Doctor Who and Big Finish: Seventh Doctor sale recommendations

The Seventh Doctor has had many adventures, particularly on audio. With a number of his audio stories on sale this week, what’s worth recommending?

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who Website.)

This week’s offers from Big Finish focus on the Seventh Doctor. What original audio stories or novel adaptations are worth checking out?

One of two clear incarnations to represent the “Wilderness Years” of Doctor Who, Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor has, unsurprisingly, received a lot of development over that period, at least off the screen.

Long before Big Finish even began their audio productions, the Seventh Doctor had been given a completely original range of novels that were designed to continue directly from the TV series: The New Adventures by Virgin Publishing.

Aimed at a more mature audience than what the TV series had been able to get away with, this range of novels was considerably popular, and took the Seventh Doctor in an even darker direction than what was presented on-screen.

When Big Finish were able to get the license for Doctor Who back in 1999, they also told their own stories that featured the Seventh Doctor. Stories that, in some ways, went in their own direction. While they could still be dark, bold and even more mature than what would’ve been presented on screen, they were also a distinctively different take compared to the New Adventures.

Perhaps it’s not surprising then that, from 2012 to 2016, a number of New Adventures novels were adapted into audio stories. And, also unsurprisingly, a selection of both Big Finish’s original stories and their adaptations are on sale this week for the Seventh Doctor.

It’s a shame that the Seventh Doctor’s era was cut short, just as Doctor Who was starting to get interesting again. Especially as the following audios show clear indications of where Doctor Who could have gone if it had continued into the Nineties. But at least we have many more Seventh Doctor stories to enjoy. Let’s take a look at them.

Nightshade

Originally a novel released in 1992, Nightshade is one of Mark Gatiss’s earliest Doctor Who stories. The story features a lot of nods to major British science-fiction series Quatermass, and focuses on what happens when the star of such a series is forced to confront his fictional monsters in the real world.

It’s an intriguing idea, and the story has been a very popular for readers of the New Adventures. But, for some reason, something didn’t quite grab me with this audio adaptation as others have done. I’m not sure if it’s the story itself, or simply the adaptation of it.

I’m aware that, due to the size of the novels, the adaptations usually had to cut stuff out. Sometimes, you wouldn’t be able to tell what had been cut, and the story came across as straightforward and easy to follow. If I’m honest, that doesn’t feel quite the case with Nightshade.

I’m not saying it’s bad, and there’s definitely an interesting story there. But compared to other adaptations, this one seems to be missing something.

The Seventh Doctor and Ace are on a rescue mission in Destiny of the Doctor: Shockwave.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Destiny of the Doctor: Shockwave

Destiny of the Doctor: Shockwave is an interesting story. James Swallow’s story feels very much of the Seventh Doctor era, particularly on television. It’s not quite as dark as some of Seven’s stories in the expanded universe, particularly with his own range of novels.

But this particular incarnation is still established as one who likes to keep his own secrets, and who’s always working towards his own agenda. What starts out as a simple story – in this case, a rescue mission – is gradualy revealed to be something a little more complicated than that. This has echoes of some of his TV adventures, such as The Curse of Fenric.

Sophie Aldred does a good job narrating the majority of this one. Her impression of Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor isn’t exactly perfect, but it does get the job done.

And there’s a satisfying little twist too, especially if you’re a fan of Seven and know just how devious he can be. Without going into too much detail, let’s just say that his grand plan this time is ruined by an unexpected appearance…

A Life of Crime

In 2016, the Seventh Doctor and Ace were reunited with a very old friend: Melanie Bush. However, she’s not quite the same Mel that they once knew, not completely. After leaving with the criminal Sabalom Glitz in Dragonfire, the Seventh Doctor and Ace find her embroiled in A Life of Crime. Has she really changed so much?

I absolutely love A Life of Crime. It’s not only an incredibly fun listen, with its fantastic take on the heist genre. (And honestly, a more enjoyable one than what we got in Time Heist, although I admittedly do have a soft spot for that one.)

But the reunion between these three old friends is very satisfying to hear. Neither the Doctor nor Ace know what to make of Mel. Or vice versa – for Mel, it hasn’t been too long since she left the TARDIS, relatively speaking. But while she met Ace only once before, she’s still shocked that the tomboy she once knew is suddenly grasping some huge quantum theories.

For those who weren’t keen on Mel in the TV series, this is a perfect re-introduction to the character. Mel has always been much stronger on audio than on television, both due to stronger scripts, and an understandably more mature performance from Bonnie Langford. Personally speaking, A Life of Crime is a very easy recommendation.

Fiesta of the Damned & Maker of Demons

The other two stories in the first Seven, Ace and Mel trilogy are enjoyable. Fiesta of the Damned by Guy Adams is an interesting look at the Spanish Civil War, while also presenting a very different kind of monster.

The history feels real and fleshed out, and it’s not surprising to know that Adams actually lives in Spain. A part of me almost wishes that this was more of a pure historical – the alien threat is interesting, but not quite as interesting as the setting or the war – but it’s still an enjoyable listen.

