In addition to the scheduled releases, September brought forth a clutch of Short Trips Rarities from the Big Finish archive. Formerly available as subscriber bonuses, these five narrated stories feature adventures for the Doctor and friends, read by some familiar BF voices, and each has been enlivened with fresh artwork from Tom Saunders.

To help you choose which ones to buy, CultBox offers this quick guide…

The Horror At Bletchington Station brings the First Doctor and Dodo to the Victorian era, where something monstrous is terrorising workers on a new railway line and, keen to investigate, the impulsive Dodo becomes involved in a mystery which strikes a little too close to home for the Doctor. Chris Wing’s story is a charming adventure, with a neat and unexpected twist in tale. Fans of Dodo’s adaptive accent might like to note that, in the fine tradition of the show, narrator Stephen Critchlow pitches her as decidedly Brummie… or possibly Scouse.

With Stephen Critchlow again on narration duties, A Home From Home follows Liz Shaw and she mounts a search for the Doctor who has failed to return from a holiday. A relatively short but and sweet tale, writer Nick Wallace gives UNIT’s other scientific advisor a great little mystery to solve as she becomes embroiled in goings-on in the Scottish Highlands.

Andy Lane writes for a solo Fourth Doctor in Only Connect, which casts the Time Lord in the role of both historical researcher and taxi driver as he gives a ride to a young architect on a wet evening. Narrated by John Banks, this is an intriguing look at what the Doctor might get up to between adventures and a meditation on the nature of history; what gets remembered and what gets forgotten.

The Warren Legacy is a clever and satisfying tale by Julian Richards which features the Fourth Doctor and Romana II, as they rescue members of a family who have been threatened by temporal assassins across the centuries. Stephen Critchlow again narrates.

Finally, Jonathan Morris’s Lant Land, narrated by Duncan Wisby, brings the Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Turlough into an off-kilter domestic environment before going on to take a chilling look into our obsession with reality television.

While the regular Short Trips have been recommissioned through to 2020, and promise the first Big Finish adventure to feature the Twelfth Doctor, these Rarities are bargain priced little gems that newer fans may have missed out on.

If you are tempted to dip an ear into the worlds of Doctor Who audio stories, these Short Trips Rarities are an excellent place to start.