Amph Audio Who

They did a Colditz story? Interesting. I love WWII and that sounds like one I might find interesting.

Also, Koohi, are you sure you're not ZAZ in disguise?

 

I am sure of who I am.
I'm not sure who ZAZ is.

My intention, with this and the other thread, was to follow the model set out by 2nd Quest in his trek threads. This is the shorter version.
One of the villains from Colditz returns later.

 

Oh man, that was my first audio Who - I listened to it a couple of years ago. It got me interested in checking out 6's tenure on the actual show.

... I ended up sticking with the audio plays after that.

 

Bang-Bang-A-Boom
BFP 039
The 7th Doctor and Mel arrive on board a shuttle craft. The two occupants are dead--poisoned (suspense music cue!). and there is a bomb on board (bigger suspense music cue). The bomb goes off before the Doctor and Mel can return to the Tardis, but fortunately, Dark Space 8 is able to beam them aboard with the emergency teleporter. The staff assume that the Doctor is the new station CO, Commander Ballard, and that Mel is his pilot. Dark Space 8 is playing host to a major intergalactic event: the 109th Intergalactic Song Contest. And everything is going wrong. Contestants are dropping, the peace conference on Achillies 4 (a newer, much more modern and up-to-date facility) is attacked, and the staff of Dark Space 8 don't seem to be up to performing their jobs.

One of the best Christmas farce episodes, it plays on the tropes and cliche's of classic Star Trek, Doctor Who, and old-time radio plays. (I wasn't kidding about the suspense cues. Other jokes include one of the races being Angvia (an anagram of a piece of female anatomy) "It's ride of the Valkyries all over again, and it looks like someone tipped a jeweler's window on top of her." while another is Golos, with the hollow echo voice common to disembodied classic trek. Another entry is a pretty-boy singer from Earth, stuck with the usual baggage of fame without the maturity to handle it. The Packars are introduced--a race of sapient rodents who are excellent diplomats and merchants.
"You know me, Mel. Things I always do. Things I never do."
"Well, you generally go around putting things to rights and getting into trouble."
"Things I never do?"
"Well, you never... That is... Well... You never... NO!"
"Yes! For a brief, horrifying minute, yes."
"With Angvia? I must say, after 700 years of celibacy, that's a pretty strange place to start."
-----
"When did you give in? Was it when your wife was killed by the sweat vampire?"
This is one of the best, even now, 100+ BFP stories later. For spoof and satire, it ranks as one of the best Who stories I've run into.

Jubilee
BFP 040
The 6th Doctor and Evelyn are forced to abandon the Tardis when it seems determined to land in two separate locations at once. They find themselves outside the Tower of London, with one major architectural change: a metal box glommed onto the side. It seems that in 1913, Daleks invaded earth, and were beaten back by the Doctor. A new, totalitarian government arose from the survivors, who incorporated Dalek customs in order to be able to fight back. The English Empire now spans the globe, armed with Dalek technology to enforce it's will. The Doctor and Evelyn have become like James Bond (or any movie tough-guy) and Emma Peel (the super sexy assistant). It is illegal to use contractions. "He hit you?" "Yes. But not hard enough to break the skin. He doesn't really love me." Tomorrow is the Jubilee, when the last Dalek from the invasion will be executed in public spectacle. But everyone wants to get the Dalek to tell them the secrets to the Dalek's power. Then a new invasion breaks through...

Everything people like from the NuWho episode "Dalek" can be directly traced to this story. Everything. Sympathy for a dalek? check. The Doctor insisting that even unarmed, the Dalek is Dangerous? Check. Plans to abuse the Doctor for information about his biology? Close. The Dalek asking for orders? Check. Meglomaniac claiming ownership of the Dalek? Check. Female underling of Meglomaniac deposing him? Check. But to me, Evelyn Smythe is a much, much better companion in every respect.

Necromanteia
BFP 041
The 5th Doctor, Peri, and Erimem get involved in mysterious doings on a planet with witches worshiping an idol that has strange powers. A corporation is using its military branch to try to sieze that power. Other weirdness.
While some of the structure of the story reminds me of Caves of Androzoni, this story is pretty messy and illogical. Not one of the better entries.
There is a Packar thief that pays off a favor he owes to the Doctor. Possible that Erimem is raped--not clear on that one. Antronak the Cat plays a major factor. Sound like a mess? yeah. This one can be skipped.

The Dark Flame
BFP 042
The 7th Doctor and Ace are on their way to pick up Bernice Summerfield from her latest archeological dig when they get a psychic warning. When they arrive, all is mostly well, through the research station is experimenting with a Dark Light Converter. They plan to detonate the local star, then harness the Dark Light power (no, not UV black-light). Unfortunately, several members of the staff of the station are members of the Dark Flame (a cult that died out centuries ago). And the planet the station orbits was the last location of the Cult of the Dark Flame. And their leader is about to rise from the dead, thanks to extra-temporal energy influence of the Dark Light Generator and the first cult leader's skull. The Doctor, Ace, and Bennie all have to work together to stop the trans-temporal/trans-dimensional invasion of a being that can invade minds and force them to do his will.
Kind of an odd story for Doctor Who, but not bad. Bernice Summerfield was much better in this, and I started to like her character a bit here. Much better than Shadow of the Scourge. OK episode, but not crucial. I adapted this as the basis for a StarWars RPG adventure, which worked out rather well.

Doctor Who and the Pirates
BFP 043
Evelyn arrives at the flat of one of her students just as she was returning from mailing a letter. Evelyn barges her way in and starts to tell the girl the story of one of her adventures with the Doctor. The girl is exasperated and politely trying to get her former teacher to leave, but Evelyn keeps nattering on and ignoring her. The story Evelyn wants to tell? It's about Pirates! The 6th Doctor shows up and joins in. Together they tell the story, keeping the poor girl up all night.
To liven the story up a bit, the Doctor does the unthinkable.
Episode 3 is a musical!
"Oh no. You're not?"
"What?"
"You're not going to sing are you?"
"Well, yes. Yes I am." what follows is "I am the very model of a Gallifreyan Buccaneer."
The story is a bit far-fetched, but includes a lot of pirate tropes. And in the end, we find out the story behind why the Doctor and Evelyn were there. A decent entry, worth listening to. I'm sure you can find the songs on Youtube.

Creatures of Beauty
BFP 044
The 5th Doctor and Nyssa arrive on a planet contaminated by Diestrial waste. From there they get tangled up in the lives of 2 races, and one of the most bizarre invasions.
This episode came out shortly after the movie "Mommento", and is told in a fragmented format of flashbacks and twisted perspectives. That said, this story works better than the mentioned movie. All in all, a solid story that holds up fairly well. The non-linear format is slightly annoying, but the story is strong enough to hold it all together, as do the actors' performances.

