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Post by masterdoctor on Mar 17, 2022 7:10:07 GMT
Hi everyone! A long-time lurker here from Brisbane, Australia. My child was born in 2020, just as the pandemic began. To stay sane, or at least focus my descent into madness, I decided to go all-in on Big Finish. Just ridiculously, self-awarely, insanely all-in. At a time when films were off-limits, and books required brainspace a dazed new parent simply does not have, audio drama was the perfect platform: one I could privately enjoy in my sleep-deprived state while holding a newborn. Two years and thousands of hours/dollars later, my deep dive has not stopped. I've come to love the Divergent Universe so much during this time. I adore the friendly atmosphere, visit it daily as a news digest, and feel I know and respect so many individual posters here (which makes it all the more silly that I've kept it one-way for so long). Favourite BF releases include the Stranded series, Jonathan Barnes' run on Sherlock Holmes, Jonathan Morris' Fourth Doctor story Chase the Night, vast swarths of the Torchwood monthly range (especially Fall to Earth), and more or less anything John Dorney and Simon Guerrier put to paper. In my spare time I'm an avid writer/filmmaker and part of a sketch comedy duo. I'm currently editing a movie-length webseries; a huge labour of love years in the making. I submitted my first Paul Spragg Memorial story last year — a great feeling just to enter — and look forward to making an annual tradition of it. I also quite enjoy the British television program "Doctor Who". Any fans here? Welcome aboard. Fellow filmmaker here, so I've bookmarked Cheeky Moon to check out sometime soon! |
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Post by mark687 on Mar 17, 2022 9:27:57 GMT
Hi everyone! A long-time lurker here from Brisbane, Australia. My child was born in 2020, just as the pandemic began. To stay sane, or at least focus my descent into madness, I decided to go all-in on Big Finish. Just ridiculously, self-awarely, insanely all-in. At a time when films were off-limits, and books required brainspace a dazed new parent simply does not have, audio drama was the perfect platform: one I could privately enjoy in my sleep-deprived state while holding a newborn. Two years and thousands of hours/dollars later, my deep dive has not stopped. I've come to love the Divergent Universe so much during this time. I adore the friendly atmosphere, visit it daily as a news digest, and feel I know and respect so many individual posters here (which makes it all the more silly that I've kept it one-way for so long). Favourite BF releases include the Stranded series, Jonathan Barnes' run on Sherlock Holmes, Jonathan Morris' Fourth Doctor story Chase the Night, vast swarths of the Torchwood monthly range (especially Fall to Earth), and more or less anything John Dorney and Simon Guerrier put to paper. In my spare time I'm an avid writer/filmmaker and part of a sketch comedy duo. I'm currently editing a movie-length webseries; a huge labour of love years in the making. I submitted my first Paul Spragg Memorial story last year — a great feeling just to enter — and look forward to making an annual tradition of it. I also quite enjoy the British television program "Doctor Who". Any fans here? Welcome Aboard. Regards mark687 |
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Post by tuigirl on Mar 17, 2022 17:48:54 GMT
Hi everyone! A long-time lurker here from Brisbane, Australia. My child was born in 2020, just as the pandemic began. To stay sane, or at least focus my descent into madness, I decided to go all-in on Big Finish. Just ridiculously, self-awarely, insanely all-in. At a time when films were off-limits, and books required brainspace a dazed new parent simply does not have, audio drama was the perfect platform: one I could privately enjoy in my sleep-deprived state while holding a newborn. Two years and thousands of hours/dollars later, my deep dive has not stopped. I've come to love the Divergent Universe so much during this time. I adore the friendly atmosphere, visit it daily as a news digest, and feel I know and respect so many individual posters here (which makes it all the more silly that I've kept it one-way for so long). Favourite BF releases include the Stranded series, Jonathan Barnes' run on Sherlock Holmes, Jonathan Morris' Fourth Doctor story Chase the Night, vast swarths of the Torchwood monthly range (especially Fall to Earth), and more or less anything John Dorney and Simon Guerrier put to paper. In my spare time I'm an avid writer/filmmaker and part of a sketch comedy duo. I'm currently editing a movie-length webseries; a huge labour of love years in the making. I submitted my first Paul Spragg Memorial story last year — a great feeling just to enter — and look forward to making an annual tradition of it. I also quite enjoy the British television program "Doctor Who". Any fans here? Hi there! Warm greetings from Germany!
