Doctor Who: 10 Reasons Big Finish Is Better Than The TV Series
6. The Doctor's Development
As long term listeners will know, Paul McGanns Eighth Doctor has been well and truly transformed by the time Dark Eyes rolls around, though the changes in his character have been ongoing and subtly executed throughout the course of his audio adventures. McGann has now been playing the coveted part since 1996 (on and off) and pretty much constantly since 2001s Storm Warning. While he remains as Doctorly as ever, theres a real sense that he is constantly being tested by his experiences and his actions in future stories have been directly altered and inspired by the events of his immediate past. As such, the Eighth Doctor is a completely different man at the end of each series than he was at the start - a sense that hasn't always been conveyed in the TV show. What's more, it has made for one of the most developed and explored versions of the Doctor to date, which is largely down to Big Finish's ambitious scriptwriting team but also McGanns dedication to the role is a huge contributing factor. He has managed to turn an often forgotten Doctor into one of the most intriguing incarnations of them all which is no mean feat considering he was only given one proper crack at the whip on screen. The overwhelming response to his return in last year's The Night of the Doctor mini-episode only affirmed the admiration he has earned from the show's legion of fans.
