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Post by Shalott on Nov 12, 2015 12:29:59 GMT
The Main Range is definitely showing its age. Still enjoy it, but I'd like fewer trilogies and more Doctors in the mix.
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Post by TinDogPodcast on Nov 12, 2015 19:09:22 GMT
For the last 5 years I've enjoyed big finish Dr who much more than tv who...
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Post by seeley on Nov 13, 2015 0:53:46 GMT
I think the main range is declining because it's stale and mundane, anything exciting or new gets a boxset, anything run of the mill gets main ranged. That's not strictly true. The return of the Rani, for instance, was in the main range, as was the Locum Doctors trilogy. And then there's Ace and Mel next year. And we have the trilogy with Constance this year. The boxsets are probably down to more than merely novelty. The Fifth Doctor didn't get a boxset until the return of Adric,and that was down to scheduling. The Sixth Doctor only got one for his regeneration story. The Seventh Doctor only got one of his own, the other two being the Benny ones. The Eighth Doctor left the Main Range regularly back in 2007. Unless I'm missing something, that leaves us with the Classic Doctors/New Monsters boxset, and that would only work in the main range if the annual anthology release were knocked out.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2015 1:53:33 GMT
The Main Range is definitely showing its age. Still enjoy it, but I'd like fewer trilogies and more Doctors in the mix. I personally enjoy the current setup and hope it continues. The old model - mixing the Doctors up each month made sense at the time when new Who was that fleeting thing - but having The Doctors more organised and in mini-seasons to reflect the current TV series is a nice way to capture the revival series audience who came back to Who through the revival.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2015 2:47:04 GMT
I'd like to see a Fourth Doctor trilogy in the main range, for the annual three wildcard releases. I'm not overly thrilled with the tendency of some 4DA's to attempt to recreate Tom's era(s), something I feel falls all too easily prey to the nostalgia-trap (the idea that everything you loved when you were young was safe and predictable and chock full of recurring elements), but if writers are going to ape the televised stories, they might at least do so in the same span of time. I think the "It's Saturday Night teatime, in 1977, all over again!" goal-cum-tagline is grossly-misbegotten, trying as it is to do "trad" storytelling in a format untrue to the era. It's not as if you can extrapolate an entire series on the basis of the Sontaran Experiment. More Eighth Doctor would be welcome as well, especially with Fitz. A reappearance by Mary Shelly would also be welcome. It would be a shame if the trilogy she got was the last thing featuring her. The Silver Turk was a troubled story, albeit buoyed by Marc Platt's typical brilliance, and the strength of the actors; Witch from the Well was insipid, stupid, historically inaccurate in the extreme (which wouldn't have bothered me had the result not been so cartoonish,) with an uncharacteristically irritable (and irritating) Eighth Doctor (who rebukes the villagers for delaying human evolution, when it was the alien villains that did so!); and I haven't had the heart to listen to Army of the Dead (who knows, perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised,) which has gotten poor reviews. Which reminds me: I know this won't happen, but I'd love to see the Fourth Doctor travelling with the Mary Shelly Reprise from Managra (a criminally forgotten story.) Europa is an absolutely brilliant setting, so if nothing else, a return to it is long overdue. Come to think of it, both Witch from The Well and the Silver Turk have some rather poorly thought-out plot and character logic. The climax of the Silver Turk is rather gutted by the fact that it relies on the assumption that Cybermen are native to the nineteenth century, when the Doctor has already called the two in the story "out of time" (or something to that effect;) Brehm is malfunctioning and misinformed; and Spare Parts (which Platt also wrote) has Mondas heading towards Earth's solar system at the end, which means that even if the Cyberman did exist in the 1873 (in which case, Brehm's ship got there considerably faster than Mondas did,) Brehm's transmission wouldn't have made a difference.
Mitzi marrying Stahlbaum felt wrong. Yes, they were old flames, but you'd think his getting her husband into the mess that killed him might strain their relationship.
As for Witch in the Well: In addition to the aforementioned bit about the deaths of the Squire's children, there's Agnes Bates. She's meant to be a sympathetic, wronged character, but the revelation of her affair with the Squire, whose wife was dying at the time, rather goes against that portrayal. Since the villagers didn't accuse her of adultery out of prejudice, it makes their shunning of her considerably more understandable. Don't get me wrong, she's likable, but not quite the innocent victim that she's made out to be (obviously, what the villagers try to do to her is still obscene.)
Personally, I'd rather Four didn't take over the wildcard releases. Tom already has eight releases a year as opposed to the other original Doctors and it wouldn't feel fair to the other Doctors if he was incoperated into the monthly range as well. As for length, well, bringing Four to Big Finish was always going to be a different proposition to other Doctors and the pull he would have for new customers. For many customers, three releases a year would be too little (particularly in light of the Nest Cottage adventures) and given that it was finacially unviable for Big Finish do a traditional length season, it makes sense to do a series of eight hour long releases each year to replicate that childhood experience and the current TV series and showcase other Big Finish releases in the process, as well as a portion of an audience wanting to recapture their childhood during the working week and don't feel they have a time for a two hour release. As for the stories being traditional....it makes sense with the character of Four and his era to go traditional, but we have had releases which have broken away his usual fare in The Wrath of The Iceni, White Ghosts and The Abandoned.
