Christopher Eccleston Is Returning as Doctor Who's Ninth Doctor in a New Audio Series

Rejoice, Whovians! Christopher Eccleston, Doctor Who's Ninth Doctor, will finally return to play the Time Lord. After 15 years away, Eccleston is officially set to reprise his role in the upcoming audio drama series, Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures. The 12-part series will be released in four box sets, and the only bad news is that fans will have to wait until next year to hear it: The first set is scheduled to be released in May 2021.

"After 15 years it will be exciting to revisit the Ninth Doctor's world, bringing back to life a character I love playing," said Eccleston in a statement. And while there's nothing much to know just yet about the story, Eccleston's return has apparently been in the works for a bit. Jason Haigh-Ellery, chairman of Big Finish, the production company that will put out the series, said he spoke to Eccleston about it "at a fan convention in February this year." Haigh-Ellery added, "Christopher said he was enjoying meeting the fans and was pleased that his Doctor was remembered so fondly."

Eccleston last played the Time Lord in 2005 when the classic series relaunched. He appeared in 13 episodes opposite Billie Piper, who played his companion Rose.

Fans who can't wait to get their own box set can now pre-order all four volumes from the Big Finish website. The set is available in three different formats – collector's edition CD, digital download, or limited edition vinyl.