#3 - Big Finish Review of 2007

Question: Has this been a good year for Big Finish?

Well, Yes and No. Without doubt the stories such as Son of the Dragon, Absolution and Nocturne have been absolute crackers with all the pace, emotional material and damn good acting that wouldn't be out of place on TV. But then there were stories such as Valhalla and 100 which were mediocre, bordering on poor. There were big changes to the line up that would see some of the biggest changes that Doctor Who has encountered in the Big Finish range since it was launched in 1999. Gary Russell, who had been the top man behind the series contributed to his final story in Nocturne and Nicholas Briggs took over. There was also a change to the story format with new three parters followed by a single stand alone story. 2007 also saw the 100th Doctor Who story produced by Big Finish to celebrate it there was a different type of story made.

2007 started with Circular Time, which was a four part story with Peter Davison and also starring Sarah Sutton who was making her first Big Finish appearance since the 2005 story The Game. This was a poor story in my opinion as it didn't really seem to have much point to it. The only good part about it was the role of Sir Issac Newton which was played by the brilliant David Warner. I ended up giving this story 2 out of 5. February saw the Seventh Doctor star in Nocturne. This was a brilliant story which had me holding on to every word and by the end of part four was completely blown away which I thought was the best story for a long time and for most of this year was the best story of the year. March saw the return of the Daleks. This was Nicholas Brigg's first story as 'Executive' Producer. This story also featured a new look CD Cover which changed for the first time since Paul McGann's first adventure in January 2001. The story had been written by Christopher H.Bidmead who for new fans who haven't seen much of 1980's Who was the script editor for the end of Tom Baker's era and the beginning of Peter Davison's time in control of the TARDIS. Renaissance of the Daleks didn't have a written by credit but a 'From an Idea by' because apparently he was unhappy with changes been made to his precious script with his name on it. Even though this happens all the time and he must have done when he was script editor he was unhappy with this happening to him. The story was interesting and when I originally reviewed it I said that he should be encouraged to write more and I still stand by that statement. April saw the first three parter followed by a standalone story in I.D and Urgent Call. The three parter was ok but was slightly confusing as I didn't understand really what it was all about but I thought that it was good as three parts because its wouldn't have time to include any boring banter. The inclusion of Gyles Brandreth was one of the few highlights in this story based purely on his voice. The single parter however was not very good as I thought it was a completely pointless episode. May saw the second new style story telling with Exotron and Urban Myth. Unlike the previous release both stories were really good and enjoyable. The characters were well written in both stories and by the end of it I thought it was a good release.

June saw a return to the traditional format of a four part story but Valhalla was a very dull story which wasn't bad or poor like Circular Time but just didn't have a point to it. Slyvester McCoy was let down in this story with a poor story and no one to bounce his character off against as Ace and Hex had been written out of it for some reason. The story was written by Marc Platt who had penned the brilliant 2002 story Spare Parts and so I had high hopes of this release but was ultimately was left disappointed with this release. July saw Bonnie Langford return in The Wishing Beast and the Vanity Box. This 6th Doctor release featured Jean Marsh who had appeared along William Hartnell in the 1965 epic Dalek Master Plan and along the seventh doctor in the 1989 serial Battlefield. The three part story was quite good as if it had been four parts then it might have stumbled a little bit. The single parter was something that I didn't like as I though that even though it was a link to the Wishing Beast story it didn't really work because the pace and language used wasn't right at all.

August saw Slyvester McCoy return to in Frozen Time which was written by Nicholas Briggs who's last penned story The Nowhere Place (2006) was a brilliant adventure. Sure enough this story was also a well written, well acted piece of sci-fi. The biggest shock of the year came when it was revealed that the Ice Warriors were in main baddies. Unlike the companion-less story of Valhalla, McCoy was given a great script and had co-stars that complimented his Doctor. Nicholas Briggs is a brilliant writer and has shown time and time again that he can write a cracking script and it is only because he is doing the Dalek Empire and Cyberman series that we don't see more of his work. Early September saw release 99 and Son of the Dragon. This in my mind is the greatest story of the year. It was the sort of story that only comes round one ever few years and had the feel of an adventure that should be made for TV on my a big Sci-Fi budget. The addition of James Purefoy was a masterstroke in an adventure which will be around for a long time before being beaten in terms of quality writing and acting. Late September saw the 100th release in the brilliantly named 100. To celebrate this milestone four of the most popular writers penned a single episode. Paul Cornell, Robert Shearman, Joseph Lidster and Jacqueline Rayner. I was disappointed by this because I thought that single part stories just don't work. The only story that worked for me was the 100 Days of the Doctor which whilst wasn't brilliant was the best of a bad bunch.

