The Second Doctor and his companions return for four new audio adventures in September, as Big Finish launches the fourth season of Doctor Who: The Early Adventures.

‘The series aims to capture the flavour of soundtracks of the era,’ says producer David Richardson. ‘Recorded with the surviving companions and a full cast of actors, and with a little narration, these stories could fit perfectly into the 1967 era of Doctor Who.'

‘For the first three stories, we reunite Anneke Wills as Polly with Frazer Hines as Jamie, while Elliot Chapman again brilliantly recreates Ben. For the last story, it’s the turn of Wendy Padbury as Zoe, teamed up again with Frazer.’

September’s release is The Night Witches by Roland Moore, in which the TARDIS lands behind Russian lines during World War II and the travellers meet the titular Night Witches - the all-female bomber regiment of the Soviet Air Force. And one of the pilots is of particular significance to Polly…

‘This is a purely historical story - and like the best historicals it’s as exciting as any outer space adventure,’ says David. ‘Amid the wartime action there’s some lovely character interaction, and in particular Anneke has some really lovely scenes.’

In The Outliers (October) by Simon Guerrier, the travellers arrive on a asteroid in the far future, where miners are mysteriously vanishing. It’s up to the Doctor, Polly, Ben and Jamie to investigate - and the Examiner’s badge from the planet Vulcan is their passport… Debbie Chazen (Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned) plays Dr Goro, while Alistair Petrie (Rogue One) is Richard Tipple.

Strange things are afoot in Victorian London in The Morton Legacy by Justin Richards (November), as a number of deaths surround a family that has been embroiled in a long bitter legal case. The murders appear to be extra-terrestrial in cause… but who is the killer? David Sibley (Doctor Who: The Pirate Planet) guest stars as Josiah Morton.

In December’s The Wreck of the World by Timothy X Atack, the TARDIS crashes into a huge vessel that is floating through space. The World is a survival ark from Earth, but it has been dormant for thousands of years, and in its ruined interior something dangerous is stirring… Jessie Buckley (War and Peace, Taboo) plays Commander Lorne.

‘I’m particularly pleased that we have discovered two fantastic writers that are new to Big Finish with this season,’ says David. ‘Both Roland and Tim were recommended to us by their shared agent, and they have both hit the ground running with superb scripts. They’re both very experienced - Roland created and wrote BBC TV’s Land Girls, while award-nominated Tim is currently working on a science fiction TV series - but I’m so pleased they are finding time to write for many of our other ranges. You’ll be hearing much more from them!’

The first three series of Doctor Who - The Early Adventures are each available as Big Finish bundles for £40 on Download and £45 on CD, or each story can be bought individually for £12.99 or £14.99 respectively. Series four and five can each be Subscribed to today for £40 or £45, with the 2-CD sets posted as soon as released, while also unlocking Downloads in your Big Finish account.