The Four Doctors.

[23skidoo]

Tom Baker has tentatively agreed to do Big Finish audios and Nicholas Briggs working on several scripts to send to him. I think the first one is done or close to it. Reportedly, Baker has been bugging Briggs about seeing the script. Plus Sladen and Jameson have expressed interest in working with Baker again.

What's your source for this? None of the news pages are reporting it. There was a report about 6 months ago that Tom Baker was in discussions with Big Finish, but it was quashed because Tom was committed to BBC Audio. Actually, most of what's here seems to be taken from that early report. The last official word is nothing has been arranged or discussed formally. However as Baker has broken the ice with the two BBC Audio arcs he's done so far, it does mean he's open to doing more. But if BBC Audio wants him for a third arc, then he won't likely be doing Big Finish.

If that's the case, why haven't they done any Companion Chronicles with her? They did an ongoing series called Sarah Jane (which was before the Companion Chronicles started) prior to the show, but once the show started, Sladen stopped doing anything with Big Finish.

And that's why. She has a TV series. There's no need for her to do any audios for Big Finish. And as for audio dramas she's recording ones for BBC Audio based upon The Sarah Jane Adventures. As noted, if BF gets Tom Baker to come on board, then she'd do it. Otherwise, why bother? The whole idea of the Companion Chronicles was to reintroduce companions previously unfeatured in Big Finish in their original forms - Romana I, Jo Grant, Ian Chesterton, Zoe Heriot, Sara Kingdom. More recently they've expanded this a bit to include more commonly heard companions such as Evelyn Smythe, Peri Brown and Benny Summerfield. Sarah Jane was already well covered with her own series, and with the TV series even more so.

That said, a more likely scenario is a BBC Audio story arc featuring Sarah Jane and the Doctor, IMO.

One sign to watch for might be if Richard Franklin does a Companion Chronicle as Mike Yates. If he does (and he's been conspicuous by his absence in the series), then that might mean BBC Audio is loosening the strings a bit.

Alex

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Tom Baker has tentatively agreed to do Big Finish audios and Nicholas Briggs working on several scripts to send to him. I think the first one is done or close to it. Reportedly, Baker has been bugging Briggs about seeing the script. Plus Sladen and Jameson have expressed interest in working with Baker again.

What's your source for this? None of the news pages are reporting it. There was a report about 6 months ago that Tom Baker was in discussions with Big Finish, but it was quashed because Tom was committed to BBC Audio. Actually, most of what's here seems to be taken from that early report. The last official word is nothing has been arranged or discussed formally. However as Baker has broken the ice with the two BBC Audio arcs he's done so far, it does mean he's open to doing more. But if BBC Audio wants him for a third arc, then he won't likely be doing Big Finish.

It's been mentioned in numerous places. It was formally announced on Big Finish's website and I think on Tom Baker's site as well. Big Finish producers and writers regularly post in the audio plays forum at Gallifrey Base and have confirmed slow progress on the project. Lastly, Nicholas Briggs has regularly teased listeners on the project in Big Finish's mini-magazine, Vortex. In December's issue, he mentioned that he's working on the final rewrites for the first script. Several issues earlier (I don't recall which one), Briggs mentioned Tom Baker has been bugging him about seeing a script.

If that's the case, why haven't they done any Companion Chronicles with her? They did an ongoing series called Sarah Jane (which was before the Companion Chronicles started) prior to the show, but once the show started, Sladen stopped doing anything with Big Finish.

And that's why. She has a TV series. There's no need for her to do any audios for Big Finish. And as for audio dramas she's recording ones for BBC Audio based upon The Sarah Jane Adventures. As noted, if BF gets Tom Baker to come on board, then she'd do it. Otherwise, why bother? The whole idea of the Companion Chronicles was to reintroduce companions previously unfeatured in Big Finish in their original forms - Romana I, Jo Grant, Ian Chesterton, Zoe Heriot, Sara Kingdom. More recently they've expanded this a bit to include more commonly heard companions such as Evelyn Smythe, Peri Brown and Benny Summerfield. Sarah Jane was already well covered with her own series, and with the TV series even more so.

