The Diary of River Song – New Recruit and other Big Finish updates

In keeping with tradition, I update the blog a smidgen later than I mean to re exciting new work things. So, to catch up, everything is going in this post.

First, the new River Song series has just been released. It’s set in Season 7 of classic Who, and River Song joins Liz and the Brig at UNIT. When I was asked to pitch for this I did a bit of a flail. Season 7 is one of my fav seasons (and, I think, the very best season of Doctor Who), while Liz and River are two of my most beloved characters.

I was lucky enough to write the first story, The Blood Woods, where Liz and River go off on an adventure very much inspired by my love of British folk horror. I also got to write the scenes where River meets Liz and the Brig for the first time. It was glorious good fun.

There have been some lovely reviews for the set, and I’m so glad people are enjoying it. I can’t wait to hear the other stories, and I am contemplating listening to my own. I’ve never done that. I’m afraid all I’ll hear is everything I could have made better, and a horror at having made the actors, director etc work words I could have improved…just one more draft, please… (I am assured this is Very Normal and happens to Most If Not All Writers.) I did, however, screw up the courage to listen to the trailer. And it was a thrill to hear Alex Kingston and one of the guest actors deliver my lines (acting, people, it’s like magic!) So, yes, I shall do my best to overcome The Fear.

And a massive thanks to my editor, the brilliant Matt Fitton, for all his amazing work on making the good bits gooderer and the bad bits less bad.

In other news, the cover for the next series of The War Master was just released, and it is magnificent. I’ve written the third story on the box-set, called Boundaries. I don’t even know what to say about this. Derek Jacobi is probably our greatest living actor, and I am in awe of the fact I was given the chance to write for this. (Forever grateful to Scott Handcock.) My current fear is that anyone listens to the interview extra bits; I did go off on some ridiculous ramble because OMGDEREKJACOBI. Hopefully it was all edited down to one or two sensible sentences. Ahem. This one’s due out in June 2022.

And there’s also been a cover released for a brand new series in The World’s of Blake’s 7: Bayban the Butcher is back!! I recall I may have cackled in a slightly mad way when I read the brief. Bayban is such a glorious character, a scene-stealing, scenery chewing, magnificence of a character. If there’s one flaw with City at the Edge of the World, it’s that there’s not enough Bayban. I always end that ep wanting more. And now there is! The boxset is released in February 2022.

And once again, there is a cracking good cover:

Finally, I’ve a story on the next Survivors boxset, Bad Blood. Which carries on the story the fantastic, long-running Big Finish series that expanded and continued on the original series. That’s due out in February 2022. And my two-part Fourth Doctor story is out sometime next year? I think? It was definitely announced in Big Finish news. I’m 98% sure I haven’t made this up.

And that’s the lot! I’m so proud of the work I’ve done over the past few years, and so grateful to all the editors who’ve given me the chance to write for them, and for all the amazing people who work on creating the audios, and to everyone who’s listened. It still blows my mind that I get to be a part of this.

One last thing: I got to remotely sit in on a recording last Friday. Twas an experience both brilliant, and that writerly thing of wishing to rewrite things. Despite that, I’m so glad I went, and I cannot wait to share what it was for.