Stephen Noonan is great. He isn’t a perfect soundalike, but he gets the delivery and the spirit of the part very very well, so it’s really easy to visualise Hartnell’s performance (which is really important to me).
Michael Troughton has really grown into the role, to the point where his performance in “Operation Werewolf” was as close is it is possible to actually have Patrick Troughton back. Phenomenal.
Tim Treolar I would say is comparable to Noonan. Put it this way, I’m a lifelong fan of the Pertwee era and the Third Doctor Adventures releases always rank among my favourites. Tim Treolar’s performance is a very big part of that.
I feel like Noonan seems the be the most Marmite performer of the three - I’ve encountered some people that utterly adore his performance and others that genuinely cannot stand it.
Currently, I would say I’m more indifferent to him right now. One of the disadvantages of the 1DAs and 2DAs only having one set a year is that the actors don’t get as much time to develop their performances as other ranges do - though I remember seeing somewhere that the 2DAs are getting upped to two sets a year because they’re selling incredibly well.
I also fully admit that I haven’t been a big fan of the scripts Noonan has recieved - the exception being ‘The Demon Song’.
Completely agree re:Michael Troughton. Being completely honest, I wasn’t the biggest fan of his performance when he made his proper debut in the 2DAs - I know he also appeared in ‘The Annihilators’, but that wasn’t really his story. Two thoughts crossed my mind initially;
“God I miss Frazer Hines immaculate impression from the EAs!”
“Why didn’t they choose David Troughton? He sounds much closer to their dad anyway.”
These complaints have gradually melted away, and stories like ‘Operation Werewolf’ have proven that.
Since the 2DAs are being upped to two releases a year, I sincerely hope that only one will be focused on the Season 6B stuff - not the biggest fan - so that the other set can be just normal self-contained adventures set during the era.
Completely agree with this. I know a lot of people that have unfortunatley sworn off buying the 3DAs because they can’t get passed Treloar’s performance - but he captures the essence of the character, which is what matters.
Also, the range nearly always delivered top tier scripts: Volume Seven still ranks as one of my all-time favourite things BigFinish have ever released!
I hadn’t seen it was being doubled to 2 a year!! I really like Michael Troughton as the Doctor but I’ve not enjoyed the range so far because, well, if it is going to be Season 6B (which I don’t mind), I want it to be out there and genuinely new ground. Having Jamie and Zoe back isn’t that.
I love Jamie and Zoe but the lure of 6B for me is a new era for the Second Doctor with none of the ‘trappings’ of what came before.
This is a very fair point. I very much like his performance but I can see it being a sticking point for some. I appreciate the way he gets the inflection and humour right (both pivotal to the First Doctor). I’m a fan of what he does, but that’s just me!
With you on both points, initially (especially re: Frazer Hines). But, as you say, it all melts away because at some point it just clicked for Michael (and then some). His performance these days is as good as I think we could ever hope for (better, probably).
Yes, yes, YES! A thousand times YES! He distills the essence of the Third Doctor so well. And, yes, the range is blessed with scripts that know how to emulate the best of Pertwee’s era to a tee! “The Third Doctor Adventures” are probably my ultimate comfort listen. Just wrap me up in that early 70s vibe and cosy UNIT family!
I definitely think the Second Doctor should have companions - he doesn’t seem like the sort of incarnation that would work particularly well going solo - but he should’ve gotten original ones for the 6B stuff.
They even introduced a Season 6B era companion in one of the latter-day Monthly Range stories.
I know one of my closest friends is quite iffy when it comes to impersonators, basically refusing to listen to them unless it’s a close relative because he thinks that makes it more respectful.
This doesn’t include stuff like the CCs and EAs which are more narrated anyway
I disagree, but I do understand where he’s coming from.
I’ve been doing all I can to reccomend he dive into the Michael Troughton stuff, with Werewolf at the top of the list.
Agree Dudman is an incredibly good match for Smith. Genuinely don’t think I could tell them apart.
I think a lot of the recasts at Big Finish aren’t nearly as good impressions. But normally I don’t mind as long as they evoke the character well. Christopher Naylor as Harry is an example that comes to mind.
