Behind the scenes of The Eighth Doctor Adventures

It’s now been thirty years since Paul McGann debuted as the Eighth Doctor in the Doctor Who TV Movie. This dashing incarnation of the Time Lord continues to explore time and space in his own range of full-cast audio dramas.

When he next returns in November’s box set New Pathways, the Eighth Doctor will be entering a new era of his life, with new companions Alfie Steep (Sam Stafford) and Chase Moyo (Natalie Gumede) aboard the TARDIS.

As an additional celebration of the anniversary, Big Finish Productions have produced The Eighth Doctor - A New Pathway, a bumper 110-minute behind-the-scenes audio documentary, which explores the Eighth Doctor’s life so far and the creation of this new era.

This in-depth documentary expands upon the standard CD extras to provide a thrilling insight into the different stages of production, with contributions from the Doctor himself Paul McGann, Big Finish’s creative director Nicholas Briggs, and creatives from across the cast and crew of New Pathways.

The Eighth Doctor - A New Pathway will be made available as a digital download to own for all purchasers of The Eighth Doctor Adventures: New Pathways, which is now available to pre-order for just £19.99 (download to own) or £24.99 (download to own + collector’s edition CD box set), exclusively from www.bigfinish.com. Please note: the collector’s edition CD box set is strictly limited to 1,500 copies and will not be re-pressed.

The 110-minute documentary is divided into eight sections:

Part One: The Story so Far

Paul McGann and Nicholas Briggs look back at the making of the TV Movie, and the Eighth Doctor’s journey to date at Big Finish.

Part Two: Creating the Companions

Script editor Matt Fitton, producer David Richardson, writer Alan Ronald, director Ken Bentley and actors Natalie Gumede and Sam Stafford explore the creation and development of the new companions Chase Moyo and Alfie Steep.

Part Three: The Making of Chase

The cast and creatives explore the making of the first episode. (Also on the standard CD extras.)

Part Four: The Making of Magic of the Sycorax

The cast and creatives on episode two. (Also on the standard CD extras.)

Part Five: The Making of Blast from the Past

The cast and creatives discuss episode three. (Also on the standard CD extras.)

Part Six: The Audio World of New Pathways

Sound designer Benji Clifford takes us through the creation of the audio world of the box set.

Part Seven: The Music of New Pathways

Musician Howard Carter discusses his score.

Part Eight: The Art of New Pathways

Sean Longmore tells us about his striking cover art for the stories.

Producer David Richardson said: “We wanted to do something special for the thirtieth anniversary of the Eighth Doctor, driving the character ever forwards into… well, New Pathways! There was so much to say about the development, making and relaunch of the range that the usual CD extras didn’t seem to be enough.

“The brilliant Maddy Searle has edited this huge documentary that dives deep behind the scenes of this box set, interviewing everyone involved as we explore the production from first idea to final edits and artwork, and Paul McGann also discusses his time on the TV Movie. It’s a fascinating journey – and it’s absolutely free on download with every purchase!”

Big Finish listeners can pre-order The Eighth Doctor Adventures: New Pathways together with the following box set, Fear the Reapers, as a multibuy bundle for just £38 (as digital downloads to own) or £47 (downloads + collector’s edition CDs).

Alternatively, listeners can buy the two volumes as part of a bundle of all 15 Classic Doctor Who box sets released in 2026 for just £285 (download to own).

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.