Back to the Future: Big Finish

Back in November, attending my first-ever Doctor Who convention, I picked up a bunch of audios from Big Finish. I was curious, you see, about them, and in an expansive mood. So they got some of my hard-earned cash....

...and I got some very entertaining audio dramas--particularly the Lost Stories for Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor. Particularly interesting in that Andrew Cartmel captures the flavor of the last McCoy years (not surprising, but gratifying.) The stories are fun, tinged with Cartmel's social justice concerns, and very well acted.

McCoy and Sophie Aldred snap right back into character--which must be weird for Aldred, who's playing a significantly younger woman than she is herself, now--which she delivers admirably. Ace remains very much as she was in the wake of Survival--tougher than earlier, but still with the resilience and enthusiasm of youth.

The addition of new companion Raine Creevy worked for me, thanks in no small part to Beth Chalmers's fine work in the part. Animal, in particular, is great fun--a uniquely hierarchical and ethical (well, sorta...) baddie, some fine bits of pawky humor, and the return of the Brigadier. Brigadier, bomber, that is.

I also picked up the first few Iris Wildthyme audios. Katy Manning sells the scripts, which are quite funny, but in the wrong hands could be too arch.

The audios have a feel of their eras about them--the McCoy-Aldred installments feel very much of their time, not like a guest appearance of the Seventh Doctor and Ace in NuWho. And that's good.