October's release was Absolution which saw the first eighth Doctor story with C'Rizz and Charley since Memory Lane in late 2006. This was the second story in three which I thought was brilliant. Not because it wrote out the character of C'Rizz but because of the way of the exit. It was the most emotional story that has ever been done and actually made me Miss C'Rizz. Absolution saw three guest roles in the form of Robert Glenister who stars in the BBC Drama Hustle, Christopher Villers who stars in the ITV soap Emmerdale and Natalie Mendoza who stars in the BBC drama Hotel Babylon. November saw Peter Davison in The Minds Eye which had Owen Teale who had starred opposite Davison in The Caves of Androzani in 1984. The Mind's Eye was a really good story that was enjoyable but was let down by the single part story. December's story saw the exit of Charley in The Girl Who Never Was. Now this story was supposed to be the great ending for a character that had been with the eighth Doctor since he started the Big Finish plays in 2001. However I found it a little disappointing because it was more complicated than it needed to be. The ending was really heart breaking and was the perfect ending to a fine character. The special release that accompanied the The Girl Who Never Was. Return to the Web Planet saw the 5TH Doctor and Nyssa encounter the Zarbi in a story that was quite interesting. Another big name was Sam Kelly who was famous for starring in the BBC Comedy 'Allo 'Allo.

This has been a big year for spin-off releases. January saw all four parts of the Companion Chronicles released. These feature companions of the first four Doctors who cant (or wont in Tom Baker's case) appear in audios. Maureen O'Brien read as Vicki for the First Doctor, Wendy Padbury read as Zoe for the Second Doctor, Caroline John read as Liz Shaw for the Third Doctor and Lalla Ward read as Romana II for the Fourth Doctor. The success of this series led for Big Finish to produce a second series which started in October. By the end of 2007 Peter Purves had read as Steven Taylor for the First Doctor and Frazer Hines read as Jamie McCrimmon. Both these audios continued to the strong stories that had been produced by the first series. The lack of 8th Doctor stories in the regular range was down to the fact that the Doctor was busy on the digital radio station BBC7 in eight brand new adventures. This was a success because it had created a new companion in the form of Lucie Miller who was played by Sheridan Smith. These stories were released every month from January to August. The success of the series must have made the writers and producers decide that C'Rizz and Charley were surplus to requirements. If that's the case then they have replaced two well established characters with one that isn't quite on par with them but with time has the potential of being one of the greatest companions in the audio Doctor Who's.

2007 also saw the return of the most successful spin-off series that Big Finish has ever had. Dalek Empire returned with two former Doctor Who stars taking the lead roles. Noel Clarke who had played Mickey Smith from 2005 to 2006 played Silus Kade and Maureen O'Brien who had played Vicki from 1965-66 was playing Angnes Landen. The series is really well written and any doubts that I had about whether Clarke would be right for the role or whether Nicholas Briggs had left it to long since Dalek Empire 3 went as soon as Part 1 was released.

So that has been 2007 in the Big Finish universe. 33 releases and out of the regular releases the following returns saw a average rating of 3.62 which was an improvement from 2006. It actually was the second highest rating since the Doctor Who range began only losing out to the 2001 rating of 3.83.

So what can we expect from 2008? Well I hope that they don't do as many three part stories followed by a single story because they just don't work. Also I hope that the quality of the stories continues to improve like they have done this year. More stories that don't have companions would also be good even though there should be at least one with every companion.

2007 has been a great year for Big Finish and 2008 looks like it could be even better.

