Over a near-20 year career at Big Finish, Scott Handcock has written, produced, directed and acted in over 300 productions, from Dark Shadows to Dark Gallifrey. Vienna to Vam PD, and Dorian Gray to Dracula. As he celebrates his 40th birthday, Scott has selected 40 of his favourite releases, available at 40% off for a limited time. 

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Hurry! These discounts expire at 23:59 (UK time) on 11 November 2024. 

Below, Scott chooses his top 10 and the reasons why these remain his favourite audio adventures at Big Finish: 

Blind Terror: The Gods of Frost

“One of the joys of working at Big Finish is the collaboration you get at every level of production, so when we discovered Eve Myles’s love of horror during our Torchwood recordings, we started working up ideas for an original horror series with James Goss and Guy Adams. The result is dark, eerie, witty, brutal, and Welsh!”

Doctor Who – The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield: Blood and Steel

“My first Big Finish commission was a Bernice Summerfield adventure, The Oracle of Delphi, and so I’m hugely attached to Benny and, of course, Lisa Bowerman. Over the years, I’ve worked across her range in various roles, but directing her adventures with David Warner’s Doctor was always a treat. All are great, but Blood and Steel stands out as something special.”

Cicero Series 1

“A weirdly personal choice here, as I studied Cicero at school and was always fascinated by the man and his rhetoric. It lingered with me for years, and I always had the thought to do something with it. I mentioned the idea to David Llewellyn who got so excited he wrote the pilot, even before we went to Big Finish, which led to a series of political-social drama in ancient Rome.”

Dark Season: Legacy Rising

“I never quite realised the responsibility of reviving a cult TV series on audio until Russell T Davies asked if I’d tackle Dark Season for it’s 30th anniversary. We did the audiobook first, fantastically read by Victoria Lambert, then imagined that world for new adventures 30 years on. Legacy Rising picks up the story with the original cast – and Kate Winslet, no less!”

The Confessions of Dorian Gray: Series 1 and 2

“Dorian’s played such a huge part of my life with Big Finish. In a way, it was the first of the Big Finish Originals, and an experiment to see if there was appetite for non-tie-in drama, and download releases. It covers so many genres – horror, thriller, romance, mystery – all centred on one man: Dorian Gray, brought to life by the impeccable Alexander Vlahos.”

Hamlet

“I love challenging my cast, but this was a case of my cast challenging me! Alexander Vlahos and I had worked so closely on the Dorian Gray range that, when it came to an end, he asked simply: what next? Then he asked to do Hamlet! Not something I ever expected to do, and absolutely terrifying, but it’s a gorgeous production with the most precise and pitch-perfect cast.”

I, Jacobi: In Conversation with Derek Jacobi

“Actors tell the best stories – they share so many in the green room – so having the opportunity to properly sit down with Sir Derek and talk about his life and career was a genuine privilege. If you’re a fan of biographies, this is the release for you. It’s warm, open, honest, cheeky – he’s truly the master storyteller.”

Torchwood: Tropical Beach Sounds and Other Relaxing Seascapes # 4

“I vaguely remember introducing Tim Foley to Big Finish, a good few years back now, and he’s gone on to write so many fantastic releases, including a number for Torchwood. We pitched for a ‘haunted self-help tape’ and it’s one of the oddest and most innovative scripts I’ve ever directed. Plus we got Sir Michael Palin to perform it! ‘You will get your biscuits...’”

The War Master: Killing Time

“Away from Dorian Gray, the other long-standing villain in my life has been Derek Jacobi’s incarnation of the Master. Every box set’s been a joy to work on, but Killing Time leaps out particularly as something special. James Goss and Lou Morgan provide the most delightfully rich scripts, the cast have a blast, and we got to unite Derek with Katy Manning and Sarah Sutton.”

The Year of Martha Jones

“I love Freema Agyeman, so this naturally goes into my Top 10 selection. My first job in television was behind-the-scenes on Doctor Who, during series 3, so this has a huge wave of personal nostalgia for me, and it was a delight to welcome Freema into the Big Finish world – and reunite her with the powerhouse that is Adjoa Andoh as Francine Jones.”