Doctor Who - Audio Adventures

[daf]

Eccleston audios out today. Waiting to see some reviews before I jump in.

Here's one :  Cultbox

Christopher Eccleston's Doctor is as vigorous and vivid as ever, truly sounding like he just walked off set in 2005. In the Extras, he talks about finding the character again quickly; his Doctor is quick-witted, joyful and happy to give people short shift too. Eccleston is very open and engaged, both with his thoughts on the story and his time on the television show.

[purlieu]

Journey to Peladon, member world of the Galactic Federation and home to intrigue and adventure. With each passing generation, industrial exploitation and deadly political games are taking their toll on the planet...

1. The Ordeal of Peladon by Jonathan Barnes & Robert Valentine

2. The Poison of Peladon by Lizzie Hopley

3. The Death of Peladon by Mark Wright

4. The Truth of Peladon by Tim Foley

Fuck no.

[purlieu]

She's Doctor Martha Jones, who the hell are you? Freema Agyeman returns in her own triumphant trio of audio adventures, to be released in December 2021.

After more than a decade away from the TARDIS, the Tenth Doctor's companion, Martha Jones, is returning to the world of Doctor Who, in a brand-new box set of full-cast audio drama from Big Finish Productions.

Set between the 2007 TV episodes The Sound of Drums and The Last of the Time Lords, these new stories explore the year that Martha (Freema Agyeman) spent travelling the Earth, warning humanity about the Master and spreading hope with tales of her friend, the Doctor.

Also featuring in these adventures is Martha's mum, Francine Jones, with legendary British actress Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton, Doctor Who) reprising the role she played on screen.

The Year of Martha Jones is now available to pre-order as a collector's edition CD box set (at £19.99) or digital download (at £16.99), at www.bigfinish.com, comprising the three following stories:

The Last Diner by James Goss
Silver Medal by Tim Foley
Deceived by Matt Fitton
Producer David Richardson said: "I love Martha Jones and I love tales of an apocalyptic Earth, so when we secured Freema for this box set I was immediately drawn to the idea of Martha's year on an Earth subjugated by the Master. The Doctor has lost! The Jones family in peril! Toclafane sweeping the skies, and a mission to travel the world, sharing tales of a Time Lord who defeats the monsters. There was so much dramatic potential in this story world and our writers have had a lot of fun with that."

Freema Agyeman added: "We really didn't know what Martha was going through during that year on Earth – we see her embark on it, and we see the conclusion of it, but it's so interesting to really see her as an ordinary person, trying to do extraordinary things. She has incredible independence and strength so I think she can rely on that, but it's been great to see how she does ebb and flow throughout that journey."

In reply to the bold section - that's exactly what the book The Story of Martha is about.

[JamesTC]

I wish I could find the joke article from around 15 years ago saying Big Finish have filled the last gap in continuity.

[Huxleys Babkins]

I'd rather have a story about her divorce from Mickey due to him being a wankbeast.

[mjwilson]

Interestingly (or, if you don't find it interesting, uninterestingly), the Martha boxset has been known about for ages because actors accidentally leaked it by sticking the story titles on their online CVs. There were also 4 stories known about for the set. So feel free to speculate about whether a story with Barrowman and/or Clarke story has had to be dropped, or whether something much more mundane has happened.

[Huxleys Babkins]

At the time of Martha's adventure, Mickey's living in Peteworld and Jack's chained up just being repeatedly shot to death. Doubt they made an appearance.

[Malcy]

Jacobi's War Master taking on Tennant.

https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-war-master-self-defence

[Malcy]

Plot details revealed for RTD's upcoming BF story.

https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-mind-of-the-hodiac

In the depths of space, the mysterious Hodiac is manipulating the Galactic Stock Exchange to raise money. His aim? To hire mercenaries for a deadly quest across the stars.

Meanwhile, on Earth, an ordinary British family is plagued by a series of psychic events.

