He Who Moans: Guide to 8th Doctor Audios Part 1: Storm Warning to Minuet in Hell

[@CroneoRegion]

fun fact, I listened to Minuet in Hell while suffering from a sun stroke. If that's even a fraction of what being on drugs is like, I'm staying off drugs

[@carealoo744]

Good decision! ;)

[@hyperbolicdelirium]

I love sticking needles into myself and watching doctor who

[@deuce5546]

@@hyperbolicdelirium What the fuck?

[@deuce5546]

@@hyperbolicdelirium What the fuck?

[@barry1369]

I actually liked that story

[@iceomistar4302]

Paul Mcgann is such a great actor, he slips into the role so perfectly, I started my 8th Doctor marathon right after watching the TV movie and it works perfectly.

[@jacktaylor3001]

The Ambition of the Charley era is what I find so appealing. I mean in Audio, you can really do anything, things the BBC and even the FOX film could never offer. It was a pure look at the 8th Doctor, unlike we get from the BBC Novels. There are even some parallels. But it is good to see a fellow lover of this series. And Neverland/ Zagreus rocks!

[@BattlestarZenobia]

jacktaylor3001 what do you mean unlike the novels?!

[@alexzander4426]

@@BattlestarZenobia Uh oh. Question mark AND an exclamation point? Let the nerd battle begin! Lol

[@samuelchristie570]

Storm Warning slaps, and it confuses me how little it’s talked about. There’s some awkward expository moments ( Doctor speaking to himself, Charley reading her diary out loud) and the pterodactyl is just kind of there, but the cast is great. Barnaby Edwards, who shows up a lot at Big Finish, has a fantastic voice well used here, and McGanns dulcet tones are wonderful.

[@beepeeps1823]

I recently listened to all of these for the first time and was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed Stones of Venice. Also I enjoyed how the human was the main villain in Minuet in Hell and not the alien.

[@nintendonut100]

Minuet in Hell is way over the top, ultra cheesy, is too long, has too much padding, and is absolutely glorious because of it, it's not taking itself seriously, and it's a fuckload of fun because of it.

[@HerohammerStudios]

I'm so sad that they don't print these older stories on cd anymore. I only own 3 stories from the Charley era, while I own every single one from the Lucie one. So happy I at least managed to pick up the Charley and Sixth Doctor stories before they went out of print as well, so I at least have some Charley representation in my collection

[@Misadventures_85]

Storm Warning (5:07) The Sword of Orion (7:58) The Stones of Venice (10:28) Minuet in Hell (11:54)

[@dominicbreen9851]

I first listened to Sword of Orion when I was about 12 and I thought it was absolutely terrifying and while I still acknowledge it's flaws I still have a serious soft spot for it because of how terrifying it makes the Cybermen

[@randerson1893]

Thank fuck lots of early big finish is on spotify

[@TheJaviferrol]

I liked Minuet in Hell because McGann and Briggs´ scenes and because it has Courtney there as the Brig, with the 8th Doctor for the first time I also though Marchosias voice was pretty cool

[@Stubagful]

TheJaviferrol We seem to be quite rare, I don't know anyone else who likes it. I miss the Brigadier

[@TheJaviferrol]

Courtney was the man. He had an amazing voice. My favourite scene of his in "Battlefield" where he knocks out the Doctor to go and fight The Destroyer because "he was much more expendable". Besides in this one in the end 8 says he is his best friend amongst his best friends. The Doctor´s cell scenes remind me a bit to Hannibal Season 2.

[@SouthPark333Gaming]

***** i love the 8th doctor and charlie i own almost every 8th doctor monthly audio -the girl who never was and scardey cat

[@DrSyn001]

"Minuet in Hell" is one of the worst BF stories EVER. Not just boring but offensively bad.

[@SouthPark333Gaming]

i like it

[@tenacious3911]

I love the early Eighth Doctor and Charley stories, Storm Warning and Sword of Orion are among my favourite Big Finish plays. Storm Warning is experimental but a lot of its innovations work, like having a news report introduce the backstory without infodumping midway through. Sword of Orion isn't the most original piece of Doctor Who media, but its a fun romp.

