In celebration of all the strong female characters from the Doctor Who universe, a female lead cast, along with female writers, producer and director, has come together for an audio box set like no other.

The Eighth of March, scheduled for release on International Women’s Day 2019, explores merely a fraction of the amazing female characters of more than 50 years of the iconic BBC Studios television show.

Starring Ace (Sophie Aldred) and Professor Bernice Summerfield (Lisa Bowerman), Professor River Song (Alex Kingston) and Leela (Louise Jameson), UNIT-team Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) and Osgood (Ingrid Oliver) and, in a Big Finish first together, Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh) and her wife Jenny (Catrin Stewart). This box set celebrates these powerful, multifaceted characters in stories very unique to the Doctor Who universe.

Four adventures set on the 8th of March will see some of the strongest women in the universe working together…

The Big Blue Book by Lizzie Hopley (starring Ace and Bernice Summerfield)

Inside Every Warrior by Gemma Langford (starring the Paternoster Gang)

Emancipation by Lisa McMullin (starring River Song and Leela)

Narcissus by Sarah Grochala (starring Kate Stewart, Osgood and… the other Osgood!)

Big Finish Productions was formed 20 years ago in 1998 with its first release being a tale from one of the Doctor’s companions, Bernice Summerfield, and it continues to this day to create new empowering female heroes in their own series.

The Eighth of March is not only a celebration of many great female characters (including the Thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker), but a reminder that one of the great virtues of Big Finish is that it is able to explore and add to the mythology of characters that we have more to learn from.

Director Helen Goldwyn told us more about this new audio project: “It seems very timely to celebrate some of the women of Doctor Who, especially as the female characters in the series have evolved over the years to reflect how women's roles have changed in society too; from assistants and inferiors to equals and adversaries!

“And what's it been like, working with all these wonderful, legendary Doctor Who actors (not to mention all the fantastic guest actors too)? Well it could only ever be a delight and a privilege really, couldn't it? How fantastic to be part of a series that not only brings the women of Doctor Who to the forefront, but which also celebrates Big Finish's commitment to represent and nurture female creatives like myself who have, for so long, been in the minority. This production brings us another step forward and I'm proud to be part of that.”

And producer Emma Haigh told us about uniting these creatives together, “It’s been a real thrill to be part of this exciting project which once again shows off the creativity of Big Finish. It’s a privilege to work with these iconic actresses and our incredibly talented director and writers. The different combination of characters from across the series and years’ work brilliantly and has been quite inspiring.”

From the worlds of Doctor Who, The Eighth of March is available for pre-order now ahead of its release on International Women’s Day, 8th March 2019, at £25 on CD or £20 on download from www.bigfinish.com. It will remain at this price until general release at the end of April 2019, when it will be available for £30 on CD or £25 on download.