The one thing connecting these events is a magnificent patchwork coat – which just so happens to belong to the Doctor!

[daf]

That link appears to be bust *, but from memory, I think this is a Sixth Doctor & Mel story, so it's a no-brainer for me - instant order!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
* This one seems to work :
https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/the-sixth-doctor-and-mel-encounter-the-mind-of-the-hodiac

As these things tend to disappear, I'll copy and paste some bits for posterity :

Due for release in March 2022, Mind of the Hodiac is a full-cast audio production comprising of two hour-long episodes. The first is from the original typewritten 1986 script written by Russell T Davies and rediscovered 35 years later, and the second episode is written by director Scott Handcock from Davies' detailed original notes.

Colin Baker : "The fact that one of our stories was written by Russell T Davies who, as a young fan of the show in the 1980's, was sufficiently enthused to write a story for the original 'Mel B' and me which has emerged blinking into the 21st Century is the icing on the cake. No one could deny that Russell is a master storyteller and even in his embryonic writing form has summoned from the imaginative ether a firecracker of a yarn. 

"And I am so glad he wrote it for me and Bonnie and was not tempted to 'update' the Doctor or the companion. What is extraordinary is that that you can see the future writer of The Second Coming, Casanova and Cucumber flexing his young creativity to examine what happens when the ordinary and the everyday suddenly come face to face with the extraordinary and the far from every day."



Bonnie Langford : "Doctor Who is such a huge community and it's a community that's not only worldwide, it's also generation wide. It brings families and generations together. When you think that someone with such a wonderful and extensive and luminous body of work such as Russell remembers this show (which involved Colin and me) with such fondness, it reminds you of how privileged we are to be part of that history – and that personal history of so many people. 

"To think that Russell – who is such a lovely, lovely person – watched the show when he was a kid and then got the opportunity to reimagine it and bring it back to the world it's in now, to give it new life (which it needed), and yet still has great affection for the old days, the classic lot that we are. Nothing is ever over."

[samadriel]

Cucumber?

[daf]

That's the Channel 4 show he did in 2015 > > > Cucumber.

Exploring 21st-century gay life, the series focuses on middle-aged Henry Best (Vincent Franklin). Following a disastrous date night with his boyfriend of nine years, Lance Sullivan (Cyril Nri), Henry's old life shatters. He embarks on a new life with unfamiliar rules.

[samadriel]

Ah, ok, ta. I've never listened to a BF audio, but I'm actually curious to hear a RTD story featuring a classic Doc and companion, particularly Col and Mel. If I hate it as much as I hate most of his work, I won't feel he's besmirched a great era of the show, and if I like it, great! I also like the suggestion that Col's godawful coat will feature as a plot point -- why not have a bit of fun with it. Imagine it being like Dr Strange's powered cape, shielding the Doctor from psychic radiation at the cost of making him look like a party clown.

[JamesTC]

They've already used Colin's coat as a plot point in an earlier audio. The Sandman IIRC.

[samadriel]

Well aren't I behind the times! Don't think I'll chase that one down though, don't want to crack open the beehive that is the BF universe.

[daf]

Big Finish are 100% responsible for turning Colin into my favourite Doctor - no irony.

(if you fancy dipping a toe in, the first 50 stories are on spotify, plus a ton of Jago & Litefoot)

[JamesTC]

The 50 free ones are a great starting point. After a shaky start with the first few, it is the strongest period for Big Finish. Probably as many classics in the first 50 as there are in the next 200.

[Bad Ambassador]

The 50 free ones are a great starting point. After a shaky start with the first few, it is the strongest period for Big Finish. Probably as many classics in the first 50 as there are in the next 200.

Looks like I made the right move to jack it in after 110, then.

[JamesTC]

Looks like I made the right move to jack it in after 110, then.

