Doctor Who: The Five Companions is now available for free!

While Doctor Who Day (Nov 23) has come and gone already, for many Whovians, every day is practically Doctor Who Day. And there's always a great story to enjoy somewhere.

Big Finish has recently made one such story far more accessible. Doctor Who: The Five Companions, previously only available to subscribers of the now-finished monthly range, is now available to listen to for free.

This is a rather lovely little story, especially for fans of both the First Doctor's era and the 20th anniversary special The Five Doctors. To recap the latter: the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison), three of his previous selves and many of his companions are trapped in the Death Zone on Gallifrey.

The Five Companions takes place right in the middle of it, with the Doctor suddenly finding himself in an area of the Death Zone closed off from the rest. Arriving there, he's reunited with four very old friends, as well as someone he's only recently said goodbye to. But the Daleks and the Sontarans are also in the Death Zone - and the Doctor and his friends are caught right in the middle!

A tribute to the '60s

What really makes The Five Companions a great listen for '60s fans - despite being set in '80s Who - are the companions that feature. William Russell, Peter Purves, Jean Marsh, and Anneke Wills all return as Ian Chesterton, Steven Taylor, Sara Kingdom, and Polly Wright, respectively. This focus on '60s Who was not accidental, of course.

"David Richardson came up with the idea of this one, as we were looking to find something special for our most loyal listeners. David had got to know all the companion actors really well while producing the Companion Chronicles, so he very cleverly persuaded them all to take part in this beautifully crazy story."

- Nicholas Briggs

It's a story that works extremely well, and is a joy to listen to for fans of Classic Who, or even those who love a good reunion between the Doctor and some of his old companions. Even Nyssa (Sarah Sutton), a companion of the Fifth Doctor who left in the previous season, features in this one.

The fact that it's set right in the middle of The Five Doctors feels strangely appropriate, too. It's a story that expands on a big celebration while being a fun listen in its own right. If you're a fan of The Five Doctors, you'll likely enjoy this story. If you haven't seen the original TV special, you can watch it on iPlayer in the UK, BritBox in the US, or as part of Season 20 on Blu-ray.

You can download Doctor Who: The Five Companions for free from Big Finish's website.