With the recent word that the revived series of Doctor Who willsoon get its own spinoff serial of Audio bring featuring UNIT , you might have wondered about the long account of Doctor Who on Audio . Want to dig in ? There ’s a cosmos of stories out there that if you just watch over the show , you ’re miss out on !
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First off , a quick note : this guide will chiefly focus on the doc Who plays made by Big Finish , who have been producing Doctor Who plays for Radio since 1999 . It is only with the late announcement that Jemma Redgrave will reprise her role as Kate Stewart from the new earned run average of the show that Big Finish has dip its toes into the human beings of post-2005 Doctor Who – antecedently , it was essentially off limit , so their catalog mostly deals with what you would now call ‘ Classic ’ Doctor of the Church Who , feature the first 8 Doctors and their companions . But even if you ’ve only ever watched the 2005 revitalization , there ’s still plenty to enjoy .
Wait, What The Heck Is An Audio Play?
I guess I should probably start with this just in case you ’re very illogical as to what the hell I ’m babbling on about ( do n’t vex , happens all the metre ) .
An audio gambol is essentially just that : a play , with a dramatis personae of worker , being told through talks and sound issue alone . You might be more familiar with an Audiobook meter reading or a write up ground podcast like Welcome To Night Vale , where a single narrator ( with the occasional guest principal ) is essentially translate a chronicle to you , but audio drama , the wampum and butter of Who on Audio , are much different in so much as they ’re fully - put production with multiple actor , and they ’re less descriptive than an audio book – it ’s just character reference occupy and interacting with each other , rather than an overall narrator identify issue from a single view .
It ’s a bit unearthly at first , especially if you ’re unfamiliar with the format , but envisage it like you ’re watching an episode of a TV show with your eyes shut . plain audio plays make slight adjustments to the way things are done to make up for the lack of a optic element , but that ’s jolly much all there is to it .
Love NuWho? Check Out The Eighth Doctor
He ’s only appeared on video doubly , but the Eighth Doctor has had an incredibly long biography on Audio ( think back all those names he checks before reform inNight of the doc ? Those are the companion he had throughout the audio serial publication ! ) – in fact , if you take those story into account , he ’s technically the longest turn tail Doctor ever ! But if you ’ve never go through Greco-Roman - style Doctor Who , dipping into the Eighth Doctor ’s audio floor is as about as cheeseparing as you ’ll get to NuWho style stories on Audio .
In 2006 , with the show back on television , Big Finish revamped their line of Eighth Doctor plays with a new on-going series address The Eighth Doctor Adventures . The data format of the series , which run from 2007 until 2011 , was design to emulate the new TV show : a new modern day fellow traveler , Lucie Miller ( play by British actress Sheridan Smith ) , an emphasis on adventures that took spot in the twenty-first century as well as back and forth in fourth dimension , series - panning arcs , and more single part account that were around 50 minutes long in each Eight instalment ‘ series ’ .
There were four series in sum , and although the adventures conclude , the Eighth Doctor ’s journeying with a novel companion – a World War One nanny named Molly – continued in the ongoing miniseries Dark Eyes . If you want an easy transition between 2005 - era Dr. Who and the older show , count no further than these plays . you’re able to find oneself them all for purchasehere .
The Golden Oldies
The Fifth , and most recently Fourth , Doctor have a satisfying series of stories available on Audio that very closely stress to emulate the vibraharp of their prison term on the show . Love the classic serial ? search no further than here .
The Fifth Doctor , of course repeat by Peter Davison , has been in plays since Big Finish set about in 1999 , both in short miniskirt - serial publication and as an regular freshman in the monthly serial publication of plays . Unlike the Eighth Doctor Adventures , these maneuver tend to follow the format of the classic show a mass more close , with 4 part level that are two hours long , the equivalent of a typical serial on the old show . On audio the Eighth Doctor has pass prison term with every companion he had on the show , and even a new grapheme for the play that travelled alongside Peri , Erimem , an Ancient Egyptian princess . If you require the full Fifth Doctor experience , the 2014 seriesThe Fifth Doctor Box Setis a moderately good stepping gunpoint , arrest two dangerous undertaking typeset early on on in the Fifth Doctor ’s life featuring Tegan , Nyssa , and for the first time since he entrust the show , Matthew Waterhouse as Adric .
