Jodie Whittaker Returns As The Thirteenth Doctor’s Big Finish Adventures Begin In 2025
The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures begin in next July and bring back Mandip Gill as faithful companion Yasmin Khan
Oh brilliant! Jodie Whittaker is tagging back in. Nearly two years since regenerating into David Tennant’s returning face in “The Power of the Doctor”, it’s now her turn to return, though this time for Big Finish Productions’s beloved Doctor Who audio dramas. A full series of Thirteenth Doctor audio dramas have been announced by them in partnership with BBC Studios. Whittaker isn’t coming back alone, as Mandip Gill returns to star alongside her as companion Yasmin Khan.
Whittaker debuted as the first female incarnation of the Doctor at the end of the 2017 Christmas special “Twice Upon A Time”, when Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor regenerated. She starred in 31 episodes across three series (11 to 13) from October 2018 to October 2022 from showrunner Chris Chibnall, with series 13’s main Flux story airing six episodes from October to December 2021, before 2022 was populated by three specials, a split necessitated by COVID-related production adjustments. Her return is a stark contrast to her immediate predecessors, Capaldi and Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith, who have yet to return to the role in any capacity, even these audio dramas. Tennant himself was the first revival-era Doctor to reprise his role, as the Tenth, followed by Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor after years of hard severance from the franchise. Gill’s Yasmin Khan was the only companion to be along for every televised Thirteenth Doctor adventure (though they spent much of Flux separated), and developed romantic feelings for her.
The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures are twelve, hour-long, full-cast audio adventures with the first to be released in July 2025. This means that her audio adventures will begin mere months after series that star characters introduced in Whittaker’s era, specifically series 12. Those had theirs announced as Whittaker’s run wound down, shortly after the Easter 2022 special “The Legend of the Sea Devils”. Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor, a pre-First Doctor incarnation as part of the whole Timeless Child predicament, stars in The Fugitive Doctor, listed for January, and Sacha Dhawan, known outside of Who for The Great and Iron Fist, will reprise his role as his incarnation of the Master, who also caused Thirteen’s regeneration, for a series called Call Me Master which is set to begin in February.
About her new adventures, Whittaker said “I’m over the moon to be joining Big Finish for more adventures in the TARDIS. Recording the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz is a really lovely thing to revisit. One of the things Mandip and I used to love on Doctor Who was getting in, doing a new episode and meeting a brand-new cast. I just can’t wait to step back into the boots, pull on the coat and get cracking. One thing’s for sure, it’s going to be brilliant.” Gill added “Doctor Who has been a huge part of my career and personal life and I am looking forward to seeing how I can further enrich my character through this exhilarating series. To be able to work with Jodie again is a dream come true, we have such a special friendship, I’m sure the recordings will be filled with laughter.”
The Fugitive Doctor and Master series are brought up by Big Finish’s Chairman, Jason Haigh-Ellery in his statement, which reads “This year Big Finish is celebrating its 25th anniversary of producing full-cast Doctor Who audio drama – so, when we were granted the licence to create new stories set during the Thirteenth Doctor’s era, we immediately set to work.” He continued “I am delighted that the inimitable Jodie and Mandip have decided to return to their roles with us and I’m excited to welcome them to Big Finish. Alongside our two other forthcoming series for the Fugitive Doctor (played by Jo Martin) and the Master (played by Sacha Dhawan), 2025 has never looked brighter for the Thirteenth Doctor and her fam.”
Big Finish’s Creative Director, Nicholas Briggs, who is also the modern voice of the Daleks, added: “Jodie and Mandip were so welcoming to me when I worked on set with them in the TV show, so I’m looking forward to repaying the compliment. They’re lovely people and they’re full of enthusiasm for this project.”
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