The Tomfiles: #2 - Return of a TV Classic

Doctor Who has gone through a TV renaissance. It was only a few years ago that the show was a figure of fun. Since then show was cancelled in 1989 there had been several hopes of a new series or movies only for them to turn into nothing and utter disappointment. Apart from the 1996 TV movie made by American TV Network FOX, Doctor Who Fans have had to make up their own adventures keeping the series alive long enough for the BBC to change their minds and bring it back. In September 2003, just a few weeks before the shows 40th Anniversary Jane Tranter (Controller of BBC1 at the time) announced that a brand new series would be airing in early 2005. This was far more than anyone was expecting, most would have been happy with a few specials but a series was brilliant. This now meant that there would have to questions asked concerning this 13-part series.

The first question was 'Who would be playing the Doctor?'. There were loads of names banded around like Eddie Izzard, Alan Davies and even Bill Nighy. The thing that I thought about these names is that they are all very good actors but not who I would want to play the Doctor. When Christopher Eccleston's name was revealed in the papers I have to admit that I was surprised, not that I thought it was a bad choice but that it I thought of Eccleston as a rather serious actor and not one to play a funny/serious role like the Doctor. The next question would be 'Who would be playing the Companion?' Again there were loads of names mentioned but it was former pop star Billie Piper who got the role. This did worry me a little bit because I thought that by getting a former pop star they were trying to dumb down the show and trying to just attract it to a younger audience and forgetting the fans of the new series.

In the coming weeks and months there were stories about what might be in the series. The biggest new was whether the Daleks were going to appear in the new series. First they were then they weren't and for a short time it seemed that the first series of Doctor Who for 16 years was going to be Dalek-less. Even the Sun newspaper tried to launch a campaign and apparently President of the United States George W.Bush was in support of the campaign though knowing how he is its not such a big shock. Then all of a sudden they were and people were talking about what the reasons were for the change but to be honest I didn't really care. They were back and that's all that matters.

One of the biggest surprises I encountered in the run-up to the series was the controversy that the logo seemed to attract. A lot of people didn't like it but I thought it was ok. Besides, there was a lot more to worry about that a sodding logo. As time got to the airdate more and more information came out which made it one of the most anticipated shows of the year if not decade. The trailers soon started airing on BBC TV which made it seem real, the look of Eccleston’s Doctor looked really good as did the TARDIS interior. My only concern was with the console, it didn't really look right but I assumed it would grow on me.

Saturday 26th March 2005 is one of the most important dates in Doctor Who history and it arrived with Rose. Those fears and concerns about whether Eccleston and Piper would work soon went away. It seemed that Doctor Who was back and that was supported by the fact that 10.8 million people tuned it. But jubilation soon turned into shock as it was announced that Eccleston was quitting after just one series. I was shocked as but not as much as I was shocked by the reaction to other so called 'fans'. Apparently the story was released by the BBC to early. Silly Twits. Still no excuse for the fans. We didn't have to wait long for the Dalek episode simply called 'Dalek' it was loosely based on Robert Shearman's fantastic 2003 Big Finish release 'Jubilee'. It was an interesting story and it has a sad ending because the last Dalek was gone and the Doctor who four episodes earlier admitted he was the last of the Timelords was ultimately the winner. Because the last Dalek was gone and the Doctor who four episodes earlier admitted he was the last of the Timelords was ultimately the winner. Over the course of the series we learnt more about the Doctor and Rose and then we met Captain Jack in Episode 8. But it all came to an end in 'Bad Wolf'. Now I have tried and tried to understand the whole Bad Wolf thing but ultimately I just can’t. That is really only critiscm that I have of the series because I think that it was just a bit too complicated for my liking. The scene where Rose is on Earth in 2005 and was trying to get back to the station was the best example of how the role of the companion has changed over the years. By this point we knew that Manchurian Eccleston was going to turn into Scottish David Tennant.