There are still some good stories after that. The worst period is the two or three years after the new series started. When they moved to trilogies, it did seem to spark an uptick in quality albeit not the heady heights of the very best of the first 50. You certainly don't get the nadir of some of the divergent universe arc or The Boy That Time Forgot.

You still have A Death in the Family, The Wrong Doctors, 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men and The Widow's Assassin are all classics in my opinion. Would probably throw Patient Zero and The Silver Turk in there too if I am being generous.

1963: Fanfare for the Common Men is the one everybody needs to give a listen from the later releases. Proper brilliant solo story (not tied to anything other than being set in 1963). Basically the Doctor and Nyssa arrive at Heathrow in 1963 and find that The Beatles no longer exist and have been replaced by a band called The Common Men.

[Bad Ambassador]

1963: Fanfare for the Common Men is the one everybody needs to give a listen from the later releases. Proper brilliant solo story (not tied to anything other than being set in 1963). Basically the Doctor and Nyssa arrive at Heathrow in 1963 and find that The Beatles no longer exist and have been replaced by a band called The Common Men.

Richard Curtis has idea.

[JamesTC]

Richard Curtis has idea.

Predates that shite by 6 years!

[mjwilson]

There are still some good stories after that. The worst period is the two or three years after the new series started. When they moved to trilogies, it did seem to spark an uptick in quality albeit not the heady heights of the very best of the first 50. You certainly don't get the nadir of some of the divergent universe arc or The Boy That Time Forgot.

You still have A Death in the Family, The Wrong Doctors, 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men and The Widow's Assassin are all classics in my opinion. Would probably throw Patient Zero and The Silver Turk in there too if I am being generous.

A Death in the Family is one of the highlights of all Doctor Who ever, although it does build off a lot of earlier stories.

[jamiefairlie]

The thing with BF is that it's best used as comfort listening. Occasionally they're great but I just great as spending time with old friends. Don't really like the new series one though, too frenetic.

[daf]

The Chris Eccleston one, you mean?

[jamiefairlie]

The Chris Eccleston one, you mean?

Yeah and they have others too. Tennant's done some too. Not my style really.

[daf]

The David Tennant ones with Tate were pretty good (I bought them as a Christmas present for my niece), but the only ones I've bought for myself from the new series have been the four Paternoster Gang box sets and the three Missy ones - which are good fun, particularly the stories with

Spoiler alert

The Meddling Monk

[close]

.

There are so many releases you can create your own bespoke collection really. I'd be surprised if more than a handful of people buy ALL their output - I see it more like a radio station where you tune in to your favourite shows.

[purlieu]

Returning to the BBC audios after a long break.

Exploration Earth. What a nice little curio. The Fourth Doctor shows Sarah the formation of the Earth, gives some information about rocks and stuff to listeners, and half-arsedly foils the plans of Megron trying to destroy the planet. 20 minutes of educational fun! Is this not on a DVD yet? Seems like the sort of thing people would enjoy.

[daf]

Is this not on a DVD yet? Seems like the sort of thing people would enjoy.

They included it on the 'Hand of Fear' disc on the Season 14 Blu Ray, along with The Pescatons on the 'Masque of Mandragora' disc.

Though the Limited Edition 'shoebox' edition is sold out, they started re-issuing all the seasons recently in 'standard' plastic cases. They only difference, aside from the case, is the booklet is cut down to around half the number of pages, but all the discs are identical. * 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
* (One good side effect of the re-issuing is that it's damped down the runaway prices the out-of-print Limited Editions used to go for - so, whereas they used to be over £300, as everyone now knows every edition will eventually also be available in standard packaging, you can currently pick the L.E. season 14 on ebay for around £60 or so.)

[Replies From View]

It's such a missed opportunity by Big Finish to have never established a character called The Peddling Cunt.

[daf]

Only a matter of time!

(They do have a

Spoiler alert

Neddling Nun

[close]

played by

Spoiler alert

Gemma Whelan

[close]

- if that's any use to you) > > > here