I feel like we’re getting very sidetracked in the BF Website thread, and I for one and interested to hear more about what everyone thinks about these audios!
I have only listened to volume 7 and 8, and I love love loved 7 - I thought The Gulf was a brilliant story. What’s everyone else’s reccommendations?
I absolutely adored The Gulf. The first Tim Foley story I ever listened to! As great as the 3DAs are at replicating the tone and pace of the original episodes, I really wish Three got more stories that push the boat out like that. So melancholy, eerie and sad—and yet so perfect for Three.
I haven’t heard too many of the others. The Unzal Incursion, The Annihilators and Intelligence for War were all solid, fun 70s romps, but they haven’t stuck in my mind too strongly, despite me enjoying them thoroughly at the time.
What I will say, too, is that I’ve never had any problems with the recasts. I find Tim Trelour to be a great Three, and Jon Culshaw’s Brigadier is nothing short of phenomenal. And I love Daisy Ashford as Liz! I love Liz so much, and I think Daisy does a brilliant job of carrying on her mum’s legacy.
I’ve only listened to four stories from the 3DAs so far— The Transcendence of Ephros was pretty good, The Rise of the New Humans was annoying and didn’t feel of the era (Rufus Hound’s Monk is an aggressively revival-era character and imo a mischaracterization of the Monk in general as well), and The Tyrants of Logic I thought was fantastic, as was Kaleidoscope!
I confess to playing a major role in that sidetracking.
Sorry. 
But all too happy to see this thread. I might well have a thing or two to say on here. 
For now, let me say only this:
“Primord” Soooo good! I smiled. I’m still smiling!
“The Gulf” Eerie, unusual, at times beautiful. Utterly different and yet still so in keeping with the era. Wow!
I love Rufus Hound’s Monk. He’s so much fun.
I was the one who inadvertently started the sidetracking, whoops sorry 
Anyway I’ll definitely check these out when I can!
I love all the 3DAs except for The Havoc of Empires from Volume 1 and Kaleidoscope, which makes up Volume 10.
Empires, I think, attempted a kind of Peladon ‘vibe’, with a whole host of alien characters, but just ended up a bit of a jumble of synthesised voices. It was a production that didn’t quite work. Kaleidoscope begins in a very promising fashion but becomes a bit of a mess (I’m not a huge fan of Alan Barnes’ writing).
The Gulf is a thing of beauty, Primord brings two wonderful companions together, The Annihilators os a lovely sprawling story. Intelligence for War is hotly recommended! The list goes on …
What I love about this range is the obvious love they have for the era, and the painstaking efforts made to replicate the music and the atmosphere of it all. Considering the majority of the characters are recast, I count the 3DAs as one of BF’s major successes.
I enjoyed Primord for what it was (thanks to the Into the TARDIS podcast) but, I’m sorry to say, Daisy Ashford did not work for me as Liz.
The 3DAs are one of those ranges that use nostalgia to their advantage, which honestly had me worried when I first delved into them back in 2018.
But they don’t let nostalgia get in the way of telling exciting adventures, and everything feels like it’s being made from a place of love.
I just remember the first series of 4DAs and how they also relied heavily on nostalgia, but those stories basically tried ramming it down your throat and sacrified writing quality.
I just wish the 3DAs weren’t so underrated, cause they’re stellar!
I haven’t listened to too many of the 3DAs, but the ones I have heard I’ve loved. I think once I finish the MR, I intend to catch up on the 3DAs. I know some people are iffy about the recasts and I do get it, but personally it doesn’t bother me too much. You have to let yourself go along for the ride to enjoy it, and I do.
“Brigadier? Yes, that’s right. @PalindromeRose said they’re stellar! So free will is not an illusion after all!”
If you haven’t already heard these ones, I can highly reccomend;
I’d say they’re the best of the range.
Truthfully, there are only two box sets from the 3DAs I would call bad;
Volume 4
The Cyberman story is insufferably boring, and most of it’s elements would be recycled in another story with the silver terrors called ‘Bad Day in Tinseltown’ with Seven and Mel.
Volume 8
Honestly, the only time I’ve ever regretted purchasing one of the 3DAs. The Draconian story is one of the most atrociously written and acted pieces I’ve encountere for some time - virtually nothing happens, and everyone sounds like they’ve only seen the script once when they were recording it.
Hoping we see some of the Delgado Master in the range soon. He’s such a big part of the era on TV.
Agreed. I would love a regular recast Delgado Master, but I think Big Finish’s problem is - and it’s a good problem to have - they have so many versions of the character presently, all of whom are excellent.
It’s about time the old rogue turned up to face The Treloar Doctor.
Me too. I mean, he is the same person in the way that every new regen of the Doctor is still the Doctor. Also, just like the Doctor, different traits come to the fore each time. Rufus Hound’s Monk is supposed to be different yet the same, so I’ve never felt he was mischaracterised (any more than Missy is radically different from the Pratt/Beevers Master). He’s a joy, and an ideal foil for the more po faced and pompous Third Doctor (I say that as a dyed-in-the-wool fan of the Third Doctor - his arrogance, pomposity and rudeness makes his lovely warmth and humour all the more endearing. It also makes sense as he chafes against the exile imposed on him by his own people).
Yes, I agree it would be perfect to hear the original Master face off against the Third Doctor once again. It is true that Big Finish have an embarrassment of ruches when it cones to the Master, yet Delgado’s was so iconic, I honestly don’t think it would be an issue if they could find the right voice actor.
If you could cast anyone to play a recast Delgado Master based on their voice alone - who would it be?
(Also - and I realise this may be a silly question from a newbie - how do you quote the post of the person you’re responding to? Many thanks in advance)
I just don’t know. I have a feeling that Culshaw could do it (and would probably relish it).
Highlight the text you want to quote and it pops up as an option. Alternatively, click on “settings” when you’re composing a reply and “quote” is an option. 
Wehay! Many thanks!
My issue is that I don’t think the Monk should be an outright villain, and Hound’s Monk feels very straightforwardly villainous in an almost self-aware way and explicitly self-interested above everything else, while also imo being more like Drax than he is like the Monk in the Classic series. The Monk from my understanding of the character in Classic Who is genuinely altruistic, but also has a taste for luxury and, his worst quality, an extremely petty vengeful streak if he perceives himself as being wronged.
I also probably feel strongly about this particularly because I am generally very frustrated by stories like The Time Meddler, The Fires of Pompeii, et al., with the message of “you can’t change history because [technobabble]”.
First off, in-universe, given that the Time Lords are shown to be bigoted and corrupt authorities at best and outright eugenicist and genocidal at worst, I find their prohibition against interference suspicious and very much doubt their ability to know or intention to implement what’s best for the timeline. In that regard, I have more respect for someone who’s going against them (in this case, the Monk) than someone who decides to enforce their decrees (in this case, the Doctor).
And regarding the real world, I think if time travel were to actually be discovered, it would be the moral duty of those who had it to change history to make life better for people, as the Monk is portrayed trying to do in his first appearance. Now I don’t have confidence that people would actually try to do that over their own profit in such a situation irl, or that they would be particularly good at it, but when the message of your story ends up being “it’s better to not even try to change things for the better / everything is meant to be as it is”, I strongly believe those are bad messages, and I think it’s discouraging for some people who would like to make a difference in the real world.
