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Post by Kestrel on Aug 17, 2020 9:04:45 GMT
ForewordWelcome to our Community Recommendations Index! The purpose of this thread is to gather and organize all of our very favorite stories in one place, so that we might better share the tales we love most. If you're looking for something fantastic to listen to, this is the place to look! Conversely, if you've been blown-over, flabbergasted, flummoxed or otherwise impressed by a positively stunning story and want to encourage everyone else to give it a try, post about it here! I promise to do my best to keep the Index in this first post updated with all of the most-recent recommendations. And don't forget to check out the big Discussion Index when you're done listening so you can share your thoughts in detail! NotesI've tried to keep the organization of this Recommendation list consistent with that of the Discussion Index. If you have any issues with how I've arranged things, please comment in the Discussion Index thread (linked above). This list isn't too long currently, but will likely expand quickly. If you would like to more quickly find a specific category, use the CTRL+F function on your web browser to search for keywords ( EG "6th Doctor"). Please note that in this list I am only including specific recommendations posted in this thread. Big Finish' Doctor Who Community RecommendationsLast updated 3. January 2021 Doctor Who: Monthly Range- MR 002: Phantasmagoria
- MR 003: Whispers of Terror
- MR 006: The Marian Conspiracy
- MR 009: The Specter of Lanyon Moor
- MR 011: The Apocalypse Element
- MR 012: The Fires of Vulcan
- MR 020: Loups-Garoux
- MR 022: Bloodtide
- MR 023: Project Twilight
- MR 024: Eye of the Scorpion
- MR 037: The Sandman
- MR 038: The Church and the Crown
- MR 040: Jubilee
- MR 043: Doctor Who and the Pirates
- MR 044: Creatures of Beauty
- MR 045: Project Lazarus
- MR 046: Flip-Flop
- MR 047: Omega
- MR 054: The Natural History of Fear
- MR 057: Arrangements for War
- MR 058: The Harvest
- MR 060: Medicinal Purposes
- MR 071: The Council of Nicaea
- MR 073: Thicker Than Water
- MR 074: Live 34
- MR 078: Pier Pressure
- MR 079: Night Thoughts
- MR 082: The Settling
- MR 084: The Nowhere Place
- MR 085: Red
- MR 087: The Gathering
- MR 089: No Man's Land
- MR 092: Nocturne
- MR 096: Valhalla
- MR 098: Frozen Time
- MR 099: Son of the Dragon
- MR 100: 100
- MR 102: The Mind's Eye
- MR 104: The Bride of Peladon
- MR 108: Assassin in the Limelight
- MR 115: Forty-Five
- MR 120: The Magic Moustrap
- MR 121: Enemy of the Daleks
- MR 122: Angel of Scutari
- MR 123: The Company of Friends
- MR 133: City of Spires
- MR 134: The Wreck of the Titan
- MR 135: Legend of the Cybermen
- MR 139: Project Destiny
- MR 140: A Death in the Family
- MR 141: Lurkers at Sunlight's Edge
- MR 143: The Crimes of Thomas Brewster
- MR 149: Robophobia
- MR 151: The Doomsday Quartian
- MR 152: House of Blue Fire
- MR 153: The Silver Turk
- MR 154: The Witch from the Well
- MR 155: Army of Death
- MR 156: The Curse of Davros
- MR 159: The Emerald Tiger
- MR 162: Protect and Survive
- MR 163: Black and White
- MR 164: Gods and Monsters
- MR 178: Fanfare for the Common Men
- MR 181: Afterlife
- MR 189: Revenge of the Swarm
- MR 190: Mask of Tragedy
- MR 191: Signs and Wonders
- MR 195: Mistfall
- MR 196: Equilibrium
- MR 197: The Entropy Plague
- MR 201: We Are the Daleks
- MR 202: The Warehouse
- MR 204: Criss-Cross
- MR 208: The Waters of Amsterdam
- MR 209: Aquitaine
- MR 210: The Peterloo Massacre
- MR 211: And You Will Obey Me
- MR 212: Vampire of the Mind
- MR 213: The Two Masters
- MR 230: Time in Office
- MR 233: Static
- MR 234: Kingdom of Lies
- MR 235: Ghost Walk
- MR 236: Serpent in the Silver Mask
- MR 238: The Lure of the Nomad
- MR 245: Muse of Fire
- MR 256: Tartarus
- MR 260: Dark Universe
- MR 264: Scorched Earth
Doctor Who Monthly Range Bonus/Extra Releases Doctor Who: Special Releases- Doctor Who: The Legacy of Time
- Doctor Who: Out of Time 1
- I, Davros
The 1st Doctor (David Bradley)- 1DA 01: The 1st Doctor Adventures Volume 1
- 1DA 02: The 1st Doctor Adventures Volume 2
- 1DA 03: The 1st Doctor Adventures Volume 3
- 1DA 04: The 1st Doctor Adventures Volume 4
The 3rd Doctor (Tim Treloar) The 4th Doctor (Tom Baker)- 4DA 02.6: The Dalek Contract
- 4DA 02.7: The Final Phase
- 4DA 04.3: Requiem for the Rocket Men
- 4DA 04.4: Death March
The 5th Doctor (Peter Davison)The 6th Doctor (Colin Baker)- 6DA X1: The Last Adventure
The 7th Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) The 8th Doctor (Paul McGann)- 8DA 06: Dark Eyes Volume 1
- 8DA 15: Ravenous Volume 2
- 8DA 17: Ravenous Volume 4
- 8DA X1: The Time War Volume 1
- 8DA X2: The Time War Volume 2
- 8DA X3: The Time War Volume 3
- 8DA X4: The Time War Volume 4
The 9th Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) The 10th Doctor (David Tenant)- 10DA 04: The 10th Doctor and River Song
The War Doctor (John Hurt)- WD 01: Only the Monstrous
- WD 02: Infernal Devices
- WD 03: Agents of Chaos
- WD 04: Casualties of War
The War Master (Derek Jacobi)- WM 01: Only the Good
- WM 02: Master of Callous
- WM 04: Anti-Genesis
Missy (Michelle Gomez)River Song (Alex Kingston)- DRS 03: The Diary of River Song Vol. 3
- DRS 04: The Diary of River Song Vol. 4
Bernice Summerfield (Lisa Bowerman)- BEN 1.1: Oh No It Isn't!
