#like In/Spectre; Doctor Stone S2; and a handful of others

[blindtaleteller]

Honestly, you don't even need DVDs at this stage in the digital age: there are plenty of places to watch movies, shows and more for free these days.

YouTube is one of those that are subscription optional; as is Rakuten Viki for those of us who watch live action from other countries/cultures (viki is an interesting if ancient site for language learning and more that started out as a fan-subbing community; and became popular enough that in recent years it was picked up by Rakuten.) Add in other sites like it including 9anime and more? We are not going to run out of options anytime soon lol.

Also tags, cause there's more to youtube in particular in that regard than meets the eye..

[circular-time]

Big Finish Doctor Who on Spotify as of May 2017

In a fit of fancrastination, I’ve compiled for you a linked masterlist of ALL FREE DOCTOR WHO AUDIOS on Spotify with quick notes to help you choose. You’ll need to register a login but can then start listening immediately.

Summary: Main Range 1-50, Lost Stories Season 1, Fourth Doctor S1, Eighth Doctor S1, UNIT: Dominion (essentially Seventh Doctor Adventures S1), Short Trips Vol. 1-2, Companion Chronicles S2, Destiny of the Doctor 50th anniversary anthology, stageplay adaptations, Dalek Empire S1-2, Jago & Litefoot S1-5, Benny S2-5, Iris 2-4, I, Davros, Graceless S1-3, Cyberman

Main Range are 4x25 minute episodes with cliiffhangers; the rest are usually an hour, apart from Short Trips which are 8x15-minute short stories.

Here’s the whole shebang:

Main Range 1-50 [Complete Playlist]

Full cast audio plays which try as closely as possible to capture the style/feel of classic who TV serials, with better writing and a bit more character development. Most Main Range are standalone. Those with arcs I’ve starred (Eight & Charley audios all follow a loose character development arc; * are the ones with essential beats for Charley’s Bigass Plot. “Project: [X]” ** audios are a multi-Doctor arc.) Bold are audios I rated 8/10 or above on my vhswhovian reviews blog.

Sirens of Time - Five, Six, Seven (A bit meh; BF finding their feet)

Phantasmagoria - Fifth Doctor and Turlough (fun but basic historical)

Whispers of Terror - Six, Peri (adequate, guest star Lisa Bowerman)

Land of the Dead - Fifth Doctor and Nyssa (some  good bits, some bad)

The Fearmonger - Seventh Doctor, Ace (excellent but dark)

The Marian Conspiracy - Sixth Doctor, Evelyn (Evelyn’s intro, historical)

The Genocide Machine - Seventh Doctor, Ace (fine, but BF can be better)

Red Dawn - Fifth Doctor, Peri (adequate; guest star: Georgia Moffat!)

The Spectre of Lanyon Moor - Six, Evelyn, BRIGADIER (quite good)

Winter for the Adept - Fifth Doctor, Nyssa (so-so; guest star: India Fisher)

The Apocalypse Element - Six, Evelyn, ROMANA (Action! Gallifrey! RTD later referenced this story as an opening salvo of the Time War)

The Fires of Vulcan - Seventh Doctor, Mel (Decent historical, Pompeii)

The Shadow of the Scourge - Seven, Ace, Benny (I liked, but it’s grade B SF / comic book camp)

The Holy Terror - Sixth Doctor, Frobisher (fan favorite, terrifying crackfic)

The Mutant Phase - Fifth Doctor, Nyssa (draggy plot, good 5&N character moments)

Storm Warning* - Eight, Charley (A modest beginning but required listening for Charley’s arc; Gust star Gareth Thomas (Blake of Blake’s 7)!

Sword of Orion - Eight, Charley (Basic Classic Who SF; I enjoyed it)

Stones of Venice - Eight, Charley (Melodramatic retro-future Venice)

Minuet in Hell - Eight, Charley, Brigadier (a trainwreck, one of BF’s few misfires; someone needs to extract the Brigadier Writes Scathing Email To His Superiors scenes from the wreckage.)

