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Post by constonks on Sept 2, 2016 20:37:05 GMT
(I'd create a poll if there weren't so many of them!)
Given that this weekend features the CCs on sale for a fiver, I thought it might be nice to have a dedicated topic to share everyone's favourite CC!
While there are many greats IMO, my personal favourite is Mastermind. It's also probably my favourite Master story. While it does use the characters introduced in Tales from the Vault, you don't need to know anything about them. In fact, I'd say this story would have worked fine as a one-off TV movie (given how much it relates to the other TV movie) treating Sato and Matheson as new characters. I highly recommend.
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Post by agentten on Sept 2, 2016 20:56:18 GMT
I haven't heard everything yet, but my favorites so far have been:
1.4 - The Beautiful People 4.5 - Ringpullworld 5.3 - Find and Replace 5.7 - Peri and the Piscon Paradox 8.1 - Mastermind 8.4 - Ghost in the Machine
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aztec
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 2,849
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Post by aztec on Sept 2, 2016 21:41:22 GMT
Well, so far I've heard...two!
The Beginning which was a simple, but enjoyable story, and Solitaire which was also enjoyable, the format took a little getting used to after hearing so many full cast stories, but quickly won me over with its own charms.
Just bought 10 more in the sale, so in a couple of weeks I will probably have a better answer.
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Post by kimalysong on Sept 3, 2016 1:10:42 GMT
1st Doctor- Transit to Venus & Return of the Rocket Men 2nd Doctor- Glorious Revolution, Jigsaw War & The Selachian Gambit
3rd Doctor- Find & Replace and The Last Post
5th & 6th Doctor: Peri and the Piscon Paradox
Other: Mastermind
But if I had to pick one probably Peri and the Piscon Paradox
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Post by Digi on Sept 3, 2016 1:49:49 GMT
I'm not a big fan of narration so the CC range (generally) isn't my cup of tea.
That said, I have enjoyed:
- The Mahogany Murderers - Solitaire - Peri and the Piscon Paradox - Project Nirvana - The Scorchies - Mastermind
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Post by icecreamdf on Sept 3, 2016 2:34:14 GMT
I'm not a huge fan of the Companion Chronicles (I prefer full cast stuff), but there are a few that I really like. Mastermind is definitely my favorite, but Peri and the Piscon Paradox and the new Second Doctor set are both up there.
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Post by theotherjosh on Sept 3, 2016 3:31:00 GMT
Beautiful People is the release that convinced me that this was a legitimate way of telling stories. Prior to hearing it, I hadn't bothered, reasoning I could get a full cast recording for only slightly more. Also, I dearly love Nirvana, because I find Lysandra such a fascinating character.
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Post by Sir Wearer of Hats on Sept 3, 2016 4:17:50 GMT
The Revenants and the Rocket Men ans the Selachian Gambit.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2016 4:34:23 GMT
Mastermind - The closest to the Master spinoff a lot of us have asked for over the years, about the days where The Doctor DIDN'T show up to save the day. I'd say this is the definitive Beevers Master story. It's a toss up with "Master" from the MR, but this lets us see him as he is, wheras that story studies what he isn't, so I'd give this the edge.
The Scorchies - Absolute insanity and entirely wonderful. As someone who finds so much of the Pertwee years on screen to be stuffy, it's amazing that his CCs are among the freshest and loosest when it comes to playing with the Who format. This story works so much better than other Scorchie appearances because of Melvyn Hayes as the force of nature leader of the group and the songs themselves. Truly wonderful, I'll always associate this with walking home along the River Clyde on a warm spring day and laughing the whole time.
The Rocket Men - What could easily be fan-fic where Ian and Barbara's feelings are finally laid bare turns out to be one of the most touching and personal releases BF have put out. It's at once classic, retro sci-fi and a true exploration of the feelings Ian has for Barbara which are so much more mature and realistic than a lot of love stories. "When do you know" indeed. It also manages to have Ian flying a jetpack. That's got to be worth admission, there.
