Radio Free Skaro #1089 - Werewolves of Zephon

Christmas is saved! The official Doctor Who YouTube Channel (don't forget to subscribe) and Big Finish have come together to present a new audio Christmas story starring Christopher Eccleston and Carole Ann Ford. We have the details. Other audio goodies are discussed as well in lieu of news of tenders and Cbeebies spinoffs, and the episode culminates in the third and final part of our Classic Series Commentary miniseries of "The Daleks' Master Plan"! Links: Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon Christopher Eccleston and Carole Ann Ford to star in the Ninth Doctor's Big Finish Christmas special RTD speaks out against Matt Brittin's AI remarks, suggests Doctor Who should be in production by summer Doctor Who Magazine #635 BBC Audiobooks: Doctor Who and the Androids of Tara due Nov 5 BBC Audiobooks: Doctor Who: Thirteenth Doctor Novels due Nov 5 BBC Audiobooks: Doctor Who: The Third History Collection due Dec 3 Soundtrack for 60th Anniversary Specials coming this Doctor Who Day Character Options Unveils Penultimate Doctor Who Collect & Build Set, arriving Oct 19 Big Finish: The Ninth Doctor Adventures: False Friends released Big Finish: The Ninth Doctor Adventures: The Rag Man Big Finish: Doctor Who – The Eighth Doctor Adventures: Fear the Reapers due Dec 2026 Big Finish: Star Cops – Conflict: Tick Tock released The Timelash Oct 18-24 Commentary: Classic Series Commentary "The Daleks' Master Plan" Episode 3 – Devil's Planet

Three big Doctor Who stories share the spotlight this week! Deadline reports that both Jed Mercurio's Hat Trick Mercurio and STV Studios are two of the interested bidders to make Doctor Who, the first image and details of the new CBeebies Doctor Who show TARDIS Crew were unveiled, and Russell T Davies' new memoir is out for all to dissect for its details and (lack of) juicy dirt. All this, and our second instalment in our Classic Series Commentary for "The Daleks' Master Plan"! Links: Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon Deadline reveals some Doctor Who bids: Jed Mercurio, STV Studios, among others First look at 'TARDIS Crew', brand new CBeebies animated adventure from the Whoniverse Russell T Davis' book "The Queerest of Folk" released Billie Piper's tears, Weinstein tension and a knife by the door: Russell T Davies' memoir doesn't hold back Gallifrey One: October Update: Discussion Panels & TARDIS Talks Big Finish: Doctor Who: Halloween – Doctor, Doctor, Doctor and Other Stories available now Big Finish: The Eighth Doctor – A New Pathway, an audio documentary, available with New Pathways Record Store Day Black Friday Doctor Who The Day of the Troll Vinyl LP Kickstarter: SHARE & ENJOY. A definitively inaccurate Douglas Adams story The Timelash Oct 11-17 Commentary: Classic Series Commentary "The Daleks' Master Plan" Episode 2 – Day of Armageddon

Doctor Who is dead, long live Doctor Who! Russell T Davies speaks of the end of his time on Doctor Who in an excerpt from his new book, while Bad Wolf's Jane Tranter laments the dismantling of the most recent TARDIS set. All this is happening while BBC Studios may have multiple bids to produce the next era of Doctor Who. All this and more, including the first episode of our Classic Series Commentary of the first quarter of "The Daleks' Master Plan"! Links: Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon 'Goodbye Whoniverse. God, that was fun!': Russell T Davies on writing the end of Doctor Who Jane Tranter mentioned on Instagram the TARDIS set was being torn down 'Doctor Who': Multiple BBC Studios Labels Likely To Apply For Tender Doctor Who: The Satan Pit Extended Movie Cut UK DVD/Blu-Ray announced, no release date yet Encore screening of The Daleks' Master Plan at Riverside Studios on October 31 The Savages now on iPlayer The Black Archive: Frontios by Paul Driscoll due Oct 6 from Obverse Books Big Finish: The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures: The Greatest Train Robbery released Big Finish: Doctor Who: Armageddon Dawn due Nov 2026 Big Finish: The Fugitive Doctor: Running Wild due Nov 2026 The Timelash Oct 4-10 Commentary: Classic Series Commentary "The Daleks' Master Plan" Episode 1 – The Nightmare Begins

