Big Finish questions

[mythme]

I'll admit, aside from a few #8 adventures, I haven't delved heavily into Big Finish (yet. Its been "bubbling" in me for a while; its just the sheer number of audios to explore which is daunting. And with its line branching out to companions, Torchwood, etc. it shows no sign of slowing).

I was just wondering, how does Big Finish actually operate? Do they just (politely) ask Doctor Who alumni to participate? (I know they were asking Tom Baker for quite some time before he agreed.) Is it a matter of writing adventures after such agreements or do they write them beforehand in the hopes the actors will agree (granted they have MOST of the surviving a classic Who actors now). Do they send the actors the scripts and need the "stars'" ok before production commences, or are they (Davidson, T & C Baker, McCoy, McGann, etc) under some sort of contract? What kind of revenue does Big Finish take in and what kind of percentage do the actors get? In other words, just how lucrative is Big Finish? As I said, its range is expansive and complex. In the States, audio "books" don't sell well nowadays. Is the market that much different in the UK?

And just sheer speculation, now that Tennant, Tate and Kingston (even Hurt!) seem to have signed on, what are the chances of Smith, Agyemen, Piper, Gillan, etc? (I'm sure Capaldi will when the time comes.) And is it beyond hope for Eccelston?

 

[NightJim]

The general hope is that Eccelston will be another Tom Baker. He'll say no for years but eventually come round. As for the rest, I think it's only a matter of time before they'll sign on at some point. Agyemen's most likely the next (also Noel Clarke who's already done Dalek Empire 4).

Personally I feel Smith might be a few years down the line. The way he left I get the impression he needs to do other things. Let him get Who out of his system. Then again, if they convince Gillan and Darvill (again someone who has already recorded for BF) Smith would probably sign on just to work with those two again.

I know back when Big Finish started they struggled to get McGann, and only expected to get something like 4-8 recordings out of him (due to how they're recorded) but he enjoyed the experience so much he kept coming back. That gives me the impression that maybe they pitch a set of stories to the actors, but that's speculation.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Mythe, everyone has an Agent. BF badgers the agent, and the agent thinks about whether they pass on the information, because they know their clients state of mind.

Coincidentally Janet Fielding and Wendy Padbury both worked as agents after who.



It's the mixing of "old" and "new" that I want to "hear" not so much the "new" taking over.

 

[Christopher]

I was just wondering, how does Big Finish actually operate? Do they just (politely) ask Doctor Who alumni to participate? (I know they were asking Tom Baker for quite some time before he agreed.)

I have no firsthand knowledge, but I'm sure it's like any other paying job for an actor -- they contact the actor's agent and offer them a contract, and if the actor is interested and available, they negotiate terms. Or the actor asks their agent to contact Big Finish and offer their services, depending on the actor.

Is it a matter of writing adventures after such agreements or do they write them beforehand in the hopes the actors will agree (granted they have MOST of the surviving a classic Who actors now).

Writers have to be paid too, so I doubt they'd commission the writing of scripts that they didn't know they'd be able to use. Although if they have an in-house writing staff, they might develop a variety of story premises that they'd have ready to take to full script if the right actors agree to sign on. Or a writer might sell them a premise that could be adapted to available Doctors as needed.

 

[StCoop]

What kind of revenue does Big Finish take in and what kind of percentage do the actors get? In other words, just how lucrative is Big Finish?

They're not amateur productions like those Star Trek fan films, it's a professional business, they're not going to be handing out that sort of information out! And they do a lot more than just Doctor Who; Blake's 7, The Avengers, The Prisoner, Dark Shadows etc. plus stuff that they produce for other people, like all the Warhammer audiobooks.

It's fair to say that nobody gets rich working for them but at the same time it doesn't actually take that much time to record, basically a CD's worth of material a day. By all accounts they have an excellent reputation within the British acting industry, which is how they end up with people like David Warner, whose CV speaks for itself, regularly turning up.

 

[StCoop]

Coincidentally Janet Fielding and Wendy Padbury both worked as agents after who.

Janet was Paul McGann's agent and Wendy helped Matt Smith get his career started!

 

[Astra]

They're not amateur productions like those Star Trek fan films, it's a professional business, they're not going to be handing out that sort of information out! And they do a lot more than just Doctor Who; Blake's 7, The Avengers, The Prisoner, Dark Shadows etc. plus stuff that they produce for other people, like all the Warhammer audiobooks.

Torchwood as well, we are very happy that after many years in limbo we finally get new stuff in this fandom. The second episode came just out today.