Our favorite archaeologist River Song is back for four new adventures across time and space, released today in The Diary of River Song: Series 8.
The stories feature The Doctor’s faithful companion K9, Mechonoids, and androids. The box set serves as a teaser prequel to the upcoming Dalek Universe series featuring David Tennant and out later this year.
Alex Kingston and Salome Haertel are back as River Song and Rachel. They are joined by Derek Griffiths (as 24th century war criminal, Annam Henic), Nicholas Briggs (as the Mechonoids), and John Leeson (K9).
The box set comprises four new stories directed by Ken Bentley and produced by David Richardson:
“Slight Glimpses of Tomorrow” by James Goss
“River feels responsible for synthetic person Rachel, left alone on a dying world. So she shows her the history of another, and teaches her the responsibilities of time travel. But can an android understand what it takes for a civilisation to evolve?”
“A Brave New World” by Tracy Ann Baines
“Rachel has made a choice and joins a new society at the start of its journey. But she has not bargained for the worst instincts of humanity. After leaving her ward behind, can River make it back in time to save her?”
“A Forever Home” by Alfie Shaw
“River finds herself caged and feeling under the weather. Luckily, her new owners are on hand to take care of her in her ‘forever home’. But which of River’s keepers can she trust? Is robot cat FE-LINE all she seems? And is K9 still a girl’s best friend?”
“Queen of the Mechonoids” by Jonathan Morris
“Space Security agents Anya Kingdom and Mark Seven answer a distress call – and find River Song, ruling a city of Mechonoids. But another shock awaits beneath this planet’s icy surface. The Mechonoids have been upgraded and are about to be unleashed upon the galaxy!”
When talking about the story “Queen of the Mechonoids,” Producer David Richardson said:
“We have, in ‘Queen of the Mechonoids,’ a prequel to Dalek Universe – a piece of the jigsaw puzzle that is the Tenth Doctor’s first full series since 2008. Our prequel finds River meeting Anya Kingdom (Jane Slavin) and Mark Seven (Joe Sims) – two characters that are pivotal to Dalek Universe – and then three of them will reunite in that series as well. How that will play out time, as always, will tell.”
The Diary of River Song: Series 8 is now available from the Big Finish website as a CD box set or as a download.
