to choose violence today, so let's not stoop to the level of stereotypical "Star Wars" discourse.

That said, the parallels here were not lost on me, and I generally agree with RTD.

The Doctor's granddaughter has been teased on screen throughout this recent season, fan theories abound and original actor Carole Ann Ford has stated she'd be happy to reappear on the show.

Let's assume that there is a reunion with Susan coming up; that would be exciting in itself, but narratively, how do you think it will be set up? Does the Doctor seek her out or will Susan find her grandfather first?

More to the point, "the Doctor finally sees Susan again" is just a story beat — how do you imagine the larger science fantasy story context surrounding it? Feel free to fanfic an entire episode plot or season arc if you want 🙂

Speaking to Doctor Who Unleashed, Davies said: “So that’s goodbye to Millie Gibson, except it’s not! You’d have to be mad to say goodbye to talent and a character like that!”

He added: “This is a pause. I genuinely felt Ruby’s story paused there. She couldn’t get all that information about her family, all that emotional overload, and run off in the TARDIS. It pauses there. She’s coming back.

“A new companion is coming in, but you’ll see the three of them together. Three people in this TARDIS fighting evil. There’s good stuff to come. There are really crucial stories for Ruby to come, and her family – the story of that family hasn’t finished yet – that will all make sense when you see it. So more to come.”