- BEN SP: The Story So Far 2
- NABS 03: The Unbound Universe
- NABS 04: Ruler of the Universe
- NABS 05: Buried Memories
- NABS 06: Lost in Translation
Doctor Who: Lost Stories- LS 1.3: Leviathan
- LS 1.5: Paradise 5
- LS 2.X: The First Doctor Set
- LS 3.X: Foe from the Future and The Valley of Death
- LS 3.1: The Elite
- LS 3.6: The First Sontarans
- LS 3.7: The Masters of Luxor
- LS 4.2: The Queen of Time
- LS 4.3: The Lords of the Red Planet
- LS 5.1: Nightmare Country
Doctor Who: Short Trips- ST 05.08: Foreshadowing
- ST 06.03: Washington Burns
- ST 06.09: A Full Life
- ST 06.X: Forever Fallen
- ST 07.03: The Jago & Lightfoot Revival, Part 1
- ST 07.04: The Jago & Lightfoot Revival, Part 2
- ST 07.11: The Ingenious Gentleman Adric of Alzarius
- ST 07.X: Landbound
- ST 08.04: Erasure
- ST 08.06: The Siege of Big Ben
- ST 08.09: A Small Semblance of Home
- ST 09.09: Dead Media
- ST 09.10: The Second Oldest Question
- ST 10.02: Deleted Scenes
- ST 10.09: Her Own Bootstraps
Doctor Who: Short Trip Rarities- STR 01.03: Lepidoptery for Beginners
- STR 02.01: The Switching
Doctor Who: Subscriber Short Trips Doctor Who: Unbound- DWU 01: Auld Mortality
- DWU 02: Sympathy for the Devil
- DWU 03: Full Fathom Five
- DWU 04: He Jests at Scars...
- DWU 05: Deadline
- DWU 07: A Storm of Angels
- DWU 08: Masters of War
Doctor Who: The Early Adventures
Doctor Who: Chronicles Doctor Who: Novel Adaptations- NA 01: Love and War
- NA 05: The Well-Mannered War
- NA 06: Damaged Goods
- NA 11: Cold Fusion
Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles- CC 1.03: The Blue Tooth
- CC 3.05: Home Truths
- CC 3.11: The Mahogany Murderers
- CC 4.01: The Drowned World
- CC 4.07: The Suffering
- CC 4.11: Night's Black Agents
- CC 4.12: Solitaire
- CC 5.01: The Guardian of the Solar System
- CC 5.03: Find and Replace
- CC 5.06: Quinnis
- CC 5.07: Peri and the Piscon Paradox
- CC 5.08: The Perpetual Bond
- CC 5.12: The Cold Equations
- CC 6.01: Tales from the Vault
- CC 6.02: The Rocket Men
- CC 6.05: The First Wave
- CC 7.01: The Time Museum
- CC 7.04: The Last Post
- CC 7.07: The Flames of Cadiz
- CC 7.09: The Scorchies
- CC 7.10: The Library of Alexandria
- CC 8.01: Mastermind
- CC 8.04: Ghost in the Machine
- CC 8.12: Second Chances
Worlds of Doctor Who: Class Worlds of Doctor Who: Gallifrey- GAL 01: Gallifrey Volume 1
- GAL 04: Gallifrey Volume 4
- GAL 05: Gallifrey Volume 5
- GAL 06: Gallifrey Volume 6
- GAL 09: Gallifrey Time War Volume 1
Worlds of Doctor Who: Jago & Lightfoot
Worlds of Doctor Who: The Lives of Captain Jack
Worlds of Doctor Who: The Paternoster Gang
Worlds of Doctor Who: The Robots
Worlds of Doctor Who: Torchwood Monthly Range
Worlds of Doctor Who: Torchwood Tales
Worlds of Doctor Who: Torchwood Radio Adventures
Worlds of Doctor Who: Torchwood's Lost Files
Worlds of Doctor Who: Torchwood The Story Continues
Worlds of Doctor Who: Torchwood One Worlds of Doctor Who: UNITWorlds of Doctor Who: UNIT The New Series Worlds of Doctor Who: War Doctor Begins Worlds of Doctor Who: Misc. Ranges- Counter Measures 1.1: Threshold
- The Cyberman
- Dalek Empire
Note: I've repurposed this thread to be more universally applicable. I've copied the text of the original post inside the top post on page 3, but it is also (currently) quoted in its entirety in the post immediately below this one. I apologize if this causes any confusion.
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Post by mark687 on Aug 17, 2020 9:55:55 GMT
Apologies for the short title--apparently there's a very restrictive character limit in place. I got into Big Finish in a BIG way this summer, as much of us did, I'd wager, thanks to the lovely omipresent specter of lingering death in the form of the global pandemic. Fun. And, of course, some of us are doubly lucky in that we don't just have to worry about the virus killing us, but also our own governments. Fun times. Which brings us here. I've bought a lot of Big Finish stories over the past three or four months, while I have a fair idea of what I definitely want to get in the future, it's mostly more of what I already have--more Gallifrey, more War Master, more 8th Doctor Time War, more anything with the Master, etc. But beyond that? I haven't a clue. So I thought I'd share what I already own, and ask for recommendations --what are those especially brilliant Main Range (or other range) stories that I should absolutely prioritize? I'm down from recommendations from anything, but I'd prefer stuff with the Doctors--I'm interested in several of the spin-offs, but they're not a priority for me right now. First, here's what my library looks like outside of the main range stuff -- in every case I plan to buy more of these ranges, so no worries there. - Doctor Who Unbound - I've got everything except for #6, which I am reliably told is very, very bad.