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Post by seeley on Nov 13, 2015 3:39:47 GMT
Personally, I'd rather Four didn't take over the wildcard releases. Oh, I don't mean him taking over them. But the occasional appearance of the 4th Doctor in that slot wouldn't do any harm. As for length, well, bringing Four to Big Finish was always going to be a different proposition to other Doctors and the pull he would have for new customers. For many customers, three releases a year would be too little (particularly in light of the Nest Cottage adventures) and given that it was finacially unviable for Big Finish do a traditional length season, it makes sense to do a series of eight hour long releases each year to replicate that childhood experience and the current TV series and showcase other Big Finish releases in the process, as well as a portion of an audience wanting to recapture their childhood during the working week and don't feel they have a time for a two hour release. I agree, I just wish there were more stories like the Renaissance Man or the Aunty Matter, tales that don't try to be compressed 4-parters. Now, I've only heard one post-First Season story, so it's possible that my complaints have been addressed, but the reviews I've read haven't exactly filled me with confidence on that count. The Fourth Doctor range, by all rights, should be the biggest thing Big Finish is doing. As it is, I get the impression that it's a sort of little sibling to the other ranges. As for the stories being traditional....it makes sense with the character of Four and his era to go traditional, The thing is, his era wasn't traditional. It really pushed the envelope as far as Who was concerned. A traditional Forth Doctor story should still be exploring new avenues. And as I said before, emulating the era's feel is feasible when you're telling stories of the same general length. When you've got stories of half that length, the dramatic structure is going to be different, and not necessarily conducive to the same ethos. Try telling Pyramids of Mars or the Brain of Morbius in one hour. You might be able to keep the basic plot, but they'd be changed a good deal. The level of tension, suspense, and detail would all be lessened. Compare Horror of Fang Rock to Tooth and Claw. They're both effective horror stories, with similar setups, but they're totally different beasts. but we have had releases which have broken away his usual fare in The Wrath of The Iceni, White Ghosts and The Abandoned. True, it's just that there seems (a word that I stress to no small degree, as I am no means the most qualified of critics) to be no balance. Either the stories break the mould, or they go to great lengths to fit it. It's the same problem that reputedly plagued the Eight Doctor books under Steve Cole, not an era that's rosily remembered.
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Post by Shalott on Nov 13, 2015 15:38:39 GMT
The Main Range is definitely showing its age. Still enjoy it, but I'd like fewer trilogies and more Doctors in the mix. I personally enjoy the current setup and hope it continues. The old model - mixing the Doctors up each month made sense at the time when new Who was that fleeting thing - but having The Doctors more organised and in mini-seasons to reflect the current TV series is a nice way to capture the revival series audience who came back to Who through the revival. I also like having mini-seasons, but I personally am so over the trilogy motif in audios, movies and books. Given that the monthly range is devoted to three Doctors, why not make each "season" 4 stories? A 4 release subscription option could be available for people who are just interested in certain Doctors. And now that BF can use new series elements as well, there's the potential for the yearly wildcard release to be something really special which might drum up more interest in the monthly range. Perhaps Five and Ten could meet up again. #inmydreams
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Post by randomjc on Nov 13, 2015 15:53:24 GMT
I personally enjoy the current setup and hope it continues. The old model - mixing the Doctors up each month made sense at the time when new Who was that fleeting thing - but having The Doctors more organised and in mini-seasons to reflect the current TV series is a nice way to capture the revival series audience who came back to Who through the revival. I also like having mini-seasons, but I personally am so over the trilogy motif in audios, movies and books. Given that the monthly range is devoted to three Doctors, why not make each "season" 4 stories? A 4 release subscription option could be available for people who are just interested in certain Doctors. And now that BF can use new series elements as well, there's the potential for the yearly wildcard release to be something really special which might drum up more interest in the monthly range. Perhaps Five and Ten could meet up again. #inmydreams I know Multi-Doctor Stories are supposed to be rare and special, but with access to these doctors, and that Tennant and Hurt are at least willing to do this, I'd love to see a few Multi-Doctor Stories. Maybe not a "All 13 meeting" type story, but a few stories were 10 meets 7, or War meets 5.
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Post by Shalott on Nov 13, 2015 16:18:46 GMT
There are a lot of ways to tell Multi-Doctor stories without having them meet face to face.
Speaking of which ... <begin rant> If you're going to have a Doctor make a cameo appearance in a highly hyped release, for the love of Gallifrey, DO NOT put it in the trailer! <end rant>
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Post by randomjc on Nov 13, 2015 16:51:41 GMT
Is that a rant at Doom Coalition?
And I think the next Multi-Doctor should be more like a collection of stories of 2 or 3 doctors meeting. Not necessarily linked together, but a box set of new Who and classic Who doctors meetings.
