Big Finish: Companion Chronicles Day

Saturday, 8 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Big Finish are to hold a special sale on the 22nd October to celebrate their Doctor Who spin-off audio adventures, The Companion Chronicles, with the first series being made available for a large discount on the day.

Executive Producer Jason Haigh Ellery said:

The Companion Chronicles has been a success story for us, and this one-day sale should allow those who’ve never heard one to jump aboard and find out what the fuss is about. Sadly, due to contractual reasons, we’re only able to offer this first series on CD – there will be no downloads of the stories.

The special day will see the individual stories priced at £5.00, or all four at £16.00.

1.1 - Frostfire, by Marc Platt
with Maureen O'Brien as Vicki
and Keith Drinkel as The Cinder

Vicki has a tale to tell. But where does it start and when does it end?

1.2 - Fear of the Daleks, by Patrick Chapman
with Wendy Padbury as Zoe
and Nicholas Briggs as the Daleks

Why has Zoe Heriot been having nightmares about the Daleks? And who is the Doctor, a mysterious man from her past?

1.3 - The Blue Tooth, by Nigel Fairs
with Caroline John as Liz Shaw
and Nicholas Briggs as the Cybermen

When Liz Shaw's friend goes missing, she discovers a potential alien invasion that will have far-reaching effects on her life...

1.4 - The Beautiful People, by Jonathan Morris
with Lalla Ward as Romana
and Marcia Ashton as Carna

The Fourth Doctor and Romana discover that all is not well at the Vita Novus Health Spa.

Meanwhile, the Companion Chronicles series is now within its sixth season. This month sees Katy Manning in The Many Deaths of Jo Grant, and in November Peter Purves returns as Steven Taylor in The First Wave. Finally, the year is seen out with the return of Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor in a sequel to the stageplay adaptation The Ultimate Adventure; original script writer Terrance Dicks continues the tale with Beyond the Ultimate Adventure, where the Doctor and his companions Crystal (Claire Huckle) and Jason (Noel Sullivan) are called back to the Bar Galactica ...

6.1 - Tales from the Vault, by Jonathan Morris
with Katy Manning as Jo, Wendy Padbury as Zoe, Peter Purves as Steven, Mary Tamm as Romana
and Daphne Ashbrook as Ruth Matheson, Yee Jee Tso as Charlie Sato

Welcome to The Vault – jokingly known as 'The Museum of Terrors' – a high security establishment where UNIT keeps all of its alien artifacts.

New recruit Warrant Officer Charlie Sato is given a guided tour by Captain Ruth Matheson, and the archive reveals some dark secrets. An army jacket, a painting, crystal and a wax cylinder all hold a grave significance, and their stories are told by the Doctor's companions: Steven Taylor, Zoe Heriot, Jo Grant and Romana...

6.2 - The Rocket Men, by John Dorney
with William Russell as Ian Chesterton
and Gus Brown as Ashman

The TARDIS has landed on Platform Five, a floating city in the sky of the planet Jobis, and for a time the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki get the chance to enjoy this idyllic place.

And then the Rocket Men arrive, led by the sadistic Ashman.

When the only other option to certain death is suicide, Ian Chesterton takes the gamble of his life...

6.3 - The Memory Cheats, by Simon Guerrier
with Wendy Padbury as Zoe
and Charlie Hayes as Jen

Zoe Heriot remembers everything. But she remembers nothing.

A genius with instant recall, Zoe’s mind has been purged of her memories of travelling with the Doctor and Jamie in the TARDIS. And years later she is in deep trouble – prosecuted by the mysterious company that has evidence that she has travelled in Space and Time.

Except Zoe knows they’re wrong.
Aren’t they?

But if that’s the case, why is there proof that Zoe was in Uzbekistan in 1919.

Can the memory cheat?

6.4 - The Many Deaths of Jo Grant, by Mark Wright and Cavan Scott
with Katy Manning as Jo Grant
and Nicholas Ashbury as Rowe

"I wasn’t going to let this happen. After all we’d been through, the Doctor wasn’t going to die like this, on his knees, in the mud."

When Jo Grant was very young, her grandmother told her that there was a time for everything. A time to laugh and a time to cry. A time to live and a time to die.