The 1st Doctor Adventures - I currently have 1DA 1 and 1DA 2. I plan to get more, but for whatever reason there's no bundle with 1DA 3. - The 6th Doctor Adventures - I currently have 6DA 1 The Sixth Doctor and Peri, and what I'm calling 6DFA 1 The Last Adventure (The 6th Doctor Final Adventure). I'm doing something similar for the 8DAs so that the Time War stuff is sorted to the bottom of the list.
- The 8th Doctor Adventures - I have almost everything with the sole exception of 8DTW2: I am waiting for a sale!
- The 10th Doctor Adventures - I have 10DA 1 and 10DA 2. Waiting on a sale for 10DA 3, or a bundle with 10DA 3+4.
- The War Doctor - I have everything!
- The War Master - I have everything!
- Worlds of Doctor Who: Gallifrey - I've got G1 through G8, but GTW1.
- Worlds of Doctor Who: Missy - I have everything!
- Worlds of Doctor Who: The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield - I only have NABS 3--which I literally bought five minutes ago!
And now to the meat of the matter: my Doctor Who Monthly Range library. I will be omitting all of the 8th Doctor stories, because I own every single one. Aside from those, this is my current MR library: - #006 - The Marian Conspiracy
- #014 - The Holy Terror
- #021 - Dust Breeding
- #023 - Project Twilight
- #025 - Colditz
- #027 - The One Doctor
- #034 - Spare Parts
- #040 - Jubilee
- #043 - And the Pirates
- #045 - Project Lazarus
- #048 - Davros
- #049 - Master
- #057 - Arrangements for War
- #058 - The Harvest
- #065 - The Juggernauts
- #068 - Catch-1782
- #073 - Thicker Than Water
- #081 - The Kingmaker
- #086 - The Reaping
- #090 - Year of the Pig
- #100 - 100
- #105 - The Condemned
- #168 - 1001 Nights
- #211 - And You Will Obey Me
- #212 - Vampire of the Mind
- #213 - The Two Masters
- #256 - Tartarus
- #259 - Blood on Santa's Claw and Other Stories
- #262 - Subterfuge
- #265 - The Lovecraft Invasion
I've also got the following Doctor Who Short Trips in my library: - #2.1 - The Switching
- #6.7 - The Blame Game
- #6.X - Forever Fallen
- #7.1 - The World Beyond the Trees
- #7.6 - How to Win Planets and Influence People
- #7.9 - A Heart on Both Sides
- #7.X - Landbound
- #8.10 - I Am The Master
- #8.X - The Last Day at Work
- #9.3 - The Best-Laid Plans
- #10.5 - Regeneration Impossible
And perhaps most confusingly are the "bonus releases," because I haven't the faintest clue how to organize them. Some of the zip files downloaded from the website have numbers, indicating a clear sequence... but not all do. Going by those numbers, I've got: - Bonus Release #1 - The Maltese Penguin
- Bonus Release #2 - The Last of the Titans
- Bonus Release #3 - The Ratings War
- Bonus Release #4 - No Place Like Home
- Bonus Release #5 - Living Legend
- Bonus Release #8 - Cuddlesome
- Bonus Release from 2006 - The Veiled Leopard
- Bonus Release from 2013 - Trial of the Valeyard
If anyone knows how to arrange these sequentially, I'd appreciate the help. .... .... .... .... Okay, so I realize this is a big post and a bigger ask. If you've read through it all, thanks for humoring me. All I'm really asking through here is that, keeping in mind the limitations, you might scan through my lists and see if any absences seem especially conspicuous, so you can let me know what they are and I can listen to them ASAP. Just a heads up we're never quite sure when 10DA's get release (this year for instance looks like 10DA And River Song but that's a seperate range as is Out of Time.) (10DA Vol 3 is still at Pre Order Price plus postage though) Your activitly collecting 8th Doc so have you ordered the Time lord Victorous Titles? Regards mark687
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,061
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Post by ljwilson on Aug 17, 2020 10:09:46 GMT
Get some of the (absolute steal) early ones:
Phantasmagoria Whispers of Terror Spectre of Lanyon Moor Night Thoughts
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Post by xlozdob on Aug 17, 2020 10:42:19 GMT
I don't if you've included these in the 8DAs, but his adventures in the MR with Charley are pretty enjoyable (I haven't listened to the Divergent Universe arc yet, only got as far as Scherzo, but yeah, I recommend). Also #123 - Company of Friends and the Mary Shelley trilogy.
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Post by barnabaslives on Aug 17, 2020 10:53:52 GMT
77 - Live 34 is quite highly acclaimed. Also 99 - Son of the Dragon unless you'd rather hear Erimem's appearances in order (they start with 24 - Eye of the Scorpion, which is a good start although on the whole the quality wavers as far as the infamous Nekromanteia).
Outside the discounted ones, the 6th Doctor and Jamie trilogy 133-135 (+ Companion Chronicle Night's Black Agents) are often highly regarded, as are 159 The Emerald Tiger and 178 Fanfare for the Common Men.
Personally, I'm particularly fond of the E-Space trilogy 195-197 and Constance Clarke's debut 204 Criss-Cross and 230 Time In Office (and anything with Adric).
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,061
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Post by ljwilson on Aug 17, 2020 11:02:27 GMT
And for some of the later ones:
Aquitaine The Warehouse Serpent in the Silver Mask Lure of the Nomad
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Post by lorcan444 on Aug 17, 2020 11:24:07 GMT
I'd strongly recommend getting all the stories in the evelyn/hex arc. It's a long arc that crosses two doctors and multiple companions but in my opinion it's one of the best story arcs big finish have ever done. I'll list below all the stories that have Evelyn and hex in them and I'll write in brackets essential beside the stories that are essential listening in order to understand it. I do recommend listening to all of these stories though as it let's you know the characters better and theres some great character development for both Evelyn and hex in them.
