2021 (production)

2021 in

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the DWU • production history • vital statistics • releases

2021 was a year in which a number of events important to the production of Doctor Who and its spin-offs occurred.

January

• 1 January - The BBC announced the casting of John Bishop as new companion Dan Lewis.
• 3 January - Doctor Who: Lockdown! hosted a tweetalong of Dark Water/Death in Heaven.
• 5 and 7 January - Big Finish's audio anthology The Eleven was recorded remotely.
• 6 January - Big Finish's audio drama anthology The Stuff of Nightmares was recorded.
• 9 January - Doctor Who: Lockdown! hosted a tweetalong of Partners in Crime.
• 11, 12 and 18 January - The Big Finish audio anthology Respond to All Calls was recorded remotely.
• 16 January - Doctor Who: Lockdown! hosted a tweetalong of Robot of Sherwood.
• 18 January - Big Finish announced the fourteenth series of Jago & Litefoot, adapted as an audiobook anthology.
• 19 January - The BBC announced Titan Comics' comic strip series Missy.
• 21 January
  • The BBC announced the Blu-ray box set The Collection: Season 24.
  • Big Finish announced the audio anthology The Eleven.
• 23 January - Doctor Who: Lockdown! hosted a tweetalong of School Reunion.
• 27 January - Recording for Big Finish's audio anthology Forty: Volume 1 was recorded remotely.
• 28-29 January - Big Finish's UNIT: Nemesis box set Between Two Worlds was recorded.
• 29 January
  • Recording for the Torchwood audio story Gooseberry was recorded remotely.
  • Big Finish announced the audiobook series The Audio Novels.
• 30 January - Doctor Who: Lockdown! hosted a tweetalong of Boom Town.

February

• 2 February - The Big Finish audio story Past Lives was recorded remotely.
• 3 February - Big Finish announced the UNIT: The New Series audio series Nemesis.
• 6 February - Doctor Who: Lockdown! hosted a tweetalong of Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.
• 11 February - Big Finish announced the seventh series of the audio series The Early Adventures.
• 11 and 18 February - Big Finish's The War Master audio anthology Escape from Reality was recorded.
• 14 February - Doctor Who: Lockdown! hosted a tweetalong of Love & Monsters.
• 15-19 February - The Big Finish audio story The God of Phantoms was recorded remotely.
• 21 February - Doctor Who: Lockdown! hosted a tweetalong of A Town Called Mercy.
• 22 February - Big Finish's audiobook anthology Short Trips: Volume 11 was recorded.
• 22, 23 and 25 February - Big Finish's audio anthology Old Friends was recorded remotely.
• 23 February - Big Finish's Torchwood - Monthly Range audio story Madam, I'm was recorded remotely.
• 24 February - Big Finish's audio anthology The Stuff of Nightmares was recorded.
• 28 February - Doctor Who: Lockdown! hosted a tweetalong of Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords, replacing the originally-planned The Unicorn and the Wasp. This concluded the Doctor Who: Lockdown! tweetalong series.

March

• 4 March - Big Finish announced an audio adaptation of the unproduced TV story Mind of the Hodiac.
• 8 March - Big Finish's Torchwood - Monthly Range audio story The Five People You Kill in Middlesbrough was recorded remotely.
• 10 March - The BBC announced the steelbook of Series 8.
• 22 March - Big Finish's audio anthology The Third Doctor Adventures: Volume Eight was recorded.
• 24 March - The BBC announced the reissues of The Collection: Season 12 and Season 19.
• 25 March
  • The BBC announced the two-part anthology The Essential Terrance Dicks.
  • Big Finish announced the audio story The God of Phantoms.
  • Russell T Davies received an email asking for a Zoom call between himself, Director of Drama Piers Wenger, and Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore in response to Davies' 23 December email about Catherine Tate and David Tennant's interest in returning to Doctor Who. During the Zoom call, Davies was given the offer to return as showrunner. (DWM 586)

April

• 6-8 April - The Big Finish audio story The Auton Infinity was recorded remotely.
• 7 April - Big Finish's Torchwood - Monthly Range audio story Curios was recorded remotely by Mayfield Records and Will Wadham.
• 12, 14 and 19 April - The Big Finish audio story Watchers was recorded remotely.
• 13 April - The BBC announced the vinyl version of The Ice Warriors.
• 21, 28 and 29 April - Big Finish's audio anthology The Third Doctor Adventures: Volume Eight was recorded.
• 23 April - Big Finish announced the Torchwood - Monthly Range audio story Empire of Shadows.
• 26, 28 and 29 April - Big Finish's Torchwood Soho audio story Ashenden was recorded.
• 28 April
  • The Big Finish audio story Two's Company was recorded at the Soundhouse and remotely.
  • Big Finish announced the two-part Fifth Doctor Adventures audio anthology Forty.
• 29 April - Big Finish announced The Audio Novels audiobook Watchers.

