‘Doctor Who’ Star Christopher Eccleston Returns in Audio Series

Christopher Eccleston, the Ninth Doctor, is returning to the “Doctor Who” franchise in a brand new audio series next year.

The actor originally played the iconic sci-fi character in 2005 during the first season of the BBC series’ revival, and now is set to return 15 years later, albeit in a new format. A 12-episode audio series with Eccleston and a full cast will begin being released in May 2021.

“After 15 years it will be exciting to revisit the Ninth Doctor’s world, bringing back to life a character I love playing,” Eccleston said in a statement.

The audio series will be created by Big Finish Productions, a production company, publisher and distributor of CDs, audio stories and books. The company has previously released other “Doctor Who” stories in addition to “Torchwood,” “Sherlock Holmes,” “Dark Shadow” and more.

“I first talked to Christopher about returning to the role of the Doctor at the Gallifrey One convention in February this year. Christopher said he was enjoying meeting the fans and was pleased that his Doctor was remembered so fondly. He indicated he would be open to discussing a project with Big Finish,” the company’s chairman Jason Haigh-Ellery said in a statement. “And then the pandemic happened and time moved both quickly and very slowly. Over recent months, ideas have been exchanged and discussions had. I am so pleased that Christopher has decided to return to the role with us — and I’m excited to welcome him to the Big Finish family as we discover the new adventures of the Ninth Doctor.”

“Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures” will be released as a four-disc collectors’ edition set or available to download with behind-the-scenes extras.