Big Finish Audio Dramas

[Blencathra]

Goodness. Protect and Survive. I haven't thought about that programme in ages. I remember being shown it in school when I was a child. Frightening stuff. I seem to recall being told in the event of a nuclear attack to hide under the stairs and to paint the windows of your house with whitewash. All totally useless of course.

Looking at the Big Finish site it seems they have built a story around it. Interesting idea. *sigh* Another to add to my list of purchases.

[Flyboy]

Goodness. Protect and Survive. I haven't thought about that programme in ages. I remember being shown it in school when I was a child. Frightening stuff. I seem to recall being told in the event of a nuclear attack to hide under the stairs and to paint the windows of your house with whitewash. All totally useless of course.

Looking at the Big Finish site it seems they have built a story around it. Interesting idea. *sigh* Another to add to my list of purchases.

After listening to the whole thing, and the next two Seventh Doctor entries, I can confirm they're all excellent. Gods and Monsters may just have been one of the best audio adventures, if not THE best that they've produced. Regretfully this is because it brings a good many of the seventh doctor audios to a head (and not just the Ace & Hex ones - spoilers!). It actually manages to *feel* epic on a scale that even the tv series often fails to do. It FELT like a final episode, the sort of thing seen in Battlestar Galactica's conclusion or something equally rewarding and dramatic. Whilst I LOVE Seven (he's rapidly become my favourite Doctor with the exception of Eight), if this were to be his final ever audio story, it would have been a fitting conclusion. It is sheer perfection on every level - but ONLY if you've been following the Seventh Doctor's stories to date. I would *certainly* reccomend.

In fact, I'd reccomend the Seventh in general. Given how much time there is between Survival and The Movie, there has been so much more capacity for Big Finish to develop new plot lines and the Doctor himself, unlike Four, Five and Six. To me it almost feels like Seven and Eight are the official Big Finish Doctors because they have almost unlimited free reign with them.


On another note, I'd recommend 'Tales from the Vault' and 'Mastermind', whilst companion chronicles, they aren't your usual talking books... they focus on two UNIT personnel responsible for keeping The Black Vault secure. The first is a great introduction to the characters, but the latter - Mastermind - details exactly how The Master survived the events of DW The Movie, and where he's been ever since... Brilliant stories!

[Blencathra]

Indeed. Big Finish are great at filling in the gaps, and with the 7th & 8th they are free to do more or less what they want. I was thinking that if, eventually, Big Finigh are able to do some "New Who", they will struggle somewhat with the 10th Doctor. There isn't a lot of wiggle room with his stories. I'm still of the opinion that Steven Moffat had one eye to the future with the 1tth Doctor by giving him huge gaps in his story. Perhaps at some time in the future, those spaces will be filled in.

My latest has been the Fourth Doctor Adventure, The Wrath of the iceni. I'm loving it! It's great to get a 4th Doctor/Leela historical. Tom Baker & Louise Jameson are spot on. They don't sound any different to the way they sounded in the 1970s. Well acted and an excellent script.


Big Finish are having a sale on this weekend on their Lost Stories.

Found! A Special Offer for Doctor Who Lost Stories!

http://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/foun...r-lost-stories

A weekend's Special Offer on the Big Finish productions of Doctor Who stories that could have been...

One of the Big Finish ranges that attracted most fascination was Doctor Who: The Lost Stories, in which we tracked down once-considered scripts and produced them as full-cast audios. The range went from the well-known Sixth Doctor almost-made-it-story Nightmare Fair, to the lesser known Fifth Doctor story The Elite. From reknowned First Doctor tale The Masters of Luxor, to the famed missing Seventh Doctor season kicking off with Thin Ice...

This weekend, Big Finish offers the first three seasons of this range at the special offer price of £5 for CD, and £4.99 for Download (note that the First and Second Doctor boxes are £15 on CD and £10 for Download, and three-disc release Masters of Luxor is £7.50/£7.49).

So treat yourself to seeing the Doctor get to Blackpool after all, to say Farewell to Great Macedon, or to be surprised by the occasional return of familiar faces and foes...

The offer is in place until Monday morning (UK time). Doctor Who - The Lost Stories.

http://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/rele...e-lost-stories

[Flyboy]

Indeed. Big Finish are great at filling in the gaps, and with the 7th & 8th they are free to do more or less what they want. I was thinking that if, eventually, Big Finigh are able to do some "New Who", they will struggle somewhat with the 10th Doctor. There isn't a lot of wiggle room with his stories. I'm still of the opinion that Steven Moffat had one eye to the future with the 1tth Doctor by giving him huge gaps in his story. Perhaps at some time in the future, those spaces will be filled in.

