#The Dalek listens to Big Finish

[tickle-me-dalek]

OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE IT I AM SCREAMING!!!!!!!11

I am so incredibly excited I barely know where to start ahhhh!!

[windchimesofglass]

What order to listen to the 8th Doctor Big Finish Audio Drama

So I've seen lots of people asking what order to listen to the 8th Doctor audio dramas produced by Big Finish. There are some really good listening guides out there, but they're out of date.

So I present to you the 2024 8th Doctor Episode Chronology!

If you love the 8th Doctor or want to explore his stories but have no idea where to start, this is the list for you!

This is a living document. I haven't listened to everything yet, so some bits may need editing. It follows 8's personal timeline from his travels with Charley Pollard to his experiences in the Time War.

Comments are welcome and please share this link around :D

[heyitsspaceace]

finally getting my hands on the big finish dw audios has unlocked a crazy little gremlin in my brain that's rolling in new doctor who content to consume and i'm having a BLAST

[time-like-tears-in-rain]

Does anyone know a solid watch guide to Classic Who? Like the different ways you can get hard copies (in the US), the various ways they've been collected, streaming sites, episode/serial order? A list of missing episodes and where they were supposed to fall in the series would be helpful. The Tardis Wiki has an episode list, marking which ones are lost, but it doesn't say how to watch.

When I hopped into Classic Who it was a nightmare, Netflix had like...a handful of random episodes for a few random doctors. I thought I watched most of One and Two, but apparently It was just a couple serials, the were just all that was available at the time.

[thebraxiatelcollection]

Tonight's listening. Big Finish are really loving having Cybermen in Berlin at the moment, especially with the recent Bernice Summerfield boxset.

[thesearchforbluejello]

Listening to the Main Range audios while at work is great and fun and whatever until suddenly Nicholas Briggs is screaming in your headphones as a Dalek

[who-composed-beethovens-fifth]

“In case it had passed you by, I am not a Dalek” “You will be” is my new favorite dalek dialogue

[luthqrs]

doctor who big finish audio stories!

⚠️ this post is no longer being updated or monitored x ⚠️

you may have seen my nuwho books post and thought “well that’s all good and proper but i wanted the big finish audio dramas >:(“ fear not, because i have a collection of those too and i am still not allergic to sharing :)

also up for grabs: doctor who novelisations (x) and torchwood big finish audios (x)

a list of what’s there + how to play below the cut x

things you’ll find here:

new who + misc

the diary of river song (series 1-12)

the death and life of river song (series 1)

the tenth doctor and river song (series 1)

the tenth doctor adventures (series 1-3)

the ninth doctor adventures (series 1 + series 4 vol. 1)

unit incursions (episodes 8.04 + 8.05)

unit nemesis (series 4)

missy (series 1-4)

the eighth of march (3.01 + 3.02)

masterful + terror of the master

rose tyler: the dimension cannon (series 1-3)

the paternoster gang (series 1-5)

master! (series 1-3)

time lord victorious (008)

once and future (005)

tenth doctor adventures: dalek universe (3.02)

classic who

the eighth doctor adventures (series 1-4)

stranded series (series 1-3)

doom coalition (series 1-4) (exc. 3.02.... working on it)

dark eyes (series 1-4)

ravenous (series 1-4)

classic main range (134, 135 + 168)

companion chronicles: the second doctor (vol 1-3 / series 10, 12 + 14)

gallifrey (series 1-3)

!!! torchwood audios have moved. they can now be found here !!!

and how to access them

press play!!

if you like to listen at 1.5x speed like me, you can use an independent media player. on ios, press the 3 dots -> open with: [audio player of choice] (i use evermusic)

make and save copies of what you want even if you don’t have time to listen right now. don’t rely on this link always being here.

want something you can't have?

⚠️ this post is not currently being monitored or updated ⚠️

if there's a particular story/series you wanted to hear that i don't have listed yet, send me an ask or pop it in the comments x

happy listening! x

[eightdoctor]

honestly before they decided to put daleks in every third big finish audio they should’ve considered the fact that No One Likes To Listen To Thaem

[corvid-ae]

So you want to listen to Main Range?

Great! I know how intimidating it can be to try and start listening, so I’ve tried to compile a guide to the main story arcs. More under the cut (minor spoiler warning)!

Also known as the Monthly Adventures, it’s a great way to get into the DWEU and definitely one I would recommend. It is also accessible, with the first 50 stories available on Spotify, or available to buy from Big Finish or second-hand fairly easily (or, you know, via less-legitimate means).

Main Range involves stories from the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Doctors, and various TV and original companions. If you are a fan of eighties and nineties Who, then Main Range might be for you! My general recommendations for people are to pick a specific doctor AND companion(s) to listen to and go from there. Although, if you’re looking for a first story to try, why not start at the very beginning (a very good place to start) with the Sirens of Time.