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Post by constonks on Mar 17, 2022 20:55:59 GMT
In my spare time I'm an avid writer/filmmaker and part of a sketch comedy duo. I'm currently editing a movie-length webseries; a huge labour of love years in the making. I submitted my first Paul Spragg Memorial story last year — a great feeling just to enter — and look forward to making an annual tradition of it. It's a Cult looks fun, the world needs more puppet characters. Welcome to the forum! And to answer your other question... ...never heard of it. |
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Post by tuigirl on Mar 18, 2022 8:46:12 GMT
I think he refers to that cheap looking program with the guy with the crazy eyes. I also think he wears a scarf. |
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Post by The Brigadier on May 18, 2023 13:48:39 GMT
This may not work and at best I may end up guilty of resurrecting an old thread. There is the possibility that people might be content to view the forum from a distance. There is also the possibility that some those who signed up may have decided it simply wasn’t for them and are long gone. But considering yesterday afternoon during the Torchwood announcement there was at least seventy-five guests on the website, and at one point yesterday evening over fourteen hundred guests had been on the site within a twenty-four-hour period...I think it is worth the chance. And yes, there are a couple of names on this list who post fairly regularly...but it would be rude to exclude them! So... A belated “Hello!” and “Welcome to the Divergent Universe Forum” to... bethhigdon , Bongo50 , stephanie , timewardoctor , beyondbannerman , salyavin , theoutcast , tomjonesdoctor , ivinsp , nardole , george4071 , seeklocatedestroy , glyng , eighthdoctor182 , miles601 , timeywhat , ellingtonelms , solarstorm , toomanycds , mcgannagain , gently , forget2020 , sensorite , timewho , jrmedia , jnr5 , sidestep , barnaguitar , avarna , memeryfactory , delightedcrab , roytheaccuser2000 , dionuswrites , uns , jek , 20fridge , whytefrank , dehewes , l , hunter , leo , nonotthememes , iantoharkness , tyler steele , twiceblessedman , montgomerytaradidle , isotopes , thewatcher , clockworksquirrel , obversebooks , bookworm637 , martinw8686 , dominicjgm , peteradamson You’ll find a mix of ages on here, and all things considered we are not a bad bunch. Sure, we have our moments now and again but guess what? We’re human and we’re fallible. C’est la vie. What we all share though is a deep-rooted fascination / affection for the Big Finish audio dramas of an alien who has travelled the stars in a blue box that’s bigger on the inside for the last sixty years. Be it the one who landed in a junkyard all those years ago, the "Clown", the "Dandy", the one with the teeth and curls, the one with a fascination for Cricket, the one with a questionable taste in coats, the one with the spoons, the Lord Byron tribute act, the one who went to war, the one with the northern accent, the one with the teeth and charm, the one with the chin or the grey haired one with the attitude. Not to mention the one who hasn't made it to audio (at least not yet...): the one who found not only a ‘fam’ but a history she (and we) never knew. Or maybe it is the two we have yet to meet at all: the one with the face of the one with the teeth and charm, or the one in the company of a girl called Ruby and a fascination with both the TARDIS wardrobe and Cosplay. You might have come here via the TV show, the books, the magazines, the games, the merchandise, streaming services such as Britbox, search engines, other forums, the old Peter Cushing feature films or something as simple as a love of an audio book or drama. Doesn’t matter how, you’ll find like-minded people on here. More importantly, you’ll be welcomed. And if you’ve been viewing the forum from a distance, you’ll have seen conversations are not limited to the audios of Big Finish (although they are the main focus of conversations). They can occasionally dip into other audio productions, other TV shows and movies, books, music, current affairs and even the odd conversation or two about events in a galaxy far, far away... So, to you who might be reading this and to any of the guests who have yet to sign up to a forum account...dip your toes into the water. Sign up, sign in and say hello. You might find that you don’t want to go... |
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Post by elkawho on May 19, 2023 4:00:16 GMT
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Post by The Brigadier on May 21, 2023 20:28:54 GMT
As the title says...welcome to the Divergent Universe (Forum) char543 👋 Feel free to drop back in with either a "hello!" or a first post. Or neither. Or better yet...both! Choice is entirely yours. 😊 |
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Post by eightelements on May 30, 2023 0:16:55 GMT
I'm back after a very long break from Big Finish (which has been useful) and mostly lurking. The price rise thing was exhausting to go through.
