Whovians, especially those excited about David Tennant’s return, may have a hard time waiting until 2023 to see him in action! What are fans to do until then? Well, there are plenty of stories that you may have missed with the 10th Doctor since his final television episode in 2010. Read on for part one of Tenth Doctor Big Finish Doctor Who audio drama recommendations!
Though his return to the show has been known since earlier this year, Doctor Who fans finally got a glimpse at David Tennant’s return to the much-loved show at the end of “The Power of the Doctor.” But after the episode aired, the BBC and returning showrunner Russel T Davies confirmed that we won’t know more until November 2023 when a series of specials airs to celebrate the show’s 60th anniversary!
Big Finish
For those who may be unfamiliar, Big Finish Productions has been making Doctor Who audio dramas (alongside audios for many other series both licensed and original) since 1999. Through these full-cast audio dramas, fans continue to get stories from previous Doctors and companions long after they’ve left the TV show.
In 2015, Big Finish announced the exciting news that David Tennant and Catherine Tate would be returning to their roles as the Doctor and Donna Noble for the first full-cast audios featuring the 10th Doctor. Since then, David Tennant has returned to the audio world of Doctor Who several times in some amazing stories. So which one do you want to dive in with first?
“The Tenth Doctor Adventures”
Serving as the “main range” for the Tenth Doctor at Big Finish, The Tenth Doctor Adventures currently has three installments. Volumes one and three feature the 10th Doctor alongside Donna Noble and volume two provides more adventures with Rose Tyler. These collections of stories- three in each volume- are mostly “bonus” adventures that all take place within their respective season/series of the show and aren’t connected to each other.
Volume One
Released in May 2016, Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures Volume 1 contains three stories with the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble set during the fourth series of Doctor Who. This marked David Tennant’s first return to the role since 2013’s TV episode “The Day of the Doctor” and Catherine Tate’s first return as Donna Noble since 2010’s “The End of Time Part 2”.
The three stories that make up volume one are “Technophobia” by Matt Fitton, “Time Reaver” by Jenny T Colgan, and “Death and the Queen” by James Goss. All three stories are wonderful looks at the Tenth Doctor and Donna’s characters.
“Technophobia” is a brilliant introduction to the world of Doctor Who audios for newcomers to the format. Set in the near-future for Donna, it takes a look at the relationship that humans have with the technology they use in their day-to-day lives and what could happen if the entire world suddenly lost their ability to use it. In fact, what happens if they become terrified of it!
“Time Reaver” has some brilliant and terrifying concepts for time-based weapons alongside a well-realized alien world for the Doctor and Donna to explore when the TARDIS needs some repairs. Listeners are also introduced to some great new characters such as Soren, a junkyard dealer who’s been keeping an eye out for TARDIS parts for the Doctor for years, and Gully, a powerful gang leader who’s been building his power on this planet for a long time.
“Death and the Queen” is a particular favorite of mine. It’s a touching look at the Doctor and Donna’s relationship. In a way, it plays off a deleted scene from “Planet of the Ood” where Donna makes it known that part of her plans for traveling the universe is finding a husband for herself. Of course, much like her on-screen weddings, there is a disaster waiting just around the corner. But who saves the day when her seemingly fairytale day goes wrong may surprise you!
Volume 2
A little over a year later, Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures Volume 2 released- this time featuring the return of Billie Piper as Rose Tyler. Volume 2 is again made up of three stories, and this one also marks the return of Camille Coduri as Rose’s Mum, Jackie Tyler!
“Infamy of the Zaross” by John Dorney kicks off the box set with the return of Jackie. After Jackie arrives at a friend’s house for a small getaway, the town suddenly finds itself invaded by aliens! Knowing the perfect person to call in such a situation, Rose and the Doctor are soon there and discovering that this invasion isn’t quite what it seems. Ever wondered what happens when Doctor Who meets reality television?
“The Sword of the Chevalier” by Guy Adams serves as the set’s historical episode. In 1791, the Doctor and Rose meet the Chevalier d’Eon- a historical figure that many may not know well or at all but who has a fascinating history. As this is Doctor Who, though, the trio soon discover a plot by a group of alien slavers who are slowly replacing party guests with hollow copies of their victims… and who have a plan to make sure that their newly-acquired humans can fetch a high price due to scarcity.
“Cold Vengeance” by Matt Fitton rounds out volume 2 and brings the Tenth Doctor face-to-face with a classic Who villain- the Ice Warriors. And… perhaps in not the most conventional setting for these cold-blooded lizard-like Martians to be: A deep freeze storage facility the size of a moon! Centuries old feuds melt and resurface when a group of pirates hold up and sabotage the facility and the Doctor and Rose must find a way to help the two sides make amends before it is too late.
