Doctor Who overview: An amazing season is told in The Eleventh Doctor Chronicles

I’ve recently finished listening to Big Finish's Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Chronicles, and it’s a fantastic series. The first two volumes provided a good mix of stories from across the Eleventh Doctor’s era, initially beginning as partially narrated stories before switching to full-cast drama. In both instances, Jacob Dudman provides an uncanny performance of Matt Smith’s Doctor, and the stories capture his era well.

But it was with the third volume, Geronimo!, that we got the start of something truly special. Because it’s with this box set, released in Oct 2022, that a new arc began. Told across fourteen episodes - including a Christmas special - the arc perfectly mimics one of the Eleventh Doctor’s TV seasons.

In fact, it takes place right in the middle of Series Seven, specifically between The Snowmen and The Bells of St John. At this point, the Doctor is looking for Clara across time and space, but he isn't finding her anywhere.

Valarie Lockwood

It’s during this search that he meets Valarie Lockwood, and that’s how the arc of the series kicks off. Brilliantly played by Safiyya Ingar, Valarie is a fantastic character. She’s strong, witty, and not afraid of jumping into danger. Unsurprisingly, she joins the Doctor on his travels as a companion, as they each have a reason to solve a bigger mystery spread across time and space.

Valarie also faces a lot of tragedy from her very first episode, and the companion goes through some major ups and downs across the series. In fact, it’s Valarie’s journey - both literal and figurative - that’s central to these audios. Across all of them, Safiyya Ingar plays Valarie with so much depth and heart, helping to make the character so easy to accept as a companion.

Of course, what also helps are the stories. Across all four volumes, there are so many great episodes that are full of twists and turns. Looking back, it’s honestly hard to pick any favorites from each box set, especially after seeing how the arc unfolds from the very first episode.

Strong season

What I can say is that both the season and the Doctor’s and Valarie’s relationship develops very naturally over the course of four volumes. Geronimo! is a great start to the new relationship, kicking off the season with a new mystery and three episodes that are a mix of tragedy, adventure and high-concept sci-fi.

All of Time and Space introduces a love interest for Valarie, one that's allowed to develop over the season. Considering the relationships we saw with the Ponds, Clara and Danny and even the Doctor and River, Valarie's romantic relationship is a great addition that helps the series feel even closer to Steven Moffat's era.

The box set concludes with an episode that casts a dark light on the Doctor's and Valarie's friendship. The consequences of this are explored in the brilliant episode Broken Hearts. Ironically, this episode was the last to be recorded in the season and was even released separately. It’s funny because Lisa McMullin’s episode feels like a necessary part of the season. More than that: it's also a highlight of the season, too.

Everywhere and Anywhere not only continues the strong storytelling but also finds more ways of capturing the style of Eleven’s TV seasons. For example, it includes a Christmas special, something that feels vital to any season of Doctor Who at this point.

But it also includes a massive game-changing episode, one with shocking twists and strong hints of where the season is going. It reminds me of episodes like Cold Blood or A Good Man Goes to War - episodes that shake the season up and make you eager to find out what happens next. It's another example of The Eleventh Doctor Chronicles mimicking the original TV era perfectly.

Victory of the Doctor

We then reach the final box set, and this is a volume that captures the 50th anniversary year perfectly from its title alone: Victory of the Doctor. The four episodes in this volume tie up the season brilliantly, especially with how it uses its central enemy: the Daleks.

Now admittedly, the Daleks appearing in a season finale is nothing new. To be honest, one of the most refreshing things about the Matt Smith era is that, while they might have made appearances, the Daleks weren’t the central threat anymore, not like they were in the finales for Series One, Two, and Four. And it could certainly be argued that, just like in the Classic Series, the threat of the Daleks was slowly diluted over time.

The episodes in Victory of the Doctor restores that threat in a big way. All four episodes address the consequences of stories such as Victory of the Daleks and Asylum of the Daleks. Not only has the Dalek Empire been restored, but they also no longer have an enemy to fear after their memory of the Doctor was erased.

Discovering how this box set addresses this while presenting the Daleks at their most ruthless not only feels like a natural direction for this season to take. It also feels like something that should have been explored in the TV series. Exploring key gaps in mythology is something that Big Finish often does at its best.

It all ends in the titular episode Victory of the Doctor. Not only is this an explosive and epic finale. It’s also an emotional one too, as all the key threads are resolved and Valarie Lockwood is given a worthy exit.

Jacob Dudman

There’s one more thing I should mention about The Eleventh Doctor Chronicles: Jacob Dudman as the Eleventh Doctor. Dudman’s performance is amazing to listen to. Not just because he’s brilliant at capturing the essence of Smith's iconic portrayal. But also because it’s a great performance in its own right. The Doctor and Valarie have some major ups and downs across the whole season, and all of these moments are strengthened by the performances of both lead actors.

It’s a shame knowing that Dudman won’t be playing the Eleventh Doctor after this. The way it was described during the interviews included with each box set, the whole season was created as a way of giving a long goodbye between Dudman and his time at Big Finish. As a goodbye, it works well, but considering how brilliant the season is, it’s also a shame that there’ll be no more episodes after this.

But perhaps that just helps to make these Eleventh Doctor audio episodes that little bit extra special. Because there are so few, especially compared to most other Doctors. And these audios may not have had Matt Smith himself in the role, but they still feel every bit as authentic as the TV episodes. If Smith never joins Big Finish at all, and if this season is the only season we have of the Eleventh Doctor on audio, then it’s a season that’s more than strong enough to make up for it. Without a doubt one of the best seasons of Doctor Who that Big Finish has given us yet.