Audio Autobiographies and Interviews

Audio Visuals

In the mid 1980’s a group of UK fans created their own un-licensed series of original audio dramas (not authorised by the BBC) and released them on cassette tape. Several were accompanied by self interview segments entitled "On Tape". These were later re-worked onto CD-R, and the artwork was often clumsily adapted from the original cassette covers. The people responsible included William Baggs (who later did the BBV spin-off videos and CDs), Gary Russell (responsible for Big Finish), Nicholas Briggs (Dalek & Cyberman voices in the current TV series, plus work with BBV and Big Finish) and others also later involved with Big Finish (John Ainsworth, Nigel Fairs, Alistair Lock). A few actors from the original TV series also participated, including Michael Wisher, Nabil Shaban and Peter Miles. The basic ideas of some stories have subsequently been re-worked in the later BBV & Big Finish series. These have been unavailable for many years, but more information about them can be found at www.justyce.org.

BBC

BBC = British Broadcasting Corporation, the government owned TV and radio broadcasting organisation in the UK, where Doctor Who was first created and broadcast back in 1963 and who continue to keep making it. They also produce and sell books, CDs, DVDs & other merchandise associated with the program (www.bbcshop.com).

BBV

BBV = Bill and Ben Video, a UK video & audio production company which began in 1991 (www.bbvonline.co.uk), operated by Bill and Helen ("Ben") Baggs who'd been involved in unofficial fan-produced "Doctor Who" stories in the 1980's (the "Audio Visuals" audio adventures - see elsewhere). As they didn't have permission from the BBC to make actual "Doctor Who" stories, they instead made several spin-off video releases featuring characters & situations that either closely mimiced the TV series or else were licensed from individual creators. Many of these included performances from the original actors. From 1998 to 2004 they released a similar series of audio stories which are listed & described here. Note that the "Faction Paradox" stories in season 4 continue on afterwards in further CDs released by Magic Bullet.

Big Finish

Big Finish Productions have been licensed by the BBC to produce stories on CD featuring characters & stories from the original Doctor Who TV series since 1999 (www.bigfinish.com). Most of the surviving Doctors have regularly participated along with their companions from the TV series, along with original new characters. These include straight forward Doctor Who stories as well as several spin-off series, music soundtracks, interviews, etc.

Cosmic Hobo

Cosmic Hobo Productions is a UK audio production company formed in 2006 (www.cosmichobo.com). Their initial range of stories - The Scarifyers - are detective stories set in the UK in 1930's, starring Nicholas Courtney (the Brigadier) and Terry Molloy (Davros) - from the original Doctor Who TV series - in the lead roles.

DWAS

DWAS = Doctor Who Appreciation Society, the official Doctor Who fan club which began in 1976 (www.dwasonline.co.uk). During the 1990's it released two cassette collections of short story readings.

Fantom Films

Fantom Films is a UK audio production company formed in 2006 (www.fantomfilms.co.uk). They've released several ranges of horror and TV SF audio books, plus interview CDs & DVDs and also organise events related to Cult TV.

Hirst Publishing

Hirst Publishing is an independent UK company (www.hirstpublishing.com) which has published numerous books about Doctor Who and has released readings of some of those titles in collaboration with What Noise Productions. (www.whatnoise.co.uk)

Magic Bullet

Magic Bullet is a UK audio production company formed in 2001 (www.kaldorcity.com) to produce the "Kaldor City" audio stories. In 2004 they also began to produce the "Faction Paradox" audio CDs, continuing from where BBV left off.

miscellaneous music and soundtrack recordings

MJTV

MJTV = Mark James Thompson Videos, a UK production company which has released two series of audio CDs with links to Doctor Who and Blake's 7 (www.mjtv.info).

Music and Sound Effects

Releases of the theme & incidental music and sound effects used in the stories, along with tribute songs and other music from people associated with the series, sorted by composer / artist.

Parodies

Pescatons

"Doctor Who And The Pescatons" was a story created to capitalise on the enormous popularity of the 4th Doctor / Sarah Jane Smith characters at the height of the success of the original TV series in the mid 1970's. Although just a "one-off" at the time, it was the first of what eventually became a huge number of original stories performed in a purely audio format and has been re-released several times over the years, by different companies and in different formats.

Silva Screen

Silva Screen is a UK company specialising in the release of TV & movie soundtrack music (www.silvascreenmusic.com).

Silver Fist

A series of interviews with three of the actors who played the part of the Doctor in the original TV series, conducted by fellow actor David Banks (best known for his role as the Cyber Leader in 1980's TV stories). There were originally released on cassette and later re-issued on CD in conjunction with 10th Planet (www.tenthplanet.co.uk).

Trunk

Trunk Records is a UK company which specialises in the release of eclectic soundtrack music (www.trunkrecords.com).

unofficial soundtrack CDs

These are unofficial fan produced CDs with the music soundtracks from TV stories.