MR #06 - The Marian conspiracy (essential as it introduces evelyn) MR #09 - The spectre of lanyon moor MR #011 - The apocalypse element MR #022 - Bloodtide MR #023 - Project twilight (This one is essential as it introduces the forge) MR #037 - The sandman MR #040 - Jubilee (This ones not essential but it's one of the best doctor who stories ever in my opinion so definetley worth listening to) MR #043 - Doctor who and the pirates MR #045 - Project Lazarus (This ones essential as it's a sequel to project twilight) MR #057 - Arrangements for war (Essential as it follows on from project lazarus) MR #058 - The harvest (Essential as it introduces hex) MR #060 - Medicinal purposes MR #067 - Dreamtime (This is one of few that I would recommend skipping, it's really bad and has nothing to do with the arc) MR #073 - Thicker than water (Essential as it is Evelyn's departure story) MR #074 - Live 34 MR #078 - Pier pressure MR #079 - Night thoughts MR #082 - The settling MR #084 - The nowhere place MR #089 - No mans land (This one isn't really essential but it does reference the forge and it's pretty good) MR #092 - Nocturne MR #100 - 100 MR #106 - The dark husband (This is another really bad one that I recommend skipping) MR #108 - Assassin in the limelight MR #115 - Forty five (This one is essential as it introduces an important villain and the forge are in it) MR #120 - The magic mousetrap MR #121 - Enemy of the daleks MR #122 - Angel of scutari (Essential as it leads directly into the next story and is the start of the white tardis arc) MR #139 - Project destiny (Essential as it is the final story in the project trilogy) MR #140 - A death in the family (This is a really important one and is definetley essential. This one really resolves a lot of character arcs and in my opinion is one of the greatest stories big finish have ever produced) MR #141 - Lurkers at sunlight edge MR #149 - Robophobia MR #151 - The doomsday quartian MR #152 - House of blue fire (Essential as it introduces sally) MR #162 - Protect and survive (This one is essential as it starts the black and white trilogy MR #163 - Black and white (Essential) MR #164 - Gods and monsters (Essential as it ends the black and white arc) MR #181 - Afterlife (Essential as it follows on from gods and monsters) MR #189 - Revenge of the swarm (This one starts the hector trilogy which is kinda essential) MR #190 - Mask of tragedy (The second story in the trilogy) MR #191 - Signs and wonders (Essential, this is the final story of the arc which resolves everything)
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2020 11:46:56 GMT
Regarding the Bonus Releases, they're not meant to be arranged. For example, The Maltese Penguin should be listened to after Main Range 14, The Holy Terror, but is not a Main Range release, so it has been dumped there. *Maltese Penguin - Listen to this as a sequel to Main Range 14, The Holy Terror. *No Place Like Home - Anytime after meeting Erimem in Main Range 24, The Eye of the Scorpion. *Living Legend - After meeting Charley in Main Range 16, Storm Warning.* *Veiled Leopard - After meeting Erimem and Hex (Main Range 58, The Harvest). Probably more, but I'll let other posters cover exactly which ones. *Trial of the Valeyard - My personal recommendation is to listen to it just before The 6th Doctor The Last Adventure. Get a sense of the relationship between 6 and the Valeyard (and get yourself hyped up) before heading into The Last Adventure. But it is standalone.* Both stories will need you to have understood the (gist of) goings on between 6 and the Valeyard in Trial of a Timelord (Doctor Who TV season 23). I'll let other posters talk more into that. *Cuddlesome - Standalone *Last of the Titans - Standalone *Ratings War - (Relatively) standalone. Beep the Meep is not completely new. Other commenters: {Spoiler}Is resolving the R101 arc needed before listening to Living Legend? (I think that happened in Chimes of Midnight, but it's been a while?)
Also, as above: How much is needed before Veiled Leopard? Considering Hex's ... condition.
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Post by muddyviolet on Aug 17, 2020 12:00:12 GMT
Some things you don't have that I'd Reccomend are:
The Gathering a sequel to the Reaping
Then, the Companions Chronicles. The Last Post, Peri and the Piscon Paradox, Ghost in the Machine and, the Scorchies. They are all great and Peri and the Piscon Paradox is a multi doctor story.
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Post by sherlock on Aug 17, 2020 12:15:30 GMT
Regarding the Bonus Releases, they're not meant to be arranged. For example, The Maltese Penguin should be listened to after Main Range 14, The Holy Terror, but is not a Main Range release, so it has been dumped there. *Maltese Penguin - Listen to this as a sequel to Main Range 14, The Holy Terror. *No Place Like Home - Anytime after meeting Erimem in Main Range 24, The Eye of the Scorpion. *Living Legend - After meeting Charley in Main Range 16, Storm Warning.* *Veiled Leopard - After meeting Erimem and Hex (Main Range 58, The Harvest). Probably more, but I'll let other posters cover exactly which ones. *Trial of the Valeyard - My personal recommendation is to listen to it just before The 6th Doctor The Last Adventure. Get a sense of the relationship between 6 and the Valeyard (and get yourself hyped up) before heading into The Last Adventure. But it is standalone.* Both stories will need you to have understood the (gist of) goings on between 6 and the Valeyard in Trial of a Timelord (Doctor Who TV season 23). I'll let other posters talk more into that. *Cuddlesome - Standalone *Last of the Titans - Standalone *Ratings War - (Relatively) standalone. Beep the Meep is not completely new. Other commenters: {Spoiler}Is resolving the R101 arc needed before listening to Living Legend? (I think that happened in Chimes of Midnight, but it's been a while?)