Project: Lazarus
BFP 045
The 6th Doctor has found a cure for Cassie's condition (Project: Twilight), and sets about trying to find her. Unfortunately, the Tardis won't lock on to her exact coordinates (he had to reactivate the Vampire Hunting circuits within the Tardis). Instead, he lands about 2 years after dropping her off. The years have been hard on Cassie. Nimrod somehow survived and is hunting her down. All of them are captured, along with another alien (Huehl-drah) that was in the area. The Forge is fully active. Nimrod is now Deputy Director. After their first encounter, Nimrod gathered all the information he could about the Doctor, and was fascinated by the concept of regeneration. He plans to study how it works, but torturing the Doctor until he regenerates. Evelyn persuades Cassie to intervene. The Doctor escapes, but pays a horrible price.
The 7th Doctor finds a disruption in the vortex. He traces it to The Forge headquarters. He finds his way in, greeted by security, and is asked to help them with a problem. One of their pieces of captured alien technology is causing problems. Their senior scientific consultant hasn't been able to stop it. It seems the drive system of the Huehl-drah space ship operates by opening portals in the Vortex. Nimrod wants the technology for himself. That senior scientific consultant is none other than... ...the Doctor. 6th and 7th must work together to stop the Huehl-drahn invasion, stop the Forge, and stop Nimrod.
The first half of the story takes place some time after the web-isode "Real Time", in which the 6th Doctor changes to his Mourning coat (the one we saw in the 6th Doctor Dalek story?). We get a very grim view of the 7th Doctor, as he forces telepathic contact with the 6th.
"You can't do this."
"Oh. Yes. I. Cannnnn."
We also see a lot of the 7th Doctor bringing out the best in people, and getting them to reconsider their paths/lives, and attempt to redeem themselves. The Doctor frequently has that capacity, but normally it is sort of faint, in-the-background.
The Forge shows a lot of being the precursor/basis for the idea of Torchwood: a private institution out to capture, master, and utilize any alien technology it can get, and willing to ruthlessly kill any alien they find in order to learn from their anatomy (or if they get in the way).
There is much here that feeds into later episodes: not only is it good, but essential to later.

Flip-Flop
BFP 046
The 7th Doctor and Mel arrive on the planet "Pawxitawny" on Christmas eve. All is not well. 30 years ago, a ship full of "refugee" Slithergee, fleeing persecution in a warship. The president of Paxitawny is given the choice of letting them occupy the first moon, or risking open war. What to do. Two of the citizens travel back in time to change the decision, and the Doctor and Mel are forced to recover them and bring them back to where they belong. But the future isn't what was expected--the change was made, but the world they reach disgusts them. They see people they know, but in parodies of the version they know. They demand to go back to the day before to stop themselves from going back in time. The Doctor points out that there are two versions of everyone. One they knew, and the one here now. But that means... ...Oh dear.
A nice, twisted version of It's a Wonderful Life. In one story the president is killed as a traitor for appeasing the Slithergee, bringing about disaster. In another, the President is saved from an assassination attempt, and told to make peace at any cost. Damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. The planet's name is based on the famous Ground-hog day city in the US (Sorry, I was too lazy to look up spelling).
The Slithergee evoke a lot of different xenophobia ideas, and can be interpreted according to whatever PC/Anti-PC attitudes you hold. (I see an Israel/Palestine parallel, but that may just be my bias).
The Doctor and Mel came to the planet to pick up Leptonite crystals in order to deal with some rogue Quark robots (last heard from in The Dominators and The War Games).
I like this one, but it is in no way essential. Good, solid, independent one-off story.

Omega
BFP 047
The 5th Doctor is on a Jolly Chronolidays tour of the actual site of Omega's first experiments that led to the founding of Time Lord society. All is not well. At the space station duplicate of Omega's ship, the actors start to actually believe they are the characters they play in dramatic reenactments. One cuts his had off to stop Omega from detonating the star--is he Rassilon's agent? Rassilon's spy sent to stop Omega from usurping him? Who were these key figures, really?
Picks up the plot line from Arc of Infinity, in which Omega cloned the 5th Doctor's body (which was last seen in Oslo) and some of the consequences..
Interesting aspects of what happens to people, and the importance of history. How are they remembered.
We get flashbacks to Omega's history, including his original name, and how he came to be known as Omega.
"That is a very sad story."
"Yes. It is. If it were true."
"It isn't?"
"No."
"Then what's the point."
"What does it matter? It is just a story."
This is the first of several stories about Villains (and named for them), which analyze their perspectives and histories.

Davros
BFP 048
Davros is broken out of captivity/hibernation (again). But this time by Trans Galactic, a corporation that intends to offer him a job helping them re-invent the future. The CEO's Wife is a professor/lecturer, and the senior apologist for the Daleks. She wants to write the definitive history of Davros. The 6th Doctor, on the planet for completely other reasons, is horrified. In order to stop the corporation from using Davros, he does the only thing possible: fills out a job application. The corporation, instead, decides to hire both, and the CEO, not trusting either one, makes them work together.
The episode does a lot of flashbacks to various stages in Davros' life, including before he was crippled. It shows a more civilian/domestic side to the war on Scaro, and the effects the technology, weaponry, attrition, and totalitarian government had.
Also has a few jabs at corporate structure, globalization, corporate life, and "independent thinkers".
Elements of this story were picked up years later for a miniseries "I, Davros" which was very much "I, Claudius" set of Scaro.
Very good, and well worth the time.

The Master
BFP 049
A twisted, broken, badly scarred man has found peace, in spite of total amnesia, in a quiet world (very like Victorian England). He has become the local physician. His best friend is the Constable, and his wife. On the 5th year of his arrival, he throws a thank-you party for them. The Constable is sadly distracted by thoughts of the string of gruesome mutilation/murders happening to the underclass women in a low-end district. During the party, a mysterious figure arrives. The (7th) Doctor has arrived, just as servants of the Master's household have started to die.
We get a back-story to an early childhood friendship between The Doctor and The Master (which makes the 3rd Doctor's comments about the Master being an Unimaginative Plodder seem a little strange), and a grim fairy tale that makes The Doctor seem a little less noble.
Death gets an embodiment.
The Victorian world is full of the same hypocrisies and inequities, highlighted in sharp relief.
Good, but not great.

Zagreus
BFP 050
The 8th Doctor, suffering from the effects of the anti-time explosion in the Tardis (BFP 033 Neverland) believes he is the Anti-Time being known as Zagreus. Charlie must work through a series of strange environments and characters to help the Doctor regain himself. Along the way, she comes to understand Time Lord society.
This is the only 3-disk/6episode story BFP has done (to my knowledge).
The cast includes 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th Doctors, Romana, Leela, The Brigadier, Benny, and just about every other recurring companion/actor they could work in. But most are not playing their usual selves. (Nick Courtney is an embodiment of the Tardis. Pertwee is a jimminey Cricket for the Doctor, Colin Baker is Vlad Tepesh--leader of the vampires that the racist Rassilon is hunting to extermination for their crime of being different (Rassilon is a xenophobe? Rassion seeded the universe with humanoid DNA so that most of the species of the universe would look like Time Lords?), McCoy is a strange Walt Disney type character, and it goes on from there...
How can Pertwee be in this episode, when he had died years before? Well, in the same flavor as Sky Captain desecrating the memory of Sir Lawrence Olivier, BFP had access to a recording Pertwee had made for a fan-audio Drama. They used clips from it.
The story here tries to have it's cake and eat it to. The Tardis used Alice in Wonderland to provide a framework for Charlie and the Doctor. Because it was the most illogical work of fiction it could find. So it's a tribuee to AiW, while at the same time insulting it. Go figure.
This episode sets up the next batch of 8th Doctor stories (8 of them? 10? 12? I'll let you know in a few months).
This episode sets up the Gallifrey miniseries.
While essential, I don't actually care for this one.

