The Sixth Doctor Era

Cross-Media Discussions
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This is a discussion of the Sixth Doctor era across all mediums. This is the place for discussing the Sixth Doctor as a whole: stories, companions, arcs (both story arcs and character arcs), favorites, anti-favorites, how the era gels (or doesn’t gel) across the various mediums (TV, books, audio, comics, short stories, etc.). What parts or aspects of this era work, don’t work, could be better. What kind of stories you’d like to see in this era. Just kind of anything Sixth Doctor. It can be as in-depth or as generalized as you want. Rants and gushing are encouraged.

Thanks to the Quin Dilemma earlier this year, we have a semi-definitive timeline that goes by companions: “Peri, Frobisher, Peri and Frobisher, Peri, Grant, Peri again, Mathew Sharpe, Evelyn, Frobisher; Frobisher, Peri, Actis and Carf; Jamie and Zoe, Evelyn, Evelyn and Brewster, Evelyn, Mel, Jago and Litefoot, Mila, Jamie, Flip, Peri; Jason, Crystal and Zog; Constance, Constance and Flip, Mari, Mel, Mel and Evelyn, and Mel [again]”. Because Hebe Harrison isn’t in the list, we must therefore assume that her stories occur after this.

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Present :clown_face:

Sixthdoctorwordcount

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I actually really like the Sixth Doctor. Yes, he’s brash, arrogant and reckless, but there’s also a kindness there and a strong sense of justice. I don’t mind him on TV. Yes, the Twin Dilemma isn’t a great story and not starting his run at the start of the season was, in hindsight, a poor decision because it left the audience with a bad taste in their mouth after the near-strangulation of Peri. I applaude the idea of giving this Doctor a definitive arc, it just could’ve been handled much better.

And that’s where Big Finish comes in. A better quality of writing, no realiance on sets or design budgets, writers who actually care about the character. There’s a higher quality to the storytelling in Big Finish. Now don’t yell at me for putting down the TV series. The TV series is great, I actually enjoy most of Seasons 22-23. That said, there was always the time crunch of television, most of the writers were jobbing television writers, I firmly believe that Eric Saward did not understand the show at all, and of course there was all the behind-the-scenes drama between the production team and the higher-ups at the BBC.

Big Finish on the other hand has taken the brashness and the arrogance and tempered it allowing the kindness to shine through. Look at the speech in The Apocalypse Element to the Daleks: “Life from death. You hear that, Dalek? Life wins.” Big Finish have played to both the actor and the character’s strengths. No longer do the actors have to try and downplay the nasty, spiteful bickering like they did on TV. Mel gets some really good stories and is treated like an actual fleshed out character instead of a celebrity star who can scream in a certain key. Peri gets more backstory and is actually used as a character instead of just being a pretty face in the most revealing outfits they could manage. I can’t imagine the TV show of the 1980s giving us a mischievous history professor in her fifties as a companion, or a married WREN from 1944 Bletchley Park. And yet, Evelyn and Constance are some of Six’s most popular companions. You definitely wouldn’t have gotten a marine biologist in a wheelchair as a companion in the 1980s, whatever your thoughts of Hebe as a character are.

The Sixth Doctor’s era is an interesting one in the end. On TV, it tends to be rated towards the bottom of the Doctors. It was an ambitious idea, but one that wasn’t planned out as well as it could’ve, or should’ve, been and one that was hampered by behind-the-scenes drama. I’d say Seasons 22-23 are the most tumultuous production-wise since the revolving door of production staff and cast members in Season 3. There’s no doubt that Big Finish did wonders in salvaging the era’s reputation among fans whether one thinks it needed salvaging or not. In the end, while I like other Doctors more, Six is still in the top ranks of Doctors for me and will hopefully stay there for many years to come.

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All these eloquent and beautiful tributes to ol Sixie the only thing my exhausted almost done with work brain can add rn is “Rainbow coat man go burrrr”

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I still haven’t really jumped into his Big Finish stuff aside from where he’s in Once and Future, but he is absolutely my favorite Classic Doctor. Before I started the full watch of all of Classic Who in order that I’m currently doing, I went through and watched like 3-4 stories for each Doctor, and 6 had me absolutely hooked. I absolutely adore the dynamic between him and Peri and Trial is by far the most I’ve enjoyed any classic story. After watching a few stories from him I moved on to watching a few from 7 but as soon as I’d done that I came back and watched all the rest of his era and I’m so excited to get back to it in this full watch that I’m doing.

And really hoping that at some point we can get a 13 and Sixie story on Big Finish now that Jodie’s doing it.

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You should definitely jump into Six on audio. The first five Six/Evelyn stories are up in the Audio Club if you need an excuse. (The titles are: The Marian Conspiracy, The Spectre of Lanyon Moor, The Apocalypse Element, Bloodtide and Project: Twilight.) His first solo story is a Six/Peri story titled Whispers of Terror which is pretty good too.

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Out of curiosity, does anyone know what Big Finish Sixth Doctor arcs are still kind of hanging or open-ended?

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I like 6 but seen as I’ve only experienced his tv stories he’s not really up there with my favourites, he’s just okay for me as of right now I’m aware I’ll come to like him more after diving into audio

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I will eventually, but have been listening to some other Big Finish stuff so it might be a while before I get around to him. And definitely more interested in more of 6 and Peri rather than any of the BF companions

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Fair enough, though Evelyn is amazing and possibly the best companion Big Finish ever created (and they’ve created a lot of great companions).

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I don’t know if its considered an arc, but Constance and Flip’s last trip in the TARDIS hasn’t been written in yet.

Peri’s timeline kind of confuses me honestly, but I feel like there’s a part of her story that hasn’t wrapped up either (specifically talking about post-The Widow’s Assassin when she joins him back in the TARDIS. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong.

In that same vein, BF made one Six and Peri box set three years ago and has showed no interest in making another one for some reason.

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Is Hebe’s arc officially over? Or is there potentially more to come after the Sixth Doctor anniversary sets? I’ve only listened to her first set. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it.

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Also, how likely do you think next year’s boxsets will continue the Constance/Flip arc now that we’ve had a return of Flip in the Quin Dilemma?

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The Purity storyline is over, yes.

No idea. I’m curious what BF has planned after the Trial anniversary set myself. I think, after four Hebe box sets back to back, they need to give her (and Mel) a break.

I hope they bring back Flip. I feel like we’ve been bombarded with Hebe and Mel everywhere, so to have Constance return, and/or to bring the Constance/Flip team come back would be great.

(Nothing against Hebe and Mel, I’m just a bit tired of seeing them everywhere)

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I’d love a Six/Evelyn audio novel if they keep that range going.

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Personally I just want Peri back properly at this point.

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