PAST LIVES:
The Time War. The Doctor has been injured and brought to a Time Lord field hospital. His body glows with energy, but this is no regeneration into a future form - instead, the Doctor’s past faces begin to appear as he flits haphazardly between incarnations...
Staggering to his TARDIS, the Doctor sets out to solve the mystery of his 'degeneration'. Who has done this to him? How? And why? From the Earth to the stars, across an array of familiar times and places, he follows clues to retrace his steps, encountering old friends and enemies along the way. Tumbling through his lives, the Doctor must stop his degeneration before he loses himself completely...
Settling as his Fourth incarnation, the Doctor goes in search of the Monk, with a vague memory that he had something to do with his degeneration.
On Earth, the Monk is meddling, bringing Sarah Jane Smith to the future UNIT HQ to steal a device for an alien race. The Doctor must help Kate Stewart and Osgood foil an invasion before he can confront the Monk about what he knows...
- The Doctor - Tom Baker
- The Monk - Rufus Hound
- Sarah Jane Smith - Sadie Miller
- Kate Lethbridge-Stewart - Jemma Redgrave
- Petronella Osgood - Ingrid Oliver
With special appearances by:
- The First Doctor - Stephen Noonan
- The Second Doctor - Michael Troughton
- TheThird Doctor - Tim Treloar
- The Fifth Doctor - Peter Davison
- The Sixth Doctor - Colin Baker
- The Seventh Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
For anyone who has read my previous Doctor Who posts, most of these names should be familiar. Sadie Miller is Elisabeth Sladen's daughter, and Michael Troughton is Patrick Troughton's son; they both do a better-than-passing imitation of their respective parents.Tim Trelor has been featured in a series of "Third Doctor Adventures" and one would be hard-pressed to tell him apart from Jon Pertwee. And Rufus Hound has assayed the role of the Monk many times. I am not as familiar with Stephen Noonan as the First Doctor, but based on his performance here I have no complaints. I had no trouble whatsoever determining which Doctor was speaking as he changed form rapidly during the early stages of the "degeneration."
I am reminded of "The Sirens of Time," the very first Doctor Who audio Big Finish ever made and the first one I listened to. When I listened to it the very first time, I had seen only one each Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctor story on TV. They each had their own section, then came together in the end. At the time, I wasn't familiar enough with their respective voices to tell which was speaking in the final chapter and consequently didn't appreciate it as much as I did in later listenings. "Once and Future" was the centerpiece of Big Finish's 60th anniversary celebration of Doctor Who in 2023, but "Sirens of Time" is celebrating its own 25th anniversary this year. To commemorate it, a re-edited version has been released which involves all three of the Doctors participating throughout, rather than just coming together at the end.
From Sarah Jane's point of view, her part of the story begins just moments after the Doctor dropped her off in South Croydon (or what she thought was South Croydon) when she is kidnappedby the Meddling Monk. It's something off a call-back to the the (Eighth) Doctor left Charley Pollard behind and she is picked up monents later by the Sixth Doctor, or even when the Ninth Doctor left Rose at the end of "Rose" then reappeared "moments" later (of course that was the Doctor she expected). I usually post my thoughts about these episodes when they are still fresh in my mind, but we listened to three of them over the course of a roadtrip over the weekend. Luckily, these days Big Finish releases TRAILERS to supplement my thoughts.
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THE ARTIST AT THE END OF TIME:
Suffering the effects of degeneration, the Doctor heads towards the end of the universe in search of answers. Instead, he finds his daughter - Jenny - and an Artist whose works appear to mark the end of every world they touch.
The Doctor stabilises into his Fifth form to join forces with Jenny and the Curator to solve the mystery of the Final Gallery and the art it has collected.
With special appearances by:
This episode has fun with the fact that Georgia Tennant is Peter Davison's daughter IRL. (She refers to him as "Dad" throughout.) Georgia has really come into her own as Jenny, and said as much during her interview on the "extras" section. She didn't really feel at home with the role after only a single appearance on TV, but by now she has had two "seasons" of solo audio adventures and has guested on others as well. Colin Baker took over the role of The Currator from Tom Baker in the Stranded series. At this point in The Currator's existence, he is travelling the universe painting portraits of planets he has visited, but every one of them is destroyed after he has left. (It is revealed that the his very first work was "Gallifrey Falls / No More" from "The Day of the Doctor.") At first he was guilt-striken when he found out because he thought he might somehow have been causing each plaent's destruction, but it is eventually revealed that a group of collectors has been obtaining each painting then destroying the planets in order to increase the value of the paintings. He eventually brought the cycle to an end by painting a portrait of the planet which housed the gallery of his art and the collectors' automated planet destroyer wiped it out of existence. He also lays some pretty broad (yet cryptic hints) hints of what the future will bring to the Fifth Doctor and Jenny.