Since meeting the Doctor, Jo has laughed till she thought she might burst. She has also shed a few tears along the way, but has lived more than she ever thought possible.

But now, as a strange spaceship materialises over UNIT HQ and a heavily injured Doctor returns to Earth, it is Jo's time to die. Again, and again, and again...

6.5 - The First Wave, by Simon Guerrier
with Peter Purves as Steven Taylor
and Tom Allen as Oliver Harper

Caught in the inevitable path of its own history, the TARDIS arrives on the planetoid Grace Alone, where the Doctor, Steven and Oliver expect to face their fate. What they don’t expect to find is a massacred crew – and a race of alien invaders known as the Vardans.

When the Doctor is apparently killed, his companions attempt to survive against the odds. But those odds are narrowing. Their borrowed time has expired.

6.6 - Beyond the Ultimate Adventure, by Terrance Dicks
with Colin Baker as The Doctor
and Claire Huckle as Crystal, Noel Sullivan as Jason

A thrilling adventure in Time and Space!

The Doctor, Crystal and Jason have survived monsters, Madame Delilah and Mrs T, but then their former enemy Karl calls them back to the Bar Galactica. The mercenary has a cryptic message concerning Ultima Thule, where fabled treasure and a threat to the universe await...

The journey requires entering another dimension, where old enemies – and a brand new adversary – lie in wait...

FILTER: - Merchandise - Audio - Big Finish

Memoirs of an Edwardian Adventurer: update

Tuesday, 23 August 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Will Brooks, co-author of the forthcoming Memoirs of an Edwardian Adventurer, has informed us that the pre-order date for the book has been pushed forward to 10:00pm this coming Friday, 26th August - this is in order to be able to launch the book as scheduled for 10th October.

Those who pre-order the book will have their names printed inside the book as a special thanks.

Reborn in a hospital morgue, stranded aboard a crashing air ship, lost in a universe without time and forced to wage a final bitter war against his greatest enemies...

For a Doctor that only made one TV appearance, in the 1996 TV Movie, the Eighth Doctor has lead a long and eventful life on audio. Since 2001, Big Finish have produced more than sixty audio plays featuring Paul McGann giving the character a life beyond the small screen.

In Memoirs of an Edwardian Adventurer, two dedicated Doctor Who fans set out to listen to each of these audio plays, one episode a day every day, in an attempt to experience a true ‘Eighth Doctor Era’. Along the way they discover the highs and lows of the series, from 2001’s Storm Warning through to 2011’s To the Death, via a short series of Sixth Doctor plays featuring ongoing companion Charley Pollard.

Written by Will Brooks (Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space) and Nick Mellish (Nick’s Little Bit of Net), sometimes examining the literary origins of the Eighth Doctor’s adventures, sometimes commenting on the strength of a story, and sometimes merely praising (or otherwise) a particular cast member, Memoirs of an Edwardian Adventurer is the definitive account of two fan’s experiences of the Eighth Doctor’s travels in time and space.

FILTER: - Books - Paul McGann - Big Finish

Big Finish: Ian McNeice - Renaissance Man

Friday, 19 August 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Big Finish have announced that Ian McNeice has joined the cast for their forthcoming Fourth Doctor audio adventure, Renaissance Man.

McNeice is perhaps best known to Doctor Who fans as the Doctor's old friend Winston Churchill, as seen in last year's Victory of the Daleks and The Pandorica Opens; he also featured in an earlier Big Finish adventure, playing Zeus in the Eighth Doctor story Immortal Beloved.

Renaissance Man is the second adventure in this series starring Tom Baker and Louise Jameson, and was recorded on 17th August: the story sees the Doctor and Leela aiming to visit the Morovanian Museum but instead arriving at an English village, where they encounter the mysterious Harcourt (played by McNeice) and his household.

Episode titles for this series are expected to be announced shortly.

(with thanks to David Richardson, Richard Brinck-Johnsen)

FILTER: - Audio - Tom Baker - Big Finish

Big Finish licence renewed to 2014

Friday, 1 July 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Big Finish has announced that its licence to produce Doctor Who adventures on audio has been renewed until December 2014. The licence was renewed by AudioGO, with Executive Producer Nicholas Briggs saying:

We've had a fantastic working relationship with AudioGO, so we're very much looking forward to continuing that.

