While we all try to figure out what to call the new interim David Tennant Doctor (the Fourteenth Doctor? Ten-teen? Ten-3?) on TV, Big Finish is gearing up for a huge 60th anniversary special of its own. The company just announced a huge 8-part audio drama, Once and Future, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who.
The epic multi-Doctor story will bring back seven former Doctors, including Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, and David Tennant. (That’s Doctors 4-10, for those keeping track.)
We also have a vague idea as to what bringing these Doctors together will look like, thanks to the official synopsis for Once and Future:
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…
In addition to the above mentioned Doctors, Big Finish promises “dozens more” guest stars.
While the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who officially arrives in November 2023, Big Finish fans will get to start celebrating early. The first seven hour-long installments of Once and Future will roll out between May and October 2023. The final chapter will drop in November 2024. (As a reminder, the TV series’ 60th anniversary special starring David Tennant will air in November 2023.)
You can pre-order Once and Future from Big Finish now. It will release as a digital download and in a limited run of 3,000 special edition CDs.
Source: Big Finish