Russell T Davies' "lost" Doctor Who episode gets special trailer for release
Mind of the Hodiac is now available to fans hoping for another hit of RTD Who.
We might have expected to wait months, if not a year or so, to see a new trailer for Russell T Davies’ return to Doctor Who – but ahead of the screenwriter’s much-publicised comeback to the BBC sci-fi series, another one of his Who scripts has been dramatised for audio, and now a new teaser shows fans what they can expect.
As you may have heard, the new/old story is called Mind of the Hodiac, and the trailer intercuts specially-stylised lines from the script with dynamic, partially animated images of the cast, with Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford reprising their roles as the Sixth Doctor and Mel in voiceover.
The trailer (which announces the release of the two-part story, now available for purchase) also teases the arrival of the titular Hodiac, who appears to have dark designs for the universe. A short synopsis, below, gives a few more details.
"In the depths of space, the mysterious Hodiac is manipulating the Galactic Stock Exchange to raise money. His aim? To hire mercenaries for a deadly quest across the stars.
"Meanwhile, on Earth, an ordinary British family is plagued by a series of psychic events. The one thing connecting these events is a magnificent patchwork coat –which just so happens to belong to the Doctor!"
Originally written in the 1980s and rediscovered by Davies during the pandemic, Mind of the Hodiac was an original script for then-series stars Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford, which was put away and forgotten about for many years.
After Davies unearthed it, it didn’t take long for regular Who audio producers Big Finish to take a crack at it, working with Davies and regular audio dramatist Scott Handcock to bring Mind of the Hodiac to life at last.
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Now it’s here, with an ensemble cast including Laurie Kynaston, Annette Badland, T’Nia Miller, Alexander Vlahos, Raj Ghatak, Sutara Gayle and Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo.
And while its production has been a little overshadowed by the announcement of Davies' full return to TV Who, we’re sure plenty of fans will still be fascinated to step into this story.
After all, it’s the only “new” RTD Who script they’re likely to get their hands on for over a year. Enjoy the appetiser!
Doctor Who: Mind of the Hodiac is available for download and physical purchase now. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.
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Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
