Doctor Who: David Tennant and Alex Kingston to reunite for new Tenth Doctor/River Song adventures
Ever wondered what happened between the Doctor and River Song in their earlier adventures?
“Hello Sweetie…” – in a surprise Doctor Who reunion, David Tennant’s fan-favourite Tenth Doctor is set to team up with Alex Kingston’s River Song for a new series of adventures, filling in the gaps of the relationship previously set up in 2008 episodes Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead.
Released by audio drama company Big Finish and recorded in lockdown, Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor and River Song will star Tennant and Kingston in a collection of stories set after their first meeting but before River’s adventures with Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor, as depicted on TV in the 2010-2013 series.
"The Tenth Doctor only met River Song once on TV, and that was at the end of her life," producer David Richardson said.
"But what happened after/before that, after/before the Eleventh Doctor came on the scene?"
Well, now we’re about to find out. Tennant and Kingston will star in three adventures for Big Finish this November, beginning with a story called Expiry Dating by James Goss and followed by Lizzie Hopley’s Precious Annihilation and Jonathan Morris’ Ghosts.
The stories will see the Doctor and River tackle deadly jewels, haunted planets and a series of time-and-space "dates", and you can check out the blurb for the whole thing below:
The Doctor knows that River Song is a part of his future. A maddening, intriguing, but inevitable part.
Their lives are becoming inextricably intertwined, but in these early days – for the Doctor at least – they must navigate their relationship without too many spoilers.
Whatever her past, and the Doctor’s future, holds, River will make sure that he has fun untangling the mystery...
Also starring Peter Davison and Colin Baker as the Fifth and Sixth Doctors in special guest roles, the episodes were recorded from home by Tennant, Kingston and the other cast, with Big Finish releasing new images of the process (below).
"What a joy this run of stories was to make, bringing David Tennant and Alex Kingston together online to record during lockdown, exploring those previously untold meetings between Ten and River," Richardson said.
"Those two actors absolutely sparkled together - it was so clear they were having a blast!"
All three episodes are now available to pre-order from the Big Finish website ahead of a release in November 2020, either as physical CDs, downloads or individual releases, and if you want a bit more information about what the stories entail you can check out the synopses below.
Assuming you don’t mind a few "spoilers" of course…
Expiry Dating by James Goss
The first time the Doctor met River Song, he saw her die. And now she’s asking him on a date. Well, not a date, exactly... More of a mission.
But the Doctor isn’t at anyone’s beck and call. Or so he thinks.
With billions of lives hanging in the balance, can the Doctor afford not to do whatever River wants? Whichever one of him she asks?
Precious Annihilation by Lizzie Hopley
When jewels become lethal in the London of 1912, both River and the Doctor turn up to find out why.
A mystery takes them centuries into the past, and onto the high seas, where a superstitious crew edges towards mutiny.
The star-crossed couple are about to find out that, while gemstones inspire jealousy, love can be the deadliest treasure of all...
Ghosts by Jonathan Morris
River and the Doctor meet on the most haunted planet in the galaxy. The Doctor’s not sure it’s an ideal date - until they discover a mystery.
Something is wrong with the ghosts. Something might even be killing them...
And as the Doctor and River investigate, the truth of what’s happening on the planet of ghosts may prove deadly for them both.
Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor and River Song is now available to pre-order as a collector’s edition four-disc CD box set or as a download from the Big Finish website. The drama will be released in November 2020.