That's it for now.
Hope that helps.

 

Re: The Master BFP

How much of this do you think RTD might have taken/used as something of a base for Utopia/Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords?

 

Almost none. There really isn't anything there. In the BFP story, the Doctor is the one that arranged for the Master to have 5 years away from himself. But still in the badly scarred/mutilated form with no regenerations left.

 

Hmm... I was thinking he at least may have ran with the idea of the Doctor and the Master being childhood friends, at the very least for Simm!Master's episodes, at the very least.

 

I don't think it ever really came up again. And I think at that point, after the war and all, with the guilt of having wiped out his species, 10th was desperate for any connection to his home for the end of series 3. For series 4beta, that storyline is just too much of a mess, and the aspect of a friendship between them seems to have been abandoned.

 

Interesting tidbits:
The Master: the embodiment of death/evil "But you don't play your spoons any more. Or mix your metaphors. In short, you don't have fun anymore." Probably places the story close to the end of the 7th Doctor's run
Zagreus: there is so much here that doesn't make sense. But there are a few hidden gems too. Each of the Doctors comments on their regenerations. "At least you didn't just get konked on the head." But more importantly is a line from one of Leela's speeches. "Across the universe, children sleep more soundly knowing that the Doctor is out there. And the monsters tremble in fear, knowing he may come for them." "He is the one they fear in their dreams." This is the whole-cloth version of the Doctor being the one that the monsters have nightmares about and generally fear. Boiled down to a single line by Moffat in "Girl in the Fireplace". Yep, BFP is the source of much of NuWho's best moments and lines, and more than a few plots.

Coming soon: Excelis

 

Excelis was a 4-part story, each featuring a different doctor (5th, 6th, 7th, and Bernice Summerfield) the main unifying character was instead the villain, played by Anthony (Giles from Buffy) Stewart Head.

BFP DWExcelis 1
Excelis Dawns
88 minutes
In a barbarian era, rising out of the dark ages, a warlord, Gravehorn, visits the sisterhood atop the mountain because he needs a guide to recover the holy artifact from the valley below. It is said to be an object of immense power, guarded by an army of zombies. The mother superior is only too happy to assign guides: her pet nun, and the recent addition to the order, Sister Iris. By pure chance, the 5th Doctor arrives at the shrine about the same time. Sister Iris is Iris Wyldthyme, self-aggrandized Trans-Temporal Adventuress. Iris is another rogue Time Lord. Her Tardis is stuck in the form of an old London double-decker bus, but then she can drive it around(as she does during the quest for the Artifact). Gravehorn, being a fairly normal warlord, is not impressed. Iris is confused (even more than normal). She has no idea why she felt compelled to recover the artifact, or even to join the sisterhood. The Doctor seems a frail and pathetic creature. Only the other Sister seems tolerable. The Zombies are not interested in giving up their artifact, which turns out to be Iris' old handbag.
Iris Wildtime is played by Katie Manning (Jo Grant to those who have seen the old 3rd Doctor stories).
There was a silly cartoon called DarkStalkers. The zombies in this episode remind me of the zombie in that show.

Excelis Rising
The 6th doctor arrives in a museum shortly after a bungled burglary resulted in the death of one of the would-be robbers. Naturally he manages to convince the investigators of his ability to help. He is someone shocked to hear that the Etheric Ministry is sending over someone to perform the seance so that they can interrogate the dead man, and flabbergasted to learn that not only is this normal, but actually almost always successful. It has been many centuries since The Doctor last visited Excelis. Instead of the primitive culture he first encountered, they have an industrial civilization moving into a fully scientific age.
Gravehorn, somehow, has become immortal, but is haunted by the Sister that acted as his guide. She has worked over the centuries to tame and civilize the barbarian. Gravehorn has founded the civil police, and rather than being the head of state, is head of the police. The object that was to be stolen? The Artifact. It seems that the souls of everyone who touches the artifact are bound to it. (WHAT? UM, OK.) The only way Gravehorn can get peace is to reclaim the Artifact.

Excelis Decays
The 7th Doctor has just redecorated the Tardis (presumably to the Fox TV Movie layout). He is getting tired. The Tardis wants some time off, so lands on a random planet (as ususal). It turns out to be Excelis. The planet is at war. The two principle powers are at war. Excelis has the advantage, with some of the most savage soldiers. Gravehorn is using the Artifact to turn the bodies of the fallen soldiers into his "meat puppets." He has learned of Daleks, Cybermen, and other races of the universe because the Doctor touched the artifact. Now that he has mastered it, all the accumulated knowledge is his. He even now understands regeneration. The Doctor's visit ends in disaster. He flees back to the Tardis, begging it to answer what else he could have done.
Yee Jee Tso (who played Chang Lee "the Asian Child" in the Fox TV movie) plays a scientist in this episode. He also played a cyber-resister in Real Time, recorded about the same time.

BFP BS 03-06
Plague Herds of Excelis
Bernice Summerfield somehow ends up on Excelis when attempting to return to the Braxiatel collection. She meets up with Iris Wildthyme. They attempt to sort out the whole mess that was caused by Iris' lost handbag, where she got it, and how and why she lost it here in the first place.

Needless to say, Anthony Stewart Head also appeared in NuWho episode School Days
While the idea of a recurring villain meeting several Doctors over the course of the story was quite interesting, the conceit of the magic handbag collecting souls doesn't track for me at all. The story was originally intended for something else, but (as Douglas Adams frequently did in inverse), the author retooled it to Doctor Who.
Iris is a very crass, lesser renegade timelord. She is frequently drunk, is convinced that the Doctor has a crush on her (she frequently flirts with him), and seems to have run into all of his incarnations. (I can just imagine the First and Second Doctors' reactions to such a creature). She also was in the Death Zone on Gallifrey, though only against the Quarks and other second-rate monsters. Iris has several of her own audio adventures, including with human companions, and shows up in several other stories within the main BFP Doctor Who line. Katie Manning reprized the role of Jo Grant in the Sarah Jane Adventures story about a funeral for The Doctor.

 

wow, this is thread is just burning hot...
BPF 050A
The Living Legend
54 minutes
The 8th Doctor and Charley arrive in 1980s Italy during a World Cup celebration. They wander off to find an officer and tech sergeant from a hostile and aggressive military culture setting up a teleportation platform. They go back to the Tardis and materialize at the site. Charley poses as a Timelord (with the Doctor as her bumbling, loose-lipped scribe and general lackey). While the Doctor introduces the officer to the people he will be responsible for conquering (sad--the whole city is infected with World Cup Fever and will have to be destroyed), Charley plays propaganda with the sergeant, sowing anger and resentment for the boob of an officer he has to serve.
The officer is "accidentally infected" and drinks several bottles of wine (with the Doctor's encouragement). In order that they can acquire better medical care, the Doctor reverses the teleporter and sends them home.
Well, not exactly...

