When The Companion
Chronicles began, they were an effort on the part of Big Finish to
represent the eras of those Doctors unavailable to them: William Hartnell,
Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker. Now, of course, we have Great
Uncle Tom chomping at the bit to record stories, Jon Devon Roland is
represented by the superb Tim Treloar and Hartnell and Troughton have their
ranges of Early Adventures as well as
continued Chronicles boxsets.
But back in 2007, the inception of The Companion Chronicles failed to set the world on fire. David
Tennant was breezing across the TV screens with Freema Agyeman and a series of
CD adventures without the stories’ respective Doctors involved seemed like a
bit of a reach. I didn’t pick up any until a few years down the line, when a
couple of titles and narrators sparked my interest. And suddenly I realised
what I’d been missing out on. Because The
Companion Chronicles were and remain utterly superb.
I’d turned my nose up at the idea of listening to stories
without the bona fide actors involved, foolishly without thinking that I might
actually enjoy simply listening to
stories. Some of the tales in the Chronicles
are so far beyond what the TV series was and is capable of. Some delight in
what has been lovingly referred to as “fanwank.” (The idea of setting a story
within the closing minutes of The Tenth
Planet as the First Doctor stumbles towards his regeneration doesn’t seem
quite so “out there” now that Steven Moffat has presented it as a Christmas
Special. But The Companion Chronicles
got there first in a truly heart-breaking story.) The return of WOTAN might
feel like an indulgence the TV show wouldn’t aspire to but its arrival happens
in one of the best scripts our programme has ever enjoyed. Other stories are
completely original, outlandish and experimental. Some of our finest Big Finish
writers produce their finest works in this range, with Simon Guerrier surely
the undisputed King of the Chronicles.
Jonathan Morris, Marc Platt, Eddie Robson, John Dorney and Jacqueline Rayner
also produce phenomenal pieces of writing for the range.
At their best, The
Companion Chronicles are intricate and emotional and take one right back in
time to the respective TV eras. But also they can be tremendously audacious.
There are stories set within 1970s kids’ puppet shows, toyshops whose doors all
lead to the same room, airlocks with the oxygen slowly running out. There are stories
which detail the intricacies of the Master’s Earthly life from his prison cell.
There are stories told as jigsaw puzzles, where track-listings can be moved
about. There are stories so beautiful it makes one balk in wonder.
Here are some of my very favourites:
MOTHER RUSSIA by Marc
Platt
Marc Platt’s florid, lyrical prose style is the perfect fit
for The Companion Chronicles and
Peter Purves narrates with a crispness that allows the writing to shine. Mother Russia begins with a relaxed and
ponderous tone, and takes place unusually over a period of weeks. As we become
more attune to and in love with the story’s rich setting, we begin to realise
that war is coming, an invasion more threatening and dangerous than any alien
attack for we know this one to be the real deal. As the cover art suggests,
Napoleon is on his way. Like the best Hartnell historicals, there is a
pervasive sense of doom about this Chronicle
and it’s all the better for it.
THE GLORIOUS
REVOLUTION by Jonathan Morris
After Helicon Prime
proved what an uncanny and startlingly accurate Patrick Troughton impression
Frazer Hines has been able to master over the years, The Glorious Revolution gives Jamie a story that allows his creator
to shine. There are many “Pat” moments which send tingles up the spine, but
best of all, this is a story that could only be about Jamie McCrimmon. He and
the Doctor find themselves on different sides of an historical argument, and
Hines plays the scenes of the Time Lord and his companion arguing
astonishingly, well. Jonathan Morris’s script evokes all that was atmospheric
and strong about The Highlanders and
spins a taut, tense drama from the period. It’s, in lieu of a better
expression, glorious.
THE ANACHRONAUTS by
Simon Guerrier
There aren’t many thrills for a Doctor Who fan like spending
time with those actors from the 1960s era of the programme. To get Peter Purves
and Jean Marsh together is completely cherishable and utterly delightful. They
are brilliant and here we enjoy double time with them with 2 discs’ worth of
adventure. The story is an odd one, which fits perfectly with the
unpredictability of Hartnell’s third season and its tendency to hop settings. A
desert island and then Berlin via a magic door: this is a story only 1960s
Doctor Who could tell, but which it never did. And to hear these two old pros
perform such a terrific script is such a moving, bracing pleasure.
