Big FInish Audio Dramas - A Top Ten for New Listeners (and more)

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Say, we were just talking about the Cybermen and their origin in the "Your personal fan theory" thread, and one poster admited to not having listened to DW audio dramas.

Other than the obvious question (why not), it dawned to me that it kinda makes sense. After all, they're all stories you have to pay extras - they are, after all, Big Finish. Furthermore, they are so many nowdays - beyond the Main Range, there's the Lost Stories, that adapt discarded/abandoned/forgotten scripts of old, the Novel Adaptations that do just that, and also two distinct series for the Fourth and, especially, the Eighth Doctors respectively.

So I thought, why not make a thread about which of these audio dramas would be best to listen to, if you're a new fan, or one that just never delved into BF out of fear of being cionsume by the sheer volume or work.

Some rules: I suggest, as the title says, a top ten that is just stories that don't connect to any BF story arc and could be listened to without much burden of continuity or what-not. Also, if someone wants to recomemnd a certain amount of stories, as pertained by a coimpanion for instnace (like, boviously, the Charley-Eighth stories) or specific story arcs, one can do so.

Anyway, discuss away!

 

[The Nth Doctor]

There's so much Big Finish to cover that I wouldn't even do a top ten. It really depends on which Doctor and/or companion each fan prefers. So with that in mind, I've broken it up by Doctor and special series. A few quick notes: CC refers to the "Companion Chronicle" range where one or two companions narrate the story along with one or two guests in a pseudo audiobook format; LS refers to the "Lost Story" range where either full script or general outline of a story that was original intended for the series has now been adapted into audio format; NA refers to novel adaptation. Also, when I refer to a companion in those two formats, it's that actor (or actors) who narrates.

First Doctor

1. Home Truths (Sara Kingdom CC that starts off a fantastic trilogy and works brilliantly on its own)
2. Farewell, Great Macedon (Ian/Susan LS that features Alexander the Great)
3. The Time Museum (Ian CC reflecting on the past)
4. Return of the Rocket Men (Steven CC, loose sequel to...)
5. The Rocket Men (Ian CC)

Maureen O'Brien has also returned and her best CC is The Suffering (which also features Peter Purves).


Second Doctor

1. Dying Light (Jamie/Zoe CC, part of a loose trilogy across Doctors that can be listened to on its own)
2. The Forbidden Time (Jamie/Polly CC)
3. The Memory Cheats (Zoe CC, second part of a quadrilogy but can be listened to on its own)
4. The Rosemariners (Jamie/Zoe LS)
5. Echoes of Grey (Zoe CC, first part of aforementioned quadrilogy)

Deborah Watling has also returned, but I've only listened to one of her stories, The Great Space Elevator, and it wasn't very good.


Third Doctor

1. Old Soldiers (Brig CC)
2. The Doll of Death (Jo CC, goes a long way to making me like Jo who I otherwise abhorred)
3. The Last Post (Liz CC, last story Caroline Johns recorded and features Liz's mum)
4. The Mega (Jo/Mike LS, globetrotting conspiracy adventure)

From here, the quality drops a bit for me but I haven't listened to all of The Third Doctor stories. I know a lot people aren't a fan of it, but I love the BBC-produced The Paradise of Death, which features Jon Pertwee, Lis Sladen and Nicholas Courtney, recorded in 1993, the first of two stories they did prior to Pertwee's death. The other, The Ghosts of N-Space, is also not well regarded, including by me.

John Levene has also returned but for only one story and was critical of his experience and probably won't return. I haven't listened to the CC, Council of War.


Fourth Doctor

1. The Ghosts of Gralstead (Starring Tom and Louise and written based on a modern story idea by Philip Hinchcliffe)
2. The Foe from the Future (LS starring Tom and Louise, based on a story from Robert Stewart Banks)
3. Luna Romana (Romana II CC, also features Romana I & III, but no Mary Tamm, no foreknowledge of Romana III is needed)
4. The Justice of Jalxar (Starring Tom and Mary, guest starring Jago & Litefoot)
5. The Romance of Crime (NA, starring Tom, Lalla and John)

Tom Baker resisted for a number of years to do Big Finish, but is now finally onboard. Instead of doing standalones, or the current model, trilogies like Peter, Colin and Sylvester, Tom's stories are season based. So far there have been three with Louise, one with Mary (before she passed away), and two with John (one with Louise, one with Mary). Next season will be with Lalla and John.