[@dalekbumps]

This review is not only a really insightful look at the early Charley era, it's also a fascinating time capsule into the mindset of the cynical, ultra-reactionary side of the Doctor Who fandom during the mid-to-late Moffat era of the TV series 6:22 for example, it makes no sense but it's still hilarious Clara's three defining character traits are 1) bossy 2) self-assured 3) loves adventure

[@tinywarfare9109]

Dipped my toes into my first Big Finish audio dramas and started with Storm Warning and Sword of Orion. Enjoyed them both very much. Sword of Orion might not be the most original or surprising, it's still well done. It really does a good job with the ambience and music. Enjoyed Venice, Minuet in Hell not as much. I found the voice acting of the supporting cast just not very good and sometimes ridiculous. Didn't necessarily hate it, but not my favourite. Loved hearing the Brigadier, just don't know if he really belonged in this story.

[@kiltedjohn1000]

i prefer charlie to lucie

[@Blartyboy]

Charley

[@ryanhlfc]

I haven't listened to any Lucie ones yet [I love Sheridan Smith though] but Charley is a great companion!

[@Companion92]

I really like "Minuet in Hell" for some reason :D

[@hyperbolicdelirium]

@@davidvasey5065 I think bcos it’s so wacky that it’s hard not to enjoy it

[@kendraressler4497]

Charley Pollard is my favorite Doctor Who companion. Like you said because she is from the past (relative to the audience listening) she offers a different perspective that most contemporary companions. One of the few companions that broke the mold of contemporary companion was Jamie McCrimmon 18th Century Scottish Highlander, another favorite of mine.

[@thezigster331]

Storm Warning- A lot of fun. Nothing particularly great, but Eight and Charley are a lot of fun to listen to together and I honestly have a huge soft spot for the historical episodes. I wasn't sure about Charley at first since I was spoiled that she would fall in love with the Doctor (I'm really not about that type of companion character), but I did warm up to her really well by the end. Hell, I even shipped the two by the end of Scherzo. That's another story though. 7/10 I suppose. Sword of Orion- I'm pretty meh on this one. There's nothing particularly wrong with it, but I honestly don't enjoy most Cybermen stories. Even on Big Finish (as far as I've listened to anyway, I haven't listened to any of the great ones aside from The Harvest, which was pretty good in my book). I'm more into the Penny Dreadful and cultist type of villains, like The Forge and Vampires and all that stuff. Actually, wouldn't it be cool if Eight and Liv faced off against The Forge at some point? Anyone? 4/10 Stones of Venice- I never listened to this one, but it honestly sounds pretty cool. Its reputation has kind of driven me away from buying it so yeah. No comment. Minuet in Hell- Pretty much agree with you on that one. It's stupid as hell yeah, but I found it a lot of fun. Also the demon/cult-esque premise sucked me in immediately so I pretty much turned my brain off and enjoyed it when I first listened to it. I'll say this though: those American accents are AWFUL, especially the fucking Demon's one. 6/10 (4/10 without my bias) Also I slightly disagree with the statement that the Lucie era having sharper writing. Seasons 1 and 2 were just as mixed as The Charley era was. Seasons 3 and 4 were pretty great overall, but that's about it. I suppose I do prefer it over the Charley era, but only a little bit.

[@Fejrus887]

I finally started with a Big Finish Audio today ! I have listened to Storm Warning and it was really great :D I always wanted to have more 8th doctor content, so yeah, let´s start the madness ! Thanks for this series Stuart ^^

[@harrynoke6458]

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without plum pudding.

[@kierenevans2521]

Minuet in Hell is fun and worth it just for having the Nick Courtney in it. He sells it (and one reason I like Zagreus)

[@Utrilus]

Yeah! Anything with the Brigadier is awesome. Hah-hah-hah

[@synobyte2123]

The Brig is the best non Doctor character in the entire Whoverse. Change my mind.

[@scix8794]

@@synobyte2123 why would i I cried in the wedding of riversong during that phonecall...

[@xedalpha1]

The Cybermen in SoO also waste way too many troops trying to convert a ship of like 4 people.

