Emotionally shattered after a tragedy, the Doctor arrives in London and becomes companion to Sherlock Holmes in an effort to stop Jack the Ripper’s murderous trail of terror. But is there an even greater evil at work in Victorian England?

Welcome to the fan produced Doctor Who audio Dark Journey. It’s a multi-episode series written, performed and produced in Toronto, Canada with a Canadian and international cast and crew featuring the music of Doctor Who fan favourite Traffic Experiment.

I had the chance to sit down and have a chat with Director/Producer M.A. Tamburro about the project.

Troughton Is My Doctor: What made you want to get into fan produced Doctor Who audio?

M.A. Tamburro: My good friend Andrew Chalmers is a writer and fellow Doctor Who fan. We’ve done a few small comedies and things together before and this just seemed like an obvious thing that would be fun and a challenge to do. I’m also a writer and involved in the podcast world.

TIMD: So once you two decided to write a Doctor Who audio, what were the big challenges with getting it produced and ready for the public?

MA: The story is set in England in the 1800’s, so our cast had to be, or at least sound, British. Andrew is half English, half Scottish, so we had our own iconic Doctor, we just needed everybody else!

TIMD: How many different actors worked on it?

MA: We cast from a surprisingly large pool of UK expats and recruited a fantastic and professionally trained cast of 10 actors plus a crew of 2.

TIMD: Tell me a little bit about the story itself, what is it about?

MA: The Doctor lands in 1880’s England and falls in as the companion to Sherlock Holmes who is on the trail of Jack the Ripper. Or so he thinks. The Doctor and Holmes work together to unravel the mystery  at the heart of recent brutal murders and protect the innocent!

TIMD: Right now we just have a trailer for it. When will it be available to download?

MA: June. It’s multi-episode, so there will be an ongoing story for listeners to enjoy.

TIMD: How many episodes do you have planned?

MA: We’ve recorded 4 episodes of Dark Journey, but are looking to do more if fans like what they hear.

TIMD: So, now for some fun questions like who’s your favourite Doctor?

MA: Non -canon is Andrew Chalmers- great catch phrase “Cool Beans!” Canon is Paul McGann. I could listen to him read the phone book!

TIMD: What did you think of Night Of The Doctor?

MA: Loved Night Of The Doctor, but too little of 8! Give this man an online or summer series!

TIMD: Agreed! That would be awesome.

MA: Troughton though is a close second and I’m not just trying to curry favour!

TIMD: Hey, consider that favour curried…. Um, nevermind. Do you have a favourite episode or story?

MA: McGann- The Chimes at Midnight, Troughton- The Mind Robber.

TIMD: Do you follow the omnirumour at all?

MA: Omnirumour? He was a rubber monster in a Pertwee serial right? Seriously it would be wonderful if true, but who knows, (taps nose) Who nose.

 

There you have it! Doctor Who Dark Journey will premiere in June, TIMD will have all the details as the release nears. For now check out their facebook page, follow them on twitter @AMAudioMedia and listen to the trailer for episode one, The Doctor Meets The Great Detective!

Thanks to MA Tamburro for the interview.