More so than the main series, the Big Finish audios have the ability to utterly surprise their listeners. While the TV show has to make a song and dance about whats coming up, who the next Doctor and companion are going to be and which villains they'll be facing, the joy of the audio series is that they are not bound by almighty contracts or the kind of please-everyone media blitz that surrounds the franchise's televisual adventures. As such, Big Finish have the leg room required in order to experiment with the scope and style of its stories. Situation Vacant comes to mind as a good example of this. It's the kind of story you could never get away with on TV with its unusual structure and bizarre premise featuring the Doctor advertising for a new companion. Big Finish can also risk doing things to their cast that defy expectations, such as Lucie Millers exit and re-appearance in Series 4. This, more than anything, is the essence of Big Finish - taking the Doctor and his companions to places that could never be effectively realised on screen whilst telling stories that are far too complex or ambitious for its limited TV budget, reminding us along the way that the Time Lord's world stretches far beyond the constricted realms of Saturday night teatime drama. And with Dark Eyes 4 imminent, it looks like the fun is only just beginning... What do you think of this list and of the Big Finish audio adventures? Do you think they achieve things the TV series doesn't, or vice versa? Share your opinions in the comments below.
