Doctor Who and the Pescatons, the Tom Baker / Elisabeth Sladen short audio drama originally released decades ago on LP and then released on CD by Silva Screen in 1995, will apparently be re-released again on January 30, 2005, according to both a trade magazine and the Choices Direct website. The re-release will also include a bonus disc containing a 40 minute interview with Elisabeth Sladen. This is good news as the original CD release is extremely hard to find. No word as to whether this will be released on a BBC label or an independent label. (Thanks to PlanetWho)

Big Finish's plans for the forthcoming UNIT audio miniseries are being reported in the latest issue of DWM. Set in the modern day, the UNIT series stars Nicholas Courtney as retired Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, who is joined by Siri O'Neal ("Full Fathom Five") as Colonel Emily Chaudhry; Nicholas Deal as Colonel Robert Dalton, UNIT's new commanding officer; and Robert Curbishley as Lieutenant Will Hoffmann. The first two stories have already been recorded; part one is written by Iain McLauglin and Claire Bartlett and directed by Jason Haigh-Ellery, while part two is by Jonathan Clements and directed by John Ainsworth. More details soon.

Big Finish has issued the cover illustration for the fourth installment of the Dalek Empire III serial; click on the thumbnail at right for a larger version. Also updated: details on A Life Worth Livingedited by Simon Guerrier, a new Bernice Summerfield hardcover anthology with 14 stories about the further adventures of the former Doctor Who novel companion. Click on the thumbnails for larger versions of each cover.

Update 10 Sep, 0500 GMT: A couple of things missed in the first go-round... Darin Henry's "Game Time" is now called The Game; that would be the January 2005 Big Finish audio starring Peter Davison. AndClockwerks is no longer on the schedule; the Paul McGann-starring Terror Firma is the sole July release, and Caroline Symcox's The Council of Nicea has moved up to August 2005.

Tenth Planet has teamed up with Silver Fist to rerelease three classic Doctor Who interview audio sessions on CD, featuring Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and the late Jon Pertwee. Jon Pertwee: Pertwee in Person is released in September; Colin Baker: The Ultimate Interview in October; and Sylvester McCoy: The Real McCoy in November. Says the info for the Pertwee CD: "Presented by Cyberleader actor David Banks, it is an in-depth discussion with the late Jon Pertwee (the third Doctor), recorded at his home in 1990, available commercially for the first time in over a decade. This new CD edition is digitally re-mastered, presented with full-colour cover graphics from veteran Doctor Who artist Andrew Skilleter." More details and all three covers can be found on Outpost Gallifrey's Forthcoming Releases page (under "Audio", about two-thirds of the way down the page). (Thanks to Tenth Planet)

Big Finish has released details for the forthcoming audio play The Next Life, the final part of the third 'season' of Paul McGann audios... and there are some big names in the cast. Daphne Ashbrook, who played McGann's co-star (Dr. Grace Holloway) in the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie, is reunited with McGann, albeit as a different character; while Paul Darrow, the star of "Blake's 7" (Avon) and twice a guest star on the Doctor Who series ("Doctor Who & The Silurians" and "Timelash") also joins the cast for the episode. Also making returns to the story are former Doctor Who companion actress Anneke Wills reprising her role from "Zagreus" as Charley's mother Louisa, and, returning as Rassilon, Don Warrington. The story is out in December; the cover blurb is below.

According to Magic Bullet Productions, Philip Madoc ("The Brain of Morbius") and John Leeson (K9) have both signed on to play roles in the forthcoming sixth Kaldor City audio, "Storm Mine" by Daniel O'Mahony, and that the part of Uvanov -- originally played by the late Russell Hunter -- will not be recast. "Kaldor City" is, of course, the audio series set in the universe of "The Robots of Death"; Hunter reprised the role of Uvanov from that Doctor Who serial until his death early this year. Meanwhile, as for Magic Bullet's recent acquisition of Faction Paradox audios from BBV, they've confirmed that author Lawrence Miles is currently writing the next two installments; Steve Johnson will continue to do the covers, and Alistair Lock will be taking over the sound design. At least one of these two stories will feature Gabriel Woolf reprising his role of Sutekh (from "Pyramids of Mars"). (Thanks to Fiona Moore)

While not specifically Doctor Who related, Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" has been stolen... something postulated in the Big Finish audio story Dust Breeding. Coincidence....?