Loups-Garoux - Fifth Doctor, Turlough (Melodramatic werewolves)

Dust Breeding - Seventh Doctor, Ace, and a very special guest star (spoilers sweetie) - two, actually, there’s Caroline John (aka Liz Shaw). I was a bit down on this when I rated it, but it’s grown on me.

Bloodtide - Sixth Doctor, Evelyn (Good but unexceptional historical made better by this team)

Project: Twilight** - Six, Evelyn (Powerful but very dark.)

The Eye of the Scorpion - Fifth Doctor, Peri, Erimem’s intro! (Rollicking adventure.)

Colditz- Seventh Doctor, Ace, Klein’s intro (guest star David Tennant. Ace in a WWII Nazi prison. Memorable and a bit of a turning point for her.)

Primeval - Fifth Doctor, Nyssa (FINALLY a good story for them; guest star Steven Grief (Travis in Blake’s 7. I’m biased but it’s a fave.)

The One Doctor - Sixth Doctor, Mel (A fond spoof of classic Who.)

Invaders from Mars - Eight, Charley (Riff on War of the Worlds Orson Welles broadcast; I don’t like the stereotypical sleazy gay villain)

The Chimes at Midnight* (Eight, Charley) This Christmas horror story and Spare Parts were voted the top two Big Finish audios ever.

Seasons of Fear* (Eight, Charley) I love this one; each part lets them tackle the same problem in a different historical era.

Embrace the Darkness (Eight, Charley) Good SF horror. I like it, but it’s not quite as excellent/essential as its two predecessors for the arc.

The Time of the Daleks* (Eight, Charley) Not my favorite Dalek story, but there’s some important beats for their arc you probably shouldn’t skip.

Neverland* (Eight, Charley, Romana) Payoff/crisis point for Eight and Charley’s arc. Essential listening. I suspect this one influenced Gatiss and RTD in how the new series envisioned Gallifrey.

Spare Parts* (Fifth Doctor, Nyssa) Guest star Sally Knyvette (Blake’s 7). One of the top two rated Big Finishes ever, basically Genesis of the Cybermen. IF YOU LISTEN TO ONLY ONE... But it’s dark.

...Ish. (Sixth Doctor, Peri) I adore this one, but it’s a little esoteric.

The Rapture (Seventh Doctor, Ace) Bleah. Seven takes Ace to a rave; Ace sulks. Cover art and techno remix of Who theme are best part.

The Sandman (Sixth Doctor, Evelyn) Good worldbuilding-SF adventure.

The Church and the Crown (Six, Peri, Erimen) Good historical.

Bang-Bang-a-Boom! (Seventh Doctor, Mel) Spoof of classic Star Trek. Amusing in spots, but it’s no Galaxy Quest.

Jubilee (Sixth Doctor, Evelyn) RTD liked this one so much he asked Rob Shearman to rewrite/adapt it to help kickstart nu Who. Dalek was the result. Very different, but you can see how the story germ (and one of the best scenes) are the same.

Nekromantia (Five, Peri, Erimem) Listen at your own risk; only one I’ve skipped on friends’ recommendations; includes gratuitous sexual assault on companion without dealing with the fallout from it.

The Dark Flame (Seven, Ace, Benny) Disappointingly meh horror.

Doctor Who and the Pirates (Sixth Doctor, Evelyn) - fan favorite, Gilbert & Sullivan meet Pirates of the Caribbean, “Gallifreyan Buccaneer” song.

Creatures of Beauty - (Fifth Doctor, Nyssa) Daring experiment in  storytelling, dark, but excellent. Be prepared to be confused for a while; it’s like a jigsaw puzzle with the picture gradually coming together.

Project: Lazarus** - (Six, Seven, Evelyn.) OUCH. Good, but more angst.

Flip Flop (Seventh Doctor, Mel) Clever story which works equally well if you start with CD#1 (Part I) or CD #2 (Part III).

Omega (Fifth Doctor) - leading up to Big Finish’s 50th release in 2003, 5 years after BF began, the Main Range Doctors each got to face off with a classic Who antagonist.  All of these are excellent.