"You know, Charley... You make a more convincing Timelord than I do."

Obviously, this episode takes place some time before Neverland and Zagreus. This was another promotional story released via DWM. Later specials were to encourage subscribers by giving them bonus stories.
--------------
BFP 051
The Wormery
2hr 15 min
An old woman is recounting a tale of her youth to a Mr Ashcroft. She narrates the gaps in the old recordings she has from her days at Bianca's a cabaret club in Berlin she worked in before the war broke out. The whole club was wired for sound. The 6th Doctor arrives and is trying to figure out what is going on when Iris Wildthyme comes in through the door, drunk as always. The club is trans-dimensional, with cabs bringing in customers from many planets. And this time, it is Iris that is getting an unpleasant view of her future. Two factions of polydimensional (one pure static order, the other favoring chaos and change) beings are fighting for control--one using current Iris, the other using a future Iris. And another faction is wading in using the Bar Tender. The Doctor and Iris have to sort it all out, and need the help of a very resentful future Iris. The old woman gives Mr Ashcroft the tapes to take with him. Mr Ashcroft thanks her and says goodbye.

This story functions as a nice cap to Trial of a Timelord. Iris's future self is pulling much the same trick as the Valyard. In fact, the Doctor berates her for her lack of originality. The effect of the trial on the Doctor is looked into.
Iris has removed herself from all records on Gallifrey, including the Matrix somehow. Presumably she still ends up participating in the Time War somehow...
It seems that the Doctor has only ever run into this present version of Iris (or most of Iris' incarnations were very similar).
Iris doesn't Fancy the 6th Doctor somehow. It is odd, because the Doctor teeters on the edge of falling in love with future Iris.
The Doctor once wrote a paper on Love at the academy, including which enzymes caused it, what their effect was, and such like. It was marked unfavorably, with a note from the instructor that he'd missed the point.
Mr Ashcroft only has the one line of dialog. He was not credited on the cover to preserve the surprise.
----------------
BFP 052
Scherzo
90 min
The 8th Doctor and Charley are in the world of Anti-Time. The Doctor is in pain--his ability to sense time and the movement of the planets is being stripped away. And the Tardis is dissolving around them. The Tardis doors open, and Charley drags the Doctor out. What follows is over an hour of The Doctor and Charley both dealing with sensory deprivation and the emotional roller-coaster. They are in a huge torus-shaped petri dish. In order to cope with not being able to see most of the time, they hold hands. In this environment they begin to merge together. Existentialism ensues. Mention of evolution and of Darwin (and the events of Blood Tide). Fortified by Charley, the Doctor finds a way to stop what is happening to them and break out of the dish.

This would have been much better as a single episode, not 4.
The Doctor and Charley love each other. At first the Doctor is oblivious, then rude, then forced to admit it.
The 9th Doctor's speech to Rose about how he feels the movement of the planets around the sun and such-like is very similar to 8th's description of having his senses removed.
Just as Donna has a bit of the Doctor in her now, Charley has a bit of the Doctor in her, and he has a bit of her in him.
The Doctor mentions several of the races they will encounter in the next few stories. Pieces of him attuning to his new universe?
This is the first of the first block of 4 stories set in the Anti-Time universe.
---------------
BFP 053
Creed of the Kromon
The 8th Doctor and Charley are met by a sort of dimensional Customs Officer called Croker ("Crow-kah"?). After some discussion, he allows them to proceed into the next 'zone'. The Doctor and Charley, searching for the Tardis, are in a vast desert, and see two flying vehicles shooting at someone. Naturally, they run in to interfere, save the person, a chameleon-humanoid (Utermizen), named Chrrr'zz ("Care-is"). His world has been invaded by the Kromon, a termite species. Another creature (a giant burrowing pancake with claws) helps them out. The Kromon, it turns out, were invaded and conquered by another race known only as "the company". The Company left, but the concepts of organization, utilization, and maximizing profit at the expense of ethics was left behind. The Kromon conquer, move to new territory, set up a new base, adapt it to suit them, use any locals as slave labor, compost, or breeding experiments. Using liquids, they are able to turn most races into incubators for the eggs of previous queens. The Doctor, Chrrr'zz, and the digger disrupt the Kromon water supply, rescue Charley, and cause a revolt. The digger is able to free his people by guiding them to the right minerals to counter the Kromon potion. Chrrr'zz kills his mate, who was used in a breeding experiment. With nothing to stay for, Chrrr'zz joins the Doctor and Charley in their wanderings. Croker shows up as they reach the Zone border and lets them through, but warns the Doctor that Chrrr'zz is an exhaulted Monk. Croker notes to himself to begin Experiment 3.

A lot of The Sunmakers in this story. Also reminiscent of Web Planet.
"Time" is a foreign word and concept in this place, but oddly enough, the universe seems to function just like the normal one.
The planet Utermis seems unusually diverse, with at least 5 sentient life forms.
Chrrr'zz has a lot of Turlough in him. He finds the lack of cranial exoskeleton in the Doctor and Charley to be almost as strange as their inability to change skin color. We learn more about his Monkish habits later, as well as the impact of having to kill his mate.
-----------------------
BFP 054
Natural History of Fear.
The cast are assigned different roles in this one. The society lives in a repressive 1984 distopia, where questions are forbidden (except on Jubilee Day). The Editor rules over the Conscience officers, who keep the Proles (and other authorities?) in line. Thought crime can result in editing. Work hours are purchased by watching state-sanctioned infotainments. One of the proles remembers the infotainment being broadcast, but remembers it differently. (the incident in question is from Living Legend, though other bits of Charley's dialog show up).
All of this is because when the 8th Doctor, Charley, and Chrrrr'zz showed up in Light City, it was Jubilee day. They were recorded and sent on their way. Some of the locals were given bits of their personalities, and their recorded adventures were turned into new infotainment dramas. This caused confusion and disturbances of this story.

Coming so close on the heals of Scherzo, this story is a bit too much heavy-handed cerebral fish out of water, relying on the fact that this is an audio medium.
The Doctor mentions while talking to the archivist that he has had many stories. Some cancelled. Some recorded and lost due to poor record keeping. Others written but never recorded. (He mentions titles of stories that were in the works when Doctor Who was first cancelled for 18 months between 6th and 7th Doctors. These stories have been picked up by BFP, which is working with Colin Baker to produce all of these "lost stories").

 

so, anyone care? anyone actually reading this?
Questions? Comments?

 

I'm reading it. Haven't had any further questions, but it's been interesting reading the summaries.

 

Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.
Seriously, I am really enjoying this. I've always been tempted to look into the Big Finish adventures and other then Blood of the Daleks, I wasn't sure where to start. I have always had a soft spot for Frobisher in the comics, though, so Holy Terror is on my list.

