Big Finish has released its first Third Doctor Adventure this year already, and you can expect a review from us on “Doctor Who and the Brain Drain” shortly. But details have already been revealed on the range’s next story, and “Operation: Vengeance” sounds exciting.
The story is set during Season 11, and stars Tim Treloar as the Third Doctor, Sadie Miller as Sarah Jane Smith, and Jon Culshaw as the Brigadier. But it will also feature an appearance from Katie Manning as Jo Jones, as the story acts as a sequel to a previously unknown adventure with the Third Doctor and Jo. In fact, Jo’s very existence is in danger, as her father Terry Grant (Max Bowden) is targeted before she’s even born.
"The Doctor makes an unexpected return trip to the planet Konzomia, this time with Sarah Jane Smith. The traumas of his previous visit, with Jo Grant, are apparently long forgotten. Except that they are not… Can a long-defeated danger be rearing up again? And will the plight of a young British soldier, retreating to Dunkirk in 1940, be the catalyst for the unravelling of history? "Operation: Vengeance
The fact that the story acts as a sequel to a previously unknown adventure is already intriguing. It’ll be interesting to find out just how much we learn about the Doctor’s first trip to the planet Konzomia. Will we learn everything about the Doctor’s previous visit, or will the full story be saved for a later release?
Big Finish sometimes like to release stories in the wrong order, almost like presenting jigsaw puzzles to the fans and letting them put the pieces together. It reminds me of how the Classic Series was released on video in completely random order, which is probably intentional.
The Third Doctor’s writing debut
“Operation: Vengeance” has been co-written by Tim Treloar and Nicholas Briggs. Having played the Third Doctor for Big Finish since 2013, this is the first story that Treloar has written for Big Finish.
"It was lovely working with Nick as a co-writer. I pitched the story to him, and he said, go on then, write something. I ended up writing all six episodes, and then giving it to him. And so Nick took my script away, shaved off a lot of my waffling, and turned it into a brilliant Doctor Who story. He’s added a heck of a lot to it, and it has been a rewarding experience for me."Tim Treloar
After hearing Treloar play the Third Doctor for so many years, across a large variety of stories, it’s exciting to know that he’s written a story of his own. “Operation: Vengeance” sounds ambitious and exciting, and I’ll be sure to listen to it when it’s released in October this year.
You can pre-order “Operation: Vengeance” on CD or download from Big Finish’s website.