This is such a good point! I have many friends that I can talk to about TV Doctor Who. These same friends take a few steps back if I start talking about EU stuff, or even Classic Who stuff.
But seconding many people here, both. Both is good.
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Some people resonate more with different formats than others, Iām a more visual person so I prefer the show over the EU, but some people prefer reading books. One of the best strengths of Doctor Who is there is a little of something for everyone.
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Honestly like, I feel Iāve seen so much negativity surrounding Bf over specifically the last few years, and just I think we shouldnāt pit different things against each other and constantly compare when we can all just have fun and love what we love!
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Well the same can be said of any medium you choose to do an abundance of, certainly not just Big Finish.
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I donāt prefer either. Itās all Doctor Who to me and I love the fact that, depending on my mood or situation thereās a Doctor Who story I can experience: an audio for my walk to work, a car ride or doing the chores; a comic for a quick read; a novel for bedtime; a TV story for when I have the house to myself or to share with the family. And then thereās a podcast with an interview or a DWM article or a behind the scenes book or a silly Youtube video or a @ChrisStokes or @JoshSnares vlog.
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Very well put!
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I tend to gravitate towards the EU. However, thatās not to say itās better or worse. Iāve seen all the TV show so I find the EU more engaging because thereās a lot of new stories that I havenāt experienced. I gravitate more towards the audio because itās easier to find time to consume it than other mediums. For books, comics and TV, I have to make time to sit down and read or watch. Audio, I can put while Iām driving, going for a walk or doing chores. So itās much easier to consume than other mediums that I have to make a concentrated effort for.
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I tend to view it as the TV show is the bare bones, the skeleton, and the EU is the flesh that builds off it, gives it depth, makes it more interesting. I find the EU more interesting, but both are good and necessary
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TV. If I want to experience Doctor Who then I will usually gravitate towards the TV show. The EU requires more effort for me especially the audios but I still enjoy it.
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I have loved Doctor Who deeply since I first saw it back in 2005, and had dipped into some novels growing up, but my love for the show dwindled by 2016 ish. Series 10 brought some renewed interest for me, and it was in the lead up to series 10 that I discovered Big Finish and the Wilderness era books and fell deeper in love with Doctor Who than I ever had been before, and 8 years on still am. Big Finish is so important to me. The TV show will always move the continuity onwards the most, but the EU fleshes it out so much and allows us so much more time with these characters. All formats and medias have there amazing stories and crap ones. I rewatched Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead the other day and its one of my favourite Who stories ever. I reread Alien Bodies not long ago and the same is true of that. For me the EU is my core consumption and engagement of Doctor Who and am so glad we have it.
If Iād never delved deeply into the EU Iām sure Iād still love the show, but I doubt my love would be as deep or my connection so meaningful.
Also, without the EU I wouldnāt be here on TARDIS Guide!
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The 72 unlistened to audios would signify that I prefer the EU
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EU. Itās both exciting (in the sense we keep getting new stuff and some of the most experimental ones) and yet safe (because itās usually set in the current doctorās past).
TVās always the newest thing and it tries so hard to be new. Some times it overwhelms me. *cough Timeless Child *cough But the same can be said about VNA and EDA right?
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I enjoy each differently I guess. Although when it comes to the EU I only listen to BF, I donāt engage with the novels or comic books.
I would say TV is my first love, the EU of course wouldnāt exist without it.
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My answer earlier was both and itās still both now, but really it isnāt that simple. At different times itās different preferences. I find BF easier to engage with because thereās so much and I can listen to it while I do other things. But the show feels like an event, and sitting down to watch older episodes on iPlayer is also great.
And in recent years where Iāve liked the TV show but the latest couple eras mostly havenāt scratched the itch the way the show used to, I can always dive into some BF stories I love or am confident Iāll love.
So yeah, both are great and both have a place for me! Just depends on how I feel!
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Honestly I mostly view the EU to be optional extra stuff that builds on the core which is the show, classic and modern. Like, itās nice to have the extras, but Iāll never view it in a higher regard than the show itself for the reasons I said before. Big Finish since it is still performed media, uses the same actors where it can, and generally fits in with the show both continuity-wise and just fitting the vibe (at least from what Iāve listened to so far) is probably the next step below the show for me. Beyond that, Iām not sure Iād really get into much else in the way of EU material.
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I see the eyes reactions on my comments here. Itās by no means a slight towards the EU or Big Finish, so please donāt take it that way if you are. But since Doctor Who started as a TV series, thatās what it was originally imagined and made as, so thatās what it is at its heart. Anything else, is extra to that, or an addition from that, no matter which one prefers. If Doctor Who was a radio play or audio drama first, Iād probably be saying Big Finish is more the main Doctor Who. And you know what, itās a perfectly valid opinion to think because itās grown beyond a TV series, thereās more EU at this point than TV, or anything like that that the TV series has become secondary, itās just never one Iāll share.
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I definitely prefer the EU.
Across my top 5 stories, 3 of them are expanded universe (#1 is Scherzo, 3 is Sins of the Flesh, 4 is Touched by an Angel), and the massive range of content, spanning genres, mediums, and eras, makes the EU my favourite part of the show.
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Sins of the Flesh is a great choice. Personally in my top three Cyberman stories across every medium.
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Itās a very interesting take on the Cybermen.
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