Why You Need to be Listening to Gallifrey
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 the series with - Gallifrey…
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| The CD cover for "Weapon of Choice", designed by Lee Binding. |
One of the very first spin-offs from Big Finish was Gallifrey, a series centered around the Time Lords and in particular former companions Romana and Leela. Initially framed as 'The West Wing meets Doctor Who', the Gallifrey series has developed in many ways across 11 seasons, and become many different things across its lifetime. Unlike a lot of Doctor Who spin-offs, which have remained fixed in either the Classic or the New Series styles of storytelling, Gallifrey has moved between the two, starting before the show returned to TV in 2005, and continuing up to today, with stories set in and around the Time War. And, while a number of returning characters have come and gone like Braxiatel, Darkel, Ace and Rassilon, the constant three characters are Romana, Narvin and Leela, and the interplay between them is what has made the series as successful as it is.
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| The CD cover for "Square One", designed by Lee Binding. |
The first episode, "Weapon of Choice" sees Romana attempting to bring together a whole host of temporal powers for a historic summit where Gallifrey will start taking a more active role in the history of the universe, much to the disdain of a number of others, including Inquisitor Darkel and Coordinator Narvin. Leela, meanwhile, is investigating reports of the existence of a Timonic Fusion Device, and finds herself butting heads with arms dealer and all-round con-man Mephistopheles Arkadian. While you won't get the full story with this first episode, this does a good job of setting up the various threads that run throughout the first series, and introducing us to the major players of this series. A little bit of knowledge of Romana and Leela's journey in the Eighth Doctor audios "Neverland" and "Zagreus" might help as well, but, like with all good spin-offs, isn't essential, as this explains itself as it goes along. Some familiarity with the characters of Leela, Romana and K9 from the classic series might be good, as this series does rely on you already being invested in these characters in the first place, unlike something like The Sarah Jane Adventures (which allows new viewers the chance to fall in love with Sarah Jane for the first time), or even Dalek Empire (where we introduce new characters around a familiar in-universe concept). But, of course, there's also new characters to get invested in, and, while you'll start by hating Narvin, by the end of Series 4, he'll become one of your favourite original Big Finish creations. There's also the character of Braxiatel, who runs through a number of Big Finish ranges, although, once again, you don't need any knowledge of his appearances previously to enjoy this. Across the series, we get to explore the consequences of each of Romana's decisions, and see how her opponents to her presidency use this to their advantage, while Leela has to deal with the tragic loss of her husband, and how she now feels outcast from Time Lord society. All these threads build across the season, but "Weapon of Choice" does a good job of setting them up, even if its hard to talk about this release in its own right. Unlike something like "The Innocent" or "Stolen Goods" (which Big Finish have given away previously), you won't get a complete story here. This is more like the free first episode of "1001 Nights" or "The Nightmare Fair": a tease to hook you into the series. However, "Weapon of Choice" is a great first episode for Gallifrey, and sets the scene for what is to come. It's not really doing anything particularly novel or original, but in terms of launching this new series, this does the job it was designed to.
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| The CD cover for "Pandora", designed by Lee Binding. |
And, if you enjoyed "Weapon of Choice", then here is a list of 3 reasons why you need to be listening to the rest of Gallifrey:
1. Expanding Time Lord Society:
Gallifrey offers the perfect opportunity to expand the world of the Time Lords, and to glimpse behind the curtain at what Gallifrey is like without the Doctor. This is a world of dodgy deals, backroom plotting and backstabbing, where no one is safe and nothing is guaranteed, particularly in its earliest seasons, and now that the range has moved into the Time War. It translates a human political consciousness onto the politics of Gallifrey, but, don't worry - it doesn't de-mystify the Time Lords in any way. All that mysticism is a part of the series, and that adds an extra layer to the political subterfuge at work. We also get to see parts of Gallifrey that normal Doctor Who stories can never get the chance to look at. Things like the Academy or the Cloisters get looked at and explored, and we get to open the door beyond the almost surface level portrayal of Gallifrey in Who itself. Not just that, but the series also offers an opportunity to explore the effect Gallifrey has on the rest of the universe, especially in the context of the Time War. Whenever we move away from Gallifrey, we always look at what effect the Time Lords have on the so-called 'lesser races', which provides a new approach on old concepts. This series is a chance to explore the Doctor's home world in ways Doctor Who itself would struggle with, and that is one of the things that will really appeal to fans looking to get into the series.