The Fourth Doctor has only had audio risky venture since 2012 – originally Tom Baker was the only last Doctor to worsen a return when boastful Finish start producing Doctor Who work in 1999 – but he ’s by no mean had a gravid change of adventures . The Fourth Doctor has trip with in the main with Leela on audio , although he has appeared with Romana I ( for a single series of news report recorded shortly beforethe death of Mary Tammin 2012 ) and shortly , Lalla Ward ’s Romana II as well . It ’s Tom Baker at his Tom Baker - iest , and with a voice as lovely as his , he ’s practically perfect for audio frequency . Want some classic , gothic - repulsion mode Fourth Doctor ? count no further than thePhillp Hinchcliffe Presentsset , feature two stories from the human who superintend Doctor Who ’s gothic - esque mid-70 ’s epoch – or take a dive into his standalone rangehere .
Give The ‘Weaker’ TV Doctors A Chance
Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy both got myopic sticks during their metre on the show – smaller budgets , declining BBC support and stories that did n’t quite get there lead to them often being rank pretty poorly as doctor by fans . But on Audio , both actors have the meter that they did n’t on telecasting to expand their role , to generalise on idea that were either disregard light on TV or were n’t considered at all . The Big Finish Audios turn the Sixth and Seventh Doctors into the characters they should ’ve been in the first place .
The short nature of the Television Sixth Doctor has slowly been turned into a more kindly grump , softened by his fourth dimension travelling but still endearingly pompous and full of himself . The Seventh Doctor ’s developing nature as a manipulator , as something obscure than what had gone before , has evolved on Audio to fufill the hope of the original show , before it was abridge inadequate by cancellation . But while their characters have originate and evolved over the years , they ’re still essentially who they were deep down in the first place – so if you were a fan of their TV adventures , you ’re in for a kickshaw . If you were n’t , given them a go anyway ! You might like how they ’ve turned out .
The Wider World Of Doctor Who
Although there ’s amonthly seriesof Doctor Who history feature a revolving mold of physician and Companions in standalone one offs , Big Finish has far more to provide for report about the blanket Doctor Who universe that do n’t necessarily sport The Doctor – or even follow the audio fun format .
There ’s spinoffs likeJago & Litefoot , supernatural adventures featuring the comedic duo of Victorians from the iconic Fourth Doctor tale The talon of Weng - Chiang . There ’s UNIT spinoffs focused on the organisation defending Earth while the Doctor ’s away – and even one for UNIT precursorCountermeasures , based on the team featured in the Seventh Doctor fib memorial of the Daleks . There ’s evenGallifrey , a multi - series adventure that revolves around Romana ’s time as President of the Time Lords .
Several ‘ Lost Stories ‘ plays subsist too , account based on script and ideas originally produced for video but discarded for one ground or another . If you ’re a fan of the first three Doctors , audiobook - mode dangerous undertaking told from the position of ( and read by ) Companions like Jo Grant or Jamie , or Susan and Ian calledThe Companion Chroniclesoffer news report remindful of the earliest MD Who tales . If you ’re already a diehard Doctor Who fan and have yet to dip into the audio recording plays , these spinoff stories help flesh out the humankind of Doctor Who without really focussing on The Doctor himself .
Want to mind but worried about transport charges for CDs ? large Finish sellsall of their Doctor Who materialas digital , drm - free downloads that you could buy world - wide through their internet site , but if you are a sports fan of the physical CD , some American - based webstores likeWho North Americasell the physical copies for local hearing .
What are you waiting for ? Give ’em a listen !
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