While many Main Range stories are stand-alone, there are also some overarching plots, which are actually very companion-focussed. Trying to understand these arcs and listen to them in order can be intimidating for people looking to get into listening, however its probably simpler than you’d think.

To help you out with all of this, I have done my best to write down the stories that are probably best listened to in order, with a bit of an explanation about how it fits into TV continuity if relevant. The order is pretty easy to follow as it is pretty much just in release order. No, Big Finish did not intentionally try to confuse their audience by releasing stories out of order (okay maybe they did just a little). However I have provided the story number in brackets [like so] for clarity.

Also, to be clear, all of the arcs are self-contained, so seperate arcs don't have to be listened to in the order I've written them down in, unless I've specified otherwise (like with the Evelyn and Hex storyline).

Again, it is not super important to listen to things in order. If you are getting bored with a story or with listening in order then feel free to skip things. Maybe you could just skim the Tardis Wiki page for the plot if you like. To help, I’ve also marked any of the super plot-heavy stories with an asterix. Most other stories, especially ones that I don’t mention here are standalone and can be listened to however you like.

Also feel free to let me know if I miss anything! Happy listening :)

Fifth Doctor:

The Erimem Arc

This takes place after Planet of Fire and before Caves of Androzani, and features the Fifth Doctor, Peri and an original character called Erimem - an ancient Egyptian princess. This is a pretty good arc and one I would definitely recommend. Please feel free to skip Nekromanteia though it’s genuinely terrible.

[24] The Eye of the Scorpion*

[38] The Church and the Crown

[41] Nekromanteia

[56] The Axis of Insanity

[59] The Roof of The World

[69] Three’s a Crowd

[71] The Council of Nicaea

[81] The Kingmaker

[99] Son of the Dragon

[102a] The Mind’s Eye

[104] The Bride of Peladon*

The Key 2 Time

A trilogy featuring the Fifth Doctor and an original companion called Amy which acts as a sequel to the Key to Time. It is set between Planet of Fire and Caves of Androzani. The Fifth Doctor meets Amy again in the boxset Wicked Sisters.

[117] The Judgement of Isskar

[118] The Destroyer of Delights

[119] The Chaos Pool

The Stockbridge trilogy

Featuring The Doctor and Nyssa and set in the fictional town of Stockbridge which was first introduced in the Fifth Doctor’s DWM comics. Knowledge of that is not at all essential however. Set between Time Flight and Arc of Infinity.

[127] Castle of Fear

[128] The Eternal Summer

[129] Plague of the Daleks

The Older Nyssa Arc

This is set between Enlightenment and the King’s Demons and features Tegan, Turlough and an older Nyssa - some years after the events of Terminus.

[136] Cobwebs*

[137] The Whispering Forest

[138] The Cradle of the Snake

[146] Heroes of Sontar

[147] Kiss of Death

[148] Rat Trap

[159] The Emerald Tiger

[160] The Jupiter Conjunction

[161] The Butcher of Brisbane

[172] Eldrad Must Die!

[173] The Lady of Mercia

[174] Prisoners of Fate

[195] Mistfall

[196] Equilibrium

[197] The Entropy Plague*

The Hannah Arc

A very short trilogy featuring the Doctor, Nyssa and another original companion - Hannah - an Edwardian woman. Set sometime between Time Flight and Arc of Infinity.

[185] Moonflesh

[186] Tomb Ship

[187] Masquerade

The Season 19 Gang Arc

Set during the events of Season 19, these stories feature the original gang of the Doctor, Adric, Tegan and Nyssa.

[221] The Star Men

[222] The Contingency Club

[223] Zaltys

[234] Kingdom of Lies

[235] Ghost Walk

[236] Serpent in the Silver Mask

The Kamelion Arc

There’s not much to say about this apart from that these three are probably best listened to in this order? Set between the King's Demons and the Five Doctors (i think) and featuring Tegan, Turlough and Kamelion.

[247] Devil in the Mist

[248] Black Thursday/Power Game

[249] The Kamelion Empire

The Marc Arc

These stories follow the Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa, and an original companion Marc - a man from ancient Greece. It is set sometime between the end of Arc of Infinity and Mawdryn Undead.

[256] Tartarus*

[257] Interstitial/Feast of Fear

[258] Warzone/Conversion*

[266]Ghost Station/The Bridge Master/What Lurks Down Under/The Dancing Plague

[267]Thin Time/Madquake*

Sixth Doctor:

The Evelyn Arc

One of my favourite arcs with some great stories, and maybe where things get a little confusing. This arc features the Sixth Doctor and an original companion, Evelyn - an historian from modern-day England. Set sometime before the Sixth Doctor meets Mel I think.