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Post by Kestrel on May 30, 2023 2:14:06 GMT
I'm back after a very long break from Big Finish (which has been useful) and mostly lurking. The price rise thing was exhausting to go through. How long have you been away? 'Cause for my part, there are some releases I'm just itching to recommend. |
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Post by Ela on May 30, 2023 3:57:03 GMT
I'm back after a very long break from Big Finish (which has been useful) and mostly lurking. The price rise thing was exhausting to go through. Glad to see you're back! |
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Post by eightelements on May 30, 2023 5:39:54 GMT
I'm back after a very long break from Big Finish (which has been useful) and mostly lurking. The price rise thing was exhausting to go through. How long have you been away? 'Cause for my part, there are some releases I'm just itching to recommend. Um, that's a messy question, and maybe "long break" is the wrong term. Apparently, this year I've listened to Friend of the Family, Warbringer, Solo - Blood of the Time Lords and The Lost Resort and Other Stories. I tried Blood and Steel but listening to David's gruffer voice was...difficult. I will try it again sometime after tuigirl's rave reviews.  Next up it's a decision around whether to listen to Ravencliff Witch now or wait until Series 12 is fully out. Also on the top of the queue is Robots and UNIT: Nemesis. But, hit me, anyway. |
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Post by Kestrel on May 30, 2023 5:58:16 GMT
How long have you been away? 'Cause for my part, there are some releases I'm just itching to recommend. Um, that's a messy question, and maybe "long break" is the wrong term. Apparently, this year I've listened to Friend of the Family, Warbringer, Solo - Blood of the Time Lords and The Lost Resort and Other Stories. I tried Blood and Steel but listening to David's gruffer voice was...difficult. I will try it again sometime after tuigirl's rave reviews. Next up it's a decision around whether to listen to Ravencliff Witch now or wait until Series 12 is fully out. Also on the top of the queue is Robots and UNIT: Nemesis. But, hit me, anyway. Hahaha... Friend of the Family would definitely be one of my first recommendations! But I'd also very highly recommend the Peladon and Susan's War boxsets, alongside all of the new 10DAs -- The 10th Doctor and River Song may only be a good story, but the chemistry between Kingston and Tennant is pretty great, and it represents and ENORMOUS improvement over the earlier 10DAs; and the following Dalek Universe trilogy is absolutely fantastic. Just as good IMO as the very best of Tennant's TV stories. I'd also be remiss if I failed to mention the Stranded series, but it's definitely much more of a YMMV thing -- it's pretty experimental and, if I'm being honest, doesn't quite stick the landing, but parts of it, at least, represent some of the very finest 8th Doctor stuff to date. Definitely worth considering, I think. Oh! And War Master: Killing Time, I think. I'm trying to limit myself to "new-ish" releases, so like... 2021/2022-ish, but I'm also not looking anything up. This one might be a bit older, I'm not sure. But goddamn, it is fantastic. Derek Jacobi at his most delightfully cruel, with what is (IME) Katy Manning's most powerful performance to date. As for NABS... oof. I'm right there with you -- I'm sure I'll love Blood and Steel when I get to it, but I just... I can't bring myself to listen to it. Not yet. Though I did recently listen to The Angel of History, which is pretty fantastic, so definitely check that out on the off-chance you haven't listened to it yet. |
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Post by The Brigadier on May 30, 2023 6:10:40 GMT
I'm back after a very long break from Big Finish (which has been useful) and mostly lurking. The price rise thing was exhausting to go through. Welcome back! 😊 |
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Post by eightelements on May 30, 2023 6:19:38 GMT
Hahaha... Friend of the Family would definitely be one of my first recommendations! But I'd also very highly recommend the Peladon and Susan's War boxsets, alongside all of the new 10DAs -- The 10th Doctor and River Song may only be a good story, but the chemistry between Kingston and Tennant is pretty great, and it represents and ENORMOUS improvement over the earlier 10DAs; and the following Dalek Universe trilogy is absolutely fantastic. Just as good IMO as the very best of Tennant's TV stories. I'd also be remiss if I failed to mention the Stranded series, but it's definitely much more of a YMMV thing -- it's pretty experimental and, if I'm being honest, doesn't quite stick the landing, but parts of it, at least, represent some of the very finest 8th Doctor stuff to date. Definitely worth considering, I think. Oh! And War Master: Killing Time, I think. I'm trying to limit myself to "new-ish" releases, so like... 2021/2022-ish, but I'm also not looking anything up. This one might be a bit older, I'm not sure. But goddamn, it is fantastic. Derek