 

Ok, just checking. Still keeping the summaries to rough outlines to avoid spoiling major plot pieces.
BFP 055
The Twilight Kingdom
8th Doctor, Charley, and Chrrzzz step out of the intermediary zone into a jungle planet. They talk about the city of light they just left, while the Doctor and Chrr'zzz have some fun at Edwardian Charley's expense. She doesn't like tramping around in the jungle being attacked by insects and such. Shortly, they find a crashed transport and a corpse.
It turns out that they were just outside a rebel base. What is more, a government strike team was being sent in just then to kill the rebel leader, a former officer within the space navy.
Charley is surprised when the Doctor doesn't leap into helping the rebels. This seems like just the sort of thing he always does. But they notice other people being out-of-character. Strange aggression within the rebellion without reason, the captured members of the government hit squad, once fanatically loyal, switching sides and quickly joining the rebellion. One of them willing to execute his best friend as a traitor. And their leader is... strange for a leader of Rebels.
This story is not about the Doctor aiding a rebellion, but the Doctor stopping an alien from taking over. Nice twist. The Doctor comments that while everyone seems to have a temporal frame of reference (something happening recently, something planned for the future, something happening long ago), the actual word "Time" is foreign to them, and they do not seem to understand it. A creature born of rage and anger can be destroyed by grief and compassion. The real hero of this piece is not The Doctor. After sending Charley and Chrrr'zzz into the next zone, the Doctor and Croaker talk again. The Doctor starts asking questions about the situation. The Croaker admits that the whole situation was planned--that he is dropping the group right into the middle of events to see what happens. Croaker then asks the Doctor why he really entered the world of anti-time. The quest for the Tardis is just an excuse. What was he really expecting to find. "Rassilon". This can lead to a whole ton of questions. Answers? well, I'll get back to you when I get to listening to those stories again.

BFP 056
The Axis of Insanity
The 5th Doctor, Peri, and Erimem arrive in the Axis while the Doctor is making minor repairs to the Tardis. The Tardis has just received a distress signal, and replied without allowing the Doctor to over-ride or leave without investigating. The Axis, as the Doctor explains, is a focal point used to control and deal with dead-end time-lines. And what causes these dead-ends? "uh, well, in a word, Timelords. So I doubt the Overseer will be too happy to see me." But all is not well in the Axis. One of the inmates has escaped, taken over, killed the Overseer, and wants to destroy the Axis. Due to the havok caused to his timeline, this Jarra-to has gone completely insane, and runs around like a pantomime Jester. He really wants one thing: A Tardis. And he already knows how to operate one (very few non-timelords can?).
The Doctor delivers a brilliant speech about Timelords. "Yes, we may come off as eccentric and even arrogant... But we are not just lords of Time, we are its caretakers. And if that means we have to die to preserve the web of time, we do it without hesitation." In fact, Jarra-To learned be bleeding almost every piece of knowledge from a timelord, but could not get his Tardis--he couldn't find it, because the chameleon circuit was working. But Erimem could--because she was able to solve the riddle.
Erimem's Development: She has learned to speak English (rather than rely on the Tardis to translate for her). She has started taking up learning to read as well (even though there are no civilized hieroglyphs or pictograms). She is not just a warrior, but a thinker. And she is not going to be "just some savage". Peri, for some reason, chose to use a copy of Alice in Wonderland for Erimem's reading lessons.
There is an elephant's graveyard for Tardis' whose long-term owner/operators have died. Interesting.
The Doctor uses another tool aside from the Sonic Screw-driver: a Melinski's Univerius--a swiss army knife of useful tool. Like the Sonic Lance, it does not survive the story.

BFP 057
Arrangements for War
While Evelyn Smythe is still reeling from the events of Project:Lazarus, and the death of her friend there, the 6th Doctor agrees to take her some place where she can have some time in peace. In truth, part of what has her upset is the Doctor's seemingly cavalier attitude to Cassie's death. The Doctor admits that he cannot always win. The planet he takes them to is a nice, ideallic place, which has just signed a treaty to end a major war. The treaty will be sealed when the local princess marries the other kingdom's prince, and when a force of aliens arrive in 2 months time, the unified military forces will fight them off, cementing the countries as one. No interference, no need to save the world, everything will be fine.
Evelyn storms off, leaving the Doctor to wander the Royal Botanical Gardens alone. An idle conversation there turns the whole course of events on its head. The Doctor said the wrong thing to the wrong man at the wrong time. The entire kingdom alliance is threatened. And it all starts to fall to pieces. The Doctor has to work to keep history on track and try to prevent his chance encounter from destroying history. He gets settled in as the Princess' Astronomy tutor, and Evelyn becomes a diplomatic envoy to a third, much smaller kingdom, working with its prime minister in an effort to restore the history.
Evelyn and Prime Minister Rossetter develop a wonderful romance. It is subtle, and shows a great deal more character than any two 20-something bare bodies gyrating around strategically placed sheets ever could. Wonderful acting talent really plays this one superbly well.
Evelyn has to admit to someone that she is going to die. Her heart condition (mentioned by Cassie) started shortly before the Doctor picked her up. The university faculty were already trying to ditch her.
The Tardis allows Evelyn to change coordinates--very trusting
The Doctor is slapped in the face again and again in this one, with the cause and effect of his meddling bringing an ever-rising body count, and is not taking it well. Evelyn has to bring him back to himself.
"I've traveled with, well, more than a few companions. Some were older, some were wiser, but you, Evelyn. Well, as this American used to say (and I hope to never use this phrase again), you are the whole Kit-and-Kaboodel. In many ways, my equal."

BFP 058
The Harvest
The 7th Doctor and Ace are investigating St. Garth's Hospital, which they suspect of experimenting with Xenotech. A young A&E (that's ER for Americans) nurse, gets drawn into assisting them when there is a very strange visitor to his birthday party. This is no ordinary meddling with dangerous technology caper. It isn't just the cybermen trying to take over by getting gullible humans to help them. They are offering a trade: they will provide cybertech, if the humans will help them regain their flesh.
"Security Officer Garnier regarded me strangely. It would be most odd if he were afraid of me. That thing that entered the room beside him was much more terrifying."
"Oh my god!" "Not quite. I'm the Doctor. Pleased to meet you."
"If I tell you, will I have to endure another five minutes of you saying 'oh my god' again?" "Probably, so better hurry up before I get started."
"If it's all x-files, that's part of the fun. If it gets all eye-stalks and sink-plungers, give a shout and run."
This story introduces Thomas Hector Scofield (hereafter referred to by his nickname "Hex") as a companion. While the Doctor is reviewing his CV in the computer, the Doctor says "Oh. Ohhhh. Now that is interesting." This will not be explained to anyone for several more stories. And will not be revealed to the character for a good many more.
"Recarnitive process" putting meat back on the body.
References to "Spare Parts".
Ace spends most of this episode going by "McShane." Maybe it looked better on her resume.
Hex is not so much the Doctor's companion as he is Ace's. In their stories, the Doctor teaches both of them, and Ace teaches Hex.
Totter's Lane is not a junk yard anymore, but a parking garage in an industrial area.

 

Axis of Insanity also has an interesting bit about the function of the Companions. It seems this is something that Timelords actively speculate about with regard to the Doctor. Some say "pets" and others think "Momemto Morie." Erimem is NOT having being compared to a pet Cat.

