The First Doctor Adventures is a Big Finish Productions audio play series based on the British television programme Doctor Who. It sees David Bradley and Stephen Noonan as the First Doctor, a role originated by William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966, as well as by Bradley on television in the episodes "The Doctor Falls", "Twice Upon a Time", and "The Power of the Doctor".
Beginning in 2017, it was announced that actor, David Bradley would portray the First Doctor, a role originated by William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966, as well as by Bradley on television in the episodes "The Doctor Falls" and "Twice Upon a Time". David Bradley also portrayed William Hartnell in the BBC bio-drama, An Adventure in Space and Time.[1][2]
Also appearing are Claudia Grant as Susan Foreman, Jemma Powell as Barbara Wright and Jamie Glover as Ian Chesterton.[1] These three actors also appeared alongside Bradley in the aforementioned BBC bio-drama.[2] James Dreyfus joins the cast as an earlier incarnation of The Master prior to Roger Delgado.[1][2]
Announced in September 2017, the first pair of stories was released on 25 December 2017, with a second pair released in July 2018.[1][2] Confirmed in July 2018, a third duo was released in January 2019.[3] The fourth and fifth volumes were announced in 2019 and 2021 respectively.[4][5]
In May 2020, Big Finish announced that the Main Range would conclude with in March 2021, to be replaced with regular releases of each Doctor in their own boxsets throughout the year in 2022.[6] A single boxset for the First Doctor was announced in May 2021, set for release in April 2022.[7] Executive Producer, Nicholas Briggs in response to a fan letter stated in the February 2022 issue of Vortex Magazine, "the new First Doctor range will feature an actor new to the role of the Doctor and he is, I assure you, amazing!".[8] On 11 February 2022, Big Finish announced that Stephen Noonan will be portraying the First Doctor alongside Lauren Cornelius.[9]
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in at least one season.
Individual episodes have titles, reflecting the practice of the programme in the 1960s when William Hartnell played the First Doctor.
These stories are set somewhere after the Season 1 story The Reign of Terror and before the Season 2 story Planet of Giants.
In April 2022, Executive Producer Nicholas Briggs expressed interest in producing further stories with Bradley.[6] In Issue 167 of Big Finish's magazine Vortex, Briggs teased further stories featuring Bradley's portrayal, saying "We've some very exciting plans afoot for further stories with David Bradley — something quite out of the ordinary and rather delightful.[10] On 17 April 2024, it was announced Bradley would continue to play a new alternate version of the First Doctor alongside Powell, Glover and Grant as alternate versions of their respective characters but now as part of the Unbound range instead, in a series titled The First Doctor Unbound.[11]
These stories are set between the Season 3 stories The Savages and The War Machines.
On 23 May 2024, Big Finish announced their slate of boxsets for 2025. Nicholas Briggs said: “All our writers, directors, script editors and producers continue to work tirelessly to create exciting new adventures for all our Doctors. The First Doctor continues his strange encounters with past companions, with an absolute corker by Jacqueline Rayner, already recorded and in post-production."[14] The release is set for January 2025.[15]