Doctor Who story starring Tom Baker recorded entirely in lockdown to be released by Big Finish
Shadow of the Sun is the first story produced using remote recording techniques.
Doctor Who audio drama producers Big Finish have announced a special project to be released next month – the company's first release recorded entirely during lockdown.
Doctor Who: Shadow of the Sun – starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Louise Jameson as Leela and John Leeson as K9 – will be released on 12th May and is the first full-cast audio drama to be produced by Big Finish using remote recording techniques.
The company announced in March that they would be halting studio recording sessions amid the coronavirus pandemic in favour of remote recording, with Shadow of the Sun being the first release completed under these new circumstances.
Also featured in the cast is Fenella Woolgar (Call the Midwife) as bored socialite Lady Malina Rigel-Smythe, one of many passengers on board a luxury liner with a difference.
The official synopsis for Shadow of the Sun reads as follows...
After an accident, the TARDIS lands on a luxury star-liner. Leaving their ship to repair itself, the Doctor, Leela and K9 find themselves facing a great terror: mingling at a cocktail party.
Something seems awry behind the pleasantries however. Guests are going missing, and equipment is breaking down. When the Doctor investigates further he discovers that the star-liner is literally on course for disaster.
But no-one seems surprised by this information, still less troubled. What’s going on? And can the Doctor and his friends save everyone... when nobody wants to be saved?
Writer Robert Valentine sad: "This is a story inspired by the modern trend of giving the same value to opinion as fact – including everything from climate change denial to the anti-vaccination movement – but specifically the recent (and ultimately fatal) rocket launch experiments intended to prove that the Earth is flat.
"The Doctor is about to find himself in a situation where the true enemy is pseudo-scientific hubris, and for once it might be an enemy he hasn't the tools to overcome."
Director Nicholas Briggs added: "In Shadow of the Sun, we have a great, well-made script by Rob Valentine. A lovely slice of science fantasy. It has a great central idea and a cast of superb characters. At its core, there’s a fanatical belief in something that is patent nonsense, but the Doctor, Leela and K9 find themselves to be the only people who know the truth. That’s a great set-up!
“And it also has a flavour of the often talked about 'base under siege' setting, which adds an appealing claustrophobia to the storytelling. It makes the situation more extreme and therefore more of an exciting ride for the audience.”
Doctor Who: Shadow of the Sun is now available to pre-order at the Big Finish website.
Authors
Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across the brand's digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
