History Radio / BigFinishDoctorWho

A long-running and ongoing radio series by BigFinish, with NicholasBriggs as the ShowRunner. The series stars the actors from the TV series, and is written and produced by much of the regular ''Series/DoctorWho'' crew. The episodes are a standalone part of the DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse, rather than the {{Whoniverse}} -- which means that BigFinish has to comply with the TV series canon, but not the other way around. All of the episodes are available both as [=CDs=] and as digital downloads.

In 1999, after producing a series of audio dramas for ''Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures'' companion [[BerniceSummerfield Benny Summerfield]], BigFinish finally nabbed the license to produce new audio dramas starring the original (still living) Doctors and their companions. PeterDavison, ColinBaker and SylvesterMcCoy immediately signed, followed a few years later by PaulMcGann. Over a decade after the others, TomBaker agreed to reprise his role as well. All other Doctors appear in prose stories read by their friends. Pretty much every single companion and villain from the classic series shows up in the episodes, almost always played by the original actors, in addition to many new characters. NicholasBriggs had previously played the Doctor in the 1984 fan group project (well, Briggs-with-a-bunch-of-pseudonyms project) "DoctorWhoAudioVisuals", and adapted many of its stories into later BigFinish episodes.

The main range releases a new story every month. Following the huge success of PaulMcGann's audio adventures, the Eighth Doctor's episodes were expanded beyond the monthlies and joined by a long separate series from 2007 onwards ("The New Eighth Doctor Adventures"), closer in atmosphere to the new TV series. The Fourth Doctor exclusively stars in his own series outside of the monthlies.

The BigFinishDoctorWho canon also currently includes (but is not limited to):
* [[http://www.bigfinish.com/hubs/v/bernice-summerfield Bernice Summerfield]] (has [[BerniceSummerfield its own Tropes page]])
* [[http://bigfinish.com/ranges/v/doctor-who---companion-chronicles Companion Chronicles]]
* [[http://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/v/counter-measures Counter Measures]]
* [[http://bigfinish.com/Cyberman Cyberman]]
* [[http://bigfinish.com/Dalek-Empire Dalek Empire]]
* [[http://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/v/gallifrey Gallifrey]] (has [[{{Gallifrey}} its own Tropes page]])
* [[http://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/released/graceless Graceless]]
* [[http://bigfinish.com/I-Davros I, Davros]]
* [[http://bigfinish.com/Iris-Wildthyme Iris Wildthyme]]
* [[http://bigfinish.com/Jago-and-Litefoot Jago & Litefoot]]
* [[http://bigfinish.com/Sarah-Jane-Smith Sarah Jane Smith]] (has [[SarahJaneSmith its own Tropes page]])
* [[http://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/released/doctor-who---short-trips Short Trips]]
* [[http://bigfinish.com/UNIT UNIT]]

BigFinish additionally has a few ranges that are outside its usual canon:
* [[http://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/v/doctor-who---the-lost-stories The Lost Stories]]: episodes that were intended for the TV series, but never made.
* [[http://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/released/doctor-who---unbound Unbound]] releases, which gleefully give the finger to canon and explore "what-if" scenarios.
* Episodes marked "Side Step": these take place in the ''VirginNewAdventures'' canon or ''DoctorWhoMagazine'' canon, rather than the BigFinish timeline.
* Various adaptations of existing DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse stories, such as the play ''[[http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-seven-keys-to-doomsday-550 Seven Keys To Doomsday]]''.

A number of the writers were hired for the 2005 series recommission and several new series episodes have had more or less direct audio antecedents. MarkGatiss adapted [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho002Phantasmagoria "Phantasmagoria"]] into [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS1E3TheUnquietDead "The Unquiet Dead"]], Robert Shearman's episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS1E6Dalek Dalek]]" was heavily adapted by him from his audio [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho040Jubilee "Jubilee"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS4E2TheFiresOfPompeii "The Fires Of Pompeii"]] took inspiration from [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho012TheFiresOfVulcan "The Fires Of Vulcan"]], "[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS2E5RiseOfTheCybermen Rise of the Cybermen]] / [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS2E6TheAgeOfSteel The Age of Steel]]" (as well as elements of [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS2E13Doomsday "Doomsday"]]) took strong inspiration from [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho034SpareParts "Spare Parts"]] with author Marc Platt getting a story credit on the episodes, and "Utopia" was inspired heavily by [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho049Master "Master"]].

BigFinish [[ExiledFromContinuity is currently not legally able]] to use any elements or characters from the revived 2005 series, since BBC Audio holds the licence for New Who audiobooks. But the occasional sneaky reference is thrown in, Noel Clarke is all over the Dalek Empire series, and the ban was temporarily ignored (in cooperation with licence holders [=AudioGo=]) to record a few prose stories for the 50th anniversary. While Big Finish can use the Eighth Doctor, licensing issues with {{Fox}} has prevented Big Finish from using Grace Holloway or Chang Lee -- but this hasn't stopped DaphneAshbrook and Yee Jee Tso from appearing in other roles, and Grace is mentioned occasionally. Also notable are a few characters who, from 2003 onwards, were played by some Scottish guy named DavidTennant.

Has a [[{{Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho}} recap page]] that's constantly growing, so [[SugarWiki/NeedsMoreLove contribute and help build it if you can.]]