This arc set up some story aspects which are explored further with the Seventh Doctor’s stories - specifically, the Forge trilogy. There are a few ways you could listen to these but to keep it simple I would also recommend listening to the Seventh Doctor story the Harvest before you listen to Thicker Than Water, and then A Death in the Family once you’ve listened to all the Evelyn stories AND the Forty-Five anthology. This could also be listened to concurrently in release order with the Hex storyline which I’ll outline a bit later.

[6] The Marian Conspiracy*

[9] The Spectre of Lanyan Moor

[11] The Apocalypse Element

[22] Bloodtide

[23] Project: Twilight*

[37] The Sandman

[40] Jubilee

[43] Doctor Who and the Pirates

[45] Project: Lazarus*

[57] Arrangements for War*

[58] The Harvest (7th Doctor)*

[60] Medicinal Purposes

[73] Thicker Than Water*

[100] 100 BC/My Own Private Wolfgang/Bedtime Story/The 100 Days of the Doctor*

[143] The Crimes of Thomas Brewster

[144] The Feast of Axos

[145] Industrial Evolution

[115] Forty-Five anthology (7th Doctor)*

[140] A Death in the Family (7th Doctor)*

You can theoretically listen to the following before or after Thicker Than Water if you want - they are sort of standalone stories with the Doctor and Evelyn:

[78] Pier Pressure

[84] The Nowhere Place

[108] Assassin in the Limelight

The Charley Arc 2.0

This is best listened to once you’ve listened to the Charley Arc with the Eighth Doctor. Featuring the Sixth Doctor and Charley.

[105] The Condemned*

[111] The Doomwood Curse

[114] Brotherhood of the Daleks

[116] The Raincloud Man

[124] Patient Zero

[125] Paper Cuts

[126] Blue Forgotten Planet*

The Flip and Constance Arc

Featuring the Sixth Doctor and two original companions, Flip - a girl from modern-day England - and Constance - a woman from World War II. Set sometime before the Doctor meets Mel.

[143] The Crimes of Thomas Brewster*

[156] The Curse of Davros

[157] The Fourth Wall

[158] Wirrn Isle

[182] Antidote to Oblivion

[183] The Brood of Erys

[225] Vortex Ice/Cortex Fire

[184] Scavenger*

[204] Criss-Cross*

[205] Planet of the Rani

[206] Shield of the Jotunn

[218] Order of the Daleks

[219] Absolute Power

[273] Colony of Fear

[220] Quicksilver*

[231] The Behemoth

[232] The Middle

[233] Static

[263] Cry of the Vultriss

[264] Scorched Earth

[265] The Lovecraft Invasion

The Older Peri trilogy

Featuring the Doctor and Peri from after she marries King Yrcanos.

[192] The Widow’s Assassin*

[193] Masters of Earth

[194] The Rani Elite

Seventh Doctor:

The Hex Arc

A great arc that sort of starts with Evelyn’s arc. I would not recommend starting this until after you’ve listened to Project: Lazarus, but maybe at least listen to The Harvest before Thicker Than Water (no stress if you don’t want to juggle listening to arcs concurrently). Features the Seventh Doctor, Ace, and an original companion from 2020s London - Hex. Set after the end of Classic Who.

[58] The Harvest*

[67] Dreamtime

[74] LIVE 34

[79] Night Thoughts

[82] The Settling

[89] No Man’s Land

[92] Nocturne

[106] The Dark Husband

[115] False Gods/Order of Simplicity/Casualties of War/The Word Lord*

[120] The Magic Mousetrap

[121] Enemy of the Daleks

[122] The Angel of Scutari*

[139] Project: Destiny*

[140] A Death in the Family*

[141] Lurkers at Sunlight’s Edge

[149] Robophobia (side note: this is our introduction to Liv Chenka who is one of the Eighth Doctor’s main companions from Dark Eyes onwards).

[151] The Doomsday Quatrain

[152] House of Blue Fire*

[162] Protect and Survive*

[163] Black and White*

[164] Gods and Monsters*

[181] Afterlife*

[189] Revenge of the Swarm

[190] Mask of Tragedy

[191] Signs and Wonders

Also at some point before or after the Angel of Scutari you can listen to the following as they are standalone stories:

[226] Shadow Planet/World Apart

[245] Muse of Fire

[268] The Flying Dutchman/Displaced

The Klein Arc

An Arc featuring The Seventh Doctor and an original character, Klein - a woman from 1940s Germany. Set after the end of Classic Who.

