Iconic Doctor Who villain returns in “epic” new story – with returning actress back after 10 years

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Fans can look forward to the return of the Rani, a classic villain from the Doctor Who series! She’ll be appearing in new audio adventures produced by Big Finish.

First appearing in 1985 with Kate O’Mara, this rebellious Time Lady has been a key figure in many Doctor Who stories. More recently, Anita Dobson and Archie Panjabi have also taken on the role, continuing her adventures in the Whoniverse.

Plus, it looks like more adventures are on the way! Actress Siobhan Redmond is reprising her role as the character, returning to voice her for a new audio drama collection called The War Doctor Rises: Fear of the Light – marking her first time voicing the character in a decade.

In the upcoming stories, the War Doctor (voiced by Jonathon Carley) will have to team up with his enemy, the Rani. Meanwhile, the Daleks (with Nicholas Briggs reprising his role as their voice) will be hunting them both down.

These new stories will explain what the Rani was doing during the Time War and the periods between her television appearances, offering a more complex and nuanced look at her character than we’ve seen before.

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Viewers were surprised during season 15’s “The Interstellar Song Contest” to learn that Mrs. Flood, played by Dobson, was actually Rani. Panjabi then appeared as another version of the same character, effectively playing a split personality.

Panjabi previously told TopMob that she aimed to pay tribute to the original actress who played the character, O’Mara.

She explained that revisiting the episodes highlighted the character’s powerful and commanding nature. She wanted viewers to briefly recognize Kate O’Mara’s unique portrayal of the Rani within the performance.

You can now pre-order ‘The War Doctor Rises: Fear of the Light’ from BigFinish.com for £19.99 as a digital download, or for £29.99 to get both the digital download and a collector’s edition CD.

Doctor Who will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas.

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Authors

Louise GriffinSci-Fi and Fantasy Editor

Louise Griffin edits the Sci-Fi & Fantasy section at TopMob, writing about popular franchises like Doctor Who, Star Wars, Marvel, House of the Dragon, and Good Omens. Before TopMob, she was a Senior Entertainment Reporter at Metro and holds a degree in English Literature.

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2026-02-12 14:34