Tom Baker Returning to Doctor Who in Forthcoming Audio Adventure

After an absence of more than 28 years, Tom Baker returns to Doctor Who in the epic audio adventure "Hornet's Nest." The BBC has confirmed on its official Doctor Who webpage that Baker will reprise his role as the Doctor in the five-part audio adventure "Hornet's Nest." The episodes will be released monthly on CD beginning in September.

Baker was the fourth actor to play the Doctor in the long-running BBC science fiction series. He succeeded the widely popular Jon Pertwee in 1974. Baker appeared briefly in the regeneration scene at the end of Pertwee's final adventure, "Planet of the Spiders," then took over the role the following season beginning, with the story "Robot." His seven-year run ended in 1981 with the classic adventure "Logopolis," handing the key to the TARDIS to actor Peter Davison. In addition to being the longest-running Doctor in the history of the program, Baker has also been recognized as the most popular actor to have played the Time Lord.

Doctor Who fans will also recognize several other actors co-starring with Baker in "Hornet's Nest." Richard Franklin will return as retired UNIT officer Captain Mike Yates. Rula Lenska, who played Styles in the Peter Davison stroy "Resurrection of the Daleks" (click here for DVD review) is the Hornet Queen. Also appearing is Stephen Thorne, who played various villains in episodes during the Jon Pertwee era, will also appear in the production, although his role has not yet been made known to the public.

Big Finish Audio has produced numerous Doctor Who audio adventures over the years with Doctors and companions from the classic series. Baker had been invited to participate in the Big Finish productions, but he had politely declined those offers. "Hornet's Nest" is a dramatic production for BBC Audiobooks. Magrs stated on the BBC's webpage that he was excited to have the opportunity to write a script for Tom Baker as the Doctor, saying "This is the first adventure with the Tom Baker Doctor since 'Logopolis.' And it feels fantastic to write for him. I would say he's a brilliant mixture of everything the Fourth Doctor ever was. He's dark and sombre at times; other times he's gleefully macabre and mischievous."

"Hornet's Nest" is not the first Doctor Who audio adventure Tom Baker has participated in. In 1976, Baker and co-star Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) appeared in the audio drama Doctor Who and the Pescatons, released by Argo Records. The audio track of one of Baker's televised adventures, "Genesis of the Daleks" (click here for DVD review) was released on a vinyl LP as an audio drama by BBC Records.

The BBC has launched a dedicated webpage to support "Hornet's Nest," featuring audio clips as well as photos from the recording sessions and a Q & A session with Tom Baker. The first episode, "The Stuff of Nightmares," will be released on CD Thursday, September 3rd. Part Two, "The Dead Shoes," will be available October 8th, followed by "The Circus of Doom" on November 5th. Parts Four and Five, "A Sting in the Tale" and "Hive of Horror," will both be released December 3rd. The episodes will also be available for download from audible.co.uk.

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