Doctor Who Audio Recommendations?

[penfold_x]

(Posted to bigfinishlove this morning, but I think my flist is a completely different audience:)

Doctor Who was one of my childhood fandoms (crate full of old novels--check; loooong homemade multi-colored scarf--check; Tardis USB hub--check; unreasonable fear of saltshakers and plungers--check). I've recently gotten back into watching/reading classic stories, and just discovered the Big Finish audios. What a treat to have new stories, read by the original actors! With an enormous back catalogue to choose from!

The drawback is not knowing where to start (and having a limited budget). I would value your recommendations. My preferences from the series/novels are Seven/Ace (I didn't hate Mel, but didn't particularly love her either) and Five (no particular favorite companion from this era; they all have their pluses and minuses). I watched and enjoyed the Eight movie, but haven't read any of the books. I found it hard to enjoy Six's personality as much as the others (the usual complaints, although I enjoyed the wind-up for Trial of a Time Lord).

Thus far I've enjoyed The Genocide Machine, Colditz, The Harvest, and Night Thoughts (I found Dreamtime dull). I'm really enjoying Hex!

For Five, I've enjoyed The Eye of the Scorpion, The Church and the Crown, The Axis of Insanity, The Roof of the World, and The Kingmaker. It only took one Erimem episode for me to decide I loved her (and download four more stories)! The writers are toning down Peri's whining, and having someone to take care of seems to bring out the best in her.

I've also listened to The Sirens of Time, Omega, and the first of the Eight/Charley stories. I enjoyed Storm Warning, but it felt like the writers were really trying to hammer home Charley's Spunky!-ness, to the detriment of the character. Does it get better? Should I try a different companion?

Any particular recommendations for Seven or Five stories? I'm unexpectedly enjoying Peri; should I a chance on Six, and if so, which ones? It would especially help to know why you love a particular story/series/companion.

Comments

[claddagh.livejournal.com]

You are more into the modern Doctors. I have never seen the movie and saw little of Slyvester McCoy. I didn't especially like number 5 either. I liked doctors three and four. I liked the trial of #2 and any episode with the Master.

I liked Mark of the Rani, the first one with Colin Baker. I can't say it was great, but I liked it.

BTW, I had a large poster of Tom Baker on the wall over my bed as a child.

[penfold-x.livejournal.com]

You are more into the modern Doctors.

Well, with the audios you don't get a choice. ;) I think they only started around 1999, a few years after Jon Pertwee passed. Tom Baker continues to decline invitations to be involved in the franchise, so the audios are only Doctors from Peter Davison onward (with the exception of the new-new Doctors, which the BBC has not licensed for audios).

That said, McCoy was the one doing new eps when I was a pup, and I really liked him. I caught most of his at the time, and continued to read the New Adventure novels after the cancellation, as well as some of the Past Doctor Adventures. Our local public television was really good about getting past seasons of DW, so I saw most of Three, Four and Five (Four many times). Tom Baker was my favorite when I was young, closely followed by McCoy. My mom learned to knit just so my brother and I could have the scarves!

I didn't especially like number 5 either.

I didn't care much for him when I was young, but as I got older he's really grown on me. It's strange, as I've enjoy Tom Baker's presentation less with time, so there's something in addition to nostalgia going on, I think...

I liked doctors three and four. I liked the trial of #2 and any episode with the Master.

I really liked Three, too (especially episodes with the Brigadier), as well as any Master episode (he's campy, but somehow he pulls it off).

I've seen a few of the first episodes, but they didn't play those or Patrick Troughton's much (I think they were afraid to air black and white shows), so I never really warmed to them.

BTW, I had a large poster of Tom Baker on the wall over my bed as a child.

I always knew you were a woman of superior taste and judgment!

[ponygirl72.livejournal.com]

Hello, there. I'm here via wendymr, a friend of mine. She knows I'm a huge Big Finish nut, and emailed me this link.

So, without further ado...

Five: Sounds like you missed The Council of Nicea and Son of the Dragon, both of which are quite simply stunning straight historicals with Peri & Erimem. If you want a taste of Nyssa, you can't do better than Paul Cornell's (of Human Nature and Father's Day Fame!) Circular Time. The Autumn and Winter episodes in particular are amazing.