[25] Colditz*

[130] A Thousand Tiny Wings

[131] Klein’s Story/Survival of the Fittest

[132] The Architects of History

[175] Persuasion

[176] Starlight Robbery

[177] Daleks Among Us

Klein is also involved in the final story of the Daniel trilogy which spans the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors.

Eighth Doctor:

The Charley Arc 1.0

The best Main Range arc in my opinion. If you listen to anything, listen to this. Featuring the Eighth Doctor and original companion Charley, with another original companion C’rizz in Part 2 of the arc.

Part 1:

[16] Storm Warning*

[17] Sword of Orion

[18] The Stones of Venice

[19] Minuet in Hell

[28] Invaders from Mars

[29] The Chimes of Midnight

[30] Seasons of Fear

[31] Embrace the Darkness

[32] The Time of the Daleks

[33] Neverland*

[50] Zagreus*

Part 2:

[52] Scherzo*

[53] The Creed of the Kromon* (TW for sexual assault in the Creed of the Kromon. Feel free to stop listening after episode one or just read the Tardis Wiki page for relevant plot info)

[54] The Natural History of Fear

[55] The Twilight Kingdom

[61] Faith Stealer

[62] The Last

[63] Caerdroia

[64] The Next Life*

[72] Terror Firma

[75] Scaredy Cat

[77] Other Lives

[80] Time Works

[83] Something Inside

[88] Memory Lane

[101] Absolution*

[103] The Girl Who Never Was*

The Mary Shelley arc

A short arc featuring the Eighth Doctor and Mary Shelley! Yes, that Mary Shelley.

[123d] Mary’s Story*

[153] The Silver Turk

[154] The Witch from the Well

[155] Army of Death

Multi-doctor arcs:

These are mostly trilogies featuring stories which Big Finish probably mostly intended to be listened to together.

The Forge trilogy

Relevant to the Evelyn and Hex arcs - best listened to in conjunction with the rest of their stories.

[23] Project: Twilight (Sixth Doctor)

[45] Project: Lazarus (Sixth Doctor/Seventh Doctor)

[139] Project: Destiny (Seventh Doctor)

The Villains Trilogy

[47] Omega (Fifth Doctor)

[48] Davros (Sixth Doctor)

[49] Master (Seventh Doctor)

The Harvest/TheReaping/The Gathering trilogy

^^^ I’m naming it that because the other name I’d give it would be a big spoiler lol (if you saw me forget the Harvest out of this no you didn’t)

[58] The Harvest (Seventh Doctor)

[86] The Reaping (Sixth Doctor)

[87] The Gathering (Fifth Doctor)

The Brewster Arc

Thomas Brewster is also vaguely relevant to the events of Stranded with the Eighth Doctor but it’s not really important.

[107] The Haunting of Thomas Brewster (Fifth Doctor)

[113] Time Reef/A Perfect World (Fifth Doctor)

[143] The Crimes of Thomas Brewster (Sixth Doctor)

[144] The Feast of Axos (Sixth Doctor)

[145] Industrial Evolution (Sixth Doctor)

The Sorsha trilogy

[165] The Burning Prince (Fifth Doctor)

[166] The Acheron Pulse (Sixth Doctor)

[167] The Shadow Heart (Seventh Doctor)

The 1963 trilogy

These don’t really have an overarching plot as far as I can remember, they were just released as part of the 50th anniversary.

[178] 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men (Fifth Doctor)

[179] 1963: The Space Race (Sixth Doctor)

[180] 1963: The Assassination Games (Seventh Doctor)

The Companions Trilogy

[198] The Defectors (Seventh Doctor)

[199] Last of the Cybermen (Sixth Doctor)

[200] The Secret History (Fifth Doctor)

The Master trilogy

[211] And You Will Obey Me (Fifth Doctor)

[212] Vampire of the Mind (Sixth Doctor)

[213] The Two Masters (Seventh Doctor)

The Daniel trilogy

[237] The Helliax Rift (Fifth Doctor)

[240] Hour of the Cybermen (Sixth Doctor)

[244] Warlock’s Cross (Seventh Doctor) (Klein is in this one if you want to listen to her arc beforehand)

Edit/addendum:

If you’re like me, you’ve maybe been intrigued by Main Range from seeing/hearing other fans talk about some of the excellent stories there are. Personally, when I am struggling getting through a series, it helps to have a specific story or episode to look forward to. As such, here are a few of my personal favourites from the above list that are definitely worth waiting for (at least in my humble opinion):

5th Doctor:

- Warzone/Conversion

6th Doctor:

- Jubilee

- Doctor Who and the Pirates

- Arrangements for War

7th Doctor:

- Afterlife

- Master

8th Doctor:

- Seasons of Fear

- Zagreus

- Scherzo

- The Natural History of Fear

[nipuni]

Happy finishing Dr Who!