Roof of the World
BFP 059
The 5th Doctor, Erimem, and Peri arrive on the Toy Train, taking them through Darjiling, India, up to near Mount Everest. A "General" has arranged a cricket match with several rival expeditions to reach the top. But all is not well. Erimem is possessed by a psychic manifestation of "the old gods" in much the same way Teegan had been by The Mara.
We learn a lot about Erimem's history and her Father. In fact, her Father was responsible for the prison that currently holds the Old Gods at bay. And Erimem is the key because they need someone that remembers them, and thanks to the fact that she stole and hid her father's documents, Erimem is the only one who could. There are similarities in lore between these Old Gods and the ones from the Cthulhu mythos by H.P. Lovecraft. But there are differences too. The "General" is an honorary title. His assistant/scribe has been suffering the old bore's tirades, but eventually sees that there is a worthwhile man behind them. The General, likewise, has to admit a grudging respect to the reporter. Peri has to put up with a lot of 1800s imperialist sexism. Erimem's studies have continued. Since she liked the Alice stories, Peri started her on some more Louis Carrol, including a Father Brown(?) and other stories about the man famous for everything he would forget--both laugh comparing the poem to The Doctor.
"'The Old Gods'? Is that really the best name you could think of for yourselves?"
"Ah. I see. Are you going to go with the "which of us do you trust?" That's what most megalomaniacs choose when coping someone else's appearance.

Medicinal Purposes
BFP 060
The 6th Doctor and Evelyn end up in Edinburgh during a rather disturbing time. Burke and Haire are providing bodies for Dr Knox. But as usual, nothing is as it should be. Knox refers to Jeckel & Hyde 30 years before RLStevenson was born. Knox's house disappears and reappears. Only Daft Jamie has heard of Burke--everyone else knows only Haire. Everything else is a fog...
The Doctor constantly reminds us that Daft Jaimie has an honorable name--referring to the 2nd Doctor's companion.
Daft Jamie is considered a street performer. The fact that he doesn't consume alcohol gives him a special value in this story. His mental defect also allows him to somehow ignore the effects of the temporal loop.
The boundaries surrounding Edinburgh are also reminiscent of The War Games--last story with Jamie.
Knox has a Tardis which he claims he bought at the equivalent of an antique shop for cheap. His is a Mark 70. Since the Doctor has a mark 1, type 40, either this is a massive upgrade, or more proof that Knox is not as smart as he thinks he is.
A lot of time is spent with Mary, a woman with a profession very unusual for any Doctor Who story. In keeping with BBC sensibilities, they never quite say, but the implications make for some fascinating dialog.
"HE saw blood? He SAW blood? He saw BLOOD? Which did you like better? I think the second one. Really, what is so unusual about blood in the gutter near the slaughter house? Calm yourself Haire."
Some nice jokes about pay-per-view and television in general.
The Doctor was looking forward to meeting Burke and Haire, but Evelyn was horrified. Murderers, grave-robbers, drunkard, and worse. But the Doctor points out that their work lead to major medical discoveries that saved lives. While he doesn't condone their murders, he is able to keep them in perspective. Interesting.
Evelyn seems to have recovered from Cassie's death, and understands better the role of Time, and the Doctor's reluctant service to protect it. Rather reminded me of the end of the second Sapphire and Steel story from the original TV show (the railway station).

Faith Stealers
BFP 061
The Croaker sends the 8th Doctor, Charlie, and Chrrr'zzz to a domain where the experiment is in religious diversity. The city exists where all faiths are allowed to practice openly and recruit accordingly. Naturally, one of the newer religions is trying to take over and has to be stopped.
Chrrr'zz is still suffering from having killed his lover, Lyda, and needs to rest and heal. This also runs into trouble.
Another religion story. Not the best, but has some fun in it, so long as you don't take religion too seriously.
"What do trees have to do with Paper?" "Paper comes from trees." "Paper comes from the sacred paper drawer."
In order to enter the city, The Doctor and Charlie claim their religion is "Tourists", and they start every morning with a cup of tea.
"I'm through with blind faith. I am ready to do whatever you ask without question."
The Doctor and Charlie both know that Chrr'zzz is a monk, but nothing of his religion. It occurs to them that maybe they should ask, but they don't get around to it yet.

 

The Last
BFP 062
Croaker sends Charlie and Chrr'zz ahead while giving the Doctor a cryptic clue. They arrive in a city that has been devastated by a nuclear attack. Charlie and Chrr'zzz are both horrified at the thought of one bomb being able to destroy a city this size. Eventually, they find a bunker, in which the rulers and immediate staff have been hiding--the last living beings on the planet. The war started, and now everyone else is dead. The ruler, a woman I think is meant to be a Margaret Thatcher spoof, Excelsior, is primping for her victory parade dress and running on about how the people will cheer. Ministers for War and Peace both seem to think she is too fragile to understand the truth. In fact, she is all perfectly aware of the truth, and willing to kill anyone to escape. The last missile left is a rocket that was converted from space exploration to military purposes. The Doctor works to convert it back, while Excelsior kills almost everyone of her staff, and Charlie. All accidents, of course.
Chrr'zzz finds out from ghosts that Excelsior was the leader that started the war that destroyed the planet, all thanks to a per-emptive strike that the other side had already predicted. The ghosts keep saying that all must die for the planet to live. There's a restart system.
"Oh, what the hell."

Notes:
Charlie is paralyzed by falling rubble. She asks Chrr'zz if he would be willing, if she asked, to kill her. <blink>
Nice Cold-war nuclear bunker spoof. The Thatcher parody thing... I'm not sure I understand why the British (certainly the British media) hate Thatcher so much, yet love and worship Winston Churchill, who was arguably a far more evil <illegitimate male child> who caused more of the world's current problems. Nostalgia?
Everyone has to Die. Even the Doctor. Without Regenerating.
----------------
Caerdroia
BFP 063
After the events of THe Last, The Doctor needs a nap. This means that Croaker can't push them through to the next zone. Charlie and Chrrr'zzz spend a lot of time teasing him. The Doctor tricks Croaker and into intruding into his brain, where the Doctor continues to torment poor Croaker, and interrogates him for information about the Divergents, the Tardis, and wherever the home base is. When released, the Doctor finds his way into a different area than intended. Worse, he has been split in three. There are thee 8th Doctors, each with a different version of his personalities. The world they explore is full of oddities (A clock with no hands, a garden full of creatures and flowers pulled from the minds and memories of The Doctor, Charlie, and Chrrr'zzz, Government house is a maze of impossible architecture and geometry, and a labyrinth complete with minotaur). Croaker attempts to torture the version of the Doctor he thinks is the most vulnerable (the happy, bouncy, childishly excited one that Charlie dubbed Tiggr), but ends up revealing more and more than he anticipated. The unpleasant, irritable, snarky, nasty, pessimistic Doctor, however, unbound by the constraints of his conscience, has not problem with torturing Croaker, and directly invading his mind. "The others don't let me do this much. I can see why. Not a very interesting place you have here." The Croaker didn't split the Doctor in three, and has no idea who did. He's just a lower functionary trying to cover up his mistakes, and each attempt digs him deeper and deeper into eventual trouble with his masters.
The Three versions of the Doctor get back together and put together clues each of them found which lead to the real prize: The Tardis. Chrrr'zz finally gets to see the Tardis and all the fuss. The Tardis puts the Doctor back together again. They can't travel in time (because there is none), but now they have free access to all of space, which means they can find the Divergents and discover what is going on.