Also, as above: How much is needed before Veiled Leopard? Considering Hex's ... condition. I thought Maltese Penguin is actually a prequel to The Holy Terror. It kinda re-establishes the Doctor and Frobisher’s partnership, ready for the madness of Holy Terror. Living Legend makes no reference arc-wise, and slots in nicely amongst the second series of Doctor/Charley. I put it between Chimes and Seasons as a bit of respite from arc stories. The Veiled Leopard makes no reference to any continuity, but is difficult to place as it has two distinct perspectives. First part is Peri/Erimem (with accompanying Fifth Doctor era theme tune) and part 2 is Ace/Hex (with accompanying Seventh Doctor era theme tune). Like multi-Doctor stories such as Sirens and Legacy of Time it kinda only works in isolation.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2020 12:51:26 GMT
77 - Live 34 is quite highly acclaimed. Also 99 - Son of the Dragon unless you'd rather hear Erimem's appearances in order (they start with 24 - Eye of the Scorpion, which is a good start although on the whole the quality wavers as far as the infamous Nekromanteia).
Outside the discounted ones, the 6th Doctor and Jamie trilogy 133-135 (+ Companion Chronicle Night's Black Agents) are often highly regarded, as are 159 The Emerald Tiger and 178 Fanfare for the Common Men. Personally, I'm particularly fond of the E-Space trilogy 195-197 and Constance Clarke's debut 204 Criss-Cross and 230 Time In Office (and anything with Adric). To add to the scope of that particular run, alongside Eye and Dragon: - The Church and the Crown is outrageously good fun with the Three Musketeers. A regular favourite to relisten to when I've got a free moment and nothing else in the queue;
- The Council of Nicaeca might be one of the strongest contenders for best pure historical with what it does for Erimem's character (her role being not unlike Barbara's in The Aztecs);
- The Mind's Eye is pure character study, exploring the fantasy worlds of Peri and Erimem's lives without the Doctor, and;
- The Bride of Peladon to cap it all off and send off Erimem (well, in the Main Range anyway) with a bang.
Outside that, there are a lot of solid recommendations made for other releases already. I've a particular fondness for Evelyn. Her run with ol' Sixie from The Marian Conspiracy to Arrangements for War were what brought me into Big Finish in the first place. They're often touted as the stories that finally rounded out the Sixth Doctor's character arc from television.
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Post by Digi on Aug 17, 2020 14:05:52 GMT
Lots of great suggestions in here already. I will echo the love for Evelyn - just an absolutely wonderful companion for Sixie (these are Monthly Range titles). Will also suggest that the Hex storyline with Seven was also really spectacular, even if I didn't much care for the 'epilogue' trilogy that came after the conclusion of the main story arc. You can also listen to it independently of the Evelyn story. They tie together in an interesting way, but they do work standalone.
Monthly Range titles that break the format are a heck of a lot of fun too. Flip Flop, The Natural History of Fear (in the Eight run so I guess you have this already), and Live 34 are the ones that spring immediately to mind.
I don't know if you've listened to Doom Coalition yet, but the Monthly Range title Dark Universe is a prequel to that (which was written and released a couple of years later, so both it and DC can be listened to without the other, but they tie together nicely).
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Tony Jones
Chancellery Guard
Professor Chronotis
Still rockin' along!
Likes: 2,132
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Post by Tony Jones on Aug 17, 2020 15:01:34 GMT
I'd get some early titles such as Sirens (not the best but the first!) and Loups Garoux, Peri and the Piscon Paradox and also the Hex stuff you haven't got. Is Jago & Litefoot in scope? Crimes of Thomas Brewster gives you Flip's first story then you can start on her stories.
Really just buy all of them when they go on sale like everyone else ends up doing! A few are poor but tastes will vary.
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Post by obluda on Aug 17, 2020 15:23:15 GMT
I'm going to suggest listening to I,Davros. The first Big Finish stories I ever listened to and still some of the best. They build on the main range release Davros so it is probably best to listen to that first but I didn't really have any problem listening to them out of order.
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Post by ollychops on Aug 17, 2020 16:37:30 GMT
I'll throw out my favourite recommendations: Monthly Adventures: 001 - The Sirens of Time - Definitely not the best of the Main Range but it's where it started so it's a pretty big story. 003 - Whispers of Terror 011 - The Apocalypse Element - Six, Evelyn, Daleks, and Romana II, what more could you ask for? 012 - The Fires of Vulcan 046 - Flip-Flop 047 - Omega - This is generally overshadowed by Davros/Master/Zagreus, but I feel like it's an underrated gem. 074 - Live 34 - A brilliant story that really utilises the audio format well. 079 - Night Thoughts - Such a creepy, atmospheric tale. Didn't think I'd be freaked out by an audio play but... this proved me wrong. 085 - Red 099 - Son of the Dragon 115 - Forty-Five - Decent set of stories overall, but I really do adore The Word Lord. 120 - The Magic Mousetrap 140 - A Death In the Family - This is such a fantastic story but unfortunately it's one that you need to listen through the Evelyn/Hex arcs to really get the most out of it so perhaps not the best for a standalone recommendation. 149 - Robophobia 156 - The Curse of Davros 178 - 1963: Fanfare For the Common Men 201 - We Are the Daleks 204 - Criss-Cross 208 - The Waters of Amsterdam 209 - Aquitaine 210 - The Peterloo Massacre - I'm not usually crazy about historicals but this is my favourite one out there, and one of my favourite Fifth Doctor stories. 230 - Time In Office 233 - Static 234 - Kingdom of Lies 235 - Ghost Walk 245 - Muse of Fire - YMMV depending on how you feel about Iris, but I personally love her so I really enjoyed this story. 