Jacobi at his most delightfully cruel, with what is (IME) Katy Manning's most powerful performance to date. As for NABS... oof. I'm right there with you -- I'm sure I'll love Blood and Steel when I get to it, but I just... I can't bring myself to listen to it. Not yet. Though I did recently listen to The Angel of History, which is pretty fantastic, so definitely check that out on the off-chance you haven't listened to it yet. Lurking on this forum, none of those are surprises. Peladon was definitely excellent. War Master I am caught up on. He can be delightfully brutal. The only incarnation of the Master where you can be sure you'll survive the next 24 hours - and that's not a good thing. I avoided Stranded due to the YMMV thing. And then the final episode controversy happened. Also, I am also tired of Liv after ~20 box sets with her. Possibly if it had come earlier. Except ... Susan's War? Reviews on this forum seemed...on the high side of mixed. It was difficult to get a sense of what everyone thought of it. |
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Post by mark687 on May 30, 2023 9:49:33 GMT
How long have you been away? 'Cause for my part, there are some releases I'm just itching to recommend. Um, that's a messy question, and maybe "long break" is the wrong term. Apparently, this year I've listened to Friend of the Family, Warbringer, Solo - Blood of the Time Lords and The Lost Resort and Other Stories. I tried Blood and Steel but listening to David's gruffer voice was...difficult. I will try it again sometime after tuigirl's rave reviews. Next up it's a decision around whether to listen to Ravencliff Witch now or wait until Series 12 is fully out. Also on the top of the queue is Robots and UNIT: Nemesis. But, hit me, anyway. I think Robots would be the kind of story your looking for (even though its obviously Liv centric in places) The 4DA Margaret Arc has been really strong so far so if you want to catch up with it before the next one. its also worth the time. Regards mark687 |
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Post by Kestrel on May 30, 2023 16:12:33 GMT
Lurking on this forum, none of those are surprises. Peladon was definitely excellent. War Master I am caught up on. He can be delightfully brutal. The only incarnation of the Master where you can be sure you'll survive the next 24 hours - and that's not a good thing. I avoided Stranded due to the YMMV thing. And then the final episode controversy happened. Also, I am also tired of Liv after ~20 box sets with her. Possibly if it had come earlier. Except ... Susan's War? Reviews on this forum seemed...on the high side of mixed. It was difficult to get a sense of what everyone thought of it. didn't fully click with me until the 2nd boxset, and I can definitely understand your reticence -- these price hikes make every purchase that much harder to justify. But I can say, at least, that pretty much no one is ambivalent about Stranded -- folks either love it to death or hate it. Which, I think, commends it more than the middling fare that barely manages to elicit strong opinions on either end of the spectrum. RE: Susan's War, I'll freely admit I may be a bit biased there. I am still rather sore at how poorly Carol Ann Ford was used in the TV show (she was soooo good in the pilot, and then had nothing interesting to do for the rest of her time on the show). And Susan's War really puts her front and center, doing a damned fine job showing off just how much the actress -- and the character -- are capable of. In terms of stories that might not be as aware of,the one that comes to mind first and foremost (and I am assuming from what you've already said that you're well aware of the recent Benny stuff, which I why I'm not mentioning any of that) is Her Own Bootstraps. Definitely one of the very best Short Trips IMO. |
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Post by Ela on May 30, 2023 18:19:38 GMT
I love Robots. The ending of Stranded didn't thrill me, I thought the whole premise was a bit convoluted.
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Post by eightelements on May 31, 2023 1:04:17 GMT
RE: Susan's War, I'll freely admit I may be a bit biased there. I am still rather sore at how poorly Carol Ann Ford was used in the TV show (she was soooo good in the pilot, and then had nothing interesting to do for the rest of her time on the show). And Susan's War really puts her front and center, doing a damned fine job showing off just how much the actress -- and the character -- are capable of. In terms of stories that might not be as aware of, the one that comes to mind first and foremost (and I am assuming from what you've already said that you're well aware of the recent Benny stuff, which I why I'm not mentioning any of that) is Her Own Bootstraps. Definitely one of the very best Short Trips IMO. Unfortunately, that's the difficulty. How good is Susan's War on its own merits? I'll definitely put it on my wishlist and wait for a sale. I did buy a lot of Short Trips in the sale that happened in October (apparently), including that one! |
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