The Doctor Who audio CDs

Distributed by
Big Finish Productions

If the idea of Who without the visuals seems a strange concept, it's worth remembering that quite often it was the demanding, fantastical creatures and settings which undermined a show with limited budgets which also never had the computer-assisted technology to knock up convincing effects quickly and cheaply. Leave the images to the imagination, suggesting them by either word or sound (usually both), and anything is possible in Who.

Furthermore, these audios have placed the scripts and ideas back at the heart of Doctor Who, as the format obviously doesn't lend itself to flashy camera-work, or attention-diverting gimmicks and endless chases through tunnels/corridors/forests. For anyone dispirited by the chaotic, action-driven nihilism of mid-80s Who, Big Finish offer the chance to rediscover the magical, inventive side of the programme in a whole new way.

Released monthly (or thereabouts) since 1999, there have already been over 30 original Doctor Who stories. The very first - The Sirens Of Time - featured three of the five still-living actors who have played Doctor Who; Peter Davision (the fifth Doctor), Colin Baker (the sixth) and Sylvester McCoy (the seventh). Each has since appeared in their own adventures to widespread acclaim, even from those who disliked their respective eras on television. Eighth Doctor Paul McGann, with just the shortlived comeback via 1996's TV Movie to his name beforehand, came aboard for the 16th release, Storm Warning. For this quartet of Doctors, the Big Finish range has given, and continues to give, them all a chance to finally sink their teeth into the role with a renewed vigour and the benefit of greater experience.

Every Doctor will always have his detractors, such is the nature of any long-running series that cast several actors in the same role, but Colin Baker's once-lionised reputation in particular has undergone something of a rehabilition already. That he has also been in three of the five most recent BF adventures is testament to his acknowledgement of the potential this avenue offers to Doctor Who in the 21st Century.

Paul McGann, who emerged as the main beneficiary of Big Finish's early output (the medium being his only tangible means of continuing as the Doctor for the forseeable future) is regarded very highly by fans of all ages and eras through his BF work, and rightly so. His introductory Big Finish story picked up from his sole on-screen performance - and teamed him with a new female companion exclusive to the BF range - Charley Pollard.

In the case of Peter Davison, the Fifth Doctor/Nyssa adventures have presented the opportunity to finally explore a promising combination all too briefly featured on TV in the early 1980s, when an overcrowded TARDIS team that included the brash Tegan and shifty Turlogh never facilitated it, save for Arc Of Infinity's opening two episodes.

Inevitably, there are drawbacks. Preconceptions of BF as nothing more than a fan-oriented sideshow still linger, not helped by distribution problems that mean the CDs are not easily found in the popular highstreet stores which stock BBC-issued Who product. The nature of the BF audios, because their approach has no direct link in a narrative sense to the ongoing story as depicted between 1963 and 1989 on BBC Television, is not generally regarded as part of the official Doctor Who "canon"; yet it not so much breaks with the series' established continuity by setting the new stories at suitable points inbetween the TV ones, but rather exists in an extended Whoniverse.

Whatever its canonical merits, the Big Finish range is still recognisably Who-like and treats the programme's history with respect and intelligence, slotting in new characters, companions, and a pleasing invention, to a familiar template. Stories are broken down into four episodes across two CDs, each part the traditional 25-30 minutes in length, complete with recaps... just like the show's golden age on TV.

As Big Finish's profile steadily increases, more and more of the programme's past stars express interest in being a part of the venture, and quality overall continues to rise. Production and artwork standards are now better and more distinctive than ever, and the possibilties seem endless with four Doctors' eras being developed concurrently.

Review copyright © Liam Carey, 2003.