I don't see how any of that should stop her from doing Companion Chronicles. All of the actors have busy schedules which is often noted at Gallifrey Base, in the liner notes for the audio plays, in Vortex issues, and in the interview extras. On a creative level, they've done CC's for Turlough, Peri, Nyssa, and Ace, so no problem there. Before the recent talk of Tom Baker finally joining on, Lalla Ward, Mary Tamm, and Louise Jameson have all done multiple CC's, so no reason for not Sladen. If there's a good story to be told, then why not have Sladen do a CC?

One sign to watch for might be if Richard Franklin does a Companion Chronicle as Mike Yates. If he does (and he's been conspicuous by his absence in the series), then that might mean BBC Audio is loosening the strings a bit.

Actually, Yates did do a Third Doctor Companion Chronicle called The Magician's Oath.

 

[Rarewolf]

Worth noting there's been no problem using Jo Grant despite her TV appearance, and the Sontarans are making their Big Finish debut in a 3 months or so.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Sarah Jane? Tick!
Harry... Ian's dead.
Leela? TICK!
K9? Tick! Tick! Tick! Tick?
Romana? Tick! Tick!
Adrik? ...Manuel from Fawlty Towers actually... Half a tick?
Nyssa? Tick!
Tegan? TICK!

Yup.

Just about everyone.

Yeah, but I've gotten the impression that Tom Baker & Lalla Ward haven't spoken since their divorce 20+ years ago. So that puts a kibosh on Romana II.

I've also gotten the impression that Matthew Waterhouse still has hard feelings towards Tom Baker for treating him like an absolute dick back when they were on the show together.

As for Nyssa & Tegan, where in the 4th Doctor's timeline could that possibly fit in?!?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Story I heard once upon a time... it's almost certainly as told by Tom Baker to a crowd of fanboys but that hardly accertains that it is a true story.

Tom Baker was out having Dinner, he snaps his fingers to the waiter signalling that he is ready for the cheque, The waiter alleviates the tall actors concerns about the bill, since another kind patron sitting at a table nearby had opted to pay for Tom's meal. For some reason this rubbed Mr Baker the wrong the way. He growls to the waiter "Which one?" The waiter, fearful or losing his tip, points out he generous yet it would seem foolish individual for the former doctor who to raise his voice towards with great volume "How dare you! HOW DARE YOU! What are you? Some sort of LEMMING?" The thunderstruck diner is perplexed by the attack, but then not nearly recovered, with a meek squeak replies to the lion like figure embodied by teeth and framed by curls: "No sir, I'm a Baker. Hello Dad."

One of the kids he had with Lalla, now (then) all grown up.

 

[VDCNI]

I'm not a big listener to Big Finish but I'd definitely buy a 4th Doctor/Leela story.

No interest in Sarah Jane in the slightest given that we have the TV show.

Good to see that Janet Fielding has agreed to do another 5th Doctor/Tegan/Nyssa/Turlough trilogy.

 

[OmahaStar]

Good to see that Janet Fielding has agreed to do another 5th Doctor/Tegan/Nyssa/Turlough trilogy.

Since they're getting Tegan, Nyssa, and Five together again, why not do a few with them and Adric? As far as I remember, there's only been one Adric story, and it was with someone else playing an alternate version of the character.

 

[VDCNI]

Well he lives in the US so it may be tricky to get him over (they mentioned how difficult it was to get the others together as is)

Plus I get the feeling Fielding, Davison & Sutton actually like Mark Strickson - not sure they are so fond of Waterhouse. The original trilogy was Strickson's idea after all.

And for all we know Waterhouse isn't interested in doing it.

 

[Rarewolf]

One of the kids he had with Lalla, now (then) all grown up.

Lalla's never had children of her own; though she is stepmother to Richard Dawkins' daughter.

She did used to babysit a certain Alexander Siddig though.

The boy concerned would be Peirs, born in the early 60s.

And for all we know Waterhouse isn't interested in doing it.

He isn't. They've asked, but he no longer wishes to play a teenager. He nearly did a cameo as a timelord though.

