New Worlds for Old Favorites

Big Finish has announced three standalone hardback books and two new audios for 2005, all Doctor Who spinoffs, as part of their "New Worlds" range. Iris Wildthyme, the character originally created for the BBC Books collection and who has been played by Katy Manning on several Big Finish audios, is featured in the short story anthology Wildthyme on Top, edited by Paul Magrs (who created the character), with stories by Jonathan Blum, Stephen Cole, Jake Elliot, Craig Hinton, Kate Orman, Lance Parkin, Philip Purser-Hallard, Jacqueline Rayner, Justin Richards and Stewart Sheargold. Manning will return to the role later in 2005 in two single-CD audios, the details of which have yet to be announced. Project: Valhalla by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright is a novel about the Forge, the clandestine organisation created for their audios "Project: Twilight" and "Project: Lazarus". And The Coming of the Queen by Iain McLaughlin and Claire Bartlett is a novel about the life of Erimem, the Fifth Doctor companion from Big Finish's audio range played by Caroline Morris, taking place immediately before her debut story, "The Eye of the Scorpion."