Big Finish Turns 15

This past week was Big Finish Audio's 15th Anniversary and it got me thinking about the impact Big Finish has had on Dr Who and myself. If you answered, tremendous impact, then you would be correct. Let's think about the Dr Who landscape when big Finish started. In 1999, we were 3 years removed from the failed Dr Who movie and we were 6 years before the show came back. It was a dark time for Dr Who fans. We didn't have any new Dr Who stories, except for fan fiction. Then in 1999, Big Finish started producing the Dr Who audio series. They started with "The Sirens of Time", written by Nicholas Briggs and staring, Peter Davison, Colin Baker & Sylvester McCoy. That's an impressive cast to kick off Big Finish and they have never looked back. Producing brand new stories for the 4th Doctor through the 8th Doctor. They have a created a brand new adventures for the 1st through the 4th Doctors as told by their companions call the Companion Chronicles. They even created Dr who spin-offs that would probably never have a chance to be made on TV like, Gallifrey, UNIT, I Davros, Jago & Litefoot & more.

Like I said before, the impact Big Finish had on Dr Who was tremendous. One could argue, that if not for Big Finish, Dr Who might have never returned to TV in 2005. They were able to keep the fans' love and excitement about the show going and create new excitement. Their audio stories, were a major reason that Dr Who just wouldn't die. That reminder of how great Dr Who was, I believe was a major reason for it's return. Even when Dr Who returned to TV, Big Finish has only grown in popularity. They have created a whole history for the 8th Doctor and Paul McGann, that we would not have if not for Big Finish. They did such a good job that the TV show basically canonized all their work. I would even argue that Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy's best work playing the Doctor was on Big Finish and not on the TV episodes.

I was a late fan when it comes to Big Finish. I was skeptical that I could truly enjoy just listening to a Dr Who story. I still remember the first story, I ever listened to. It was free in my issue of Dr who magazine and it was called "Cuddlesome". I was blown away by the quality and my ability to see the episode in my mind. From that day forward, I was a Big Finish fan. When I go to conventions, I always make a point to stock up on Big Finish products. They have made my daily trip to work, the best part of my day. Thank you Big Finish.