!Tropes

''For tropes about the characters, see the [[Characters/BigFinishDoctorWho character sheet]]. For tropes in specific episodes, see the episode [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho recaps]].''

* {{Absurdism}}: Two of Robert Shearman's episodes, "The Chimes Of Midnight" and "The Holy Terror". His later episode "Scherzo" is made of {{Absurdism}} tropes, only ''entirely'' PlayedForDrama.
* ActorAllusion: The Eighth Doctor, played by PaulMcGann, constantly gets [[Film/WithnailAndI called a "ponce"]] and MistakenForGay.
** When DaphneAshbrook (who played companion Grace in the TV movie) appears, her character immediately decides she wants to shag the Eighth Doctor, with plenty of RefugeInAudacity. A nod to all the controversy over having the Doctor kiss Grace in the first place.
* AdaptationExpansion: Some of the earliest episodes are new versions of NicholasBriggs' old unofficial DoctorWhoAudioVisuals.
* AmnesiacHero: Just like in the TV movie and the Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures novels, Eight typically manages to find ''some'' way to lose his memory.
* AndIMustScream: Davros's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW2xxxaplz0 description of his imprisonment]], turned UpToEleven.
* AntiVillain: Many enemies. Straxus is the the trope's poster boy in the New Eighth Doctor's Adventures series.
* AnyoneCanDie
* ArcNumber: The number 45 shows up frequently in "Forty-Five" in speech, writing, or other instances (such as soldiers carrying .45 caliber weapons). It is revealed that the appearance of the number 45 is caused by the engines of the CORDIS, a non-physical ship piloted by the Word Lord Nobody No-one, and is analogous to the sound made by the Doctor's TARDIS.
* ArcWords:
** ''Zagreus sits inside your head, Zagreus lives among the dead, Zagreus sees you in your bed and eats you when you're sleeping...'' The rhyme was first sung by the Sixth Doctor two and a half years before Zagreus even showed up. It was spoken by Eight a while later. In between Zagreus' first appearance and his very own episode, a CliffHanger which infamously lasted a year and a half, the rhyme was referenced by a few other characters.
** The Divergent arc ("Scherzo" up until "The Next Life") has revolution, reincarnation, evolution, death and rebirth, becoming food for other lifeforms, reptilian into mammalian, fluid consciousness between multiple beings, mother, spinning in a circle, breaking free of the cycle, the next life and the beyond.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: In a fantastic little ContinuityNod, the Fourth Doctor lists Daleks, Cybermen and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS8E5TheDaemons Morris dancers]].
* AscendedFanon: The DoctorWhoAudioVisuals had a considerable fandom after the classic series ended. When NicholasBriggs reached PromotedFanboy status, he adapted many of them into BigFinish episodes proper.
** The titles for the Seventh Doctor's Lost Stories weren't Andrew Cartmel's preferred ones, but since they'd become established in fanon courtesy of a speculative Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine article, they decided to go with them (apart from "Ice Time", which is now "Thin Ice"). The intended titles were "Action at a Distance" for "Crime of the Century", "Bad Destination" for "Earth Aid", and "Blood and Iron" for "Animal" (Though, to be fair, DWM were the ones who revealed the intended titles as well).
* AsceticAesthetic: Light City in [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho054TheNaturalHistoryOfFear "The Natural History of Fear"]].
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: The Eighth Doctor rather frequently forgets what he's doing. Villains who try RailRoading him tend to get extremely frustrated. One episode sees his AttentionDeficitOohShiny side manifesting itself as a separate person, whom Charley promptly nicknames "Tigger".
* AuthorAppeal:
** Robert Shearman loves to combine imaginary WorldLimitedToThePlot settings with an ExtraStrengthMasquerade, RealityWarper characters, GothicHorror and a grand GroundhogDayLoop. He's used this formula several times over, resulting in some of the most popular BigFinish episodes ever made.
** NicholasBriggs likes Daleks. Lots and lots and ''lots'' of Daleks.
** Creator/PaulCornell typically includes owls, grand heroic speeches about ThePowerOfFriendship, and revelations about which side characters are sleeping with each other.
* BaitTheDog: At first Red Jasper in "Doctor Who and the Pirates" seems like a LaughablyEvil, LargeHam, [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything pirate that doesn't do anything]]. [[{{Squick}} Then he cuts out a guy's tongue and forces him to eat it.]] ''[[DarkReprise Hurrah for the Pirate King...]]''
* BechdelTest: Passes ''much'' more often than classic ''DoctorWho'', although it still depends on the episode. Anything involving Nyssa, especially the episode "Winter For The Adept", tends to pass with flying colors. Erimem's episodes are also usually great examples.
* BelatedHappyEnding: For many classic series characters. Promptly subverted again with Susan, [[spoiler: who gets deeply traumatised soon after her very happy reunion with her grandfather]].
* BigBrotherIsWatching: In "The Natural History Of Fear", ''every single scene'' starts with the characters watching or listening to a recording of the previous scene. Many of which include people telling each other they're not being recorded. The effect is genuinely terrifying.
* BigDamnKiss:
** The Sixth Doctor and [[spoiler:Sally-Anne]]. ItMakesSenseInContext. A bit.
** Frobisher and Alicia. (And since Frobisher has decided to shapeshift into the Sixth Doctor's shape for the occasion, he's played by ColinBaker.)
