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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2017 8:00:31 GMT
It's a question that's been swimming about in the back of my mind for quite some time... Do you go into a classic Doctor Who story expecting something that feels as though it could have come from that incarnation's respective era (i.e. a sixties-style adventure story for the Second Doctor) or something that relies more upon tropes and storytelling conceits of the modern day? Are there certain incarnations where this rule of thumb suddenly becomes an exception? If the former, is it a need to relive the nostalgia of the television stories or another medium of the era like the comic-based Doctor Who and the Dogs of Doom?
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Post by ryan on Apr 9, 2017 8:12:39 GMT
Personally, I think the most successful stories are the ones that capture the essence of the era but present it in a modern way.
I think The Chimes of Midnight had some really strong Hinchcliffe and Williams influences at its heart (the eerie atmosphere; the gothic storyline; the surreal comic touches; etc). But it had some strong characterisation and some real emotional depth - especially in the second half - which I think is generally a more modern development in Doctor Who.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2017 8:34:20 GMT
It's a good question and one that's definitely occurred to me before. I think it's ultimately down to personal preference whether something gels with you. But I do think the era the stories are representing have to be reflected.
On a similar note, sometimes when I listen, I imagine the adventures with modern filming techniques and massive budgets but sometimes I'll picture them as studio-based / outside VT productions from that Doctor's era.
I suppose the beauty of Who is it's so open to interpretation! And as long as you make it well and the story is engaging, there isn't much that's off the table. Bit of a rambly answer, but your topic got me thinking a lot :-)
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Post by Bazoolium on Apr 9, 2017 13:39:25 GMT
I think I like Big Finish so much because it makes the classic series better. They have improved many companions (not to mention Doctors) and tell stories that may not have worked on TV.
I don't come to these audios wanting an exact recreation.
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Post by charlesuirdhein on Apr 9, 2017 13:45:40 GMT
You tell the best story you can, everything else is extraneous.
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Post by sherlock on Apr 9, 2017 14:56:08 GMT
I go into hoping for a good story. Whatever style that be. If they doing a good story imitating the era, great. If it's a more modern good story, that's fine too
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Post by barnabaslives on Apr 9, 2017 19:38:38 GMT
I think I usually trust that Big Finish will give sufficient respect to a TV era and make what they're doing harmonious enough with the whole, and that almost always works out so well that I probably haven't really thought very much about how much I expect or require that. The only modernistic things I can specifically think of that turn to be awkward is the use of language or influences or pop culture references that simply weren't present "back in the day" which for me is sometimes slightly jarring. If more character focus or development is modernistic, that's always been a strength and most likely a success for Big Finish, as have sometimes having more serious or more complex antagonists or situations. For all I really know, applying a few more modern sensibilities is how Big Finish have often improved the storytelling over that of the OS - mostly they just make it look like magic to me how they've made the 6th and 7th Doctors particularly to be more enjoyable on audio. (Also, thankfully on audio there may even be a few period tropes that can hopefully be left behind, such as The Obligatory Ventilation Shaft). :-)
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2017 23:22:53 GMT
Eh, there's no point in telling stories which aren't typical, but you can do new things with staples of the era (such as the wonderfull The Integral and Second Chances).
There also audience's expectations. People expect more charcisation nowdays and it's a reflection of audience's tastes, as much as anything, particularly with the long shadow of the revival. |
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Post by constonks on Apr 9, 2017 23:27:29 GMT
I usually prefer moving forward to looking back - a step too far is often more interesting than something that is too unoriginal to shine on its own, even if they're the same quality. But admittedly, there are some stories that fit beautifully into their era AND sparkle in a new interesting way. The Witch Hunters is a good example - it's a pure historical, but it's harsher and more truthful than the 60s would have allowed.
But to me Big Finish does its best when it creates its own eras - for instance, they haven't done very many Sixth Doctor stories that match his television stories, nor does it ever seem like they're trying to. A large chunk of the strongest Big Finish First Doctor stories IMO have been with Sara Kingdom or Oliver or the older Steven...
