Susan

Forty-five years after she left Doctor Who, Carole Ann Ford is returning to the role of companion Susan Foreman in "An Earthly Child".

This special hour-long audio play from Big Finish Productions finds the Eighth Doctor (played by Paul McGann) visiting the planet Earth in the 22nd Century to check the progress of the grand-daughter he left behind. Things have moved on since he was last there: Susan has become a key player in rebuilding the remnants of a world decimated by a Dalek invasion (see "The Dalek Invasion of Earth"), and she has a son from her marriage to David. And Alex Campbell, The Doctor's great-grandson, is played by Jake McGann ­ the son of Paul.

An Earthly Child (Marc Platt)

‘From its inception right through to the recording day, this production felt very special indeed’, executive producer Nicholas Briggs has stated. ‘Marc Platt has written an emotionally-charged and dramatic script, which delivers everything fans could wish to see in such a momentous reunion between The Doctor and Susan. And Paul McGann was just thrilled to be working on this episode ­ he absolutely embraced the exploration of Doctor Who's own mythology, and Jake was just perfect in the role of Alex. It was also lovely to work with Carole again ­ the scenes between The Doctor and Susan will, I have no doubt, bring a tear or two to the eyes of listeners.’

The cast also includes Leslie Ash (Men Behaving Badly) as Marion Fleming and Ian Hallard as Duncan.

"An Earthly Child" will be given away free in December 2009, with "Plague of the Daleks", to the subscribers of Big Finish Production's monthly Doctor Who range.