The first time I ever put pen to paper in honour of the venerable Time Lord was when Steve Savile, a close friend of mine (and a very fine author in his own right) invited me to contribute to a Doctor Who anthology he was editing for that indefatigable company, Big Finish, called Short Trips: Destination Prague.
As a result, the first piece of ‘Who’ fiction I professionally penned was a short story, a simple 5,000-worder entitled Spoilsport. Since then I’ve moved on to bigger, more ambitious ‘Who’ projects. For those interested, they are listed below:
STRANGERS IN THE OUTLAND (2014)
A Doctor Who novella published in the themed anthology, TALES OF TRENZALORE, published by BBC Books.As part of his 900-year defence of the town called Christmas on the snowbound planet of Trenzalore, the eleventh Doctor finds himself investigating a bizarre attack on a minerals prospector far out in the frozen wasteland. Taking charge of the Trenzalore Lifeboat - a sailing brig adapted to ski across the ice-caps - and its hardy crew, the Doctor sets out into the wintry darkness. But perhaps as expected, when some 70 miles from the relative safety of the town, he encounters a deadly foe from his past. What's worse, this foe doesn't feel the cold, or the emptiness and despair of this bleak, polar desolation. It doesn't even feel the impact of weapons. It never gets tired either. And it can't be bargained or bought off. It just keeps coming, tramping relentlessly forward, all but unstoppable ...
HEXAGORA (2011)
A full-cast audio drama, produced by Big Finish.Produced by David Richardson
Directed by Ken Bentley
Starring Peter Davidson, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton and Jacqueline Pearce.
The fifth Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa break their holiday in Australia to investigate the disappearance of a prominent journalist who also happens to once have been Tegan's childhood sweetheart. The trail leads them to an icy world in the Alpha Centauri system - but here there are even more baffling mysteries. Why has an exact replica of Elizabethan London been constructed in the midst of the tundra? Who exactly are the Sleepers - a bunch of nocturnal wanderers so frightening that the locals won't even talk about them? And what kind of designs does the fearsome, beautiful Queen Zafira have on the Doctor?
HUNTER'S MOON (2011)
A full Doctor Who novel, published by BBC Books.The eleventh Doctor, Rory and Amy arrive on Leisure Platform 9, a recreational resort where the tough workers from the Torodon Confederation spend their hard-earned cash in the bars and gambling halls. However, the place is alive with gangsters and other space criminals. Rory and Amy fall foul of one particularly dangerous syndicate, while the Doctor finds himself drawn into a deadly and rather dirty game …
THE SENTINELS OF THE NEW DAWN (2011)
A Companion Chronicle, produced by Big Finish.Produced by David Richardson
Directed by Lisa Bowerman
Starring Caroline John and Duncan Wisbey.
The third Doctor and Liz Shaw investigate the new time-dilation device at Cambridge University, only to be flung forward in time to 2014. Here they meet the almost impossibly hospitable Beauregard family, and discover a fiendish plot that will have repercussions for aeons to come …
LEVIATHAN (2010)
A full-cast audio drama, produced by Big Finish.Produced by David Richardson
Directed by Ken Bentley
Starring Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Jamie Parker, Howard, Gossington, John Banks, Beth Chalmers and Derek Carlyle.
The sixth Doctor and Peri arrive in a world which looks remarkably like medieval England. There is a deep forest, an imposing castle, and an isolated village where ignorant peasants live in fear and superstition. But there is also an unstoppable monster, the Herne, roaming the forest, and, where the local nobility are concerned, an atmosphere of ruthless and decadent evil …
If you can forgive me a personal reflection here, it's worth mentioning that the original script for Leviathan was written by my late father, Brian Finch, under commission from BBC Television way back in 1984. The script made it through to final rehearsals the following year, but was cut from the production schedule at the eleventh hour for reasons of cost. In 2009, Big Finish’s determination to produce a series of Dr Who ‘lost stories’ enabled me to resurrect and rewrite the script for a full-cast audio production, starring those original heroes of the mid-1980s, Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant. I can’t thank the producer, David Richardson, enough for giving me this opportunity. Because of the emotional attachment I have with this particular project, and because it allowed me finally to share a credit with my father, albeit posthumously on his part, it remains one of the proudest achievements of my life.
(PS: The online artwork doesn't credit me on this product. No need for confusion. That was an early error. The actual product bears the full and correct information).
SPOILSPORT (2007)
A short story in the anthology Short Trips: Destination Prague, published by Big Finish.
The third Doctor and Jo Grant visit a futuristic version of Prague, where an old acquaintance, the slippery Benek Chaloupka, runs ‘Marvels Less Mystifying’, a museum dedicated to proving the non-existence of the supernatural. Chaloupka desperately needs the Doctor’ help, as his museum appears to be haunted …
For those who simply don't want this list to end, never fear. There's more to come.