It wasn't until Children in Need that year that we got our first glimpse of the Tenth Doctor. Just a few weeks earlier Doctor Who won its first set of National Television Awards. It's a trend that they would repeat in 2006 and this year. The only blip was that Freema Agyeman didn't scoop the Most Popular Actress award. Shortly after the first NTA triumph in 2005 David Tennant had his first proper episode air on Christmas Day, it was only the second time in Doctor Who's history that it aired on December 25 (the previous one was an episode of the Dalek epic The Daleks Master Plan in 1965). The Christmas Invasion was a 60 minute special and the question was would a modern day audience accept a new Doctor after just getting use to another actor playing the lead role. It was the same question fans asked in 1966 when Patrick Troughton took over from William Hartnell. The answer was a resounding YES. Over 9 million tuned in to see this special which is amazing for a Christmas Day show. We would only have to wait a few months or Tennant's first full series. More news about the second series kept being leaked to the papers. It was announced that the Cybermen would return in what would be the 40th Anniversary since they made their debut.

In April 2006, Doctor Who returned with 'New Earth' and it was a ratings success. The Cybermen returned in episode 5, with their really good new look. The thing about the Cybermen throughout their time in Doctor Who had always changed. The ones in the 1980's tended to stay the same but ultimately it was decided to give the metal monsters a 21s Century look. 9.22 million people tuned in and proved that they still had fans. During the transmission of the series it was reported that Billie Piper was leaving at the end of the second series. The character of Rose was a really popular character (even though some didn't like her) so the replacement for the Rose character had to be someone who was just as good. Freema Agyeman was unveiled as the next companion of the TARDIS, she had played a character called Adeola who got killed in Torchwood HQ in Army of Ghosts. The series finale two-parter was strange not only did it write out the character of Rose but it showed Torchwood for the first time after several references throughout the series. It was very much like Bad Wolf in the previous series which made you want to find out what it meant. The only thing was that the Torchwood references was a bit more than the Bad Wolf as the Torchwood link would turn into a spin-off series but more of that later.

The biggest thing about the Army of Ghosts was the revelation of the Daleks who appeared just a few minutes after the Cybermen had made their appearance into the episode. For the first time ever the Daleks and the Cybermen would fight each other and we would answer an age old question of 'Who Would Win between the Daleks and Cybermen?'. It was always going to be the Daleks as any fool would know because they are the Daleks. The series ended in the most bizarre way as it was totally unexpected as there was no indication that it was going to happen. Catherine Tate, who was well known to British TV viewers as a comedian on the star of her very own BBC2 comedy series. The most shocking thing was that people were asking 'How Did She Get into the TARDIS?'. On Christmas Day 2006, The Runaway Bride aired on BBC One. It was a better story that the Christmas Invasion as it was more action packed because Tennant didn't spend 35 minutes in bed. Catherine Tate was slightly annoying but by the end you did want her to stay with the Doctor. The Runaway Bride did the ratings trick with over 9 million people tuning in.

In March 2007, Doctor Who returned for its third series (or 29th). It seemed like the previous two series were a blur. The trailer for this series made the show seem different and in a way I suppose it had to be as you would have found it strange that Martha was the same as Rose. The opening episode was totally unexpected as it seemed to have a pace that the previous series openers didn't have. The Martha character was more intelligent and less likely to lay down the life for the sake of it than Rose who was willing to jump into anything without a moments thought. The 2007 series was by far the best series since it returned but that's not to say there weren't fault with the series. The Macra in episode 3 was pointless like the writers thought 'Let just put them it for the fun of it, the fans wont mind' well I did, Gridlock was a great episode and the Macra let it down. The Daleks in Manhattan two parter was a bit of a let down. I think it was the beginning of Dalek overkill. In 41 episodes, the Dalek have appeared in 7 episodes which was the most of any baddies in the show. As much as I love the Daleks I think they shouldn't come back in 2008 because the baddies need a rest. The thing that I noticed was how the Jones family were completely different to the Tyler's because the Jones's didn't really play that much of a part in the series apart from The Lazarus Experiment and the Master two-parter in episodes 12 and 13. Also they weren't a comedy family like the Tyler's seemed to be which gave a new dimension to the Jones's.