Very much so ref 7 and 8!

You're right, but then... there doesn't APPEAR to be much wiggle room with 4,5 and 6, yet amazingly they know *exactly* which stories have unspecified gaps of time in between them to exploit. I mean... they're fitting whole seasons of Fourth audios in between the televised ones, and look at 6! He's getting more companions than you can shake a stick at, Evelyn, Charley, Flip. He's doing well for himself! Five has also had his own audio exclusive companion (Erimen) and even managed to reuinite with Nyssa well after she departed and is much older!

Still... part of my winces at the idea of 10th and 11th audio dramas without Ninth... But I can't imagine Eccleston would ever 'lower himself' to do the BF audios... *grumble*. Such a shame, I love Nine...

I do hope we get some War Doctor audios at some point... they would RULE imagine John Hurt's gravelly (and very convincing) voice on audio!

My latest has been the Fourth Doctor Adventure, The Wrath of the iceni. I'm loving it! It's great to get a 4th Doctor/Leela historical. Tom Baker & Louise Jameson are spot on. They don't sound any different to the way they sounded in the 1970s. Well acted and an excellent script.

Oh yes, that's a good one - as you say, it's like travelling back to the 1970s! They sound PERFECT, even the plots are so very 1970s. I love all of them, and despite Seven and Eight being my favourites, Four's make me laugh so very much!

Big Finish are having a sale on this weekend on their Lost Stories.

Found! A Special Offer for Doctor Who Lost Stories!

Seen! And definitely taken advantage of!

[DigiFluid]

*sigh* Dammit...

[Blencathra]

Dark Eyes 3

Link//bigfinish.com

The third box set in our epic, award winning saga Doctor Who - Dark Eyes will be released in November. The synopsis and full cast list are now available...

In Doctor Who - Dark Eyes, the Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) met his new companion Molly O'Sullivan (Ruth Bradley - Primeval) as they battled Daleks and explored the mystery of Molly's dark eyes...

In Dark Eyes 2, the pair were joined by Liv Chenka (Nicola Walker - Spooks, Last Tango in Halifax), as, in addition to the Daleks... (I've spoilered the next bit for those who haven't listened to Dark Eyes 2)

Spoiler:

... the Doctor's old enemies The Eminence and The Master entered the arena...

The Daleks take a back seat in Dark Eyes 3, although they may return iin the finale, as this box set has a very focused theme. The Doctor versus The Master.

The battle is on...

Alex Macqueen triumphantly returns as The Master, while the lead cast also includes Natalie Burt as Dr Sally Armstrong, David Sibley as The Eminence, and Sean Carlsen returns as Narvin - a character who will be known to Big Finish listeners from the six series of Gallifrey.

Guest stars include Sacha Dhawan (An Adventure in Space and Time) and Georgia Moffett (Doctor Who - The Doctor's Daughter).

Doctor Who - Dark Eyes 3 is out in November and is available to pre-order at a discount price. http://bigfinish.com/releases/v/dark-eyes-3-979


Synopsis

Spoiler:

"Molly O'Sullivan? Hello you."

In his quest for universal domination, the Master plans to exploit the terrifying Infinite Warriors of the mysterious Eminence. The Doctor's friend, Molly, is key to that plan's execution, and now, aided by corrupted genius Sally Armstrong, the Master is close to success.

Paranoid and perplexed after his recent experience, the Doctor skirts the fringes of the fifty-year conflict between humanity and the Infinite Armies. Wary of changing the course of history, he fears that to fight the Eminence would be to do the Daleks' bidding. But when Time Lord CIA agent Narvin provides the impetus for the Doctor to act, Liv Chenka joins him in a desperate race to save their friend and stop the Master.

As the Doctor goes head to head with his oldest and deadliest rival, this war is about to get very personal indeed...

