Big Finish Podcast Notes and Misc News Roundup Thread

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I wish someone had. But writing the character off due to past failures (subjective, but I’d say a lot of us generally agree) seems lame to me. BF exists partly to give characters a new lease of life, so it’d be a shame to not bother with her just because one dude doesn’t like the character. If someone pitches BF a great Rani story, they should go for it, IMO.

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For me the character was badly realised & ill-served since conception.

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Which is why I reckon that BF should give the character another spin if someone comes along and pitches what they think is a great idea, finally realising the potential of the character.

I just think it’d suck if we never see the character again because of past ‘failures’ and a sum total of 3 writers not doing them justice (everyone’s mileage may vary).

I also don’t have any experience with Big Finish’s Rani Elite stuff, so I can’t comment on the quality of that. But I just think there’s potential still in ‘amoral scientist’, different enough to the Master popping up for the 956th time, and BF shouldn’t do away with it just because Nick Briggs doesn’t get the love for the character.

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I actually agree with Sir Shaver of Monkeys

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I also don’t get why so many people love the Rani. Archie Panjabi is great but still don’t see why lots of people have been asking for her to come back. Both of her classic appearances aren’t that great (from what I’ve heard anyways) so it’s always confused me.

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She’s become a legend, a meme: “This mysterious female character is obviously the Rani,” only to never be. So it became a thing.

And also the fact that the Rani was never interested in universal domination or meddling with the Doctor, like most other rogue Time Lords. She just wanted to do her amoral science, no matter the cost. So that’s a slightly refreshing take.

I think Kate O’Mara’s iconic performance also factors in here.

Now it could be argued that RTD didn’t quite understand her as a character, but that’s another matter.

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Says the guy who gets his knickers in a twist about glorified pepperpots…

It’s such an odd comment to make from a man in charge of a company that has brought back everything from the Kraals to the Quarks and seems utterly obsessed with the Voord!

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Exactly! It’s a shame that was kinda not done with either of the new Ranis, sure some Aspects remained, but I think Panjabi’s version was a bit too theatrical, which doesn’t quite scream the Rani. And Dobson sadly got really the shortest of the stick, with her being basically a Henchman, without much agency. It’s a shame, because I do think some Stories really get the Rani as a Character right and make her a unique Presence like Mark or the Rani Elite, but oh well..

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O’Mara!Rani would never have done that dance sequence from Wish World.

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This is still so funny to me

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Yeah, wild that this happened. Did no letters come back ‘return to sender/not known at this address’. :joy:

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I wonder what the neighbour who got them thinks. “Who the hell is Big Finish and why do they keep asking me about this Rani person!?”

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The neighbour

Who keeps sending me this letters offering me a Big Finish (1)
Who keeps sending me this letters offering me a Big Finish (1)1280×720 52.2 KB

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Absolutely.

Nothing theatrical in previous incarnations of the Rani at all:

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I probably didn’t make myself too clear: I wasn’t trying to say that any of the Ranis haven’t been theatrical in the Past, of course there are quite a few Moments, where this was the Case, and it’s not a bad way to go about the Rani. But to me, it doesn’t quite work and with Panjabi (who is a superb Actress and did great with the Material given to her), I felt they just went too much into the Theatrics of it all.
To me, I much more prefer the Characterization of the Character in Stories like Mark or The Rani Elite, they are of course not the only Characterizations of said Character, Time does lean more into the Theatrics. While I do quite like Time, even there it doesn’t quite scream the Rani to me, even if it’s a blast of course to see O’Mara reprise the Role.
But then again it’s just a Matter of taste really, I am sure plenty were happy with the Characterization of Panjabi’s Version and all Power to them!

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Just a silly rebuttal and you’re not wrong about where Reality War went with the character.

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‘theatrical’ is one way of describing it…

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PODCAST NOTES:

  • A listener asked if the script exists for the Third Doctor lost story “The Final Game”, which would have concluded the story of the Master and the Doctor. Benji believed it was only a plan, but used ChatGPT to look it up and make sure. As you always should, take the results with a grain of salt, but according to ChatGPT, it was commissioned and written by Robert Sloman and Barry Letts. It would have ended Season 11 and revealed the Master to be either the Doctor’s brother or Valeyard-type “darker half” of the Doctor. If this does all turn out to be true, Nick has no idea where the script would possibly be.

