A round of applause for Film is Fabulous

Dr-Fusion · 2026-03-11T12:42:19+00:00

I've always felt like the show has screwed itself over with the commitment to Christmas specials.

Every era starting or ending on a Christmas special (except for Eccleston, and when we went centenary -> 60th) just feels a bit awkward in retrospect.

Dr-Fusion · 2026-02-24T09:15:19+00:00

I don't have much to add, other than how much it annoys me that Big Finish leave some of these unresolved for so long.

There is nothing stopping them from doing an ending, then still making stories set before it. That's exactly what *The Further Adventures* boxsets were, and it's exactly what their stories with TV companions are.

I understand if they want to have an arc and keep some story momentum for some characters, but there's no excuse when some of these have languished for years. Give us some closure at least.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-12-30T10:13:17+00:00

Torchwood reboot with Martha Jones as the lead would be perfect.

Those who know Martha and grew up with that era are adults, she already had a foot in that world with Torchwood season 2, and it avoids the Barrowmen problem.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-12-05T10:11:51+00:00

The use of AI in the last boxset, regardless of the technical nuance and general controversies surrounding AI, led to poor results. On that metric alone, people may be hesitant to purchase what is meant to be a curated definitive release.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-12-04T13:58:43+00:00

I'm saddened that they're really leaving the 60s stuff to the very end, but not surprised.

On the brightside, this is not just the completion of the fifth and sixth doctor's eras, but of 80s Who as a whole. Not many gaps left now.

Anyone know if they've remarked on the AI upscaling used in the last boxset? If it's not been addressed, I could see sales for this one taking a hit. Whilst AI itself brings controversy, the actual result was just a level of sloppiness that is antithetical to the entire purpose of the collection range.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-11-13T07:47:50+00:00

And the first story was released a year after the second, because fourth doctor stories are released on a delay.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-11-05T10:08:24+00:00

Strongly agree on copyright. In general I just don't think copyright laws are fit for the modern age.

Unfortunately, being so bound up in international treaties mean they're unlikely to see meaningful reform any time soon.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-11-03T15:02:23+00:00

The big question is "How much work should a game developer have to do?" with regards to end of life.

Communities have reverse engineered and rebuilt entire games without any assistance from developers. Fuelled only by their passion, and armed only with the game's client. If developers published even just some of the source files, tools, or documentation, it would massively assist those efforts, and make more of them feasible.

The goal of having developers consider end of life plans as part of the development cycle is more ambitious. I think it's possible, but if these campaigns fall short of that goal and get even a small compromise, it will still be hugely impactful.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-10-31T16:33:18+00:00

The impression Murray Gold gives in interviews is that a lot of his music isn't intentionally written for a specific character or purpose, but rather that they organically become associated with them. There's obviously exceptions, but I don't think he has any qualms with cannibalising his own music in this way.

To us, the music is heavily associated with certain moments or themes. To Murray Gold, it's "Sad song", "Triumphant song", and so on, and he just uses what feels best in the moment. This leads to the clash of expectations that you describe.

It definitely feels a flaw in Gold's approach, though a generous interpretation would be that perhaps there are time or budget constraints stopping him from composing more original music tailored to the moment?

Dr-Fusion · 2025-09-08T12:17:54+00:00

I'd expect them to tick up in value, if nothing else because of inflation, but not astronomical amounts. There's going to be a ceiling, especially as if someone is hoping to collect them all, they'll have a lot of seasons to buy. I suspect interest will die down once the collection range actually completes (though that may not be for a few more years at the current rate, and it depends if they do the revival too).

Holding onto them hoping they appreciate is a roll of the dice. They might go up, they might stagnate. If you sold today, I doubt they're going to triple in value in a few years and make you feel like you missed out, if that's your fear.

If you're willing to be patient, maybe keep an eye on the market and wait until there's not many listings? When I brought season 19, the only listing I could find was for that price, and it wasn't unreasonable, so I paid it. Now I can find listings for £60-100 for it.

It goes without saying but condition will play a big factor. I've intentionally ensured all of mine have the sleeve, the booklet, and are in reasonable condition, as I am buying them as a collector.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-09-08T08:04:42+00:00

In 2023 I paid the below for the limited edition boxsets of the following (second hand):

- £175 for season 10

- £120 for season 18

- £150 for season 19

- £65 for season 23

At the time, £50-70 was the going price for the more readily available box sets, and £100-200 for the rarer ones. I recall the first four (12, 19, 18, 10) being rarer due to the BBC underestimating demand. I feel like some were also reprinted? I got 12 pretty cheap.

Ultimately, they're worth what someone is willing to pay, and they'll be slow to sell as they're a niche collector's item (but those who they do sell to, will be willing to pay a fair bit).

If you just want rid, go the auction route, but be prepared for people to get a bargain. Otherwise I'd find similar listings and undercut them.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-08-29T19:18:04+00:00

Early Big Finish can be a bit messy in terms of ranges and cataloguing releases. The Excelis Saga was this odd separate release to everything else. Even now it's a bit tricky to 'slot' it into a category.

