Big Finish has given us many Doctor Who audios over the past two decades, but perhaps the range that captures the New Series best is The Eighth Doctor Adventures.
As both a fan of the Eighth Doctor and Big Finish’s many Doctor Who audios in general, I’ve recently realized how particularly lucky I am with getting adventures of my favorite Doctor. I’ve written before about how lucky Eighth Doctor fans are – getting twelve hours a year of brand new adventures is a lot, and these days, even more than what we get with current Doctors!
And that’s what really stands out about The Eighth Doctor Adventures. With other Doctor’s audios, they aim to capture a particular feeling of nostalgia. This is even true of The Tenth Doctor Adventures, which features stories that match the style of an era many of us loved over a decade ago.
But what stands out about The Eighth Doctor Adventures is that they go for something a little different. Something just a little bit closer to how the New Series is now, or at least a year or two ago. Here are a few examples.
Characters like River Song and monsters like the Weeping Angels have appeared in more recent years of Eight’s many adventures.
(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.
Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)
Style and characters
For example, the earlier seasons with Lucie Miller were specifically meant to capture the style of the Russell T Davies era, as it was meant to draw in a brand new audience of New Series fans at the time. Afterwards, epics like Dark Eyes and Doom Coalition were closer in style to the more complicated storytelling of Steven Moffat’s era – one with huge arcs and major mysteries.
It’s not just in terms of style, either – in both Doom Coalition and Ravenous, major New Series characters turn up who arguably really shouldn’t. In the former, River Song was a major character, although what made that work was the fact that the Eighth Doctor didn’t know who she was.
More recently, in Ravenous 4, the Eighth Doctor and his friends came up against three Masters – two of which he hasn’t met yet. In that instance, the story does a satisfying job of keeping the Eighth Doctor distant from both the War Master and Missy in a satisfying way, thus allowing his later selves to be surprised at who they are when he meets them in Utopia and Dark Water, respectively.
Essentially, The Eighth Doctor Adventures works extremely well as an alternative to the New Series. But why? Well for one thing, since Paul McGann never truly had an era of his own on television, there’s plenty of room to explore with his Doctor.
Big Finish can still give us releases with a strong element of nostalgia to them – this year’s box set The Further Adventures of Lucie Miller is a clear example of that. But that features an element of nostalgia within Big Finish’s own history, rather than anything we saw on television.
Most recently, the Eighth Doctor has come across incarnations both Classic and New in Ravenous 4!
(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.
Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)
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An easy starting point for new fans
It can also work as an accessible way for fans of the New Series to explore the Classic Series. With stories of the last of the Classic Doctors told in a way that they’re familiar with, it can be a great way for new fans to dive into the world of both the Classic Series and the audios.
Lastly, there’s also the fact that Paul McGann’s Doctor essentially had that balance of Classic and New Series style from the very beginning. For example, while his fashion sense was extremely classical (at least at first), he was also the first Doctor shown to share a kiss with someone on-screen. While this wouldn’t be shocking now, the first kiss was a huge moment for Doctor Who fans back in 1996. So McGann’s Doctor helped to establish some key elements that would be common in the New Series, even in just his TV movie.
The fact that we do have something as pseudo-New Series as The Eighth Doctor Adventures is fantastic for Doctor Who fans. While we know how this particular Doctor’s story ends, it’s still great to enjoy an audio series that captures so much of what we enjoy about the New Series, including grand arcs, great character development, and epic finales. If you’re missing Doctor Who right now, or even want an alternative to the current era of the TV series, then The Eighth Doctor Adventures are definitely recommended.
Have you listened to The Eighth Doctor Adventures? Do you think they capture the style and spirit of the New Series well? Or are you intrigued to check out the Eighth Doctor’s many adventures on audio and want to know where to begin? Let us know in the comments below.