BIG FINISH NEWS:

DOCTOR WHO NEWS:

  • N/A

MERCHANDISE NEWS:

  • N/A

BBC AUDIO/BOOKS/MEDIA NEWS:

  • Doctor Who: Season One is released on Blu-ray and DVD in the United States on 24 June.
  • The War Games in Color is released on Blu-ray in the United States on 24 June.
  • The Moonbase is the next release in the Vinyl Who range, narrated by Fraser Hines on 2LP translucent blue moon vinyl. It is due for release on 19 September.
  • Cover reveal for Doctor Who: The Moon Cruise audiobook, a new Fifteenth Doctor novel featuring the Doctor and Belinda, and written by The Church on Ruby Sunday novelization scribe Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson. It is read by Caoilfhionn Dunne and is due for release on 13 November.

BIG FINISH SALES AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

Fifteen Minute Drama Tease and Production Interviews: The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures: Vampire Weekend

Randomoid Selectotron: 25% off a random Big Finish release every week! Just click on this link and enter the code BUCKUP. This week’s selection: Blake’s 7: The Liberator Chronicles Volume 11

Big Finish Book Club (LAST CHANCE): Discounts on a specially selected Big Finish audio drama every month. June’s selection: Dalek Universe - The Dalek Protocol (Fourth Doctor) for just £4.99 on download.

Free Excerpt: Every month a 15 minute excerpt is chosen from an upcoming release to download for free. June’s selection: Space Security Service: The Voord in London. Just click the link and use this month’s discount code ANYA.

Out of Print This Week:

  • None!

Big Finish Release Date Schedule:

Community Reviews
Release No. Title Review Members
Novel Fear Death By Water 4.39/5 27 members
Novel Spectral Scream 3.59/5 17 members
3.1 Dark Gallifrey: Missy Part 1 3.40/5 57 members
3.2 Dark Gallifrey: Missy Part 2 4.27/5 53 members
3.3 Dark Gallifrey: Missy Part 3 3.91/5 22 members
14B The Fourth Doctor Adventures: The Ruins of Kaerula
The Remains of Kaerula 2.82/5 22 members
The Ruins of Kaerula 2.53/5 22 members
Cry of the Banshee 3.35/5 24 members
7 The Seventh Doctor Adventures: Past Forward
With the Angels Part 1 4.39/5 45 members
Catastrophix 3.43/5 44 members
With the Angels Part 2 4.24/5 42 members
1 Space Security Service: The Voord in London
The Voord in London 3.50/5 12 ratings
The Thal from G.R.A.C.E. 2.89/5 9 ratings
Allegiance 3.17/5 9 ratings
2 Time War Uncharted 2: Pursuit
Spoil of War 3.42/5 38 members
The Tale of Alex 3.69/5 37 members
See-Saw 4.04/5 36 members
The First Forest 3.95/5 33 members
- Short Trips: A Feast of Steven
A Forest of All Seasons 3.77/5 44 members
The Doctor’s Gambit 3.53/5 32 members
BNW3 UNIT: Brave New World: Fractures
Kaiju 3.80/5 5 members
Debrief ???/5
Shatterpoint ???/5

What Big Finish I Was Listening to This Week: Finished Time War Uncharted 2: Pursuit. I thought it was a great set, though I do feel that the drama with Alex isn’t too compelling. The stories themselves were great, but I found that element of tension distracting. But that last story was so good. If you’re a fan of Hooklight and Tim Foley, check this one out. I also listened to a couple older releases, including The Dalek Occupation of Winter, which is every bit as good as I’ve always heard it is.

Random Tangents: Nick and Benji get an email from a listener who used AI to generate the fictional career history of “actor” Peter Nolan. This genuinely gave me a huge laugh, I urge you to give this a listen yourself.

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“used AI”, so no.

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After a year’s wait, we don’t even get the cool digipak?!
getting-up-done

Agreed. Even as someone who’s very anti-ChatGPT (and I don’t understand at all why Benji used it instead of TARDIS Wiki), this section had me in hysterics.

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