Doctor Who: Fourth Doctor audios - what's worth checking out?

The Fourth Doctor and Leela feature in two previously planned but unmade TV stories in The Lost Stories.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

The current Doctor Who sale at Big Finish this week focuses on one the most popular Doctors of them all: Tom Baker’s iconic Fourth Doctor. Which audios are worth recommending?

In Big Finish’s current weekly sales focusing on different Doctors, we’re now on Tom Baker’s iconic Fourth Doctor, who is to this day arguably one of the most popular and recognized of all the Doctors. So Big Finish should have a few good stories included in this sale.

And they do. Some really good ones, actually. And all of at least really decent quality, too. There might be some that I’d recommend more than others, but not because of how strong or weak they are. Rather, some audios present more of an easier jumping-on point for new listeners than with others.

I must admit, the Fourth Doctor on audio is one that, in the past, at least, I’ve been generally less eager to check out than with other incarnations. One reason is that because the Fourth Doctor was so popular on television, there are less clear gaps or missed opportunities that Big Finish could play with. This is something I’ve covered in more detail here.

There’s also the fact that the Fourth Doctor Adventures don’t quite replicate the same style of the very best of Tom Baker’s era. Don’t get me wrong, they’re enjoyable, and in fact this year’s series has been absolutely brilliant.

But there weren’t many stories that aimed for the gloriously Gothic horror of the Philip Hinchcliffe era, which in my opinion, will always be one of the greatest eras in the entire history of Doctor Who. His regular range doesn’t quite do that.

But there are a couple of special releases included in this sale that capture it very well, and really show off not just how amazing the Fourth Doctor can be on audio, but why fans loved him in the first place. Let’s take a look at those stories, as well as others included in the current sale.

Luna Romana

Focusing on three separate incarnations of the former companion and President of Gallifrey, Luna Romana is a story that takes place during seasons sixteen and seventeen. It’s a really lovely little tribute not just to Romana as a character, but also to Mary Tamm, the first Romana, who had passed away in 2012.

Matt Fitton’s script captures a lot of what made both seasons of the show during that time so great. He has a lot of fun with the Doctor’s and Romana’s relationship and exploring it in different ways. He captures a lot of the humor and light-heartedness of the original era. But he also makes sure to include a very clever story, too.

Juliet Landau gives a great performance as the Third Romana. It’s a shame that her character has so few stories (and may not even exist anymore, after the events of the excellent Gallifrey: Enemy Lines), but it’s still wonderful to hear her performance. She’s absolutely fantastic in the role, and even while she’s telling a story about the first Romana, she never fails to convince us that she’s completely the same person.

Lalla Ward is as fantastic as ever, of course. Capturing the wonderfully dry wit and intelligence of the character brilliantly, she’s still incredibly brilliant in the role.

The Stoyn trilogy

If there’s one thing that makes this story slightly more difficult to recommend than the others in this list though, it’s the fact that it’s not a standalone story. Luna Romana not only focuses on the titular Time Lady, but also on Quadrigger Stoyn.

If you don’t know who that is, that’s not surprising, as the character was specifically created for a trilogy to celebrate the show’s fiftieth anniversary. In fact, his first appearance is called The Beginning, which tells the story of the First Doctor and Susan’s flight from Gallifrey.

The Beginning and The Dying Light may not be completely necessary to enjoy Luna Romana. But they do fill in Stoyn’s backstory, and show how much his relationship with the Doctor changed over the centuries. In some ways, he’s more of a tragic figure than other villains. He’s very nicely played by Terry Molloy, who gets to try something a little more different than his usual role of Davros.

Luna Romana is both a great end to the Stoyn trilogy and, more importantly, a fitting tribute to a brilliant companion. A highly recommended story.

The Fourth Doctor and Romana discover social media taken to an incredible extreme in Babblesphere.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions/AudioGO.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Destiny of the Doctor: Babblesphere

Babblesphere may be a little more connected to a larger story than others on this list. But at the same time, it’s only slightly linked, as part of the Destiny of the Doctor series. Each story includes just a tiny moment with the suggestion of a larger arc, while the rest of the plot functions in a very standalone way.

Once again, the story features the Fourth Doctor and Romana, who’s also once again played by Lalla Ward. Writer Jonathan Morris is a strong fit for the tone of season seventeen, as he writes a very witty script with a lot of humor and clever ideas that are very reminiscent of the original era.

