Ace Goes Home

Ever since Ace (Sophie Aldred) first met the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) in 1987 TV story Dragonfire, Doctor Who fans have wondered what made her into the troubled teenager on the run who joined the TARDIS.

Throughout the subsequent TV stories, as well as Ace’s appearances in novels and audio dramas, there have been hints about Ace’s absent father and troubled relationship with her mother. But the full story has never been told, and even in her later years, Ace hasn’t truly confronted her past – until now.

The Seventh Doctor Adventures: Homecoming is a box set of three full-cast audio episodes, set across Ace’s life. It begins with a story set near the beginning of her time with the Doctor, in which the Autons use her family history against her.

Then, much later in her TARDIS travels, we rejoin Ace for an adventure in deep space alongside the Doctor and Hex – with Philip Olivier reprising the companion role for the first time since 2024’s The Last Day.

The box set’s three-part finale is set in the modern day, as Ace is a charity director freelancing for UNIT. She encounters a being from the time vortex, which causes her past to finally catch up with her. This story guest stars Rosie Cavaliero as Ace’s mother Audrey, Harry Myers as her father Harry, and William Ellis as her stepdad Stuart.

It’s going to be wicked, but it’s also going to be emotional...

Doctor Who – The Seventh Doctor Adventures: Homecoming, due for release in January 2027, is available to pre-order now for just £19.99 (download to own) or £24.99 (download to own + collector’s edition 3-disc CD box set). Please note: the collector’s edition CD box set is strictly limited to 1,500 copies and will not be re-pressed.   

The three stories starring Ace and the Seventh Doctor are:

The Auton Invasion of Ace by Jonathan S Powell (one part)

As sentient merchandise lays siege to 21st-century Thailand, a teenage tearaway from Perivale is having the time of her life. Armed with her new mentor the Doctor and a couple of cans of Nitro-9, Ace is ready to fight back.

But the Nestene Consciousness has a trick up its plastic sleeve. A trick by the name of Audrey Gale…

The Leviathan by Rochana Patel (two parts)

When the Doctor takes Ace and Hex to the Overlook, a temporal Tortuga suspended in the time vortex, an impossible journey begins into uncharted waters.

But just how far will the Doctor go to find the mythical Leviathan? What, or who, will he sacrifice? And are Ace and Hex willing to stay to find out?

There Is No Place Like Home by Jonathan Morris (three parts)

Investigating an energy wave without informing her friends at UNIT, Ace finds herself back in Perivale beside her mother’s grave. The Doctor is there – her Doctor, older – and so is a creature from the time vortex, a creature that will force Ace to face her greatest terror.

Her own past.

Producer Jonathan S Powell said: “Homecoming is a very special box set, and it’s all about Ace and the two most important relationships in her life – the Doctor, and a woman named Audrey Gale... From teenage tearaway to charity director, Ace has always been a woman on the run from her own past. What will happen when she comes face to face with the mother she left behind?

“I'm very proud of this set, the finale especially. Jonathan Morris took great care with his script, and there were laughs, gasps, and tears aplenty in studio that I hope longtime lovers of Ace will share with us.

“It was also a joy to welcome Philip Olivier back into the fold as Hex, and to see him, Sylvester and Sophie together again in studio. The beauty of time travel! A series about Ace’s life wouldn't have felt right without him.”

Writer Jonathan Morris added: “Over the years, in the TV show, books and audios, there have been so many hints about the history of Ace and her mother. I had a burning desire to tell the full story at last! I have done due diligence in making sure it all fits together. It’s about Ace’s emotional journey – where she came from, how she developed – and her mother’s journey, how Audrey started off being very similar to 15-year-old Ace.”

Big Finish listeners can save money by purchasing Homecoming in a bundle with the previous Seventh Doctor Adventures box set, July 2026’s Fixers, for just £38 (download to own) or £47 (download to own + collector’s edition CD box set). Alternatively, listeners can buy this series as part of a bundle of 15 Classic Doctor Who box sets for just £285 (download to own).

All the above prices (including pre-order and multibuy bundle discounts) are fixed for a limited time only and guaranteed no later than 28 February 2027.

Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mailout of collector’s edition CDs will be delayed, 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.