Fifth Doctor

1. Spare Parts (Starring Peter and Sarah, Cybermen origin)
2. Rat Trap (Starring Peter, Sarah, Mark and Janet)
3. Prisoners of Fate (Starring Peter, Sarah, Mark and Janet)
4. The Emerald Tiger (Starring Peter, Sarah, Mark and Janet)
5. Equilibrium (Starring Peter, Sarah, Mark and Janet)

There's a long run of Nyssa/Tegan/Turlough that's set immediately after The Black Guardian trilogy and features an older Nyssa. Most stories are fairly standalone, except the most recent trilogy which is set in E-Space.

For several years, The Fifth Doctor and Peri were accompanied by an ancient Egyptian princess, Erimem, but with the exception of a few stories, the character was never fully realized and the stories were often of average fare. Best story: The Kingmaker.

Like Tom, Matthew Waterhouse resisted for a long time but finally returned last year in a two-story boxset with Peter, Sarah and Janet. Both stories are very good. Like The Sixth Doctor, Mel, and Jo, the stories go a long way in redeeming the character.


Sixth Doctor

1. The Holy Terror (Starring Colin, features comic strip original character, Frobisher, voiced by Robert Jezek)
2. ...ish (Starring Colin and Nicola)
3. Voyage to Venus (Starring Colin with guest companions of Jago & Litefoot, swept up from their ongoing series)
4. Year of the Pig (Starring Colin and Peri)
5. The Marian Conspiracy (Starring Colin, features the first appearance of Maggie Stables as new companion, Evelyn; not Evelyn's best story, but this where one should start)

Until recently, there hasn't been very many adventures with Mel (with Sixth or Seventh) because Bonnie Langford lives in the US, but now Big Finish has been able to arrange recording a number of stories with both Doctors. Best so far is The Wrong Doctors, which is a pseudo introduction story for Mel. I can't comment, but I've read that it doesn't contradict the novel Business as Usual.


Seventh Doctor

This is a little trickier because some of the best Seventh Doctor stories are part of the ongoing adventures with new companion Hex (alongside Ace) and get pretty arc-heavy towards the end. I'll leave out the arc-heavy stories, but will mention a few standalones with Hex that can be listened to as an introduction.

1. Live 34 (Starring Sylvester and Sophie, featuring Hex, uses clever gimmick of being told entirely by broadcast)
2. Flip-Flop (Starring Sylvester and Bonnie, uses fun gimmick of listening to the story in two different orders, i.e. disc 1 or 2, followed by the other)
3. Night Thoughts (Starring Sylvester and Sophie, featuring Hex)
4. The Harvest (Starring Sylvester and Sophie, Hex's introduction)
5. Master (Starring Syvester, featuring Geoffrey Beevers as The Master)


Eighth Doctor

This is even trickier. Instead of listing top stories, I'll just give a quick run down of the three (soon to be four) different Eighth Doctor tracks one can go down.

1. Adventures with Charley Pollard. Starts with Storm Warning and is fairly standalone (major highlights include the aforementioned story, The Chimes of Midnight, and The Seasons of Fear). About halfway through, there's a major shift in storyline after the climax of the 40th anniversary story Zagreus (with a ton of familiar voices), and two stories later, another companion, C'rizz, is added to the mix. A lot of fans didn't like this new direction, but for the most part, I really enjoyed it. If you choose to jump to Zagreus, I would recommend at least listening to Storm Warning, The Chimes of Midnight, The Seasons of Fear and Neverland first.

2. Adventures with Lucie Miller. Set sometime after Charley and C'rizz, starts with Blood of the Daleks. Fairly standalone until the final series (unlike the Charley/C'rizz run, Lucie stories were produced by series) with the exception of some background story arcs which are pretty easy to pick up on.