264 - Scorched Earth Short Trips: 5.8 - Foreshadowing 6.3 - Washington Burns 6.9 - A Full Life 7.3 & 7.4 - The Jago & Litefoot Revival 7.11 - The Ingenious Gentleman Adric of Alzarius 8.4 - Erasure 8.9 - A Small Semblance of Home 9.9 - Dead Media 9.10 - The Second Oldest Question 10.2 - Deleted Scenes I haven't listened to much of the Short Trips Rarities, but I have to recommend Lepidoptery For Beginners by dorney - an absolutely fantastic Second Doctor Short Trip! If you're interested in more Fourth Doctor - go for the first Philip Hinchcliffe Presents set - the two stories are some of the best that BF has done with the Fourth Doctor. Lost Stories: 1.3 - Leviathan 1.5 - Paradise 5 2.1 - The First Doctor Set - Both are fantastic stories, a great and epic historical, followed by a smaller character piece. 3.X - The Fourth Doctor Set - The Foe From the Future is the real standout here, but The Valley of Death isn't a bad story either! 3.1 - The Elite 3.6 - The First Sontarans 3.7 - The Masters of Luxor 4.2 - The Queen of Time 4.3 - The Lords of the Red Planet (Another dorney story - basically you can't go wrong with any of his stories - I highly recommend any of his!) 5.1 - Nightmare Country Not sure if you're interested in the Novel Adaptations, and unfortunately they didn't really sell well enough to continue the range, but there's some gems in there: 1 - Love and War 5 - The Well-Mannered War 6 - Damaged Goods 11 - Cold Fusion Also, check out the Companion Chronicles - I don't think they're talked about quite as much, but some of the best stories are in that range: 1.3 - The Blue Tooth 3.5 - Home Truths 3.11 - The Mahogany Murderers 4.1 - The Drowned World 4.7 - The Suffering 4.12 - Solitaire 5.1 - The Guardian of the Solar System 5.3 - Find and Replace 5.6 - Quinnis 5.7 - Peri and the Piscon Paradox 5.8 - The Perpetual Bond 5.12 - The Cold Equations 6.1 - Tales From the Vault 6.2 - The Rocket Men 6.5 - The First Wave 7.1 - The Time Museum 7.4 - The Last Post 7.7 - The Flames of Cadiz 7.9 - The Scorchies 7.10 - The Library of Alexandria 8.1 - Mastermind 8.4 - Ghost In the Machine 8.12 - Second Chances As for spin-offs... The Diary of River Song is a pretty good shout, if you're interested in New Who - specifically, the third and fourth sets are my personal favourites. Jago & Litefoot - As someone who had only seen Talons of Weng-Chiang once before delving into this, I absolutely love this series - might be my favourite spinoff from BF. Torchwood - Not sure how much interest you have in Torchwood, but the Torchwood monthly range is consistently good (save for the occasional misstep, but those are few and far between) and the continuation of the TV show is fantastic.
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Post by tuigirl on Aug 17, 2020 16:39:15 GMT
Well, since you already bought the New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield Volume 3.... In my humble opinion, the range with Benny and the Warner Doctor is among the best and consistently VERY good in all of Big Finish. I rate Volume 4 in my personal top 10. So if you like what you are hearing in Volume 3, definitely get the others. I also would include Bernice Summerfield Story So Far Volume 2, because that last story... it is very different, it is very harrowing, but it is worth it for the emotional experience. I enjoy these because they have a nice change of pace, there is still a Doctor in there, but Benny often is in charge, and that is just enough to make it a bit different. Plus the acting is superb, and the writing, setting and the characters are original and interesting.
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Post by polly on Aug 17, 2020 18:12:27 GMT
There's a pair of great early Main Range stuff I don't see on your list:
12. The Fires of Vulcan (7/Mel) - Fires of Pompeii without the lava monster. 44. Creatures of Beauty (5/Nyssa) - Extremely non-linear, but breathtaking once you put the puzzle together.
Both of 'em are well worth the 2.99.
I've only listened up to #64 myself, so beyond that I can't say.
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Post by Kestrel on Aug 18, 2020 5:15:47 GMT
Thank you everyone for all of your input! If y'all don't mind, I'm gonna divide my response here into two posts: this one to address questions, and another where I'll compile all of your suggestions into my new wishlist! Just a heads up we're never quite sure when 10DA's get release (this year for instance looks like 10DA And River Song but that's a seperate range as is Out of Time.) (10DA Vol 3 is still at Pre Order Price plus postage though) Your activitly collecting 8th Doc so have you ordered the Time lord Victorous Titles? I'm viewing 10 & River Song as 10DA #4. On the website it's listed as a 10DA even though it doesn't have a number. I'm not exactly going by the Big Finish ranges for my archives, as BF stuff is confusing. I have a feeling the 10DAs will be as messy as the 6DAs 8DAs. So, for example, here's how I've organized though two in my archives: The 6th Doctor Adventures:- The 6th Doctor Adventures 1 - The Sixth Doctor and Peri
- The 6th Doctor Adventures 2 (unannounced)
- The 6th Doctor Final Adventures - The Last Adventure
The 8th Doctor Adventures:- The 8th Doctor Adventures 1
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 2
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 3
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 4
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 5 - The Further Adventures of Lucie Miller
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 6 - Dark Eyes 1
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 7 - Dark Eyes 2
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 8 - Dark Eyes 3
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 9 - Dark Eyes 4
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 10 - Doom Coalition 1
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 11 - Doom Coalition 2
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 12 - Doom Coalition 3
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 13 - Doom Coalition 4
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 14 - Ravenous 1
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 15 - Ravenous 2
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 16 - Ravenous 3
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 17 - Ravenous 4