Volume 3
May 2019 saw the release of Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures Volume 3. Once again featuring the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble, volume 3 also saw Donna reunite with her Mum Sylvia Noble (Jacqueline King) and was the first time that Bernard Cribbins returned to play Wilfred Mott since the Tenth Doctor’s final TV episode.
Wilf and Sylvia are roped into the Doctor and Donna’s adventures in “No Place” by James Goss. While trying to figure out the secrets of an old, abandoned house, the Doctor and the Noble family find themselves as part of Haunted Makeovers– a home makeover show specializing in supposedly “haunted” residences. The episode is told through the point of view of Justin- Haunted Makeover’s presenter as he and his dwindling team help the family with the renovations. This story is scary and delightful- especially with the Doctor and Donna posing as a newly married couple!
“One Mile Down” by Jenny T Colgan features Ten and Donna’s earlier dealings with the rhino-like police force, the Judoon. This time, though, the Judoon have been called in to “protect” an investment that a tour company has made in an underwater city called Vallarasee- a presence not entirely welcome by the city’s original inhabitants. “One Mile Down” is a look at what happens when tourism takes over to the detriment of those native to the land. Or in this case, the underwater city! “One Mile Down” also features the cutest Judoon-in-training.
“The Creeping Death” by Roy Gill is a sci-fi/Doctor Who take on the 1952 Great Smog of London. Joined by a delightful group of characters, the Doctor and Donna get separated early on in the episode but both wind up investigating the fact that it may not just be regular smog causing issues in London. A swarm of lifeforms are living in the smog and are making things even worse for those in the city.
The Tenth Doctor in “Out Of Time”
Multi-Doctor episodes can be some of the most fun stories for Doctor Who fans and in August 2020, the first in a trilogy of multi-Doctor episodes featuring the Tenth Doctor for Big Finish was released. Out of Time features three stories with the Tenth Doctor meeting the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Doctors respectively, alongside classic Doctor Who monsters. The stories are only loosely connected to each other, but are a lot of fun!
“Doctor Who: Out of Time 1”, simply titled “Out of Time”, features Ten meeting the Fourth Doctor as they battle against the Daleks and is written by Matt Fitton Both regenerations are seeking a bit of quiet inside an impossible cathedral that provides refuge and comfort to people from all over space and time. Since this cathedral can connect to any place and any time, it is seemingly the perfect base of operations for a force of Daleks intent on taking over the Earth.
Ten and Five (real-life father-and-son-in-law team up!) meet in “Out of Time 2- The Gates of Hell” by David Llewellyn. This time, the two Doctors must team up to stop the Cybermen from changing history in both the early 1800s and 1940s Paris, France after their timelines collide and provide an opportunity for the metal monsters. Aided by Time Agent Tina Drake (Shelley Conn), they need to figure out what went wrong in Joseph Delon’s (Mark Gatiss) life to prevent the Cybermen from taking over the Earth.
“Out of Time 3- Wink” by Lisa McMullin teams up the Tenth and Sixth Doctors against the Weeping Angels. True, some may think that such a visual (and silent, mostly!) monster may not work well in an audio format, but McMullin does an excellent job keeping these creatures terrifying. The setting is unique for the creatures, too. The world that the Doctors land on is so bright that neither of them can see anything and the native inhabitants of the world have no sense of sight whatsoever.
Tenth Doctor Big Finish: “Dalek Universe”
Doctor Who: Dalek Universe is the first Tenth Doctor Big Finish story told over multiple, very connected stories. Within the Doctor’s own timeline, these stories are set after the events of “Journey’s End”. Told over three volumes with three stories each, this 9-part story takes the Tenth Doctor to a pre-Time War Universe. But what brought him there and why? How will he get back home since he was basically time-napped by other time travel technology? And will he be able to avoid getting too involved in the war between the Movellans and the Daleks?
Dalek Universe 1
Starting off the series is “Buying Time” by John Dorney. This episode sets up the Dalek Universe story by sending the Tenth Doctor crashing right into this pre-Time War period and meeting back up with an old companion, Anya Kingdom (Jane Slavin). Formerly Ann Kelso when she was under a form of witness protection and a companion to the 4th Doctor under that alias and set of memories, is back at her job as a Space Security Service member. When she’s investigating the crash of a SSS ship that had been carrying fellow member Mark Seven (an android played by Joe Sims), the Doctor pops up (quite literally!) in a cramped cupboard on the destroyed ship. And, of course, the Doctor has no idea what he’s doing there or how he even got there!