** The Eighth Doctor and [[spoiler: Charlotte Pollard]], when they mash their mouths together [[spoiler: to absorb each other's bodies]]. It's played for traumatising BodyHorror instead of romance.
* BodyHorror: After a while, Charlotte Pollard's life turns into one big BodyHorror trauma after another, including frequent EyeScream moments. Highlights include (but are in no way limited to) literally merging into [[spoiler: a single organism together with the Doctor]] and being turned into [[spoiler: a giant maggot-shaped breeding factory for an insect race]]. Continuously PlayedForDrama.
* BottleEpisode: "Scherzo", featuring only the Eighth Doctor, his companion [[LadyOfAdventure Charley]], (very briefly) the TARDIS, and the MonsterOfTheWeek.
** "Protect and Survive" is another, with Ace and Hex in a GroundhogDay style time-loop, trapped in the detonation and fallout of a nuclear bomb.
* BowtiesAreCool: Through some fiddling around with trademarks and a cooperation with [=AudioGo=], the episode [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWhoDOTD2ShadowOfDeath "Shadow Of Death"]] saw the Second Doctor catching a brief glimpse of Eleven, and the two of them communicating through a psychic note. Two is really quite pleased with how he'll turn out, particularly the fetching bowtie.
* BreakTheCutie: DitzyGenius Eight started out much the same as he was in the TV movie. When the new TV series started and the Last Great Time War became a plot point, Briggs started slowly taking Eight in the direction of ShellShockedVeteran and preparing him for the actions he will one day take in the war. As of 2011, he's very properly broken.
* BreakTheHaughty: Six learns a lesson or two in humility, particularly from his companion Dr. Evelyn Smythe.
* BreakoutCharacter: Eight, to the point where he has the longest-spanning StoryArc, the entire 40th anniversary centered on him, and the release of his episode "Dark Eyes" was so popular it ''crashed the Big Finish website''.
* BrokenBird: Molly.
* BrownNote: In an interesting variation, the monster in "Nocturne" is a ''living'' brown note.
** The blinding light in "Scherzo", and the pain it causes the Doctor and Charlotte, is represented by a high-pitched schreech. For the better part of ''an hour''. Because it's a PsychologicalHorror story, the sound is pretty much a direct psychological assault on the audience.
* CaptainErsatz: Dark Space Eight from "Bang-Bang-A-Boom!" is clearly supposed to be ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]''. The same drama mentions another station called Achilles 4 that is described as [[Series/BabylonFive the last best hope for peace.]]
* CharacterDevelopment: A few characters, mostly the BigFinish-only companions, are given arcs in which to grow.
** The Sixth Doctor [[InsufferableGenius mellows out]] around companion Evelyn Smythe, a 55-year old history teacher, who is intelligent, confident, and stomachs precisely none of Sixie's ego-trips. He's still plenty boastful about himself afterwards, just less [[JerkAss jerkassy]]. Six later tells Mel that having Evelyn continually clip him round the ear significantly improved his people skills... from plain "Insufferable" down to "Mostly Sufferable", admittedly, but still an improvement.
** We get to see much of the Seventh Doctor near the end of his life, travelling alone -- including his very last adventure before dying. In the episode "Master", it's darkly lampshaded: he no longer plays the spoons, or mixes his metaphors. He's too busy destroying planets and toppling empires.
** The Eighth Doctor is still a total ditz when he first meets Charley. By the end of Lucie Miller's run, he's slowly but steadily become the person who will eventually fight in the Last Great Time War. This includes him [[spoiler: stating he's willing to change time, not being able to forgive a fellow Time Lord anymore, and promising the Daleks he'll commit genocide on them if he ever gets a chance to.]]
*** Lucie Miller also grows up considerably throughout her four seasons, and makes some very tough life decisions.
* CharacterFocus: A few. The loosely tied trilogy of "Omega", "Davros" and "Master" each focused on... well, the villains [[DrivenToVillainy Omega]], [[MadScientist Davros]] and TheMaster. The Companion Chronicles are also all about this trope.
* ChristmasEpisode:
** "The One Doctor" (2001): A very silly {{Panto}}.
** "Bang-Bang-A-Boom!" (2002): Another very silly {{Panto}}.
** "The Claws Of Santa" (2009): Iris Wildthyme teams up with Santa.
** "Death In Blackpool" (2009): A depressing and plot-heavy episode, deliberately closer to the style of the new TV series. Not standalone.
** "Relative Dimensions" (2010): A LighterAndSofter episode, with the Doctor stating he'd like to make up for the depressing events of "Death In Blackpool".
* CivilianVillain: The Daleks pull this one at least thrice. One attempt involved them going undercover as ''Shakespeare scholars''.
* ClassyCatBurglar: Lady Lilian Hawthorne, a.k.a. "Janus", from "The Veiled Leopard".
** Raine Creevy, from "Crime Of The Century" going forward, seems to be this too.
* CliffHanger: The Eighth Doctor is good at long, ''long'' cliffhangers. "The Next Life", "Vengeance Of Morbius" and "To The Death" immediately come to mind. Most notably, the release gap between "Neverland" and "Zagreus" lasted for ''a year and a half''.
* ContinuitySnarl: Some episodes freely reference the novels, even though the novels often flat-out contradict the TV show canon (and vice versa). Solved somewhat in "Zagreus", where the Doctor, going mad, can suddenly see all his alternate timelines and lists many of the novel plotlines as "what-ifs".
