Doctor Who is rather notorious for finding ways to bring its past cast back into the franchise, though there's long been a glaring omission, in regard to getting one of its biggest actors back in the franchise. That was until recently when after a decade away, Christopher Eccleston revealed that he would indeed return to the franchise to reprise his role as The Doctor in an upcoming audio drama.
Now the details behind that audio drama, Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures - Ravagers, have been revealed by longtime Doctor Who audio collaborator Big Finish. Read the synopsis for three of the upcoming adventures, which are set to arrive in May:
1.1 Sphere of FreedomOn the Sphere of Freedom, the Doctor is about to shut down an evil Immersive Games business empire. He’s assisted by a valiant galley chef called Nova. But his plan spectacularly fails... And who exactly is Audrey?1.2 CataclysmNova is dislocated in time while the Time Eddies are out of control. Meanwhile, the Doctor is about to face the end of the universe. Or is that just the Battle of Waterloo?1.3 Food FightThe TARDIS is starting to get a little crowded! Audrey finds herself haunted by a ghostly Doctor.
The episodes are written by Big Finish executive producer and Doctor Who's voice of the Daleks and Cybermen Nicholas Briggs. It's hard to pull a lot of detail from the brief synopsis on the adventures, especially given the only character we can be sure we know is The Doctor. It's all exciting all the same, though, as Big Finish is set to do something that, frankly, many fans didn't think could ever be done.
The story behind Christopher Eccleston's sudden exit in Doctor Who is well known at this point, and the actor has been vocal about not enjoying his experience on the show. It's a shame, of course, because Eccleston played a big part in the series' reboot and is partly responsible for the show's continued success to this day. Despite that, the actor has steered clear of any and all opportunities the past has done to acknowledge it, even to the point of being one of the only living Doctors to reject an invitation to appear in the 50th-anniversary special.
And while Doctor Who audio dramas aren't quite the same as appearing in the series again, several actors who have done them have also appeared on television. Of course, it still seems like a stretch to assume Christopher Eccleston will do that but, considering it seemed like a long shot that he'd even do this much not that long ago, I'd say there's a non-zero chance of it happening.
Doctor Who is currently working on Season 13 to air on BBC America, but we don't know when to expect it. For more on the franchise in the meantime, be sure to read up on what It's A Sin star Olly Alexander had to say about the recent chatter regarding him being the next Doctor.