May

• 4 and 6 May - 2021 - Big Finish's The War Master audio anthology Escape from Reality was recorded.
• 5 May - Big Finish's audio anthology Peladon was recorded.
• 13-14 May - Big Finish's Missy audio anthology Missy and the Monk was recorded remotely.
• 15 May - The BBC announced the audiobook anthology K9 Audio Annual.
• 19-21 May - Big Finish's The Doctor Chronicles audio anthology Timejacked! was recorded at the Soundhouse.
• 24 May - The BBC announced the reissues of The Collection: Season 10 and Season 18.

June

• June - Big Finish's The War Master audio anthology Self-Defence was recorded.
• 3 June - Big Finish announced the audio anthology Peladon.
• 7 June - Big Finish's audiobook anthologies Short Trips: Volume 11 and Short Trips: Volume 12 were recorded.
• 8-10, 15 and 16 June - Big Finish's The Diary of River Song audio anthology New Recruit was recorded at the Soundhouse.
• 9 June - Big Finish announced the Missy audio anthology Missy and the Monk.
• 11 June - Big Finish's audiobook anthology Short Trips: Volume 11 was recorded.
• 19 June - The BBC announced the vinyl version of The Myth Makers.
• 21-23 June - Big Finish's audio anthology Water Worlds was recorded at the Soundhouse.
• 21 and 30 June - The Big Finish audio stories Daleks! Genesis of Terror (based on Genesis of the Daleks' original storyline) and The Ark (based on The Ark in Space's original storyline) were recorded remotely.
• 29 June - Big Finish announced the Jenny: The Doctor's Daughter audio anthology Still Running.

July

• July
  • Big Finish's Jenny: The Doctor's Daughter audio anthology Still Running was recorded remotely.
  • Big Finish's The War Master audio anthology Self-Defence was recorded.
• 1 July - The BBC announced the animated recreation of the missing episodes of The Evil of the Daleks, scheduled for release on 27 September.
• 7 July - Big Finish announced The Diary of River Song audio anthology New Recruit.
• 7-8 July - Big Finish's audio anthology In the Night was recorded.
• 8 July - Big Finish's Torchwood - Monthly Range audio story The Great Sontaran War was recorded at Southea Studios and remotely.
• 8 and 26 July - Big Finish's Torchwood audio story The Red List was recorded at the Soundhouse and remotely.
• 13 July - Big Finish's Torchwood Soho audio story Ashenden was recorded.
• 13-14 July (plus additional pick-up dates) - Big Finish's audio anthology Stranded 3 was recorded at the Soundhouse and remotely.
• 21 July - Big Finish announced the audio box set The Year of Martha Jones.
• 25 July - Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill, John Bishop, Chris Chibnall and Jacob Anderson attended the virtual San Diego Comic-Con to promote Series 13.
• 26 July - Big Finish announced the Torchwood Soho audio story Ashenden.
• 27 July - Big Finish announced the Torchwood - Monthly Range audio story The Great Sontaran War.
• 29 July - The BBC confirmed that Jodie Whittaker and showrunner Chris Chibnall would be leaving Doctor Who after Series 13 and the 2022 Specials.
• 30 July - The audio commentary for Galaxy 4 was recorded.

August

• August - Big Finish's The War Master audio anthology Self-Defence was recorded.
• 2 and 9 August - The Big Finish audio story Daleks! Genesis of Terror was recorded remotely.
• 3-5 August - The Big Finish audio story Emancipation of the Daleks was recorded remotely.
• 4 August
  • Big Finish's Torchwood - Monthly Range audio story The Grey Mare was recorded at Southsea Studios and remotely.
  • Big Finish announced the seventh and eighth series of The War Master.
• 5 August - Big Finish announced The Doctor Chronicles audio anthology Timejacked!.
• 9 August - Big Finish announced the seventh series of the audio series The Lost Stories, confirming audio adaptations of the original storylines for The Ark in Space and Genesis of the Daleks. The last day of the recording of these stories took place on this day.
• 12-13 August - Big Finish's audio adaptation of the unproduced TV story Mind of the Hodiac was recorded at the Soundhouse and remotely.
• 26-27 August - Big Finish's The War Master audio anthology Escape from Reality was recorded.

