Madame Vastra, River Song, Ace, Leela and Osgood to star in female-led Doctor Who audio series
The series, which is named The 8th March after International Women’s Day, is written, produced and directed by female talent
Described as a “celebration of all the strong female characters from the Doctor Who universe,” a new series of adventures for female Whoniverse characters is to be released on International Women’s Day 2019.
Iconic Who characters taking part in the project, from audio drama company Big Finish, include Alex Kingston’s River Song, Louise Jameson’s Leela, Jemma Redgrave’s Kate Stewart, Ingrid Oliver’s Osgood, Neve McinTosh’s Madame Vastra and Sophie Aldred’s Ace, while the series (called the 8th of March after the date of International Women’s Day) also has a largely female behind-the-scenes crew.
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“It seems very timely to celebrate some of the women of Doctor Who, especially as the female characters in the series have evolved over the years to reflect how women's roles have changed in society too; from assistants and inferiors to equals and adversaries!” director Helen Goldwyn said in a release.
“And what's it been like, working with all these wonderful, legendary Doctor Who actors (not to mention all the fantastic guest actors too)? Well it could only ever be a delight and a privilege really, couldn't it?
“How fantastic to be part of a series that not only brings the women of Doctor Who to the forefront, but which also celebrates Big Finish's commitment to represent and nurture female creatives like myself who have, for so long, been in the minority. This production brings us another step forward and I'm proud to be part of that.”
The series will include four separate stories by female writers, with different combinations of the cast, as detailed below:
- The Big Blue Book by Lizzie Hopley (starring Ace and Lisa Bowerman’s Bernice Summerfield)
- Inside Every Warrior by Gemma Langford (starring the Paternoster Gang, including Catrin Stewart’s Jenny)
- Emancipation by Lisa McMullin (starring River Song and Leela)
- Narcissus by Sarah Grochala (starring Kate Stewart, Osgood and… the other Osgood!)
“It’s been a real thrill to be part of this exciting project which once again shows off the creativity of Big Finish,” producer Emma Haigh said.
“It’s a privilege to work with these iconic actresses and our incredibly talented director and writers. The different combination of characters from across the series and years’ work brilliantly and has been quite inspiring.”
The script editor for the series is Matt Fitton, and it will be executive produced by Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs.
The 8th of March is now available for pre-order ahead of its release on International Women’s Day 2019
Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