Line producer David Richardson commented on how the planned ranges can continue for the next few years:

The great news means that we can plan for the next three and a half years, and there’s so much to look forward to. In addition to the Doctor Who Main Range and Companion Chronicles, there will be a fourth season of The Lost Stories, fourth and fifth seasons of Jago and Litefoot... and we’ll be launching a brand new Doctor Who spin-off series too. Plus there’s The Fourth Doctor Adventures starring Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Mary Tamm and John Leeson. It’s never felt more exciting!

Executive producer Jason Haigh-Ellery added:

Doctor Who and the associated spin-off series have always been the cornerstone of the Big Finish audio ranges. We all greatly enjoy working on Doctor Who and it is great to see that AudioGO have shown such confidence in our contribution to the franchise by giving us this two year extension on our license.

(with thanks to David Richardson)

FILTER: - Big Finish

Memoirs of an Edwardian Adventurer

Thursday, 30 June 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

A new book celebrating the Eighth Doctor's adventures on audio is to be published later this year, to tie in with the next series from Big Finish this Autumn. The book is by Will Brooks and Nick Mellish, and will be published by Pageturner Publishing.

The book also features a foreward by Conrad Westmaas, audio companion C'rizz to the Eighth Doctor from The Creed of the Kroman to Absolution.

Memoirs of an Edwardian Adventurer is due to be published on 10th October and is available for pre-order from the publishers; a version for the Amazon Kindle will be available once the book is released. Everyone who pre-orders before 1st September will have their name printed in the book as a special thanks.

(with thanks to Will Brooks)

FILTER: - Books - Big Finish

Big Finish: new companion for the Sixth Doctor

Saturday, 11 June 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Big Finish have revealed that the new companion to accompany the Sixth Doctor in his audio adventures will be played by Lisa Greenwood. She will be reprising her character of Philippa (Flip) Jackson, who was introduced in Jonathan Morris's story The Crimes of Thomas Brewster, released earlier this year.

The role was announced by Big Finish at their convention taking place in Barking today; recording for her adventures commenced last week, with three tales expected to be released from January 2012. Their website has since been updated about the news, with executive producer Nick Briggs saying:

We worked with Lisa for one day on The Crimes of Thomas Brewster, and line producer David Richardson and I were of the same mind. She was great, and she'd make a perfect companion. Flip is young, brave, fun but she has a lot to learn - and the Doctor takes on something of a Professor Higgins role in her life.

On television, Greenwood is to be a series regular in the forthcoming Kudos series for the BBC, The Hour, and has previously appeared in Doctors, The Bill, and Silent Witness.

(with thanks to Richard Brinck-Johnsen)

FILTER: - Merchandise - Audio - Big Finish

Big Finish Week

Monday, 6 June 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

As previously reported, this week sees a special offer running from Big Finish in which the first 50 classic Doctor Who adventures are on sale during the week, leading up to their convention in Barking at the weekend.

The sale runs each day from midnight to midnight (UK time), with today seeing the first ten available as both CD or download at the reduced price of £5.00; tomorrow sees the next ten adventures in the promotion, and so on throughout the week.

See the Big Finish website for full details.

FILTER: - Merchandise - Big Finish

Big Finish Week and Convention

Wednesday, 25 May 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward

Big Finish has announced a series of one-day sales called "Big Finish Week". The weeklong sale starts on 6th June and features a selection of Doctor Who CD releases which are available to buy from the Big Finish website for just £5.00 each for one day only. These one-day sales are as follows:

6 June – Doctor Who releases 1-10
The Sirens of Time, Phantasmagoria, Whispers of Terror, The Land of the Dead, The Fearmonger, The Marian Conspiracy, The Genocide Machine, Red Dawn, The Spectre of Lanyon Moor and Winter for the Adept
7 June – Doctor Who releases 11-20
The Apocalypse Element, The Fires of Vulcan, The Shadow of the Scourge, The Holy Terror, The Mutant Phase, Storm Warning, The Sword of Orion, The Stones of Venice, Minuet in Hell and Loups-Garoux.
8 June – Doctor Who releases 21-30
Dust Breeding, Bloodtide, Project: Twilight, The Eye of the Scorpion, Colditz, Primeval, The One Doctor, Invaders from Mars, The Chimes of Midnight, Seasons of Fear.
9 June – Doctor Who releases 31-40
Embrace the Darkness, The Time of the Daleks, Neverland, Spare Parts, …Ish, The Rapture, The Sandman, The Church and the Crown, Bang-Bang-A-Boom!, Jubilee
10 June – Doctor Who releases 41-50
Nekromanteia, The Dark Flame, The Pirates, Creatures of Beauty, Project: Lazarus, FlipFlop, Omega, Davros, Master, Zagreus