It's the end, but the Circuit has been prepared for! Big Finish concludes the Fugitive Doctor's multi-month, multi-platform saga with audio play Full Circuit and Short Circuits, a couple of audiobooks. Plus "The Satan Pit" hits movie theatres on November 23, the BFI hosts a Blake's 7 Series 3 event, the usual Timelash nonsense continues apace and the one, the only David J. Howe graces us with an interview about all manner of Telos Publishing goings-on!  Links: Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon BFI Blake's 7 Series 3 event BBC announces The Satan Pit: Extended Movie Cut in cinemas November 23; tickets on sale Sept 26 BBC Expected To Announce TV & Radio Network Closures Next Week Matt Brittin: BBC cannot guarantee any programme or channel will exist forever Big Finish: Doctor Who – Circuit Breaker: Full Circuit now available Big Finish: Doctor Who – Circuit Breaker concludes with Short Circuits Big Finish: The Death and Life of River Song: River and Rory due Feb 2027 The Whoniverse Show with Peter Davison and Janet Fielding The Works of Steven Moffat (Screen Storytellers) due Feb 18, 2027 Great British Bake Off "regeneration" apes Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa nominated for Scottish BAFTA Audience Award Flight into Danger – The Story of the Original Airplane! (extended version) The Timelash Sep 27 – Oct 3 Interview: David J Howe

Big news! The moment has been prepared for by a cabal of BBC pencil pushers as the official Doctor Who Invitation To Tender was released to all and sundry! Steven and Warren pick apart the document with a fine tooth comb, highlighting requirements like "essential Britishness" before spring boarding into the usual speculation, and theorizing and equal parts cynicism and copium. Plus Big Finish and DWM news, The Timelash and a Miniscope featuring all three of the Three Who Rule examining the directing work of Peter Hoar! Links: Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon BBC publishes Doctor Who invitation to tender Doctor Who Magazine #634 Doctor Who "The Satan Pit" coming to Canada and UK cinemas on November 23 Written by Terrance Dicks: Book Launch with Simon Guerrier on November 26 in Manchester James Cooray Smith article The Last Battle Big Finish: Doctor Who – The Fifth Doctor Adventures: Shock and Awe available now Big Finish: The War Doctor Rises: Serpent's Nest available December 2026 Big Finish: Doctor Who – The Seventh Doctor Adventures: Homecoming available January 2027 The Timelash Miniscope Peter Hoar (Director) A Good Man Goes to War The Robot Revolution Lucky Day

A light week of Doctor Who related banter as we soldier through continued Circuit Breaker fun, speculate wildly about the upcoming Blakes 7 Series 3 Collection that was officially announced this past week, the usual Big Finish cover art overexamination, and a travel back through the years via The Timelash! Forwards to the Past, or something! Links: Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon Circuit Breaker: Kaleidoscope review Blake's 7 Series 3 Collection announced Frontios Black Archive book due Oct 6 The Reality War – 2005-2025: How the Doctor Who Revival Transformed Television coming Oct 26 Big Finish: Doctor Who – The Fourth Doctor Adventures: A New Occupation released Big Finish: Dark Gallifrey: The Decayed Master – Part Three released Big Finish: Halloween and Christmas collections due Oct 2026 and Dec 2026, respectively Big Finish audio novels The Missing Hour, due Oct 2026, and The Bath Chronicles, due Jan 2027 The Timelash

As befits these dog days of Doctor Who, we start this episode delving into both Edmonton infrastructure projects and the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, before summarily slapping ourselves upside the head and reporting on Warren's progress reading Circuit Breaker: Kaleidoscope (pretty good so far!) and the extraordinarily expensive yet mouth-wateringly lovely new Character Options set featuring Liz Shaw and a Primordial Professor Stahlman  Also books, the Timelash and an interview with the Cyberleader himself David Banks about his new book Man and Cyberman! Excellent! Links: Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon 2026 Hugo Award winners Circuit Breaker: Kaleidoscope Character Options Season Seven Set Liz Shaw and Primord available September 14 The Daleks' Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial by Alan Stevens due Sep 2026 Screen Printed: The Definitive Guide To The Exciting Adventures Based On The Popular BBC Television Serial available now Big Finish: The Death and Life of River Song: War Widow released The Timelash Interview: Man and Cyberman: Memoirs of a Cyber Leader by David Banks David Banks

