Looking for something new to binge during this difficult time? Try some audio dramas produced by Big Finish Productions!
Big Finish is a company specializing in audio dramas in the Doctor Who (classic and new) and Torchwood universe, but they also regularly release novel adaptations (The Invisible Man), original stories (Transference), Dark Shadows stories, and more.
Big Finish is popular because in addition to excellent writing and directing, they call on wonderful actors and actresses to give life to the stories, especially in the Doctor Who and Torchwood range: David Tennant, John Barrowman, Billie Piper, Eve Myles, Catherine Tate, John Hurt, Paul McGann, Sylvester McCoy, Tom Baker, and Colin Baker just to name a few.
These five series are just a small preview of all the amazing stories produced by Big Finish. Go check out their website. You won’t regret it.
The Diary of River Song Volume 1-7
In this series of audio dramas, Alex Kingston is back as our favorite professor/archaeologist/criminal River Song for a lot of new adventures across time and space. From a 20th century university to a 12th century British abbey, trouble always find the Doctor’s wife. The stories are all different; sometimes she meets past incarnations of the Doctor or, even more interesting, incarnations of the Master, but they are all very addictive and you won’t be able to stop listening to the dramas once you’ve started. The Diary of River Song series contain all the elements you love about the Professor: adventures, humor, sass, mysteries, and aliens — but to tell you more would be to give you spoilers!
Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor Adventures
In this series, Paul McGann reprises his role of the Eighth Doctor, who first was introduced in the 1999 Doctor Who movie. Several stories are available on the website where you can listen to The Doctor facing The Master but also a new enemy: The Eleven. In the latest installation, to be concluded in September 2020, the Time War is catching up with The Doctor as he is trying to keep clear from the front lines and make a difference. The next chapter of The Eighth Doctor Adventures, Doctor Who: Stranded, will be out in June 2020 and will feature The Doctor stuck in 2020 London with his companions with Tom Baker and Tom Price reprising their role of The Curator and PC Andy Davidson, respectively.
Torchwood: Monthly Range
When Torchwood went off the air in 2011, fans were desperate until Big Finish started a new set of stories with the original cast. One of the ranges available release a story nearly each month which can be listened by order of release or as stand alones. Some stories are set during the timeline of the show, some go all the way back to the Victorian Torchwood, and finally, some are set after the end of the TV show and show us what happened to the team after Torchwood: Miracle Day. The stories are centered around one of two characters and capture all of the things we loved about Torchwood. All you have to do is start listening and close your eyes, and it will be like no time has passed.
The Confessions of Dorian Gray
Alexander Vlahos — Mordred in Merlin and Philippe, Duke of Orleans in Versailles — is playing Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray in this adaptation of the novel. Big Finish isn’t the only company that did an audio adaptation of the novel, but they extended that universe with a series of dramas about Gray. We follow him across time, often meeting with historical figures. The horror and supernatural is never far away and we see Gray evolving from the person he is in Wilde’s book to modern time and being quite a changed man. Vlahos’ performance gives life to Gray and makes you root for the soulless man.
Doctor Who – The War Doctor
In the 2013 special anniversary episode, a previously unknown incarnation of the Doctor is revealed: The War Doctor played by John Hurt. He was only in this episode and the fans didn’t really get to know how he came to be without hope and ready to end the Time War by destroying the Time Lords and The Daleks. Big Finish had the wonderful idea to produce a series of dramas involving The War Doctor fighting in the war. These dramas are a great glimpse in how the Doctor became so jaded and tired of fighting.
All these stories are available to purchase on Big Finish’s website as CD or as download. If you choose the download version, you can use the Big Finish app to listen to the stories on your phone or tablet.
