Leaving the Doctor to live on Earth wasn’t the end of Susan’s story. She’s now been drafted into the Time War, and two brand-new missions – both of which will become unusual family reunions – await her in audio drama box set Susan’s War: Family Ties. 

The first story, The Lost Son, guest stars Sonny McGann as Alex Campbell, Susan’s son. Alex was introduced in the Eighth Doctor Adventures range in 2009, and was killed by the Daleks – so meeting a version of him is a shock for Susan. 

Then, in The Golden Child, Susan encounters the War Doctor (Jonathon Carley). The last time she saw her grandfather (in 2020 box set Susan’s War), he was in his Eighth incarnation and had no taste for war, so this much more battle-hardened Doctor will take some getting used to. 

Also returning in Susan’s War: Family Ties are Damian Lynch as Rasmus and Beth Chalmers as Veklin, two Time Lord allies of Susan. 

The Worlds of Doctor Who – Susan’s War: Family Ties is now available to pre-order as a collector’s edition double CD plus slipcase (+ download for just £15.99) or as a digital download only (for just £12.99), exclusively here. 

The two stories in this box set are: 

The Lost Son by Sarah Cassidy 

Still reeling from meeting her Grandfather back on Earth, Susan is assigned to assist a mother in search of her son. Priestess Vesselina is the new ruler of her world, and someone Gallifrey is keen to recruit as an ally. 

But strange forces are at work on Materos, and Susan’s empathy becomes a weapon to be used against her... 

The Golden Child by Peter Anghelides 

A key ally to Gallifrey has winked out of existence. When Susan investigates the disappearance of this gifted politician and strategist, she finds someone else is also interested in the changed timeline.  

The interloper is her grandfather. But this version of the Doctor is from the future of the Time War, and he’s not the man Susan remembers… 

Writer Sarah Cassidy, who makes her Big Finish debut with this box set, said: “I was so excited to write for Susan, especially knowing Carole Ann Ford is playing her, because she was there at the start of Doctor Who, she's absolute royalty. And what I really loved is writing Susan at the age that Carole Ann is now. Who says that older women can't have adventures? Susan absolutely can.” 

Script editor Matt Fitton added: “Way back in the Eighth Doctor Adventures, Susan lost her son Alex to the Daleks and attributed some of the blame to the Doctor and his actions. And that trauma is a big driving force for why Susan took the Time Lords’ invitation to do her duty in the Time War – to do this for Alex. However, in The Lost Son, we find a place where Susan’s empathy and her memories of Alex may end up being used against her.” 

Family Ties will be followed by a further box set of two adventures, Susan’s War: Grandfather Time (release date TBC). Both stories in this volume will star Carole Ann Ford and Jonathon Carley, as Susan and the War Doctor face further Time War perils. 

Big Finish listeners can save money by pre-ordering both Family Ties and Grandfather Time as a bundle for just £30 (collector’s edition CD box sets + download) or £25 (download only). 

All the above prices include the special pre-order discount and are subject to change after general release. 

Please note that Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mail-out of collector’s edition CDs may be delayed due to factors beyond our control, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.