** The mini-episode "100 Days Of The Doctor" seems determined to cause as many ContinuitySnarl moments as possible. This includes Eight meeting Lucie before they first met. (Though as Six notes to Evelyn, these future incarnations' adventures of himself he and she are viewing aren't necessarily set in stone...yet.)
** The writers have also freely admitted that the timeline of Six' companions is slightly wobbly. Which is something of a MythologyGag to the TV series, where trying to figure out the Six & Mel timeline has caused many a fan a headache.
* CoolOldGuy: Governor Rossiter from "Arrangements For War" and "Thicker Than Water". Voiced by [[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E3PyramidsOfMars Sutekh]], no less! [[spoiler: And he's not even remotely evil!]]
* CoolOldLady: Evelyn Smythe. Awesome enough to mellow out Six.
* CreepyMonotone: The Editor (PaulMcGann) in "The Natural History Of Fear". He edits people. While they're still awake. The episode makes full use of PaulMcGann's CozyVoiceForCatastrophes and adds a grand helping of MindScrew and MedicalHorror.
* CrossThrough: A few arcs will pit different Doctors against the same villain / species. Charley's arc is a particularly odd example, as she first meets up with Eight [[spoiler: and goes on to travel with Six]]. The Excelis arc involves the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors as well as BerniceSummerfield ''and'' Iris Wildthyme.
* {{Cuckoo Nest}}: The 8th Doctor audio drama "Minuet in Hell"
* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: One of the story elements in "Spare Parts", which is often considered one of the best Cybermen stories out there.
* DeadpanSnarker: The Eighth Doctor becomes this whenever he's about to be killed, to the point where it starts to look like an emotional defense mechanism more than anything. (His enemies notice it too, at one point stating that "he uses it to suppress his fear".) A notable moment is when he tells someone that he's ''really'' glad the guy's going to kill them all on purpose. Because he'd hate to think that someone would do something that monumentally stupid by accident.
* {{Determinator}}: As Eight will tell you, whatever happens, the Doctor does ''not'' give up. In "Zagreus", the fact that he ''might'' have given up, even for a second, not only [[spoiler: risks his injuries killing him, with no regeneration]], but confused the ''hell'' out of [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext illusionary versions of his prior incarnations]] that were gathered around him.
* DevelopmentGag: Quite a few.
** Six gets to spend the entire first episode of his first long StoryArc wearing velvet. ColinBaker originally wanted to play Six in black velvet in the TV series, but it was veto'd.
** Eight's companions get in a few snide remarks about his poncy hair, notably when Lucie asks if it's even real. PaulMcGann wore a wig when he played the Doctor on TV, since he shaved his head after his audition.
* [[DiscontinuityNod Discontinuity]] [[ContinuityCavalcade Cavalcade]]: In "Zagreus", the Eighth Doctor is able to see all possible incarnations of his self. He describes the plotlines of ''many'' of the novels in rapid succession, listing them all as "what-ifs" that may have happened to him in alternate timelines.
* DistressedDude: The Doctor, of course, and especially the Fifth (who has had to endure broken limbs, agony machines, brain blueprint harvesting, a lot of knocks on the head, and ''strappado'').
* DitzyGenius: Eight ''breathes'' this trope.
* DownerEnding: "To the Death". They're not kidding with the title.
** "Gods and Monsters."
* DystopianEdict: No one is allowed to ask questions in Light City in "The Natural History of Fear" and Alternate Timeline England in "Jubilee" bans contractions.
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: Frobisher stars in "The Holy Terror" and "[[ShoutOut The Maltese]] Penguin".
* EvilIsHammy: The Eighth, to the extent they should rename it [[FaceHeelTurn Face Ham Turn]] in his honor. Except for those times when he isn't, as in "The Natural History of Fear". Then he's just goddamn terrifying.
** Davros also, but that almost goes without saying.
* EyeScream: In "Night Thoughts" and in "Embrace The Darkness", something is going around and ripping out people's ''eyes.''
* FakeAmerican: Apart from ''many'' FakeAmerican actors in stories taking place in the USA, Frobisher at one point spends almost an entire episode shapeshifted into the Sixth Doctor. Including his voice. This leads to ColinBaker impersonating Canadian FakeAmerican Robert Jezek playing Frobisher pretending to be the Doctor. It is ''glorious''.
* FantasticRacism: As seen in the TV series, Time Lords do ''not'' like vampires, due to a generations-old feud between the two. BigFinish takes this idea and runs with it, making Rassilon's feud with the vampires into a massive StoryArc involving many more species.
* FirstPersonSmartass: Frobisher.
* ForTheEvulz: According to "Master", all the Master's evil plans were ''never'' expected to work, they were only designed to cause as much misery and destruction as possible. Why? Because as one of the Doctor's titles is Time's Champion, the Master is ''Death's Champion''.
* ForegoneConclusion: From 2005 onwards, the new TV series established that Eight would one day destroy Gallifrey in the Last Great Time War. As of 2012, Eight is slowly starting to understand that he's at ''war'' with the Daleks, and that it can't end well.
* FutureMeScaresMe: Six does not approve of what Seven and Eight have done to the TARDIS interior. Eight is ''very'' weirded out when (in a radio promo for his episodes) he's asked why he doesn't have a Northern accent or a leather jacket.