3. Dark Eyes. Set sometime after Lucie Miller and spoils important details of the conclusion. If you don't care, jump right in. Instead of series, Dark Eyes is four sets of four-story boxsets. Features two different companions, Molly O'Sullivan and Liv Chenka (a one-off character from a Seventh Doctor story but doesn't need to be listened to) that come and go for different reasons. Also features a new actor as The Master.

4. Doom Coalition. Set after Dark Eyes and continues the boxset model and begins in October. Second set will feature River.

5. (So I lied, I just remembered two exceptions) There's a trilogy of stories featuring Mary Shelley, the author, as The Doctor's companion with no explanation as to how she became his companion. There's an anthology of short stories called The Company of Friends, which feature companions from the comic strips and novels, including Mary Shelley's first encounter with The Eighth Doctor, and a one-off with Bernice Summerfield.



There's also a few Doctor-less (or mostly Doctor-less) ranges that I would highly recommend:


1. Jago & Litefoot. Started off as a Companion Chronicle, The Mahogany Murderers, there have been now nine (soon to be ten) series of four stories with Trevor Baxter and Christopher Benjamin returning to their roles from The Talons of Weng-Chiang. Also brings back Conrad Asquith as Quick, now a sergeant. Highly, highly recommended.

2. Gallifrey. Political and time shenanigans on Gallifrey, starring Lalla, Louise, and John (as both K-9's), features Lynda Bellingham reprising the role of the Inquisitor (now called Darkel), and a few other familiar voices pop up from time to time. A lot of fun, from beginning to end (and it's returning, again), although some fans didn't like some of the more recent stories.

3. I, Davros. Four-story box set, origin story of Davros, told in the manner of I, Claudius, Terry Molloy reprises the role and the fourth story features Peter Miles returning as Nyder.

4. Unbound. This was a short series of "What if...?" stories Big Finish did in its early years which had mix results. I've only listened to two of them and I would highly recommend at least one of them: Sympathy for the Devil. Stars David Warner as The Third Doctor who, after his regeneration, is sent to 1997 Hong Kong instead of 1970's UNIT and we see the ramifications of The Third Doctor not joining UNIT. Also stars Nicholas Courtney as the Brigadier and David Tennant as an asshole colonel (this was recorded prior to The Tenth Doctor).

5. Bernice Summerfield. The character originated in novels. Big Finish started doing audios with her before doing Doctor Who as a means to prove to BBC that they were fully capable of doing the job right. Started in 1998, the series is still going. Stars Lisa Bowerman, who appeared as one of the cheetahs in Survival, and is one of the main directors for Big Finish. Lisa also has a recurring role in the Jago & Litefoot range as a different character. One of the supporting characters, Braxiatel, also shows up in Gallifrey.


*whew*


Sorry, that went on far longer than I initially intended, but as I said at the beginning, that there's so much to Big Finish, that it's near impossible to recommend just ten.

But if I had to...

1. Spare Parts (5th, Nyssa)
2. The Chimes of Midnight (8th, Charley)
3. The Holy Terror (6th, Frobisher)
4. Home Truths (Sara Kingdom CC)
5. Live 34 (7th, Ace Hex)
6. Old Soldiers (Brig CC)
7. The Doll of Death (Jo CC)
8. Farewell, Great Macedon (Ian/Susan CC)
9. The Time Museum (Ian CC)
10. The Silver Turk (8th, Mary)

Mind you, that's after removing arc-heavy stories.

Wikipedia has a very good article that lists all of the stories, broken down by range. However, be warned that one of the columns lists characters and species that appear in the story, sometimes which were originally intended to be a surprise.

 

[Mr Soak]

5. (So I lied, I just remembered two exceptions). There's a trilogy of stories featuring Mary Shelley, the author, as The Doctor's companion with no explanation as to how she became his companion. There's an anthology of short stories called The Company of Friends, which feature companions from the comic strips and novels, including Mary Shelley.

Company of Friends' Mary Shelley episode is esentially where Mary joins the Doctor.

