Doctor Who: Do some Doctors work better in expanded media than others?

Photo credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.

Over the years, a lot of Doctor Who stories have been told across a wide range of media. But are some Doctors better suited to expanded media than others?

I must admit, up until last month, it had been a while since I had reviewed Doctor Who: the Fourth Doctor Adventures.

A key reason for this was that, due to budget constraints, I hadn’t been following them as closely as the Eighth Doctor’s audios. Or even as much the monthly Doctor Who audios that focused on all three Doctors in between.

One key reason for this was that there’s simply more storytelling possibilities to be told with the later Classic Doctors. Particularly the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth incarnations.

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This is mainly due to how their runs were cut short on television. Colin Baker getting fired meant that he didn’t get a proper exit story. (At least, not until 2015 with The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure.)

Sylvester McCoy had the misfortune of being the last Doctor when the show was cancelled. And even when he briefly came back, there was a rather large gap between his two TV appearances.

The same is also technically true of Paul McGann, although it’s more accurate to say that he had a very large gap between his only TV appearances.

So it’s fantastic that Big Finish have been able to give each of them the rich eras that they deserve. All three have had countless adventures on audio. In fact, their eras have arguably been stronger on audio than on television.

The Fourth Doctor and Leela faced the Cybermen in Return to Telos.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Less room for development?

However, just as a weaker TV run can lead to a strong era on audio, the reverse could perhaps also be true. Tom Baker is after all one of the most popular Doctors ever. He’s also one of the most prolific, as he got to have seven seasons on television.

As such, his entire era and character development have been essentially mapped out, from start to finish. So it’s arguably trickier to tell new stories set during his time that allow for fresh development.

This seemed to be especially true after listening to Return to Telos back in 2015. While not terrible, it featured an ending that completely undid the entire story.

And considering it aimed to tell an exciting encounter with the Cybermen, that reset cancelling out the whole story was disappointing. So it left me cynical that anything new could be told with Tom Baker’s Doctor.

Which looking back was probably unfair, especially with such great stories such as Destroy the Infinite and Requiem for the Rocket Men. More importantly, they also added a lot to Big Finish’s universe.

For example, Destroy the Infinite introduced major Big Finish enemy the Eminence. This monster has had a major role in several Doctor Who audio stories, most notably Dark Eyes. (Expect reviews for the whole series very, very soon.)

And Requiem for the Rocket Men more or less resolved the titular space pirates’s story, after two previous appearances in The Rocket Men and Return of the Rocket Men.

The most recent season of the Fourth Doctor Adventures was a great listen, too. While I’ll be writing up an overview very soon, it has to be said that it was a very strong and refreshing season. One that added plenty of development to the Fourth Doctor’s and Leela’s relationship, too.

All the Doctors face a threat across the whole of time and space in The Lost Dimension!

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/Titan. Image obtained from Amazon.)

Working within established gaps

It also has to be said that it’s much easier to tell key stories in expanded media with previous Doctors than with current ones. This also applies to New Series Doctors, too.

After all, with previously established Doctors, you know where the gaps are. You know where there’s room for development. And you also know where the beginning and the ending is when telling your story.

With current Doctors, you’re more limited by what you can do, at least if you want to keep it completely in continuity. Writers do want to tell stories with arcs and development. But that can be tricky if they don’t know where the show itself is going.

But some writers have found ways around this. For example, even when Twelve was the current Doctor, Titan Comics have been clear and specific about when they set their stories.

For example, the comic arc Four Doctors made it clear that the initial run for Twelve and Clara was set before Dark Water and Death in Heaven.

So when you already know the beginnings and endings for the Doctors you write for, and therefore know where the crucial gaps are, you can have fun with them. You can include new companions and have the Doctor make new lessons that weren’t made in the TV series.

The Tenth Doctor with his companions Cindy and Gabby in Titan’s Tenth Doctor comic series.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/Titan Comics.

Image obtained from Titan Comics.)

Old Doctors, new companions

Including new companions with previous Doctors is also great for allowing even more room for telling new stories. For example, Titan Comics have been very smart to include completely new companions, and therefore completely new arcs, for the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors.

And next year, we’re going to get a brand new companion in the Fourth Doctor Adventures. I must admit, I’m really excited about this. A new companion for the Fourth Doctor means a new and fresh way to look at him.

It also means great unpredictability, too. For example, with other companions, we already know their endings, and that they’ll ultimately survive.

With new companions, you don’t know what’s going to happen. Especially in the audios. (Seriously, for proof of that, just listen to To the Death with the Eighth Doctor.)

For all of these reasons, I’m more excited about the next season of the Fourth Doctor Adventures than I have been with previous ones.

Nostalgia

Of course, it really does depend on what you’re looking for. If you’re just looking for simple, standalone stories that are completely suited to their era, then there’s plenty of stories to be told.

Sometimes, that’s all fans are looking for, after all. Nice little reminders of why their favorite eras are their favorites. And while I do prefer Doctors to have some development, Classic or New, sometimes, a piece of nostalgia is all I want, too.

Next: Retro review: Silence in the Library (Tenth Doctor/River Song story)

What do you think? Are some Doctors better suited to the expanded universe than others? Do you have a favorite Doctor on TV who’s not a favorite in other media, and vice versa? Let us know in the comments below.

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