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Post by Zagreus on Apr 9, 2017 23:47:05 GMT
I think some of the Early Adventures and Companion Chronicles feel very much "of" their purported era, while simultaneously being things that never have made it on to air or even been possible. The Rocket Men, The Oliver Trilogy, The Black Hole, An Ordinary Life, the Scorchies, the list goes on. They've both very faithful to the styles and format of the era while covering topics and themes that would never have been touched, or doing stories whose scope and effects would have been well beyond the BBC at the time. That's more or less what I look for up through the 5th Doctor or so.
With the 6th, 7th, and 8th Doctors, whose eras are more open ended, I'm less expecting of follwoing the era and have rather come to expect a certain amount of experimentation and fresh twists on things.
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Post by charlesuirdhein on Apr 10, 2017 0:21:45 GMT
And with the Fourth Doctor? Well, you could have anything! His seven year tenure spanned a variety of possibilities.
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Post by number13 on Apr 10, 2017 9:07:32 GMT
I think I usually trust that Big Finish will give sufficient respect to a TV era and make what they're doing harmonious enough with the whole, and that almost always works out so well that I probably haven't really thought very much about how much I expect or require that. The only modernistic things I can specifically think of that turn to be awkward is the use of language or influences or pop culture references that simply weren't present "back in the day" which for me is sometimes slightly jarring. If more character focus or development is modernistic, that's always been a strength and most likely a success for Big Finish, as have sometimes having more serious or more complex antagonists or situations. For all I really know, applying a few more modern sensibilities is how Big Finish have often improved the storytelling over that of the OS - mostly they just make it look like magic to me how they've made the 6th and 7th Doctors particularly to be more enjoyable on audio. (Also, thankfully on audio there may even be a few period tropes that can hopefully be left behind, such as The Obligatory Ventilation Shaft). :-) Agree, BF have done wonders for Doctors and companions I wasn't so keen on during their TV eras. However, I'm a pushover for a nostalgic Ventilation-Shaft-Escape, Companion-Twisted-Ankle, Monster-Reveal-Scream or Seemingly-Inevitable-Companion-Death-Cliffhanger-With-Closeup (even the closeup works on audio when we've seen X hundred before!)  |
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Post by fingersmash on Apr 10, 2017 20:38:11 GMT
I think it doesn't matter. A good story is a good story and that should be the Big Finish MO. If someone wants to write a Hinchcliffe Gothic Horror for the Seventh Doctor, then by all means go ahead, just make sure it's a good story.
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Post by Bazoolium on Apr 11, 2017 7:03:02 GMT
I think it doesn't matter. A good story is a good story and that should be the Big Finish MO. If someone wants to write a Hinchcliffe Gothic Horror for the Seventh Doctor, then by all means go ahead, just make sure it's a good story.[/quotpe] I kinda (kind of... Not we)think that they should try to explicitly go against the etablished feel of a era sometimes. Give the 1st Doctor a deep character piece, stick the 4th Doctor in a suburban setting.... Etc. |
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Post by TinDogPodcast on Apr 11, 2017 9:08:59 GMT
A bit of both is nice...
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Post by MayoTango131 on Apr 11, 2017 17:46:52 GMT
I prefer experimentation (Modernity), a good story with a style that many fanboys would never imagine that could happen on TV to play with their expectations: A historical drama with the Seventh Doctor and Mel in the caricatured season 24, The Fires of Vulcan, or an exotic romance with the Fifth Doctor whose era lacked of emotion, Loups-Garoux, or a musical that combines comedy and drama with the Sixth Doctor, Doctor Who & the Pirates, or show what the Eighth Doctor might have been beyond the movie, any audio with Charley and Luccie.
Perhaps that's why the Fourth Doctor audio adventures (and also the three of Tennant) are forgettable or just good, because they are so very similar to the television stories ones. There is nothing risky, nothing new or something unexpected.
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Post by Bazoolium on Apr 11, 2017 19:51:13 GMT
Perhaps that's why the Fourth Doctor audio adventures (and also the three of Tennant) are forgettable or just good, because they are so very similar to the television stories ones. There is nothing risky, nothing new or something unexpected. I would agree with you on the Fourth Doctor Stuff, although I have enjoyed a lot of it. However with the Tennant stuff, I was just happy to hear him back, hopefully there's time for more experimental stuff later. Also, Donna isn't a companion I think needs 'fixing' like some others. |
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