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 18 - Stranded 1
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 19 - Stranded 2
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 20 - Stranded 3
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 21 - Stranded 4
- The 8th Doctor Final Adventures - Time War 1
- The 8th Doctor Final Adventures - Time War 2
- The 8th Doctor Final Adventures - Time War 3
- The 8th Doctor Final Adventures - Time War 4
This way I can keep all of my 8th Doctor stories, for example, stored in a single folder, properly arranged, without the need for subfolders. If I need to revise the 10DAs later, I will. Regarding Out of Time (already preordered! I am addicted to McGann) I'm thinking I may have to make a new category for "special releases" to cover one-off ranges with multiple doctors. At the request of a friend, after buying way too much last night, I logged back on to the store yesterday and bought more. So now I also have the Legacy of Time to arrange! Assuming I can arrange those special releases in order, they may go like: - Doctor Who Special 2019 - The Legacy of Time
- Doctor Who Special 2020 - Out of Time
- Doctor Who Special 2021 - Masterful
It'd be nice if they did one special release like that per year, or at least no more than one per year, but we'll see how it goes. Or maybe arrange them chronologically if I can figure out what all of the various specials are, I can assign them numbers based upon when they were released. But, at the end of the day... if I don't buy it, I don't have to think about it! I don't if you've included these in the 8DAs, but his adventures in the MR with Charley are pretty enjoyable (I haven't listened to the Divergent Universe arc yet, only got as far as Scherzo, but yeah, I recommend). Also #123 - Company of Friends and the Mary Shelley trilogy. I'm keeping the "Adventures" line separate from the Monthly Range line in my archives. IIRC the 8DAs begin with Lucie Miller, who is fine... but I love Charlotte Pollard and do, in fact, have all of her 8th Doctor stories from the Monthly Range! Very first thing I did with Big Finish was consult the TARDIS wiki for all of the 8th Doctor Monthly Range stories and proceed through the lot, in order. It took me about three or four years. I reached the end of the journey this Spring which, coupled with COVID-19, compelled me to dive into the rest of Big Finish's offerings--and I have been wildly impressed so far. Especially by Collin Baker and the various Time War ranges. Also, um, I've heard some mixed opinions from others, so this may be a hot take of sorts, but I really, really, REALLY loved the Mary Shelley stories with Eight! They just scratched on all of my favorite tropes, what can I say? Actually been meaning to listen to them again soon. I'd strongly recommend getting all the stories in the Evelyn... arc. Okay, here's the thing: I love and also hate Eveyln. Every story I've listened to with her has been... fantastic. Doctor Who and the Pirates is one of the best I've ever heard! But when I learned Maggie Stables had passed... I was crushed. She had such a brilliant dynamic, such great chemistry, with Colin Baker. On the one hand I want to hear all of her dramas... on the other hand, a part of me never wants to exhaust that supply. I don't know if I'm ready to live in a world where I've already heard the last of Evelyn Smythe.... Look, I told y'all almost as soon as I joined this forum that I'd be gushing about Evelyn. My feelings on the matter are... strong. Each Doctor has his or her definitive companion: the best and ultimate foil. And for the 6th Doctor, that perfect companion was Evelyn. Well, since you already bought the New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield Volume 3.... In my humble opinion, the range with Benny and the Warner Doctor is among the best and consistently VERY good in all of Big Finish. I rate Volume 4 in my personal top 10. So if you like what you are hearing in Volume 3, definitely get the others. I also would include Bernice Summerfield Story So Far Volume 2, because that last story... it is very different, it is very harrowing, but it is worth it for the emotional experience. I enjoy these because they have a nice change of pace, there is still a Doctor in there, but Benny often is in charge, and that is just enough to make it a bit different. Plus the acting is superb, and the writing, setting and the characters are original and interesting. I'm a huge David Warner fan, so I'm pretty hyped. Only reason I haven't bought all the NABS sets is I've already bought too much, and I'm spreading it out. I'll grab NABS 6 when it comes out, but I'll hold off on NABS 4 and 5 for whenever I'm ready to start listening to those--unless there's a sale. I absolutely adore David Warner, since I was a kid, and it was astonishingly lovely to come across his voice in various Main Range stories (I think he played Isaac Newton in one?) -- the revelation that he *also* plays a Doctor was... monumental. I'll definitely be grabbing ALL OF THEM. Someday I'd also like to get into the older Summerfield stories (becasue I love, love, love Braxiatel!) but that's a very low priority for me right now, limited funds and all. My current approach is: buy new boxsets, hold off on older sets for sales.
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Post by Kestrel on Aug 18, 2020 5:16:22 GMT
Okay, wow, y'all have been brilliant with all the suggestions! My plan is to keep everything in a text file w/ my archives (since the actual "wishlist" function on the website doesn't work too well) and refer to it each and every time there's a sale.
As some of you have said, "they are all good and you should buy them all," look... I get it. If money and time were infinite, I absolutely would. And perhaps, one day, I will end up with everything. But for now it's very helpful knowing what to prioritize. So: Thank you.
Anyway, here's my current list! I've tried to integrate all of the suggestions but if you notice any mistakes or errors lemme know! Also I'm thinking that, while it might be a lot of work, it might be helpful to integrate the wishlist of what I already own with what I don't--I dunno, maybe bold the text for what I own? A task for later.