There are also a few actors who were on TV many years ago and now sound pretty different. I think Katy Mannings voice is noticeably different from the 70s.
Dudman is amazing, I really like Treloar, and even though I didn’t think I was ever going to listen to them, the War Doctor Begins stuff with Jonathon Carley is very excellent too. I find him to be a very compelling War Doctor
Ive always been curious if they’d ever recast Dr Evelyn Smythe. Shes one of the most beloved Big Finish companions. But then, I suppose it would be hard to find a soundalike, and even then some people would think it tasteless, and 6 has so many other companions to juggle stories with already.
I guess i just want more Evelyn Stories, its a shame the novels and short trips never touched on her after Stables passed away.
Having listened to the first two parts of Deathworld, I’d say Michael Troughton NAILS 2. Noonan and Treloar I definitely need some getting used to, but they’re both nailing the vibes and cadence of their Doctors even if the voices aren’t direct replicas. And Noonan can nail Hartnell’s laugh as 1 perfectly so I can’t complain!
Exactly! The more you listen to Noonan and Treloar, the easier it is to forget the slight vocal differences and mentally picture the performance. Getting the delivery right is so very important (and not easy). They both do a fantastic job of this. When I’m listening these days, they ARE the First and Third Doctors to me. I can hear the difference if I look for it but it’s so much easier to just immerse myself in the performance and the story.
I’m really looking forward to “Deathworld” and trying to stay unspoiled as far as possible. Enjoying the anticipation.
I’ve not heard much of Noonan compared to the others so I don’t have much to say about him other than he hasn’t fully clicked for me yet. Treloar and Troughton I was sold on immediately with my first full cast story I heard with each of them (Kaleidoscope and The Final Beginning, respectively).
By “Kaleidoscope”, Treloar had been doing it for a while. He has always been good, but I think he honed his performance a lot over his first couple of stories.
As for Michael Troughton, I feel he also took a couple to really inhabit the role. Now, of course, he’s peerless in the role.
Noonan got the performance right quickly, but likewise, it wasn’t instant. Moreover, I still hear the difference but I feel the performance, and that’s what sells it for me. Much as I like David Bradley’s take, Noonan gives the closest Hartnell performance for me, which really matters!
Same for me. I was never sold on the idea of recasts until I heard how good the recasts are.
Top of the tree is Jonathan Carley as The War Doctor. His performance is astonishing.
The others aren’t far behind. Stephen Noonan is the closest I think we’ll ever get to Hartnell’s Doctor, and he’s pretty amazing, I think, as is Tim Treloar who just gets better and better. Michael Troughton perhaps took a couple of stories to resonate with me, but I’m eager to hear more from him as the Second Doctor now.
When listening to the 3DAs it doesn’t actually occur to me that Katy Manning (and very occasionally John Leven) is the only original voice actor featured. The assorted companion recasts all melt into the ‘new’ Doctor Who/UNIT ‘family’.
A word for Lauren Cornelius who doesn’t sound a lot like Jackie Lane, but in many ways, it doesn’t matter. Dodo was only around briefly and was not well served by the series (although I enjoyed her in what she did). Lauren’s version gets more character development and is so good alongside Noonan, it’s impossible not to instantly warm to her.
And all of this from someone who wasn’t initially keen on the idea of recasts!
And Dodo’s accent kept changing, so we could imagine that her voice kept changing as well, which is why she sounds like Lauren Cornelius now
I’ve always been open to recasts because I want more stories featuring characters played by actors who’ve already passed. Jonathon Carley is miraculous as a John Hurt soundalike, and I love Treloar and Troughton as well. I’m not sold on Noonan as One yet, and I prefer David Bradley’s take, even though it isn’t perfect either. It seems that Hartnell is much harder to get right than Troughton, Pertwee, and Hurt.
I hate to bring this up, but when the inevitably terrible day is upon us and Tom Baker passes away and they run out of new audio content with him, who will they recast as Four? Jon Culshaw? His Four voice is pretty good.
