With a new voice actor in the lead, Big Finish have launched a new series of Eleventh Doctor adventures.
So far, Matt Smith has yet to succumb to the lure of reprising his Doctor – he’s busy flying dragons and filming Star Wars. However, producers Big Finish continue to make audio dramas set in his Doctor Who era.
From 2018, actor Jacob Dudman appeared as the Doctor across six volumes of The Eleventh Doctor Chronicles. Now he’s moved on from the role, and the company have rebooted the range as a series of download-only boxsets. Miles Taylor leads The Eleventh Doctor Adventures, with at his side as new companion Jasmine Bayes.
The Final Cut
The adventures begin with Eleanor’s introduction, and she’s a vastly different proposition from this Doctor’s other companions. As the head of a 1990’s Hong Kong based tech company, she’s both more mature and independently minded than either Amy or Clara. Eleanor ia also the creator of an impossibly advanced memory editing process, with considerable resources at her disposal – including the ability to lock the Doctor up!
Lisa McMullin writes, from a story by Max Kashevsky, with plenty of local colour in an unusual setting and sparks flying between the two leads.
The Tourist Trap
Eleanor’s first TARDIS trip brings her to the future. The Doctor took Amy and Rory to Space Florida but here, on his return, the resort has seen better days. Low on power with all its systems frozen, all that remains is Ray – the resort’s slightly manic AI concierge. The story also develops elements of ‘The Beast Below’, picking up on the fate of vessels fleeing the solar flares ravaging the Earth.
Beth Axford’s story presents an intriguing mystery full of spectacle and peril as the pair work unravel the mystery. It also allows Eleanor to dig a little into the Doctor’s history and learn about him.
In the guest cast, David Kendal is hilarious as Ray, sounding like a spiritual successor to the Hitchhikers’ Guide’s Eddie.
A Delusion of Witches
The boxset concludes with a more serious affair, as the pair become embroiled in the Salem witch trials. The Doctor and Eleanor arrive to witness one of the trials, his curiosity peeked as the accused is not someone who history records as a victim.
There’s a line to be trodden with historical events, especially those entwined with tragedy, and Lisa McMullin does so expertly. The story also serves to teach Eleanor the lessons of time travel, and when they can and can’t interfere.
In the guest cast, Becky Wright is tremendous as the wrongly accused Mary Morton, while Barnaby Edwards is fun as Crowling, the villain of the piece.
In Summary
Across the boxset, Miles Taylor is a remarkable Eleventh Doctor while Jasmine Bayes gives him a run for his money as the whip-smart, sophisticated Eleanor Fong. Working to a set of strong scripts, he clearly has a handle on the character and it’s easy to close your eyes and imagine it’s Matt Smith in the role. Set after Series 12, we find the Doctor treading lightly in the universe, burned by the lengths that his enemies will go to take him down.
Like any onscreen season, the three stories see Eleanor get to grips with the Doctor and his life. More adult than previous companions, she’s used to being a person that people listen to which makes for a fresh dynamic. She’s also less charmed by his tendency to waffle and obfuscate, and has a good line in sarcastic asides too.
The First Question is a great is a solid start for this new Doctor/companion pairing. It will be great to see where they go next!
Miles Taylor and Jasmine Bayes have also recorded a Q&A session for Big Finish.
Doctor Who – The Eleventh Doctor Adventures: The First Question is available to download from Big Finish now.
The next boxset for this TARDIS team has already been announced as August brings us Hidden in Plain Sight.
The Doctor has a new companion, Eleanor Fong, and he’s ready to show her the universe. But on her first trip to an alien planet, Eleanor encounters an old foe of the Doctor’s…
The Judoon, rhino-headed space police for hire, have established jurisdiction over the planet Hefestis, and the locals aren’t happy about it. When the time travellers arrive and are mistaken for detectives from the Shadow Proclamation, they quickly become wanted – and their pursuers aren’t known for taking prisoners peacefully.
And, in the volume’s third episode, an old friend tries to get involved in a key moment in the Doctor’s life – his death.
Joining Miles Taylor and Jasmine Bayes, the guest cast includes Louis Davison, Julie Teal and Alan Cox. Plus, Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Judoon.
Doctor Who – The Eleventh Doctor Adventures: Hidden in Plain Sight is now available to pre-order as a digital download to own for just £19.99, exclusively from Big Finish.