2. An Earthly Child
"One day I shall come back, yes I shall come back..." Audaciously daring to do what no one had dared before; An Earthly Child not only marks the first appearance of Carole Ann Ford's Susan Foreman in over 20 years it also introduces The Doctor's great-grandson. Fans may recall the 1st Doctor pledging to one day come back for his granddaughter and over the next 6 lives, he never did. The 8th Doctor finally fulfills the promise and returns to an Earth decades after the Dalek invasion and where his Susan has grown from the screaming, ankle twisting, child he left behind. Susan's mission to end decades of xenophobia stemming from the Dalek invasion is complicated by her own secret alien heritage and a son who doesn't realize that he has a little bit of Gallifrey in his family tree and is falling in with an anti-alien crowd. Susan believes that their are worlds out there who are willing to help Earth out of society seemingly still in shambles from the Dalek occupation. All the beats that fans would want and deserve play out without seeming predictable and unoriginal. You hear the wonder in Susan's voice as she realizes that her beloved grandfather is now not only younger than her but has been burning through regenerations like a suicidal arsonist. "Eight? How did you manage that? That's just throwing them away!" she says. McGann and Carole Ann Ford have amazing chemistry and the moment when they are reunited is truly magical. From the exploration of Susan's mixed feelings about being left behind to the teen angsty story line of Alex, The Doctor's Great Grandson there was so much that could have torpedoed this story but yet it somehow all works. Is it a great story? No but it is one that the fans have been wanting for years and Big Finish didn't mess it up. Showing that his father isn't the only thespian in the family, the role of The Doctor's great grandson is played by Jake McGann