One of the other CoF episodes is a Bernice Summerfield episode, who also has a whole range to herself, as well as various adventures with Ace and the Seventh Doctor. Indeed, Bernice Summerfield is what kicked off Big Finish, which used her range to convince the BBC to license Doctor Who.

 

[ATimson]

I don't really have a top ten to offer. I started with the Lucie Miller 8th Doctor adventures. For a nuWho fan, that's a great place to jump on. So... EDA 1x01 - 2x02?

I'm leery of jumping back into the main range (outside of McGann), just because I don't have the history of the old show, much less what Big Finish has done, to know who's who and what's what. We'll see if I'm particularly intrigued by anything after the Old Doctors, New Monsters boxed set.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I edited my original post to clean up the overall post and expand on some sections.

5. (So I lied, I just remembered two exceptions). There's a trilogy of stories featuring Mary Shelley, the author, as The Doctor's companion with no explanation as to how she became his companion. There's an anthology of short stories called The Company of Friends, which feature companions from the comic strips and novels, including Mary Shelley.

Company of Friends' Mary Shelley episode is essentially where Mary joins the Doctor.

Does she? I only remember it being their first encounter but then The Eighth Doctor goes off on his own again.

I clarified on that point in my post. Thanks.

One of the other CoF episodes is a Bernice Summerfield episode, who also has a whole range to herself, as well as various adventures with Ace and the Seventh Doctor. Indeed, Bernice Summerfield is what kicked off Big Finish, which used her range to convince the BBC to license Doctor Who.

Damn, I knew I forgot a range! I've included her now.

 

[Mr Soak]

I edited my original post to clean up the overall post and expand on some sections.

5. (So I lied, I just remembered two exceptions). There's a trilogy of stories featuring Mary Shelley, the author, as The Doctor's companion with no explanation as to how she became his companion. There's an anthology of short stories called The Company of Friends, which feature companions from the comic strips and novels, including Mary Shelley.

Company of Friends' Mary Shelley episode is essentially where Mary joins the Doctor.

Does she? I only remember it being their first encounter but then The Eighth Doctor goes off on his own again.

I clarified on that point in my post. Thanks.

Well, there were two versions of the Doctor, as I recall; the older one is the unwell one, and she goes off with the younger one at the end. At least, the Doctor asks her along. It's been a while since I listened to it, though, so the details are sketchy.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Hm, some pretty good choices here.

OK, I'm just gonna do a top ten of BF stories that, while not the best, are still ones that fans can pick up with the minimal of foreknowledge of the show - like, a quick browse on wikipedia or havinbg looked at some of the more iconic serials.

1. Spare Parts - Origin of the Cybermen, and RTD's favorite audio story, and one of his favorite stories ever. Features the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa inbetween Time-Flight and Arc of Infinity.
2. Davros - As the title suggests, a story about Davros. Second in BF's celebratory Villain Trilogy, made for the show's 40th anniversary. Features the Sixth Doctor, and its set during that Doctor's first season - just a couple of episodes before Revelation of the Daleks.
3. Omega - Again, as the title suggests, a story about Omega, the Gallifreyan villain from The Three Doctors and Arc of Infinity. First in BF's celebratory Villain Trilogy, made for the show's 40th anniversary. Features the Fifth Doctor, immediately after Arc of Infinity.
4. Master - A story featuring an amnesiac Master slowly regaining his memory (no, its not a copy of Utopia, or vice-versa). Third in BF's celebratory Villain Trilogy, made for the show's 40th anniversary. Features the Seventh Doctor, a while befoe the TV Movie.
5. The Holy Terror - A Sixth Doctor story featuring Frobisher, a comic book companion, who's a shapeshifter. He likes to take the form of a Penguin. Thats all you need to know. Its probably Sixie's best story ever.
6. The Foe from the Future - A Fourth Doctor/Leela story, that was gonna be made instead of Talons of Weng-Chiang back in the day, but didn't get made because the original writer just didn't have the time to do it. Now its adapted so as to take place before the classic story, and believe me, its a lovely listen. Its this Doctor's most genuinely authentic story to date, and his best one as a result.
7. The Eighth Doctor's trilogy of stories with Mary Shelley as his companion. Specifically, and to copy from Wikipedia:

The first story, The Silver Turk, featured the early breed of the Cybermen as seen in The Tenth Planet. The Witch from the Well tested the pair's relationship and the trilogy concluded with Army of Death. Mary's Story is also available as a seperate download, telling how Mary Shelley and the Eighth Doctor met.

