Doctor Who review: "The Sirens of Time Redux" is a fresh take on Big Finish's first story

In July 1999, Big Finish Productions releasedDoctor Who: The Sirens of Time. This story was major for several key reasons. For one thing, it was Big Finish's first everDoctor Whoaudio. While the company had already been making full-cast audios based on Professor Bernice Summerfield - a character that had begun as aDoctor Whocompanion before heading off into her own spin-off series - this was the first officially licensedDoctor Whoaudio production, starring actors who had previously played the character on TV.

Perhaps more importantly,The Sirens of Timewas one of the first official dramatizedDoctor Whostories in several years. With the exception of Steven Moffat's excellent parodyThe Curse of Fatal Death, this was the first full-castDoctor Whodrama in any format since the TV movie three years earlier. That alone made it exciting for fans to listen to, even if it didn't include the "current" Doctor Paul McGann, whose first audio as the Eighth Doctor wouldn't be released until 2001.

Lastly, a big draw forThe Sirens of Timewas that it was a multi-Doctor story. Starring Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy as the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Doctors,The Sirens of Timefeatured each Doctor having their own connected mini-adventures, before all three are brought together to save Gallifrey in the final episode.

The success of this story led to hundreds moreDoctor Whoaudios and many, many spin-offs. However, after twenty-five years, Big Finish has improved significantly in how they produce their stories. So it's perhaps unsurprising that, for their 25th anniversary year of makingDoctor Whoon audio, they've decided to revisit their first story.

A fresh take

The Sirens of Time Reduxisn't a new take in terms of its production. There's no brand-new material being used, and everything that was recorded in the original production is used here.

What does make it stand out is everything in terms of post-production. Music, sound design, editing - all of these elements are handled from scratch, treating the story as if it was brand new.

The biggest difference betweenReduxand the original is the way the story is told. As previously mentioned, in the original version, each Doctor had their own episode before they're all brought together in part four. In concept, it's a neat idea and a fun way of usingDoctor Who's serial format. But even inmy original review of the story, I felt that some episodes worked better than others. In the original format, the episodes almost felt a little too distinct from each other.

New edit

InReduxhowever, the three separate adventures are edited together, intercutting between each of the three Doctors before they're brought together in the final episode. I wasn't sure if it would work, and one scene that was previously used as a pre-credits opening has now been moved to later in the story. To be honest, I thought it was such a good opening in the original version that I missed it inRedux, despite still being used.

But if I'm honest, there are many times when the new edit works at least as well if not better than the original edit. The three linked adventures feel more cohesive, and while each of the plotlines stands out in their own ways, they also feel better linked.

Doctor Who: The Sirens of Time Reduxdoesn't offer anything new in terms of its storyline. If you didn't enjoy the original at all, then you likely won't enjoy this version, either. But it's a solid new presentation of Big Finish's first story, and it's definitely worth a listen whether you're a long-term fan or a new listener. Even better is that (inthe SIlver editionI listened to, at least) the original version ofThe Sirens of Timeis included as a downloadable bonus, allowing you to enjoy both interpretations.

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