|
|
|
Who is the best Big Finish Doctor Who writer(s)?
|
|
(10th April 2005 - 1st August 2005)
|
| Robert Shearman |
(168) |
|
29%  |
Jacqueline Rayner |
(146) |
|
25%  |
Marc Platt |
(74) |
|
13%  |
Jim Mortimore |
(61) |
|
11%  |
Joseph Lidster |
(27) |
|
05%  |
Mark Gatiss |
(18) |
|
03%  |
Nicholas Briggs |
(17) |
|
03%  |
Cavan Scott & Mark Wright |
(14) |
|
02%  |
Paul Cornell |
(13) |
|
02%  |
Gareth Roberts & Clayton Hickman |
(10) |
|
02%  |
Lance Parkin |
(09) |
|
02%  |
Alan Barnes |
(09) |
|
02%  |
Jonathan Blum |
(06) |
|
01%  |
Paul Magrs |
(04) |
|
01%  |
Nicholas Pegg |
(04) |
|
01%  |
Total number of votes cast: 580
Analysis
This was a difficult poll to run because of the need to select only fifteen out of the many authors employed by Big Finish since they began their
Doctor Who range in 1999. The ever popular Robert Shearman was always likely to win it given the quality of his work and his prolific status, so it was
no surprise that he took nearly a third of the vote by himself. Perhaps more of a surprise was Jacqueline Rayner's closeness to Shearman, with the range's
first female author taking twenty-five percent, assurring her second place by a comfortable distance. Marc Platt took third place, although with around half
as many votes as Rayner, but sufficient to keep off the challenge of Jim Mortimore who took fourth. That achievement is more remarkable considering he had
only penned one story at the time this poll was conducted.
|
|
Which is the best Big Finish spin-off series?
|
|
(17th February 2005 - 10th April 2005)
|
| Doctor Who Unbound |
(109) |
|
23% |
UNIT |
(99) |
|
21% |
Dalek Empire |
(98) |
|
21% |
Sarah Jane Smith |
(60) |
|
13% |
Professor Bernice Summerfield |
(58) |
|
12% |
Gallifrey |
(53) |
|
11% |
Total number of votes cast: 477
Analysis
The success of the Doctor Who Unbound range continues unabated, winning
the best spin-off poll comfortably with a small lead over its nearest
rival. Perhaps suprisingly, the race for second was very combatative with
Nicholas Briggs' long running and acclaimed Dalek Empire series just loosing
out to the challenge of the current UNIT series, which for most of the
time this poll was running had only two full stories in release.
The long dormant Sarah Jane Smith series narrowly defeated Big
Finish's first range (inherited from the Virgin New Adventures) Professor
Bernice Summerfield while the Gallifrey saga finished last.
|
|
Which was the best Doctor Who release of 2004?
|
|
(3rd January 2005 - 17th February 2005)
|
| The Harvest |
(90) |
|
37% |
The Natural History Of Fear |
(67) |
|
28% |
Arrangements For War |
(21) |
|
09% |
Medicinal Purposes |
(12) |
|
05% |
The Roof Of The World |
(09) |
|
04% |
The Last |
(09) |
|
04% |
Caerdroia |
(08) |
|
03% |
The Next Life |
(08) |
|
03% |
The Axis Of Insanity |
(05) |
|
02% |
Faith Stealer |
(05) |
|
02% |
Her Final Flight |
(05) |
|
02% |
The Twilight Kingdom |
(02) |
|
01% |
The Creed Of The Kromon |
(00) |
|
00% |
Total number of votes cast: 241
Analysis
This was a clear victory for Dan Abnett's Hex-introducing story The Harvest,
which commanded a big lead over its nearest rival, the darkly subversive The
Natural History Of Fear by Jim Mortimore. What is interesting about these
results is that those two stories by themselves took over sixty percent of
the vote, giving rise to two possible inferences. Either
these two plays were of such a high quality that none of the other eleven
Doctor Who stories of 2004 could compare or that the others simply
weren't good enough. A comparison to the equivalent
poll of 2003 suggests the
latter might be the case.
In the year of (almost all) new writers, it was Paul Sutton's Arrangements
For War that grabbed third place, some distance ahead of the chasing pack
but miles behind Mortimore's work. Robert Ross' Medicinal Purposes, which
featured a memorable guest appearance by Leslie Phillips, finished
as the fourth favourite narrowly beating stories like The Roof Of The World
and The Last.
