It’s common knowledge that the earliest BigFinish success story was their redemption of the Sixth Doctor - allowing his character to mellow and become less of a preening [REDACTED]-end!
Evelyn Smythe played a crucial role in this, but the more friendly side to this incarnation began bleeding through into other adventures with other companions.
The first series of ‘Lost Stories’ for example bridged the gap between the more difficult and sarcastic interpretation seen on TV with the softer, cuddlier, “cool uncle” persona he took on audio. By the time you reach ‘Song of Megaptera’, you can really hear that he is morw BigFinish Six than TV Six.
My question for you all is this;
Are there any audio adventures you can remember listening to where Sixie was so mellowed out and different to his TV persona that you really took notice?
I would personally say ‘Year of the Pig’ made me really sit up and notice the positive changes in the character. You could still see glimmers of the pomposity he was known for - getting drunk and being a prat towards Proust being one such moment - but he was generally just being a good friend to Peri and having interesting conversations with Toby and his entourage.
I know @deltaandthebannermen and @sircarolyn disagree with me on this, but it’s honestly one of my favourite Sixth Doctor stories of all time.
Not only does it perfectly showcase the mellowing of his character, I just think it’s a damn good slow-burner too.
Though definitely don’t listen to it on an empty stomach: Toby mentions that many different types of food that you will be ravenous by the end. This story is also the reason I started eating baked Camembert with warmed walnut bread, cause it’s mentioned in one of Toby’s room service orders.
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One of the main reasons I dislike this story is the repeated scenes of Toby listing food. What’s the point of those scenes after the first couple? Is it a ‘clever’ reference I don’t get?
Not sure I can think of any mellow Sixie stories off the top of my head at the moment but I know The Wrong Doctors was difficult to follow as I couldn’t really tell the difference between Sixie’s different versions.
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I think it’s just world-building and set decoration as were. I alwys found it really charming, honestly.
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But surely the ‘world building’ is done after the first couple. After that it just seems needlessly indulgent.
But I shall derail this thread no more. 
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Hello fellow Year of the Pig fan!
Honestly, I think it’s easier (using that loosely) to list the BF audios in which Six acts in accordance with his S22 self. Most of the audios I can think of, he’s either characterized as neutral compared to how he was in S22, highly emotional (in a melancholic way), or he’s as you described, taking on a “softer, cuddlier, ‘cool uncle’” persona.
A few I can think of:
The Carrionite Curse had him willingly adopting the “clown role” he so used to despise to entertain a group of kids. Every time he cried in an audio, I was always (happily) taken aback. The Ultimate Evil showed a very friendly, fluffy side to his relationship with Peri. The stories with River Song had him written so giddily, girl-crazy, and borderline foolish that he was basically out-of-character. Doctor Who and the Pirates for obvious reasons. The Vanity Box to an extent (dressed in drag). The One Doctor, Peri and the Piscon Paradox, “Like” from the box set, and “The Exaltation” from Quin Dilemma (silliness abound).
I think the last released story where he reminded me of his TV self was Plight of the Pimpernel, mainly towards the end when he lambasted one of the characters in this big, dramatic way. It’s rare that I find an audio where he’s straight up insulting people or being excessively haughty. I feel like I hear more instances of Colin giggling into the mic or making jokes than anything else.
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Couldn’t agree more. He’s always been a darling 
.
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Let me expand on my initial point.
Personally, I agree there was nothing to redeem. I honestly love both the mellowed out and preening [REDACTED]-end versions of Ol’ Sixie.
But I think for the fandom at large - especially those who haven’t delved into EU media - there is that perception that this incarnation is just nasty and egostistical, when that’s really only true for ‘The Twin Dilemma’.
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Now, I remember that story being an absolute crock of 
, and basically being just ‘The Twin Dilemma’ but more insufferable.
I’m gonna have to revisit that one now.
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I also agree with this. Depending on who I’m talking to, it’s the reason why I may not bother going into my “He doesn’t need redeeming” spiel (I’ve already done it a few times here already). It’s just another one of those general fandom opinions that’s so pervasive that it’s almost like fighting a losing battle to counter it.
But I’ve also come to learn, at least on this site, that when some people say “redeemed” they don’t necessarily mean it in a negative way. There is a difference between his S22 and BF characterizations, and it’s an objective fact that more people prefer his audio self than his TV one. Because of that, it can be said that his reputation was “redeemed”.
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I don’t actually remember much of what happened in that story outside of the first hour LOL. But that first hour I enjoyed so much that I replayed it something like five times the day I first heard it.
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Even Colin has spoken about how he prefer’s the audio characterisation 
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His opinion doesn’t matter.
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I know what you meant with “redeemed” 
And I can assure you that I didn’t mean anything negative if it came across in that way. Televised Ol’ Sixie can be a bit of an “acquired taste” 
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I think basically I didn’t find Pig as funny as I think I was supposed to, and therefore it just didn’t work for me at alll.
Six adventures though, I always enjoy even if they’re not that great as stories. I never understood the hate for TV Six because I really love him on screen as well. He just flourishes into something fabulous on audio, I see them very much as a natural progression of the character we already saw. And I love that the audios let everyone else see how brilliant he is too
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Yeah. It was a story I felt excluded from because I didn’t ‘get’ it.
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I’m in complete agreement. There was evidence of on screen mellowing, but we had him for two short seasons (and “The Twin Dilemma”) so we never really got to see Colin take the character where he wanted to. Big Finish have continued this development and, I agree with @PalindromeRose that it has been spectacularly successful. That said, the seeds were clear in his televised stories.
Oh, and pairing Sixie with Evelyn was a masterstroke in bringing out this side of his character more directly. A wonderful pairing and you can hear Colin’s delight in his scripts with Maggie Stables.
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You’re probably right, and this always makes me sad. But there are those who are quick to judge, follow majority ‘opinion’ or simply don’t pay attention to the evidence on screen.
I’m happy to say that TARDIS Guide is NOT a place where that seems to be much of a problem! 
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I remember the first time I met Colin Baker - this would be Leeds Unleashed ComicCon all the way back in 2019 - and I remember getting there early and beinf the first in the queue.
He’s my favourite incarnation, and I was overjoyed to meet him. Just found the photo from that day (excuse the dreadful hair, I used to dye it far too much)
I remember getting him to sign my copy of ‘Arrangements for War’ and he started tearing up saying “Dear Maggie Stables. Oh how I miss her…” 
Ignore my deadname on the autograph. This is before i came out
It’s clear that Colin and Maggie developed a really strong bond over the years they worked together.
Sorry for rambling on there.
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No need to apologise. What a lovely story. Thank you for sharing.
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