Why You Need to be Listening to The Classic Series Special Releases

Big Finish are currently offering a number of stories free from their back catalogue to enjoy. So, over the next few weeks, I'll give you a review of the individual episode in question, as well as some reasons why you should be listening to the range or series the story hails from in full. We continue with - The Classic Series Special Releases...

The CD cover for the first two episodes of "Doctor Who and the Star Beast", designed by Will Brooks.

Like with The Worlds of Doctor Who Special Releases, the main feature of the Classic Series Special Releases is variety. There's an incredibly wide breadth of releases here, and they all fulfil different criteria and do different things for listeners. There are a lot of releases commemorating special occasions: both the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who and the 20th Anniversary of Big Finish releases are here, as well as a number of titles that don't really fit into their own ranges: Classic Doctors New Monsters and the Comic Strip Adaptations, amongst other individual releases like "Shada", "The Five Companions" and the Excelis trilogy.

The CD cover for the last two episodes of "Doctor Who and the Star Beast", designed by Will Brooks.

"Doctor Who and the Star Beast" is part of "The Comic Strip Adaptations: Volume 1" box-set, and sees the Fourth Doctor caught up in a hunt for a fugitive creature known as the Meep. As one of the earliest strips from Doctor Who Weekly (better known as Doctor Who Magazine), this story has a really important place in the history of Doctor Who comics. As well as introducing the very first companion designed for the comics format, and one of the Doctor Who Magazine comic's most enduring villains, this also helps to set out the template for some of the stories that would bring the show back in 2005, especially in relation to its relatable setting and characters. Set in the Yorkshire town of Blackcastle, the story revolves around two teenagers who come across the alien Meep hiding out in an allotment shed. Meanwhile, the Doctor becomes tangled in the plans of the Wrath Warriors, who are looking for an alien fugitive who has landed on Earth. This simple plot works incredibly well, as writers Pat Mills and Alan Barnes imbue the story with so much humour and love for the source material that really comes through when you are listening to it. This script is genuinely hilarious, and the comedy comes through in every scene. I will say that I don't think this version can quite match the original, despite the presence of Tom Baker, just simply because the original not only contains Dave Gibbons' fantastic artwork, but is also much more brief and much less padded. That's not to say any of the padding is necessarily bad (as I say, this story is very funny), but it feels like it's occasionally only there to get the story to four episodes. I will say that you aren't really conscious of it while listening to the story, and it is, at least, engaging and exciting. Tom Baker is utterly outrageous, while Rhianne Starbuck is wonderful as new companion Sharron. "Doctor Who and the Star Beast" isn't particularly novel, or even incredibly unique in Doctor Who cannon (it does share a lot of similarities with First Doctor episode "Galaxy 4"), but what it is is a fun ride that will have you chuckling along with its schoolboy enthusiasm. Basically what would happen if Russell T Davies wrote a Who story for Douglas Adams, "Doctor Who and the Star Beast" is a great part of a great box-set, and a must have for any Fourth Doctor fan.

The CD cover for the Behind the Scenes disc on "The Comic Strip Adaptations; Volume 1", designed by Will Brooks.

And if you enjoyed "The Star Beast", then here is a list of 5 box-sets you should be listening to in The Classic Series - Special Releases range:

1. "Shada":

Back in 2003, Big Finish and BBCi teamed up together in order to create a special animation of the legendary unfinished story from 1979 for Doctor Who's 40th Anniversary. However, at the time, Tom Baker had decided not to be involved with Big Finish, and, deciding to go ahead with the project anyway, they moved forward with Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor. While the animation itself is a little ropy nowadays, (in comparison to the 2017 animation, which is basically the definitive version of "Shada" now) the audio version of "Shada" is still an absolute must. Anything involving Douglas Adams is guaranteed to have a stamp of quality, and this is no exception. The story is basically the same as it would have been had it been made, although the adaptation does make some accommodations for the audio medium, as well as a pre-credits scene that adds in the context of "The Five Doctors" (which used footage of Tom Baker from "Shada" to cover his absence in the story), allowing the Eighth Doctor to become caught up in the events one of his previous incarnations was involved with. But it's got a great cast (especially Faulty Towers' Andrew Sachs as Skargra), and, with such a strong story like this, it's still worth a look, even if it has rather been superseded by the magnificent 2017 version.