Philip Martin's The Creed Of The Kromon, which began 2004's releases,
gained no votes whatsoever.
|
|
Which was the best chapter of the Dalek Empire III series?
|
|
(20th November 2004 - 3rd January 2005)
|
| 2. The Healers |
(31) |
|
30% |
4. The Demons |
(29) |
|
28% |
1. The Exterminators |
(15) |
|
15% |
3. The Survivors |
(11) |
|
11% |
6. The Future |
(09) |
|
09% |
5. The Warriors |
(08) |
|
08% |
Total number of votes cast: 103
Analysis
The choice of best story in the Dalek Empire III series proved a two-horse
race with the second chapter, The Healers, just edging out the fourth
installment, The Demons, by only a couple of votes. Between them, these
two titles took almost sixty percent of the vote, meaning they were well
ahead of the competition. The opening part, The Exterminators, gained
a fifteen percent of the vote which was sufficient to secure third spot.
|
|
Who was the best 'Doctor' in the Doctor Who
Unbound series?
|
|
(27th October 2004 - 20th November 2004)
|
| David Warner |
(60) |
|
49% |
David Collings |
(30) |
|
25% |
Geoffrey Bayldon |
(14) |
|
11% |
Michael Jayston |
(08) |
|
07% |
Derek Jacobi |
(08) |
|
07% |
Arabella Weir |
(02) |
|
02% |
Total number of votes cast: 122
Analysis
A very decisive win for David Warner who took on the part of the Doctor in
Jonathan Clements' Sympathy For The Devil (the story which was the joint
favourite in this site's best Doctor Who Unbound release poll) with just under
fifty percent of the vote, easily outranking his nearest rival David Collings,
who was the controversial Doctor of David Bishop's Full Fathom Five who polled
twenty-five percent. Geoffrey Bayldon's Doctor, from Auld Mortality and the
forthcoming sequel A Storm Of Angels, never really challenged Collings for
second spot but was comfortably ahead of Michael Jayston and Sir Derek Jacobi
as they tied for fourth.
|
|
Who is the best original to audio
companion?
|
|
(26th September 2004 - 27th October 2004)
|
| Evelyn (Maggie Stables) |
(101) |
|
41% |
| Charley (India Fisher) |
(77) |
|
31% |
| Hex (Philip Oliver) |
(35) |
|
14% |
| Erimem (Caroline Morris) |
(28) |
|
11% |
| C'rizz (Conrad Westmaas) |
(08) |
|
03% |
Total number of votes cast: 250
Analysis
The result of this poll was quite conclusive with Sixth Doctor companion
Evelyn Smythe, as played by Maggie Stables, taking forty-one percent of the
vote to win with a sizeable margin over India Fisher's Charley who took
a respectable thirty-one percent.
More surprising is that the newest original to audio companion, Hex
(Philip Olivier), who has to the date of the poll only featured in one
story, narrowly beat Caroline Morris' Eygptian Erimem to finish in third
place. The other new companion to be introduced in 2004, the alien
C'rizz - played by Conrad Westmaas - in the Eighth Doctor series found
little support, gaining a meagre three percent to finish last.
|
|
Who is the best returning (regular)
television companion?
|
|
(14th August 2004 - 26th September 2004)
|
| Peri (Nicola Bryant) |
(72) |
|
34% |
Mel (Bonnie Langford) |
(64) |
|
30% |
Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) |
(34) |
|
16% |
Turlough (Mark Strickson) |
(21) |
|
10% |
Ace (Sophie Aldred) |
(20) |
|
09% |
Total number of votes cast: 211
Analysis
With this poll excluding characters who have appeared outside their
original sequence (such as Romana and Leela) the choice was down
to five original television companions. Peri, as played
by Nicola Bryant, has appeared in both Big Finish's Fifth and Sixth
Doctor ranges and took over a third of the vote to see off her successor,
Bonnie Langford's Mel, who narrowly trailed her to take second place.
Given how unpopular Langford's character was in the original series,
it's a testament to how well Big Finish have revitalised Mel in
comparitavely few appearances that she did so well. Sarah Sutton's solid
appearances as Nyssa were enough for her to take a comfortable third place,
although she never threatened to break the hold of the front two. Mark
Strickson's Turlough probably suffered from the scarcity of his
appearances with the last of his two being in 2001's Loups-Garoux, but
despite that it was enough to narrowly beat Sophie Aldred's Ace into
last place despite the fact that she has appeared in considerably more
audio plays to date.
|
|
Which was the best release of the
Gallifrey series?
|
|
(13th July 2004 - 14th August 2004)
|
| A Blind Eye |
(34) |
|
44% |
Square One |
(33) |
|
43% |
The Inquiry |
(06) |
|
08% |
Weapon Of Choice |
(04) |
|
05% |
Total number of votes cast: 77
Analysis
Despite a relatively low turnout, this was a keenly fought contest between
Stephen Cole's Square One and Alan Barnes' second story A Blind Eye which
went right to the wire before the fourth Gallifrey release snatched
the narrowest of victories. Between them, these two titles took nearly
ninety percent of the vote meaning the remaining Gallifrey stories trailed
by a huge margin. Justin Richards' The Inquiry won six
percent of the vote, beating Barnes' opening gambit Weapon Of Choice into
last place.