I saw you've been watching other David Tennant things - have you seen his and Catherine Tate's version of much ado about nothing? Very good chaotic vibes and I highly reccomend. It's on the internet archive.

Do you have any favourite dr who eps?

Thank you so much!! 🥰 We have and we love it! So far from his filmography we have watched: Taking Over the Asylum, Blackpool, Casanova, Einstein and Eddington, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Richard II, Decoy Bride, The Escape Artist, Broadchurch, Mad to be Normal, Around the World in 80 Days, Inside Man, Good Omens and Doctor Who of course 😊

As for favourite DW episodes ooohhh there are so so many, let me pull up a list so I can go in season order 😆

S1: Father's day, The empty child/The doctor dances, Bad wolf/The parting of the ways

S2: The Christmas Invasion, New Earth, The Girl in the Fireplace, The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit, Army of Ghosts/Doomsday

S3: Gridlock, 42, Human Nature/The Family of Blood, Blink, Utopia/The Sound of Drums/The Last of the Time Lords

S4: Voyage of the Damned, Fires of Pompeii, The Doctor's Daughter, Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead, Midnight, Turn left

Specials 2008: The Next Doctor, The Waters of Mars, The End of Time I and II

S5: The Beast Below, Vincent and the Doctor, The Lodger, The Big Bang

S6: A Christmas Carol, The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon, The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People, The Girl Who Waited, The Wedding of River Song

S7: The Rings of Akhaten, Hide, The Name of the Doctor, The Day of the Doctor

S8: Deep Breath, Listen, Mummy on the Orient Express

S9: Last Christmas, Under the Lake, The Zygon Inversion, Heaven Sent, The Husbands of River Song

S10: The Pilot, Oxygen, The Pyramid at the End of the World, World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls, Twice Upon a Time

S11: It Takes You Away

S12: Spyfall part I, Fugitive of the Judoon, The Haunting of Villa Diodati

S13: The Halloween Apocalypse, Eve of the Daleks, The Power of the Doctor

Specials 2023: Wild Blue Yonder

and if I had to pick my most favourites I think they would beeee The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, Doomsday, The Family of Blood, Blink, Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead, Midnight, The waters of Mars, The End of time I and II, The day of the Doctor, Heaven Sent, The doctor falls and Wild Blue Yonder 🥰

This ended up being so long I'm so sorry 😭 AHH we are already rewatching and loving it even more the second time so this list will just get longer over time lmao

Thank you for the message!! I had so much fun answering this 😊❤️

[cringecompanionapologist]

Some Observations About Tegan

I have the classic fandom problem of paying more attention to the boys than the girls. I know. But here's some stuff about a woman. Well, not really, since it's above a dynamic between that woman and a man, but it's not in a romantic sense, so maybe that helps? I don't know.

But I do wanna say some stuff about Tegan.

Looking at both the show and fandom response to the character, I can't help but think that Tegan is one of the most screwed-over companions in the history of Doctor Who. The same could be said to some extent of every Saward Era companion (Adric, Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough, Peri, and Mel), but it's frustrating with Tegan in a way slightly different from the others, especially among Five's group.

Every companion from this era was screwed over by the writers, the fandom, or both in their own unique way. Some of it was fixed in hindsight, especially with Nyssa, favorite companion of Peter Davison and beloved of Big Finish that she is. By the time we get to Peri and Mel, it feels like the companions were being set up to fail and doomed from the start. Adric and Turlough, as male companions, have to fight an uphill battle to justify their existence, especially since they both break away from the traditionally male companion role of "handsome man of action who does the fight scenes and convinces women to watch the show".

Tegan was the most "normal" of Five's companions, which is why she stuck around for as long as she did. She could fill a sort of generic companion role that you couldn't convincingly do with the alien companions. She had more in common with the audience. But, having her just exist to ask "What's that?" over and over didn't do much for her characterization.

Looking into the show's history and what the team behind the scenes seemed to want to do with it at the time, it all sort of makes sense. Most of the writers seemed more interested in sci-fi concepts than in characters. The characters were kept generic to avoid distracting from the worldbuilding and complex plot exposition. This is probably how Five got his reputation for blandness. A lot of televised Five stories have the Doctor as a generic Doctor and the companions as generic companions. They didn't have to be written this way. They had personalities. But most of the writers had little interest in actually using them.

The isn't as big of a problem in EU media. You got a new generation of writers with more interest in the characters, so the characters got developed in a way the show never really let them. However, that doesn't mean that the EU just came in and made everything perfect. This applies to pretty much every character but the way it applies to Tegan is interesting. It's my belief that Tegan, though written well at times, was never utilized in the way that would've worked best.