[@jam-the-hologram]

I love Stones of Venice! It’s interesting setting really makes the story

[@87PLS]

Fantastic, I've been looking forward to this because I've just started getting back in to big finish. I've heard most of the Lucy era eighth doctor adventures and the first dark eyes but until a few weeks ago that was about it. I've always kept clear of the main monthly range because it just looked like this massive overwhelming impenetrable mountain. But after watching your previous big finish video I decided to try out a few of your suggestions. Just this month I've listened to spare parts, jubilee, storm warning and the chimes of midnight as well as the I davros series. They were all fantastic and have got me interested in the audio adventures again. I'm going to slowly try and work my way through all the eighth doctors monthly range.

[@kurumais]

sword of orion is criminally underrated. i liked minute in hell. the brig was good in it. minute in hell probably wasnt a story to tell with the doctor . also it was made much more sense than stones of venice.

[@AubreySciFi]

Storm Warning was fun and I always enjoy dramas with Blake's 7's Gareth Thomas in them. (Such as the B.F. "Dalek" Series), I really like The Sword of Orion actually. I have no major problems with that one. Stones of Venice is a decent story. And even though I think Minuet in Hell has a LOT of flaws (Not just that most of the American accents are bad, which they are, but I'm talking scripting issues.) I do enjoy it for the scenes with the Doctor and The Brig. (Even though they only get to work together for the last episode pretty much.) And yes I also love Charlotte Pollard the Edwardian adventuress, and would hope that the TV series eventually tries out a companion from that era...Or any era that's not present day Earth. Just saying.

[@discoleumas6191]

I became a Big finish Who fan during lockdown and while it was the 10th doctor adventures that introduced me to big finish it was the 8th doctor and Charley that made me a fan.

[@archive9796]

I'm not a BF fan (yes shoot me now) so these videos are really helping me get an over view of Paul McGanns BF era XD Big thanks now but I'll probably blame you later for not having money for the next few years lol

[@slateoffate9812]

Borgin & Burkes Antiques Shop And now?

[@carealoo744]

7:29 (Thinks about: 'Hell Bent,' released a few months later.) Oh, boy...

[@RiaOccam]

Whahaha I wish there were Honest Trailers for Big Finish stories. Or arcs at least.

[@SethAurelius94]

Ever since discovering big finish it's become a halloween tradition of mine to listen to minute in hell on halloween night eating a bag of store candy. I love it.

[@brennongabriel6248]

Thanks I'm new to doctor who audio

[@archive9796]

Same :)

[@PhialSubstance]

Malebolja is a mythical place from some legend, I forget what. Or maybe it was the name of a demon. I remember hearing it and going "oh, that was the name of the state in Minuet in Hell!". But it was ages ago and I can't remember what it was now.

[@ewanfawkes2708]

Recently listened to this era: Here are some free form thoughts: Storm Warning - As an early 20th century machinery fan, you could pretty much have told any story with the R101 and I'd listen to it. I thought the aliens were alright, nothing incredible but I at least remember them. I found Eight and Charley very likeable and Tamworth was fun as well (hoping he comes back at some point). Some of Eight's lines are really quite sinister such as the bit where he describing the R101 and the part 2 cliffhanger. Sword of Orion - Really fun premise but most of the other aspects were kind of forgettable. Was also disappointed that we never got a Charley reacting to the Tardis scene however I did enjoy a lot of her dialogue. Stones of Venice - Like Stu this one has grown on me since I've heard it. The combination of an ancient fairy tale premise but set in the future with aliens was quite fun once I got into it and the different plots all felt quite natural. The side characters and the aliens were actually quite good in this and the twist at the end I did see coming but I'll let that slide since what I didn't anticipate was the results of that twist (The entire point of a twist). Minuet in Hell - Found it kind of confusing to begin with but managed to get into it by the end. The aliens were kind of confusing and the bits with Eight in the hospital kind of dragged on a bit as I was just sat waiting for the bit where Brig realizes who Eight is. The politician guy with the accent comparable in size to Moffat's brain I honestly found hilarious yet somehow it makes the scenes in the house even more disturbing. Charley is kind of a mess in this one and it kind of felt a bit strange that they did two episodes in a row where she gets put in a weird costume. On a more positive note I did like the Brig although his inclusion kind of screws up the premise since it now gets automatically decanonized when we see a map of the US in the show in the modern day without Malebolgia on it. In conclusion - Bit of a mixed bag but I enjoyed it none the less.