Notes:
Caerdroia is Welsh. All of the bureaucrats in the Government hall seem to be clones or twins, or just the same person fragmented as the Doctor is. They speak with a Welsh accent.
The Doctors each have a ball of string. The size of a beach ball. "Where did that come from? I mean, how did you fit that into your pocket?" "He tends to ignore me when I ask questions like that." So the Doctor already has pockets that are bigger on the inside.
The minotaur in the labyrinth is not a Nimon.
At one point, Tiggr Doctor and Chrrrr'zzz are running from a Utermizen monster that Chrrr'zzz says is just too difficult to explain.
The Doctor is surrounded by a faint aura of Time that the Divergents can detect him by. There are traces of Time here--when the Doctor gets close to them, they make him feel sick.
Croaker points out that the Doctor was willing to destroy one of his own senses to enter this universe. More of the way Time Lords experience more of the "real" universe?
Croaker really gets picked on in this story. Everyone teases and torments him. Even the Nice Doctor.
Being split in three has much the same effect as it did in Sirens of Time. One version of the Doctor seemed to get into more trouble, one was more comical, and one was more pragmatic and willing to do whatever it took, without fretting too much.
Chrrr'zzz gets to see Cows. Seems likely he will be Lactose Intolerant.
I had forgotten this story completely. This one is actually rather fun--a nice change from the over-long Divergent/Anti-time universe story.

 

YouTube has some 'snippet' trailers of some of the audio dramas, just for FYI.

 

The Next Life
BFP 064
Three Hours Long!
With the Tardis back in hand, the 8th Doctor, Charley, and Chrrr'zzz are trying to find the home world of the Divergents and the source of the experiments they were passing through. Rassilon remotely ejects them from the Tardis and sets them separately down on the world with the aid of Croaker. Rassilon does like his games. Too bad for him he isn't the biggest game in town. Just as the world in The Last was on a cycle of life, death, and restarting, so is the entire Divergent Universe. It has been on 84 cycles, and Rassilon thought he was in charge, but the Divergents have been overseeing him. They have been trying to create the perfect life form. The Male aspect wants to escape into the "real" universe and absorb all of it rather than go through the cycle again. The female aspect... well... The Doctor has to deal with another marriage proposal (forth one at least--The Aztecs, Louix Garou, Season of Fear, and now this).
Rassilon off-handedly mentions to Charley that the Anti-Time infection was filtered from The Doctor within minutes of his arrival. Where did it go?
Zagreus also wants to get out, and is willing to do whatever it takes.
Chrrr'zzz's religion, he discovers, isn't the Foundation, but the Foundry! This one planet sucks up and kills all life in the universe, refines it, and releases it again. It seems that Rassilon set up this world.
But if he did, why wasn't it destroyed between cycles.
Zagreus was a legend created by the Anti-people--criminals destroyed by the Gallifreyan Oubliette of Oblivion.
Zagreus became a creature when the Anti-time bomb detonated inside the Tardis and was absorbed by the Doctor.
Zagreus then became it's own creature after the Doctor arrived in the Divergent universe, where it merged with another entity, and another.
(Sorry, but it gets confusing)
If the Doctor is surrounded by a field of Time, shouldn't Rassilon be as well? Or did it diminish and fade.
Charley and Chrrr'zzz both feel betrayed by one another. Rassilon pointed out that Utermizens, in addition to being chameleonic physically, are also social chameleons, adapting to those around them. While his father, Guidance was hanging around with the Male Aspect of the Divergents, Chrrr'zzz was subjected to time with Croaker and Rassilon, and became twisted and manipulative. The Doctor has to set them straight like the patriarch over two unruly children. Even if it means risking the narrow window of their escape back into the real universe. "Is it always going to be like this now?" "Yes, until he forgets, or says something nasty to one of us. They we can turn it around and use against him."
Back to reality.
The Tardis materializes in a dark corridor. The Doctor opens the door and they are greeted by Davros and the Daleks.
"Well, I think this proves we are back in our reality."
With all the fuss of being cut off from Time, shouldn't the Doctor have known right away? Or is this a scabbed over injury that will take, well, time, to heal and recover?
Rassilon and the Croaker are confined to repeat the 85th cycle. But this time, the Divergents aren't there to release them from the first experiment. They have an exchange of dialog very similar to the Doctor and Charley back in Scherzo, only it is Croaker who is factual, the Rassilon who is panicking. Maybe the Timelords eventually send an expedition to recover him during the Time War? Or maybe the Anti-time universe's walls were weakened? Or maybe the Divergents were used as a weapon?
The Doctor was told he could never return, and that if he tried, Gallifrey would have to mobilize against him. Somehow, the timelords seem to have completely forgotten this. So has the Doctor. It never gets mentioned again.
At three hours long, this is one of the longest stories BFP has done. Zagreus was nearly 4 hours. After this, stories go back to a more reasonable length. This one seemed to drag on quite a bit, especially considering it was the capstone to an 8-story arc.

-------------------

Her Final Flight
BFP 64a
The 6th Doctor is in a bit of a pickle, caught between 2 realities. In one, the Master has hired a hit-being to kill him so he can have the rest of his regenerations. In another, he has arrived on a world in a badly damaged Tardis to find Peri, 20 years after the Timelords dragged him away from Thoros Beta and put him on trial. Chronon Particles are spilling forth from the Tardis, and causing havok among the natives. The only way to save them is to destroy the Tardis. On the other hand, why does he keep blacking out for hours or days at a time? Why can't he remember why or how he chose to land on this planet? Why hasn't his body developed anti-bodies to the chronon-accellerated plague.
This is another bonus story. Round about here, the bonus disks stopped being included with Doctor Who Magazine, and started being given as gifts to BFP subscribers.
Events from Trial of a Timelord spill out here, including the "Biggest mistake of marrying a barbarian king, but what else was a modern 20th century girl supposed to do." The Doctor obviously hasn't met Evelyn or Mel yet. The Doctor contemplates going back and finding out what actually happened to Peri, but decides enough is enough--too soon to open that kind of wound.

----------------

The Juggernauts.
BFP 65
The 6th Doctor and Mel are on a ship under attack. Not willing to risk losing Mel, the Doctor puts her in an escape pod and ejects her while he tries to get to the Tardis. He gets time-scooped by the Daleks and blackmailed into rescuing her and stopping the latest plot by Davros. It seems Davros, after his prison transport was blown up (again?) crashed onto an isolated world. He manipulated the mining colony staff's implant input so that they all see him much as he was before the accident disfigured him. Granted, he was maimed by the accident, and is still getting used to his new, mechanical hand... In reality, Davros has found the old Terraforming robots, and plans to make them even better than before, with a special side project. Not only with they be the ultimate terraformers, but also the ultimate Dalek Fighters. Mel is working on the main project as a computer programmer. "When I left Earth, the only languages I knew were BASIC, COBOL, and PASCAL."
Of course, sacrifices will have to be made. A major corporate investment firm wants to back the project. Davros has learned from his previous corporate experience that an element of Marketing is essential. (Events of "Davros" play up several times.)

