Susan's War

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Discussing The Sensorites in TV Club reminded me that they actually managed an audio return to the Whoniverse in the box set Susan’s War. This is one I have listened to and it’s rather enjoyable. Not only are the Sensorites back but there also William Russell reprising his role as an elderly Ian (with some lovely references to Barbara) and the Eighth Doctor and Veklin from the many Time War ranges.

The Sensorite episode is quite fun and builds on their telepathic abilities for the story (which of course is why The Sensorites is a such a strong story for Susan).

Has anyone else heard this set?

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I recently relistened to SW because I needed a Veklin fix - I listened to it when it first came out and couldn’t remember much except I liked it, and was delighted that I loved it when I revisited.

The second episode in the box is my favourite (I mean of course - Susan and Veklin undercover as painters is like catnip to me), but I very much enjoyed episode 1 as well. It was so delightful to hear Ian back again and I feel if I relisten to this box again it will be twinged with a little sadness. But it was a great story for him, and for Susan, and I loved how important they were to the story.

The last episode, in honesty, is my least favourite - it’s good, but I am also glad I am very familiar with the 8DAs.

Maybe I should finally finish my reviews for this set!

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I remember really liking this one, it’s a shame they didn’t do any more. Ian and Susan’s reunion alone makes it worth it (unless I’m mistaken this was the first time that was done in the EU, which is wild), but the other episodes are pretty good too.

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This sounds pretty fun.

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Ooh - not a set I saw coming back for one follow-on, let alone two!

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YELLING so this is exciting news to wake up to! And Heather Challands producing??? Yeah, this is going to be good, looking forward to this a lot

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Shame BigFinish are still hiring Will Brooks to make the cover-art since he’s got a long history of being transphobic.

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Am I the only one not to like this style of cover?
The colour composition is so jarring and that TARDIS looks like it has been tacked on with Microsoft Paint afterwards.
The War Doctor looks really strange next to Carole Ann Ford, almost as if they used a dodgy AI for his image.
Nice costume for Susan though :+1:

Was the first box-set any good?
When it comes to Susan I kind of like to solely stick to the continuity of the televised show (I haven’t really been blown away by what I’ve heard with her and Paul McGann)

Edit: Didn’t see the post right above this one …

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I really enjoyed it - and it has William Russell in it too as an elderly Ian going on a mission with Susan. There are some lovely mentions of Barbara.

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Okay I guess it’s time to relisten to Susan’s War!

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I hate when someone who’s work I like turns out to be transphobic. First I’ve heard of it with Brooks though, can anyone point any instances out? :frowning_face:

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Article

Leaving the Doctor to live on Earth wasn’t the end of Susan’s story. She’s now been drafted into the Time War, and two brand-new missions – both of which will become unusual family reunions – await her in audio drama box set Susan’s War: Family Ties.

The first story, The Lost Son, guest stars Sonny McGann as Alex Campbell, Susan’s son. Alex was introduced in the Eighth Doctor Adventures range in 2009, and was killed by the Daleks – so meeting a version of him is a shock for Susan.

Then, in The Golden Child, Susan encounters the War Doctor (Jonathon Carley). The last time she saw her grandfather (in 2020 box set Susan’s War), he was in his Eighth incarnation and had no taste for war, so this much more battle-hardened Doctor will take some getting used to.

Also returning in Susan’s War: Family Ties are Damian Lynch as Rasmus and Beth Chalmers as Veklin, two Time Lord allies of Susan.

The Worlds of Doctor Who – Susan’s War: Family Ties is now available to pre-order as a collector’s edition double CD plus slipcase (+ download for just £15.99) or as a digital download only (for just £12.99), exclusively here.

The two stories in this box set are:

The Lost Son by Sarah Cassidy

Still reeling from meeting her Grandfather back on Earth, Susan is assigned to assist a mother in search of her son. Priestess Vesselina is the new ruler of her world, and someone Gallifrey is keen to recruit as an ally.

But strange forces are at work on Materos, and Susan’s empathy becomes a weapon to be used against her…

The Golden Child by Peter Anghelides

A key ally to Gallifrey has winked out of existence. When Susan investigates the disappearance of this gifted politician and strategist, she finds someone else is also interested in the changed timeline.

The interloper is her grandfather. But this version of the Doctor is from the future of the Time War, and he’s not the man Susan remembers…

Writer Sarah Cassidy, who makes her Big Finish debut with this box set, said: “I was so excited to write for Susan, especially knowing Carole Ann Ford is playing her, because she was there at the start of Doctor Who, she’s absolute royalty. And what I really loved is writing Susan at the age that Carole Ann is now. Who says that older women can’t have adventures? Susan absolutely can.”

Script editor Matt Fitton added: “Way back in the Eighth Doctor Adventures, Susan lost her son Alex to the Daleks and attributed some of the blame to the Doctor and his actions. And that trauma is a big driving force for why Susan took the Time Lords’ invitation to do her duty in the Time War – to do this for Alex. However, in The Lost Son, we find a place where Susan’s empathy and her memories of Alex may end up being used against her.”

Family Ties will be followed by a further box set of two adventures, Susan’s War: Grandfather Time (release date TBC). Both stories in this volume will star Carole Ann Ford and Jonathon Carley, as Susan and the War Doctor face further Time War perils.

Big Finish listeners can save money by pre-ordering both Family Ties and Grandfather Time as a bundle for just £30 (collector’s edition CD box sets + download) or £25 (download only).

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