Davros (Sixth Doctor) - Guest star Wendy Padbury (aka Zoe Heriot, 2nd Doctor companion playing a different character)

Master (Seventh Doctor) - fan-controversial but excellent story purporting to reveal the Doctor & Master’s childhood.

Zagreus* (Eight, Charley) - fanservice 6-part epic that some fans love, others loathe; I enjoy it but think it’s about one episode too long. Every single classic Who Doctor/companion Big Finish could get their hands on plays someone in this, not necessarily their usual role. It accidentally sets the stage for the Gallifrey political drama when Leela and Romana meet for the first time.

From here on I’ve only heard a handful, so you’re on your own. :)

Lost Stories Season 1 (Six and Peri) [Complete Playlist]

Lost Stories are abandoned classic Who TV scripts, stories that died in development, or stories from lost seasons that were never filmed. Big Finish revised, rewrote, improved and finished them. The first series is Colin Baker’s Revenge: the season that was lost when the show went on hiatus through no fault of his.

The Nightmare Fair

Mission to Magnus

Leviathan

The Hollows of Time

Paradise 5

The Song of Megaptera

The Macros

The Fourth Doctor Boxset - Fourth Doctor & Leela (two stories)

Fourth Doctor Adventures Season 1 (Four and Leela)

One-hour adventures. [Complete Playlist]

Destination Nerva

The Renaissance Man

The Wrath of the Iceni (i’ve heard this one; it’s a decent historical with Boudicca)

Energy of the Daleks

Trail of the White Worm

The Osidon Adventure

Eighth Doctor Adventures Season 1 (Eight and Lucie “Bleedin’” Miller)

One-hour adventures. The Eighth Doctor moved from the Main Range to his own series after Charley left. [Complete Playlist]

Blood of the Daleks pt 1

Blood of the Daleks pt 2 - yes that IS guest star Hayley Atwell :)

Horror of Glam Rock

Immortal Beloved

Phobos

No More Lies

Human Resources Pt. 1

Human Resources Pt. 2

UNIT: Dominion [Complete Playlist]

The Seventh Doctor, Elizabeth Klein, Raine (a companion that would’ve come aboard after Ace had classic Who not been cancelled), and **SPOILER REDACTED** played by the brilliant Alex MacQueen. This is a series of four one-hour stories. Haven’t heard it, but I’ve heard good things about it.

Short Trips Anthologies Volume One and Two

Unlike most Big Finish ranges, Short Trips are not full-cast radio plays. They’re mini audiobooks, nowadays half an hour, but these anthologies are eight 15-minute short stories read by a single narrator, usually a companion or (for Five and Six) the Doctor himself. I love listening to these while doing chores. Vol I has several of my favorites including Colin Baker’s very own delightful fanfic “Wings of a Butterfly.”

The Companion Chronicles Season 2 [Complete Playlist]

One-hour adventures. Early on, Big Finish hit upon CCs as a way to tell stories with Doctors who are no longer with us, recollected by their surviving companions. They’re fan favorites because they tend to show the Doctor and the adventure through each companion’s eyes. I’ve heard 2 & 4 and enjoyed them; from what I’ve heard the other two are even better.

Mother Russia - Steven (First Doctor, Dodo)

The Catalyst - Leela (Fourth Doctor)

Helicon Prime - Jamie (Second Doctor)

Old Soldiers - Brigadier (Third Doctor)

Destiny of the Doctor - 50th anniversary special [Complete Playlist]

One-hour adventures, essentially Companion Chronicles for every Doctor as of 2013, narrated by a companion from that Doctor’s run. (Except Nine, unfortunately; it’s narrated by a monster from that era instead. ;) ) Smoke and Mirrors was good, representative of its TARDIS team; I expect the others are too.