The War between the Galactic Republic (Canada) and the Trade Federation (America) continues and is finally affecting things that actually matter like Doctor Who as Catherine Tate and other guests have bowed out of Edmonton Expo due to overcomplicated plane shenanigans as available flights plummet between our two nations! In better news, Steven sings the praises of the BBC show Ludwig, which is like Doctor Who if Doctor Who was a crime procedural, and Gallifrey One continues with their second wave of guest announcements! Plus more exciting Circuit Breaker updates, New Paradigm Dalek dollies, more mutant heads aka Funko Pops, and another edition of The Timelash!  Links: Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon Katy Manning, Frazer Hines. Simon Guerrier, Stephen Cole announced for Gallifrey One Catherine Tate, other guests cancel Edmonton Expo appearances due to lack of Edmonton-LA flights Circuit Breaker: The Doctor and the Three Witches Circuit Breaker: Momento Mori Waris Hussein and Carole Ann Ford on The Whoniverse Show Redone Doctor In Distress video by the online community, supporting the Red Cross The Underwater Menace and The Faceless Ones event at Riverside Studios on October 3 Doctor Who 2005-2022 coming to Kanopy Sep 4, seasons added weekly Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor, New Paradigm Dalek sets coming from Character Options New Doctor Who Funko Pops released Aug 28 Big Finish: Doctor Who – The Sixth Doctor Adventures: Reunion Big Finish: Doctor Who – The Eleventh Doctor Adventures: Hidden in Plain Sight released The Timelash

Despite the continuing lull in Doctor Who content we've got a bumper crop of stuff to talk about this week, including a missing episodes saga of sorts from Steven with many twists, turns, and 3/4" U-Matic tapes! the ever-present Circuit Breaker (except in Canada, more on that within), Mark Gatiss predicting the Doctor Who tender "quietly won't happen," the official launch of the Pondcast featuring Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill, and the return of our look back at the week in the history of Doctor Who, namely – The Timelash!  Links: Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon Circuit Breaker: Don't Blink! Circuit Breaker: The Three Witches (part of updated Time Lord Fairy Tales) released on August 20 Circuit Breaker: The Three Witches comes out Feb 23 in Canada Mark Gatiss predicts Doctor Who's tender "quietly won't happen": 'It's time for a break' BBC bosses headlining Mipcom Doctor Who Magazine 633 David Tennant interview excerpt on official Doctor Who website Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill officially launched Pondcast Big Finish: The Twelfth Doctor Adventures: The Second Death of the Daleks released Big Finish: Doctor Who – The Tenth Doctor and Rani coming August 2027 Big Finish: Dark Gallifrey: The Decayed Master available now Big Finish: The War Master: Deeds Without Name due Oct 2026 Big Finish to republish Radio Times specials celebrating Doctor Who's 10th and 20th anniversaries How (Not) to Film in Cars by Rachel Talalay Doctor Who: Corruption of the Daleks graphic novel coming October 20 Chromakey Magazine subscription offer The Timelash

It's a landmark episode of Radio Free Skaro as we mark 20 years of blabbing into microphones about the greatest television show ever made, that there Doctor Who, with a touch of reminiscing and reflection on our various accomplishments, hankerings and foibles, and many, many of your Fluid Links answered in an epic-length episode the likes of which we (probably) won't do for another 20 years! In the words of Tom Baker: indomitable! Links: Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon Toby Hadoke, Geoffrey Beevers, Daisy Ashford announced for Gallifrey One 2027 Catherine Tate announced for Edmonton Expo Blue Zoo Animation appoints Dominic Minns as Creative Director, Series Director of Doctor Who series Fifth Doctor Sonic Screwdriver now available Eighth Doctor Sonic Screwdriver due Sep 21 Big Finish: Doctor Who – The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Dark Tides released Big Finish: Doctor Who – The Ninth Doctor Adventures: False Friends due Oct 2026 Big Finish: The Twelfth Doctor Adventures: Duty of Care released Chimes of Midnight paperback due Nov 5