Big Finish released today the first Doctor Who story entirely recorded during lockdown! The drama is called Doctor Who: Shadow of the Sun and was recorded from home studios. Tom Baker, Louise Jameson and John Leeson reprise their roles of The Doctor, Leela and K-9. Fenella Woolgar, who portrayed Agatha Christie in Doctor Who‘s episode The Unicorn and The Wasp, plays Lady Malina Riger-Smythe. You can check the synopsis here:
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?
The audio is directed by Nicholas Briggs, written by Robert Valentine and produced by David Richardson.
Nicholas Briggs said: “Once upon a time, audio or radio was recorded around a single microphone, with occasional exceptions. “Radio drama evolved from live recording, with effects and music being fed in ‘live’ during the takes. Big Finish revolutionized audio drama recording. We were the ones who championed the idea you could get great recordings of all the actors if they were separated from each other, which also gives maximum flexibility in a longer, more detailed post-production period. “So, recording people in their homes is just an extension of our usual working practice. The actors are actually more perfectly isolated from each other because they’re recording in completely different locations.”
Actor Louise Jameson added: “It’s been hilarious and neurotic in equal measure. I was terribly nervous the first time as I’m not technically adept! I’m not a sound engineer, but I’m learning! With people like Nicholas Briggs and producer David Richardson, who I know so well, it’s just like having them speaking in the room. “Toby Hyrcek-Robinson, our engineer at Moat Studios, talked me through the first session the day before the recording. He’s been absolutely amazing. When this is over, I’m definitely going to build a permanent home studio, just in case there are more pandemics in the future.”
Doctor Who: Shadow of the Sun is available to purchase on the Big Finish website, as a collector’s edition CD or a digital download.
