Big Finish announce COMPANION CHRONICLES day~!

[Anthony Williams]

From the Big Finish website:

Big Finish has announced that Saturday October 22 is Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles Day, when – for one day only – the first season of the audio series will be available at massively discounted prices, only from www.bigfinish.com.

Each individual CD can be purchased from the website for £5.00, while the entire season of four stories is just £16.00.

“The Companion Chronicles has been a success story for us,” says executive producer Jason Haigh-Ellery, “and this one-day sale should allow those who’ve never heard one to jump aboard and find out what the fuss is about. Sadly, due to contractual reasons, we’re only able to offer this first series on CD – there will be no downloads of the stories.”

Season One of the Companion Chronicles comprises the following adventures:

1.1 Frostfire
Written by Marc Platt
Performed by Maureen O’Brien as Vicki, with Keith Drinkel
Vicki has a tale to tell. But where does it start and when does it end?

1.2 Fear of the Daleks
Written by Patrick Chapman
Performed by Wendy Padbury as Zoe, with Nicholas Briggs as the Daleks
Why has Zoe Heriot been having nightmares about the Daleks? And who is the Doctor, a mysterious man from her past?

1.3 The Blue Tooth
Written by Nigel Fairs
Performed by Caroline John as Liz Shaw, with Nicholas Briggs as the Cybermen
When Liz Shaw's friend goes missing, she discovers a potential alien invasion that will have far-reaching effects on her life…

1.4 The Beautiful People
Written by Jonathan Morris
Performed by Lalla Ward as Romana, with Marcia Ashton as Carna
The Fourth Doctor and Romana discover that all is not well at the Vita Novus Health Spa.

Well, it sounds to me like a lovely way to give these audios a try - at a fiver each (or four quid each if you buy the lot), it's not a disaster if I don't like them!

Will anyone else be partaking in this BARGAIN!?

[SiHart]

I could be tempted. I like the companions in this series, so it's worth a shot!

[Anthony Williams]

Indeed! At at 16 pounds, it's an absolute bargain for all four!

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I would be if I didn't already own them. Oh well hopefully there'll be Jago and Litefoot day sometime although I suspect those are selling well enough not to need it.

Heartily recommend all four, the first three were particularly good - If I had to choose a favourite it would probably be Frostfire as Maureen is superb and her interplay with Keith Drinkel is really well done.
As to the fourth one I would suggest that if you're more of a fan of the Douglas Adams era of Who (which I'm not really) then you'll probably enjoy it slightly more than I did.

[SiHart]

Oh I'll probably love the last one then, being a big fan of that era.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

It occurs to me that I haven't heard these for more than four years so might give them a relisten. I can't remember if there was something specific that didn't gel about The Beautiful People as it doesn't seem to resonate as strongly in my memory as the other three but I don't think I actively disliked it. Just that I remember enjoying the first three more.

[Si Hunt]

I will be getting these. Annoyingly I've just bought "Frostfire" but I need the other three. So I'll probably get all of them, given that the price for four is only £1 more than the price for three and the copy of "Frostfire" I got was off Ebay and a bit manky.

Am I still talking?

Si.

[Nyder]

I think this is a good a time as any to dip my toe into the BF universe!

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

One thing I will say about The Blue Tooth is don't let Caroline John's impersonations of the Third Doctor and The Brig put you off...
the various companions slightly different takes on their Doctors (William Russell and Frazer Hines do uncanny impersonations of the First and Second Doctors for example) are what add to the charm of the Companion Chronicles for me. Also they provide a nice opportunity to tell stories that wouldn't necessarily work as well in full cast plays.

[Anthony Williams]

Just a quick reminder to all that this is going on TODAY~!

The link is here: http://sale.bigfinish.com/

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Yay! Someone beat me to it. I should've posted before going to bed last night / in the small hours

Big Finish have also released a Companion Chronicles Day Special Podcast

[SiHart]

I've ordered them. Shhh! Don't tell Steve!

[Nyder]

Hope Steve's not done the same!

[SiHart]

We'll be OK there... he doesn't like spending money, particularly on Big Finish!

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Big Finish have also released a Companion Chronicles Day Special Podcast

I'm listening to the podcast right now. Just one hour left to get these four stories at bargain price!

[Rob McCow]

Oh! Oh! So I don't like spending money do I? I'll have you know I bought a CD last week! Hah! So ner!

It wasn't Big Finish though.

Sent from my LT15i using Tapatalk

[SiHart]

Well I'm sorry I mentioned it!

[SiHart]

Well, two have arrived and I've listened to them...

The Beautiful People was very Season 17- great fun and a lovely premise for a story- a fat farm that hides a terrible secret. Lalla does a great job reading this, and she is especially good at the cliffhangers, which really sell the urgent terror of the prose so well that i could see very clearly how they would have been realised.
While that was fine, i could have done without the little in-jokes- references to Hitch Hikers, Douglas Adams, Richard Dawkins and the reuse of lines from City of Death. They seemed a bit self indulgent to me and it wouldn't have hurt for them not to have been there quite frankly.

Frostfire was the better of the two. It had a really creepy atmosphere and was really well written and really well narrated by Maureen O'Brien. Although it was obviously not a Hartnell story they could have told at the time, it felt perfectly in keeping with early Season 3, with a very plucky Vicki, a still slightly sceptical Steven and a rather loveable first Doctor, who still has that steel about him when necessary. I liked the circular nature of the story and the hints of Vicki's life with Troilus which felt just right. Really good!

[Anthony Williams]

Frostfire and The Beautiful People arrived at Chez Williams this morning... I do wonder why they're sending them out only two at a time, though!

[SiHart]

Apparently the other two are currently out of stock.

[Anthony Williams]

Oh that makes sense, then. Shame, though!

[Anthony Williams]

Ah! And simply looking at the documentation that came with the CDs would've told me that in the first place. D'oh!

[SiHart]

well, I didn't like to mention that Ant...

[Anthony Williams]

well, I didn't like to mention that Ant...

I blame the medication I'm on at the moment!

[Si Hunt]

Same here. It's encouraging they've been so popular... maybe they'll do a similar thing for Series Two/any other CD's that haven't sold well at some point?

Si.