[@SamuraiJedi7]

iTunes also has an app for Big Finish, it's not perfect but it will still do the job. You can't buy any stories but you can download them from your account.

[@Doccywho124]

I do think Charley era stuff is more interesting based on the fact that it feels fan made but so professional. Plus Charley and 8 are an amazing pairing

[@jadenbryant9283]

Agreed and i also like to view it as a sorta what if like what if that Doctor who tv movie did better in America leading to that planned fox/bbc revival

[@shortangel333]

I recently listened to Minuet in Hell and really liked it so... oof

[@timbogymbro66]

Wait, how is Sword Of Orion divisive? I thought it was fucken awesome. Also loved Storm Warning. Stones Of Venice and Minuet In Hell didn't really do it for me.

[@X2Magneto]

Sword of Orion is Alien: Doctor Who style. Love it.

[@mrdoctorgilmore]

Ironic given how Alien was based on a Doctor Who story

[@thomasbicknell175]

Galactic yo yo wait what

[@Fejrus887]

@@thomasbicknell175 The Arc In Space (4th Doctor Story) probably inspired Alien. Ridley Scott also almost directed the first dalek serial, so highly possible xD

[@WhiskeyBrewer]

What I loved about the 8th and Charley adventures, is the fun of them. BF got McGann in and also the first couple of seasons were McGann as the current Doctor before Eccleston and Davies came along with the Revamp NuWho :) Will you ever go back and talk about Letting Go (which was a short trip) Enemy Aliens (from Destiny of the Doctor) and The Light at the End (50th Anniversary) and its become consensus on the BF forums that they are pretty much the new final three stories of the first season retroactively lol?

[@thewhovianwithasmallcollec7319]

The meekly bible ... *looks at the wedding of river song * moffat I'm sorry you go go I'm gonna deal with this

[@thewhovianwithasmallcollec7319]

Leekly sorry auto correct

[@guygrist4436]

I love The Stones of Venice and the soundtrack is amazing!!!

[@charlestownsend9280]

Is it weird that I'm listening to this rather than watching the final part of the "60th".

[@Stubagful]

Lol yes

[@charlestownsend9280]

@@Stubagful I've juat not found the first two parts good and just lacking in actually being an anniversary. This is more interesting, like the new 8 and Charlie Christmas boxset that came out this month.

[@charlestownsend9280]

Having scene it I think this video is better than whatever that was I just watched.

[@musicalginger4263]

"Malebolgia" More like "Male Bulge-ia."

[@darthjarjar7572]

I've found a few eighth doctor big finishes on apple music. Very happy.

[@puppypalice]

Lucie is a better companion however Charlie and the doctors relationship is by far my favorite out of any doctor companion relationship ever.

[@Briarheart02]

The Stone of Venice has a great soundtrack! I really like the story too, but it doesn't use the time period well.

[@TheWeepingDalek]

isn't The Time of the Daleks part of it's own saga with dalek episodes with 5, 6 and 7 audios? the Dalek Empire arc (not to be confused with the dalek empire stories)

[@brendanmccabe8373]

If you haven’t read the eighth doctor novel you should read them as well they are pretty good

[@iceomistar4302]

Big Finish can be listened to after the novels in my opinion

[@ianvance2744]

Thanks for the reveiws,its a real eye opener

[@monty950]

I liked Charlie as a companion, however I've never listened to her stories with Paul McGann. I've been buying Big Finish audiobooks since 2009 and while Paul McGann was my first Doctor in audio form - The Zygon Who Fell To Earth - my first Charlie story was with the Sixth Doctor. Maybe you can talk about Charlie's stories with the Sixth Doctor in a future video?

[@jam-the-hologram]

In certain countries (like Britain and Australia) the first 50 main range audios are free on Spotify- and that includes the first Charley arc.

[@slumdogjay]

Loving the reviews. Any up to date BF reviews?

