Christopher Eccleston reveals details about his "tremendously fun" new Doctor Who story with Billie Piper

The latest Doctor Who audio adventure from Big Finish, titled False Friends, has been released, once again reuniting Ninth Doctor star Christopher Eccleston with Rose Tyler star Billie Piper.

The duo are joined in the new story, which is part of The Ninth Doctor Adventures, by Máiréad Tyers (The Walsh Sisters) and Joe Pitts (The New Look), who play Minnie and Gary – two citizens of what seems to be London – who both start to believe their home isn’t quite real.

The synopsis for the audio adventure says: "Help arrives in the form of the Doctor and Rose. But as the four investigate this false Earth, they discover that the true power behind it is one very familiar to the Doctor..."

Now, upon the release of False Friends, Eccleston has spoken about the new adventure, calling it "a tremendously fun episode" which sees the Doctor "very engaged by the puzzle that he and Rose are confronted with and have to work out together".

He continued: "We see how quickly Rose learns and we understand that the Doctor made a very good choice – it wasn’t just sentiment when he asked her to come with him and travel the universe!

"Máiréad and Joe made me feel very old – two young actors coming in and just playing it brilliantly. Two really lovely roles, very cleverly written, and they are a pleasure to work with."

False Friends also stars Glen McCready as Peter Ampersand Hashtag, Gary’s ‘motivational speaker’ boss, and Nicole Davis as Alice JNKL50.

Tyers said of starring in the adventure: "Doctor Who is such an iconic British TV show and coming into this world, I’m reminded of how impactful it was at the time and how big a show it was and is.

"I thought this was a really interesting story. It’s not immediately obvious to you what the story is or what this world is that they’re living in, you find out little details as it goes on. And I love the way that Minnie and Gary meet and how their different character traits enable them to meet one another."

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.

Doctor Who – The Ninth Doctor Adventures: False Friends is now available to purchase for £9.99 (download to own) or £11.99 (download to own + collector’s edition CD), exclusively from www.bigfinish.com. It is the eighth of 12 new audio adventures for the Ninth Doctor and Rose.

The audio drama arrives as it was just announced that Eccleston and Susan Foreman star Carole Ann Ford are teaming up for a festive audio adventure, titled The Wash.

Doctor Who – The Ninth Doctor Adventures: False Friends is available to buy on Big Finish. Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Add Doctor Who to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.