I realise putting this in the visual forum is a questionable choice, but it feels more right than the music forum. Plus it'll just get buried there. But no complaints if someone moves it. Anyway, although mentioned in Who threads here and there, there's never been a dedicated thread for them. Lack of interest? Let's find out. I'm not a super huge fan myself, though I certainly enjoy them, particularly on long solo drives. At their best, they're thoroughly enjoyable, and at their worst, they border on continuity porn. Favourite titles? Spinoffs included. (Any BF title can be discussed. I doubt there'll be so much non-Who discussion that it'll take over.)
I find that Big Finish stories are rarely awesome, but also rarely awful. My favorites are probably the ones with David Tennant and Catherine Tate, for the reason that the two of them are just clearly having a blast doing it. Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures Volume 01 - Doctor Who - The Tenth Doctor Adventures - Big Finish Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures Volume 03 (Limited Edition) - Doctor Who - The Tenth Doctor Adventures - Big Finish (Sadly, Volume 2, which pairs Tennant with Billie Piper, didn’t capture the magic the Catherine Tate ones have.)
The Third Doctor series is surprisingly good. The actor doesn't do a spot-on imitation of Pertwee, but after a couple minutes (each time), your ears adjust and completely buy into the illusion. The First Doctor series is also quite good, though it's harder to adjust to the voices, especially Susan's and Barbara's. If anyone doesn't know, these are the actors who played the actors who played the characters of the first TARDIS crew in the 50th Adventure in Time and Space special. (Whew!) So in other words, they were cast partly for how closely they looked like the original actors, now acting in a completely non-visual medium. The first Out of Time story with Tom Baker and David Tennant was okay, but the second one with Davison and Tennant was quite good. There's an upcoming team-up with Tennant and Colin Baker. Other titles I've especially liked, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few: Spare Parts Circular Time (four short stories, all good) Time in Office (Davison is forced to serve his term as Gallifrey's president) Daughter of the Gods (thoroughly enjoyable meeting of the first two Doctors)
For me, they’re splendid for times when my eyes are tired. Volume 1 of The Lone Centurion starring Arthur Darvill has three stories, one of which is quite good, and two that are passable. Volume 2 is coming out in a couple weeks in early 2022 and I will get that one too. Darvill was a key part of the Amy & Rory era of Doctor Who - he played Rory, obviously. I’m not really interested in the productions where they use a soundalike actor when the real actor was or is still alive, though to be fair I haven’t given the soundalike ones a try. I figure Big Finish probably holds back their best story ideas for the times when the real actors are willing to take the gigs. And imo hearing the real actors’ performance choices is part of the experience. In addition to the Arthur Darvill releases, I have bought one of the productions that stars the real David Tennant & Catherine Tate, and am overdue to save up for the one with David Tennant & Billie Piper. (I think there’s also a David Tennant one with Daleks but who the heck wants to endure the cheesy Dalek voice? Not me.) I also have a CD - from before downloads were easier - of the Sontaran Drax having an adventure with the London-based detectives who were introduced in The Talons of Weng Chiang. I guess I like the comedic characters! I should find that disc and listen to it sometime… More convenient to use the downloads/app though. If price was not an issue, I’d buy much more. But the prices of Big Finish productions are generally beyond my means. You can easily purchase an entire season of a television series for the same price as what they charge for a trio of audio stories. My other complaint is that their storefront is needlessly complicated: They typically sell a single volume that contains three stories, and they also sell the three stories individually a la carte, which only adds confusion. If they would eliminate those a la carte choices I bet they’d do better business.