Series 3 was about the master. Ever since Love and Monsters in 2006 where Mr Saxon was referred to in some form (usually after an alien invasion). When you realise that when Episode 12 comes around that all the Mr Saxon references were about the Master it actually gives the impression that the producers planned this really well. I don't know how true this is but none the less it was well planned and well executed. The final episode of the series ended with the Titanic crashing through the TARDIS, you just didn't know why the Titanic had crashed through something that was supposed be indestructible. That was answered though in the second Children in Need Special after the Tenth Doctor and the Fifth Doctor meet. This was a great show as it seemed to come from the heart of the writer (Steven Moffat) and David Tennant. If you haven't seen it then go onto YouTube and watch it, it's the best eight minutes that you will witness.

One of the most surprising things about the return of Doctor Who is that it has spawned two spin-offs. It has produced Torchwood which debuted in late 2006 and returns for a second series in January 2008. It featured Captain Jack and it got mixed reviews. I think it’s because it couldn't decide what it wanted to be. Did it want to be Doctor Who wit sex and attitude or did it want to be something completely different. It didn't help by the fact that they bought in a female Cyberman in. There were several episodes that were very good but ultimately I thought the series was Ok at best. The second spin off comes from one of the Doctors old friends. Sarah Jane Smith got her own series 26 years after he pilot aired Elisabeth Sladen returned to much success in the 2006 episode 'School Reunion'. There was a pilot on New Years Day 2007 and a 10 part series aired on CBBC One in October 2007.

As I am writing this in Mid-December 2007 with just a few weeks to go before the Christmas Special what can I say about the new series and what it has achieved. Well in fact it has achieved more than I ever thought possible. People are treating the show in the press a lot better than they did before. People have a new point of view on the classic stories. Most think now that the Colin Baker stories are a lot better than what they thought whereas before 2005 most 6th Doctor stories were considered poor. I have to admit that I have a new opinion of Doctor Who episodes that I thought were poor or badly written but now they are not that bad. The new series doesn't cover over the cracks and flaws of the old series but it gives you the opportunity to look at these stories in a new light.

People have worked really hard to restore the image of Who and to a UK and International audience. Another good thing about Doctor Who is its cool again to be a Who fan. Mind you in my opinion it always has been. There is a fourth series (30th) starting in the Spring of 2008, three specials airing in 2009 and a fifth and full series in 2010 with Tennant appearing in all of these.

The Tomfiles: #1 - Big Finish

Well it’s finally here, not just my first Tom-file which I have been promising for quite a while but also we have now had 100 Big Finish releases. I first learnt of Big Finish adventures when I went to a Memorabilia Fair in Birmingham in 2004. I saw these CD's and thought that I would give them a try. I bought Faith Stealer, Caerdroia and The Last. I didn't realise that they were part of a story arc and thought they were just individual stories with the same Doctor and companions but I realised pretty soon that I was wrong. I loved the fact that they were different from the TV show but in many ways quite similar. Quite soon I was buying other adventures and in mid-2006 I had bought all of the available adventures. I have been subscribing for the last two years and consider the money that I spent on these subscriptions money well spent and will continue to do so for as long as Big Finish make these adventures. I will be looking at the long road the Big Finish has undergone and look at how the Doctors and Companions have differed (if at all) from the TV versions.

I have to admit that Big Finish has a lot to be proud of. It helped move the series along and keep interest in the show whilst it was on 'hiatus'. The range has moved the Doctors and companions on a lot more than the TV show could have done, the characters have been moulded so that people’s perceptions of the characters have improved. When The Sirens of Time was released back in July 1999, there were a lot of things that were good and bad but it was just nice to have the first new Doctor Who story since the TV Movie. Its hard to think that stories like Live 34, Dr Who and the Pirates and Flip Flop could have ever been made for TV and that is one of the biggest advantages to the range, it will dare to do different stories sometimes they work sometimes they don't.

Big Finish tries to be different and not just rely on old monsters. There have only been a few Dalek stories, a few Cybermen and one or two of the old classic monsters such as Ice Warriors, Silurians and the Master. Most of the stories are hit and miss and even the most mediocre stories have redeemable qualities. The use of the classic companions but in different roles help add a bit of class into the stories and helps you feel that just because the first four Doctors aren't in the stories doesn't mean that they can't be used. Maureen O'Brien (Year of the Pig), Anneke Wills (Zagreus), William Russell (The Game), Caroline John (Dust Breeding), Katy Manning (The Wormery), Nicholas Courtney (Minuet in Hell) and Debroah Watling (Three's A Crowd) have all worked very well in their stories. To make each story in four separate episodes like they would have been on TV has worked very well, it would have been nice if they used the theme that they had on TV but that is only a minor fault. The fact that each story follows in the chronology is a smart idea and it means that classic fans have something to fill in the gaps between each TV episode and also new fans won’t feel that they are missing something. It is a shame that Tom Baker hasn't appeared in any of the stories, as his voice would have been an asset to any story as his narration on the hit BBC Comedy Little Britain proves.