To explain what I mean by that, we'll have to step away from Tegan for a moment and look at the Fifth Doctor. Since the Doctor is the main character for most eras of the show, the companions are usually written to compliment them in some way. The male companions of the 60s were made into action heroes because that was something the Doctor couldn't do. The companions often have different moral positions from the Doctor, creating situations for them to learn from each other. The plot of the early seasons was basically all about the balance of the worldviews of the Doctor vs. Ian and Barbara. And from them, the basic ideas behind how companions are supposed to work were established.

But, as the Doctor regenerated, you ended up with different personalities and different skill sets. The Second Doctor had better social skills than the first and was often easier to get along with. He occasionally needed his companions to call him out, but the tone of it had changed. Compare The Edge of Destruction, where the Doctor is definitely in the wrong and needs to learn to listen to Barbara, who talks some sense into him, to The Evil of the Daleks, where Jamie calls the Doctor out for lying to him and risking his life, but the audience is given enough context to know that the Doctor is doing the best he can and tried to avoid risking Jamie to the point of offering himself up in his place, making the situation more of a misunderstanding. The Doctor was being dishonest, but he put more thought into Jamie's safety than Jamie was aware of. The conflict is now far more two-sided.

We could go into the whole history of this process, but I think I've made my point. Now we've got to ask how this applies to the Fifth Doctor. Every Doctor sort of serves as a response and contrast to the previous one. Two is more socially aware than One, but this awareness allows him to manipulate people and be more dishonest. Now we look at how Five contrasts with Four.

The important thing here is actually a trait of both Three and Four that Five seems to lack, but that he doesn't really know how to solve problems without, something I could describe as a Vibe of Authority. Three and Four could show up in a room full of strangers and make them all shut up and listen to them. It was in their force of personality. Five doesn't have this trait. He tries to make people shut up and listen, but they don't and then people start dying.

The thing is, the Doctor is perfectly capable of saving the day without the Vibe of Authority. We already know this by Five's time because Two pulled it off easily. He was a funny little man in shaggy clothes. When he showed up in a situation, he didn't feel like an authority who needed to be listened to. He was just a traveler who happened to be in the neighborhood, noticed that there seemed to be some trouble, and now he's curious. Two would often stay on the sidelines, ask questions, learn about what was going on and the motives of everyone involved, and only take action once he already knew everything and had been around for long enough for the locals to realize that he knew what he was talking about. They'd notice that the people who dismissed him tended to be killed by monsters more than those who listened to him, and they started listening.

Some Doctors have the Vibe of Authority and some don't. Some are a bit more vague about it. 3, 4, and 6 definitely have it. 2 and 7 don't and know how to get by without it. The new series tends to give the Doctor the Vibe of Authority or the ability to gain that authority with one good speech. Midnight is about what would happen in 10's usual Vibe of Authority failed him. 13 has the same problem as 5 with the added implication of sexism being involved. 15 has the Vibe of Authority unless racism is involved.

So you end up with three (2 and a half, really) lose categories of Doctors with Authority, Doctors that lack Authority and can make it work, and Doctors that lack Authority but can't make it work and thus suffer. 5 invented this category.

The thing is, the audience wants to see the Doctor save the day. A few tragic failures here and there are memorable. You have the occasional Midnight where things don't work like they're supposed to, the occasional Dot and Bubble where it's all outside the Doctor's control, and it works. But, if it happens all the time, it's just depressing. You don't wanna have too many be losses in a row. You'll notice that Midnight and Dot and Bubble are both stories where a Doctor with Authority gets into a situation where their authority is compromised. This isn't the norm for them. But, with Doctors like 5, people not listening and dying tragically is the norm. It's very cynical and no fun.

So, how do we get around this? Companions. If the Doctor can't take control of the situation himself, you get a companion who can do it for him. Get everyone to shut up and listen to their friend the expert.

Tegan is perfect for this. We see it from the very beginning. In Logopolis, when she ends up in a situation, she tries to take charge. This clashes with Four's authority, but that's not a problem with Five. He thinks it is, because he expects to be treated like Three and Four, but instead of trying to be like them and failing, he could learn that Tegan could help him out. The flight attendant keeps the passengers calm and instructs them on what to do in an emergency while the pilot sorts out what's wrong with the plane.

In this format, Tegan is a sort of update of Barbara designed for a Doctor like Five. The Doctor has to learn that, despite her being an ordinary human, she's someone worth listening to. They develop a sense of mutual respect and start working as a team. They get into situations. The Doctor is the one who knows how to fix it, but Tegan is the one makes sure it gets done.