* {{Gayngst}}: PlayedWith in the case of original companion Oliver Harper, who's ''scared as hell'' of having to come out of the closet to the First Doctor and Steven Taylor. Of course, the Doctor really doesn't care, and neither does Steven, being from the 23rd century.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: PlayedWith. The radar is gone, and unlike the classic TV series, BigFinish can say and do pretty much anything. The Doctor isn't entirely on board with it, though -- and tends to get a bit embarassed when people start swearing or talking about sex.
* GoodWithNumbers: "The Boy That Time Forgot." Block transfer computations. That is all.
* GothicHorror: The Eighth Doctor's stories often go in this direction, though typically with an alien twist at the end. Appropriately enough, he at one point enlists Creator/MaryShelley as his companion for a few episodes.
** "The Chimes Of Midnight" in particular gets right on top of this genre and ''runs'' with it.
* GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe: Subverted (boy, is it '''[[CrowningMomentOfFunny ever]]''') with Queen Angvia ([[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow Pat Quinn]]), who's built like a butch Valkyrie and [[LargeHam has the lung capacity to match]].
-->'''Doctor''': But I have to go! The fate of the ''entire universe'' is at stake!
-->'''Angvia''': The Universe can VAIT! I AM A ''VOMAN!!''
* HeroicBSOD: At the end of "Arrangements for War", the Sixth Doctor suffers a massive one following [[spoiler: the pointless deaths of Marcus and Krisztina, two young lovebirds he'd been befriending the past few months]]. He's a scant few milimetres of ignoring all the laws of time to undo it, before [[CoolOldLady Evelyn]] manages to stop him.
-->'''Sixth Doctor''': This wasn't supposed to happen. ''This '''wasn't''' supposed to happen!''
** Eight has a massive and comparable one at the end of "To The Death". Also leads to an ImportantHaircut in his case.
* HoldingHands: The iconic imagery of "Scherzo", seen on the episode's CD cover. The Doctor and Charley spend the entire episode holding hands. [[BodyHorror It doesn't end well]].
* IdenticalStranger: Apparently, Peri is a dead ringer for Queen Anne of France.
* ImportantHaircut: Eight gets one around "Dark Eyes", which neatly allows PaulMcGann to do new promo pictures without having to wear the movie wig again.
* InTheStyleOf: "The One Doctor" and "Bang-Bang-A-Boom!" are in the style of Christmas {{Panto}}. "The Maltese Penguin" is a FilmNoir parody. "Invaders From Mars!" is in the style of a 1940's sci-fi radio drama. "Caerdroia" has a thing or two in common with ''LooneyTunes''. "Doctor Who And The Pirates" is a full-on GilbertAndSullivan musical. "The Auntie Matter" is a loving homage to PGWodehouse.
* InternalHomage: The episode "Master" is a love letter to PaulCornell's novel ''HumanNature''. "The Chimes Of Midnight" is InTheStyleOf the TV series episode "Ghost Light". Episodes starring Eight that were made after 2005 tend to subtly reference the Last Great Time War.
* IronicNurseryTune:
** ''Zagreus sits inside your head, Zagreus lives among the dead, Zagreus sees you in your bed and eats you when you're sleeping...''
** ''Night Thoughts'' had... ''something''... whistling "Oranges and Lemons" while it went around ''[[EyeScream ripping out people's eyes.]]''
** "Scherzo" briefly features "Frère Jacques".
** "The Chimes of Midnight" likewise gave "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" this treatment. Sensing a pattern yet?
* IsThatAThreat: In "The Faith Stealer", the leader of a religious cult confronts the local Sheriff-equivilent.
-->'''Bordinan''': Are you ''threatening'' me?
-->'''Carder''': Come come Bordinan, we're both adults here...''of course'' I'm threatening you.
* JustOneSecondOutOfSync: "Time Works" has The Doctor, Charley and C'rizz landing in the space between seconds used by the Time Keepers to make sure everyone stays absolutely punctual. Halfway through Part One, the Doctor ends up falling into the normal flow of events while Charley and C'rizz end up exploring the back corridors of time.
* LargeHam: It ''is'' Series/DoctorWho, what did you expect?
** Special mention to SylvesterMcCoy in "Unregenerate!", where Seven comes down with a case of frothing insanity. You can almost ''hear'' the bacon frying.
** Bonus point to Queen Angvia, played by the legendary [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow Pat Quinn]] in "Bang-Bang-A-Boom!", for ''almost'' out-hamming SylvesterMcCoy.
** Another special mention to PaulMcGann in "Zagreus", with a grand helping of EvilIsHammy.
** Davros makes an admirable effort to out-ham everything else on the planet, including entire ''armies'' of Daleks.
* LightIsNotGood: Light City from "The Natural History of Fear" is a 1984-esque dystopia that mind rapes its citizens who dare ask questions. The blinding light in "Scherzo" is as painful for the Doctor and Charley as it is for the fans, because it's represented by a [[HellIsThatNoise sound directly from your nightmares]].
* LighterAndSofter: The Iris Wildthyme series, although it has its serious moments.
** Also, the two Christmas {{Panto}}s starring Mel.
* LovecraftLite: "Lurkers at Sunlight's Edge" is basically a WholePlotReference to ''AtTheMountainsOfMadness'' with some meta-concepts thrown in and a thinly veiled Creator/HPLovecraft {{expy}} playing a central role.
