Beginning Big Finish

In 1999, Big Finish started releasing original Doctor Who stories on CD. In 2012, I started listening to them.

A little late to the party? Perhaps, but in 1999 I had no money. At all. I eventually bought The Genocide Machine in 2001, didn't get much into it for the price and gave up on the franchise there and then.

But now, although I'm not exactly flush, I do at least have a job and - more to the point - a 90 minute journey to and from work every day. Suddenly, I realised I had a couple of hundred audio plays just waiting for me.

So I started with Spare Parts. After about 10 stories, I got stuck. I'd decided to limit my listening to the first 50 stories (1999-2003), ending with Zagreus. This seems like the first "wave". So I asked Twitter what to buy next. @BigFinish retweeted me and a zillion people gave their opinions.

The result is that, after 25 listens, I still have at least 10 to go before I feel ready to move beyond this initial comfort zone. But I have attained the quarter century, so here's my top 10 out of the 25 I've heard to date:

10. DUST BREEDING
Fantastic work from Geoffrey Beevers but even better from Sylvester McCoy, who is brilliant in all his audios.

9. THE FIRES OF VULCAN
I wasn't expecting much from this, but Bonnie Langford is unexpectedly listenable-to-able and it's far better than The Fires of Pompeii.

8. THE ONE DOCTOR
Comedy wasn't high on my list, but I listened to persuasion. And enlightenment. It's not so much Christopher Biggins who makes this one such a delight - it's the regulars and it's Matt Lucas waiting for a parcel.

7. MINUET IN HELL
The Hellfire Club stuff is off putting, but the villains, the Brig and the two Doctors are what make this work.

6. THE MARIAN CONSPIRACY
Historical works well on audio. Big Finish are also very strong on cliffhangers which rely on plot-related intrigue and there's a humdinger here.

5. THE CHIMES OF MIDNIGHT
The point at which The Space Museum meets Ghost Light, only good. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a few murders and a great deal of repetition.

4. SEASONS OF FEAR
Why isn't this better known? An epic spanning the Roman Empire and two other historical periods with a sense of fun and a satisfying denouement, plus great monsters.

3. MASTER
Beevers again, in a psychological drama which doesn't go where you'd expect. Philip Madoc is in it, being wonderful as usual.

2. DAVROS
I was about three-quarters of the way through this tour de force before I realised - The Daleks Aren't In It! Terry Molloy's Davros holds this together by himself while Colin Baker is also fantastic. Unswitchoffable.

1. THE HOLY TERROR
Moffat or a future showrunner should mend bridges with Rob Shearman. This is something of an oddball - Robert Jezek stars as Frobisher the Penguin; the scenario is off-beat and mind-boggling; and it's got Sam Kelly from 'Allo 'Allo in a pivotal role. So far, this is my favourite story.

I'm starting on the next 25 now...first up will be The Apocalypse Element. Since I'm not planning on listening to every single story (some don't appeal at all), I'll be past Zagreus and into the next phase by the time I hit the big 5-0. Which may or may not be before the Doctor manages the same feat...