Written By: Matt Fitton
Directed By: Ken Bentley
Cast: Paul McGann (The Doctor), Nicola Walker (Liv Chenka), Ruth Bradley (Molly O'Sullivan), Alex Macqueen (The Master), Natalie Burt (Dr Sally Armstrong), David Sibley (The Eminence), Sean Carlsen (Narvin)

1: The Death of Hope
Georgie Fuller (Hope Gardner), Geoffrey Breton (Leo Gardner)

2: The Reviled
Sacha Dhawan (Jaldam), Sarah Mowat (Gajeeda), Laura Riseborough (Sharma)

3: Masterplan
David Sibley (Professor Markus Schriver), John Banks (Captain/Lieutenant)

4: Rule of the Eminence
Jonathan Forbes (Walter Vincent), Beth Chalmers (Casey Carraway), Georgia Moffett (Engineer Tallow)

Pre-order CD - £20.00
Pre-order Digital - £20.00

[Flyboy]

Dark Eyes 3

Link//bigfinish.com

The third box set in our epic, award winning saga Doctor Who - Dark Eyes will be released in November. The synopsis and full cast list are now available...

<snip>

[/spoilers]

Can't wait. I've not listened to Dark Eyes 2 yet (I'm on a certain schedule with my BF dramas)... but 1 was good.

However, for all those wanting to get involved with Dark Eyes 2 or 3, I would HIGHLY reccomend UNIT Dominion:

Spoiler:

Alex Macqueen plays a new version of the Master in Dark Eyes 2 and 3, as well as Dominion. And frankly he's fast become one of my favourite incarnations of all time. He's infinitely superior to Delgado or Ainley (no disrespect intended, because they're great) and really comes across as a convincing foil for the Doctor. In a lot of ways, he is very similar to the Simm Master, and it works so well! It's just a shame he looks so sullen on the artwork, because he's a maniac!

Otherwise, Dominion is an epic story that really feels bigger than it should! It feels like a full on global crisis, with UNIT: Germany getting involved and a real national crisis in the UK - in one proud moment, the RAF gets involved! I would highly recommend! It works best if you've listened to the Elizabeth Klein 7th Doctor dramas, but is still good anyway.



Anyway... *gets excited for more Eighth Doctor*

[DigiFluid]

UNIT: Dominion was pretty excellent. I picked it up a few months back when they were having one of their 24-hour sales

[Flyboy]

UNIT: Dominion was pretty excellent. I picked it up a few months back when they were having one of their 24-hour sales

So totally was! One of my favourites. My only gripe is the companion... I'd have much preferred Hex and Ace to Raine... -_- a boring character if ever there was one.

And 'The Other Doctor' rocked so much!

[DigiFluid]

I didn't mind Raine, really. Her storyline in previous audios was interesting enough that I appreciated her return.

Still though, Ace and Hex are such a great combination. And the whole story arc of the black & white TARDISes was phenomenal--some of the best Who on- or off-screen. Jury's still out though on the new Hector Thomas story, at least IMO. I'll have to see how the upcoming trio of stories are. In fairness though, they haven't let me down yet with Seventh/Ace/Hex

And I really like what Alex MacQueen brings to the universe too!

[Flyboy]

I didn't mind Raine, really. Her storyline in previous audios was interesting enough that I appreciated her return.

Still though, Ace and Hex are such a great combination. And the whole story arc of the black & white TARDISes was phenomenal--some of the best Who on- or off-screen. Jury's still out though on the new Hector Thomas story, at least IMO. I'll have to see how the upcoming trio of stories are. In fairness though, they haven't let me down yet with Seventh/Ace/Hex

And I really like what Alex MacQueen brings to the universe too!

See, I've not really heard any Raine up until now. I'm listening to the BF drama in release order - with the exception of Companion Chronicles and the Lost Stories range... which will come later. So I really know nothing about her. Can you clear up her timeline placement for my by any chance? She sorta feels odd, like she should be before Ace meets Hex, yet is there after Ace has (apparently) gone to Gallifrey...

I'm entirely with you about the Hex/Ace saga. It was spectacular, the last one of those I listened to was Gods and Monsters - which I reviewed above and is one of my all time favourite offerings from BF:

Spoiler:

The idea of the British Army using The Higgs Killer to save the universe but condemn the earth was inspired, really dramatic - and the entire final episode was so full of epic that it bowled me over. Why the hell don't these guys write for the TV series!?

I know Hex has one or two more outings - so I look forward to those!

You know - I really would love it if they would bring Alex MacQueen into the tv series. In one single BF offering, he has become my favourite Master incarnation to date. I absolutely love his portrayal! I'm wondering about a 'The Two Masters' story...with Simm and MacQueen, can you imagine!?!





Side note: BF are producing 'Night of the Triffids', based on the novel of the same name, a sequel to Day of the Triffids. I am *excited!*



http://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/nigh...s-is-announced


EDIT:

The New Rani




The Rani, the Time Lord villain created by Pip and Jane Baker in the 1980s, is to make her first appearance on audio in Doctor Who: The Rani Elite, out in December.