* MarshmallowHell: [[Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow Pat Quinn]] forces the Seventh Doctor into this in "Bang-Bang-A-Boom!"
* MindRape: The trope is name-checked in "The Natural History Of Fear", and we're treated to PaulMcGann performing a ''thoroughly'' disturbing MedicalHorror MindRape on both India Fisher (Charley) and Conrad Westmaas (C'rizz).
** The Eighth Doctor delivers one in "Phobos". When facing a monster that feeds on adrenaline but is harmed by actual fear, the Doctor conquers it effortlessly by showing it his own mind. He starts by feeding it memories of all the things he's seen in the past, followed by all the evil he's seen from the future... and as a final blow, [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds all the things he's afraid he might do someday]]. The whole CrowningMomentOfAwesome takes several minutes, with the Doctor continuously mocking the monster throughout. Oh, and he does it ''while bungee jumping into the monster's transdimensional portal''.
** The Sixth Doctor gets mind raped in "The Holy Terror".
* MindScrew: "Neverland" and "Zagreus" are pretty much the series' equivalent of ''NeonGenesisEvangelion''... and "Scherzo" is the series' ''EndOfEvangelion''. "The Natural History Of Fear", which almost directly follows that trilogy of episodes, will destroy whatever was left of your sanity.
** "Flip-Flop" has quite possibly the most severely tangled timeline in ''DoctorWho'' history.
* MotiveRant: The story "Davros" starts off with the title character giving an absolutely epic one, summing up his entire character masterfully.
* MrSmith: Made into a plot point a few times over, notably in [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho006TheMarianConspiracy "The Marian Conspiracy"]]. It becomes a hugely important concept in [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho049Master "Master"]], which basically asks the question: "what if ''[[Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures Human Nature]]'' had happened to the Master?". It has the Master living as "Dr. John Smith", and the Doctor realising with increasing horror all the ways in which he and his archenemy are NotSoDifferent.
* MrFanservice: PaulMcGann, as usual, manages to lose his shirt on occasion... even in a sound-only medium. According to Charley, Eight also naturally smells like honey.
* MusicalEpisode: "Doctor Who and the Pirates, or The Lass That Lost a Sailor"; episode 3 is 20 minutes of Colin Baker, [[Series/TheGoodies Bill Oddie]] and company [[ItMakesSenseInContext breaking]] [[FramingDevice into song]]. It's ''awesome''.
** "The Rapture" is a variation, since most of the story takes place in a night club. The soundtrack is ''awesome''.
* MythologyGag: ''Many''.
** In "Flip-Flop", Seven and Mel wear anti-radiation gloves, which the Doctor claims were created by one of his previous incarnations. In the TV episode "The Daleks", WilliamHartnell was supposed to say "anti-radiation drugs" but instead said "anti-radiation gloves".
** In "...ish", the story apparently resulted in the creation of an impossibly thick encyclopedia volume starting with DAL, referring to TerryNation’s apocryphal claim to have named his creations from the spine of an encyclopedia volume covering DAL to LEK. Also, "The Adjective of Noun" is used to describe the structure of many classic episode titles (especially those of Season 14).
** In "Dark Eyes", Eight ends up in a place that's stated to be the result of the Time War... [[spoiler: although it turns out to be AllJustADream]].
** Seven constantly snarks at his own death, without realising it. It's remarkably subtle and blink-and-miss at times.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: A few times, notably in "Max Warp" with the cast of ''TopGear''.
* NoHuggingNoKissing: PlayedWith, a lot. The classic TV series never allowed the Doctor to be intimate with anyone, and the Doctor is GenreSavvy enough to ''weaponise'' this fact a few times over. Six, at one point, convinces his enemies he's not the Doctor by [[spoiler: grabbing a woman and kissing her deeply]]. Seven realises something's ''very'' wrong when he suddenly wants to shag a woman, and quickly works out that [[spoiler: he's being drugged]]. Five just gets a bit flustered when the topic comes up and claims that women are not his area. (At which point Turlough rather dryly pointed out the existence of Susan).
** Eight is painfully aware of his status as a ChickMagnet, which Zagreus delights in mocking with ''rather'' more explicit imagery than the classic TV series could ever get away with. Eventually, Eight gets one BigDamnKiss with companion [[spoiler: Charley]], but it's not a happy one.
*** BerniceSummerfield also lampshades the trope when she runs into Eight again, saying that the last time she saw him, they [[BadLiar "shook hands and said goodbye"]]. (Their infamous final encounter in the novels ended with Bernice tackling Eight to the bed with a kiss, followed by a [[SexyDiscretionShot fade-to-black]].)
* NotQuiteDead: "The Boy That Time Forgot." Adric comes back. As a heavily-aged [[NotGoodWithPeople insane]] [[AGodAmI reality-bending]] [[BigCreepyCrawlies giant insect]] god-king. ''Wow.''
* NotSoDifferent: Five and Omega, Six and Davros, Seven and the Master, Eight and the Meddling Monk. BigFinish adores this trope.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Every so often BigFinish will bring back a not-very-well-regarded monster or villain from the classic series and make them ''goddamn terrifying.''