Over 100 stories, there have been several stories that have stood out as minor classics. The two Project stories (Twilight & Lazarus) were fantastic stories in their individual ways but work brilliantly as a two part serial. Live 34 is the most original story released. Spare Parts is usually in the Top 3 of any poll as well as the Robert Shearman story Chimes of Midnight. Paul McGann's first two stories (Storm Warning & Sword of Orion) were great starts for the 8th Doctor and shows what he could have achieved if he had made more TV stories. Other stories that are considered to be classics include Bloodtide, Jubilee, The Harvest, The Juggernauts, The Nowhere Place, The Reaping, Nocturne, Frozen Time and more recently Son of the Dragon.

One of the biggest successes in my opinions if the re-evaluation that has happened to all of the TV adventures. Before Big Finish Colin Baker stories were often looked at in a bad light because of the poor music and poor special effects but with top stories the 6th Doctor stories on audio have changed their opinions on TV. In fact with my ratings system Colin Baker has scored the most out of all four Doctors. He has scored 98 out of 135 with an average rating of 3.63. In fact most of Baker's stories are of the highest quality. Colin has such a powerful voice but it was always drowned out by his hideous outfit on TV. Stories such as Jubilee and the Project series show what can be done for his version of the role. His relationship with Peri is a lot better than on TV and this is because I believe that the writers haven't focused on the tension between the two but more on how they can help each other. But when it comes to companions I have to say that Evelyn is the best. She is not just the best newly created companion but she is the best companion in the audio range. She is quite unlike any character in the show because she is not young, she is not sarcastic (a lot!) and she doesn't scream. Her relationship with the Doctor is not one of just enjoying pure adventures but of respect and enabling Evelyn to experience living on other worlds to use as research in her lectures. She is the longest serving companion out of the ones that have been newly created. Her first appearance was in the sixth story 'The Marian Conspiracy' and it is fitting that she is in the 100th story. That is a good move because the relationship between Baker and Stables is what makes their adventures so compelling and enjoyable. One of the biggest improvements that have occurred is the character development of Mel. Obviously everyone knows that during her time in Doctor Who in 1986 and 1987 she was terrible due in part to the poor writing and then she was required to scream and be annoying in every scene. So it was perhaps surprising in how much she has improved. In her first story 'The Fires of Vulcan' it was like it was a different person playing Mel and as stories have gone on she has got better and better. Her finest performance came in the story 'Catch 1782' when she was just outstanding. If there is a companion that has progressed the most then it is definitely Bonnie Langford.

Moving some focus back to other Doctors some praise should go to Slyvester McCoy. His portrayal of the Doctor is so much better than on Television. Stories like Live 34, The Harvest, Dust Breeding and several other stories have helped bring the 7th Doctor to a standard that he should have been at during his time as the Doctor but the first series really killed it off for him. One of the best things about the 7th Doctor plays is the emotional links between the Doctor and Ace. It was fantastic during the TV show but in these plays the character of Ace has grown up. No longer is she the young explosion mad companion but now she has become a woman (how cliché) and is on par with the Doctor in more situations than not. With the addition of Hex however the jury is still out even though it is now three years and seven stories since he made his first appearance. His performances are sometimes very good and then sometimes mediocre. I don't know whether he is a soap star or a celebrity but I just get the feeling that he is sometimes lacking something. The relationship with Hex and Ace is well done and whilst I say his performances are mixed, Olivier's performance in Live 34 was absolutely fantastic. The way that he made his section of that story stand out was worthy of his role in the series.