At the same time however, there’s a lot of commentary on modern society, too. Babblesphere comes across as a neat little satire of Twitter and Facebook. At the same time, it slots into the original era really nicely. This is something that Big Finish audios are generally really great at. Matching the feel of the original era closely, but also having just a touch of something modern to them, too.

The Auntie Matter

For something full cast and actually featuring Tom Baker in the audio, but also still focuses on Romana heavily, The Auntie Matter is definitely worth a listen. The first story of season two of The Fourth Doctor Adventures, it’s a nice, light standalone story.

I suspect that fans of The Unicorn and the Wasp would really enjoy this one. Firmly set in 1920s England, The Auntie Matter gloriously captures the sheer style of the period, while also having plenty of laughs from it, too.

And of course, both Tom Baker and Mary Tamm are great to hear together again. They were quite an unusual pairing, and that remained true even decades later. For fans wanting to hear more from these two, The Auntie Matter is a great place to start.

However, for fans looking for something darker, something that closely matches the more horrific style of Tom Baker’s earlier seasons, then check out our next two recommendations…

The Lost Stories: The Fourth Doctor box set

What a fantastic box set. Out of all the releases in The Lost Stories – a series of audios based on previously unmade serials planned for television – The Fourth Doctor box set is definitely my favorite. For one clear reason: The Foe from the Future.

For a very long time, fans thought they knew what The Foe from the Future was. The official story was that it was essentially the basis for The Talons of Weng-Chiang. A time traveller from the future has arrived, horribly disfigured. He has to survive by preying on human beings. So far, so similar.

But when you listen to The Foe from the Future, it becomes clear that, while it does share some superficial elements with Talons, it is definitely its own story.

A very different story

For one thing, there’s the completely different setting. While Talons had the gorgeous setting of Victorian London, bringing it to life in the way that only the BBC can do so well, Foe is set primarily in the present day, in a seemingly ordinary English village.

The story, while adapted by John Dorney, fits original writer’s Robert Banks Stewart’s style far closer than Robert Holmes. Both specialize in dark horror stories, but Stewart seemed to go for stories even more grim and violent than what Holmes usually aimed for.

It’s why The Seeds of Doom is not only horrific but probably one of the best stories ever made in Doctor Who history. John Dorney’s adaptation of The Foe from the Future more than lives up to that.

The Valley of Death is also enjoyable. It’s not quite as strong, but it is a lot of fun to listen to, and again, captures the distinct feel of that original period very nicely. But The Foe from the Future is worth the price of the box set alone. Definitely an essential purchase.

And capturing the feel and essence of one of the greatest eras in Doctor Who history continues in the last recommendation…

Philip Hinchcliffe Presents: Volume one

Like The Lost Stories: The Fourth Doctor Box Set, I absolutely love volume one of Philip Hinchcliffe Presents. Both stories by Philip Hinchcliffe and Marc Platt capture the spirit of the original era brilliantly. Especially The Ghosts of Gralstead.

More from Winter is Coming

Of course, with its setting of Victorian London and a killer needing to feed on human life, this story owes a lot to The Talons of Weng-Chiang, perhaps even more than The Foe from the Future did. But Marc Platt simply avoids copying that story directly and instead follows the spiritual essence of it. It’s a story rich in atmosphere and features a ton of brilliant characters. (The pair of corpse sellers stand out as especially Holmesian.)

The story also goes in its very own direction, and what starts out as a spooky story soon turns into battles both epic and personal. It’s amazing how high the stakes get in The Ghosts of Gralstead, but also that it takes the time to let us get to know the characters more and just enjoy listening to them.

That was what made Robert Holmes one of Doctor Who‘s greatest writers. Not just the great stories, but the very distinctive characters, too. Characters that feel like they had lives outside of the story and always felt very believable. Marc Platt succeds very well with The Ghosts of Gralstead.

The Devil’s Armada is also an enjoyable story. A gloriously Elizabethen pseudo-historical, this story features characters afraid of not just the attacking Spanish armada, but also of witches and the Devil. Only one of these threats is real, of course. Isn’t it…?

Marc Platt proves that he really grasps what made the Philip Hinchcliffe era so brilliant and so memorable with these stories. Together with The Lost Stories, Philip Hinchcliffe Presents is a faithful recreation of one of Doctor Who‘s greatest eras. Heartily recommended to all Whovians.

Next. Torchwood meets major Doctor Who monsters and Jo Jones in 2019!. dark

Have you checked out any of these stories? If so, which one’s your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.

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Doctor Who and Big Finish: Fourth Doctor on sale – what’s worth checking out?

By James Aggas | Nov 1, 2018