He did commentaries for most of his stories, with Peter, Janet and Sarah.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Watching as a 5 year ( I clearly remember my obsession) old, Adrik was like some sort of god. I mean he was still a kid, a teen, (I actually remember trying to work out in my head what "teen" meant around about that stage in my life while watching Scoobie Doo.), he had the math Skills and he stood up to evil daily.

As an adult, I saw clearly that he was a punk in over his head who lasted about 8 episodes longer than he should have. I don't mean the actor, I mean the character, it's a miracle he lasted that long without getting strangled by a homicidal robot.

Though, I've never heard a bad word about Matthew.

 

[Guy Gardener]

One of the kids he had with Lalla, now (then) all grown up.

Lalla's never had children of her own; though she is stepmother to Richard Dawkins' daughter.

She did used to babysit a certain Alexander Siddig though.

The boy concerned would be Peirs, born in the early 60s.

And for all we know Waterhouse isn't interested in doing it.

He isn't. They've asked, but he no longer wishes to play a teenager. He nearly did a cameo as a timelord though.

He did commentaries for most of his stories, with Peter, Janet and Sarah.

I clearly, clearly, clearly said that that what I was saying was only most certainly a story before I started.

 

[Rarewolf]

Actually it's true! I think Piers has been interviewed at some point. They flew him over as surprise guest for Tom's This is your Life.

 

[ClayinCA]

Though, I've never heard a bad word about Matthew.

I don't mean anything bad by this, but you haven't been looking very hard - virtually any DWM interview with Waterhouse's co-stars in which his name comes up and you'll hear plenty of things. Lalla Ward in particular has very little good to say about him.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Though, I've never heard a bad word about Matthew.

I don't mean anything bad by this, but you haven't been looking very hard - virtually any DWM interview with Waterhouse's co-stars in which his name comes up and you'll hear plenty of things. Lalla Ward in particular has very little good to say about him.

It's too bad that his legendary turn in Hamlet has been lost to history. I've read some reviews -- Phillip Purser-Hallard quotes one here -- and you have to wonder what Waterhouse was thinking. (I'm not sure if the director Nicholas Pegg is the same Nicholas Pegg who wrote for Big Finish and has worked as a Dalek operator on the new Doctor Who, but given the nature of Who fandom it wouldn't surprise me.)

And yes, Lalla Ward has said on a number of occasions that Waterhouse would tell directors what to do. He was also known to tell veteran actors how to perform.

 

[Guy Gardener]

All 15 year olds are assholes though.

Ah, but I see from imdb that he turned twenty midpoint in his who tenure.

Still.

Most 20 year olds are assholes.

I don't think children become completely human till their mid 40s.

 

[Stevil2001]

I found the excerpts of his (third-person, for some reason) memoir in DWM ferociously awful.

Going back to the topic of The Four Doctors, I wrote a review.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Great review, Steve. Out of curiosity, what was the line at the end that gave you the biggest laugh?

 

[Stevil2001]

Spoiler: The Four Doctors

The fifth, sixth, and seventh Doctors all appear in the eighth Doctor's TARDIS, and the sixth makes a comment about how it looks terrible, and the eighth fires back that he has little room to talk about appearances of any sort. I forget the exact wording.

 

[OmahaStar]

Spoiler: The Four Doctors

The fifth, sixth, and seventh Doctors all appear in the eighth Doctor's TARDIS, and the sixth makes a comment about how it looks terrible, and the eighth fires back that he has little room to talk about appearances of any sort. I forget the exact wording.

That's just wrong on so many levels! Hmph!

 

[Rarewolf]

(I'm not sure if the director Nicholas Pegg is the same Nicholas Pegg who wrote for Big Finish and has worked as a Dalek operator on the new Doctor Who, but given the nature of Who fandom it wouldn't surprise me.)

Yes he is the same one. Nick (and Barnaby Edwards) first who Credit was as Daleks for the 30th Anniversary Documentary 30 Years In The TARDIS, so its that that got them the new series role, rather than any Big Finish connection.

Two of the other New Series Daleks have Big Finish credits too - in fact the whole of the Cult Of Skaro are Big Finish!