Big Finish has announced some new projects coming up later this year and early 2005, both on their website and in the new issue of DWM. The tenth Short Trips volume, called Short Trips: 2040 edited by John Binns features short fiction including "Nuclear Option" by Richard Salter, "Separation" by Tara Samms, "Thinking Warrior" by Huw Wilkins, "Cateogorical Imperative" by Simon Guerrier, "Observer Effect" by Lance Parkin, "The Baron Wastes" by Alexander Leithes, "Daisy Chain" by Xanna Eve Chown, "Sustainable Energy" by Matthew Griffits, "Culture War" by Kate Orman, "Artificial Intelligence" by Andy Campbell, "/Carpenter/Butterfly/Baronet" by Gareth Wigmore, "Outsourcing" by Marc Platt, "Anteus" by Rebecca Levene, "The Last Emperor" by Jacqueline Rayner and "The Ethereal" by John Binns. The cover and cover blurb are below. Due out at the end of the year, in December, is Her Final Flight by Julian Shortman, a Seventh Doctor story that will be sent exclusively to Big Finish subscribers (much in the same way "The Maltese Penguin" was done two years ago). We also have cover illustrations and back cover blurbs for Caerdroia, the third Paul McGann serial of the new batch; and The Scripts Volume 4 featuring scripts from "Omega," "Davros," "Master" and "Zagreus".

The eleventh Short Trips volume, Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury edited by Paul Cornell, features short stories by Peter Adamson, Peter Anghelides, Paul Beardsley, Vanessa Bishop, Andy Campbell, Stephen Cole, Paul Condon, Martin Day, Terrance Dicks, Val Douglas, Karen Dunn, Stephen Fewell, Matthew Griffiths, Simon Guerrier, Shaun Lyon, Juliet McKenna, Jackie Marshall, Mark Michalowski, Lawrence Miles, Jonathan Morris, Neil Perryman, Marc Platt, Ian Potter, Cavan Scott, Darren Sellars, Dave Stone, Nick Wallace and Mark Wright. Editor Cornell told Outpost Gallifrey, "It's going to be quite a hefty collection, perhaps not quite as big as some of BF's recent 100,000 word anthologies, but large nevertheless, and packed full of Christmassy goodness! There's stuff that's bouncy and merry, stuff that's bittersweet, a bit of stuff that's actually pretty bleak, and some stuff that explores that M.R.James 'Ghost Story at Christmas' kind of feel. I won't pick more than one favourite here, but Steve Cole's story is like something out of Brecht, and it just blew me away. I'm trying for that comfortable, warm feeling that Who fans of a certain age associate with autumn, and it's not all fiction: it really is a treasury. There's a 'suitable for all ages' tag on it, too, because I think something with 'Christmas' on the cover should only run the risk of boring children (through prose that's too adult) rather than exposing them to stuff that's too mature for them. And there's a pattern to it that should reveal itself gradually if you dip in, or as a shape if you read it right through."

Meanwhile, a new batch of audios has been announced for 2005. April sees the release of Three's A Crowd by Colin Brake ("Escape Velocity"), a Fifth Doctor story; May features Catch-1782, a Sixth Doctor story; and John Ostrander's delayed Seventh Doctor tale Dead Man's Hand with Ace and Hex is due in June. July features two Eighth Doctor serials, entitled Terror Firma and Clockwerks; and August sees the release of Caroline Symcox's The Council of Nicea, a Fifth Doctor story. According to the new DWM, a story called The Time Sprite by Alison Lawson is on the schedule in May; it's likely that "Catch-1782" is the same story with a new title. The Gallifrey serials, previously mentioned here, also now have a release date: April through August 2005. Mary Tamm is, as rumored, reprising the role of Romana I alongside Lalla Ward (Romana II), John Leeson (K9) and Louise Jameson (Leela); you can visit the Big Finish website for more details. (Thanks to Big Finish, DWM, Steve Tribe)

At right is the cover illustration for Short Trips: Repercussions, the latest Doctor Who short story anthology from Big Finish. Originally due in late July, it was pushed back to early August and will be out next week. Click on the thumbnail for a larger version. (Thanks to Gary Russell)

While retailers have been reporting for some time that the BBC Radio Collection audio release of The Crusade is planned for February 2005, we now have word that, in fact, the long-delayed The Underwater Menace is due in February, according to a BBC Audiobooks customer service spokesperson. We don't know if this means that "The Crusade" was delayed, or both will be out at the same time, but we'll keep you posted. (Thanks to James Hadwen)