* PaintingTheMedium:
** The series dives right into this trope in its third episode, "Whispers Of Terror". It features a museum of aural antiquity, a sound-only monster which can be fought using soundwave manipulation equipment, and a character whose only intact sense is his hearing.
** "Omega" also has its twists and turns based on what we can't see.
** "Scherzo" uses this trope for PsychologicalHorror. The Doctor and his companion arrive in the most alien world ever seen in ''DoctorWho'', where all of their senses are painfully cut off and all they have left is their hearing. The episode represents their agony with a searing, high-pitched noise that lasts for the better part of ''an hour''.
** "The Natural History of Fear" does this brilliantly. The voices of the three main characters ''sound'' like the Eighth Doctor, Charley and C'rizz... but they sure behave oddly. The episode revolves around a LossOfIdentity theme, and figuring out just who is who proves to be a challenge to the characters as much as it is to the audience.
* {{Pantomime}}: "The One Doctor" and "Bang-Bang-A-Boom!", Christmas early specials, were done in {{Panto}} style. Both star Mel, who's extremely at home in the genre.
* PhraseCatcher: Eight gets called a "ponce" (and sometimes a "fop") a whole lot. Most likely a reference to ''Film/WithnailAndI''.
* PlayingWithSyringes: The Forge, a mysterious organization run by [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot cyborg vampire mad scientist]] Nimrod, gets up to everything from creating vampires to brainwashing soldiers during WWII to cloning the Doctor himself.
* RailRoading: The entire Divergent Universe arc. Of course, Eight eventually steers the whole thing way OffTheRails.
* RealLifeRelative: From "An Earthly Child" onwards, PaulMcGann's real-life son plays the Doctor's great-grandson.
* RubberBandHistory: Any time reality on Earth ''really'' goes to bits, this trope comes into effect. "The Mutant Phase" and "Jubilee" are notable examples of the MindScrew version of this.
* RunningGag:
** Five getting physically incapacitated, and everyone around him dying.
---> Believe me, I know what being knocked out feels like. [[KnightInSourArmor I should write a paper on the subject.]]
** Six being genuinely oblivious to his crimes against fashion, and being in terrible physical shape.
** Seven unknowingly snarking at his own death.
** Eight's ability to contract amnesia no matter what he does. Whether it's in the movie, the Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures novels or Big Finish, he'll always find some new and exciting way to lose his memory.
*** Also, Eight losing his shirt.
** In general, the Doctor complaining about [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E2TheDalekInvasionOfEarth companions twisting their ankles]].
* SenseLossSadness: Being in a dimension without time renders Eight's time senses useless, which renders him more than a little crabby. The [[spoiler: baby TARDIS]] that gets transplanted into the Seventh Doctor's body at one point also panics ''hard''.
* ShakespeareInFiction: Met Eight when he was a kid. Last seen getting plastered with the Fifth Doctor in "The Kingmaker". Then he became [[spoiler: Richard the Third.]] [[CloseEnoughTimeline And vice versa.]]
* ShootTheDog: Seven in [[spoiler: "Night Thoughts".]]
* ShoutOutToShakespeare
* ShowWithinAShow: An, erm...''[[SoBadItsGood reinterpreted]]'' Doctor Who appears in "Jubilee". Yes, it's Doctor Who within Doctor Who.
--> '''"The Doctor"''': Daleks. [[Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk I hate these guys]].
--> '''Dalek''': [[AC:Oh no! It is the Doc-tor! Scar-per! Scar-per!]]
** "The Natural History Of Fear" also has its own version of ''Series/DoctorWho''.
** As does the fourth chapter of "Circular Time", in a very twisted way.
* TheSlowPath: Eight in "Orbis" and "Prisoner Of The Sun"; Romana in "The Apocalypse Element"; Lucie, Susan and Alex in "Lucie Miller" / "To The Death".
* SophisticatedAsHell: Classic example by the Seventh Doctor to an Eldritch Abomination in "The Shadow Of The Scourge":
-->'''Doctor''': As William Shakespeare once said to me, ''come and have a go if you think you're hard enough.''
* StreetUrchin: Sometimes-companion Thomas Brewster.
* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Seven gets his share of this as usual, and Eight also occasionally dabbles in it. Six uses the trope in the most literal possible way in [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho035Ish "...ish"]], when he uses his SesquipedalianLoquaciousness to combat a sentient ''word''.
* TeamPet: Antranak the cat for the Fifth Doctor, and Ramsay the vortisaur for the Eighth.
* ThemeSongReveal: At TheStinger of "The Girl Who Never Was", Charley [[spoiler: has been stranded on a desert island, after foiling another Cyberman plot]]. Unbeknownst to her, the Eighth Doctor believes they've parted company and has continued on his merry way. She nonetheless hears the TARDIS landing and rushes inside...
-->'''Charley''': I knew it! I knew you'd come back! I kne-...oh! Sorry. I...I was expecting someone else.
-->''[[[spoiler:'''Sixth''' Doctor theme music starts playing]]]''
* ThinkingOutLoud: Eight often suddenly notices he's soliloquising, and considers it a bad habit. He even does it at times when Charley is standing right next to him, thanks to his rampant AttentionDeficitOohShiny.
* ThirtyGambitPileup: "Prisoner Of The Sun" and "Dark Eyes".
* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: Six encounters several enemies whose exact weakness is a pompous living thesaurus who can't stop talking about himself. It works ''beautifully''.
