What Doctor Who Fans are Waiting for from Big Finish

The Adventures of Martha and Micky

We last saw Mickey "The Idiot" Smith and his former U.N.I.T. bride, Martha Jones, in The End of Time, Part 2 where they were shown fighting a Sontaran. Martha made a reference to them recently "going freelance" which we can only infer as the couple defending the Earth on their own terms. Like most former companions, we've heard nothing from them since, but unlike most other companions, the story potential is endless. What are their lives like? Do they have day jobs? Who do they work for as freelancers? Are they Earth's new A Team? If the actors would be willing to sign on, Big Finish would have no problem pumping out a few action packed stories about this alien fighting duo.


Why It Hasn't Happened
I can only assume its a combination of story priority at Big Finish and actor availability. Freema Agyeman and Noelle Clarke are both very busy actors and BF already has a lot on its plate with all the Doctor Who, River Song, Torchwood, UNIT, and other titles that this idea just isn't high on the list. Hopefully it will happen some day, or at least, they could appear as guest characters in one of the other titles. 


The 8th Doctor reunites with his first companions

While Big Finish has done a magnificent job of continuing the 8th Doctor's adventures beyond his troublesome beginnings in Doctor Who: The Movie, one aspect they've never been able to explore is the fate of his first companions, Dr. Grace Halloway and Chang Lee. Grace has the honor of being the first of many companions to kiss her Doctor, but at the end of her story, she declined the Doctor's invitation to travel in the TARDIS, leaving her final fate a mystery. It would be enjoyable to see her catch up with the Doctor someday. Has she moved on to greater things? Or like Donna, has she regretted her decision and looked for him ever since? And what about Chang? Did he turn his life around or is he still working the streets? Many are curious to know. 

Why It Hasn't Happened
Both characters are owned by Universal, who produced the film in the 90's. The studio has thus far been unwilling to license the characters to Big Finish. It seems a rather unnecessary policy as the company isn't doing anything with them, so accepting a deal from Big Finish would be easy money. On a bright note, both actors have lent their voice to other Big Finish roles, so I'm sure they would be willing to reprise the characters if the opportunity ever arose. Time will tell.


Clara and Me

Clara's depature at the end of Heaven Sent was probably the most unique out of any companion. She had her own TARDIS and her own immortal companion and was off traveling the universe on her own. While a series with this two would have a definite end point, i.e. Clara's eventual death, there is potential for them to have their own worthwhile adventures. Though there is a risk of being too similar to the Doctor's premise, I think its easily avoided by the characters' own uniqueness and the fact that they're carrying a 50's diner with them everywhere they go. 

Why It Hasn't Happened
Big Finish does not currently have the license for the 12th Doctor's episodes, but they'll likely get it at some point. I expect this will only be a matter of time. 


The Impossible Girl

The Name of the Doctor created multiple versions of Clara scattered throughout the Doctor's time stream. With Big Finish creating new adventures of the old Doctors every year, it's not too hard to imagine them creating ones where they run into different Claras. Seriously, assuming Jenna Coleman is on board, all they have to do is take an existing script, change one of the Doctor's allies to Clara Oswin Oswald and then have her finish with "Run you clever boy, and remember." What could be simpler?

Why It Hasn't Happened
I think mostly due to timing. Jenna Coleman left the show relatively recently, so probably isn't eager to jump back straight back into it. Plus BF would need time to get a script together worthy of her attention. I think we can expect a few stories in the next five years or so, depending on how things work out.  


The 11th Doctor and River Song

While we saw several of River's adventures with the 11th Doctor, there was a LOT unshown. We know the Doctor frequently broke her out of her cell to take her on dates across time and space. We got a peak at those dates in the First Night/Last Night shorts, but there's still much to be seen. Many fans long to see how these two became so close that the Doctor trusted her with his greatest secret and the high stakes adventures they must have had without having to worry about Amy and Rory all the time. 

Why It Hasn't Happened
I'd say mostly due to Matt Smith. His roles with The Crown and Pride, Prejudice and Zombies, and others have kept him busy that he hasn't had the time to record any stories with Big Finish. Fortunately, Alex Kingston has recorded several, so that's half the battle. Once Smith signs on, which will hopefully happen sooner rather than later, we can look forward to these two running through the time and space together again. 

And speaking of River...


The 10th Doctor and River Song

In Silence in the Library, River Song not only recognized the Doctor, but also expected him to notice her. Many felt that there should have been one last encounter between the two before 10 became 11. Well filling those types of gaps is exactly what Big Finish does, so it wouldn't be two hard to put the two in the studio for one last adventure (or two) together. 

Why It Hasn't Happened
I think this is mostly on David Tennant. His busy schedule has only allowed him to record 3 stories with Big Finish, while Alex Kingston has made about three times that many. Here's hoping he finds time to record more adventures with his Doctor, including another meeting with his future wife. 


The Origins of Madame Vastra

When we first met Madam Vastra, she was already the sword swing lizard detective of London with her human wife/maid. She sees the TARDIS and says "a very old debt is about to be repaid." This is a story we've all been waiting for. To see how Vastra went from angry Silurian to the lesbian spouse of a human. Personally, I'm picturing this as an 8th Doctor story, but it could really be any of them prior to 11. We know she's familiar with regeneration since she was not surprised to see Capaldi stumble out of the TARDIS in tDeep Breah. 

Why It Hasn't Happened
Don't know, but its probably the same reason that there hasn't been the next one, speaking of Vastra and Jenny... 


The Paternoster Gang

Fans of this trio have been BEGGING the BBC to give them their own spin-off. Moffat has said he doesn't have time to do it with his other projects and I could understand the network's hesitation due to the staggering costs of a period show with aliens and what not. But none of that is an issue for radio shows. As I've said before, doing extra adventures for recurring characters is what Big Finish excels at and a series with these three is very much in demand. 

Why It Hasn't Happened
I'm not quite sure what the hold up on this one is, but I suspect it has to do with actor availability.  So far, only Dan Starkey has offered his voice as Strax to a BF production of Jago & Litefoot, so I assume getting Neve McIntosh and Catrin Stewart at the same time is what's holding up a story. Hopefully, the stars will align to get these characters back in action to deal with the perils of 18th century human scum! 

And speaking of reluctant actors...


The 9th Doctor

This is both the most desired and, sadly, the least likely to happen. The 9th Doctor's tenure was 3rd shortest of all the onscreen Doctors, coming behind the 8th Doctor and the War Doctor. His incarnation had enough charm and pomp to win audiences and we would all love to hear his northern accent on more adventures, especially if Rose and Jack came along for the ride. Sadly, although Paul McGann and the late John Hurt recorded additional adventures for their short lived incarnations, Christopher Eccleston has not.  

Why It Hasn't Happened
Eccleston's time on Doctor Who was not a happy one and he did not leave the series on good terms. He passed on an offer to return to the series for the 50th anniversary so we can infer he feels no loyalty to the character or franchise. He's even been quoted saying he doesn't "bathe in the same river twice." Still we can hope. Tom Baker had similiar feelings after his departure from the role and he eventually got over it to become a regular at Big Finish. Here's hoping history repeats itself.