The sale will end on 11 June, with the Big Finish Day Convention in Barking, Essex. Guests in attendance will include Colin Baker, Sophie Aldred, Katy Manning, Miles Richardson, Nicholas Briggs, Lisa Bowerman. More details on this event can be found on the 10th Planet Events website.

FILTER: - Conventions - Big Finish

The Fifth Doctor lands in the Seventh Dimension

Saturday, 14 May 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC Radio 4 Extra - recently rebranded from BBC7 - will be bringing new adventures of the Fifth Doctor to radio next week. The series, created by Big Finish, stars Peter Davison as the Doctor, alongside his Season 20 co-stars Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Janet Fielding (Tegan) and Mark Strickson (Turlough).

The series kicks off on Monday 16th May with Cobwebs broadcast in four parts in the radio station's Seventh Dimension slot (6:00pm and midnight); the week is finished off on Friday with part one of the second adventure, The Whispering Forest. The full, continuous schedule can be found on the Radio 4 Extra website.

Cobwebs
by Jonathan Morris

You know what cobwebs mean. Spiders…”

In search of a cure for a sickness that’s so far claimed six billion lives, scientist Nyssa arrives at an abandoned gene-tech facility on the toxic planet Helheim. ‘Hellhole’, more like.

Nyssa’s not alone. The TARDIS has also been drawn to the Helheim base – and in its cobweb-coated corridors, she soon runs into the Doctor, Tegan and Turlough, her travelling companions of half a century past. But who, or what, has engineered this strange reunion? The Black Guardian, perhaps?

The answer’s here, in the dark. With the Cractids. In the cobwebs.

The Whispering Forest
by Stephen Cole

The TARDIS arrives in alien woodlands, where a small group of humans hold tight against the the menace of the Takers – strange creatures who come by night to spirit away members of their settlement.

But if there’s one thing that the inhabitants of Purity Bay fear more than the Takers, it’s the dirt and disease spread by strangers. Strangers like the Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa…

The fanatical Sister Mertil and her hygiene-obsessed acolytes are victims of a terrible corruption – but not in the way they think. Only the whispering forest knows the truth…

Full details on Cobwebs at Big Finish

Full details on The Whispering Forest at Big Finish

The Radio Times's David Brown writes in this week's issue:

A real blast from the past here as Peter Davison steps back into the Tardis to be reunited with assistants Turlough, Tegan and Nyssa. The Fifth Doctor's regeneration aside, it's the first time this quartet has shared a story since 1983's Terminus but the chemistry is quickly re-established. Davison may be more gravelly than during his original tenure but the setting on board an abandoned gene-tech facility readily evokes that era, especially when writer Jonathan Morris falls back on the old standby of characters being chased down deserted corridors by malevolent creatures.

FILTER: - Radio - Big Finish - BBC

Big Finish: The Five Companions

Saturday, 14 May 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Big Finish has announced a special CD bringing a host of former Doctor Who companions together:

The Fifth Doctor meets up with his distant past – the schoolteacher who settled down, the space pilot who became a King, the security agent who died and lived again and the swinging Sixties secretary who has made her own way in the world.

As might be inferred from the description, the story will star Peter Davison as the Doctor, with guest stars William Russell (Ian Chesterton), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Peter Purves (Steven Taylor), Jean Marsh (Sara Kingdom), Anneke Wills (Polly).

The story is written by Eddie Robson, and will also feature the vocal talents of Nick Briggs as the Daleks, and Dan Starkey as the Sontarans.

Recording kicked off on 12th May, with the CD expected to be released in December as a free special exclusively for subscribers to the main Doctor Who range at that time, with the option for future annual subscribers to select it as their free extra.

Full details and subscription options may be found on the Big Finish website; the company have also launched a new fan page on Facebook.

FILTER: - Audio - Big Finish

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