The Last Post - This was released in the wake of fan-grief over the passing of Caroline John and is acknowledged as a great story but make no mistaek, this wasn't mere nostalgia. If this had been released wih her in the very best of health it would still be as highly regarded as it's just a fantastic story. It fleshes Liz out in a way that her other CCs haven't quite done and makes it clear that she can handle herself without The Doctor. Introducing Dame Emily, Liz's mother, is a masterstroke and Rowena Cooper gives us an instantly wonderful portrayal. You can believe Liz coming from - and rejecting - this background but still loving her mother. A smashing wee story.
The Time Museum - Whenever there's a thread about recommendations, I always hate it when someone says "All of them!" as it really is no help to the person asking but there's a case that "All the William Russell/Ian stories" is a perfectly valid answer as there's something about his character that truly brings out the best in the CC range. This one i a favourite as it's not just an older Ian telling the story but the older Ian actually having a new story and one that is a love letter to his era. This doesn't get brought up a often as I'd like when the best CCs come up.
The Jigsaw War - The Second Doctor has some wonderful companions but for whatever reason his CCs aren't anywhere near as good as the Hartnell or Pertwee era, for me. This is my favourite though. It's a straight forward mystery all set in one location with Jamie being used, as he seldom was, in a way where he has to use his cunning and wits to get out.
Find And Replace - Like The Scorchies, this is the kind of story that is absolutely nothing like the Pertwee era but still manages to be a wonderful tribute to it. It's kinda Jo's version of The Time Museum with an older Jo having an all new adventure involving her own past. There's a scene here where Katy just breaks my heart. Makes me massively nostalgic for an era I don't even care much for. She's astounding here.
Solitaire - Sometimes "It's just a really good story" is reason enough and that's the case here. India Fisher is a better lead here than in her own boxset and gets maybe the best Toymaker story there's ever been to play off. Baillie's villain evokes Michael Gough but gets to do his own thing as well here and there's a great dynamic between him and India.
The Mahogany Murders - It's almost not a CC, is it? It's really the pilot for the whole J&L range with the events here being actually quite vital to the series proper. Anyone wanting to get into the series should really start with this rather than the first boxset. There's little that needs to be said about the way these two play off each other but this, moreso than Talons, feels like J&L: Origins. This is where they aren't just thrown together by circumstance but instead make a concerted effort to be a team, or at least, meet up for post-infernal investigation pints to one-up each other on what they've been up to. Just fantastic.
The entire trilogies of Sara Kingdom and Oliver Harper deserve a mention too, they expand the Hartnell era significantly and - more importantly - are just fantastic stories.
I think the CCs are a hard sell to some people - even some BF listeners - who don't like narration but by God, what a range this was at its pomp. It truly let the inner thoughts of many underdeveloped characters to come to the fore. Characters like Jo, or Steven....I'm not sure you could possibly love them anywhere near as much without getting to know them through this range as its only here they truly become characters. The range could so easily have been "and then The Doctor did this..." stuff but David R and some fabulous writers (Dorney and Guerrier to name but two) always made it seem like the relevant companion was the star and it rarely felt just like a Doctor Who story missing a Doctor-actor.
Just a lovely, warm range that I think most months managed to be as good as, and often better than, the main range release of any given month.
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Post by Timelord007 on Sept 3, 2016 6:59:11 GMT
My top 5 favourite Companion Chronicles.
- Mastermind - Peri & the Piscon Paradox - Rocket Men - Return Of The Rocket Men - Solitaire
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Post by chrisscorkscrew on Sept 3, 2016 9:29:38 GMT
I love the narration style of the Companion Chronicles and will often pick one over listening to the main range.
Personal favourites are Tales from the Vault, Solitaire, Council of War and Ringpullworld, but then I love pretty much all of them. Peri and the Piscon Paradox is fabulous, but I've always thought it's in a league of its own - a sort of Companion Chronicle Plus.
In terms of the Mahogany Men, I adore Jago and Litefoot and appreciate this CC started the series, but I've never yet got through it without dozing off!
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Post by muckypup on Sept 3, 2016 9:37:32 GMT
The Sara Kingdom Trilogy, are my favourite out of them all in fact almost my favourite BF releases.
