The Ninth Doctor's Christmas Special

Christopher Eccleston and Carole Ann Ford star together for the first time in The Ninth Doctor Adventures: The Wash, a special full-cast audio drama streaming free on the official Doctor Who YouTube channel this Christmas.

Written by Robert Valentine, The Wash reunites two generations of the Doctor's family – the Ninth Doctor himself and his granddaughter Susan – in a story that begins, improbably, in a launderette on the Powell Estate. Avoiding Jackie Tyler's early Christmas preparations, the Doctor heads to The Wash Inn; there, alongside unexpected dangers, he finds himself in conversation with a voice from the past.

The Wash will stream live on the official Doctor Who YouTube channel on Tuesday 22 December giving fans the chance to listen along together. It will remain free to stream for one month afterwards – part of a selection box of Doctor Who treats from Big Finish arriving over the Christmas period, with further announcements to come.

When Rose and Jackie start early Christmas prep, the Doctor opts to do the laundry. The Wash Inn is a hub and haven for lonely souls, and who is more lonely than the last of the Time Lords?

But why has the memory of his granddaughter, Susan, begun to trouble him? What terrible force lurks in an innocent washing machine? And is there enough Brite White in the world to deal with it? It will all come out in The Wash.

Big Finish listeners will also have the chance to purchase this special adventure as a digital download to own (for £16.99) and as a collector’s edition CD, which will come packaged with a collectible Christmas card (for £19.99), now available to pre-order exclusively from www.bigfinish.com. 

Please note: the collector’s edition CD and Christmas card are strictly limited to 3,000 copies each and will not be re-pressed. Note: deliveries of the CD and card will not arrive in time for Christmas but the download, including extra behind-the-scenes content, will be made available to own via the Big Finish website on Wednesday 23 December 2026. 

Christopher Eccleston said: “This was a brilliant, really outstanding script, I thought. I love that notion that as we go through our lives, particularly if you’re a Time Lord, everybody you meet remains with you.

“And working with Carole was really exciting. I’d been looking forward to it. I think that An Unearthly Child is the greatest episode ever made – when I made the TV series, that was the one I watched as inspiration. And she’s a pro, she was absolutely brilliant – a real honour.”

Carole Ann Ford added: “Acting opposite Chris was wonderful, marvellous. It’s such a strong story. Susan pushes this Doctor to try and sort himself out and not be so touchy with people. I think listeners will be cheering Susan on!”

Doctor Who – The Ninth Doctor Adventures: The Wash is now available to pre-order for just £16.99 (download to own) or £19.99 (download to own + collector’s edition CD + Christmas card), exclusively from www.bigfinish.com.

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.