Doctor Who Audio Drama Recommendations Vol. 1

Before I continue with the TV retrospective - the first one can be found here -  I've decided to highlight Doctor Who audio dramas.

The main reason I decided to do this because there are plenty of great stories released by Big Finish that in a lot of cases are better than some of the TV stories. This case will especially be the case when we get to the Sixth Doctor. And when it comes to the Eighth Doctor, there's not too much to write about outside two TV appearances.

So, let's talk about audio dramas that are set around the first season.

The Beginning 

(takes place before An Unearthly Child)

W: Marc Platt

D: Lisa Bowerman

PLOT: When the First Doctor and his granddaughter Susan escape through the cloisters of Gallifrey to an old Type 40 Time Travel capsule, little do they realize the adventures that lie ahead... And little do they know, as the TARDIS dematerializes and they leave their homeworld behind, there is someone else aboard the ship. He is Quadrigger Stoyn, and he is very unhappy...

This is part of a series known as Companion Chronicles where a companion recalls an adventure they had with the Doctor. In this case, its Susan recalling the very first adventure she goes on with the Doctor. That adventure is when they first leave Gallifrey.

Now, sadly, that's just the first few moments of the story. The rest has the Doctor, Susan, and a Time Lord engineer named Stoyn (voiced by Terry Molloy - who also played Davros in the TV show) dealing with an alien race called Archaeons. Now, the latter half isn't bad, but a part of me wishes more was focused on them leaving Gallifrey. But then again, that may ruin the mystery of why the Doctor left and we're being told the story from Susan's point of view who may not know.

Another aspect I like is that we seed the seeds of Susan's growth as a character and moving away from being just the Doctor's granddaughter. Definitely worth a listen.

Farewell, Great Macedon

(takes place between The Keys of Marinus and The Aztecs)

W: Morris Farhi

Adapted by Nigel Robinson

D: Lisa Bowerman

PLOT: The TARDIS materializes in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, in the year 323 BC. The Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan meet Alexander the Great – but their excitement is tempered by the realization that these are the final days of Alexander's life. As the travelers become embroiled in the tragic events, the inevitability of history unfolds around them.

But can they – and should they – change it?

This is part of a subseries called The Lost Stories. This series is where Big Finish adapts scripts or "story treatments" that were proposed to the BBC but never made it to production. 

Listening to this, I'm amazed that this wasn't produced because it is so damn good! My only guess is the budget. Considering how this season consisted of a seven-part epic with big moving creatures, a six-parter involving Marco Polo, and a four-parter involving ancient Aztecs its not too surprising.

In regards to the topic, this is one of the historical figures that I knew about before checking this out and the script really nailed down the topics.

John Dorney is fantastic as Alexander the Great in regards to his larger-than-life character and his infamously short temper. To give an idea of how hot-headed Alexander was, he literally killed a friend after a very heated argument. Seriously. It's a good thing there were no guns or internet comment sections back then.

One of the most compelling things about the story is the conflict the TARDIS crew. In the story, they discover they've landed close to Alexander the Great's death. Obviously, as they hang out with him they don't want him to die. So, they battle with the idea of whether to let history take its course or try to change it.

There's also keep bits of the script that show that this was being written in the very early days of the show because they refer to the Doctor as a straightforward physician and he says he took the Hippocratic oath. Obviously, this idea was chucked out the window given how in later episodes the Doctor would say things like, "my Doctorate is purely honorary."

There's a second story on here called The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance which is:

But you won't go wrong with Macedon, trust me!

The Transit of Venus 

(takes place between The Sensorites and The Reign of Terror)

W: Jacqueline Rayner 

D: Nigel Faris

PLOT: The year is 1770, and daring explorer Captain James Cook and his crew on the Endeavour are navigating the Pacific Ocean.

Into their midst come strangers: the First Doctor and Ian Chesterton, who are believed to have come from Venus. But the TARDIS is lost to them — along with both Susan and Barbara — and Ian makes an enemy of the ship's chief scientist, Joseph Banks.

Why is Banks acting strangely? Could it be that the travelers are not the only visitors from the stars?


Another companion chronicle, this time told by Ian. I could easily see this story being made for the show.

Also, there's some residue from The Sensorites that play a part in the story. I won't spoil it but I can at least say that it took something from one of my least favorite episodes and made something worthwhile. It's a good one.