The trio soon escape the planet and head back to Earth. There, the Doctor learns of George Sheldrake (Mark Gatiss) and his plans to launch commercial time travel that very day. Shocked at the carelessness that Sheldrake seems to have with time travel (at least from the Doctor’s standpoint), they start to try and find a way to shut him down. But things don’t quite go to plan.
“The Wrong Woman”, also by John Dorney, continues the story of Sheldrake’s attempt to launch widely-available time travel and the Doctor’s attempts to stop him. This story must be listened to with as little knowledge of the plot as possible. The twists and turns in it are incredible and delightful. Don’t look it up any further. Just go listen to it and be taken along for the ride. Trust me.
“The House of Kingdom” by Andrew Smith rounds out the first volume of Dalek Universe. Without his TARDIS, the Doctor has to find some other way of getting back to the other side of the Time War (and to where he left his ship parked)! The trio of the Doctor, Anya, and Mark set out to track down a Space Security Service member who’s worked on time travel before, but an attack on the space station they were at results in their being taken to Neptune. Here, they meet Anya’s grandfather Merrick Kingdom (Kevin McNally) and discover a shocking secret, desperate program that is attempting to win the war against the Daleks.
Dalek Universe 2
The second volume of Dalek Universe opens with a story focused on Mark Seven’s origins: “Cycle of Destruction” by Roy Gill. As far as Mark Seven is aware, he is the only android as advanced as he is. But a recall signal hijacks his system, causing him to return to his home world- bringing a not entirely willing Anya and Doctor with him! This story delves into some intriguing concepts and questions about artificial life and intelligence. Doctor Who fans may recognize the voice of Mark’s sister, Mariah Six, as Nina Toussaint-White who played Mels in series 6 of the show.
Now able to start tracking down the Space Security Service’s time travel expert, the story continues with the trio visiting a SSS space station in “The Trojan Dalek” by John Dorney. Still not able to get any straight answers out of anyone about the missing scientist, the Doctor, Anya, and Mark decide to investigate. But there’s more horrors waiting for them as they discover just how desperate the SSS is to win their fight against the Daleks.
“The Lost” by Robert Valentine ends this volume of Dalek Universe. The Doctor’s latest scheme to jerry-rig a form of time travel goes wrong and traps them in a bubble universe with a very strange exile known only as “the Lost”. Outside of the normal universe, the normal rules don’t apply and there are heartbreaking conversations that must be had with faces so recently lost…
Dalek Universe 3
“The First Son” by Lizzie Hopley starts the final volume of Dalek Universe and features a familiar face… maybe. Though he’s not had many adventures with her (more on that in part 2 of this guide!), the Doctor recognizes the face of River Song. However, she seems to be insisting that she is a Movellan called Mto! Not only that, but she says that she is the mother of Kamen Vers- another Movellan but one who seems a bit different to the others. Now stranded on a planet made up of crashed ships, the Doctor and Anya have to figure out what exactly is going on and how to escape without notifying the Daleks.
“The Dalek Defence” by Matt Fitton is a rematch of sorts. For the Tenth Doctor, he’s already met Davros, but the creator of the Daleks hasn’t met this face of the Doctor’s yet. With Davros imprisoned on a human-controlled ship, the Doctor knows that the Daleks won’t be too far behind in their attempts to save Davros.
The story wraps up with “The Triumph of Davros” by Matt Fitton. Still stuck in what technically counts as his own past, the Doctor has to be very careful as he gets even more caught up in the struggle between the Daleks, Movellans, and humans. There’s a chance he could get back to his own time, but the Daleks are watching him closely- as is someone he’d once thought lost but has now returned. Will he be able to save everyone and still get back home?
Dalek Universe is a phenomenal story that really showcases what Big Finish can do with the Tenth Doctor- when David Tennant is available to record longer stories, at least! I highly recommend checking out this nine-part story.
Of course, The Tenth Doctor Adventures, Out of Time, and Dalek Universe are just a few of the Tenth Doctor Big Finish stories! Stay tuned for part 2 of this series where we’ll discuss The Tenth Doctor and River Song, Tenth Doctor Classic Companions, The Tenth Doctor Chronicles, the Short Trips stories with Ten, and a few of the spinoffs that the Tenth Doctor era has spawned at Big Finish over the years!
A small note: If you’re looking to save some money on these Tenth Doctor Big Finish adventures, either sign up for their newsletter or follow Big Finish on social media to be notified of sales! Big Finish has sales on various ranges and stories all the time- just keep an eye out!