* [[spoiler:TomatoSurprise]]: "The Natural History of Fear".
* TimeyWimeyBall: "The Chimes Of Midnight", "Jubilee", "Seasons Of Fear", "The Four Doctors", "The Eye Of The Scorpion", "Flip-Flop" and "Dark Eyes" are just a ''few'' examples of the many different ways time travel can work. The Web Of Time is a fickle thing a well; "Storm Warning", "Doctor Who And The Pirates" and "To The Death" all show wildly different things that may or may not happen, should someone who's supposed to be dead get rescued. In addition to that, the entire Divergent arc takes place in a separate ''universe'', which operates under its own laws of physics and technically doesn't even have time.
* TrollingCreator: NicholasBriggs deliberately trolled the fanbase as much as possible in "Dark Eyes", ''almost'' diving into [[spoiler: the Last Great Time War]] for just a few minutes before yanking the idea away again.
** The CliffHanger between Zagreus' first appearance and the subsequent episode lasted ''a year and a half''. Close to the end of that release gap, in the audio "Omega", Zagreus is prominently listed in the credits. [[spoiler: It's an in-story actor playing Zagreus on a Gallifrey-themed cruise ship. He has one line.]]
* WhamLine: The end of episode 2 of "Dust Breeding" features the surprise, out of the blue appearance by an old foe. [[hottip:Spoiler: To expand, Anthony Ainley turned down the offer to reappear as TheMaster, and so BigFinish hired Geoffrey Beevers, who had played the character in "The Keeper Of Traken". As he hadn't been associated with the role for a good few decades by the time of the story, fans didn't make the connection]]
-->'''Klemp''': Who ''are'' you!?
-->'''[[SignificantAnagram Mr Seta]]''': [[spoiler: I am TheMaster, and ''you will '''obey''' me'']].
** Also, one hell of a WhamLine by Davros in "Terror Firma":
---> '''Davros:''' I was able to operate --
---> '''Eighth Doctor:''' My TARDIS.
---> '''Davros:''' Operate [[spoiler: ''on'' your TARDIS]].
* WholePlotReference: "Loups-Garoux" to LittleRedRidingHood, "Neverland" to ''PeterPan'', "Zagreus" to ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'', "The Natural History Of Fear" to ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' and ''Film/DarkCity'', "Doctor Who And The Pirates" to GilbertAndSullivan musicals, "Flip-Flop" to ''GroundhogDay'', ''{{Terminator}}'' and ''ItsAWonderfulLife'', "Master" to ''DrJekyllAndMrHyde''.
* WorldOfHam: "The Stones of Venice", with a side of PurpleProse. [[TropesAreNotBad And it's GORGEOUS.]] Also "Bang-Bang-A-Boom!" and "The One Doctor".
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Five's tendency to stumble into KillEmAll plots -- and Eight slowly starting to realise that he's at ''war'' with the Daleks, and that it may end very, very, very badly.
* WritingAroundTrademarks: The Seventh Doctor telling a character the current TARDIS configuration was better than the "[[Recap/DoctorWho2007CiNSTimeCrash leopard skin]]", the Sixth Doctor reassuring a companion that [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS1E1Rose the "assembled hordes of Genghis Khan" couldn't break into it]], and the Fifth Doctor being left a message from a "[[Creator/ChristopherEccleston big eared Northern chap]]". In one radio promo, Eight is asked why he doesn't have a Northern accent or a leather jacket, and he's a bit put out by the idea. And the Word Lord called Nobody No One is essentially the Tenth Doctor's evil alternate universe counterpart.
* WrongGenreSavvy: PlayedForLaughs in "The Maltese Penguin". Frobisher is trying to be the protagonist of a HardboiledDetective story, and gets to a point where (in such a story) he'd be killed.
-->'''Frobisher:''' I began to wish for one of those nick-of-time rescues. The sort that never happen in private eye stories, worse luck. Only in [[SelfDeprecation science fiction nonsense]].
-->''[[spoiler: [[MostWonderfulSound The TARDIS materialises, saving him in the nick of time.]]]]''
** Also interestingly combined with WholePlotReference in "Wirrn Dawn": The soldiers are convinced they're in a ''Franchise/StarshipTroopers'' plot. They're dead wrong. They're in [[spoiler: ''{{Alien}}'']].
----

BigFinish [[ExiledFromContinuity is currently not legally able]] to use any elements or characters from the revived 2005 series, since BBC Audio holds the licence for New Who audiobooks. But the occasional sneaky reference is thrown in, Noel Clarke is all over the Dalek Empire series, and the ban was temporarily ignored (in cooperation with licence holders [=AudioGo=]) to record a few prose stories for the 50th anniversary. While Big Finish can use the Eighth Doctor, licensing issues with {{Fox}} has prevented Big Finish from using Grace Holloway or Chang Lee -- but this hasn't stopped Daphne Ashbrook and Yee Jee Tso from appearing in other roles, and Grace is mentioned occasionally. Also notable are a few characters who, from 2003 onwards, were played by some Scottish guy named DavidTennant.

** When Daphne Ashbrook (who played companion Grace in the TV movie) appears, her character immediately decides she wants to shag the Eighth Doctor, with plenty of RefugeInAudacity. A nod to all the controversy over having the Doctor kiss Grace in the first place.