The above trilogy is set fairly soon after the TV Movie, unless you count your novels/comics, at which case, I've no comment.
8. Storm Warning - Paul McGann's proper first audio story, and first canonical adventure for his Doctor (not chronological, though - the Mary Shelley ones precede this one) after the TV Movie. Introduces his most famous companion, Charley Pollard. If you enjoy this, you can continue to buy the rest of the pair's stories - I think most of them cost 3 pounds nowadays.
9. The Beginning - A Companion Chronicle, basically a narrated story with usually two actors to play the parts. Carole Ann Ford as Susan narrates this, the eponymous beginning of her and the First Doctor's journey, as they leave Gallifrey behind with their Type 40 TARDIS. The story opens with a very specific reference to Name of the Doctor, in regard to their very exit. Its a lovely story that tells the real beginning of the Doctor's journey, and one I won't talk about any more. Its just a lovely listen.
10. The Fires of Vulcan - Bonnie Langford's first BF, and first DW story since her departure, this is Doctor Who's first Pompeii visit, with the Seventh Doctor this time. This story beautifully complements The Fires of Pompeii, its a strictly historical story that takes place in that last day. Its proof that Mel can work, given the right script, and she absolutely does in this story.

Now, the entires above aren't all golden - there are some stories that I consider better, like Jubilee, Chimes of Midnight, etc, but it would depend on how you, the first time listener, would want to listen to.

As it is, I heartily recommend to listen to the whole Eighth Doctor/Charley Pollard stories (starting with Storm Warning and ending with The Girl that Never Was) and the Sixth Doctor/Evelyn Smythe stories (starting with The Marian Conspiracy and abraptly ending with Inustrial Evolution, with one final appearence for her in Thicker than Water, which details why Evelyn left Six, and Death in the Family, which is a Seventh Doctor story and is Evelyn's final story), as well as Sixie's stories with Mel. Those are BF's most interesting original, I think.

 

[Captaindemotion]

I admire the way BF assemble so many former (and now current) cast members and I think it's great that the likes of McGann and Colin Baker get to reprise their short-lived tenures but audio dramas just don't appeal to me personally. The only one I've ever been tempted to buy was the 50th anniversary one they did. But I listened to the trailer online and it didn't really grab me.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

9. The Beginning - A Companion Chronicle, basically a narrated story with usually two actors to play the parts. Carole Ann Ford as Susan narrates this, the eponymous beginning of her and the First Doctor's journey, as they leave Gallifrey behind with their Type 40 TARDIS. The story opens with a very specific reference to Name of the Doctor, in regard to their very exit. Its a lovely story that tells the real beginning of the Doctor's journey, and one I won't talk about any more. Its just a lovely listen.

For what it's worth, The Dying Light and Luna Roman, both of which I refer to in my sections for The Second Doctor and The Fourth Doctor, respectively, form a loose trilogy with The Beginning (a singular character voiced by Terry Molloy is the common element).

I admire the way BF assemble so many former (and now current) cast members and I think it's great that the likes of McGann and Colin Baker get to reprise their short-lived tenures but audio dramas just don't appeal to me personally. The only one I've ever been tempted to buy was the 50th anniversary one they did. But I listened to the trailer online and it didn't really grab me.