I feel so guilty... I have a number of these that I either bought long ago or got as a free download from Doctor Who Magazine. But I rarely listen. I think they’re well done, but I lose concentration on what’s happening when the stories get hectic with action, especially when I was listening during my commuting days. Sometimes I think there’s too much going on in these stories. I’ve come to accept that, right now, I appreciate a leisurely read as opposed to listening to audiobooks. I do really like how they’ve built up their catalog and have such variety from the Doctors to side characters like Jago and Litefoot. Was it RTD who recently said the Doctor Who TV universe should be far more expansive (like Marvel)? That, to me, is what BF has done and more power to them. I did recently buy the first episode of the Space: 1999 series as I loved that show, but haven’t had a chance to listen yet. Like I said, I feel guilty. I should love this stuff and keep hoping that life will change a bit and I have more time to seriously enjoy audiobooks and BF stuff in particular. Just hasn’t happened yet.
Yeah, I have quite a few unlistened-to ones as well. I've only recently started going through my backlog at a reasonable rate, and only because the pandemic gave me second thoughts about my 90+-minute weekly train commute and I started driving more. I really can't listen to them at home, or more accurately I'm too easily distracted to follow them, especially the episodic monthly line, which were very long.
Frazer Hines (Jamie, the Second Doctor's kilt wearing companion) does a great impression of the Second Doctor. I noticed the other day that Patrick Troughton's son, Michael is taking over that role. I'm curious and excited to hear his take on the character.
I'm still a newb where these are concerned so it helps to know what are the best examples. It's a lovely medium, especially where you have original actors but who have aged a lot visually. I've dipped into some Blake's and even Dark Shadows... have had Survivors on the to try list too...
I've certainly haven't heard all the Tom Baker ones, but from what I have heard, and from reviews of people I trust who have heard them all, they're all pretty mediocre. It feels like they're trying not to push any envelopes and are aiming for 'Just as I remembered it' and not quite making it. I was recommended the Foe from the Future box set, but it's ridiculously expensive, even as a download. The Sinestran Kill also came with a 'better than the rest' recommendation. I just downloaded it but I haven't finished it. (But have enjoyed what I've heard.)
Actually, the whole thing is on YouTube, just with the soundtrack removed, so you need to have that and then sync them up. I just watched it and it was thoroughly enjoyable.
Related to that story in which Eccleston praises David Warner, it’s been reported that Warner has just passed away. Doctor Who News - David Warner 1941-2022
There’s a Big Finish Humble Bundle up benefitting Children In Need— you can get 17 Doctor Who audio dramas (some of which are actually multi-story box sets) for $18 (or fewer items for less). Ends August 17. Sounds of Adventure - Doctor Who Audio Dramas by Big Finish (pay what you want and help charity) In terms of hours of entertainment per dollar spent, it doesn’t get much better than this.
I really liked Classic Doctors, New Monsters, 4 stories from Doctors 5-8, and I thought that 5, 6 and 7s were great but didn’t enjoy 8s
I used to subscribe to these. Got them all through #100, then I had to let the subscription lapse due to financial concerns. A few months after that, our house burned down and I lost all 100 of the ones I had. Since then, I have replaced the first 4 from eBay, but that's all I have. I really did enjoy these and wish I was up-to-date. But with such a backlog and being so far behind it all just seems so pointless now.
BF took off around the time my son was born in 2000. As a new father I found myself occasionally needing some extra escapism. So I started buying 8th Doctor Paul McGann audio adventures and would listen to them commuting to and from work. When my son got old enough to appreciate Doctor Who he would ask to hear them in the car. I still buy some from time to time. I really liked the Jago & Litefoot series starring the two actors from The Talons of Weng Chiang. I always hoped they'd get a TV spinoff but the BF stories satisfied that itch.
There’s a free one starring Paul McGann: Download a complete Doctor Who audio drama TOTALLY FREE! Click bgfn.sh/bffstorm to hear Storm Warning, starring Paul McGann and India Fisher. Offer expires at 23:59 (UK time) on 29 August 2023.
This year’s Doctor Who Humble Bundle benefitting Children in Need includes Big Finish audio, comics, and roleplaying game products, with a heavy 10th Doctor focus (but many other Doctors are also represented). Ends November 22. https://www.humblebundle.com/doctor-who-megabundle-2023-books