Once and Future 5 – The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50 sees the Tenth Doctor encounter Missy, with the Paternoster Gang along for the ride!
Updated 12/09/23: Doctor Who‘s diamond celebration continues with David Tennant and Michelle Gomez.
Today sees the release of the latest adventure in the celebratory Doctor Who: Once and Future series. Mixing up elements from across the show’s six decades, the latest instalment sees the Tenth Doctor encounter Missy, as well as The Paternoster Gang.
To promote the launch, there’s a charming video promo…
In addition to the headline cast, Stephen Noonan appears as the First Doctor, with Tim Treloar as the Third Doctor and Hannah Genesius as Jessamy Moore.
Writer Jonathan Barnes said:
“I always try to include a personal element in my stories so I was pleased to be able to write a sort of love letter to the work of HG Wells as well as the required ingredients.”
“It’s a commentary on fandom too in some ways. The Doctor lands on a planet which seems to have been remodelled as an exact replica of the fictional London in Wells’s War of the Worlds… but who could be responsible for such devilry? Well, check out the front cover!”
“Hopefully there are a few a surprises along the way too…”
Doctor Who: Once and Future – The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50 is out now. It’s available on standard Collector’s Edition CD + download, or digital download only from Big Finish.
Updated 14/08/23: Big Finish have released a trailer for September’s Once and Future story.
As we count down to the fifth instalment of the Doctor Who 60th anniversary audio series, the producers have dropped a two-minute trailer for ‘The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50′ via social media.
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It’s our first chance to hear Missy interacting with the Tenth Doctor, and also suggests that she has the Paternoster Row gang in her thrall. At the end, it’s also fun to hear Michelle Gomez give her spin on a classic Master line from Anthony Ainley in ‘The King’s Demons’.
While you wait for ‘The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50′ to land, check out the CultBox reviews of the series’ previous instalments: ‘Past Lives‘, ‘The Artist at the End of Time‘ and ‘A Genius for War‘. August’s ‘Two’s Company’, starring Colin Baker, is due out any day now.
Doctor Who – Once and Future: The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50 is available to pre-order as a single-disc collector’s edition CD (+ download), or on download only, exclusively from Big Finish.
Original article (of 28/07/23) follows…
It may only be the start of the summer, but audio producers Big Finish have revealed the players in September’s instalment of Doctor Who – Once and Future.
The 60th Anniversary audio series has been gleefully mashing up characters and elements from Doctor Who‘s six decades. However, the next story presents a thoroughly post-2005 lineup.
In the mix for ‘The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50’ by Jonathan Barnes is the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant). This is a tale the ever-busy Tennant recorded back in 2020, and the first time the Doctor has ‘degenegrated’ into a post-Time War incarnation.
He’s joined by his Victorian-era allies The Paternoster Gang – Madam Vastra (Neve McIntosh), Jenny Flint (Catrin Stewart) and Strax (Dan Starkey). Together, they’ll grapple with Missy (Michele Gomez) and an army of Martian tripod minions.
Here’s the synopsis…
The Time War. The Doctor has been injured and brought to a Time Lord field hospital. His body glows with energy, but this is no regeneration into a future form – instead, the Doctor’s past faces begin to appear as he flits haphazardly between incarnations…
Staggering to his TARDIS, the Doctor sets out to solve the mystery of his ‘degeneration’. Who has done this to him? How? And why? From the Earth to the stars, across an array of familiar times and places, he follows clues to retrace his steps, encountering old friends and enemies along the way. Tumbling through his lives, the Doctor must stop his degeneration before he loses himself completely…
The First Doctor arrives in Victorian London amid a Martian invasion. But he discovers all is not what it seems when Missy appears…
Soon, the Doctor is propelled into a future incarnation – the Tenth – but he is not alone in battling Missy and her Martian invaders. The Paternoster Gang – Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint and Strax – are also here to assist. But can they offer the Doctor any help in solving his own degeneration mystery?
Series producer David Richardson said:
“I feel privileged to have produced this very special episode, and the recording session was very special too. To have all of these wonderfully rich characters together was a treat, and to have David Tennant and Michelle Gomez going head-to-head was joyous. Michelle loves to play with the script, and she improvised beautifully – and David took her improvisations and matched her.
During the recording I wondered how much might make it to the edit, but it’s all there within the final scenes. Joyous – I’ve used the word again. I’ve no other way to describe it.”
While you wait for ‘The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50‘ to land, check out the CultBox reviews of the already released Once and Future stories; ‘Past Lives‘, ‘The Artist at the End of Time‘ and ‘A Genius for War‘.
‘Two’s Company‘, starring Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor lands in August.
Doctor Who – Once and Future: The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50 is available to pre-order as a single-disc collector’s edition CD (+ download), or on download only, exclusively from Big Finish.
Special Edition
The Special Edition version, which comes with an alternate cover, extended extras and a music suite, is also available on download, but sold out on CD.
We’ll keep this page updated as further details emerge.