David Tennant and Michelle Gomez lead an all-star cast in the latest episode of Big Finish Productions’ celebratory Doctor Who anniversary series, Once and Future, released today.
The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50, written by Jonathan Barnes, brings together some of the characters from the eras of the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors, as the Tenth Doctor encounters Missy and the Paternoster Gang where Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh), Jenny Flint (Catrin Stewart) and Strax (Dan Starkey) unite once more.
Doctor Who – Once and Future: The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50, written by Jonathan Barnes, is now available from www.bigfinish.com.
The First Doctor arrives in Victorian London amid a Martian invasion. But he discovers all is not what it seems when Missy appears…
Soon, the Doctor is propelled into a future incarnation – the Tenth – but he is not alone in battling Missy and her Martian invaders. The Paternoster Gang – Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint and Strax – are also here to assist. But can they offer the Doctor any help in solving his own degeneration mystery?
Series producer David RIchardson said: “I feel privileged to have produced this very special episode, and the recording session was very special too.
“To have all of these wonderfully rich characters together was a treat, and to have David Tennant and Michelle Gomez going head-to-head was joyous. Michelle loves to play with the script, and she improvised beautifully – and David took her improvisations and matched her.
“During the recording I wondered how much might make it to the edit, but it’s all there within the final scenes. Joyous – I’ve used the word again. I’ve no other way to describe it.”
Writer Barnes said: “I always try to include a personal element in my stories so I was pleased to be able to write a sort of love letter to the work of HG Wells as well as the required ingredients.
“It’s a commentary on fandom too in some ways. The Doctor lands on a planet which seems to have been remodelled as an exact replica of the fictional London in Wells’s War of the Worlds… but who could be responsible for such devilry? Well, check out the front cover!
“Hopefully there are a few a surprises along the way too…”