Big Finish reunite the ill-fated Cass with the Time War-avoiding Eighth Doctor.
Updated 01/12/22: There’s now a trailer for Cass – our first chance to hear Emma Campbell-Jones back in the role.
The one minute and twenty second trailer also delivers some Dalek action and has Paul McGann again uttering his now-famous line: “I’m a Doctor. Though probably not the one you were expecting.”
The Eighth Doctor Adventures: Time War – Cass is out in January 2023 and available to pre-order now.
Updated 27/11/22: Cover art, story details and further casting revealed for Cass.
Further to their recent announcement, Big Finish have revealed much more information about their latest boxset of adventures for the Eighth Doctor in the Time War.
Joining Paul McGann, Emma Campbell-Jones and Sonny McGann, the cast includes Nadia Albina (as Oshia), Gareth Armstrong (as Davon), Jaye Griffiths (as Hieronyma Friend), Simon Shepherd (as Hudson Sage). Plus, naturally, Nicholas Briggs (as the Daleks).
The cover, from artist Rafe Wallbank, also shows us how the new look Doctor Who logo is going to fit on Big Finish releases.
Here’s the story rundown for Cass, with quotes from the writers…
‘Meanwhile, Elsewhere’ by Tim Foley
The Doctor and Alex arrive on a tropical beach where something’s amiss.
Meanwhile, elsewhere… a desperate pilot runs for his life.
Meanwhile, elsewhere… it’s Cass Fermazzi’s first day on an errand-class starship.
Meanwhile, elsewhere… it’s the beginning of the end of everything.
Tim Foley said: “There’s so much possibility with the Time War. I was especially excited by the idea of a Doctor who’s skirting around the edge of it and trying to avoid it, when we know he’s destined to fall in.”
“I really enjoyed establishing a new dynamic for our characters. Alex is travelling around time and space with his great-granddad and he’s loving every minute of it. But at the heart of it, this is a story about Cass and although we’ve met her before, we know so little about her. She was such a blank canvas for us to explore. Hopefully, we’ve hit the ground running with these characters. It’s quite a bonkers out-there story – as a lot of Time War stories are.”
‘Vespertine’ by Lou Morgan
It’s Cass’s first trip in the TARDIS, and the Doctor is determined to make it one to remember. But when they arrive at a research base that shouldn’t exist, built above a missing explorer’s ship that should never have been found, it seems their visit’s going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Because deep beneath the ice, there’s more than just a long-lost ship waiting for them…
Lou Morgan said: “The dynamic between the three main characters is quite open and friendly, but they’re still getting to know each other. Alex has a really bantery relationship with Cass and the Doctor is maybe showing off a little.”
“Cass is so brilliant to write for because she has a quite tough exterior – she’s the kind of character you want to get under the skin of to see why she has that hard shell.”
‘Previously, Next Time’ Parts 1 and 2 by James Moran
The Doctor, Cass and Alex land to find out what’s causing temporal anomalies with the TARDIS, and come across an uninhabited planet, a mysterious factory, and a weapon so dangerous, it could destroy the Universe. But things go catastrophically wrong…
James Moran: “I really enjoy how the lead characters work together. Cass calls the Doctor out on any nonsense and acts like the audience surrogate in a way. I feel really lucky to be a part of the Big Finish universe and to have written for Paul’s Doctor and these other characters. Writing for the Daleks was also an absolute dream!”
The Eighth Doctor Adventures: Time War – Cass is out in January 2023 and available to pre-order now.
Original article continues…
Doctor Who’s ‘The Night of the Doctor’ inspires a new audio boxset
Doctor Who audio producers Big Finish have announced an impossible premise for their next Time War box set; the ill-fated Cass (Emma Campbell-Jones) is joining Paul McGann‘s Doctor for a run of stories.
Introduced in the brief but brilliant 50th Anniversary short, ‘The Night of the Doctor’, Cass was someone the Doctor tried to save. However, when she learned he was a Time Lord, she spurned his help – believing his people and the Daleks to be equally responsible for conflict.
Her rejection, and subsequent death, inspired his next incarnation – one who forsook the name Doctor and took up arms against the Daleks. Now, in that endlessly contradictory temporal conflict, Cass will join the Doctor earlier in his timeline for a boxset that bears her name.
Here’s the premise for The Eighth Doctor Adventures: Time War – Cass:
Paul McGann stars in three epic adventures as the Doctor still attempting to avoid the Time War’s horrors and escape his inevitable fate of becoming a warrior. And, he’s got a new companion… but has he met her before?
The boxset will contain four episodes; ‘Meanwhile, Elsewhere’ by Tim Foley, ‘Vespertine’ by Lou Morgan and a two-parter, ‘Previously, Next Time’ by James Moran.
In addition to Cass, the Doctor will also be joined by Alex Campbell (Sonny McGann) — his cheeky great-grandson from a different universe! This picks up on the cliff-hanger ending of ‘Time War 4’.
Emma Campbell-Jones said: “I’ve been very much hoping and wishing ever since we did that minisode that there would be more adventure and magic at some point. Words can’t describe how happy I am to be back.”
“In ‘The Night of the Doctor’, it felt like Cass was just starting out and then her story was very much curtailed. It was desperately heartbreaking. I love that she has another chance — unwittingly, as she doesn’t know her story yet. I’m really excited about her journeys to come and that she has more life to live. It’s beautiful and exciting.”
Paul McGann adds:
“I was very happy to find out that Emma and Sonny were joining me as regulars. This feels special to me. It’s great and I have a good feeling about it. It really works!”
In addition to announcing this boxset, Big Finish also confirm a sixth Time War release for the Eighth Doctor too.
The Eighth Doctor Adventures: Time War – Cass is out in January 2023 and available to pre-order from Big Finish now. Time War 6 (title TBC) follows in April 2024.
Both boxsets can be purchased on Collector’s Edition CD (+ download), or on digital download only, and are available in a bundle too.