She will be reunited with the Sixth Doctor and Peri, in a story set written by Justin Richards and set in a galactic university.

The character has had three appearances on television in Mark of the Rani (1985), Time and the Rani (1987) and Dimensions in Time (1993), each time played by the late Kate O’Mara.
http://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/the-new-rani

[DigiFluid]

See, I've not really heard any Raine up until now. I'm listening to the BF drama in release order - with the exception of Companion Chronicles and the Lost Stories range... which will come later. So I really know nothing about her. Can you clear up her timeline placement for my by any chance? She sorta feels odd, like she should be before Ace meets Hex, yet is there after Ace has (apparently) gone to Gallifrey...

Ah, that'll be why you're unfamiliar with her then. Raine's debut happens during the "season 27" series of Lost Stories episodes. Her story has some similarities to both River and Clara, but is unique enough to stand on its own (IMO).

So, from the Seventh Doctor's POV, the Lost Stories are essentially the very next season after the TV series ends and UNIT Dominion is much nearer the end of his life. Meanwhile from Raine's POV, UNIT Dominion (seems to) happen somewhere right in the middle of the Lost Stories season she appears in. Timey-wimey-ness, eh?

I'm entirely with you about the Hex/Ace saga. It was spectacular, the last one of those I listened to was Gods and Monsters

Speaking of timey-wimey...that whole saga was so mind-bendingly wonderful. The two TARDISes, the two concurrent TARDIS crews, Hex's whole thread with a certain returning villain...agh so good! Just thinking of it makes me want to give it a re-listen. It was just brilliant how they threaded the story through basically from "Forty-Five" to "Gods and Monsters."

I know Hex has one or two more outings - so I look forward to those!

According to the BF twitter feed, Philip Oliver is back for at least three more stories. Pretty excited for that, even though it's this odd Thomas Hector/Hector Thomas story I was mentioning earlier. Regardless--he's a solid VA, and I'm glad to 'see' him back

You know - I really would love it if they would bring Alex MacQueen into the tv series. In one single BF offering, he has become my favourite Master incarnation to date. I absolutely love his portrayal! I'm wondering about a 'The Two Masters' story...with Simm and MacQueen, can you imagine!?!

Stop trying to make me "squee," it's embarrassing coming from a guy

[Flyboy]

Ah, that'll be why you're unfamiliar with her then. Raine's debut happens during the "season 27" series of Lost Stories episodes. Her story has some similarities to both River and Clara, but is unique enough to stand on its own (IMO).

So, from the Seventh Doctor's POV, the Lost Stories are essentially the very next season after the TV series ends and UNIT Dominion is much nearer the end of his life. Meanwhile from Raine's POV, UNIT Dominion (seems to) happen somewhere right in the middle of the Lost Stories season she appears in. Timey-wimey-ness, eh?


Speaking of timey-wimey...that whole saga was so mind-bendingly wonderful. The two TARDISes, the two concurrent TARDIS crews, Hex's whole thread with a certain returning villain...agh so good! Just thinking of it makes me want to give it a re-listen. It was just brilliant how they threaded the story through basically from "Forty-Five" to "Gods and Monsters."


According to the BF twitter feed, Philip Oliver is back for at least three more stories. Pretty excited for that, even though it's this odd Thomas Hector/Hector Thomas story I was mentioning earlier. Regardless--he's a solid VA, and I'm glad to 'see' him back


Stop trying to make me "squee," it's embarrassing coming from a guy

Thanks for the explanation - and yes, timey-wimey!

I agree, The Hex Arc really was pure perfection in every way!

Spoiler:

That moment when Ace commandeered a Tank was spectacular

Sorry about making you squee.... but it WOULD be cool!

[Flyboy]

OH MY GOD!

You simply MUST listen to the Gallifrey Saga!

It gets slightly weak in the middle (series 4-5, though they are definitely necessary!), but by GOD it comes to an epic climax!

Spoiler:

This saga basically provides the background as to how the Time War kicked off. The final episode brings all six seasons together and makes the whole thing make total sense!

EVERY Who fan MUST listen to this saga, it is possibly THE most important Big Finish contribution to the Whoniverse of all time. Forget Jago and Litefoot, forget the Main Range, forget Dark Eyes (as awesome as it is), THIS is the backstory we've all been looking for since 'Rose'.

[DigiFluid]

I have kind of been thinking about checking out that line for a while now....