THE WISHLIST: Monthly Range #1 - The Sirens of Time Monthly Range #2 - Phantasmagoria Monthly Range #3 - Whispers of Terror Monthly Range #9 - The Specter of Lanyon Moor Monthly Range #11 - The Apocalypse Element (Evelyn + Romana) Monthly Range #12 - The Fires of Vulcan Monthly Range #20 - Loups-Garoux Monthly Range #22 - Bloodtide Monthly Range #24 - Eye of the Scorpion Monthly Range #37 - The Sandman Monthly Range #38 - The Church and the Crown Monthly Range #44 - Creatures of Beauty Monthly Range #46 - Flip Flop Monthly Range #47 - Omega Monthly Range #60 - Medicinal Purposes Monthly Range #71 - The Council of Nicaea Monthly Range #74 - Live 34 Monthly Range #78 - Pier Pressure Monthly Range #79 - Night Thoughts Monthly Range #82 - The Settling Monthly Range #84 - The Nowhere Place Monthly Range #85 - Red Monthly Range #87 - The Gathering Monthly Range #89 - No Man's Land Monthly Range #92 - Nocturne Monthly Range #99 - Son of the Dragon Monthly Range #102 - The Mind's Eye Monthly Range #104 - The Bride of Peladon Monthly Range #108 - Assassin in the Limelight Monthly Range #115 - Forty-Five (Short stories) Monthly Range #120 - The Magic Mousetrap Monthly Range #121 - Enemy of the Daleks Monthly Range #122 - Angel of Scutari Monthly Range #133 - City of Spires (6 + Jamie) Monthly Range #134 - The Wreck of the Titan (6 + Jamie) Monthly Range #135 - Legend of the Cybermen (6 + Jamie) Monthly Range #139 - Project Destiny Monthly Range #140 - A Death in the Family Monthly Range #141 - Lurdkers at Sunlight Edge Monthly Range #143 - The Crimes of Thomas Brewster Monthly Range #144 - The Feast of Axos Monthly Range #145 - Industrial Evolution Monthly Range #149 - Robophobia Monthly Range #151 - The Doomsday Quartian Monthly Range #152 - House of the Blue Fire Monthly Range #156 - The Curse of Davros Monthly Range #162 - Protect and Survive Monthly Range #163 - Black and White Monthly Range #164 - Gods and Monsters Monthly Range #178 - 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men Monthly Range #181 - Afterlife Monthly Range #189 - Revenge of the Swarm Monthly Range #190 - Mask of Tragedy Monthly Range #191 - Signs and Wonders Monthly Range #195 - Mistfall Monthly Range #196 - Equilibrium Monthly Range #197 - The Entropy Plague Monthly Range #201 - We Are the Daleks Monthly Range #202 - The Warehouse Monthly Range #204 - Criss-Cross Monthly Range #208 - The Waters of Amsterdam Monthly Range #209 - Aquitane Monthly Range #210 - The Peterloo Massacre (good historical) Monthly Range #230 - Time in Office Monthly Range #233 - Static Monthly Range #234 - Kingdom of Lies Monthly Range #235 - Ghost Walk Monthly Range #236 - Serpent in the Silver Mask Monthly Range #238 - The Lure of the Nomad Monthly Range #245 - Muse of Fire Monthly Range #260 - Dark Universe Monthly Range #264 - Scorched Earth
Bonus Release: Real Time
Short Trips 5.8 - Foreshadowing Short Trips 6.3 - Washington Burns Short Trips 6.9 - A Full Life Short Trips 7.3 - The Jago & Litefoot Revival Short Trips 7.4 - The Jago & Litefoot Revival Short Trips 7.11 - The Ingenious Gentleman Adric of Alzarius Short Trips 8.4 - Erasure Short Trips 8.9 - A Small Semblance of Home Short Trips 9.9 - Dead Media Short Trips 9.10 - The Oldest Question Short Trips 10.2 - Deleted Scenes
Bernice Summerfield - The Story So Far 2
Companion Chronicles 1.3 - The Blue Tooth Companion Chronicles 3.5 - Home Truths Companion Chronicles 3.11 - The Mahogany Murderers Companion Chronciles 4.1 - The Drowned World Companion Chronicles 4.7 - The Suffering Companion Chronciles 4.11 - Night's Black Agents Companion Chronicles 4.12 - Solitaire Companion Chronicles 5.1 - The Guardian of the Solar System Companion Chrnoicles 5.3 - Find and Replace Companion Chronicles 5.5 - A Town Called Fortune Companion Chronilces 5.6 - Quinnis Companion Chronicles 5.7 - Peri and the Piscon Paradox Companion Chronicles 5.8 - The Perpetual Bond Companion Chronilces 5.12 - The Cold Equations Companion Chronicles 6.1 - Tales from the VAult Companion Chronicles 6.2 - The Rocket Men Companion Chronicles 6.5 - The First Wave Companion Chronicles 7.1 - The Time Museum Companion Chronicles 7.4 - The Last Post Companion Chronicles 7.7 - The Flames of Cadiz Companion Chronicles 7.9 - The Scorchies Companion Chronicles 7.10 - The Library of Alexandria Companion Chronciles 8.1 - Mastermind Companion Chronicles 8.4 - Ghost in the Machine Companion Chronciles 8.12 - Second Chances
Worlds of Doctor Who - The Diary of River Song 3 Worlds of Doctor Who - The Diary of River Song 4
Special Release - I, Davros
Novel Adaptations 1 - Love and War Novel Adaptations 5 - The Well-Mannered War Novel Adaptations 6 - Damaged Goods Novel Adaptations 11 - Cold Fusion
Lost Stories 1.3 - Leviathan Lost Stories 1.5 - Paradise 5 Lost Stories 2 - The First Doctor Set Lost Stories 3 - The Fourth Doctor Set Lost Stories 4.2 - The Queen of Time Lost Stories 4.3 - The Lords of the Red Planet Lost Stories 5.1 - Nightmare Country
...I apologize for the weird formatting. For whatever reason, this forum won't let me paste in a list from notepad and tehn apply bullet points to each item in the list. Ah well, should still be readable.
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Post by xlozdob on Aug 18, 2020 10:23:00 GMT
The 8th Doctor Adventures: - The 8th Doctor Adventures 1
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 2
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 3
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 4
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 5 - The Further Adventures of Lucie Miller
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 6 - Dark Eyes 1
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 7 - Dark Eyes 2
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 8 - Dark Eyes 3
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 9 - Dark Eyes 4
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 10 - Doom Coalition 1
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 11 - Doom Coalition 2
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 12 - Doom Coalition 3
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 13 - Doom Coalition 4
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 14 - Ravenous 1
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 15 - Ravenous 2
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 16 - Ravenous 3
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 17 - Ravenous 4
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 18 - Stranded 1
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 19 - Stranded 2
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 20 - Stranded 3
- The 8th Doctor Adventures 21 - Stranded 4
- The 8th Doctor Final Adventures - Time War 1
- The 8th Doctor Final Adventures - Time War 2
- The 8th Doctor Final Adventures - Time War 3
- The 8th Doctor Final Adventures - Time War 4
This way I can keep all of my 8th Doctor stories, for example, stored in a single folder, properly arranged, without the need for subfolders. If I need to revise the 10DAs later, I will. Just in case you want them in chronological order (I'm picky like that, but you may not be), I'd categorise the Further Adventures of Lucie Miller as Series 1.5 (or something to that effect. Maybe 1.1 would be better, as it would allow you to add more down the line), rather than 5, since they take place after the first one, iirc.
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