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Post by ChildrenOfHúrin on Sept 3, 2016 9:54:06 GMT
For the first doctor my favourites would include the Sara Kingdom trilogy, The Transit of Venus, Quinnis, The Rocket Men, Return of the Rocket Men, The Library of Alexandria and The Revenants (although that one is not part of the sale).
For the second doctor I would recommend the story Resistance as well as the recent box set.
For the third doctor I would recommend The Last Post as well as The Scorchies.
For the later doctors I would recommend The Beautiful People (fourth doctor), Peri and the Piscon Paradox (fifth and sixth doctors) and Solitaire (eighth doctor).
And finally from stories not featuring the doctor I would go for both of the Vault Stories (Tales from the Vault and Mastermind).
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Post by mark687 on Sept 3, 2016 9:59:51 GMT
Of the ones I have:
Old Soldiers
Peri and the Piscon Paradox Mastermind
Tales from the Vault
The Selatchin Gambit
The Glorious Revolution
The Jigsaw War
Solitaire are all top draw
I personally also like the 2 Romanna 1 tales and the Scorchies.
Regards
mark687
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Post by whiskeybrewer on Sept 3, 2016 12:39:25 GMT
For me Its Solitaire and The Revenants
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aztec
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 2,849
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Post by aztec on Sept 3, 2016 15:23:21 GMT
Just listened to The Rocket Men, excellent CC and a very enjoyable story, the story didn't necessarily feel very much like the TV serials of Hartnell's era in scope or pacing, but it certainly captured the hard edged mystery and experimental tone of the early 60's serials. William Rusell is a great narrator, and John Dorney proved once again he is one of the most talented writers employed by BF, definitely worth a listen for those that haven't, odd to think of Ian as a bit of action hero and I'm already itching to hear more of the Rocket Men...
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Post by relativetime on Sept 3, 2016 15:44:13 GMT
I'm just not going to chose a "favorite." It's way too hard to select a single "favorite," especially from thus range There have been so many Companion Chromicles that left me overwhelmed with emotion or amazement at the end that I'm just going to list what I consider the best in no particular order. All of them I'd consider to be 10/10 stories.
The Transit of Venus The Library of Alexandria The Rocket Men Return of the Rocket Men The Cold Equations The First Wave Home Truths/The Drowned World/Guardian of the Solar System The Second Doctor Volume 01 Find and Replace The Scorchies The Last Post The Mahogany Murderers Mastermind Solitaire Peri and the Piscon Paradox
And I'm certain I still haven't listened to even half of the fantastic stories this range has to offer!
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Post by relativetime on Sept 3, 2016 15:51:39 GMT
Just listened to The Rocket Men, excellent CC and a very enjoyable story, the story didn't necessarily feel very much like the TV serials of Hartnell's era in scope or pacing, but it certainly captured the hard edged mystery and experimental tone of the early 60's serials. William Rusell is a great narrator, and John Dorney proved once again he is one of the most talented writers employed by BF, definitely worth a listen for those that haven't, odd to think of Ian as a bit of action hero and I'm already itching to hear more of the Rocket Men... The Rocket Men was actually the first CC I listened to. I bought it to listen to on a plane ride home. I was so worried I wouldn't like it, but instead, it turned out to be one of the greatest stories I'd ever heard!
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Post by anothermanicmondas on Sept 3, 2016 16:14:51 GMT
my favourites [so far - still got a lot to listen to] (in no particular order) Solitaire the Scorchies The Selachian Gambit The Mahogany Murderers Peri and the Piscon Paradox The Rocket Men Return of the Rocket Men The Ghost in the Machine
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Post by coffeeaddict on Sept 3, 2016 17:11:52 GMT
Old Soldiers, The Scorchies and The Mahogany Murders are my favourites. I also greatly enjoyed Solitaire - it was a great use of the Toymaker. Both Rocket Men releases were at the top of my list.
The boxes for the First and Second Doctor also stand out to me in this range.
Contrary to what has been posted in this thread so far, I didn't like Peri and the Piscon Paradox.
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