Just as well you didn't. The Light of the End is a fun story, and while I enjoyed it more than most people, it's not a good introduction to the Big Finish world. What I and Emperor-Tiberius have listed provide much better jumping points. I'm sorry the audio format appeals to you but I understand why it might not. Still, it might be worth trying out at some point.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ I may well do at stage but TBH, I've gone off spin-off fiction. I used to read a lot of Star Trek novels but they lost me when they became so continuity-heavy. I do a fair bit of driving for work and I suppose I should really get into audio novels, which something a friend has recommended. I do recall getting an Eleventh Doctor audionovel free with a newspaper, read by Arthur Darvill, and quite enjoying it in the car.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

For what it's worth, The Dying Light and Luna Roman, both of which I refer to in my sections for The Second Doctor and The Fourth Doctor, respectively, form a loose trilogy with The Beginning (a singular character voiced by Terry Molloy is the common element).

Yeah, I just listed the one, because its the first-ever adventure of the First Doctor.

That said, I'm not exactly a fan of Luna Romana, myself. I'd rather Tom Baker played the Doctor himself on that one.

Just as well you didn't. The Light of the End is a fun story, and while I enjoyed it more than most people, it's not a good introduction to the Big Finish world. What I and Emperor-Tiberius have listed provide much better jumping points. I'm sorry the audio format appeals to you but I understand why it might not. Still, it might be worth trying out at some point.

Well, Light at the End is appealing in the same way The Five Doctors are - a story that, while watched in sequence is more rewarding an experience, is still a fun story just to have all the various incarnations of the Doctor running around.

So its not a terrible place to start, but like with The Five Doctors, not the best place to actually get your teeth into.

 

[Sindatur]

I really, really enjoy The Gallifrey Chronicles and The Evelyn Smythe (Mostly with Six) stories.

I also like all but one, of The Unbound Stories. He Jests At Stars is really great, with The Valleyard, and I really like what they with Mel in it.

Oh, and some folks worry that there is a payment problem for folks outside of Britain. As an American, I pay via Paypal, or directly out of my Checking Account, without an issue (I'm sure most other Countries would be the same)

 

[Redfern]

There's just so many, it's overwhelming. So, I've been focusing upon the ones with the elements I craved from the show.

I think I have most of the titles featuring Terry Molloy as Davros, "Davros", "The Juggernauts", "Terra Firma" and the 4 disc "I, Davros".

And since my introduction to the world of DW was through PBS reruns featuring Tom Baker, I nearly fainted when I read ol' "Teeth an' Curls" finally signed a contract to reprise his iconic role. I've bought every one of that line (thought I'm about 9 or 10 disc behind playing them). Yeah, some of the offerings may be a bit "pedestrian", but come on! It's Tom f*cking Baker!!! The person we assumed hung up his scarf forever! It's just a shame he didn't get to perform with Liz Sladen as was the original plan. With her passing, Tom could have said, "Nope; I agreed because I thought I'd work with Liz, but now..." Thankfully, he stuck with it and has so far worked with Jameson (maybe on more stories than they did together on TV) and one final series with Mary Tamm before her untimely death. And, his voice still sounds it did during his prime. It did seem a smidgen "off" at times in the earliest productions, but he obviously got back in the groove.

Who would have believed we would have gotten a whole new set of adventures with the ScarfMan 3 decades after he turned in his TARDIS key?! Not me, anyway!

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Personally, I found Baker's best work with BF has been all the Hitchcliffe-related ones, and his own season with Mary Tamm's Romana. Those were all solid. The Leela series have been... well, one missed opportunity after another, IMO.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

The best Tom Baker stories have been the four or six parters, whether they were the novel adaptations, the Lost Stories, or the Philip Hinchcliffe stories. There have been a few exceptions such as The Justice of Jaxlar (largely because of reuniting with Jago & Litefoot), but usually the longer stories that are allowed to breath work much better.

That being said, I disagree that the Leela stories in particular have been missed opportunities. I think the Fourth Doctor Adventures have generally been hit and miss and only appears to be against Leela because there's more of them. They haven't worked as well partially because of the two-parter nature, partially because of too many Briggs scripts, partially because of other reasons.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Yeah, I don't understand why is Briggs so pro-active with the Tom Baker stories. If he's not writing them, he's definitely directing them. Is Baker insistent on working with him or something?

And good point about Justice of Jaxlar - just the sound of Four, Jago and Litefoot meeting up is so precious.