TRAILER
A GENIUS FOR WAR:
In the midst of the Time War, the Time Lords have received a communication from Falkus, the prison moon of Skaro. Its sole inmate, Davros, wishes to make them an offer.
He will help them win the Time War... but only if the Doctor comes to his rescue.
With special appearances by:
This plot is pretty staightforward (i.e., easy to follow) on the surface. Davros is to be put on trial for treason by the Daleks. He has appealed to the Time Lords for help, but can he be trusted to actually turn against the race he created? The answer is "no." Basically, he has made a similar plea to the Daleks themselves and is playing both ends against the middle. The Time Lords have pulled the "Seventh" Doctor out of time; Davros will deal only with the Doctor. The Time Lords are aware of the Doctor's condition, but have no idea what's causing it.
Here is the one TRAILER my 100 words are worth.
TWO'S COMPANY:
Back on Earth, the Doctor finds a clue in the search for the origins of the degeneration weapon. In his Sixth body, he meets Jackie Tyler and Lady Christina de Souza - thrown together by fate, or something more? - in pursuit of a powerful item of jewellery.
Meanwhile, a Time Lord renegade has duped Harry Sullivan into helping him stop the Doctor's travels before they begin - and all are set on a collision course.
With special appearance by:
Here's another unlikely conglomeration of Doctor Who characters from across time. You wouldn't think Jackie Tyler and Lady Christina de Souza would have much in common, but they play quite surprisingly well off one another. A woman named "Melody" put them together for a "job"; Jackie assumed it was for a cleaning job, and Lady Christina assumed Jackie wanted to hire her. The macguffin this time is a Time Lord artifact that looks like a necklace, which Rose gave to her mother. One thing I hadn't realized is that none of the "degenerations" has memories beyond his own. What I mean is, although this "Sixth" Doctor has memories of the "Seventh" from the previous epside, he has no memory of Jackie Tyler... although she, of course, knows him (or at least a "future" aspect of "him"). The "Time Lord renegade" had me thrown for a bit (although the title should have given me a clue). He passed himself off to Harry as a future incarnation of the Doctor, but he's not. At first I thought he might be Big Finish's "Doctor" from an alternate reality (with whom I am wholly unfamiliar), but he's not that, either. Turns out he's [SPOILER] The Two, an earlier incarnation of The Eleven.*
*For those of you who may not know, The Eleven is a Time Lord who, every time he regenerates, retains the personality of his previous incarnation, a sort of MPD Time Lord. He originally appeared on audio as an antagonist for the Eighth Doctor, but has since appeared as The Nine, The Twelve, and now The Two.
I am now back on my once-a-week-on-Wednesday posting schedule.
TRAILER
I was listening along with Jeff on the first few but listened to TWO'S COMPANY on my own. Jeff tried to give me a heads up on the Renegade Time Lord but I told him I wouldn't have trouble following along. I know Harry and this Time Lord from a later incarnation from UNIT. Kate Stewart and Osgood are some of my absolute favorite characters. The Renegade or The Eleven or whatever he was at the moment (in those other stories) tried to get the better of the UNIT crew but failed. Listening to TWO'S COMPANY was fun because he's not quite as obnoxious and has to tangle with Jackie Tyler. The necklace alien tech has a jeweled dial and Jackie fidgets with it when she's nervous. The sound effects are perfect. I can picture it clearly in my mind. The actress mentions on the script she is listed as "Lovable Loudmouth" and that had me laughing. That's a brilliant description of Jackie.
I was listening along with Jeff on the first few but listened to TWO'S COMPANY on my own.
...and now she has moved ahead because I have chosen to listen only on Wednesdays.
Jeff tried to give me a heads up on the Renegade Time Lord but I told him I wouldn't have trouble following along.
The Eleven (and his various regenerations) was introduced and appears primarily in Eighth Doctor stories, which Tracy hasn't listened to. But what I didn't know, is that he/they have also appeared in UNIT stories which I have not listened to.
I know Harry and this Time Lord from a later incarnation from UNIT.
She ended up clueing me in to what's up with Harry Sullivan these days.
Listening to TWO'S COMPANY was fun because he's not quite as obnoxious
...or as insane.
Today's Wednesday so it must be time for...
THE MARTIAN INVASION OF PLANETOID 50:
The First Doctor arrives in Victorian London amid a Martian invasion. But he discovers all is not what it seems when Missy appears...
Soon, the Doctor is propelled into a future incarnation - the Tenth - but he is not alone in battling Missy and her Martian invaders. The Paternoster Gang - Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint and Strax - are also here to assist. But can they offer the Doctor any help in solving his own degeneration mystery?