September

• 2 September - Big Finish's Torchwood - Monthly Range audio story Sonny was recorded remotely.
• 6, 8 and 21-23 September - The Big Finish audio story The Annihilators was recorded at the Soundhouse and Audio Sorcery.
• 7-10 September - Big Finish's audio anthology Charlotte Pollard: The Further Adventuress was recorded remotely.
• 9 September (plus additional, unspecified dates) - Big Finish's audio anthology Genesis was recorded.
• 13 September - Big Finish announced the second series of The Ninth Doctor Adventures.
• 14 September - Big Finish announced the casting of Ruth Madeley as the Sixth Doctor's companion Hebe Harrison.
• 15 September - The BBC announced the animated recreation of Galaxy 4.
• 16 September - The mystery series FindTheDoctor ended.
• 21-23 September - The Big Finish audio anthology Battlegrounds was recorded at the Soundhouse.
• 23 September - Big Finish's audiobook anthologies Short Trips: Volume 11 and Short Trips: Volume 12 were recorded.
• 24 September - The BBC announced that Russell T Davies will succeed Chris Chibnall as showrunner from 2023 onwards.

October

• 4 October - Big Finish's The War Master audio anthologies Solitary Confinement and Rogue Encounters were recorded at the Soundhouse.
• 8 and 12-13 October - Big Finish's audio anthology The Second Doctor: Volume Three was recorded remotely.
• 8 October - Big Finish's audio anthology Back to Earth was recorded.
• 9 October - Series 13 was confirmed to launch on 31 October, under the umbrella title Flux.
• 12 October - Big Finish announced the audio anthology Charlotte Pollard: The Further Adventuress.
• 14 October - Big Finish's audio anthology Into the Stars was recorded at the Soundhouse.
• 15 October - Big Finish's audiobook anthologies Short Trips: Volume 11 and Short Trips: Volume 12 were recorded.
• 16 October - Big Finish's audio anthology Protectors of Time was recorded at the Soundhouse.
• 18 October
  • Big Finish's Torchwood - Monthly Range audio story Infidel Places was recorded at PRL Studios.
  • Big Finish's audio anthology Shades of Fear was recorded at the Soundhouse.
• 22 and 27-29 October - Big Finish's audio anthology Blood & Steel was recorded at the Soundhouse.
• 25, 27 and 29 October - Big Finish's audio anthology Silver and Ice was recorded at the Soundhouse.
• 26 October - Big Finish's Torchwood audio story The Black Knight was recorded at the Soundhouse.

November

• 1-2 and 15 November - Big Finish's audio anthology Purity Undreamed was recorded at the Soundhouse.
• 5 and 11 November - Big Finish's audio anthology Hidden Depths was recorded at the Soundhouse and remotely.
• 10 November - Big Finish announced details on the audio anthology Silver and Ice.
• 11, 17 and 18 November - The Big Finish audio anthology The Outlaws was recorded at the Soundhouse.
• 11 November - Big Finish's audio anthology Into the Stars was recorded at the Soundhouse.
• 12 November - Big Finish's Torchwood audio story War Chest was recorded.
• 15-17 November - Big Finish's UNIT: Brave New World audio anthology Seabird One was recorded at the Soundhouse.
• 16 November - The Big Finish audio story The Union was recorded at the Moat Studios.
• 19 November
  • Big Finish's Short Trips audiobook The Lichyrwick Abomination was recorded at PRL Studios.
  • Big Finish's audiobook anthology Short Trips: Volume 12 was recorded.
• 22 and 25 November - Big Finish's audio anthology Shades of Fear was recorded at the Soundhouse.
• 23 November
  • The BBC announced the animated recreation of The Abominable Snowmen.
  • Big Finish's audiobook anthology Short Trips: Volume 11 was recorded.
• 26 November - Big Finish announced the audiobook versions of the Bernice Summerfield novels The Weather on Versimmon and The Slender-Fingered Cats of Bubastis.
• 29 November - Big Finish's Torchwood One audio anthology Nightmares was recorded at the Soundhouse.
• 30 November - Big Finish announced the cast and story details for the audio anthology Peladon.

December

• 5 December - The BBC announced the title for the New Year's Day special as Eve of the Daleks.
• 6-7 and 16-17 December - Big Finish's Gallifrey: War Room audio anthology Allegiance was recorded.
• 7 December - Big Finish announced the audio drama The Annihilators.
• 10 December
  • Big Finish announced details on The War Doctor Begins audio anthology Battlegrounds.
  • Big Finish announced that their licence to produce Doctor Who audio adventures had been extended until at least 2030.
• 13 December - Big Finish announced the winning entry of that year's Paul Spragg Memorial Short Trip Opportunity, a Ninth Doctor audiobook entitled The Lichyrwick Abomination.
• 13-14 December - Big Finish's Master! audio anthology Nemesis Express was recorded.
• 14-17 December - Big Finish's audio anthology Stranded 4 was recorded at PRL Studios.

Footnotes