Hunters of Earth - First Doctor, Susan (Carole Ann Ford)

Shadow of Death - Second Doctor, Jamie (Frazer Hines)

Vengeance of the Stones - Third Doctor, Mike Yates (Richard Franklin)

Babblesphere - Fourth Doctor, Romana II (Lalla Ward)

Smoke and Mirrors - Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa, Adric (Janet Fielding)

Trouble in Paradise - Sixth Doctor, Peri (Nicola Bryant)

Shockwave - Seventh Doctor, Ace  (Sophie Aldred)

Enemy Aliens - Eighth Doctor, Charley (India Fisher)

Night of the Whisper - Ninth Doctor, Rose, Jack (Nicholas Briggs)

Death’s Deal - Tenth Doctor, Donna (Catherine Tate)

The Time Machine - Eleventh Doctor, Clara (Jenna Coleman)

Doctor Who - The Stageplays [Complete Playlist]

Big Finish adapted/redramatized a few classic Who stories that made it to the stage over the years. I have no idea how good these are but assume Big Finish wouldn’t showcase them on Spotify if they weren’t good advertisements.

The Ultimate Adventure - 1980s stageplay, Sixth Doctor

Seven Keys to Doomsday - 1970s stageplay, an AU Doctor

The Curse of the Daleks - 1960s stageplay with no Doctor at all, starring Michael Praed?!!! (Whatever happened to him anyway?) and of course, Nicholas Briggs, the voice of the Daleks on TV and audio.

Dalek Empire [COMPLETE PLAYLIST]

Dalek Empire, Nicholas Briggs’ baby, is one of Big Finish’s earliest spinoffs, and it is... epic, gripping, and heartbreaking. It asks the chilling question: what if the Daleks strike when the Doctor is not around to stop them (since this took place after Zagreus, and he wasn’t around for a while?)  

It turned Daleks from an annoying and somewhat silly Who monster I disliked to a terrifying force one truly believes are the most dangerous monsters in the universe. But the humans/humanoids in this story are what make it truly powerful.  The memorable Gareth Thomas (Blake of Blake’s 7) plays Kalendorf, but Sarah Mowat as Susan Mendez is the real star. (David Tennant also starred in series 3 before being cast as the Doctor.)

Individual episodes:

Invasion of the Daleks

The Human Factor

Death to the Daleks!

Project Infinity

Dalek War 1

Dalek War 2

Dalek War 3

Dalek War 4

Writers of Doctor Who like Rob Shearman and Paul Cornell refused to write the second season because they wanted to enjoy it as fans. I’m sure RTD had these Daleks in mind when he envisioned the Time War. I can’t recommend it enough

Jago & Litefoot

35 years ago, my Mom said the guest characters Jago & Litefoot in The Talons of Weng-Chiang were so good they should have their own spinoff. Tragically, she was right, but she’s forgotten all about them, and I can’t get her to listen. Don’t make the same mistake. They’re brilliant: Victorian paranormal investigators, old friends of the Doctor.

Season 1 (4 stories)

Series 2 (4 stories)

Series 3 (4 stories)

Series 4 (4 stories)

Series 5 (4 stories)

Bernice Summerfield Seasons 2-5  [Complete Playlist]

Professor Bernice (Benny) Summerfield is the smart, cynical 26th-century archaeologist-cum-Lara-Croft who really, really needs a drink. Her sometime nemesis Braxiatel may be the Doctor’s own brother. I’ve only caught a few Bennys, but Lisa Bowerman has played her for 20 years— in fact, Big Finish won the license to product audio Who thanks to the calibre of the early Benny range. 

I’m going to be lazy and not copy all of them here because I think that playlist has all of them on Spotify: Five seasons, 3 stories per season.

Iris Wildthyme Series 2-4 [Complete Playlist]

I grew up watching Katy Manning as Jo Grant, the Third Doctor’s companion, but in her old age Katy is having an absolute ball playing Time Lady (?) Iris Wildthyme, rocketing around the universe driving her double-decker bus TARDIS and getting into almost as much trouble as she causes. Retired movie star, fashion icon and alcohol connoisseur, Iris is another amazing personality in the Who Expanded Universe.

I, Davros [4 stories]

Terry Molloy returns as Davros, fleshing him out into a 3-dimensional villain who reminds me far too much of some current leaders. Except he’s diabolically smarter.

Graceless Series 1-3

The Tracers of the Key to Time have been personified into a good an evil twin. These are spinoff characters from the Main Range Key to Time trilogy. 

Cyberman Series 1  Series 2

Okay, this one I know nothing about.