Recommendations from the Worlds of Big Finish!
The Worlds of Big Finish is out now, bringing together seven heroes to face one deadly threat! To celebrate, we have special offers on all the ranges crossing over; and we've asked the Big Finish team to recommend their favourite releases!
We gathered together the very people who helped to build the Worlds of Big Finish, to recommend their favourite titles featured in this weekend's special offer. But with over 100 titles on offer across our Bernice Summerfield, Sherlock Holmes, Dorian Gray, Vienna, Graceless and Iris Wildthyme ranges, some of our contributors found it to hard to choose just one!
Check out the recommendations below. Straight off the bat is Executive Producer Nicholas Briggs.
'My favourite release would have to be the Doctor Who: The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield box set. We have Benny, our first ever Big Finish hero, back alongside the Doctor and Ace, with Daleks and a time twisting plot that will keep you guessing until the last moments. Great fun with a really fresh, new approach'.
'Graceless: Series 1', chooses fellow Executive Produer and Big Finish founder Jason Haigh-Ellery, 'A great opportunity to do something different for Big Finish, a female centric show which pushes the envelope with regards to content and style and features fantastic performances from our two leading ladies Ciara Janson and Laura Doddington.'
Vortex editor Kenny Smith agrees with Jason's suggestion."I love Graceless. What's not to like? Brought to life by a pair of fantastic actresses, we have two beautiful young women in Abby and Zara, who possess amazing, limitless powers... With a range of different stories in completely diverse settings, and brilliant guest casts, it's right up my street."
Line-Producer David Richardson also has his sights set on a Big Finish beauty.
'My choice is Doctor Who: The Shadow Heart, which first gave us the wonderful Chase Masterson as Vienna Salvatore. A spin-off series was a no-brainer from the moment she stepped into the studio, as she blew us away as the glamorous mercenary. A pilot episode and two box sets later, it's almost impossible to imagine Big Finish without her.'
Elsewhere, from a dark room filled with top-secret Torchwood scripts, producer James Goss raises a Gin and Tonic to trans-temporal adventuress Iris Wildthyme.
'I remember how much I loved her in Paul Magrs' books, the delight that she would be appearing in Doctor Who: Excelis Dawns, and then the bemusement when they said “Played by Katy Manning”. Because I though how could sweet Jo Grant sound anything like Iris? I remember listening to that first play with astonishment and instant love. Katy is superb, and with Iris Wildthyme she teaches you that very firm lesson that acting is about so much more than putting on a voice.'
And the praise for Iris is echoed from the Big Finish offices. 'I love Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles – The Elixir of Doom!' says download champion Sue Cowley, 'It's easy to forget this is mostly Katy Manning talking to herself. She's on top form as both Iris and Jo Grant (or should that be Jones?) in a cracking story from Paul Magrs!'.
'What's not to like? It's got Katy Manning and a time travelling bus in it!' adds designer Mark Plastow.
Elsewhere, Cavan Scott confessed his love of all things Sherlock Holmes.
'As a certified Holmes nut, I've loved the fact that Big Finish's Great Detective has embraced every type of Sherlockian story. You've got wonderful adaptations (yes, Hound of the Baskervilles I'm looking at you), authentic Conan Doyle pastiches like The Reification of Hans Gerber and even supernatural shenanigans with Holmes tackling Dracula in The Tangled Skein. Something for everyone!'
'I love Sherlock Holmes as well' adds marketing consultant Kris Griffin, 'It may be out work, but we're still fans, and this fan says it's just bleedin' brilliant!'
Sentiments shared by producer Scott Handcock for our Dorian Gray releases. 'I wouldn't normally plump for my own ranges, but The Heart That Lives Alone was the very first script written for Dorian, and the beginning of a long, exciting journey for Alexander Vlahos and I – one that looks set to run well into 2016. As such, it holds a special place in our hearts, and seems to have earned its status as a fan favourite from the very beginning!'
Producers Assistant Joseph Smith may be new, but his choice is an old as you can get. 'I'd have to go right back to the beginning and pick Bernice Summerfield: Oh No It Isn't! - so much of what makes the Worlds of Big Finish so special is in that first release. Crazy aliens, bizarre planets, a brief musical interlude and Nicholas Courtney as a talking cat. And it's all down to one mysterious book...'
And which range would Benny herself, Lisa Bowerman, choose as her favourite?
'Bernice Summerfield!... no Graceless... nope, Bernice Summerfield! First, and last. Because... well, you know...'
You can enjoy great savings on all these titles and more throughout the entire weekend. Click here for more details.
The Worlds of Big Finish, a four disc, six episode set, brings together seven heroes to face a threat from beyond the universe. Order now.