If you look at Castrovalva, you can see that Bidmead, season 18's script editor who wrote season 19's first story on the way out, seemed to be aware of this. It's kind of funny that Bidmead basically wrote the instructions for how to manage the new TARDIS team into the script and either no one noticed or no one followed them.

Tegan takes charge and keeps the group together. Nyssa is the STEM genius who handles the technobable. Adric is the show's connection to the past, connecting the Doctor to Tegan and Nyssa kind of like how Susan connected the Doctor to Ian and Barbara. Also he can sort of fly the TARDIS with his math powers.

But, instead, we got Tegan being portrayed as an obnoxious complainer, Nyssa as a borderline non-entity, and Adric refusing to get along with anyone and none of his skills amounting to anything.

Between this and Frontios, which gave Turlough an arc without being his introduction or exit, Bidmead was obviously one of the most competent writers of this era.

Anyway, this is the part where I blame sexism.

This TARDIS team set-up would be based on its own version of The Edge of Destruction, a crisis that gets everyone working together for the first time. Specifically, it would involve the Doctor learning to listen to Tegan, like the First Doctor learned to listen to Barbara.

Yes, the third story of the Hartnell era was basically about the Doctor learning to listen to and respect a woman. Yes, the Hartnell era is dated, and that includes its treatment of women, but by Classic who standards, it was one of the most progressive eras in that regard. You started off with Verity Lambert as producer, a woman with a major role behind the scenes and it pays off. Yes, the women screamed a lot and needed to be rescued sometimes. Susan was particularly bad about this, despite having the potential to not be. But, Susan is recognized for her intelligence. Ian and Barbara are treated as equals and treat each other as equals. The Doctor learning to respect humanity is somewhat based in respecting Barbara in particular. By The Edge of Destruction, Ian had called the Doctor out on his bullshit multiple times. The Doctor would behave better for a little while, but he kept being a bastard. It's Barbara calling him out that causes him to change. Basically, when the Doctor thinks about his love and respect for humanity and how great humans are, he's thinking of Barbara.

Tegan was basically Barbara for a new generation. An ordinary human woman who was still intelligent and capable as a leader. But, Tegan's more assertive side was consistently portrayed as something annoying, with the implication that she needed to shut up and listen to the Doctor. It's the opposite of what you got with Barbara twenty years prior.

And, though Tegan has been given more depth and written sympathetically, this aspect of the character still hasn't really been recognized. To my knowledge, there still isn't a story where the Doctor has to put aside his pride and listen to Tegan. And I think that's kind of sad.

A lot of new series companions (especially Donna) have worked to make up for this. It's not the 1980s anymore. But we can't fully dismiss this as "people from the past sucked" when the show was more progressive in 1964 than it was in 1984.

Anyway, tldr: Tegan deserved better

That's all I got.

[gallifreyanhotfive]

Do you have any recommendations on Dr. Who books/audio format things? I haven't watched the show in a bit because Moffat wasn't my thing and I can't seem to find the old stuff. (If you have any advice on where to find that too I would be very grateful) Following your blog has been a nice reminder of why I liked the show so much. Hope you have a good day!

Aw thank you! Depending on your location, you can find classic who episodes either on BBC iPlayer or Tubi (with ads).

As for books/audios, I'll try to keep this brief as I could write an essay on this.

For books, my favorite author is Kate Orman. Orman writes wonderfully, and my personal favorite is The Year of the Intelligent Tigers. I also really liked Goth Opera, Camera Obscure, History 101, Autumn Mist, Lungbarrow, Divided Loyalties, Somewhere Never etc etc etc etc (so many more but I'm forcing myself to stop here). You can often find free versions of basically every novel (at least all I've looked for) on the internet either as pdfs or epubs or whatever. The Internet Archive is particularly useful. Some examples:

And now for the audios! I personally have sold my soul to Big Finish. I have literally hundreds of recommendations. They do have some audios for free, such as those that came from the Paul Spragg Memorial Competition. You can also find a lot of them (up until Zagreus I think) for free on Spotify. There is also almost always a killer sale going on on the website on top of that too.

As for my recommendations, it's pretty dependent on what Doctor or companion you want to listen to. They even have series centered on UNIT, Romana's Gallifrey, Benny Summerfield, and a ton of other things (including a Masterful special that just had a bunch of Masters fucking around and finding out). I'll put in some of my favorites, one for each Doctor, from what I own (which is far from everything, but I do my best).

One: The Sontarans. It was the first time the Doctor had ever encountered the Sontarans, so he was unfamiliar with them. It takes place during Dalek Master Plan, so Steven and Sara are there.

Two: Lords of the Red Planet! It's a good Ice Warrior origin story and has Jamie and Zoe in it. :)

Three: Terror of the Master. I had pre-ordered it as soon as I heard about it. Three....Delgado Master....what more do you want from an audio? It's narrated by Jon Culshaw.