Maker of Demons, meanwhile, has the Doctor and Mel return to a world they had previously visited. But something has gone wrong. Terribly wrong. What should have been a peaceful world has now become a planet of war, with colonists continually struggling to fight against monstrous creatures. Is this all the Doctor’s fault?

It’s always nice to have a story that explores consequences, and even though we’ve never heard the Doctor’s and Mel’s previous visit to Prosper until now, it’s still nice to explore what happens when the Doctor leaves a world and things go badly in his absence.

There’s also an intriguing mystery here and a few twists and turns. Again, it’s another enjoyable story for this particular trio, and not a bad listen for the current price it is on sale.

If you had to get just one out of this particular trilogy though, then it would definitely be A Life of Crime. Along with the exciting reunion of an excellent trio, it also helped to set up major threads that were only recently resolved in September’s The Quantum Possibility Engine. And it’s also a really fun listen. An easy recommendation.

Original Sin

I really enjoyed Original Sin. It’s not my favorite in the range of Novel Adaptations, (which we’ll get to in a moment,) but it is definitely enjoyable.

For one thing, it introduces Roz Forrester and Chris Cwej. These two Adjudicators (basically, galactic police) were pretty major companions in the New Adventures. Oddly enough, this wasn’t Big Finish’s first adaptation that featured the two (again, we’ll get to that in a moment), but regardless, it’s an excellent introduction to the characters.

What’s particularly fascinating to hear is how well it works as an adaptation, particularly when you listen to the behind the scenes content. While John Dorney had to cut a lot of material when adapting Andy Lane’s original story, most of it was only tangentially linked to the plot, with new characters appearing very briefly before being horrifically murdered. So that made his adaptation straightforward.

A major (un)reveal

But what’s particularly impressive is that, while Big Finish were able to get the rights of the original story, it’s clear that they weren’t actually able to get the rights to a particular character who features in it. During one scene, you can tell that there’s supposed to be a big reveal for this character, but they never actually say who he is. At least, not directly.

Still, Dorney does a fantastic job of not actually naming the character, while making it obvious (at least, to many Classic Series fans) who this character really is. It’s a tricky feat to accomplish, but Dorney gets the balance between avoiding making the character explicit while still making it obvious to the audience just right.

So out of all of the releases on sale this week, if I had to pick a particular story to recommend, it would probably be this one. Then again, A Life of Crime is also a fantastic listen. It’s genuinely tricky to pick between them.

However, I’m not going to do that. Because there is one other Seventh Doctor story on sale right now. It’s not a part of the weekly sale, but it’s definitely a good deal. Particularly as it’s one of my favorite Seventh Doctor stories ever…

Damaged Goods

I absolutely adore the audio adaptation of Damaged Goods. I’ve never read the original novel, but I’ve heard many great things. I’ve also heard about how controversial it is – full of some very adult content and subject matter, it’s not the kind of story you’d see in the New Series of Doctor Who. Which is ironic, considering who originally wrote it – the first showrunner of New Who himself, Russell T Davies!

Jonathan Morris has written an excellent adaptation with this particular audio. While he’s toned down a lot, Damaged Goods is still one of Big Finish’s darkest Doctor Who audios. In some ways, it’s almost closer to Torchwood than Doctor Who. Which is actually rather fitting because…well, spoilers.

It’s so strange to think that Russell T Davies originally wrote this. Oh, there are many elements here that he would later use in the New Series. There’s a strong focus on ordinary families living in ordinary flats. The story also explores the ordinary tragedies of those families as much as it features stories of horrific monsters and epic wars. These are clear elements that instantly make it a Russell T Davies story. It even has a family with the surname of Tyler!

A more alien Doctor

But it’s the characterization of the Doctor that makes this so fascinating. When Davies wrote for the Ninth and Tenth Doctors, he gave them more human qualities than with previous incarnations. Those were Doctors that more or less wore their hearts on their sleaves, with very strong emotions throughout their stories.

More from Winter is Coming

But Davies handles the Seventh Doctor in the exact opposite way. He makes him the outsider, a man so alien that he finds a tower block more impenetrable than an alien fortress. He’s incredibly alien, even cold, at times. Not that this isn’t an out of character portrayal of Seven. Quite the opposite. But it’s still surprising that Russell T Davies actually gave the Doctor this line:

"Her’s is an entirely human tragedy. I haven’t the time for such things."

It’s a terrible thing for the Doctor to say. And honestly, I absolutely love it.

Out of all the audio stories out there, Damaged Goods is easily the one I’d recommend the most. It’s not just my favorite of the Novel Adaptations, or even just one of my favorite Seventh Doctor audios. It’s quite possibly my favorite story from Russell T Davies ever. Highly recommended, especially for fans of his era.

Next. Recap: Kerblam! was an episode with a lot of surprises. dark

Have you listened to any of these stories? Are there any recommendations that you agree or disagree with? Are there any that have grabbed your interest? Let us know in the comments below.

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

By James Aggas | Nov 19, 2018