[@nsmith996]

Can you just be showrunner whenever moffat finally decides to leave

[@carealoo744]

I've marathoned these videos so many times, but this is the first time I'm listening to the video with having actually listened to the audio dramas, and it's so interesting to hear the perspective now that I actually know what happens in the stories. Still, even though I've listened to Stones of Venice 3 times, I still had no idea one of the characters was supposed to be amphibious. Still, how is Minuet in Hell the "Billionth time" the 8th Doctor has lost his memory? Isn't this the first time?

[@TheNerdestOfOne]

The 1!!!! goof thing about Sword of Orion, is the cyberman series, which is my favorite spin off from big finish (Besides gallifrey and war master, cause their on a higher level)

[@MissTomi]

I wish BBC released audiobooks of the Eighth Doctor and Past Doctor novels

[@archive9796]

Wario64I well big finish are slowly doing the books

[@archive9796]

Wario64I I do think they should after 8s Time War stuff they should do his books

[@brendanmccabe8373]

Kaldor Kandoka full unabridged readings of the books not adaptations

[@BarryLetts379]

I wish the BBC animates the Eighth Doctor and Charley Adventures

[@JAProductions494]

I have just finished listening to this series for the first time and here are my thoughts: Storm Warning: Great pseudo-historical Sword of Orion: Boring as balls Stones of Venice: Nice ideas but was put off by the curses and stuff Minuet in Hell: F*cking stupid but fun to listen to

[@ojpartist3411]

Loved this video! Cannot wait for the next one! :D

[@iceomistar4302]

I listened to these while playing Lord of the Rings Online and well it was hard for me to remember anything

[@denzy2389]

fun fact if we count audio dramas 8th have the most episodes of new who

[@archive9796]

McGann always joked that he's the longest and shortest doctor

[@jeromelancashire3278]

I know he's new who but I really want big finish to tackle the 9th Doctor.

[@aminurrahman1826]

I doubt the 9th doctor would return

[@DemetriusSorvo]

The TV Movie was neither a failure nor was it poorly received. Philip Segal lied to the BBC and the movie was never intended to be a back door pilot, it was only ever intended to be a one time movie. Lots of fans call it a failure because a series never materialized from it without realizing that a series was never a real option. It had extremely good ratings in the UK and very acceptable ratings in the US for having been put up against the finale of the most popular television series at the time. The movie was good for what it was: a movie based on classic Doctor Who. It didn't need to become a series. What needed to happen did happen when Doctor Who returned to BBC production in 2005.

[@nifralo2752]

Then why change the Dr why not keep McCoy or have Mcgann from the start

[@TheMister123]

I hated Minuet mainly because I'm an American, and upon first listen took the ridiculous OTT-ness of the American characters a bit too personally. One of them sounded almost literally like a mix of Yosemite Sam, Boss Hogg and ... Jabba the Hutt. And the main Southern Bible Belt politician is ... well ... that's not that far off, actually, but it still seemed way off. I think the only way I could just about tolerate it is if I imagine it takes place in Steve Lyons's Crooked World, and not just the America of some slightly alternate timeline that a lack of Charley's corpse caused. Plus, and I'm surprised you didn't mention it, many of those early stories, and not just the 8th Doctor ones, are way, WAY too long, this one included. They're meant to mimic the four-part format of the classic era, but when Part 1 is ... Holy crap I had forgotten ... 44 minutes long (followed by 30, 36 and 38), you can see that BF had basicaly failed to emulate the format in a key way. Whereas the classic series occasionally found it self having to stretch four 25-minute episodes of plot into six because they *had* to, here you have BF stretching four episodes into ... four really, REALLY long episodes just because they *can* (Ooh, look! 74 minutes fit on a CD! Let's write a few more titillating one-liners about Charley in an S&M bordello and disparage the American South some more!), and not because it actually benefits the story in any real way. tl;dr: I also moan.

[@andreistoica2470]

There are also space pirates in Star Wars

[@mrdoctorgilmore]

I prefer Charley, Lucie is ok but Sheridan Smith gets on my nerves so I struggle with her era.