The cover for the standard edition CD of "The Light at the End", designed by Alex Mallinson.

2. "The Light at the End":

Back in 2013, Doctor Who celebrated it's 50th Anniversary with an extravaganza release bringing together no fewer than EIGHT incarnations of the Doctor and SIXTEEN companions in an epic struggle against the Master. "The Light at the End" was the crowning jewel in Big Finish's celebrations of the anniversary, and has the same feel and scale of something like "The Five Doctors". For any newbies looking to dip their toe into Big Finish, this is an ideal jumping on point, as you get a flavour of what each Doctor is like on audio. Of course, like most anniversary stories, you could say the plot is pretty thin, but I'd argue this holds together better than most stories of this ilk, and the interplay between the different Doctors more than makes up for this (the Fourth and Eighth Doctors are absolutely the dream team you didn't know you needed). Even though the actors for the first three Doctors were no longer with us, Big Finish did an admirable job of bringing them back to life for this story, and their part in the story feels important, not just conciliatory like in some multi-Doctor stories. The Master's plan is suitably grandiose, and Geoffrey Beevers has never been better, in my eyes. Both long-term and new fans will get so much out of this release, and it is such a special story for me, for a number of reasons. "The Light at the End" is the ultimate love letter to the show, and is an essential purchase for all Big Finish listeners.

The box-set cover for "Classic Doctors New Monsters: Volume 1", designed by Tom Webster.

3. "Classic Doctors New Monsters - Volume 1":

When Big Finish first gained the rights to new series Doctor Who, one of the first things they did was commission stories featuring classic series Doctors verses new series monsters. Now, while seeming like a very indulgent thing to do on the surface, this actually made a lot of sense: after all, the new series Doctors wouldn't really be joining the Big Finish fold for some time (only David Tennant, and his appearances could only be infrequent due to his schedule), and Big Finish wanted to use these elements as much as possible. So pitting monsters against the Doctors they did have was actually a genius idea, and "Classic Doctors New Monsters Volume 1" makes full use of the limitless possibilities Big Finish now have at their disposal. The parings of Doctor and monster are fitting and appropriate, and the stories themselves are fun and pulpy romps, but with genuine heart and emotion as well. You get the Fifth Doctor and Michelangelo being chased by Weeping Angels in 15th Century Rome. The Sixth Doctor must defend a Judoon captain who is put on trial for desertion. The Seventh Doctor must stop the Sycorax and an evil corporation from unlocking the power to enslave the human race forever. And the Eighth Doctor, a dressmaker-turned-warrior and a disgraced Sontaran must try to survive against the horrors of the Time War. These stories have so much ambition, so much zeal and energy, that it is hard not to get swept away in it all. The monsters themselves are incredibly well-treated: the Judoon, in particular, are developed, and built upon much more than they ever were in the TV show. And, for newcomers to the Classic Series, this is the perfect primer for those looking where to start with the classic Doctors, but are unsure. You get a little flavouring of each Doctor, like with "Light at the End", but this is extended across an hour-long story, so you get the chance to see them in action to a greater degree. This box-set it without a doubt one of the best things Big Finish have put out since gaining the new series licence, and it is well worth every moment of your time, whether your a new fan or someone who has supported Big Finish for years.

The box-set cover for "The Comic Strip Adaptations: Volume 1", designed by Will Brooks.