With special appearances by:
This episode begins with the First doctor landing on what he thinks is Earth but is actually a planetoid made to mimic H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds. It occurs to me I'm not certain who the "current" incarnation of the Doctor is supposed to be at this point, but the Tenth is a future incarnation (even the Doctor doesn't recognise himself). His personality is intact, but his "memories" are spotty (because he hasn't experienced them yet). This one is very funny. If hadn't been listening in the car and had been able to take notes, I would have jotted down some of the one-liners. Even without the context of the overall story, this one is worth listening to just to hear David Tennant and Michelle Gomez trying to "one-up" each other... and generally succeeding! Missy reveals that she also has undergone "degeneration" at one point in hhis/her lives
TRAILER
"My dear Doctor, you have been naive", a callback to the Ainley Master, I beleive.
TIME LORD IMMEMORIAL:
Slipping between bodies, the Ninth Doctor finds his TARDIS caught between universes as the cosmos starts to break down. A Doctor from another reality arrives and they join forces with Liv Chenka and the Lumiat to find the cause. Someone has desecrated the mythical Hall of the Time Lord Immemorial, where the sands of time from the multiverse are held. And those sands are running out...
This episode begins with the (Ninth) Doctor riffing on the word "union," a clue from the previous episode, but he doesn't know what it is, exactly. Suddenly, another Doctor appears in his TARDIS (or perhaps he appears in another Doctor's TARDIS; it isn't clear at first because the "desktop" keeps changing). They soon determine that they are from alternate universes, rather than one being a later incarnation of the other. I know nothing about the Alternate Universe Doctor other than that he is unique to Big Finish and has a series of his own. (With so many adventures of so many Doctors to choose from, I decided it was best to stick with the "official" ones.) they are soon attacked by sand creatures.
"Meanwhile," Liv Chenka is on holiday, relaxing on a beach. If you don't know, Liv Chenka first appeared in the Big Finish Seventh Doctor adventure "The Robots of Life," a sequel to the Fourth Doctor TV adventure "The Robots of Death," but she is best known for her long tenure as companion to the Eighth Doctor. She is soon joined by the Lumiot, a future incarnation of the Master/Missy. The Lumiot is now a good friend and ally of the Doctor, and changed her name when her role changed. I know from the "extras" section that this is not the first appearance of the Lumiot, but it is Liv and the Ninth Doctor's first encounter with her, so it was pretty easy to follow. Soon the sands of the beach arise to attack Liv and the Lumiot.
If you guessed that the sand men that attacked the Doctors and the sand that attacked Liv and the Lumiot are related, go to the head of the TARDIS. Soon the plots converge and they set about fulfilling a prophecy which will lead them to the mythical Time Lord Immemorial. The "prophecy" thing is kind of a cliché, but the poem is very good (and quite lengthy), and can be interpreted in multiple ways, which was fun. (Again, if I hadn't been listening in my car I would have jotted it down.)
There are lots of clues and lots of foreshadowing. Despite being a future incarnation, the Doctor seems to know Liz (although she does not know him). When they part he says, "Give my regards to Helen and Tonya," and she replies, "Helen and who?" I don't know if Big Finish listeners are supposed to know who "Tonya" is or not. I suspect not, although she may have been introduced at some point during my Big Finish hiatus. The Doctor, the AU Doctor and the Lumiot are all suffering from degeneration, but it had been held at bay during the course of this episode because of the situation. The AU Doctor is back in his home reality. Just before the Lumiot degenerates, she hints that Liz would not like any of her other selves just before she changes into one... but we don't know which. Just before the Doctor himself changes, he recieves a message from (wait for it)... Susan.
TRAILER
THE UNION:
The Doctor responds to a distress call from his granddaughter, Susan, taking him to the Diamond Array: a huge multidimensional space station. Once there, his instability increases, as the Fourth and Eighth Doctors discover the Array's terrible purpose.
Meanwhile, River Song has made a deadly alliance to try to save her husband. And the truth about the Doctor's degeneration will finally be revealed.
With special appearances by:
Big Finish really pulled out all the stops for this one. I have no idea how they recorded this one, but I imagine most of the parts were recorded separately at different times. The CD extras may go into that, but I haven't listed to that section yet. As a matter of fact, I still have a bit of the story left to listen to. Usually, I'll finish the story about halfway home from my LCS and still have time for the extras. Part 5 took me all the way home (no extras), but with this one I didn't even get finished (and that's with me driving 10 m.p.h. slower than usual due to heavy rain).
As the story begins, the Doctor's degeneration has become highly unstable. By the time he finds Susan, he has stabilized somewhat, fluctuating back and forth between his Eighth and Fourth selves. Other than the First Doctor, susan has become most closely associated with the Eighth (on audio), but I don't think she's ever met the Fourth before. Tom Baker and Carole Ann Ford have an excellent rapport with each other. the Eighth Doctor knows River Song but the Fourth does not, although I'm certain they've met before on audio. Either this story takes place before that one (from the Doctor's POV; she certainly knows him) or his memories are messed up from the degeneration. Also, Susan knows River; she was one of Susan's teachers at the Coal Hill School alongside Ian and Barbara. (I don't know if that's from an audio I haven't heard or foreshadowing of a story yet to come.) It was River who faked the message from Susan. River is working for the Union... at least she is pretending to.