Six: Please give Six a chance. Back in the day, Colin Baker knew exactly how he wanted to play the Doctor, and the writers and directors completely ignored his every suggestion. And ran the show into the ground, I might add. That he agreed to reprise the character at all for Big Finish is amazing, given how badly the BBC treated him at the time. But BF offered him the chance to redeem the character, and play it the way he always thought it should be played... and so he has. If you take one single piece of advice from this hopeless audio addict, then listen to The Marian Conspiracy, where Six (and the audience) make the acquaintance of the most awesome little old lady in the Whoniverse, Audio!Companion Dr Evelyn Smythe. If you still hate him, then you have no soul you can avoid him from that point on, and at least you will have "met" Evelyn.

Seven: The Fearmonger remains the Big Finish audio which I most enjoy upon re-listening. As a writer, I find the script to be elegant and one of the most effective uses of the audio medium I've ever heard. And there are a couple of absolutely gorgeous Seven and Ace moments.

Eight: It's very important to listen to the Eight & Charley audios in order, if your going to listen to them at all, because of the rather involved story arc. Charley is one of the most popular audio companions, but her spunkiness is indeed a big part of her character. With what ends up happening to her, frankly, she needs all the spunkiness she can get-- the poor girl gets pretty thoroughly deconstructed as the series progresses. Also, though I won't spoil it for you, the "end" of Charley's run with Eight is one of the most innovative and controversial things to be done in DW, ever.

However, if she's not to your taste, try the Eight & Lucie adventures, which are about as different in tone from Eight & Charley as you can get. Eight, by this point, has seen a lot of horrible things, and is changing from happy-go-lucky to a slightly darker figure... one that you can almost picture standing in front of a big red button during the Time War and saying "Ah, what the hell." McGann, dare I say, has one of the best acting ranges of any of the Doctors, and he gets to explore it regularly on Big Finish.

A final word about a terrific trilogy, the first installment of which you have already heard: The Harvest. The Harvest, The Reaping, and The Gathering are a wonderful trio. The Reaping is Six and Peri, and features a scene at the end that, if you have a heart beating in your chest, will have you reaching for the tissues. The Gathering is a beautiful example of closure, as Five meets Tegan Jovanka (her only appearance in the audios), twenty years on.

So, there you have it-- War and Peace, on the topic of Big Finish. Have fun, and welcome to the insanity.

[penfold-x.livejournal.com]

Aw, Wendy is so kind! Thank you for sharing your expertise.

Re: Five, thank you for the endorsement of Council of Nicea and Son of the Dragon. I have really enjoyed the Five/Peri/Erimem dynamic, but I was hesitant due to the subject matter (I've read/seen too many hackneyed takes on vampires/Dracula, and going back to a key event in Christianity is... dicey at best). I will purchase with confidence! :)

Re: Six, it is very helpful to know the back story on CB's involvement with the show. The folks in bigfinishlove are also huge Six/Evelyn fans, and they have nearly all recommended The Marian Conspiracy as well.

Re: Eight, thanks for the warning. I think I will try some more of the stories (relatively in order, though I think I'll leave Minuet in Hell to... well, never). Your hints on the end of Charley's journey are intriguing.

Re: Harvest. Ah, I had not realized that there were any links on that story (though I the Daleks' plan provides a number of opportunities to leap out at different times on different doctors).

Thanks very much for all of your help!

[chevronsha.livejournal.com]

I have a cd of all those that my brother had collected when he first started (about a year ago) i'll burn you a copy.

thanx so much to PonyGirl72 for the low down on those I should not miss (i'm loading my new mp3 player for my train trip next week)

[penfold-x.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :)

BTW, among Five, Six, Seven, and Eight, whom are your favorites?

[chevronsha.livejournal.com]

finally back!
ya know, I don't know yet.
I haven't listened to any but mcgann yet (not including the audiobooks by Tennant) but i really liked mcgann - i have 28 hours of transit out to ny next week and will be filling a few micro sd's with whatever i can find to maybe have an answer to your question soon.