4. "The Comic Strip Adaptations - Volume 1":

I get this may technically be cheating, but I don't care, because it is well worth it in this case. Released to mark both 20 years of Doctor Who at Big Finish, and 40 years of Doctor Who Magazine, "The Comic Strip Adaptations: Volume 1" takes two of the most popular DWM strips of all time, and brings them to life with a full-cast, including Tom Baker as the Doctor. I've talked about "Doctor Who and the Star Beast" above, so I shan't repeat myself, but "Doctor Who and the Iron Legion" (the other story in the set) is well worth your time. Depicting a dimension in which the Roman Empire never fell, the Doctor becomes caught up in the machinations of Magog and the Malevilus. The scale of this story is huge: possibly larger than any other in the show's history. It almost can't be contained in four episodes, the idea is so big, but never feels rushed or hurried. There's some outrageous characters, and some even more outrageous performances to go with it, especially from Brian Protheroe as Ironicus and Joseph Kloska as Morris. Together with "Doctor Who and the Star Beast", this makes for a killer combination of two of the greatest Tom Baker stories ever created, being brought to life with the man himself. Like the Gareth Roberts Novel Adaptations and the Robert Banks Stewart/Philip Hinchcliffe Lost Stories, this set is proof that some of the best Fourth Doctor material has been rooted in the style and tone of the past, and "The Comic Strip Adaptations: Volume 1" is another such example.

The cover for the limited edition CD of "The Legacy of Time", designed by Tom Webster.

5. "The Legacy of Time":

The centerpiece of the 20 years of Big Finish releases, "The Legacy of Time" is absolutely not for new fans in any way, because you will get so much more out of it if you are a die-hard listener. If you are, its references to the past, fan service and mind-blowingly epic scale will be right up your street. From the long-awaited meeting of Professor River Song and Professor Bernice Summerfield with the Eighth Doctor to the Seventh Doctor and Ace teaming up with two different versions of the Counter-Measures team, to the modern iteration of UNIT teaming up with the Third Doctor to Jenny running into the Fifth Doctor (her literal father!), and to the Sixth Doctor, Charlotte Pollard and DI Menzies fighting an invasion from an alternative universe to Leela and Romana both coming across a significant moment in Gallifrey's history with the Fourth Doctor, this box-set is packed full of incident. And, linking the stories together is a villain the Doctors are familiar with, with a plan that, this time, could lead to the end of time itself... Full of references, fan-pleasing moments and even some very exciting cameos (including one that caught me completely off-guard and nearly had me blubbing like a baby), this is the ultimate celebration of not just Big Finish made Doctor Who, but Doctor Who in general. If "The Light at the End" was the safe celebration for new fans, then "The Legacy of Time" is the nostalgic, mind-screwing, high-on-candy one for the complete nerds who know the Big Finish cannon in depth. Now, I realise that sounds like I'm excluding a huge sub-set of listeners, so I will say you can listen to this if you not in so deep you know you're never getting out. The stories are fun on their own terms, and there's two genuine classics in there as well. However, you will get so much more out of this set if you bid your time, work your way through the different ranges and series, and come to this one with all that history behind you. For me, it made me laugh, cry, feel all nostalgic for the Sixth Doctor and Charlotte Pollard, and punch the air with joy at that conclusion. For all that, "The Legacy of Time" demands a place on this list, but if you come to it with a large Big Finish back catalogue under your belt, this will be stratospherically good, I promise you. The best possible celebration of the legacy of Doctor Who, I can't see anyone topping this for some time to come.

Once again, it is variety that makes this range so fun. There is something here for everyone, and you will find something that suits your taste somewhere. Whatever you look for in Doctor Who, there will be something to appeal to you. A mixed bag this may be, but it is one of the most fun mixed bags you will have, and as clear an example of the diverse storytelling style of Doctor Who as you are ever likely to see.

Until the 15th of June 2020, you can get part 1 of "Doctor Who and the Star Beast", from "The Comic Strip Adaptations: Volume 1", from Big Finish completely free. You can find it here:

https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-and-the-star-beast-part-1-2304

You can also save up to 33% on "The Comic Strip Adaptations: Volume 1", as well as "The Fourth Doctor Adventures: Series 8 - The Syndicate Masterplan Volumes 1&2" until the 15th of June 2020 too. You can find a full list of the titles here:

https://www.bigfinish.com/collections/v/weekly-deals

Happy listening! And I'll see you next week for another look at a free Big Finish title!

All pictures copyright to the BBC/Big Finish Productions. Thank you very much for reading.