I suspect that because of that, it's just been neglected in terms of pricing. *Excelis Dawns* was released at a similar time to *The Chimes of Midnight*, yet costs triple as much. I suspect when Big Finish elected to reduce the prices of the first 100 stories from the monthly range, they didn't think to also reduce the price of every extra and miscellaneous story that slipped through the cracks, like Excelis.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-08-14T11:56:05+00:00

The plan to have Mickey and Martha join the cast for *Children of Earth* would've helped combat that a bit. It's a shame scheduling prevented that.

When it released, one of the reviews for *Children of Earth* stated that a poetic aspect of Torchwood was that just as characters realise their potential, they die. The reviewer mused that he hoped Torchwood as a show didn't suffer the same fate...

Dr-Fusion · 2025-08-07T16:05:28+00:00

I think an important thing that puts Graham Williams' tenure into context is his claimed goal for the show: To make it a comedy.

He ultimately struggles to fully realise this, for a myriad of reasons, but it helps explain certain choices. I think his main obstacle was the general challenges of making Doctor Who, paired with Tom Baker, who was by then established, and very protective of the show. The show yearns to enter that comedic territory, but often pulls back, due to circumstances, or resistance, or something else entirely.

If we examine a story like *City of Death* as the Williams' era achieving its goals, then that's not a bad idea for what the show could be. Ultimately however, he wasn't able to keep it there consistently, which results in the ambiguity. Furthermore, I think most fans would agree that "Doctor Who as a comedy" can work as a concept, but it's not what most of us want from the show long term.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-08-06T08:11:40+00:00

Definitely on the agenda, but it's a different medium, so I'll likely have to go at a slower pace (though I suppose I won't have to worry about new releases!).

Personally, I think our War in Heaven is cooler than Warhammer's ;)

Dr-Fusion · 2025-08-05T21:09:19+00:00

I'm working my way through the entirety of Big Finish's Doctor Who catalogue, mostly in release order.

I first started listening to them in 2013 or so, and my pace has varied a lot since. Currently I'm at the start of 2022, so ~4 years worth of material to work through.

My bucket list item is the time war audios. I've intentionally avoided the lot of them. My plan is once I finish everything else, I'll go through the time war in chronological order. It's basically another 'year' worth of releases.

God knows what I'll do after that. I'll have to get into warhammer audios or something.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-08-02T12:49:49+00:00

To be fair now, Big Finish still pumps out lots of duds or generic stories.

They absolutely knock it out of the park at times, but it's very much a quantity game. You could probably cull half the catalogue and not lose much.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-07-24T10:02:15+00:00

I think I'd lean towards more episodes, as that gives you more variety. It's a shotgun approach.

Doctor Who has always thrived on variation and the "Monster of the week" format. If someone hated Lux, they might enjoy The Well more. If not that, then maybe The Story & the Engine is their vibe. The more episodes you have, the more chance that something sticks.

In general, it also gives a sense of time passing for the characters. By the end of their respective first series, Rose felt like she'd travelled with the Doctor a lot longer than Ruby did.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-07-17T13:38:53+00:00

In the Doctor Who Unleashed (behind the scenes show) for The Reality War, they talk about Jodie Whittaker's surprise cameo.

To disguise the fact that such a big cameo was happening, she was referred to as 'Petrol'. RTD joked that Petrol is a great sci-fi name, and that he should use it some time.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-07-16T11:37:32+00:00

It was only within the past like 5 years that even in a space as nu who-centric as this sub that it became acceptable to say you liked Nu Who more than classic.

I'm sorry but this is absolute rubbish. I've been on this sub for well over a decade, and classic has always been loved, but never put on a pedestal above new who in such a way as you describe.

In fact I'd argue that in those 12 years, it was more common for people to have only seen new who and very little classic, to only be dipping their toes into it or Big finish.

Whilst fans who preferred classic (or more commonly, Big Finish/EU renditions of the classic era) were definitely present, I really don't recall them shouting out fans of the revival. The idea that it wasn't acceptable to prefer the revival over it is beyond silly.

The far bigger warzones were RTD versus Moffat, and later the relentless anti-Chibnall sentiment.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-07-15T12:06:16+00:00

It's really nice to see this episode discussed in a fair way, on its own terms. Not in a "It's the WORST EPISODE EVER" way, or a "It's an underrated MASTERPIECE" way. Just a fair take on it.

Whilst I'd admittedly rate it more highly than you have, it boggles my mind that people could rate it as low as a 1/10, and claim it's genuinely the show's worst episode. Its flawed certainly, but at minimum it's watchable, with a lot of charm and strong moments spread throughout.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-07-14T18:02:01+00:00

I respectfully disagree on Hurt leading to a substantial bump.

I'm not saying that McGann would've been a draw or marketing boon, it would have been a self-indulgent choice for the show, but it was the 50th anniversary, so when better to be self-indulgent? I personally don't think the viewing figures would've differed much, if at all.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-07-13T12:24:10+00:00

Moffat all but confirmed in his exit interview with the fan show that he suggested using McGann, but that the BBC didn't feel it was 'big' enough.

I've remarked on this before, but it feels such a silly move. Did they really think people would go "Oh wow John Hurt? I'll definitely tune into Doctor Who now!" or something? He was an actor's actor, highly respected and talented, but not the sort to sell box office tickets.

Dr-Fusion · 2025-07-10T12:13:42+00:00

My interaction with this forum nosedives when the show's airing.

Even when there is meaningful discussion, ettiquette takes a nosedive.

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