Four: The Wrath of the Iceni. It was a brilliant historical with Four and Leela and Boudica. Leela gets quite a lesson in this one, first being mad at Four for not helping Boudica and then at Boudica for being cruel.

Okay now we are getting into my favorite Doctors (5-8), so these decisions are going to get difficult.

Five: The Kingmaker! Shakespeare spikes Five's drink to get him absolutely wasted to sneak on the TARDIS, the TARDIS gets hiccups as a result, leading to Peri and Erimem being separated from the Doctor. Shenanigans ensue.

Six: Doctor Who and the Pirates. Six and Evelyn have a really meaningful discussion with one of her depressed students. The third part is a musical!

Seven: The Shadow of the Scourge. Benny Ace and Seven against 8th dimensional eldritch abominations. Seven gets turned into one of these insectoids, and body horror ensues.

Eight: Oh dear I can't choose. At the moment, probably the Great War from Dark Eyes 1. Eight meets Molly and is still grieving here. He is very much doomed by the narrative.

War: The Neverwhen. Lots of the War Doctor is good if you like Time War horror, but this one has a lot of time-as-a-weapon and is well written.

Nine: Battle Scars. A nice short story about that one family Nine saved from the Titanic mentioned in the episode Rose. Has a really fantastic girl in it and a Nine dripping in PTSD.

Ten: The Time Reaver. Ten and Donna! There's this gun that basically slows down time for a single person, so that a few minutes for everyone else is centuries for them. Ten is a self sacrificing dope.

Eleven: The Geronimo boxset is the best in my opinion, but I haven't been able to listen to many of these yet.

Twelve: Another one I haven't managed to buy a lot of yet, but Dead Media is amazing. It's written to sound like a podcast with adverts and everything and is set during his time at St. Luke's. And I cried at the end.

Anyway, I'll shut up now. This was so much fun! Thank you!

[twelvemonkeyswere]

i'm listening to the behind the scenes interviews from Christopher Eccleston's first trio of audios for Big Finish, marking his return as the Doctor. he says that during filming of season 1 he had to make a pause because his dad, who had dementia at the time, got diagnosed with cancer and he and his brother had to see to him in the hospital while they made the necessary operations. and then he returned to the set and filmed "Dalek," and he was so angry about all the suffering his dad was going through that he just unleashed all that onto the Dalek on set.

he also said that he tried to watch the first episode with his dad, who was a huge sci-fi fan. but his dementia didn't allow him to understand why Chris was next to him and onscreen as well, and it distressed him so much Chris decided to turn it off and not to finish it. he said it was a shame his dad couldn't really understand Chris was the Doctor, but that that also made "Father's Day" really important to him

[georgiacooked]

Today’s the day! The next set in the Eleventh Doctor adventures with Big Finish, featuring Spirit of The Season, written by me! I got to write a Doctor Who Christmas special!! And true to form, it’s not all crackling log fires and cosy lights…

Trigger Warnings for my story and the other two in the set. Everywhere and Anywhere deals with some dark and heavy topics (hopefully with taste and care), including grief, death and discussions of conversion therapy.

I would also reccomend having listened to the other two sets in the series, to properly introduce you to Valarie Lockwood (my FAVOURITE audio companion. She’s Queer, she’s capable, she’s half-cybernetic and she WILL punch a Dalek) and Eleven’s dynamic, but if you want to dive right in with a Christmas ghost story and go from there, have at it!

Available for purchase/download HERE

[softlyblues]

dw fic masterlist!

softlyblue (ao3 account)

previous masterlist (non-who fic)

MASTER/DOCTOR

blindfold - five/ainley, dubcon with the world's most fucked up husbands

TWO/JAMIE

five things jamie has - fluffy character study of the scotsman

with soft hands and face - jamie is a brat!!

LISTENING TO BIG FINISH AUDIO

1. storm warning - eight gets leched on by a guy on the r101

2. sword of orion - charley thinks fondly about loser eight

3. stones of venice - eight gets leched on by a cultist

4. minuet in hell - eight gets leched on by a republican

HARRY SULLIVAN & SARAH JANE & FOUR

1. the first of the inevitable - harry, four, and sarah have an awkward threesome in the tardis library. who couldve seen it coming

2. boys' night - four and harry drink whisky in the library and harry sits on his lap <3

3. console room - harry sucks four off under the console. good boy

4. girls' night - four and sarah fuck in a hot tub <3

5. instincts - three chapters of sex pollen/fuck or die. woo

6. exodus of the daleks - a return to skaro and some actual plot for once as fourharrysarah face off nyder and davros

7. congratulations - respite from the porn, unit crew finds out