I’ve only listened to the first fifty releases from the Big
Finish Main Range so far but out of curiosity and to ensure fairness, I decided
to list my ‘top ten’ of these releases before
comparing them to John’s.
Whilst I managed to quite easily select the best twenty, I
then had to spend a good quarter of an hour fully considering the relative
merits of each one to be able to pick out the ten best-of-the-best releases
before attempting to put them into some sort of order of preference. Having
spent the time whittling my list down, I’ve decided just to share with you my
final rankings.
Hopefully my selection shows how I like listening to stories
that are based upon a variety of themes (historical, space and pure sci-fi), as
well as adventures that are both dramatically intense alongside those which
have entertaining narratives. Some of them aren’t perfect 5/5 stories, although
I’ve opted to include them since I factor in how well I personally enjoyed them
and how much of them I can remember in my evaluations of them.
10. Bang-Bang-a-Boom! by
Gareth Roberts and Clayton Hickman
The seventh Doctor has arrived on a space station that is
hosting the Intergalactic Song Content
but people start dying and the murderer must be found. This whole story is a
parody of Star Trek and Eurovision and it be extremely fun
trying to spot all the references to these two familiar shows as you listen to
it. Whilst the story does take a while to get going, there are many funny
moments as the Doctor struggles to work out what is going on and the variety of
alien lifeforms taking part in the competition make for an interesting, varied
set of suspects who each have their own motive.
9. Red Dawn by Justin
Richards
This is a classic Ice Warrior story set on planet Mars with
some similarities to Tomb of the Cybermen
– the fifth Doctor and Peri investigate a strange alien building on the surface
but are concerned what is frozen inside blocks of ice guarding the doorways… The
opening scene involving a NASA rocket’s launch sequence is absolutely brilliant
to hear in stereo sound as the countdown sequence moves into blasting off. Whilst
there is a lot of talking, this adds to the characterisation and Hylton Collins’
performance as Sub-Commander Sstast really helps to create a menacing foe the
Doctor. The ending proves to be quite an interesting moral dilemma for one of
the characters and leads to quite a poignant final scene.
8. The Chimes of Midnight
by Robert Shearman
The eighth Doctor and Charley are trapped inside an
Edwardian mansion where the servants are getting killed exactly on the chiming
of each hour. This is a truly great ghost story and all the characters are
extremely creepy, creating a great haunting atmosphere throughout the episodes.
The performances of Paul McGann and India Fisher really helped to create a
sense of despair and impending doom as the time ticked on.
7. The Spectre ofLanyon Moor by Nicholas Pegg
The sixth Doctor and Evelyn investigate the mysterious
happenings in a Cornish landscape dotted with Iron Age fogou structures, with
some assistance from the Brigadier. This is a classic Doctor Who adventure with
a well-acted team trying to investigate a local folk myth which expectedly
turns out to be related to aliens. Every episode is well plotted by developing
the level of suspense nicely and the spectre’s appearances are extremely scary
as it darts around and cackles. There are many similarities with 70s Who but
these just added to create an atmosphere rather than being distractions.
6. Storm Warning by
Alan Barnes
Storm Warning was
Paul McGann’s first release for Big Finish and sees his doctor on board the
airship R-101 as it makes its fateful maiden voyage. Some brilliant
performances combined with an excellent sound design make this release seem
quite extravagant and a great setting for an historical adventure. The Doctor encounters
stowaway Charlotte Pollard, an upper-class Edwardian adventuress, who pairs up
with him to help investigate the strange passenger in Cabin 43. She is
extremely likeable as a new companion – having an attitude of young naivety
whilst still managing to show bravery as the alien involvement becomes apparent
and needs preventing. A terrific story overall, with plenty of drama and action
alongside some good character scenes too.
5. The Fires of Vulcan by Steve Lyons
The seventh Doctor and Mel arrive in Pompeii a day before
the disaster, are split up, become entangled in local politics and must fight
to escape in their Tardis before Mount Vesuvius erupts. This looming event acts
as a threat throughout the whole story but whilst the Doctor is quite
pessimistic about their chances, Mel remains her usual happy and optimistic
self and this contradiction really makes the story great to listen to. All of
the supporting characters have a clear purpose and help to portray different
aspects of Roman society to make the setting seem very authentic, such as a
gladiator and a slave. The whole story is a fantastic historical adventure –
the tension is believable and the script has a good balance of drama and fun.
4. Doctor Who and the Pirates by Jacqueline Rayner
The whole story can be summed up very well in the synopsis –
“All aboard, me hearties, for a rip-roaring tale of adventure on the high
seas!” This release definitely achieves all the expectations one might have
based upon the title and is conveyed using a very novel framing device – the sixth
Doctor and Evelyn are recounting a recent pirate adventure to one of her
students but they both have very different methods of telling it – including a
whole episode in which the Doctor decides to alleviate the tension with song by
turning the whole affair into a musical! There are lots of laughs in this and
Colin Baker is clearly loving being very theatrical. Whilst this hilarity is
certainly very fun to listen to, the poignant and emotional ending really makes
the story feel complete and turns into a truly standout release.
3. Spare Parts by
Marc Platt
Spare Parts is
usually very highly rated by fans and with good reason – it is the dark telling
of how the last citizens of Earth’s twin planet Mondas are so desperate to
survive that they will go into ‘surgery’ and give up their emotions to become
Cybermen. This tragic idea of humans choosing to convert is very unnerving and
proves to be both an incredible yet terrifying origin story for the infamous
species. Whilst the fifth Doctor rants about the evil that's about to be
unleashed upon the universe, you can really empathise with the Mondasians
plight. The cyber conversions are horrible events to listen to and the
different characters we meet really make the story seem very personal as they
each discuss their desires without realising what they will become as they
queue up for processing. It’s a grim tragedy but an utterly compelling story.
2. The Holy Terror by
Robert Shearman
This is the true definition of a surreal Doctor Who story
and it makes for an absolutely fantastic audio adventure – the sixth Doctor
and his penguin shape-shifting companion Frobisher become vital characters in a
land where two factions of people are competing for power – religious
worshippers and heretics. Whilst this might not seem appealing, from beginning
to end, this is actually a perfect adventure which manages to be: dark, funny,
gripping and thought-provoking. On the one side, the story is clearly very
silly and ridiculous but on the other, it shows how many people do find meaning
and purpose in their rituals. The shift in narrative from comedy to
heart-wrenching drama is achieved well and along with Robert Jezek’s
performance as Frobisher, makes this release an incredible listen.
1. Seasons of Fear by
Paul Cornell and Caroline Symcox
This story tops the chart for the simple reason that it
includes every element that makes Doctor Who such an entertaining yet dramatic
series. In it, the eighth Doctor and Charley find themselves jumping between
different time periods on a quest to find out who the mysterious, immortal Sebastian
Grayle is – a man claiming to have killed the Doctor in the future! This
release is epic in its storytelling as our characters navigate around history
in search of clues, leading to a fast-paced story with plenty of action and
twists along the way. Grayle is a great villain who has a good backstory, and
the returning monsters prove to be a real treat. Seasons of Fear is just wonderful to listen to: it’s fun and
exciting, as well as being extremely well acted with lots of witty moments
included too. A classic Who adventure that everybody should hear.
I hope these short story outlines and reviews help to inspire you into
making some Big Finish purchases, and
if you’ve not yet listened to audio Who before, give you some idea of how
brilliant it can be.
SH
SH
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