THE ROCKET MEN by
John Dorney
If Jean Marsh and Peter Purves are the Prince and Princess
of the 1960s companions, then surely William Russell is the King and is to be
revered. His earthy reliability and quiet charisma mark him out as a narrator
of genuine stature and his Companion
Chronicle readings are perhaps stronger than any other actors’. The Rocket Men is a simple story, told
out of sequence but at its heart, it’s a story of the relationship between Ian
and Barbara. So much of their TV tale was unspoken and it remains unspoken
here, and yet their deep, unbreakable love for each other is what powers this
extraordinary production, which itself gives way to a raft of Rocket Men tales over the following
years. This is nothing short of a masterpiece and like Ian and Barbara’s
relationship, rather beautifully it doesn’t feel the need to shout about it.
THE SCORCHIES by
James Goss…
…is a musical! Not only that, it’s set within a TV kids
programme hosted by puppets with guest star Jo Grant. It’s a gimmick that
shouldn’t work. It certainly shouldn’t be so engaging and entertaining for a
whole hour. It certainly shouldn’t feel like the Doctor is genuinely dead at
the end of Episode One. It certainly shouldn’t have spawned two direct sequels.
And it certainly shouldn’t be ignored. This is as audacious, brazen and valiant
as The Companion Chronicles have ever been. In short, it is bloody brilliant.
THE FIRST WAVE by
Simon Guerrier
At this point in the series, it really did seem like Mr
Guerrier could do no wrong. After two extremely good instalments in what has
come to be known as the Oliver Harper Trilogy, he hits us with this. It’s a
beautiful story, with a haunting conclusion. Guerrier has an uncanny knack of
instilling feelings of the ghostliness of nostalgia. It’s a childhood anxiety
felt keenly in Dickens and the last few minutes of this play haunt the memory
long after the closing titles. They are heartbreakingly bleak and wonderful.
The rest is pretty awesome too.
THE MAHOGANY
MURDERERS by Andy Lane
A story that unknowingly launched thirteen 4-hour box sets,
a spin-off with Strax, three adventures with the Sixth Doctor, two Short Trips
and a loving posthumous release by way of a coda: Yeah, The Mahogany Murderers was pretty good. Aside from the very strong,
very funny script (what a cliff-hanger!) the real joy of this release is
hearing sparks fly between Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter. They
complement each other so very well, Benjamin with his big, brassy boombox and
Baxter the more restrained, stiff-upper-lip sort. To hear them together in this
first instalment, unaccompanied is something very special, now captured on
audio forever.
THE LAST POST by
James Goss
Caroline John’s final work as Liz and it’s incredible. We
meet Liz’s mother and the story chooses an interesting form to relay its
narrative. John is, as ever, unshowily amazing, as is Rowenna Cooper as Emily.
The sound design makes for a mesmeric experience and a special shout-out must
go to Richard Fox and Lauren Yason who are the unsung heroes of the best Chronicles. After a rattling and
emotional yarn, the icing on the cake has got to be when WOTAN turns up at the
finish. This is terrific and just the kind of thing Big Finish do so well.
THE COLD EQUATIONS by Simon Guerrier
Again Richard Fox and Lauren Yason make this story feel like
it’s spiralling towards a strange, kaleidoscopic conclusion, which is perfectly
in keeping with Simon Guerrier’s complex, revolving narrative. Admittedly, the
science was a bit beyond me but it didn’t matter as I cared so much for these
two men trapped in a tin can spinning in outer space towards their doom. What
is so brilliant about The Cold Equations
is its remote and claustrophobic atmosphere. The pre-titles sequence alone sold
it to me instantly as a classic.
PERI AND THE PISCON
PARADOX by Nev Fountain
When the Chronicles
launched, I wouldn’t have predicted that perhaps my very favourite would
feature Nicola Bryant: it just didn’t seem to fall within the remit of the
series. But The Companion Chronicles decided
very quickly that actually, they could tell any story they wanted. Nev Fountain
here produces a work of magnificence. Not only is it affecting and heartfelt,
but it also features Colin Baker dressed in a flappy fish costume. (Inside of
which, he’s wearing his TV costume and getting a bit hot.) By the time you
reach the end of this terrifically funny couple of hours, you realise that any
snobbery you might have had about the range has been completely dispelled.
Because Peri and the Piscon Paradox
is as enjoyable as any Doctor Who story has ever been.
Given the vast number of Companion
Chronicle releases, it was extremely difficult to whittle it down to just
10 so I’d like to name-check a few which are definitely worth spending money on:
Mastermind; The Library of Alexandria;
The Suffering; The Transit of Venus; The Flames of Cadiz; The Selachian Gambit;
Solitaire; The Pyralis Effect; The Blue Tooth; Across the Darkened City; Fields
of Terror and Home Truths. There are untold wonders across every series of Chronicles and all kinds of experimentation, cleverness and invention.
I hope readers might try to dip their toes into this
superlative range. Once they sink their teeth in, these stories really won’t
let you go.
JH
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