Or a CC with Jamie and Donna doing the reading.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2015 21:31:18 GMT
There are a lot of ways to tell Multi-Doctor stories without having them meet face to face. Speaking of which ... <begin rant> If you're going to have a Doctor make a cameo appearance in a highly hyped release, for the love of Gallifrey, DO NOT put it in the trailer! <end rant> Eh, I didn't mind it all that much. It was a nice draw for new listeners who came in with the River Song news or Night of The Doctor to the monthly range, as well as being a nice fan pleasing moment in general and reminder of how Eight's resolve will be tested.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2015 22:02:11 GMT
I personally enjoy the current setup and hope it continues. The old model - mixing the Doctors up each month made sense at the time when new Who was that fleeting thing - but having The Doctors more organised and in mini-seasons to reflect the current TV series is a nice way to capture the revival series audience who came back to Who through the revival. I also like having mini-seasons, but I personally am so over the trilogy motif in audios, movies and books. Given that the monthly range is devoted to three Doctors, why not make each "season" 4 stories? A 4 release subscription option could be available for people who are just interested in certain Doctors. Big Finish have stated that a Doctor specific subscription just isn't viable for a small bussiness like Big Finish who very much rely on their current subscription model. Oh, I'd say that it's very much an inevitability
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Post by omega on Nov 13, 2015 22:41:12 GMT
Perhaps Five and Ten could meet up again. #inmydreams Georgia can be part of the guest cast, the Doctor's daughter and wife!
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Post by yiffniff on Nov 14, 2015 12:41:05 GMT
I really enjoy all of 8's stories, but I just listened to his Mary Shelley trilogy in the main range and I found the pacing was lovely. His box sets are great, but they do move at a breakneck speed. It was nice to downshift a bit with him.
From a big picture perspective, BF is having the same problem as the tv series: Why does every companion have to be a young female 20something? Evelyn Smythe is, I think, one of the best companions ever created, because she was fantastic, but also because she was different. This is why, for me, 7 on his own works really well. Also, 5 and Turlough have a nice dynamic. I want BF to mix it up a little.
So, to that end, maybe an original companion for 5? More 5 and Turlough as a duo? The Kingmaker is one of my absolute favorites so maybe more pure historicals?
Also, let's have some 5 and 10 adventures because DT would love that, I think, and also - Why not?
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Post by jasonward on Nov 14, 2015 12:48:43 GMT
From a big picture perspective, BF is having the same problem as the tv series: Why does every companion have to be a young female 20something? In the 80's and 70's I'd have said so that the TV can appeal to the dads, which seems a poor excuse today. Today I would say because the TV needs to appeal to the young female viewer, wether in 30 to 40 years time that will look like a poor excuse I don't know, but I would say for the TV it's today's reality. Quite why BF keep doing it I don't know, I personally have no objection to young female companions, but I'm more than happy with the male and older female companions and see no reason why we couldn't have more.
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dorney
Big Finish Creative Team
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Post by dorney on Nov 14, 2015 13:42:44 GMT
I'm not going to be so ungallant as to mention their ages, but neither Nicola Walker, nor Miranda Raison, nor Hattie Morahan nor Francesca Hunt are 20 something.
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Post by jasonward on Nov 14, 2015 14:46:10 GMT
I guess, for my part at least, voices (without other context) seem to fall into the following categories/age groups: - children's
- young adults/teen
- 20 to 30
- 60-70 or older
So without actually paying real attention and checking my facts, chances are most voices I hear on BF are going to sound to me as 20 something. Hardly BF's fault.
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
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Post by ljwilson on Nov 14, 2015 15:51:48 GMT
I'm with Tin Dog on this one, I prefer BF Doctor Who to the TV series.
In general I prefer radio over TV so there you go.
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Post by anothermanicmondas on Nov 14, 2015 16:47:31 GMT
The sheer number of MR releases I am yet to listen to combined with the odd sequence I've been listening them to in makes it impossible for me to judge whether there has been a decline or not. I had a look at the ratings in the **** ****** and the scores for the early releases vary wildly over the 5-9 range more recent releases almost all fall in the 7-8 range (or just outside).
This suggests a loss of the best of the best combined with almost total extermination of the worst releases. I suspect the latter is because BF now try out new writers on single-episode stories which get averaged out by the other stories rather than giving the new writer a whole release (and not inviting the writer back if it wasn't good enough or they were difficult to work with).
This suggests the series is, on average, better but rarely rivalling the best stories from the past. (of course this analysis is based on the assumption that **** ****** ratings provide a meaningful judgement of the standards of a story).
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mbt66
Chancellery Guard
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Post by mbt66 on Dec 23, 2015 16:15:11 GMT
I think that one way to raise the profile of the MONTHLY range would be to make it the WEEKLY range!
Rather than releasing all of the stories in one go on download they should release the episodes individually on (say) every Friday. There are 13 releases each year containing 4 episodes, so that is 52 episodes.
The physical release could stay the same or they could package them into mini-series box sets sent quarterly, thereby reducing postage and perhaps freeing up space within the booklets for other things than advertising the next release.
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