|
|
Which was the best cliffhanger in an
Eighth Doctor audio?
|
|
(9th June 2004 - 13th July 2004)
|
| Neverland #2 |
(47) |
|
27% |
Seasons Of Fear #3 |
(35) |
|
20% |
The Chimes Of Midnight #1 |
(17) |
|
10% |
Embrace The Darkness #1 |
(15) |
|
09% |
Minuet In Hell #2 |
(13) |
|
08% |
The Chimes Of Midnight #3 |
(13) |
|
08% |
The Natural History Of Fear #3 |
(08) |
|
05% |
The Stones Of Venice #3 |
(06) |
|
03% |
The Time Of The Daleks #1 |
(04) |
|
02% |
Scherzo #3 |
(04) |
|
02% |
| Storm Warning #2 |
(03) |
|
02% |
Invaders From Mars #2 |
(03) |
|
02% |
Neverland #1 |
(02) |
|
01% |
The Twilight Kingdom #3 |
(01) |
|
01% |
Other |
(1) |
|
01% |
Total number of votes cast: 172
Analysis
The runaway winner here, perhaps unsurprisingly, was the cliffhanger to
the final episode of Alan Barnes' Neverland. As this was the last we heard
of the Eighth Doctor for eighteen months, it needed to be powerful and
that could be the reason for its continuing popularity. The cliffhanger
to episode three of Paul Cornell and Caroline Symcox's Seasons Of Fear
gave Neverland a good run for its money proving that surprise appearances
by old foes can lead to memorable drama. Rob Shearman's eternally popular
The Chimes Of Midnight came third with its atmospheric conclusion to the first
episode setting the tone for the remainder of the story perfectly. Nick
Briggs' Embrace The Darkness episode one fought off strong competition from
Alan W. Lear's Minuet In Hell and Shearman's The Chimes Of Midnight (again)
to take fourth spot.
|
(8th May 2004 - 9th June 2004)
|
| Medicinal Purposes |
(38) |
|
18% |
Spare Parts |
(31) |
|
15% |
The Chimes Of Midnight |
(29) |
|
14% |
Bloodtide |
(22) |
|
10% |
Scherzo |
(16) |
|
08% |
The Stones Of Venice |
(13) |
|
06% |
The Wormery |
(13) |
|
06% |
The Church And The Crown |
(11) |
|
05% |
Neverland |
(10) |
|
05% |
Invaders From Mars |
(08) |
|
04% |
Storm Warning |
(06) |
|
03% |
Dust Breeding |
(04) |
|
02% |
The Dark Flame |
(04) |
|
02% |
The Eye Of The Scorpion |
(03) |
|
01% |
The Axis Of Insanity |
(03) |
|
01% |
Total number of votes cast: 211
Analysis
Lee Binding's cover to the forthcoming 'Medicinal Purposes' beat off
strong competition from two of Clayton Hickman's work 'Spare Parts' and
'The Chimes Of Midnight' to take the best Big Finish Doctor Who cover
crown in a race that saw all three of these titles in the lead at some
point. Hickman's atmospheric cover to 'Bloodtide' gained a credible ten
percent of the vote, some distance ahead of Steve Johnson's strikingly
minimalistic piece for 'Scherzo.'
|
|
(9th April 2004 - 8th May 2004)
|
| Nimrod |
(62) |
|
28% |
Pieter Stubbe |
(34) |
|
15% |
Sebastian Grayle |
(28) |
|
13% |
The Child |
(16) |
|
07% |
Grayvorn |
(13) |
|
06% |
Sir Nikolas Valentine |
(12) |
|
05% |
Klein |
(12) |
|
05% |
Red Jasper |
(12) |
|
05% |
The Mentor |
(08) |
|
04% |
Kwundaar |
(07) |
|
03% |
Sir Archibald Flint |
(06) |
|
03% |
Rochester |
(06) |
|
03% |
Major Koth |
(02) |
|
01% |
General Voshkar |
(01) |
|
00% |
Other |
(01) |
|
00% |
Total number of votes cast: 220
Analysis
Cavan Scott and Mark Wright's creation of Nimrod was the clear winner
here in the best original villians poll. Nimrod is the only character
from the regular Doctor Who series to have a return engagement with the
Doctor, first appearing in 'Project: Twilight' (2001) and then again in
'Project: Lazarus' (2003). Pieter Stubbe of Marc Platt's 'Loups-Garoux'
fought off strong competition from Sebastian Grayle from 'Seasons Of Fear',
by Paul Cornell and Caroline Symcox, to take second place.
