David Bradley will play the First Doctor a little longer in new Doctor Who audio plays
By Lacy Baugher
David Bradley will continue playing the First Doctor for a while longer yet, starring in a new set of Doctor Who audio dramas from Big Finish.
David Bradley was pretty perfect as Wiliam Hartnell in An Adventure in Space and Time, the one-off docudrama that told the story of the origins of Doctor Who. So perfect, that when the mothership series needed someone to play the First Doctor as part of Peter Capaldi’s final Who episode, who else could they have possibly called? The choice seems obvious — and generally perfect — now.
But Bradley’s appearance in Christmas special “Twice Upon a Time” apparently won’t be the only time we’ll see him take on the role of the original Time Lord.
Bradley will continue to play the First Doctor in a set of brand new audio adventures for Big Finish. The production company produces many supplemental audio stories in the Doctor Who universe. These include stories featuring the classic Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors, and they basically created almost the entire canon involving Eight. Big Finish recently started telling modern Who stories, bringing back former Tenth Doctor David Tennant for a new round of adventures with previous companions Catherine Tate and Billie Piper.
Bradley’s audio co-stars here are all other familiar faces from An Adventure in Space and Time. Jamie Glover, Jemma Powell, and Claudia Grant played original Doctor Who actors William Russell, Jacqueline Hill, and Carole Ann Ford. Here, they play the First Doctor’s companions Ian and Barbara, as well as his granddaughter, Susan. It’s a rather lovely bit of symmetry. (And it kind of makes An Adventure in Space and Time feel even more like magic.)
The initial volume of The First Doctor Adventures will include two stories. Volume 1 includes “The Destination Wars” by Matt Fitton and “The Great White Hurricane” by Guy Adams. And, according to Big Finish, the stories will have a more historical bent, as befitting the drama’s original purpose as an educational program.
"This series of adventures pays homage to the beginning years of Doctor Who. And each of the four episodes in each story will be given an individual title. Two of the four stories are historical, focusing on tales from Earth’s history pre-1963. Back in its first few years, Doctor Who was intended to be an educational programme using time travel as a means to explore scientific ideas and famous moments in history, while still captivating the minds and imaginations of generations to come."
That’s not all, either. Apparently, we’ll also meet new and intriguing monsters and life forms along the way. And get to witness the First Doctor’s first ever encounter with a new incarnation of the Master. Technically, the first ever Master, according to this press release. That’s some genuinely exciting news!
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The first volume of The First Doctor Adventures will hit shelves and digital download in January. (No doubt a move geared to capitalize on fan interest in his appearance in “Twice Upon a Time”!) The second set is due in July.