Doctor Who: 5 Big Finish Crossovers We Need To Hear Now
Doing the Monster Mash as Classic and New Who collide in Big Finish audios!
Back in the mirky mists of 2014, Big Finish had its Doctor Who license extended by the BBC to include elements of the revived series. This includes everything from 'Rose' to the end of the Matt Smith era. The purveyors of audio excellence have wasted no time in getting the likes of Alex Kingston, John Barrowman, Catherine Tate, David Tennant and John Hurt signed on to reprise their roles for new adventures.
Big Finish have even taken the opportunity to blend the old series, which they have been adapting to audio since 1996, with the new crowd. The Classic Doctors have been pitted against the Weeping Angels, Judoon and Sycorax in a terrific box-set earlier this year. River Song ran into the Eighth Doctor last Christmas and is due to hook up (stop it!) with the Sixth and Seventh Doctors in her second run of stories come January. An upcoming box set will see the War Doctor face the wrath of Leela.
So what else could Big Finish do in this expanded playground? Here's five ideas for series, stories and crossovers that should whet every fanboy/girl's audio appetite. And, conversely, if anyone at Big Finish is reading this and wants someone to write one of these...
5. Silver Cloak - The Adventures Of Wilfred Mott
Bernard Cribbins as Wilf Mott has to be one of the greatest things to come out of revived Doctor Who. A war veteran, and grandfather to Donna Noble, Wilf's boundless enthusiasm about aliens, his sense of national pride, and bravery when facing horrors forever endeared Cribbins to a post-Womble generation.
In the final story of David Tennant's tenure, 'The End of Time', we see Wilf and his Care Home cohorts band together to track down the elusive Time Lord. The Silver Cloak, as they call themselves, appear as a bunch of lively OAPs; full of stories and looking for a few more adventures before they shuffle off. Their pensioner network had a very 'Baker Street Irregulars' vibe when Minnie (played by June Whitfield) explained how they found the Doctor.
Cribbins has appeared in a Big Finish story before so he's familiar with the team and their work. It'd be great to hear Wilf and the rest of the Silver Cloak meeting up to track down "dem aliens!" again and then having to improvise when they succeed. With the right writer, it might make a good Torchwood parody. It may not be able to carry a whole series, but a one-off story with June Whitfield, Allister Bain and any other veteran actors who want to come along could be a great special for those missing Wilf. Plus, with Catherine Tate having reprised her role as Donna at Big Finish earlier in the year, a cameo wouldn't go amiss.