Peladon – Big Finish celebrates 50 years with two Doctors and River

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The history of the Pertwee-era Doctor Who planet will be returned to four times in a forthcoming boxset. 

With 2022 just around the corner, it’s fifty years since Doctor Who first visited Peladon, arriving on the side of Mount Mageshra in the middle of a thunderstorm.

In the 1970s, the feudal planet served as host for two stories, The Curse of Peladon and The Monster of Peladon, giving us a society struggling to embrace its place in a wider universe. Written by Brian Hayles, both tales had a political dimension; Curse riffing on the UK’s entrance to the European Union while Monster considered the plight of the miners.

Across this audio boxset, four new stories will revisit the planet at different tines in its history:

Journey to Peladon, member world of the Galactic Federation and home to intrigue and adventure. With each passing generation, industrial exploitation and deadly political games are taking their toll on the planet…

With David Troughton already announced to reprise his role as King Peladon, the set will also feature Alex Kingston’s River Song, Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford as the Sixth Doctor and Mel, and Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor.

The new tales are;

The Ordeal of Peladon by Jonathan Barnes and Robert Valentine

When King Peladon hears of a holy man with seemingly magical powers and the gift of foresight, he resolves to discover the truth of it for himself. But his quest to understand the shifting loyalties of his people is one from which he cannot return unchanged.

The Poison of Peladon by Lizzie Hopley

River Song has infiltrated the court of Queen Thalira in the guise of a high priestess. With rumours swirling that Peladon is on the brink of a republican uprising, River joins forces with her new best friend, Alpha Centauri, to get to the bottom of the mystery.

The Death of Peladon by Mark Wright

The Sixth Doctor and Mel arrive on Peladon to discover a world on the brink of environmental disaster. Civil war looms and a dark plot brews in the shadows of the court. Unless they can help avert catastrophe, there seems to be little hope left for one of the Doctor’s favourite planets

The Truth of Peladon by Tim Foley

Arla, last of Peladon’s great seamstresses, is commissioned to make a great cloak for the latest coronation. She’ll need a new assistant to complete her work in time, and one appears: the Eighth Doctor! Determined to show Arla the truth of Peladon, the delicate threads he’s drawing together will change Peladon forever.

A Stellar Guest Cast

Also announced in the cast are Jane Goddard as fan favourite Alpha Centauri, Deborah Findlay as Queen Thalira, Sara Powell as Queen Minaris, Jason Watkins as Chancellor Barok, Liz White as Helais and Meera Syal as Arla.

Of course it wouldn’t be the same without a few Ice Warriors too, voiced by Nicholas Briggs, and we hope there will be a couple of visits from the Royal Beast Aggedor too. All together now…

Doctor Who: Peladon is available to pre-order from Big Finish, on CD and download.