News Return of the Curator (Big Finish)

[Turtletrekker]

Tom Baker returns as the mysterious Curator, first seen in the 50th anniversary adventure, The Day of the Doctor.

https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/...knrMll8G2iuddo0u5CSDeGcJMKRrTAadGIPS-VQq35Eg0

 

[Captaindemotion]

Stranded in Baker Street, oh very droll.

I don’t follow BF, but as a general observation, I think it would be a bad idea to reveal too much about the character. I liked the mystery surrounding him and the fact that we could all have our own interpretations of who and what he was.

 

[thribs]

Sounds interesting. I wasn’t particularly interested in this since it’s set on boring Earth but I may give it a listen now.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Honestly, I'm shocked it took Big Finish this long to bring in The Curator!

Sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Plus, I'm thrilled to see more adventures of The Eighth Doctor with Liv and Helen. Liv has become my favorite Big Finish companion not named Evelyn.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I don’t follow BF, but as a general observation, I think it would be a bad idea to reveal too much about the character. I liked the mystery surrounding him and the fact that we could all have our own interpretations of who and what he was.

Agreed, and the Tom Baker quotes I've seen about this make it sound like the story will be very elusive about who and what the Curator is.

 

[kirk55555]

While not just about The Curator specifically, I do want to say that I'm tired of Doctor Who never answering anything interesting about The Doctor. A character doesn't have to be 100% mysterious to be enjoyable, would it actually kill the franchise to give some definitive answers? Doctor Who is not going to lose popularity because they, as a random example, name some of the kids The Doctor had before leaving galifrey (which several Doctors have mentioned having, and susan's existence would confirm anyway). To be fair, some people have tried that and its gone terribly (those stupid fucking looms and the cartmel masterplan), but its still something I'd like to see eventually.

In the same way, I'd be really interested in a story that explains The Curator. Not from Big Finish really, but as a general thing. Same with other mysterious elements like who/what The Valeyard actually is (this I'd like to see from actual canon, since I'm sure BF mentioned this in the DW The Last Adventure set and I've just forgotten).

 

[matthunter]

Actually, there's more about the Curator in the novelization of Day of the Doctor, which seeing as Moffatt wrote it is going to be as close to Word of God even if it can be overwritten canon-wise.

Spoiler

The Curator creates "The Doctor Papers" to chronicle the events but gets slapdash as the deadline approaches and ends up having to narrate directly. He also "gets up to all sorts of mischief" with the Brigadier while the latter is in his final days, including games of Risk where the Brig always plays the Daleks which the Curator finds most unfair. He hangs out with Ohila too and asks her about the potion she gave Eight to allow him to regenerate into the War Doctor - she reveals it was just lemonade and dry ice for effect and he really just needed the excuse.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I haven't read the novelization but I like those details, particularly about the Brig.

 

[Timby]

While not just about The Curator specifically, I do want to say that I'm tired of Doctor Who never answering anything interesting about The Doctor. A character doesn't have to be 100% mysterious to be enjoyable, would it actually kill the franchise to give some definitive answers? Doctor Who is not going to lose popularity because they, as a random example, name some of the kids The Doctor had before leaving galifrey (which several Doctors have mentioned having, and susan's existence would confirm anyway). To be fair, some people have tried that and its gone terribly (those stupid fucking looms and the cartmel masterplan), but its still something I'd like to see eventually.

Because we don't need to know the Doctor's definitive biography. It was stupid as hell when they tried to give the Master a backstory with The Sound of Drums, it was stupid as hell when Moffat blew a whole season jerking off about the Doctor's name. The Doctor is an eccentric alien from Gallifrey who travels through space and time in a magic box with one or more companions, usually human, and frequently winds up in trouble. That's all that matters.

 

[David cgc]

I haven't read the novelization but I like those details, particularly about the Brig.

Spoiler

There's also a cute line where the Curator mentions Alistair always told Kate she was his only visitor, so she'd come by more, even if the Curator was still hiding in the room (also explaining why that nurse told the Doctor that he'd never visited; you can tell Moffat is one of us by the easy and casual waving away of continuity errors).

I really have to recommend the Day of the Doctor novelization. It's one of the best examples of the form I've ever read, certainly in the past couple decades where they've gotten all locked down by the movie studios.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Thanks for the recommendation. Maybe I'll track it down.

Problem is I'm too busy reading so many others right now. Currently reading Una McCormack's Picard: The Last Best Hope, which I had to interrupt my reading of Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed so I could read it quickly.

 

[Saul]

Is this the first time for Paul Mcgann and Tom Baker to work together? Sounds pretty darn wonderful to me.
Big finish owns my nerdgasms.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Is this the first time for Paul Mcgann and Tom Baker to work together? Sounds pretty darn wonderful to me.
Big finish owns my nerdgasms.

They did work together in The Light at the End. It was an excellent pairing.