Paul McGann was a late addition to the Big Finish series, as he didn't make his debut until story 16 when Storm Warning surfaced in January 2001 it was a big test for people as to whether McGann was good enough to take on the role. He never got the chance for his 1996 movie and I think it was because he only got one outing that it was decided by Big Finish to give the 8th Doctor four stories in a row. This was a good move in my opinion because it gave the writers and producers time to try and in effect restart people's opinion of McGann's Doctor. As McGann never got a proper companion it enabled Big Finish to create a brand new companion for him and that meant it was someone who we didn't have any preconceived ideas about. Charley Pollard was unlike any companion in Doctor Who history, she was a posh rebellious young woman who survival was pivotal for the first few series. India Fisher is very good and her departure in the 103rd story The Girl Who Never Was (Due for release in December 2007) will no doubt be a sad sombre story. I personally like her because she had that spirit that meant she wasn't going to let a hoard of evil monsters stop her helping the Doctor. The arrival of C'Rizz in late 2003 was nice novel move because it meant that for the first time in Paul McGann's reign as Doctor he had a full TARDIS crew. This novelty soon wore off as his role in stories was a bit of a mystery and you got the sense that he never really quite fitted in and his departure in the 101st story Absolution (Due for release in October 2007) will not have quite the emotional moments that Charley's departure will have but that's not my fault.

Peter Davison is perhaps the least consistent Doctor out of the four. Its not that his stories are bad but it's just that they are not on par with the other Doctors. Davison's best story is perhaps Spare Parts that is in the Top 5. Davison's voice hasn't changed that much and the way that he speaks in the stories are one of the high lights of his stories. He works very well with the companions very well and in the case of Peri that is very surprising as they only spent 8 episodes together on TV. Erimem on the other hand is very different; she is like Charley but 1000 years earlier. Though Caroline Morris is very good and has a very nice voice the character of Erimem suffers similar problems to C'Rizz. Its not that she doesn't fit into stories it’s just that she is only at her best when she is taking on a role where she is treated like a royal princess. In Eye of the Scorpion she was a pharaoh and in 'The Church and the Crown' she was to take control of the situation like someone important. In 'The Council of Nicaea' she is probably at her best and more recently in 'Son of the Dragon' she is in a superb position. When she is retired sometime in 2008 she will be the second most missed companion. I hope that Big Finish don't just have 5th Doctor/Peri stories from now on because that will just be dull.

When Doctor Who returned to BBC1 in March 2005 it looked like it was going to have a negative effect on Big Finish and according to an interview in Doctor Who Magazine it did but thanks to the subscribers everything was all right. In fact in the 2005 series three of the four writers (not including RTD) have written for Big Finish. Robert Shearman (Dalek) , Paul Cornell (Fathers Day) & Mark Gatiss (The Unquiet Dead) have contributed and the Robert Shearman story was loosely based on the 2003 6th Doctor story 'Jubilee'. Since 2005 the stories that have been made have been of a high quality and if you compare a story like Nocturne to The Sirens of Time or even a story from 2003 then you notice a big difference not just in terms of story quality but in the acting from the Doctors and companions and also the guest stars. Also the music is better with a lot more effort put into these stories similar to the TV series.

With 100 stories now produced and at least another nine planned to take us up to the summer of 2008 it seems now the right time to ask the question. Where can the series go now? With the success of the TV series meaning that there will be Who on TV until 2010 and strong signs of it going beyond then can the Big Finish range really last. Well I think it can, you see with the departure of C'Rizz, Charley and the imminent exit of Erimem it means that the companions left will get more time and dialogue to expand the characters already around. Lucie Miller is newest character to be created by Big Finish and it would be nice to see her get some more time with the Doctor and have her character moulded into a nicer character because the main problem with her role in the BBC7 series was that she seemed a bit too loud and that might be alright for a few stories but if she is going to last then the Big Finish guys need to tone it down a bit.

Without Big Finish we wouldn't have had anything new to keep us going and that would have been very sad because it whilst it was always a possibility that it would return on TV it was never definite. All the people at Big Finish deserve a round of applause for what they have managed to achieve because without them most of the characters and stories from the 'classic' era wouldn't have been reappraised like they are now and because of that I hope that this range of Doctor Who stories aren't 'Finished' for a long time to come.