[@thewhovianwithasmallcollec7319]

i do see were your coming from but once i got use to her it was an easyer relisten but i wouldnt say lucie could hold up her own series charley is way better at that imo

[@thewhovianwithasmallcollec7319]

Just bought this season

[@starhound9354]

Because I'm a moron I listened to all the Charley arc but not neverland. Until like a week ago.

[@BattlestarZenobia]

I feel obliged to point out that the Leekly Bible had already been rejected before the film was made

[@kurumais]

time to go back and listen

[@bookswithike3256]

Coming back to watch these videos again after finally starting to listen to the audios. I have to say I disagree with almost everything said in this video. I wonder if this trend will continue.

[@SouthPark333Gaming]

i love minute in hell

[@2012gallina]

first one i listened to years ago was 'whispers' as i was promised by the mongers at Doctor Who Magazine that the audio sounds were a bold new experience. it turned out this serial was utter pants. The two regulars were great but the rest of it was a tinny, noisey, mess.

[@HerohammerStudios]

WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?? You got me into Big Finish and thanks to that my wallet has been raped

[@maplepancakesfs]

Can I buy/order big finish audios from the US? And yes I know this is a old video but I'm desperate here.

[@thegd2567]

TheOneTrueMorty you should be able to yes, but expect it to take a while. Although if you buy a physical copy then you will get a download that you can listen to via the big finish app. Or you can just buy the download and get it immediately.

[@blobfish5730]

This may be a stupid question, but is this series of videos still in date in 2020?

[@azurabayta133]

I recently listened to these four audios during my work commute, and as an American I could NOT get over the atrocious accents in Minuet in Hell. They were pretty bad in the next story, Invaders From Mars, too. It all just sounds like they heard about the US from cartoons and just copied that.

[@DrSyn001]

"Infamously failed, poorly received TV movie"? Somebody needs to go back and check out the ratings it got in the U.K. (comparable to what the new series gets today) and the contemporaneous reviews (which were middling to favorable). The thing is not perfect by any means, but c'mon - let's stick to facts.

[@DrSyn001]

Also, the Leekley plan was thrown out long before the TVM was made. If a series had followed, there's no way it would have followed that bizarre plan.

[@ziggyzhang4156]

My rating is: Minuet in Hell > Sword of Orion > Storm Warning > Stones of Venice. Minuet in Hell's plot is actually the most unpredictable and fun one among the 4 isn't it. Stones of Venice is what I'd really call goofy and silly without all the batshit craziness Minuet in Hell has.

[@zakjaggs9761]

Minuet in hell is really good but forgettable.

[@puppypalice]

I adore minuet in hell and anyone who says anything bad about it can shut up.

[@Idez15]

Space Pterodactyls 😛

[@TheJaviferrol]

6:22-6:28 Best part LOL

[@marky437]

very interesting seeing as I've never looked deeply into BF. I had heard some stories on BBC DAB radio and sparked a little interest but other things got in the way. the only audio play i listened to as a child was the 6th Dr's 'Slipback' with the dreadful screechy stereotypical american computer voice and daft story ideas really put me off Audio Plays for Dr Who :(

[@Докторпарадокс]

8 is a Chad

[@ThatRandomFastingGuy]

I genuinely prefer Charley's era the most

[@2012gallina]

like watching photo recons i just cant get into audios. The 'acting for audio' tends to be ...well, just wooden. not my cup of tea, spare parts was probably the best

[@spacepenguins8939]

Okay is it bad that I want to see that proposed Eighth doctor series just to see how terrible it would be

[@meam8493]

CAN YOU JUST PRONOUNCE THE "T" IN "IT" ONCE IN YOUR LIFE?! JESUS CHRIST!

[@benedictcooper3131]

I challenge you to find a single English person who pronounces all their 't's who isn't really posh.

[@kylewhitehead1684]

SAY BANANAS AND ALUMINIUM PROPERLY

[@lavenderlavender3952]

Yeah, don't know what you're smokin, Minuet's literally the worst Who story I've experienced. It's still like a 2/10, the Brigadier and McGann are always good, but the fact that it has the Brigadier AND McGann in it and it's still unlistenable garbage is a testament to how horrible it is.