Fifth Doctor Audio Sale

[quipxotic]

This is cross-posted from Tumblr, so if you've seen it there you can ignore it here. (I mean...you can ignore it even if you haven't seen it there, but you know what I mean.)

It’s Peter Davison‘s birthday and Big Finish are doing a Fifth Doctor sale. If you’re new to the Fifth Doctor there are some excellent audios in this list that are perfect introductions to this version of the Doctor and his companions. Just a brief note: I’ll link to the pages for each audio below, but if you want the sale price you’ll need to go through the link above (CELERY is the access code if it asks for one).

• The Memory Bank and Other Stories (Five and Turlough) - Turlough is one of my favorite companions. He’s devious and self-centered, which makes his moments of honesty, self-sacrifice, and nobility all the more deliciously amusing and makes him a wonderful foil for the Fifth Doctor. This audio is a collection of four short stories, all of which are enjoyable. My favorite is the first one, “The Memory Bank,“ because it gives you a bit of Turlough’s backstory.



• The Peterloo Massacre (Five, young Nyssa, and Tegan) - This story is set during August 1819, a period of growing conflict between businessmen and their employees. I won’t say much more for fear of spoilers except that, while historicals are a bit hit or miss with me, this one is quite good. If you like more character-driven stories, this one is for you.



• Aquitaine (Five, young Nyssa, and Tegan) - Perhaps my favorite Fifth Doctor story ever. It’s got all kinds of elements I love: a spooky setting, a creepy mystery, interesting science fiction elements, and a cool robot. But the best part of this one is the relationship between the three leads. It’s a perfect introduction to the Fifth Doctor, if you’re looking for one.



• The Waters of Amsterdam (Five, young Nyssa, and Tegan) - This one is set immediately after “Arc of Infinity,” when Tegan rejoins the team. While not one of my favorites, it’s a decent story that provides a bit more backstory for Tegan and what her life was like after she left the TARDIS at the end of “Time-Flight.“



• The Secret History (Five, Vicki, and Steven Taylor) - Although this is a very good audio, it’s probably not ideal for new fans of either Doctor Who or the Fifth Doctor. It’s also the last audio in a trilogy that finds the Seventh, Sixth, and Fifth Doctors time-shifted into adventures originally experienced by their Third, Second, and First selves (respectively). However, if you are a fan of the First Doctor, timey-wimey shenanigans, or Byzantine history, you will probably enjoy this story.



• The Entropy Plague (Five, older Nyssa, Tegan, and Turlough) - This is the last story in an E-Space trilogy, so if you’re not also going to pick up “Mistfall‘ and “Equilibrium,” you’ll want to skip this one. If you do plan on listening to this audio, listening to “Prisoners of Fate” beforehand will help you understand the situation with Nyssa’s family. Although this audio is important in Nyssa's timeline, in my opinion it’s not particularly strong as a stand alone story.



• Equilibrium (Five, older Nyssa, Tegan, and Turlough) - Second story in the E-Space trilogy and, unlike “The Entropy Plague,” this one can be listened to as a standalone story. This is another of my favorite Fifth Doctor audios because of the focus on the relationships between the four leads. It’s also very atmospheric, complete with a castle on a frozen world, a royal court that hides a dark secret, and a problem that even the Doctor can’t solve.



• Mistfall (Five, older Nyssa, Tegan, and Turlough) - First story in the E-Space trilogy and a sequel (or perhaps more accurately, a prequel) to the Fourth Doctor TV story “Full Circle.“ Although this isn’t a favorite of mine, it’s an interesting story that can be enjoyed even if you haven’t seen “Full Circle” (which I haven’t).



• The Fifth Doctor Adventures Volume 01 (Five, Adric, young Nyssa, and Tegan) - This box set is a bit of a mixed bag. I hated the first story, “Psychodrome,” but the second one, “Iterations of I,” is another of my favorite Fifth Doctor audios. “Psychodrome“ is set immediately after the Fifth Doctor’s first TV story, “Castrovalva.“ The TARDIS crew is so OOC in this audio and I suppose that’s on purpose - meant to show that they’ve not yet grown into the team they’ll eventually become - but to me it was just annoying. “Iterations of I“ is a haunted house story with a bit of math and 1980s technology mixed in. Again, the highlight of this audio is the relationships between the main characters, but it’s also the story that made me fall in love with John Dorney‘s writing.



• Tomb Ship (Five and young Nyssa) - This isn’t my favorite TARDIS team BUT I love this story. It’s basically Doctor Who does Indiana Jones in space and is so much fun.



• 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men (Five and young Nyssa) - This one for me was pretty forgettable, but a lot of people like it. Imagine a version of the 1960s where the Beatles are replaced by a mysterious group called the Common Men. Sound interesting? Then you may want to give this one a try.

The other audios in the sale are “Moonflesh” and “Masquerade,” both Fifth Doctor and young Nyssa stories, but as I’ve not listened to either one I can’t tell you anything about them. All offers end April 18th.