The Union is actually [SPOILER] the Time Lord formerly known as the Eleven, but a future incarnation (as the Valeyard is the the Doctor). She comes from a time when all of her personalities have integrated... hence "the Union." She is, of course, the one responsible for the Doctor's (and other Time Lords') degeneration. It is the energy generated by this process which allows her to supress all of her other selves. [END SPOILER]. It has been vague up until this time, but the "present" of this story is set during the Time War. The difference between the Union and the Doctor is that her other selves drive her mad, whereas the Doctor draws strength from his... all except one. It was her shooting the War Doctor with her degeneration weapon which kicked off this series of events.
Withing the Union's diamond Array, the Doctor begins to lose control of his degeneration again, switching rapidly between selves. Some of them begin "premembering" events that haven't happened, to them, yet. They even deliver a lengthy speech of defiance (with multiple callbacks), shifting among multiple Doctors a line at a time. It is at this point the Union reveals her ace in the hole, the War Doctor, but her scheme doesn't play out exactly the way she intended (see 4:18 clip below).
TRAILER
2:34 CLIP
4:18 CLIP
CODA - THE FINAL ACT:
The Time War.
Dealing with the repercussions of degeneration, the Doctor has a limited window of time to evade capture, recruit old allies, wage a war, and find out what's really going on.
A warrior is being hunted by a mysterious stranger in a TARDIS. A rogue agent has been assigned a mission to eliminate a dangerous foe. This is a fight between a war criminal and a fugitive. A fight between Doctors.
TRAILER
The Doctor's "degeneration" is over and he has stabilized as his current self, the War Doctor. He soon finds himself being pursued, and in order to mask his temporal signature, he deliberately crosses paths with someone he has encountered in many incarnations: Bernice Summerfield. there is an in-story reason why these two "forgotten" Doctors are pitted against one another, but before the smoke clears, Queen Elizabeth and the Voord have been drawn into the mix. The story serves as a thematic "coda" to Once and Future, plus it takes place on the planet "Coda." This story can be listened to as a standalone.
Regarding the Fugitive Doctor, I have come to the conclusion that she is, in fact, a "pre-Hartnell Doctor." I'm not particularly happy about that (at least not until how that can be has been adequately explained to my satisfaction), but I recently rewatched "Fugitive of the Judoon" and "The Timeless Children" plus I've considered some meta-texutal clues as welll. First of all, whereas "Fugitive of the Judoon" clearly indicates that the titular "Fugitive" is a past incarnation, the evidence as to where she fits into the succession is contradictory. (Most of what follows is a rehash of previous discussions, but bear with me.) On the one hand, she doesn't recognize a sonic screwdriver, which would seem to indicate that she is a pre-Hartnell Doctor (or at least a pre-Troughton one). But one the onther, more convincingly (AFAIAC) is that her TARDIS is in the form of a police box.
Although I thought it highly unlikely even at the time, I thought the fact that she didn't know what a sonic screwdriver was was some sort of "oversight" (or was purposefully ignored) on Chibnall's part. But I think now that was actually a clue... a contradictory one, but a clue nevertheless. Jo Martin is now recording "Fugitive Doctor" stories for Big Finish, and although I would never expect the audios to reveal something that wasn't revealed on television, Chris Chibnall was consulted. Producer David Richardson says: "I knew that I didn't want us to step on the toes of Chris Chibnall's backstory of the fugitive doctor, and so ask if Chris might be able to attemd a Zoom meeting with myself and [script editor] Rob [Valentine] so we could make sure we were on the right lines. Chris was incredibly generous with his time and we had a brilliant chat during which I felt much more confident about our plans."
So Chris Chibnall does have a backstory in mind, but he's no longer showrunner, so I don't know when we'll ever see it. Richardson goes on to say: "We all agreed that we shouldn't be trying to solve any mysteries of the Fugitive Doctor--at least not yet. For that rerason, but mainly because I didn't want to clash with anything in The Second Doctor Adventures, we have steered clear of her time working for Division. Well, to some degree, there's some of that in there... but there were fine lines to tread and we have navigated our way through them." My question is this: if the Fugitive Doctor is pre-Hartnell, why should David Richardson be concerned with clashing with The Second Doctor Adventures? OTOH, the BBC's new footage (from the colorized version of War Games) of the Troughton Doctor regenerating into the Pertwee one would seem to lay to rest any fan theories of an incarnation of the Doctor between the Second and Third (which had been my favorite pet theory until recently).
Here's something else to consider: Most Wanted will feature the Daleks.
How can that be?