Following some distance behind those three, the Child from Rob Shearman's
'The Holy Terror' just beat Grayvorn from the Excelis series.
|
|
Of Big Finish's regular
audio Doctors, who has been the best?
|
|
(9th March 2004 - 9th April 2004)
|
| Colin Baker |
(124) |
|
45% |
Paul McGann |
(70) |
|
26% |
Peter Davison |
(59) |
|
22% |
Sylvester McCoy |
(20) |
|
07% |
Total number of votes cast: 273
Analysis
This was the second time that the best audio Doctor question was asked,
and while the same actor won both times, the sample vote was much larger
here so it is a tribute to Colin Baker's ability that he is still
considered the best by almost fifty percent of the voters.
Paul McGann sees the benefit of having three whole seasons under his belt,
moving slightly ahead of Peter Davison, to be voted second best with just
over a quarter of the vote. Despite actually gaining more votes in this
poll than the earlier one, Sylvester McCoy's support fell due to the
greater sample, with only seven percent of voters considering him to
be the best audio Doctor.
|
|
Which was the best regular
Doctor Who audio release of 2003?
|
|
(8th January 2004 - 9th March 2004)
|
| Jubilee |
(75) |
|
16% |
Davros |
(67) |
|
14% |
Doctor Who And The Pirates |
(66) |
|
14% |
Master |
(59) |
|
13% |
Scherzo |
(42) |
|
09% |
The Wormery |
(33) |
|
07% |
Creatures Of Beauty |
(32) |
|
07% |
Zagreus |
(30) |
|
06% |
Shada |
(19) |
|
04% |
Omega |
(17) |
|
04% |
Flip-Flop |
(16) |
|
03% |
Project: Lazarus |
(10) |
|
02% |
Nekromanteia |
(02) |
|
00% |
The Dark Flame |
(01) |
|
00% |
Total number of votes cast: 469
Analysis
As the 40th anniversary year of Doctor Who, it was fitting that Big Finish
should produce such a wide-ranging year of stories but with such a diverse
offering it was perhaps inevitable that no single story would be able
to dominate the best story result.
In a closely fought contest for the coveted first place slot, the ever popular
Rob Shearman's Dalek adventure 'Jubilee' fought off tough competition from
another story inspired by a creation of Terry Nation's - 'Davros' by Lance
Parkin - as well as Jacqueline Rayner's striking 'Doctor Who and the
Pirates', which gained fame for its Gilbert & Sullivan-style musical
interlude. Joseph Lidster's 'Master' gained sufficient votes to take fourth
place but never really threatened to challenge the top three titles.
At the other end of the results, Cavan Scott and Mark Wright's 'Project:
Lazarus' failed to capitalise on the promise of a sequel to their debut
story 'Project: Twilight' from 2001, taking only ten votes. But the two
stories that struggled to find much support were Austen Atkinson's
brutal 'Nekromanteia' and Trevor Baxendale's 'The Dark Flame' who between
them failed to score a significant percentage point.
|
|
Which was the best release of the Doctor Who
Unbound series?
|
|
(15th November 2003 - 8th January 2004)
|
| Auld Mortality |
(84) |
|
27% |
Sympathy For The Devil |
(84) |
|
27% |
Full Fathom Five |
(60) |
|
20% |
He Jests At Scars... |
(35) |
|
11% |
Deadline |
(37) |
|
12% |
Exile |
(07) |
|
02% |
Total number of votes cast: 307
Analysis
The Doctor Who Unbound series was a chance to do something very different
within the confines of the Doctor Who universe, so it's perhaps surprising
that the two stories locked in battle for first place that neither could
win were the two most traditional of the six releases. There was nothing
to separate Marc Platt's Auld Mortality, featuring Geoffrey Bayldon
as the Doctor, or Jonathan Clements' Sympathy
For The Devil, which starred David Warner, with both stories taking
twenty-seven percent of the vote each.
David Bishop's dark and controversial Full Fathom Five featuring
David Collings as the Doctor polled strongly to finish third but never
really threatened the dominancy of the first two releases.
Robert Shearman's Deadline, arguably the most extreme of the Unbound
releases, failed to find the same kind of support his regular Who titles
receive and fought a close battle with Gary Russell's He Jests At Scars...
with the story of what might have happened had the Valeyard triumphed just
loosing out to Shearman's story of failed writer Martin Bannister.
Nicholas Briggs' Exile fared very badly, with the story of a female
Doctor (played by Arabella Weir) living a very ordinary life amongst
the pubs and supermarkets of London finding little favour and gaining
only two percent of the total vote.
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
The Tertiary Console Room
> Previous Poll Results