Nice solid story. Fun to hear Davros' voice with and without the synthesizer distortion.
Davros seems to have lost his hand in the accident.
Mel was one drunken night from having "more than just a friend."
The Mechanoids were only used previously (as far as I know), way back in The Chase in 1964 of 65. Davros is upgrading them from their "classic retro design."

 

Okay, how about a more useful thread...

If you're wanting to dip into Big Finish, but you're really just a NuWho fan right now, it might interesting to know that prior to being cast as the Tenth Doctor, David Tennant voiced several Big Finish audios. I personally recommend Colditz (Seventh Doctor), where he plays a rather nasty Nazi who is acting lecherous towards Ace, and Sympathy for the Devil, where he plays a prickish rival U.N.I.T. officer against Nicholas Courtney's Brigadier (note that this is part of the Unbound stories, which are alternate universe versions of the Doctors with a few alternate universe companions). These two really show his audio talents off. As far as his New Series Audio (NSA) readings, I really enjoyed The Stone Rose, The Feast of the Drowned, The Resurrection Casket (alas, I so wish these were all unabridged) and Dead Air (which got a lot of acclaim).

I'm personally really fond of the Companion Chronicles line, as my favorite Classic Doctors and companions are really the ones from the '60s and '70s. I definitely go out of my way for anything by William Russell (Ian) and Frazer Hines (Jamie). Anything by Peter Purves (Steven) and Anneke Wills (Polly) are also really recommended. My favorite is undoubtedly The Glorious Revolution. As I'm a huge Jamie fan, I also recommend the Jamie trilogy with Sixth Doctor Colin Baker (Big Finish has really redeemed him)--though I certainly recommend having a passing familiarity with The Mind Robber! I also really loved The Wanderer, which was a treat for me because I have a lot of interest in the Russian Revolution (it has Ian meeting Rasputin--speaking of which, Fourth Doctor Tom Baker played Rasputin in 1971's Nicholas and Alexandra beside Michael Jayston, DW's Valeyard, as Tsar Nicholas II--that film is a real treat for DW fans). Historicals tend to catch my eye in general. Frazer does an AMAZING Troughton impression ( ::clears throat:: )--the best!--and Peter also does a really fun Hartnell impression ("Hmm?").

What I've listened to or read:

Hunters of Earth (Susan)
The Wanderer (Ian)
The Flames of Cadiz (Ian & Susan)
The Time Museum (Ian)
Mother Russia (Steven)
The Roundheads (PDA book)
Resistance (Polly)
The Forbidden Time (Polly & Jamie)
The Selachian Gambit (Jamie & Polly)
The Emperor of Eternity (Victoria & Jamie)
The Rosemariners (Jamie & Zoe)
Prison in Space (Jamie & Zoe--this is a non-politically-correct comedy classic)
The Memory Cheats (Zoe)
The Glorious Revolution (Jamie--my favorite)
The Wheel of Ice (book read by David Troughton)
The Jigsaw War (Jamie)
Helicon Prime (Jamie)
Old Soldiers (the Brigadier)
The Child (Leela)
1001 Nights (Five & Nyssa)
The Three Companions (Polly, the Brigadier & Brewster)
The Five Companions (Five, Ian, Steven, Sara, Polly & Nyssa)
City of Spires / Night's Black Agents / The Wreck of the Titan / Legend of the Cybermen (Six, fiction!Jamie & Zoe--also features Georgia Moffett)
Colditz (Seven & Ace--David Tennant is in this one)
Sympathy for the Devil (alt!Three, alt!Brigadier & David Tennant)
The Stone Rose (book read by David Tennant--I also read the book)
The Feast of the Drowned (book read by David Tennant--I also read the book)
The Resurrection Casket (book read by David Tennant--I also read the book)
The Nightmare of Black Island (book read by Anthony Stewart Head)
The Art of Destruction (book read by Don Warrington--bored me to tears)
The Price of Paradise (I only read the book)
The Last Dodo (I only read the book--absolutely hilarious and bonkers)
Pest Control (read by David Tennant)
The Forever Trap (read by Catherine Tate)
The Day of the Troll (read by David Tennant)
The Last Voyage (read by David Tennant--let down by terrible American accents--sorry, Dave)
Dead Air (read by David Tennant--really, really good)
The Runaway Train (book read by Matt Smith)
Dark Horizons (book read by Neve McIntosh)

I've also heard or read quite a few of the Short Trips, TV Comics, Annuals, BiT strips, DWM strips, IDW comics, etc...

 

You are right. That is more useful.
I will happily turn this over to you.
Thank you.

 

I only said that because there was quite a lot of comments on the first page where people were a bit put off by the synopses posts as a way of talking about audios, as there wasn't really any discussion going on from it. Your contributions are lovely, though not really a discussion of what you recommend and don't (and this forum probably only has a select few members who have seen anything but NuWho). There are also sites with pretty extensive synopses. The TARDIS Wikia also has a decent amount of blurbs and is a good guide for what has been made. It's also a great guide for reading up on past Doctors and companions to get an idea of who they all are for those who haven't really seen much Classic Who.

And I forgot one off my list: I've also read I Am a Dalek (Quick Read).

A good bit of news for people wanting to get into audios and sample each of the eras, there's a new series co-produced by AudioGo (formerly BBC Audio) and Big Finish called Destiny of the Doctor, which will have one Doctor a month for the 50th anniversary this year. This is the first time 9-11 have been included in such a combination with 1-8. Hopefully, this is a sign that the BBC might allow Big Finish to have the non-current NuWho Doctors (which they aren't doing anything with anyway). David Tennant would be at Big Finish in a flash for sure. After the 50th Anniversary would be an amazing time to do something like that.

Here's basically what BBC Books, Virgin, Target, Big Finish, BBC Radio and BBC Audio/AudioGo have done:
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/BBC_New_Series_Adventures
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/BBC_Torchwood_novels / http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Torchwood_radio_dramas
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Category:SJA_audiobooks
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Big_Finish_Doctor_Who_audio_stories
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/The_Companion_Chronicles
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Destiny_of_the_Doctor
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Big_Finish_Doctor_Who_audio_spin-offs
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Hornets'_Nest / http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Demon_Quest / http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Serpent_Crest
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Virgin_Bernice_Summerfield_New_Adventures / http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Big_Finish_Bernice_Summerfield_Series
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Target_Books / http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Target_Books_(BBC_Audio_releases)
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Virgin_New_Adventures
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/BBC_Eighth_Doctor_Adventures
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Past_Doctor_Adventures
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Category:BBCR_audio_stories
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Short_Trips_(series)

 

So, thanks to Radio 4 Extra, I've now finished a whole season of Who audio stuff.

And, holy crap, "To the Death" is probably one of my favourite episodes of Doctor Who EVER. McGann is crazy good.

 

Nice icon Ulicus

 

This is an awesome and deserved thread. Just felt like I should say that. Yeah.