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| The CD cover for "Fractures", designed by Lee Binding. |
2. Romana & Leela:
The Fourth Doctor's era is arguably Doctor Who's most popular era, and there's no doubt that this is because of the iconic companions that were introduced. While Big Finish gave Sarah Jane her own spin-off years before The Sarah Jane Adventures was launched, Romana and Leela were brought together in Gallifrey, and quickly became one of the greatest companion team-ups the TV show never gave us. After all, you'd be hard pressed to offer two more disparate companions: one is a knife-welding savage, while another is a prim-and-proper Time Lady. And yet, the contrast between these two characters is what makes this series so special. Both come from incredibly different backgrounds, and both have different approaches to problems, yet the series manages to find a lot of common ground between the two characters. They share a lot of the same issues, and, as such, end up naturally getting along. One of the prime examples of this 'odd couple' format working so well is in the renowned story "Spirit" (which has been loved by both fans and the production team alike: both Louise Jameson and Lalla Ward have called it one of their favourite scripts they've ever read), which sees Leela and Romana trapped in the Presidential retreat, and finding their minds melding together. This, more than any other episode, explores both the contrasts and the similarities between the two, and the pair leave the episode with a deeper understanding of each other than before. Even in episodes like "Forever", which sees both Romana and Leela at odds, there's still an understandable reason why they are, and there isn't an easy fix to the divide between them. Together with two wonderful performances from Lalla Ward and Louise Jameson, the characters of Romana and Leela are what make this series so enchanting and appealing.
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| The CD cover for "Disassembled", designed by Simon Holub. |
3. A Risk Taking Series:
Unlike most other Big Finish series, Gallifrey is a series that isn't afraid to play fast and loose with your expectations. Characters are not safe, and anything can happen to them at any time, and this adds a degree of danger to the series that I would say no other Big Finish spin-off has (at least, not one involving Doctor Who characters directly: things like Dalek Empire or Cyberman are a bit different). There's one shocking event right in the middle of series 4 that will literally take your breath away, so I won't spoil it, but its just a reminder that this series isn't afraid to shake up the status quo in a pretty permanent way. Characters are not safe in this series, and the consequences of what happens to them are not instantly forgotten in the next story. And it isn't just the characters who go through this change, but every aspect of the series. The world of Gallifrey, the main characters, even the form never remains constant, and this helps to prevent the series from getting stuck in a rut. "Intervention Earth", for example, features a completely new Gallifrey team in the form of Juliet Landau as Romana and Sophie Aldred as Ace, with Sean Carlsen as Narvin being the only constant, while the format of that series is four half-hour episodes making one release. For series 4, 5 and 6, we explore a number of alternate Gallifrey's, and see how, with different choices, each version of the Time Lords could have been very different. While the early seasons are defined by political machinations (which still run through the series), the series never gets stuck completely in that mode, and, as such, it makes it a much more complicated beast to define than most Doctor Who spin-offs. But, if you enjoy a series that never rests on its laurels, then Gallifrey is very much for you.
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| The box-set cover for "Gallifrey: Series 4", designed by Alex Mallinson. |
If you love the Time Lords and all the intrigue of stories like "The Deadly Assassin" and "The Five Doctors", as well as the Time War and all the mythology surrounding that huge cosmic event, then Gallifrey is the series for you. This series grows and develops with the characters, and is a firm fan-favourite to this day amongst the older Big Finish listenership. In Romana and Leela, the series has an incredible pair of female leads, and the new characters the series introduces instantly become a part of the furniture and as loved as those you are familiar with. Gallifrey is one of the strongest ever Doctor Who spin-offs, and is well worth your time and money.
Until the 5th of October 2020, you can get "Weapon of Choice", the first episode in the Gallifrey series, from Big Finish completely free. You can find it here:
You can also save up to 50% on Gallifrey Series 1-4 until the 5th of October 2020 too. You can find a full list of the titles here:
Happy listening!
All pictures copyright to the BBC/Big Finish Productions. Thank you very much for reading.
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